Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!rutgers!cmcl2!sbcs!usenet
From: stark@sbstaff2 (Eugene Stark)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: DAK Bondwell
Message-ID: <1991Jan18.143256.16821@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
Date: 18 Jan 91 14:32:56 GMT
References: <1991Jan17.204243.5711@convex.com>
Sender: usenet@sbcs.sunysb.edu (Usenet poster)
Reply-To: stark@sbstaff2 (Eugene Stark)
Organization: SUNY at Stony Brook Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 42
In-Reply-To: graham@convex.com (Marv Graham)

>The DAK catalog has a Bondwell laptop with a 286 and 20 Meg disk for $1200.
>For an extra $99, you can get a 40 Meg disk.  It also has a 1.44 Meg floppy.
>What's the catch.  Is this thing worth buying?  Is there a better deal
>available.
>
>If this is old news in this group, forgive me.  I just started reading it!

Well, it is kind of old, but since I have seen a couple of questions about
this recently and no responses, I'll post one.

Strange as it may seem, I don't think there really is any catch.
I ordered the beast last June (with 40 MB disk), and received it in August.
DAK had problems getting the machines, I don't know if that is fixed now.
The machine I bought had no backlighting and was priced slightly higher at
the time.

After six months of frequent use, I am still very happy with the machine.
I would order the backlit display if I were getting it now, though.
It seems very rugged, and it is reasonably fast.  The batteries don't
last incredibly long: maybe about 1.25 hours if the hard disk is on
continuously, but over 1.75 hours if the CPU is running, but the disk is off
and the display blanked.  The low battery indicator light starts flashing
when the resident program indicates 50% charge, which usually happens
in about 15min.  My experience is that there is no problem using the
machine down to the 10% level, so I would rather have the low battery
light start flashing then.  I generally use mine plugged in, but it is nice
to be able to use it on batteries sometimes.  I suggest picking up a couple
extra battery packs and maybe even the charger (I recently did this).

All the software I tried works without problems.  A recent poster
(from Germany, I think) said he had installed the memory upgrade to get to 2MB
(with great difficulty) and had both a DOS and a Xenix partition on the disk.
Although originally I thought I would get the memory upgrade and maybe run
Xenix, the machine serves its purpose with 1MB, and the price of the upgrade
is fairly steep.  I took a look to see how hard it would be to get inside
the thing to install the upgrade, and I gave up before I got the cover off
the machine.

To summarize, if the technical specs satisfy your needs, then I think it
is a great buy with no gotchas.

							- Gene Stark