Latitude D630 in Canada?

Does anyone know the timeframe for the D630 to hit the Canadian market?

I've been on the lookout for a santa rosa laptop and the D630 would fit in well with what I've been looking for. No luck finding it (or any other santa rosa, for that matter) around here, though...

 

So far the only Santa Rosa stuff ive seen in Canada are the Thinkpads... Dell doesnt have anything... HP definatly doesnt have anything, and neither does toshiba (from what ive seen)

 

I spoke with a Dell rep and he could only tell me that "it's coming very soon". I pressed him on the matter to give me a specific ETA, since the US already has it, and he said he couldn't, only to reiterate that it would be very soon.

 

I'm only planning on getting a new laptop around mid June, so hopefully it won't take that long...

I've considered the T61 as well, but was put off after reading a couple reviews. There are a few things that could be better with it. Dell is the only other company that I see having any plans about releasing a santa rosa platform in the near future around here.

 

The VAIO FZ is a Santa Rosa, and it is coming out in Canada tomorrow. It is either $1599 or $1699 depending on your processor. Or there's the amazing one for like $2399...

 

Any details on specs? Or I guess I could just wait for the press release today...

 

The specs are on the Sony website here :
http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/se...d=1004044&navigationPath=n32009n100299n100372

 

Doh... For some reason I read your original post as the SZ. 15.4" is a little large of my taste these days.

I was wondering why it was so cheap.

 

I've considered the T61 as well, but was put off after reading a couple reviews. "

what are those things/issues?

 

I've read some complaints about screen brightness on the T61, to the point of being very hard to see on well-lit environments and pretty much unusable outdoors. The lcd on the T61 is not centered, being closer to the right side (this apparently has to do with the wireless antenna). The speakers are also on the weak side, even though the D630 probably has the same issue. Last, the standard 4-cell battery only lasts you about 2 hrs, while there are 6 and 9-cell battery available they are not flushed with the laptop and end up sticking about 1" out. This last one is not a big problem, but I do value the looks of the laptop a bit.

And I personally prefer glossy screens, and the T61 is only offered with a matte one. That's pretty much all of it. Other than these nit-picky stuff, the T61 is an awesome machine and it was my 1st choice until I started finding out about these details.

 

Yeah, the main killer for me with the T61 was the lack of battery life. Andrew did a review and a bit over 3.5 hours of battery life without Wi-fi enabled is just bad. And that was on the 6-cell. I can easily get that sort of battery life and push towards 4 hours with my 2 year old laptop...

On the other hand, the only thing I've heard about the D630's battery life has been good, albeit only from PCMag and CNet. Over 4 hours on a test where the T61 only got a bit over 2 seems pretty good.

 

I don't have many issues with my current Toshiba M70. It's got a glossy screen and it's fine to use in well lit environments (office, bright rooms and even sitting by the window on a sunny day). It's terrible outdoors, but not bordering unusable and I've done it a couple of times.

 

Shipping and handling for Latitudes in Dell Canada costs more than $100. Are they going to have promotions on that, based on your experiences?