There are still a few things you can get for $200 _ a ticket to a Dodgers game and a Dodger dog, a quick visit to your doctor, if you don't need lab work, and a decent laptop PC. I bridle at the thought of paying so much to watch a Dodgers game, especially since I don't like baseball. I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle so I don't have to visit doctors. But I will happily part with $200 for a laptop PC, especially when my grandson is involved.
From time to time, Dell dispatches emails that lure me into buying something they think I can't live without. This time it was a laptop that turns into a touch-screen tablet, just by flipping the keyboard. It's got an 11.6-inch screen, slow processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM, Windows 10, a 500-gigabyte hard drive, a slow 2.4 Ghz wifi card, Bluetooth, microphone and speakers, and a surprisingly sensitive touch screen in both laptop and tablet modes.
On the day I bought it from the Dell Outlet's scratch and dent inventory, there was a 17-percent-off promotion, bringing the total to just below $200. When I received the PC, there were no signs of scratches or dents. I suspect that the low price meant it was last month's model _ like other PC makers, Dell updates its computers regularly. If you don't need the latest model of a PC or laptop, the Dell Outlet can save hundreds of dollars on refurbished or minimally damaged products.
The initial boot is slow _ as in watching paint dry. Once it's up and running, it's still slow. Wi-Fi is slow, too, given the slow card. But everything works as advertised. No one said it would be a screamer. I doubted whether my grandson would mind the slow speed for his educational games. In fact, he was delighted.
Two hundred dollars is a small price to pay for a happy grandson.
