Digital News and Review

Buying a new laptop can be an expensive business. With the top of the range models changing hands for close to a thousand pounds and a mind-boggling array of dual-core processors, VGA graphics and other techno-speak to confuse the uninitiated, it can also be an intimidating process. So if you’re planning on investing some of your hard-earned cash on a laptop, what should you be looking for?

Comfort and ergonomics

If you’re going to be spending any length of time working at a laptop, you want it to be comfortable. Neck strain is a real problem when using a laptop, because the monitor is rarely at the optimum position for comfortable usage. Problems such as RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are also associated with extended use of keyboards, and as the keyboards on laptops can be considerably more cramped than those on desktop PCs, the advice here is try before you buy. The larger the laptop, the closer its keyboard will resemble a desktop PC design.

Most laptops also incorporate either a touchpad or tracking pointer as a replacement for an external mouse. Although fine for occasional use, if you’re using a mouse constantly (such as with gaming or graphics packages), you may find that a touchpad makes the cursor more difficult to control. Check the sensitivity of the touchpad on the laptop you’re interested in and if it doesn′t match your needs, shop around for one that does.

Connectivity

Upgrades are not as practical an option on a laptop as they are with a desktop PC, so being able to connect to external devices is important. Cheaper laptops may not have as many USB ports and often will not have a printer port at all, so if you’re using external devices that require connectivity through a printer port, a laptop may not be the answer. The best option is to look for a laptop that more than meets your needs, and has plenty of ‘wriggle room’ if you want to use it for more advanced applications.

Connectivity to the Internet is also vital. Internal modems that will connect quickly and easily to Wi-Fi provision has made the laptop a modern marvel, allowing you to surf the ‘net almost anywhere in the world. Check the speed of your connection, whether it has Bluetooth and how easy it is to use on the go.

That all-important battery life

The whole point of a laptop is to free yourself from the confines of cables, wires and being tethered to one place. But laptop batteries are notorious for their limited lifespan, with even the very best laptops only just managing to achieve seven or eight hours before they need to be hooked up to the mains. The average is four to five hours, but if you’re using processor-heavy applications, that figure could be reduced considerably. If you’re looking for a laptop that will download movies or operate high-resolution graphics packages such as games or CAD programmes, then go for one that has the longest battery life, unless you’re happy to be tethered to the mains all the time.

Size matters

The whole point of buying a laptop is to give you the flexibility to use your computer on the go. So the size and weight is a key factor when choosing your laptop. Larger displays, multiple hard drives and other integrated components will all add to the weight and size of your laptop. The largest source of weight may be the battery, so if you decide to choose a model that has two batteries to benefit from the extended run time in between recharges, expect it to be considerably heavier. There are small, lightweight laptops with extremely long battery life times, but these are far more expensive than the average laptop.

If you’re spending a lot of time travelling abroad, the size and weight of your laptop is going to be much more important, so once again, shop around and if you’re only using your laptop for a limited range of functions, consider looking at Netbooks as an alternative.

Finally, remember that laptops are not future-proof. The technology used in laptops is advancing at an astonishing rate and laptops are difficult to upgrade, particularly the central processing units. Buy one that is more than capable of doing everything you want it to do right now, and has plenty of memory to cope with additional software that you may be tempted to add in the future.