Vista bargain hunting
Looking for a new Windows Vista laptop but don't want to break the bank? For about the same price as, say, a PlayStation 3, you can actually take your pick of a couple of new models.
The catch, of course, is that these systems use Vista Basic, the extremely stripped-down version of Microsoft's new operating system. No Aero interface, no Media Center, and so on.
For $498, you can get the new Everex Stepnote VA4101M (available at Wal-Mart, of all places). This 15.4-inch laptop includes Vista Basic, an Intel Celeron M processor, and only 512MB of RAM, which seems pretty sketchy for any flavor of Vista, even Vista Basic.
Jump up another $100, and you can get the Gateway NX270S, a 14.1-inch laptop with the same Vista Basic/Celeron M combo, but this one includes a full 1GB of RAM, which should be enough for everyday Vista use.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
