Buying Guide - Laptops

Purchasing a laptop can be a daunting proposition. While laptops no longer lag as far behind desktops in features and power they have a number of issues that desktop machines don't have. Pricing has also been an issue, with laptops commanding a premium over a similarly configured desktop. That is no longer as true since laptop prices are dipping toward $400 on the low end, while you can still spend $5000 on the high end.
Since a laptop is essentially 'what you buy is what you will always have' it is essential to make the right decisions from the start as a laptop can't readily be modified. The choice of a laptop involves many decisions which will affect your satisfaction with it. Before discussing the parts of a laptop it is important to discuss the general use of the laptop you are going to purchase.

Portability or Power?

Some laptops are designed to be desktop replacements that can be taken with you while others are designed for portability with a small size and light weight. Depending on your planned use you will favor one or the other or try to find one that has the best combination of features. Desktop replacements have almost everything you would get in a desktop computer. They have large screens, built in CD/DVD drives, larger keyboards and all kinds of ports. All of this power and features usually comes at the price of larger size and higher weight with these systems having weights up to almost 9 pounds. Ultra lights are at the other extreme. They are small and light with weights as low as 3 pounds but frequently lacking built in drives and ports found on larger machines. If your on the road usage is light but you travel frequently these machines are a good choice. Don't forget that the weight of the machine is not the same as the weight that you will be carrying. By the time you add the case and any external devices, cables, connectors and peripherals the weight will increase dramatically. It doesn't sound like much but an extra five pounds being dragged from one end of an airport to the other along with your carry on bag, coat and briefcase can be significant.
Before buying a laptop you need to determine which features you need in a portable machine, how often you will use it away from the office or home and how much you are willing to pay. Once you have a general idea of the machine you want it is a good idea to actually try one. Can you read the screen? Can you type on the keyboard? Is the pointing device easy for you to manipulate? Is the sound quality important to you? Can you attach whatever other devices you need such as a printer, PDA, camera, speakers, external monitor or other specialized devices you may need? How many attached devices can you have at one time? Do you need slots to read memory cards and if so in what formats? Actual hands on, visual inspection of a laptop is really the only way to tell for sure if this is the machine for you. Now, on to the parts of a laptop to consider.

Laptop Types

Laptops come in several varieties. Along with the basic notebook type there are several variations available, geared to specific uses.

The first is the Tablet PC. This is a laptop that has a special screen and operating system that allows you to write or draw on the screen with a stylus. There are two variants, the convertible and the tablet. The convertible looks like a standard laptop but its screen can be rotated 180º and laid flat to make a writing surface. The tablet type is just a screen with no keyboard. It usually has the advantage of being smaller and lighter. It is possible to attach an external keyboard and mouse when used at a desk. It is intended for people who frequently take notes at meetings or as a replacement for a clipboard where computer capabilities are desired. We will see mor of these as Windows 8 goes mainstream.

Another variant is the Media PC. This is a notebook that is optimized for entertainment. It usually has a larger screen and hard drive and is running the Media Center version of Windows (all versions of Windows 7 have Media Center built in.). It is designed to store music and video and will usually have a widescreen display. It is intended for those who want to have their media experience in a 'to go' package.

A third variant is the netbook. These are usually smaller and lighter with more limited capabilities, but unlike tablets they are running a full version of Windows, These are ideal for travelling with where you just want internet and e-mail access with just a few program capabilities,

Ultrabooks are a trade name created by Intel but being built by many manufacturers. These devices are thin and light with excellent battery life but tend to carry a fairly hefty price tag.

Laptop Components

CPU

As with all computers the CPU is the most important. However, unlike a desktop PC a laptop has some unique requirements. The power that it takes to run the CPU is a major issue. Obviously, the power for the CPU will affect battery life, but so will the fact that the higher the power it takes to run the CPU, the greater the heat that will be generated. Laptop cases are small so there is really nowhere for the heat to go. Having to have an exhaust fan, like desktop computers, will further decrease the battery life. For that reason manufacturers are looking for ways to decrease the power to the CPU without adversely affecting the performance. Intel and AMD have attempted to address this issue. Their laptop chips provide slightly less raw computing power than a standard chip but the difference is not noticeable in most applications. Further they have a way to slow the processor down when necessary to conserve battery life. This can result in up to 60% better battery life in these systems. Systems with up to 8 hours of battery life are now available. IAdditionally many manufacturers are making systems based on lower performance chips. These are lower priced, less powerful chips which allows for lower priced systems. Unless you are running applications that require a lot of processing power you don't need to be overly concerned with the speed of the CPU.

Screen

The screen on your laptop is another highly personal choice. Screen sizes range from 12" to 20" widescreen. If you want to view movies on your laptop a widescreen will be best while a normal screen will be okay if you only use business applications. They also have a variety of backlighting schemes. Backlighting is the light behind the screen that allows it to be seen easily. Without adequate backlighting the screen will be difficult to see in bright office light. Outdoor light may make even the most brilliantly lit screen become almost unreadable. Another feature is viewing angle. If you frequently want to share your screen with others during a presentation a wide angle is best. If most of your use is on an airplane and you don't want the guy in the next seat reading your confidential memos a narrow angle is best. It is possible to get an overlay for your screen that will limit the viewing angle if that is a concern in public places. Touch screens are going to be increasingly useful on a laptop with the introduction of touch aware operating systems. There are very few touch screen enabled laptops but expect to see their numbers increase as Windows 8 adoption occurs.

Keyboard

The keyboard on a laptop is one of the single most important choices you can make. All laptop keyboards are going to be smaller than a standard keyboard and they will have a different layout of the non alphanumeric keys. How large the keys are and how closely spaced can affect your ability to type quickly and accurately. Generally, the larger the screen, the larger the keyboard. Keep in mind the touch on the keys also. Do they have a good feel and can you tell when you have successfully struck the key?

Pointing Device

Although it is  possible to attach a mouse to a laptop it is frequently not convenient. For that reason is is necessary to have some sort of built in pointing device. There are two predominant ones, the trackpoint and the touchpad. The trackpoint looks like a pencil eraser located in the middle of the keyboard. It works something like a joystick. Push it up and the pointer moves up, to the left and the pointer moves left. The touchpad is a small touch sensitive screen below the keyboard. Move your finger across the surface and the pointer moves in the same direction. Both take a little getting used to and one may seem easier for you to use than the other. There are a few machines which include both and others still that use a small trackball.

Trackpoint                  Touchpad
         (Click for larger view)

It is also possible to attach a USB mouse to your system. Many manufacturers have a slightly smaller version of their mouse designed for travel and their are wireless versions available so you don't have to worry about the extra cable.

Networking

Most modern laptops now come with built in wired network connectors (RJ45 Ethernet) and most of them have built in wireless networking. There are currently 4 types of wireless networking. They are referred to as 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g and 802.11n. B, G and N networks are on the same frequency and any 802.11g device can connect to either an 802.11g or 802.11b wireless network and an 802,11n device can connect to a 802.11g network.. They are currently more popular than the 802.11a and are what is used in most wireless hot spots, hotels etc. Some machines come with all four standards built in. There is no real advantage to having an 802.11 a radio unless there is a network that you need to connect to that uses it. Each step up offers higher speeds and longer range as long as the wireless device it attaches to is of the same type so a 802.11n wireless modem attached to an 802.11g access point will only have 802.11g speed.. If the laptop you are interested in does not have wired or wireless capabilities you can always add them with a PC card device (see Connectors/Ports below) or a USB device.

Intel has a combination of a Pentium M chip and an Intel wireless device which is marketed with the name Centrino. Any laptop that says Centrino on it will have built in wireless networking. It is not necessarily better than any other combination of CPU and wireless, just a branding strategy by Intel to try to sell more of their wireless radios.

Another new technology is using cell phone technology built into the computer. Most wireless carriers are now providing data capabilities at relatively high speed. Cingular offers its EDGE technology, Sprint has PCS WiFi. Verizon has Broadband Access, and T-Mobile has Total Internet. These may come with a built in adapter in your laptop or as an add in card. They allow you to connect to the internet from anywhere that they provide the service, which is still somewhat limited and is not necessarily the same area as is covered by their phones. These services can add a hefty up charge to your phone bill but can be invaluable if you need connectivity frequently.

Drives

All laptops will have a hard drive in them but the capacity will usually be less  than a desktop machine. Currently laptop hard drives top out at about 1 TB. Because the drives are only 2.5" instead of the 3.5" drives standard in desktop machines their capacity is limited. However, since most people only use about 15 GB or less on a system, the chances are good that 80+ GB drives will be more than adequate. If you wish to carry a lot of music, video or pictures you may want to consider a larger drive.

SSD drive (Solid State Drives) use a technology similar to a memory card. Because they have no moving parts but are strictly electronic they run faster and use less power than a standard hard drive. However they are considerably more expensive than a standard hard drive at this time. If the added speed and battery life plus less weight is worth it to you these can be a good option.

Floppy drives are no longer considered a standard part on computers. If you need to have a floppy drive, either look for a system that has one, or you can get an external USB drive for the occasions when you need a floppy.

CDROM or DVD drives may be built into your laptop or attach as an external device. The smaller, lighter systems will be more likely to include an external drive while larger, heavier systems will be more likely to have it built in. If you want to have the ability to watch movies when you travel be sure to get a system with DVD capabilities. You may also want to have the capability to write either CD's or DVD's so consider those capabilities when deciding on a model to buy.

Battery

If you plan to take full advantage of the portable capabilities of your laptop the battery will be important. Depending on the CPU, monitor and drives on your system you will get anywhere from 1 1/2 to 8+ hours of battery life. All manufacturers will list their battery life. All manufacturers will lie. Battery life is like car mileage, your results may vary. They are a general guide however, useful for comparison. Some manufactures offer different batteries for the same machine. They may offer a six cell and an eight cell battery for the same machine, with the 8 cell providing longer battery life.
If you frequently need extra battery time, you can get an extra battery and swap it into the machine when necessary(make sure your laptop has a removable battery). Some manufacturers also allow you to remove the CDROM drive and replace it with a second battery. Obviously this doesn't help if you need the extra time to watch all of a movie.
Most systems today come with a lithium ion battery. At this time these are the best batteries to have, they don't have a memory so you don't have a problem with the length of time that the battery holds a charge declining over time. Older battery types such as Nicad (nickel cadmium) will tend to lose battery life over time.
For those for whom the ability to work on a trans-pacific flight is a necessity there are a number of external batteries available which can provide as much as 16 hours of battery time.
All batteries will lose their ability to be recharged over time. At that point the only option is to buy a replacement battery. Be aware that batteries can run over $100 but you shouldn't need one for several years. The more frequently the battery is recharged, the sooner it will need to be replaced.
Battery manufacturers continue to improve their products and we may see fuel cells within the next couple of years.

Modem

Modems are becoming less common on computers today because so many of us are using broadband. They have almost disappeared from desktop machines altogether except as a special order add-on. On a laptop a modem is more important since there is no guarantee that you will have access to a wireless or wired broadband connection. If you travel frequently and need to stay in touch a modem is a good thing to have. If your laptop does not come with a modem you can get an add on PC card device or USB modem to give you modem capabilities. The top modem speed (rated) is 56 K and it is difficult to find a modem that is slower than that. Before you travel make sure your ISP offers modem connections where you are going and get a local number. Calling a number at your home area code can get very expensive in long distance charges.

Connectors/Ports

The connectors and ports on a laptop are important as you can't add anything internally. What you see is what you get. Lets take a look at some of the ports you might need.

USB - All modern systems come with USB ports, hopefully USB 2.0 and increasingly USB 3. On a laptop the number of connectors can be anywhere from 1 to 6. It is important to know how many USB devices you may need to connect at one time (printer, mouse, keyboard, scanner, external drives, PDA etc.) to determine how many connectors you will want. If the machine you want has an inadequate number of connectors it is possible to attach an external hub which can turn one connector into 4 or 5. For travel purposes an un-powered hub is small and lighter, but you may run into problems with insufficient power for all of the connected devices. A powered hub will solve this problem but the power supply will add weight and size to the device.

Parallel - These are the connectors used by older printers. They are becoming less common as more printers switch to USB but, if you have a parallel device, you may need one. There are USB to parallel adapters available but a built in parallel port is still better.

Serial - Serial ports are also becoming less common but they are still used by a few devices. If you have any serial devices be sure to look for one on your new system.

Docking Station - A docking station allows you to plug in a single connector at the office and instantly have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, network, printer and other devices connected to your system. Most laptops have a docking station connector but they have not been standardized so you will need to get a docking station designed for your exact brand and model. We are starting to see universal docking stations based on a USB connector. These come with a wide range of possible connections so compare what they can do with what you need.

Bluetooth - Bluetooth is not an external port but a short range radio system. It allows you to talk to other bluetooth devices such as phones and printers. While the technology has been the 'next big thing' for several years now, we are finally starting to see more and more devices with bluetooth built in. Again, a bluetooth device can be attached as a PC card if your system doesn't come with one.

PC Card - This is one or two slots in the side of your laptop which allow you to plug in a card about the size of a credit card. This is the way in which laptops can be expanded beyond the capabilities they have when shipped. As noted above there are a number of PC card devices available which can add networking (wired and wireless), modem, USB, parallel and serial ports, additional drives and more. Be sure that your laptop has at least 1 type 2 card slot. Two slots and the ability to accept a type 3 card (thicker) is a plus. PC Cards are beginning to disappear as more thins are available as USB devices.

Memory Card Slots - More and more laptops are including built in slots for memory cards such as SD and Compact Flash. This can allow you to access pictures form your digital camera and transfer files to another computer or PDA. These cards can also be used for backup purposes. While not essential they are a nice feature to have. Again it is possible to get a PC card or USB device to give you this capability if needed.

PS2 - This is the older standard round connector used for mice and keyboards. Most laptops will only have one PS2 connector if they have any. If you need to connect PS2 devices and don't have a PS2 port you can get a USB adapter that will give you two ports for keyboard and mouse.

Video - Most laptops have a standard 15 pin video connector which will allow you to add an external monitor or projector to your laptop. This can be very useful for presentations as well as office desktop use. Some systems also come with an S-Video connector which would allow you to connect to a TV with an S-Video in connection. Increasingly we are seeing HDMI ports which allow you to connect to a TV with HD quality picture and sound. Media Center versions may also have a connector for a TV antenna or cable connection.

Audio - Most systems will come with built in speakers but they will also include a plug for earphones or external speakers as well as a microphone plug.

Camera

Many laptops now come with a built in camera for video chat. The resolution is usually not great but they can be convenient for communicating with others where voice alone is not enough. If your system does not come with a camera and external USB webcam can be attached but it is more convenient if it is built in. With some systems it is possible to use the camera for login purposes as well.

Fingerprint Scanner

Some systems come with a fingerprint scanner built in. This can be used instead of a password to allow you to log on to your computer and to login to websites.

In Conclusion

As you have by now seen, buying a laptop can be a fairly complicated process. Using the information above it is a good idea to make a list of features that you must have, would like to have and don't care about before you begin to shop. With this list you can narrow the choices for the system you want that will do what you need in a laptop.

If you are planning to take your laptop away from the office frequently be sure to get a good carrying case. This will provide protection against the inherent dangers of carrying your laptop (the cost of replacing a broken screen can be almost as much as you paid for the computer) as well as providing storage for all of your accessories and perhaps replacing your briefcase. There are cases similar to briefcases, pack packs and even with wheels.

Use the Comparison Sheet

Use the comparison sheet to decide on what model to buy. This allows you to decide on the features you want and compare that to the models you are interested in. It will probably be impossible to find a model with all of the features you want so be prepared to compromise some. Some companies like Dell allow you to customize their systems but even those will not necessarily give you all the features your want.