Portable Computing Buyer Guide

Ever since computers were invented we have strived to create smaller, portable and more powerful computers. The birth of the laptop changed the way business users where able to work, allowing for no lost time between cross country or globe travel. Then laptops empowered us to freely move around the home although with some limitations to internet usage until wireless networking came along and now we can work and play at home the same way we could at work or school.

In recent years the traditional, clunky view of laptops has been replaced with lightweight, thin, stylish laptops, notebooks and netbooks, designed to be not just high powered but stylish enough that you want to be seen using one out in public and be able to still use your computer in the same way at home, on the train, in a Cafe or in the park.

With more home users opting for a portable computer rather than the traditional PC the range, styles and costs of modern day laptops varies greatly. If you’re not sure which portable computing option is right for you, then Shop.co.uk’s buyer guide will hopefully help you make that important decision.

Laptop, Notebook Or Netbook?

With so many terms and no industry standard its becoming hard to distinguish what exactly is a Laptop, Notebook or Netbook as there are no pre-defined rules but here we will take the generalised view.

Laptops

With technology improving the traditional laptop has been replaced with a much more powerful and smaller model. However a Laptop is considered to have around a 15 – 19” screen size and will typically weigh around or over 3kg. So although much easier and lighter than moving a desktop PC you wouldn’t really be carrying a Laptop with you everywhere all day.

Laptops usually also contain much high powered components and would be optimised for gaming or system heavy tasks like video editing, designing and running multiple programs.

Notebooks

Notebooks sit in the middle of the spectrum and can be seen as a heavy Netbook or a light laptop. Generally we would consider notebooks to be a condensed version of a laptop which still packs a strong, powerful punch but has reduced size, weight and power to match the size.

Notebooks provide the best of both worlds as you will have a computer that you can carry almost anywhere without trouble and without lacking any necessary power or connectivity. Notebooks normally have a display range between 12-15” and weigh anywhere from 1.5 – 3 kg.

Netbooks

Currently Netbooks are the most popular computing device, combining amazing portability with good technical specifications and unusually durable battery life’s which out class there bigger counterparts.

netbooks will generally sport a 10-12” display and weight a mere 1-1.5 kg, making Netbooks ideal for portable usage when travelling. Netbooks are also great as an entry level product into computing and can be great for learning how to use a computer.

However to compensate for this amazing size and weight loss Netbooks can be considerably underpowered feature and specification wise. But manufacturers have found many ways around this, by running older or free operating systems and removing power hungry optical drives in place for fast and efficient USB and Bluetooth connectivity. It’s thanks to removing these features that netbooks get such great battery life even when in constant use and connected to the internet.

Other Devices

With the internet and portable PC’s booming many devices are now available that can replicate many computer features, depending on what features you require it may be a better option to purchase one of these devices instead.

For a web browsing, email and document editing view point a Smartphone or PDA would be an ideal device, providing simple versions of each you could look at Blackberry’s, iPhones or HTC Android phones as an alternative.

For more multimedia aspects a Multimedia Tablet would be a better option providing connectivity, decent sized screens and conventional hard drive space and a computer operating system. Look at the Archos range of media tablets if that sounds like a better option.

How and What will you use your computer for?

No doubt the most important question before deciding what you want to purchase is what will your new computer be for?

Is it for:

• Work
• Web Browsing
• Multimedia
• Gaming
• Editing pictures

... the list goes on. But depending on how you want to use your computer will decide what type of computer you will need to purchase.

For Business

A more open ended question than it sounds, you could need a portable computer as you work around the country or world and need to use travelling time to catch up or prepare for meetings. Maybe you need a stylish laptop to display your design work or multimedia based trailers and demos. Or maybe you’re a freelancer who could be working at home one day and in an office the next and want to have the same software and files wherever you are.

Again the important thing to think about is the power needed to do your work, how portable does your computer need to be and how long will you need to work without having a power connection or internet?

Recommended Specifications

• Processor: 1.8 Ghz+, Pentium 4 or Mobile Celeron
• RAM: 512 MB
• Hard-drive: 80 GB or more
• Display Size: 13-17" LCD TFT
• CD/DVD reader / writer
• Wi-Fi connectivity

Gaming & Multimedia

If you’re an avid gamer, film buff or are constantly uploading and editing videos and pictures you will require a much more power hungry computer. You properly won’t need complete portability, occasional moving your computer between locations or just around the house. What you will need to be considering is the size of your display and the amount of hard drive space, RAM and graphics processor strength, as all of these components are vital if you want to enjoy a HD, fast and clear experience.

You may want to also consider the drives and resolution sizes of each laptop, as many laptops now come ready for the HD era with full 1080p HD support, HDMI cables and even Blu-Ray drives, making the most of the current High Definition era

Recommended Specifications

• Processor: 2 Ghz +, Pentium or AMD Duo/Dual Core
• RAM: 3 GB
• Hard-drive: 120 GB+
• Display Size: 15-17" LCD TFT
• CD/DVD or Blu-Ray reader / writer
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Advanced graphics accelerator with 64+MB of its own memory
• HDMI connection

Frequent Traveller

With the demands of business increasing every minute is vital. If you travel frequent via Train, Plane or Car a Netbook is an obvious choice, combing mobile web connectivity with a lightweight and slim shell which can be easily transported and used almost anywhere. If you’re looking to be working on the move overall power, hard-drive space and graphical power is not essential, seeing as most work would compile of using office based software.

Essential features for a Netbook are lightweight at around 1-1.5kg, a strong durable shell (ideal for constant carrying), wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for easy web connectivity and file transfer. Multiple USB ports are also essential as Netbooks normally lack optical drives.

Recommended Specifications

• Processor: 1.6 Ghz Mobile processor
• RAM: 1-2 GB
• Hard-drive: 60-120 GB
• Display Size: 10.12" LCD TFT
• Wi-Fi / Bluetooth connectivity
• 3 or more USB ports
• Memory card reader

A Bit Of Everything

Like many computer uses you may dabble if every possible action that your computer can do, but just not exploit all of these features to their highest potential. The best bet if you are this sort of computer user is to look at a notebook or a netbook, checking what features (screen size, hard-drive, optical drive, battery life, connectivity) you really need as both are easily transported.

Recommended Specifications

• Processor: 2 Ghz +, Pentium or AMD Duo/Dual Core
• RAM: 1-3 GB
• Hard-drive: 80-120 GB
• Display Size: 13-17" LCD TFT
• CD/DVD reader / writer
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Graphics accelerator with 32MB of its own memory
• 3 or more USB ports

How Much Will It Cost?

Once you have an idea of what style computer you need it’s important to get a clear idea of what budget you have. Laptops vary in price greatly depending on the components inside, the size and the style.

Luckily Shop.co.uk has some of the best and cheapest Laptop, Notebook and Netbook prices around so you can be sure you will be getting a good price on whatever portable computer you finally choose. However here is a rough guide of how much you are likely to pay.

• Netbooks: Between £200 - £400
• Notebooks: Between £350 - £750
• Laptops: Between £700 - £1,500