Mobile Computing Tips: Refurbished Notebooks, PDAs, and Mobile Phones

Tips on how and where to buy refurbished machines, plus reviews and news.

James A. Martin

Feature: Are Refurbished Notebooks Worth the Money?

Despite price drops, portable computers still cost more than their desktop counterparts. And in this battered economy, it's even more important to stretch your dollars. So the temptation to save bucks by buying a refurbished notebook--one that was returned to the manufacturer but reconditioned and retested before being sold again--has never been greater.

But the question is: Are refurbished notebooks a good deal or a bum steer? Based on my experiences as a refurbished-notebook owner, and my recent price comparisons of refurb and new equipment, the answer is... it depends. (For tips on buying refurbished PDAs and mobile phones, see the Handhelds and Wireless sections below.)

Shopping for an Old New Notebook

Two years ago, when I was ready to buy a new notebook, I surprised myself by buying an "old" one instead. I was about to purchase a Dell Inspiron 3800, when--in a rare fit of frugality--I investigated Dell's refurbished notebooks. I discovered an Inspiron 3700, recently discontinued but nearly identical to the 3800 I wanted.

The Inspiron 3700 was about $500 less than the 3800, so I popped it into the online shopping cart, proud of my sensible purchase. The notebook worked fine, but it developed a few quirks not long after the return period ended, such as a tendency to shut down after disuse. None of the notebook's eccentricities were serious, just occasionally irritating.

Fast forward to March 2002. The Inspiron 3700 and its 128MB of RAM were no longer meeting my needs, so I hunted for a replacement. This time around, I began by comparing the refurbished notebooks to the new models at IBM, Gateway, and Dell's online stores. Here's what I found:

IBM. On a recent visit, the selection of refurb ThinkPads was slim and unappealing--five of the six models were Pentium II machines. At $999, the sole Pentium III notebook was $300 less than its closest counterpart among new ThinkPads. But given that IBM's return period for refurbished computers is only seven days (vs. 30 days for new computers) and limited warranties are only three months (vs. one to three years), the $300 savings hardly seemed worth it.

Gateway. Here the pickings were slightly better: eight "remanufactured" notebooks, ranging from $599 to $1599. I configured a brand-new Gateway Solo 9550ls with specs identical to a $1599 refurb Gateway Solo 9550--and was startled to find that the new system cost only $50 more. Gateway-remanufactured Solo 9550s come with a standard one-year warranty, according to a phone-order salesperson, whereas new Solo 9550s come with a three-year warranty; the 15-day return period is the same for new and refurb. As with IBM's site, I didn't see a compelling reason to buy a remanufactured Gateway notebook.

Dell. On the same day I visited the IBM and Gateway sites, Dell's Factory Outlet offered 25 reconditioned Inspiron and 95 Latitude notebooks for sale. And unlike IBM and Gateway, you can easily sort available models by price range, processor speed, and other criteria. I found some good deals, too. A refurbished Inspiron 4100 with a 1.2-GHz Pentium III processor, a 40GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM (on two DIMMs), an 8X CD-RW drive, a 14-inch UXGA display, and a one-year warranty sold for $2003. By comparison, the same notebook (and warranty) went for $2646 new. Based on my experiences, Dell is the best place to shop for refurbished notebooks, hands down.

Many Happy Returns

Price comparisons aside, there are other factors to consider when shopping for refurbished computers. For starters, you're options are limited to what's available: You can't pick and chose components the way you can when ordering some new notebooks. And it's unlikely that you'll know why the product was returned. Could be the notebook constantly gave its hapless owner the blue screen of death; could be the entire box was sent back unopened because the customer had a change of heart. For more about the pros and cons of refurbished computers, see "Consumer Watch: Refurbished PCs--Sweet Deals or Lemons?"

But all told, given today's economy, you should at least investigate refurbished notebooks before you buy, particularly if you're a Dell loyalist. What have you got to lose?

Notebooks

Tip: Other Refurbished Notebook Sites

In addition to the IBM, Gateway, and Dell sites described earlier, you can find refurbished notebooks at the following sites:

• Amazon.com
• Compaq
• Hewlett-Packard (click Refurbished PC Products under Clearance Sale)
• PC Connection
• Sony

News: Inspiron vs. Inspiron

Is the new, Pentium 4-M-based Dell Inspiron 8200 a better deal than the PIII-M-based Inspiron 8100? Not necessarily. In PC World benchmark tests, the 8100 consistently beat the 8200 in everything but multimedia tasks. However, the 8200 supports up to 1024MB of memory, while the 8100 taps out at 512MB--an important advantage for memory-hungry multimedia machines. For PC World's test results, read "Take Pentium 4 Power on Your Next Trip."

Review: Big-Screen Beauty

Are you weary of tiny notebook screens? Feast your eyes on Gateway's Solo 9550xl, currently number six in PC World's Power Notebook lineup. The Solo 9550xl has the largest screen found in any Windows notebook: 15.7 inches. At that size, you could easily use the Solo as a desktop system, without the need for an external monitor. The 9550xl model we tested sells for $2599 and includes a 1.13-GHz Pentium III-M processor, 256MB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.

To get the latest Solo 9550xl prices, go to the Gateway Web site.

Handhelds

Tip: Buying Refurbished PDAs

As with notebook computers, you can save a few Benjamins by buying refurbished PDAs. At Palm's online outlet store, for instance, a refurb color Palm M505 goes for $244 (vs. $399 new).

Handspring sells reconditioned Visors online. Recently, three refurb Visor models were available: Platinum ($129 vs. $169 new), Prism ($229 vs. $299 new), and Deluxe ($99; no longer available new).

At Compaq's factory outlet, a refurbished IPaq 3835 was recently offered at $499, $100 less than the relatively comparable IPaq 3850. It also offers online bidding for new IPaqs.

And Sony offers refurbished, discontinued Clie handhelds (a color model recently went for $279).

News: The BlackBerry Buzz

Continuing the fusion trend in PDAs, Research In Motion has announced a new BlackBerry handheld that's also a cell phone. But rather than coming out with a cell phone that's also a PDA, the BlackBerry 5810 is identical to the BlackBerry 957 wireless PDA--except for its phone jack, headset, and mike. The 5810 will be widely available in mid-April for about $500. Read all about it in "Voicing Opinions on RIM's Latest PDA."

Review: Intellisync Is Indispensable

PCWorld.com's Yardena Arar tested Intellisync 5.0.2 ($70 street), the latest update of the PDA-syncing software and the first version to support Pocket PC 2002. She was able to synchronize her Lotus Notes data on an HP Jornada 565 running Pocket PC 2002--something she couldn't do with Intellisync 4. Normally a pretty tough customer, she raved about Intellisync 5.0.2, calling it an "indispensable syncing tool."

Wireless

Tip: Refurbished Mobile Phones

Yes, you can even buy refurbished mobile phones, though they aren't as easily to be found as their notebook and PDA counterparts. Online mart ReCellular, Inc. offers a wide variety of refurbished cell phones and accessories.

And many wireless service providers sell refurbished mobile phones, though they aren't often promoted. A recent check of AT&T Wireless's Web site, for instance, uncovered no mention of refurbished phones for sale, though they are available--if you ask--at many AT&T Wireless stores.

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