I still get this digest from when I had a Duo 230, but when I decided I needed a new laptop I went to a 5300ce. It was a refurbished unit and had went through the Apple repair extension program so any glaring problems had been corrected. This unit is not small compared to the Duo's however it is smaller than that which followed and it is small enough both in size and weight to remain portable. On the plus side of of the 5300 series in general. Parts are still readily available, and prices are good. The CE model in particular has a very nice screen, the colors are great and the 800x600 resolution give a bit more real estate to work with. The key board is nice to use and includes function keys. The PC card slot provides easy access to ethernet, modem, and camera memory readers. It has an expansion bay that accepts a MO drive, Zip drive, Floppy drive, a built in power adaptor and another hard drive. It can run everything from 7.5.2 to 9.0.4. On the downside of the 5300 series, it is not a sturdy as the Duos. Apple replaces the broken plastic and power connector, but does not replace them with better components, just new components. It is slow. I understand it is marginally faster than the Duo 2300, but it will never be called peppy. Newer native software overcomes some of these problems, but in emulation it is probably slower than a 280. It has the slowest hard drive interface that has ever been placed in a computer, and even new faster hard drives do not really help. Over all I am finding it very useful. I carry it with me everyday. It lives on battery power and meets my needs. I can carry it where ever I go with out great effort. I enjoy the color screen very much. The PC cards are a nice way to add features. I am glad to be done with the whole Dock mess. I expect I will be using it for several years, but I am also quite sure that it will not last as long as my old Duo. Of course my needs a pretty simple. I do a lot of writing on the machine and use it as a storage space for images from a digital camera. It is not the PowerBook from hell that it is often portrayed as, but neither is the type of machine you fall in love with. A good solid performer nothing more, nothing less. William Ove Received from DuoList ,[EMAIL PROTECTED] on 7/23/00 2:26 AM: >From: Eric Draht <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: Re: [Duo] Re: MacSoft > > > >I'd love to buy a 5300ce, but everyone tells me the machines were cripe. >Does anyone have any insight/experience with a 5300? ---------- Duo/2400 List, The friendliest place on the Net! A listserv for users and fans of Mac subportables. FAQ at <http://www.themacintoshguy.com/lists/DuoListFAQ.shtml> Be sure to visit Mac2400! <http://www.sineware.com/mac2400> XRouter | Share your DSL or cable modem between multiple computers! Dr. Bott | Now $199.99 <http://www.drbott.com/prod/MIH120.html> PowerBook Guy is | Click here! Everything PowerBook! | http://www.powerbookguy.com Midwest Mac Parts ][ <http://www.midwestmac.com> After-market parts for Macs. ][ 888-356-1104 ][ MacResQ Specials: LaCie SCSI CDR From $99! PowerBook 3400/200 Only $879! Norton AntiVirus 6 Only $19! We Stock PARTS! <http://www.macresq.com>
