First laptop for 11 year old daughter

duncan32

Hello,
Sure I am not the first and won't be the last person to post a thread like this! My daughter is 11 in a week and a bit, and I would like to surprise her with a laptop. She loves to write stories and is forever borrowing my work laptop, but it would be great for her to have her own. Obviously, I don't want to fork out too much though (I am thinking between £100 and £200. This is presumably going to mean reconditioned? She will use it for some surfing, a lot of writing, NO GAMING THOUGH. I would appreciate any suggestions of what I could go for.

Thanks in advance.

Duncan

NiftyDigits

If £200 is really the top of your budget, then consider this Toshiba Satellite C850-101 for £203.98. Only lacking in RAM, but it will still be usable.

This is the latest version; Toshiba Satellite C850-19Z for £10 more.

Either will be fine.

The problem is that these branded machines supply so much 'helpful software'. They slow them down. So it's best to remove most of it or to upgrade the RAM.

Or you can just go mad and spend £230 on this Toshiba Satellite C855 1GP. It has all that the others have though with the inclusion of more RAM, more storage space and Bluetooth.

Tiexen

What about:

ACER C7 Chromebook £199.99

• Always new: automatic software & security updates
• Instant on: Standby to online in 3 seconds
• Up to 4 hours of battery life

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/chromebooks/acer-c7-chromebook-19348027-pdt.html

thesuperhobbit

NiftyDigits is correct in terms of specification. You can remove the 'bloatware' that comes with them.

However, a NetBook may be worth looking at too. They are smaller but as she's 11, I presume she's going to secondary school very soon? Maybe she already is?

They're really easy to carry around, light, cheap and in terms of what an eleven year old needs, ideal. They're fantastic for taking notes in class.

Not sure a Chromebook is a good idea. It's the same with Linux. Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world and it's best to be familiar with it. The Chromebook is mainly based around the internet too, so a constant internet connection is usually required for full accessibility.

Won't recommend a particular model as I'm sure with your budget you can find something that you like. However, the HP ones are fantastic. Whether they're within that budget, I can't be sure.

NiftyDigits

Tiexen wrote: »

What about:

ACER C7 Chromebook £199.99

• Always new: automatic software & security updates
• Instant on: Standby to online in 3 seconds
• Up to 4 hours of battery life

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/chromebooks/acer-c7-chromebook-19348027-pdt.html

Why limit yourself, when you can do more with a proper laptop??
Perhaps you know more than I, so tell us why you think it a good idea?

NiftyDigits

thesuperhobbit wrote: »

NiftyDigits is correct in terms of specification. You can remove the 'bloatware' that comes with them.

However, a NetBook may be worth looking at too. They are smaller but as she's 11, I presume she's going to secondary school very soon? Maybe she already is?

They're really easy to carry around, light, cheap and in terms of what an eleven year old needs, ideal. They're fantastic for taking notes in class.

Not sure a Chromebook is a good idea. It's the same with Linux. Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world and it's best to be familiar with it. The Chromebook is mainly based around the internet too, so a constant internet connection is usually required for full accessibility.

Won't recommend a particular model as I'm sure with your budget you can find something that you like. However, the HP ones are fantastic. Whether they're within that budget, I can't be sure.

Netbooks can be frustrating slow, though great for portability. So one should only consider one above a laptop if portability is of the essence. If it is, then they are available from under £120 with a full twelve month warranty. But usually with a three cell battery when six would be better. Six cell example here. But ideally one should upgrade to 2GB RAM, so there is another £15 to £20 on top of that.

Tiexen

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Why limit yourself, when you can do more with a proper laptop??
Perhaps you know more than I, so tell us why you think it a good idea?

"between £100 and £200. This is presumably going to mean reconditioned? "

Chromebooks are simple to use and they update themselves. They boot-up in seconds, never slow down and require almost zero setup or maintenance. Viruses, malware and other nasties are taken care of. No extra software (or worrying) required.

"She will use it for some surfing,"

Load websites in a snap with the Chrome browser. With Chrome Instant, web pages that you frequently visit begin loading as soon as you start typing their URLs.

" a lot of writing, "

Create and share documents with Google Drive. Enjoy your favorite songs and movies with Google Play. Video chat with up to 9 friend, Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings with apps like Google Drive, Zoho or SlideRocket. With Chrome Remote Desktop, you can access and run software stored on any of your other computers, securely over the Internet.

Apps like Google Docs and Offline Gmail help you stay productive during the rare times you are disconnected from the web.

An everyday, hassle-free laptop, for £199.

thesuperhobbit

I was thinking about the portability factor. People seem to have a strange misconception about hardware these days. A Dual Core processor supported by 2GB of RAM will suffice for basic tasks. Most people won't notice any major differences. With 4GB of RAM, it shouldn't ever have any problems whatsoever. I agree that 1GB is not sufficient.

I personally use an Ultrabook as believe it or not, after a while a normal laptop does become frustrating to carry around.

Younger people and especially children seem to care more about appearance and the 'cool' factor, hence my suggestion. I just thought a NetBook was a better suggestion and would argue they are for ANY student in that age group. NetBooks are easier to get in and out of a bag whereas a laptop is a lot of hassle.

Tiexen, you've taken the description off the product page.

I've used Google's operating system and it's terrible. You're better off using Linux as it's more versatile. Again, it's not going to help a child at all as the rest of the world uses Windows and it makes more sense to allow them to become used to it.

Windows is far better than Google's operating system, which from a personal viewpoint is disappointing as I love Linux.

NiftyDigits

Tiexen wrote: »

"between £100 and £200. This is presumably going to mean reconditioned? "

Chromebooks are simple to use and they update themselves. They boot-up in seconds, never slow down and require almost zero setup or maintenance. Viruses, malware and other nasties are taken care of. No extra software (or worrying) required.

"She will use it for some surfing,"

Load websites in a snap with the Chrome browser. With Chrome Instant, web pages that you frequently visit begin loading as soon as you start typing their URLs.

" a lot of writing, "

Create and share documents with Google Drive. Enjoy your favorite songs and movies with Google Play. Video chat with up to 9 friend, Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings with apps like Google Drive, Zoho or SlideRocket. With Chrome Remote Desktop, you can access and run software stored on any of your other computers, securely over the Internet.

Apps like Google Docs and Offline Gmail help you stay productive during the rare times you are disconnected from the web.

An everyday, hassle-free laptop, for £199.

I was hoping for your personal experience with a Chromebook.
Is an eight second bootup time important to a child?
Doesn't Windows update itself?
What about when you have no Internet connection?
What about watching a DVD or a video when there is no Internet available?
Seems a really limited experience compared to a simple Netbook, let alone a fully fledged laptop.

Kernel_Sanders

Tiexen wrote: »

[*]Up to 4 hours of battery life
[/LIST]

That's not a 'plus', it's an absolute minimum IMO.

Tiexen

NiftyDigits wrote: »

I was hoping for your personal experience with a Chromebook.
Is an eight second bootup time important to a child?
Doesn't Windows update itself?
What about when you have no Internet connection?
What about watching a DVD or a video when there is no Internet available?
Seems a really limited experience compared to a simple Netbook, let alone a fully fledged laptop.

OP didn't mention DVD or video "Surfing and writing for an 11 year old" was all that was asked for.