4 ms·

Show HN: Picknotebook – a better way to choose your next laptop

4 points by zaibasxs 12y ago

jakobbuis 12y ago
I like it. The vagueness of the options works better in some areas than others though: suppose I'm looking for exactly a 13,3" laptop: I'm picky on the size, but don't care so much for accurate results in others areas
- zaibasxs 12y ago
  True. It's quite a challenge satisfying both sides of the spectrum, especially when it has to be wrapped in a consistent UI. Thanks for that thought though. I'll look into that.
Mister_Snuggles 12y ago
I wish I had this when I was buying my last laptop! I ended up with a ThinkPad x131e which is a bit on the heavy side but satisfied most of my other needs. Some minor suggestions: * Allow selection of operating system/platform. This will let people weed out, for example, Chromebooks if they know that ChromeOS is unsuitable for them. For Mac/Windows, the manufacturer filter already does this. * Show Linux compatibility. Ubuntu has a compatibility list and the other big distros probably do as well. This would have to be advisory only though since one model might come in a few different configurations. * Other filters: Touch/non-touch, convertible to tablet, detachable keyboard, etc. I'm also surprised to not see Microsoft in the manufacturer dropdown. The Surface tablets (with keyboard cover) look like a very interesting laptop-like option.
- zaibasxs 12y ago
  Microsoft is not the only one... I didn't spent too much time on manufacturer list - wanted to get public asap. I'll add Microsoft Surface in coming few days. The problem with filters is that there is a very wide array of opinions on what should be added and it's common for Amazon to not specify many non-primary specs/write contradictory specs or simply plain wrong data. Therefore I won't be able to just throw in more filters, just a few at a time. Thanks for suggestions, gonna add them to my spreadsheet heh.
cauterized 12y ago
Clever, and I'd definitely refer friends to this when they ask me what computer to get. A couple suggestions: Re: OS choices -- iOS is for mobile devices (phones and tablets). Laptops run Mac OS X. I find the display of the suggestions unhelpful. I care a lot more about how much actual drive space the computer has than what percentile it falls into. Also, for most people price is a huge factor, so displaying the price of each laptop would help a lot.
- zaibasxs 12y ago
  Fixed OS option. Price should be displayed in blue near "View on Amazon". Drive type/space is also displayed with every item when clicked on "Specifications". Hmm... I think I'll have to make that a bit more noticeable.

4 points by zaibasxs 12y ago

I like it. The vagueness of the options works better in some areas than others though: suppose I'm looking for exactly a 13,3" laptop: I'm picky on the size, but don't care so much for accurate results in others areas

zaibasxs 12y ago
True. It's quite a challenge satisfying both sides of the spectrum, especially when it has to be wrapped in a consistent UI. Thanks for that thought though. I'll look into that.

Mister_Snuggles 12y ago

I wish I had this when I was buying my last laptop! I ended up with a ThinkPad x131e which is a bit on the heavy side but satisfied most of my other needs. Some minor suggestions: * Allow selection of operating system/platform. This will let people weed out, for example, Chromebooks if they know that ChromeOS is unsuitable for them. For Mac/Windows, the manufacturer filter already does this. * Show Linux compatibility. Ubuntu has a compatibility list and the other big distros probably do as well. This would have to be advisory only though since one model might come in a few different configurations. * Other filters: Touch/non-touch, convertible to tablet, detachable keyboard, etc. I'm also surprised to not see Microsoft in the manufacturer dropdown. The Surface tablets (with keyboard cover) look like a very interesting laptop-like option.

zaibasxs 12y ago
Microsoft is not the only one... I didn't spent too much time on manufacturer list - wanted to get public asap. I'll add Microsoft Surface in coming few days. The problem with filters is that there is a very wide array of opinions on what should be added and it's common for Amazon to not specify many non-primary specs/write contradictory specs or simply plain wrong data. Therefore I won't be able to just throw in more filters, just a few at a time. Thanks for suggestions, gonna add them to my spreadsheet heh.

cauterized 12y ago

Clever, and I'd definitely refer friends to this when they ask me what computer to get. A couple suggestions: Re: OS choices -- iOS is for mobile devices (phones and tablets). Laptops run Mac OS X. I find the display of the suggestions unhelpful. I care a lot more about how much actual drive space the computer has than what percentile it falls into. Also, for most people price is a huge factor, so displaying the price of each laptop would help a lot.

zaibasxs 12y ago
Fixed OS option. Price should be displayed in blue near "View on Amazon". Drive type/space is also displayed with every item when clicked on "Specifications". Hmm... I think I'll have to make that a bit more noticeable.