Hi all,
I am very glad that Ralph Mawyer posted such an interesting post. I
hope that I am not taking up b/width if I put in my 2�.
I bought my first PB in 1994. It was a secondhand 100 which I loved
to bits. After that I got a Duo 280c and all the system accessories
and then a 2300. I was anxious about the warnings of the the small
size of the keys on the 2400 but I went ahead and bought one. I
should not have worried. This is the best of the long(ish) line of
small PBs that have allowed me to possess them.
The size is perfect and the build quality is so much better than any
of the other PBs and Duos that I can only pity those who have bought
WSs and found that they have had problems. I sent my 'book direct
from the supplier to MCE for a 6 Gb hd, additional 64 mb of RAM and a
Newer G3 240 u/g. BTW, MCE cannot be praised too highly. Arnie, Kevin
and the rest are a pleasure to deal with and they have been
unfailingly helpful and courteous to me whenever I have had dealings
with them. The 2400 went back to MCE for the RAM to be maxxed out at
112, a 10 Gb hd to be fitted and the Vimage G3 320 u/g put in.
Recently, I had problems with the 'book. I am not sure which was the
cause and what the result but I could not eject anything from the pc
slots. I had a GV 56K modem permanently in one of the slots. I have
been a fan of GV since my Duo days but this card did not seem to be
up to the standard of those earlier internal modems. Anyway, some
HK$7,000 lighter (1 HK$ = US$7.8) I had a working 2400 back from the
menders in HK. With a new board. You cannot imagine the withdrawal
symptoms whilst I was without it.
So, what do I think of the 2400? I will be keeping it until computers
are wearable or even implantable. I carry it back and forth to the
office every day. All my work is done on it. All my emails and web
browsing is done from it. I use the office pc with NT4.0 on for
searching the office databases and a little intranet emailing but I
have nailed a clove of garlic or two on the CPU. What a piece of
sh*t. The screen is bright and totally useable. The keyboard is ideal
for me as a touch typist. The weight and size is just perfect. I
cannot imagine a better computer for my needs than the 2400. Despite
the cost of the replacement board the 'book has been rock solid and
thoroughly reliable. I took the GV modem and stamped on it and then
binned it. I now have a Psion Dacom Gold Card 56K pc card modem
permanently in the pc slot and it seems to me to give me fewer
communication stability problems than did the GV. I have the
Microsloth Office suite on board but I have removed Kaleidoscope and
all the other knick-knacks that, admittedly make the Mac so
appealing. I have left SpeedDoubler on for the excellent copydoubler
facility but that may now be at risk as I have ordered OS9. I have
moved up from 8.5 to 8.5.1 to 8.6 and have found the series
increasingly stable and useful.
So, best ever? For me the answer is a resounding <yes>! I have put my
name down for a MCE 400 Mhz u/g and I shall ask them if the 'book is
cardbus compliant. If yes, well, you won't see the little computer
for dust and small pebbles. If no, well, never mind it is still a
great device.
Again I apologise for the use of b/width but I am very happy to share
with others my experiences. BTW, thanks to ListMom Eric, Ash, Ralph
and all the others who share my enthusiasm.
Regards,
Ian Thomas in Hong Kong.
>Since my PB 2400 is in the shop I've been mulling over the issue of whether
>the 2400 should be considered one of the better PowerBooks. While some of
>the recent board/power supply/loose screw failures are a concern, the
>sample size is still a bit suspect. In any case, while talking to Arnie
>about my PB I asked him what his experience had been, i.e., did he consider
>the PB 2400 one of the better PowerBooks and was it worth sinking more
>money into it.
>
>He said, more or less, that they consider the PB 2400 the one PB that can
>do it all.
----------
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