I travel nationally and internationally so I really do need a laptop.
My latest one is getting sick so before it dies completely I want to
get ready to have a replacement.

My real needs for a laptop are to carry my documents, databases and
all my
email with me and to download emails while travelling. I do that
through
AOL as that works for me nationallly and internationally at an easy
fair price.

So, what are say my three best options (almost new) for a laptop that
will last me a while? I had (have) an IBM TransNote (never did learn
how to use the Transfer of Notes part).

I do not need all the bells and whistles. Integraded floppy and CD-Rom
is the least of extras. My budget is under $1,000. I would probably
look for it on Ebay.

Thanks.

John P.

You might want to consider a refirbished laptop.  Dell is a brand that
I am generally happy with.

See: 

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfh/products/line_notebooks.htm

There are a lot of models to choose from on their web site.

Some questions to ask yourself:

Is weight important?
Is battery life important?
Is screen size / resolution important?
Wireless internet access?

I personally would not get a laptop that is so old that it does not
have USB support, though, because it can come in quite handy if you
want to easily connect peripherals later on like digital cameras,
printers, etc.

I would also get something that can run Windows 2000 or XP, for the
sake of reliability.  Or, if you are inclined, there are some really
nice laptops available from Apple.  The drawback there would be lack
of PC compatibility.

Otherwise, it does not look like you need anything with a whole lot of
power, based on the description of your needs.  When in doubt, though,
buy somethign with more power than you think you might need.

For other ideas, or to learn what you might want to look for when
buying a laptop, you might visit the following web sites.  The first
link below I highly recommend because it is an article on buying
laptops:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,3483,00.asp

Here are some other places to visit:

http://reviews.cnet.com
http://www.zdnet.com

If you want the ultimate in durrability, there are some industrial
laptops that are shock hardned and waterproof.  I'm not sure you could
get one for under your $1000 budget.

-Carl