SON SON
Technology vendors often make the mistake of thinking that what you want dumber down technology or couldn’t be more wrong, I’ve tested more than my share of notebook in the past few years, in fact, I’ve had the pleasure or trying out nearly every notebook on the market, I’ve taken them on business trips, into meetings and home for the weekend, what I’ve learned is that I’ve never been happy with dumbed-down notebook, here are the real specs i look for every time.
Weight and size
I’ve got to able to put a portable in my large purse or extra shoulder bag, less than 5 pound is doable, less than 4 is ideal.
Performance
For a fast laptop that will last few years, i recommend a 2 GHz CPU or faster (they nearly dual-core) and 4GB RAM.
Battery life
Long time battery life often comes at the expense of weight, i insist on a least 4 hour, the company’s business rugged toughbooks weigh as little as 2 pounds, yes some run for over 10 hours on a charge.
Display
In a world of 10 inch notebook, the 12.1 inch screen of an ultraportable seems downright spacious; I’m also partial to 1,280×800 resolutions, but those with poor eyesight will want to make sure the laptop supports a resolution that’s friendly to their vision.
Connectivity
All new notebook offer build-in Wi-Fi, build-in mobile broadband is convenient, but you have to pay a hefty monthly fee for it, look for a laptop that has a simple utility for managing the wireless connection or use windows to do so, some vendors proprietary utilities make getting connected harder than it needs to be.
Other features
A few must have include a webcam, a memory card slot, a physical on/off switch for Wi-Fi and no fewer than three USB ports, preferably split between both sides of the system, to future proof your purchase, look for an HDMI port, which makes a connection the machine to an HDTV or to certain newer monitor easy, and don’t believe anyone who says you don’t need an optical drive, the moment you want to watch a DVD on the plane or you need to use the restore disc from the manufacture, you’ll be glad you have one, and if the laptop is equipped with a DVD burner and a FireWire port, you can import that home video from your digital camcorder and burn it onto a DVD.
Protect & Fix Get set for life on the move
Since you never know whom or what you’ll bump into, your need better safeguard its critical components against the rigors of today’s mobile world, with Safe Guard technology the information on your hard drive is better protected against life’s bumps and bruises, also gone to great lengths ensuring that the window into your system its display is more durable. Plus, you’ll rest easier knowing our keyboards are designed to help protect your PC from the most commonly spilled liquids water, coffee and, yes, even beer. Life does indeed happen. And your notebook is ready to help keep you going when it does.
Secure? Your peace of mind
You’re busy taking care of business. You’ve been busy too inventing extra security measures to guard both your laptop and the critical information on it. This multi-tiered approach starts with features that help prevent theft. Yet our Safe Guard Technology goes way beyond that, with innovations that better prevent unauthorized users from accessing your system. And it’s topped by the latest in advanced encryption technologies to better keep your confidential information strictly confidential. Why? Because your laptop and your data should belong to you and only you.
Needless software
To vie for consumers attention and dollars companies load their computers with useless software, the clutter can drag down a laptop’s performance, so look for a manufacturer that lets you opt out of the extras at the time of purchase, uninstalling clutter is never as easy as not having it there in the first place.
HP and Dell are the top two laptop vendor, but they’re not your only choice, gateway has been offering some impressive system lately, as has Acer, I particularly like Acer’s TraveMate series and the M-series unit from Gateway, HP pavilion line offer fast performance, but you’ll pay for it, Dell’s Inspiron brand is solid choice for budget user, i prefer the XPS computer (especially the M1330) for their speed and keyboard, and their wedge design makes it easy to slide into bag. You should get a notebook you can live with and that can keep up with you, for at least 4 years, in the notebook world that’s an eternity.