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Finding The Right Size Notebook
For Your Needs
Size does matter!
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This is one case where size does matter! It's the main reason
you're considering buying a notebook or laptop in the first place.
You want something that's lightweight, portable and versatile;
to carry on your next business trip, to take to class, or to
move from room to room in your home with ease.
As technical specs and capabilities of notebooks improve
and even out in the coming years - it may be the only main
factor you will have to consider before you buy your notebook.
However, there's a wide variation in the models, sizes, and
capabilities of present day notebooks so you do have to figure
out which size notebook is best suited for your needs.
To make your job easier, computer notebook or laptops are
classified into different groups; here's a quick rundown:
Tablet PC (smallest) Size of a paper tablet or notepad, less than 3 pounds.
Ultra Portable (small) <11" x <10" Less than 1.3 inches thick, less than 4 pounds.
Thin and Light (mid-size) 11-14" x <11" 1 to 1.4 inches thick, from 5 to 7 pounds.
Desktop Replacements (largest) >13" x >11" More than 1.5 inches, more than
7 pounds and up
And here's a brief summation of each group:
Tablet PC - If size and weight is a problem for you - you just won't or
can't carry around anything weighting over 2 or 3 pounds then you should
consider the extremely lightweight Tablet PC. It's the lightest PC you
will find.
These have a niche all their own and is very suited for "road warriors"
and "corridor warriors". You get a fully equipped PC in the form of a
letter sized notepad that you can carry to meetings. Some have special
digital pens that you can write with - very practical for students,
salespeople, teachers, researchers, engineers, health related workers,
and other people who find a notebook too cumbersome in a meeting or
office setting.
Tablet PC can come in two designs - 'Convertible' and 'Slate' Models.
In the 'convertible' model - a small tablet-sized screen folds
over like a notebook with an integrated keyboard and in the 'slate'
model - the screen can be removed from the keyboard. Most models
carry Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
All the major companies such as Hewlett Packard, Fujitsu, Toshiba and
Acer...produce Tablet PC's.
Pros - Very lightweight, easy to carry anywhere and great for
PowerPoint presentations!
Cons - Don't have all the features of a larger notebook, hard
to read outdoors in bright light.
Ultraportable Notebooks
Just as the name implies, these notebooks are very portable.
Designed to be easily carried anywhere - airports, meetings, hotels,
etc. -- its light weight makes it a favorite of the business
traveler. Even though it doesn't have the full functionality
of the larger notebooks.
If you do a lot of traveling and don't want to lug around a heavier
notebook - the UltraPortable is for you.
Pros - It's Portability, easy to conceal (theft is a problem
with most notebooks), excellent for the business traveller.
Cons - Many don't have an internal optical drive or floppy
drives so you many have to carry these external drives
or a docking bay - add 2 or 3 pounds for these extra devices.
Don't have all the functions of larger notebooks.
Thin and light Notebooks
Thin and Light Notebooks offers more features or functions than the Utraportables.
Thus, they are somewhat heavier and bulkier. If size and weight is not a consideration
for your needs - you should try a Thin and Light Notebook.
Most of the better models comes with a Intel Pentium 4 or 4-M. Battery life should
be a consideration and the new Pentium 4-M uses less power and gives longer life
to your batteries.
Keep in mind the traveling weight of these notebooks, if you have to carry
external drives, docking ports, etc. will add 2 or 3 pounds to your weight.
Pros: Lightweight and portable, more functions than an UtraPortable.
Cons: Theft may be a problem (keep an eye on it, make sure it's insured, stencil
your ID on it!), less functions than a full desktop replacement.
Desktop Replacement Notebooks
Growing in popularity as these desktop replacement computers now offer most
if not all the functions of your regular desktop PC plus with the addition
of portability.
Worth considering before you purchase your next PC. Especially if you just want a
portable PC to move around in your home - from room to room. Or the cottage!!
Multimedia seems to be a hot trend in personal computers. Notebooks are starting
to integrate Microsoft's XP Media Center into their systems. Just look at the new
HP Pavilion zd8060us with it's 17 inch monitor - it's a TV set, PVR, DVD player,
stereo, and last but not least a computer!
However; the major drawback - these systems are not suitable for extensive traveling.
Since most weight in at over 10 - 12 pounds; sitting with these in your lap for any
extended period of time will be slightly uncomfortable!
Pros: Full functions, large screens, and portable.
Cons: Not really suitable for traveling.
Additionally, screen size should be looked at, depending on the main
purpose of your notebook - 17 inch display is best for watching
dvds and tv. 14 inch or 12 inch would do for most business and
traveling situations. You can also check the display quality -
resolutions can run up to 1,680x1,050 pixels or more on a high
market machine. But this is where an eye test is the best judge -
if you can check out the display quality first hand - judge for
yourself.
Hopefully, this article has given you sufficient information on the different
sizes of notebooks and laptop computers for you to pick the size best suited
for your needs. Match your size with the main purpose or use of your notebook
and you can't go wrong.
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