Laptop advice

[LesO'lafatselik]

I've just had the dreaded call from my parents that they want my help 'going online' when I go to visit them at Xmas. They've assured me they only want it as a reference tool and won't be running graphics-intensive games or storing Terabytes of Japanese octopus porn. Can anyone recommend a cheap, no-frills laptop? :)

[Hucsman]

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_series.do?series_name=R4000_series&catLevel=2&category=notebooks/compaq_presario&storeName=computer_store

[Mad_Bishop]

my dad just picked up a dell for under $500, for essentially the same purpose. 1.8 Ghz Celeron, 256MG Ram, 12" screen. It wouldn't suit me, but it should suit their purpose.

[Grouchy]

I've just had the dreaded call from my parents that they want my help 'going online' when I go to visit them at Xmas. They've assured me they only want it as a reference tool and won't be running graphics-intensive games or storing Terabytes of Japanese octopus porn. Can anyone recommend a cheap, no-frills laptop? :)

If you can wait until between Thanksgiving and Xmas most vendors like Dell and Compaq/HP start going nuts with rebate deals. Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc. will be doing deals as well. The Friday after Thanksgiving is termed "Black Friday" by bargain hunters and I have seen some crazy deals over the years.

Check
Bens Bargains (http://www.bensbargains.net)
Fatwallet's Hot Deals (http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/categories.cfm?catid=18)
for deals.

Is there a reason why you are getting a laptop instead of a desktop?