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Today I’m sitting in Charlie’s Coffee bar working. Last night I sat outside on the back porch and had a face to face conversation with my dad (and he’s in Arizona). I’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a laptop and it has been one the best purchases I’ve ever made. Now don’t get me wrong, if I didn’t work with computers for a living I wouldn’t have bought a laptop. However, seeing as my career, most of my hobbies and interests center around the computer, I thought it was a justifiable purchase. I was right.

Just over a week ago I decided that it was time to get a notebook computer. As much as I love working from home I did want the option to get away from the house now and then for some fresh scenery/air. Because I don’t like to use Windows any more than I have to, and all of my software is for the Mac, I decided that I needed to get a Mac notebook. I also knew that I would be running Photoshop, Dreamweaver and several other resource-intensive apps, so I knew that a MacBook Pro was really my only option.

I did some research, read some reviews and went back and forth about which MacBook Pro to purchase. I even considered getting an older PowerBook so I could save a few $$, but after reading a few reviews I wasn’t confident that I could run the aforementioned power-apps with suitable speed. In the end I decided to get the 17�? MacBook Po and though it seems like a purchase geared toward a “bigger is better” mentality, I assure you that my purchase was made strictly on logical grounds.

I ended up finding a couple of new and barely-used MBP’s on eBay for around $2500, which is almost $400 less than what I would pay if I purchased it directly from Apple or an Apple reseller. The one I decided to go with was the 17�? 2.33 Ghz MacBook Pro with a glossy display. It was free shipping and since it had already been opened (though never used) it was cheaper than some of the others.

I received the computer a couple of days ago and since then I’ve been in wireless, portable heaven. It’s amazing how much difference not being tied to a desk can make. Not only is it great for work and being able to get out of the house every once in a while, it’s also great to be able to sit in the living room and check my email or browse the web. It’s also more powerful than my PowerMac G5, which was surprising to me. I was expecting to sacrifice some performance for portability, but what I got was a portable powerhouse.

Look for me anywhere that offers wifi access around Wayne County.

UPDATE: If you care to see them, I have some photos of the “opening cermony”.