Laptops
Laptop Categories
Laptops come in all different shapes and sizes. Each category of laptop has its strengths and weaknesses. Some are lighter, some are more powerful, some are more durable, etc. Which laptop is right for you depends on what you want the laptop to do. It is important to make sure you research each type of laptop before making a purchase.
Mainstream
A mainstream laptop is the portable equivalent of a budget desktop. They are cheaper than most laptops and do not have many of the extra features or high-end components which expensive laptops have. They usually give you just enough power for working on e-mail, word processing, or surfing the Web.
Business
Business laptops are generally used when corporations give laptops to their employees to use for strictly business purposes. However, employees can also go out and buy their own business laptop. Business laptops are usually equipped with Windows XP Professional rather than Windows XP Home edition. They are also more conservative in style and have added security, such as better hard drive protection. These laptops also have mobility features, such as lightweight for carrying around the office and on plane rides, as well as built-in wireless technology.
Thin/Light
The whole point in buying a laptop is to be able to move it around and who wants to move something around that's big and heavy? That is why they have created a lightweight category of laptops. Lightweight laptops are generally characterized as having a screen size of 14" and a weight between 4 and 5.5 pounds. Other than weight, lightweight laptops don't have many other restrictions. They can be high performance, mainstream-like, business-like, etc.
Ultralight
Ultralight laptops are exaggerated versions of thin/light computers. Ultralight laptops are usually categorized as a 10"-13" screen size and weigh under 4 pounds. Ultralight laptops usually cost a little more than thin/light laptops, because they add the extra mobility. However, ultralight laptops can have the same features that thin/light laptops even though they mainly focus on the size and weight. Ultralight laptops are great for people who are always moving their laptops around with them daily, not for somebody to put on a desk to replace their desktop.
Gaming
Gaming laptops are fast, mean machines that have the goal of creating the greatest graphical experience when playing games. That includes having a fast processor, high-end graphics card, lots of memory, and high-resolution screens. However, they sometimes lack certain mobility qualities, such as size, weight, and wireless capabilities. Gaming laptops can be very expensive and are not for business workers, very mobile people, or people looking for a low-budget laptop. You know if your a big gamer worthy of a high-end gaming laptop.
Extra-Rugged
Extra-rugged(or "toughbooks") are laptops capable of withstanding falls, drops, spills, cracks, splits, breaks, car crashes, rock throwing, volcanic eruptions, you name it. They are built with very durable material which usually makes the laptop a bit heavier. Therefore, if you're looking for a lightweight laptop, extra-rugged laptops are not for you. But, if you're someone who works outside a lot or is a very clumsy person("butterfingers"), than extra-rugged laptops might suite you just perfectly. Extra-rugged laptops can be gaming computers, mainstream-like, business-like, etc.
Tablet
Tablet laptops can twist and fold their screens all the way back on top of the keyboard to create a "tablet". They are ideal for students or artists who want to be able to write/draw on their screens with a stylus pen, like a piece of paper. Tablet laptops can be just about any kind of laptop from business, to mainstream, to lightweight. However, they are usually not gaming laptops since gamers would not have any need to draw on the screen.
Laptops and Desktops
This day in age there are two types of computers: laptops and desktops. Each has its own advantages, disadvantages, and subcategories.
Advantages vs. Disadvantages
Desktop Advantages:
- Cheaper
- Larger capabilities, such as larger hard drives, more drives, more ports, etc.
- More reliable/Not as hard to break
Desktop Disadvantages:
- NOT mobile
- Takes up more space
- Must be near a power source
Laptop Advantages:
- MOBILE
- Wireless
Laptop Disadvantages:
- Less capabilities
- Less reliable/More easy to break
- More expensive
Which one to choose?
Whether to choose a laptop or desktop depends on what you want to do with it. If your someone who needs a computer for work and home or someone who just always moves around, a laptop is the right choice for you. But, if you're a gamer, someone who works at home, or someone who just doesn't move around much, a desktop is a better choice. You also have to keep in mind your budget before choosing a laptop vs. a desktop since desktops are cheaper.
Changing Technology
Computer technology evolves exponentially and it is important to keep up with pace, so that you get the most out of your computer. It is impossible to determine exactly when the next age of computer technology will dawn, but we all know that it is inevitable.
Going with high-end or conservative laptop?
One of the most important choices you will make while determining a laptop to purchase is whether to go with a more mainstream, cheaper laptop, or a more powerful, high-end laptop. The main factor is how long you think you will have your laptop before wanting/needing a new one. If you are only going to have your laptop for a year or so, it might be a better idea to go with a cheaper, mainstream laptop. However, if you are going to have your laptop for an extended period of time, it would be better to go with a high-end, more expensive laptop to get the most out of your time with your laptop.
Where to learn and find out about new technology?
It is important to keep up with the new technology. Therefore, you need a place to find the new technology. Magazines, web pages, and RSS feeds are best, because they are constantly updated, where as books are not. Here is a list of online and magazine resources.
Magazines:
- Consumer Reports
- Laptop Magazine
- PC Magazine
- PC World
Online:
Configuration
Once you have your laptop, you will need to configure it to your needs and wants. There are certain configuration settings you can change for laptops that will save you energy, power, and increase security.
Where to put your data?
It is a good idea to create two places on your computer: one for your operating system and one for your data. You can great a partition on your hard drive for data or add an external hard drive which you would plug into your computer. External hard drives are good if you do not have a lot of room on your internal hard drive, which is common among laptops. However, adding an external hard drive also means adding another thing to carry around.
Laptop-specific settings
Unlike desktops, laptops have a battery which can last many hours or maybe only one. It is important to conserve battery energy and there are many power settings which can be changed.
These settings include:
- lowering screen brightness
- amount of time until screen saver
- amount of time until hibernation
| Of Note | Some settings might lower your computer speed in general and will cause programs to move slowly |
Security
Security is already a big issue for computers, but laptops just make it worse. Laptops require both software security and physical security since you bring your laptop around with you and have it around more people.
Physical Security
An even more easier way than hacking into your computer to take stuff is to just walk up to it and turn it on. That is why companies have added physical security, such as keys to lift up the screen, locked cases, and even fingerprint scanners. However, the most important security requirement is responsibility to not leave your laptop around unattended(especially leaving it ON).
Wireless Security
Many laptops use wireless networking to connect to the internet. This requires added network security. Make sure you take a look at the wireless networking chapter.
Buying Recommendations
Buying a laptop is a major purchase and requires a good amount of research before purchasing. Look over the different sections above before beginning your research. Many online retailers of laptops, such as Best Buy and Circuit City have laptop buying guides for people to look at on their websites.
What's right for you? (By Feature)
Everyone has an ideal laptop that they need for what they do. Finding that ideal laptop is a matter of looking at each feature of a notebook and determining what you need for each feature.
Screen Size
Laptop screens come in three main categories:
- XGA (Extended Graphics Array): 1024 X 768 resolution (786,000 pixels)
- SXGA (Super Extended Graphics Array): 1280 X 1024 resolution (over 1 million pixels)
- UXGA (Ultra Extended Graphics Array): 1600 X 1200 resolution (nearly 2 million pixels)
Screen size severely affects the price, size and weight of the laptop. The bigger the screen, the greater the price and weight. If you are not really worried about constant travel with your laptop and its weight, then a 15" or 17" screen is a good desktop replacement. These larger screens have a wide aspect ratio which is really good for watching DVDs, music videos, or TV on your laptop. However, those larger screens might drain the battery much more than a smaller screen.
Processors
Mobile processors have been created for the sole purpose of laptops and mobility. Mobile processors, such as the AMD Sempron and Intel Pentium M, have the capabilities of distributing less power to applications or hardware not needing as much power and more power to applications and hardware which require a lot of power. This really increases battery life. However, some of these processors might not kick out the overall power that a high-end processor like the new 64 processors would.
Wireless Capabilities
The whole point of having a laptop is to get rid of the wires and move around. That concept extends to the internet with wireless internet capabilities. Many laptops today come with built-in wireless capabilities. Many network companies sell wireless laptop cards for those laptops without built-in wireless capabilities.
Memory
After the processor, memory is the second biggest factor in determining your computer's speed. The more memory you have, the faster you will be able to load, print and download your files. If you're just looking to play some games and surf the internet, you will need at least 512MB of memory(RAM - Random Access Memory). To multi-task or work with big files you'll want to upgrade to 1GB of memory or more. You can mix and match different amounts of memory because all laptops come with 2 memory ports.
Hard Drive Space
Your hard drive space controls the amount of room you have to save data permanently. That means if you're going to be working with a lot of files or just plan to have your laptop for a very long time, it is a good idea to get a larger hard drive(at least 80GB), otherwise it is a good idea to have at least 40GB of hard drive space. You can also add more hard drive by having an external hard drive which you could connect to your laptop via a USB port. External hard drives are good if you want to have a lot more hard drive space, but only at your house or only at your office so that you would not need to bring it around with you everywhere.
Optical Disk Drives
Unlike desktop computers, laptops can only have one internal optical disk drive; desktops can have any number depending on how many bays are on your desktop. If you're one of those music/video/multimedia junkies than it would be a good idea to get a combo DVD and CD burner. If you want to play DVDs on your laptop then perhaps a DVD and CD player(not burner) is only necessary, or maybe only a CD player if you're not really in either of those categories.
= Where to buy your laptop?
It is a good idea to go to a laptop retailer store to look around at all the different brands and types the have and also test some of them. After you decide which one is best for you than it is simply a matter of which place has the best price. You can get your laptop from one of the laptop retailers or buy it online on from the manufacturer's web page. Make sure you remember to keep in mind the price of the warranty you are going to purchase(if you're going to get one at all) explained below.
Insurance/Warranties
Laptops pose a much greater threat than desktop computers do and that is that you can drop them or spill things on them when you are moving around. That is why retailers have developed different types of warranties specifically for laptop computers.
To be or not to be
There are many factors contributing to whether or not you should get a warranty or insurance for your laptop when you buy it. If you're not really going to be moving your laptop around much(for example if you're getting a laptop replacement for a desktop and you're just going to have it sit on a desk in your house most of the time) then you're probably not going to need a warranty or insurance as much. If you're worried about dropping or breaking your laptop in any way than you can get an "accidental forgiveness" warranty which repairs any breaks, spills, or mess-ups that your laptop might go through. Insurance is a good idea if you're worried that you might have your laptop stolen then insurance might be the right idea for you.
| Of Note | Insurance is not offered everywhere, if you buy your laptop from a laptop retailer store you might have to get an insurance plan from the manufacturer separately |
Accessories
- External hard drives
- Wireless mouse
- Stylus pens