Notebook or Laptop?

I sold my computer as I wrote earlier and went to the nearby Futureshop and bought an Acer laptop for $799. I actually used my Futureshop card to pay it off in a year. Then I noticed I had a problem with the sound system when I'm using Skype or YAHOO Messenger. I also tried to get a Microsoft Office package and the cheapest one I found was $179 excluding GST. I bought that but then returned it the other day without even touching it. I considered that too much of expense. Then I tried to overcome the technical difficulty I had with the sound system and couldn't. So I took it back to the Futureshop. Different people came and struggled with the computer but couldn't do anything to remove the issue. Then finally the first guy whom I met came and he found out through YAHOO Answers that many people have problem with Windows Vista, the new OS which is installed on all of the laptop and desktops, including mine and finally suggested to replace the Acer with a Toshiba, the one that Ali G. recommended when we went to the Futureshop after the the Home Show. The guy, Zach, said that Acer computer management system doesn't allow to run Skype or YAHOO Messenger under Vista properly. That model of Toshiba was $899 the day I bought the Acer one but it was reduced to $799 that day! So I switched the laptops and now I'm using it and everything looks fine. I talk to A. J. in B. C. over Skype, to Cyrus in Koln through the Messenger and to Hojam here in Calgary again using the Messenger. I also bought a bag for my laptop but today I noticed that it lacks a shoulder strap. So I have to go to the store again and find out what has happened to it. And finally I use WordPad instead of MS Word and have no spreadsheet until the day I have enough money and courage to buy an office package!

After all I don't believe that Toshiba is better than Acer or Sony is the best. They all use the same processor and only a few features are different. For example that Acer I bought first is better than the Toshiba I own now. It has built-in microphone, you can see the level of the sound when you turn it down or up while this one's volume is like the old grandma radio sets!

So don't waste your money on a specific brand if you're buying a laptop.