What must I have to do true Mobile Computing? - Part 2
Posted by Daryl Rinaldi on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 @ 09:30 AM
Proper Laptop:
Any decent blog of mobile computing tips will start with your laptop (but wait - I started with your PDA in part 1! oops). The right laptop for you is a personal choice. There is no one size fits all. The main considerations are:
- Weight
- Screen size
- CPU Speed
- Memory (get 4GB if you are buying a new Laptop)
- Most laptops have hard drives that are plenty big enough - hard drive space is rarely an issue anymore
Generally speaking the larger the screen size the heavier the laptop. So you have to decide which is more important to you. There is however an exception to this rule. Most laptop makers offer ultra portable laptops that have large screens yet still weigh around 3 lbs (rather than the 4.5-5lbs of a standard PC). BUT you will pay at least 60% more for these laptops due to all of the fancy engineering that went into cramming all that technology into such a lightweight chassis. I will add that these laptops look sleek and have a "Wow factor" that will often impress others. I'm sure something as superficial as that doesn't matter to any of YOU (ahem) - but I just thought I'd mention it.
One quick note - super portable laptops often have no built-in CD/DVD drive as a way of saving weight. But if you think you would need one on the road anyway then you will have to lug an external CD/DVD drive with you so the weight savings in moot.
Note I did not discuss "netbooks" here. These very small and lightweight portable PCs are becoming more popular. But there are tradeoffs and considerations that are too numerous to go into in this article.
Stay tuned for more mobile computing tips...