wander the world whenever you want.
To use a laptop as a space-saving computer system
Unlike with desktops, you don’t have to build a tabletop shrine to your laptop computer – that is, you don’t need a computer desk. If space is tight where you live or work, store the laptop on the shelf or in a drawer. Then set it up on the kitchen table or coffee table whenever you’re ready to work. Forget about the constant mess and clutter that orbit the typical desktop computer station.
To get a laptop as a second computer
Why buy a second desktop computer when you can get a laptop and enjoy not only the presence of a second computer but also the ability to make that computer system portable? Furthermore, you can network the two computers, allowing them to share the Internet connection and printers as well as each other’s data and files. And you still have the luxury of having one system that’s portable.
To take the laptop on the road
Laptops let you take your work on the road. Thanks to cloud storage and other synchronization tricks, you can be off and running to anywhere you like – although being in direct sunlight can make it difficult to see the laptop screen.
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✔ The laptop lets you take your work with you when you travel. It lets you experience the reality of using a computer on an airplane (which isn’t as cool as it sounds).
Setting up a computer in a college dorm room in the 1980s was the sure sign of being a nerd. Today, not setting up a laptop computer in a college dorm room is the sure sign of being a social outcast. I implore future students to pester their parental units early – say, starting in the second grade – to ensure that they leave for college armed with the best portable computing power possible.
No, I’m not being silly. Some colleges require students to arrive with laptops in tow. Those institutions may even publish laptop guides so that campus compatibility is guaranteed and issues such as viruses and spyware are dealt with before classes start. My advice: Follow those guidelines. Look for a laptop based on the school’s recommendations. But there’s still more you need to do.
Be sure to prepare a college-bound laptop for the onslaught of malware. See Chapter 19 for vital information about laptop security. Also see Chapter 20 for dealing with another college laptop issue: theft. You’ve probably spent a lot of time preparing for college; you should prepare the laptop for college as well.
Thanks to the fees charged by the miniaturization lab, laptops are generally more expensive than their desktop counterparts. They’re also more expensive to fix. Forget about upgrading the hardware. Laptops can easily get stolen. The battery life never lives up to the printed specifications. It’s tough to get work done on a jet or in a café unless you’re really, really motivated to do so – ack! But these are minor quibbles.
You can dither about whether to get a laptop or a mobile device, à la the iPad. It’s a legitimate debate: If all you want to do is read email, browse the web, engage in the social networking thing, take pictures, watch films, or listen to music, you don’t need a laptop. Sure, the laptop can do all that, but if you don’t plan to create anything or do anything else requiring a full-on PC, get a laptop or tablet PC instead.
Laptop Shopping
The best computer you can buy is the one that does what you need it to do. To find this computer, you have to familiarize yourself with some issues and deliberately ignore others.
When it comes to spending your money on a useful computer, especially a laptop, feel free to ignore these items:
Slick marketing campaigns: You’ll never be as cool as the person in the ad, no matter how much effort you put into it. All laptops are tools, and they should be judged by whether they offer features that you need, not by how nifty their advertising looks.
Brand name: Too many people consider brand name first and don’t even know which components they need. Similarly, you don’t need to buy a laptop from the same manufacturer as the one who made your desktop PC. As long as the laptop runs the software you need, you’re fine.
Low price: An abundance of cheap laptops are available. In haste, you may buy a laptop, thinking that you’re getting a deal – but get stuck with a brick instead.
High price: It’s easy to be duped into believing that the most expensive laptop is the best. Buying too much is not a wise buying decision.
Throughout laptop history, five key items have been vital to the laptop-choosing decision:
Weight: Nearly all laptops weigh between 2 and 7 pounds. The heavier laptops, the notebooks, have more features, such as a larger display or a numeric keypad next to the keyboard. The lighter models, the tablet PCs and subnotebooks, don’t necessarily have fewer features; they might actually have more lightweight or advanced features, which makes them more expensive.
Size: Most laptops are thinner than an inch. Tablet PCs are the thinnest. Subnotebooks are the smallest.
Display: Recently, manufacturers have discovered that people love the larger screen on a laptop – even though the larger display adds to the laptop’s size and weight (and consumes more battery power). For a laptop being used at one location and only rarely going on the road, a huge display is wonderful. If you want portability, though, and a longer battery life, consider a smaller display.
Touchscreen display: If the laptop advertises itself as a tablet PC, or a convertible notebook, it’s going to have a touchscreen display. You can use your finger to manipulate the touchscreen, but also ensure that the laptop comes with a stylus or digital pen, which aids in input.
Battery life: Despite their manufacturers’ claims, most laptops run anywhere from three to five hours unplugged. Subnotebooks and tablet PCs hold the record, with many of them lasting as long as ten hours. Regardless, it’s possible and necessary to manage the laptop’s power; see Chapters 10 and 23.
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✔ Convertible laptops are thicker than standard laptops because of the extra circuitry required for their touchscreen displays. See Chapter 7.
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Software for Your Laptop
A computer system is composed of two parts: hardware and software. When you buy a new laptop, you probably pay more attention to the hardware. That’s understandable, but it isn’t the reason you bought the device: Laptops, like all computers, exist to run software. If you want a laptop that does everything you need, I recommend looking for software first and then finding hardware to match that software.
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