As much as things are mobile and portable regarding technology, there still seems to be a need for computers.  Though I can do many things from my Smartphone or Tablet, there are times I need a computer, for uploading photos from my camera or syncing music playlists (depending on the device).

My old laptop died last night.  I needed something but didn’t feel like paying some fruit company a pretty penny for a glorified surf machine.  I don’t need the fancy bells and whistles so I can’t justify spending a grand and a half on a laptop out of panic because I need something ASAP that I won’t use often AND especially when Christmas is around the corner.  I pretty much avoid having to turn on my personal laptop if I can help it since I have previously stated I’m virtually chained to my work devices.  However I still needed one occasionally a few times a month when my tablet or phone just won’t do.

I hit up Red Flag Deals and saw there were a few sales.  After narrowing down a few machines and speaking to friends and my IT guy at work, I found a few laptops that would do what I wanted which is surf, sync and transfer.  I’m not a gamer or a Media Maven, I don’t even know how to use Photoshop.  I guess I’m like my parents, or your parents or just a simple(ton) user but not as clueless.

I settled on the ASUS X200MA which has a touch screen with 4GB of Ram and 500GB Hard drive, USB 3.0 and HDMI port.  My friend Diane highly recommended it as she has one, loves it (“best $400 I ever spent!”) and uses it more than her Macbook Pro.  The Microsoft Store happened to have it on sale for $249….but was out of stock.  

I headed to the Eaton Centre and saw that the Microsoft Store was still under construction so I headed to the Kiosk and made some kid call the Yorkdale store to confirm they had them in stock before I headed over.

Before hopping on the subway, I went to the Best Buy and they didn’t have carry it, but I did use their computers on display and saw that Future Shop did and listed it for $499.99.  I walked across the street to Future Shop and googled their price match policy which states:

“If you find a lower price online, in-store, or in print before you buy or within 30 days of your purchase we’ll beat that price by 10% of the difference.”

I picked up the last unopened box at their Downtown location.

I am also typing this post from this laptop.  It’s pretty decent and I haven’t noticed any lag yet.  It’s light and portable and the keyboard is good and I find spaced out comfortably. It is however very plasticy in appearance, but for the price point I wasn’t expecting luxurious materials/build.  All laptops except for Macs seem to be made of plastic anyways.  I will say I am not used to Windows 8 and it took watching a few YouTube videos to learn how to navigate in it. This is a basic budget laptop but not as shitty as early generation netbooks were which were around the same price point but it’s not an Ultrabook either.  The RAM is decent and there are hacks on Youtube on upgrading it to 8GB too.

All in all, I’m pleased that I have a new laptop for a third of what I was expecting to spend.  Hence I’m letting you all know about this deal since Christmas is around the corner and you either wanted to get some technologically impared seniors a laptop or one for the kids to beat up on. The Touch screen would be good for those demographics listed as it is easier than fiddling with the mouse pad.  In some respects, this laptop is a partial tablet because of the screen.  I guess how much so would depend on the user. I haven’t gotten used to the fact there is a touch screen and feel like it is still sacriligious to do so for the most part, so to me this is more laptop than tablet.

For $255 taxes in, you can’t get a tablet with the same specs at the same price….so it’s a pretty good deal if you computer is on it’s last legs, you want a back up or as a gift for someone you like/love.

Note: When I was looking into this computer 30/10/2014, Microsoft Store’s link showed they were out of stock.  At the current moment 31/10/2014, it appears there is now stock. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msca/en_CA/pdp/ASUS-X200MA-UB01T-Black-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.307448100

Also they offer an Educational discount of 10% for students.  You just show your student card or enter in your institution on the website.

This isn’t a formal review because I’m not a techie computer nerd I just like stuff and talking about things that I like.

Also if you want a unboxing because you are boring, there are plenty on YouTube.  Peace!