Q: Now that Christmas is over I'm in the market for a new computer. This time I want to get a laptop in addition to my desktop. I mostly do email and surf the web, so I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. What should I be looking for?

There are so many choices I wouldn’t have the room to list them all here. My personal preference is HP. Most all of my systems, desktop and laptops are HP and they have been very reliable and sturdy. There are a few things I suggest you look for in a laptop, though:

At least 2 USB ports: One to plug in your mouse and another for whatever other gadget you want to connect to like maybe a portable flash drive for example. I am not a touchpad kind of person and I like a mouse for extended work and surfing the web. I don't want to need to unplug the mouse each time I need to access something on my flash drive.

SD card reader: You want to get this built in, especially if you also
have a digital camera and want to always download pictures from it. Make sure your reader reads the newer SDHC cards too. Off course you can get an external reader too - but having one built in is very convenient. No use in having to lug accessories around if you don't have to.

A Large 160 gigabytes or more hard disk: You know what they say, your stuff will grow to accommodate the space you have. Better start with a large one to begin with. Soon you will be filling it up with your music, movies, photos and you will be wondering where all that space went.

2 Gigabytes of RAM minimum: This should be the bare minimum these days, especially if you're going to run Windows Vista. Too little memory and your system will slow to a crawl. It also would be good to check if you could upgrade to more memory in the future without throwing away your old RAM. You can never get enough RAM and hard disk space, in my opinion.

Video RAM: These are memory used for displaying graphics on screen. Go for at least 256MB and make sure that these are dedicated video memory and not shared with the main notebook RAM. If you are into games and graphic intensive stuff, get one with more Video RAM. Good to check on the packages of the software and games that you intent to use and see their requirements on Video RAM.

DVD9 capable DVD-Writer: You should also go for one which will read the latest blue-ray disk. DVDs are currently these are the most convenient way to archive away large amount of data. Make sure you get quality discs if your data is critical.

LAN and Wifi Connectivity: These are the 2 methods you can hook up your computer to the internet. Try to get one with a 1G LAN if you can and as for WiFi get the 54Mbps variety at least (a/b/g standard) with backward compatibility to older 11Mbps standards. In my opinion, built in Wifi is a must have. Even if you don't travel, you probably want to do your computing around the house without worrying about a LAN port availability.

Bluetooth: A must have these days as this allow you to connect
wirelessly to your cameras, handphones, headsets and also mouse
nowadays. Go for the Bluetooth 2.0 or later standards. A bluetooth
hardware is only as good as it's software drivers. As a basic set, the
software should include profiles for headsets,stereo headsets (AVRCP), Serial Port, File Transfer, Printer, Human Interface Device and Network Access. These 'profiles' are the software protocols that allows your bluetooth hardware to communicate with various class of devices.

Modem with Voice: In a pinch you still want to be able to dial into the
internet via the 'ole phone jack. Also it is convenient to be able to
dial up your contacts with a click of a button. With the right software,
this will allow you to send and receive faxes too - paperlessly.

Firewire port: These are a little faster than USB and some select
peripherals use them. Good to have in my opinion but not critical.

PCMCIA cardbus slots: Must have at least one. That is the only way if in the future you need to add another 'built in' function to your notebook. Go for one with the ExpressCard standard

Also important in your consideration, is the usability and ergonomics of the notebook that you are considering. Most people got too engrossed with the 'specs' and forgot about usability. When you are looking at the notebook that you are considering, think about:

Size and weight of the notebook. Do you prefer the full size type or a
lighter sub-notebook type would be more your style. Keep in mind that in general battery life won't be as good in a smaller notebook. In my
opinion, unless you always want to be plugged into the wall all the
time, your battery should last for at least 2 hours or more. Be careful
when judging the size and weight of the notebook. Things then to get
heavier if you carry them for a distance. Also if you plan to use the
laptop on your lap, then the lighter the better.

Type of LCD screen. There are two types in general - the clear glossy type or the normal matte type. The clear type is good if you watch a lot of movies and want to do presentation to a wider audience. But they can be glaring if ambient light is reflected off them. I prefer the normal
type for working as they are easy on my eyes, but you probably want to look at both before deciding. Set the screen to its brightest setting
and see if that is bright enough for your liking. Good to check this in
shops with bright lights. Also consider screen resolution and aspect
ratio (widescreen or regular).

Keyboard: This is the main input device of your system and you will be hitting on the keys a lot. You want to check out the keyboard feel and see whether it suits your typing style. The keys shouldn't be too small if you intend to type for a long time. Make sure the key presses are not too 'hard' and all the keys pressed down with about the same pressure. It is irritating to type, for example, when the 'shift' keys are hard to press down.

You might also want to see if the DVD drive opens to the left, front or
right. If you are using a mouse on your right, you might want your DVD drive to open on you left for ease of use.

External mic and headphones jacks. This is a must have. Also check their location on the notebook. I like them on the side nearer to me because it is then easier to plug in a headphone when needed instead of looking behind the notebook for the jack. External mic is required if you want more sensitive (or quality) recordings or if you intend to use VoIP telephony with a specialized headset.

USB Sockets on the sides are better than at the back in my opinion.
Easier to reach when you are plugging in your mouse, thumb drive and other stuff.

3 button touchpad. Applications now do make use of the middle button of the mouse now, like Firefox for example allows you to open a new browser tab with a click of the middle button. Check the feel of the touchpad make sure that your finger are comfortable to glide on them. If you are the type that sweats on your fingers, then maybe you want to put a protector on the pad or just use a mouse.

Ventilation and heat: Nowadays notebooks are getting a bit hot for my
liking. Look around the notebook and check out there the air intake and exhaust are. If you are planning on using your laptop on your lap, make sure that the position of the air intakes (usually at the bottom of the notebook) are not likely to be covered by your pants or skirt/blouse. However for long term use on uneven and soft surfaces (like bed or sofa for example) then getting one of those USB powered laptop coolers may be worth it.

In the final decision, you will have to come to terms with the budget at
hand and the features that you really need and those that you can do
without. Hopefully this will point you in the correct direction in coming to that decision. All this may sound a little confusing, but if you look at your purchases carefully from these angles, you are more likely to end up with a laptop that you'd actually enjoy using.

Have fun with it!!

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