Archive for November, 2006
November 30th, 2006 at 06:56pm
Under Laptops
By Adam Knife
With the current portable computing market being very strong and offering hundreds of choices from full laptops, to portable media stations, to ultra-portable PCs, to smart phones and PDAs, you really need to know what you’re looking for prior to going out to purchase.
The current popular classifications of portable “smart” electronics allows everything to fall in to one or more of six categories: full laptop, thin-and-light laptop, UMPC, tablet PC, smart phone, or PDA.
Full laptops are the style notebook you’re used to, they range in size and weight, but are generally much heavier and bulkier than the other options. They’re also significantly more powerful, however, at a much higher power draw - which usually results in battery life of circa-four hours. Some laptops have dedicated graphics processors, however, most in the consumer price range do not - thus, gaming on laptops can be difficult and pricey.
The new “thin-and-light” style notebooks have caught on dramatically in the last few years. With the majority of the same features of the full laptopns, thin-and-lights usually sport 13- or 14-inch screens, light weight, and many energy conserving features to optimize battery life. These laptops also will not work well for gaming, but for business and web related work, will work amazingly.
UMPCs are a recent release from Microsoft, although, previously released as handtops - the handtops category quickly died out. UMPCs are usually small enough to fit in one hand, sport a variety of styles, usually a QWERTY keyboard, Windows XP or Tablet Edition operating system, low specifications, and generally low battery life. The most prominent UMPC on today’s market is the OQO. These are usually very pricey, and the small screens make them rather unattractive for gaming.
Tablet PCs are an old invention, and usually look a lot like a piece of thick paper. The screens are touch sensitive, and the mouse is usually controlled with a stylus, rather than a mouse or touchpad. Specifications and battery life is frequently lower than usual in these, and prices are usually substantially higher. They are much smaller than full laptops, though much bigger than UMPCs.
Smart phones and PDAs are frequently classed together, since the main difference is the ability to connect to a PST (public switched telephone) network. PDAs are personal digital assistants, and usually don’t feature a full operating system past simple functionality such as address book, calendar, and notetaking.
Adam X. Knife runs a laptop reviews site as well as a domain registrar reviews site and a site explaining Google PageRank.
By Dragan
November 27th, 2006 at 06:08am
Under Tips
By Jonathan Fisher
You’re taking the plunge and buying a laptop. If this is your first, you probably are a little considerate about what you should be buying, what to avoid and what the big dollar sign is going to tell you. While there are a number of things to consider when it comes to buying a laptop, you can easily work your way through knowing what those are. Many people get a little worried about purchasing any type of computer. Follow these tips and you’ll get the right laptop for your needs.
Tip One: Know what you plan to use the laptop for. Sounds simple, but it will also define what is on the laptop you purchase. For example, if you are a professional looking to buy a laptop, not only do you need to insure the right software is on board, but you’ll need to make sure there is enough space to run it. For the personal user, do you plan to watch DVD’s? Do you plan to use it for gaming?
Tip Two: Compare and then compare some more. When you are out there looking at the various laptops, make sure to take some notes (doing your research online really saves you time here!) about the various aspects of the laptop. You’ll want to compare hard drive space, monitor size, drives, speed and other features that are important to your purchase. Not only are you looking for the best price, but the best overall product.
Tip Three: Warranties are important. Warranties vary greatly from one laptop to the next. When buying a laptop, you need to realize that the most common problem will be with the screens, especially those that are LCD. Make sure your warranty gives you the best coverage from parts that may break down.
Tip Four: While name brand isn’t everything, you should purchase a quality product. That means that you’ll need to insure that when you are buying a laptop that if you do decide to go with a lesser known brand name that you find out how well they really work. To do this, use consumer reviews that you’ll find online.
Tip Five: Make sure you know what is included in the purchase. If you plan to get online with the laptop, are there more products needed to do so? If you need the laptop to come with Word and it doesn’t, then you’ll need to account for that extra purchase as well.
When buying a laptop, take the time to consider all aspects of it, do your research and you’ll end up on top.
Jonathan T. Fisher is an editor at ComputerAndSoftwareDepot.com where you can find more articles about laptops and notebooks.
By Dragan
November 23rd, 2006 at 06:07am
Under Laptops for Travel
By L Tritten
Okay, so you’ve decided to buy a laptop because of the convenience of its portability. Keep in mind that there are many laptops on the market, and you will need to review their specs carefully in order to know if it will suit your particular needs. For instance, there are laptops that fit into the category of desktop replacements, which usually contain everything that a normal desktop PC might have and more, however because of their weight, it would not be a practical choice for travelers. Following are a few quick tips to consider when shopping for your laptop.
If this computer will be just for traveling and as a secondary computer, you may be able to get away with less memory in consideration for other features you may need instead. This could save you money – just something to think about.
The physical size of the laptop is one of the most important things to consider if you will be traveling often. You may want to look into a laptop that is categorized as an ultra portable. Ultra portable laptops usually weigh less than 4 pounds. Remember that the heavier the laptop is, the more cumbersome it may be when traveling with other luggage. The average weight of most laptops is approximately 6 pounds, but some of the larger laptops can weigh up to 10 pounds or more, which would make traveling with them very inconvenient.
One necessity when traveling with your laptop may be Internet access. Look at laptops equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities. Many of the newer laptops are now equipped with Bluetooth capabilities.
Processing speed is a major consideration and I would suggest buying a laptop with the fastest processing speed you can afford. If you’re doing any sort of multimedia tasking, look for at least 2.0 GHz.
When checking out RAM, I would suggest a minimum of 512 MB. If you plan to store large amount of music or photos you will need more RAM, and if doing any gaming, you’ll need a video card with at least 32 MB of RAM. As far as the hard drive, most people can get by on 20 GB to 40 GB. If you work with spreadsheets, digital photo or video files, consider more.
Battery life is a very important consideration when traveling with your computer. Most laptops use lithium-ion batteries for the longest charge. Keep in mind that if you use high processing speeds and large amounts of RAM, your battery life will be affected. If it is in your budget, you may want to consider purchasing an extra battery.
While were on the subject of battery life, screen size and resolution are a factor. Screen resolutions range from 800 x 600 pixels to 1600 x 1200. You will need to remember that the larger the screen, and the higher the resolution, the quicker the juice will be drained from your battery.
CD and DVD drives are another choice you will need to make. Do you really need one installed on your computer, or will an external drive to plug-in only when necessary serve your purpose? Remember, this may add unnecessary weight to your computer.
Last, whether you plan to purchase your laptop computer through an online company, or a store, be sure to check them out in person first. Check out the display models to see if you are comfortable with such attributes as the weight, display, processing speed and keyboard size. Keyboard size can really vary on the smaller laptops and trying it out in person, can really make a difference. You will be happy with your purchase if you take the time to decide what you really need, do your research and compare prices.
L Tritten writes on various subjects and hosts Laptop Computers Reviewed along with a blog about laptops and other gadgets.
By Dragan