The total variety of laptops has grown, it seems, exponentially in the past few years.  And in looking at the latest crop for this year, the trend is continuing.  They come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and overall packages including some of the smallest, largest and thinnest models available.

The range of designs is not without purpose.  Some have reduced size in order to lower cost or to improve portability.  Some of the thinnest available are less than an inch thick and only weigh 3 to 5 pounds. 

You may have lately seen advertisements for “netbooks.”  This is a new class of laptop that have very small (7 to 9 inch) screens and weigh only 2 to 3 pounds.  The attraction is they only cost about $300.

As costs reduce on laptops, they really are a better choice over desktop computers.  What you might lose in ability to upgrade and expandability, you gain in versatility and portability.  With the right home accessories for your laptop you can fix the typical ergonomic issues of only using a laptop.   And with the ever increasing public wireless access, a laptop is becoming even more advantageous over a desktop computer.

The Basic Choices (Categorized by screen size):

15.4 inch Models:

This is the direction you should go if you are leaning toward portability, lower cost and good performance as your key laptop attributes.  Performance and cost are most closely related, so just know that the lower the cost the slower the processor.  For most applications this is not an issue.  However, if price outweighs performance then this is a great choice.

17 inch Models:

When power and performance are what you are looking for then point yourself toward these larger laptops.  Obviously there are some things you have to sacrifice.  For example portability is compromised slightly in that these models do not always fit in the smaller sized laptop bags.  They also can weigh up to 6 pounds so if you tend to have long walks in airports this may be a consideration.

But what you gain is higher performance, obviously a larger screen and in most cases better graphic capability.

14.1 inch Models:

These guys fit right in the middle with slightly less weight at 5 to 6 pounds and slightly lower price then the larger 17 inch models.

13.3 inch Models:

These models are the best bet for light weight portability.  Due to the smaller footprint these models have a higher price.  They only weigh around 3 to 5 pounds.  A word of caution on these smaller size models, make sure you check what is included within the frame of the laptop.  Although these models seem more portable, many of them require external storage or external DVD players.

Netbooks:

These have been referred to as “sub-notebooks” but are now generally called netbooks.  They are very small with screens in the range of 7 to 10 inches and are targeted toward users that focus on email and Web browsing.

Key Features to Compare When Laptop Shopping:

Processors:

This can appear confusing.  To simplify; For most users for home and school look for a laptop that has a “Pentium” Dual Core or AMD Turion X2.  For the user that is looking for more performance (and higher cost…) then steer toward Core 2 Duo.  There is a new version called Centrino 2 for laptops.  A good choice for the “power” user.

Hard Drive and Memory (RAM) Capacity:

The range of capacities for hard disk drives continues to increase dramatically.  Laptops are typically offered with hard drives from 120 to 500 GB and from 1GB to 2 GB of RAM.  Even if you have to pay a bit more, you should go with the 2GB of RAM as the new operating systems (Vista) require more memory and this can really enhance the laptop performance. 

Operating Systems – Windows vs. Mac:

Windows has continued to be the most dominant operating system for laptops.  However, if you talk to a Mac user they are usually die hard customers.  Both are excellent and have their pluses and minuses.  While Windows still has many more applications available, Macintosh users can still claim that they are less susceptible to viruses and spyware.

So go through this list and check off which attributes are most important and then you will be more then ready to make your laptop purchase.  As with most electronic equipment, accessories can be very important to improve the efficiency and overall enjoyment of your laptop.  Make sure you investigate the right accessories and add them to your list.

Here are some main reasons for renting a laptop computer:

-All your company computers are wired and you need a wireless laptop computer for travel and seminars.

-For Seminars, meetings and expos

-Training Purposes – For weekly or monthly training camps you can easily rent 100’s of notebook, computers and other machines.

-For temporary employees - Temporary employees need temporary setup. By renting computers you can easily manage the installation and removal of computers, printers and other setup for any period of time specified.

Rentfusion have expert computer team who will install, and test your laptop computers right at your doorstep, training hall, trade shows, seminar, convention or conference.

We can also setup temporary offices with rental laptop computers, printers, copiers and fax machines. The hardware can be installed at many remote locations in the United States.

When people talk about laptops, everyone assumes that all laptops are wireless. Traveling with a laptop is easier today than it once was, the laptops have gotten smaller and lighter. The new mobile laptops make computing easy for many people. When purchasing a laptop, make sure a wireless connection is built in so you can reach the internet if you are in a wireless area. The laptop is replacing the big desktop computer; but the mobile computer needs to provide the ability to accept components for expandability. Many people today keep all of the information on their computer, so if the computer goes down many people will not have that data. In today’s modern world the laptop or sometimes called notebook is a must have.

If you do not have a laptop computer yet, you should know that one of the most important aspects of having a laptop computer is having a great power supply. Every laptop computer needs to be equipped with some type of warranty; the laptop should have at least a one year manufacturer warranty. You may even be able to play movies on them with crystal clarity. Purchasing a laptop computer is not an easy job to do because there are so many important things that should be considered before purchasing.

The type of work you do can affect the screen size and type that is most suitable for you. If you are not worried about graphics a screen size of 12-14″ is acceptable. If the work you are doing is graphically intensive than a 15-17″ is better. Screen sizes range from 12 to 19 inches. A laptop computer with smaller screen is great option if you do not plan to use laptop too much.

Going from 256MB of RAM to 512MB of RAM will speed up your laptop. If your needs are somewhat mundane - email, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. 512 MB of RAM should be plenty. RAM is to a computer what location is to real estate.

You also need to think about the hard drive in the laptop you are considering. The hard drive is also a very important specification to consider in buying a laptop. The speed of a hard drive is normally calculated in rotations per minute. A hard drive of about 50 gb or over is a good rule of thumb.

In addition to the processor, you will probably want to upgrade your system with memory, monitor, a graphics card or video card, and pointing device and keyboard. Finding cheap components is easy today due to the internet, many sites have popped up and made all of these components accessible. The important thing to remember when shopping for components is that you need to make sure they are compatible with your system.

Laptop cases are an important computer accessory you should make sure you acquire. They have many sections that accommodate important office documents. Another important type of carrying case is the wheeled roller case. But, their safety and protection is equally important. A laptop case is specially made for carrying a laptop but a backpack is just a bottomless pit. Getting a quality bag is very important since you are carrying around an expensive piece of equipment. Your notebook is going to be at least 6 pounds, probably more. The portability of laptop computers is both a boon to busy business people. Your notebook should be sturdy and rugged. Expensive notebooks should be protected properly.

When people talk about laptops, everyone assumes that all laptops are wireless. Traveling with a laptop is easier today than it once was, the laptops have gotten smaller and lighter. The new mobile laptops make computing easy for many people. When purchasing a laptop, make sure a wireless connection is built in so you can reach the internet if you are in a wireless area.

The laptop is replacing the big desktop computer; but the mobile computer needs to provide the ability to accept components for expandability. Many people today keep all of the information on their computer, so if the computer goes down many people will not have that data. In today’s modern world the laptop or sometimes called notebook is a must have.

If you do not have a laptop computer yet, you should know that one of the most important aspects of having a laptop computer is having a great power supply. Every laptop computer needs to be equipped with some type of warranty; the laptop should have at least a one year manufacturer warranty. You may even be able to play movies on them with crystal clarity. Purchasing a laptop computer is not an easy job to do because there are so many important things that should be considered before purchasing.

The type of work you do can affect the screen size and type that is most suitable for you. If you are not worried about graphics a screen size of 12-14″ is acceptable. If the work you are doing is graphically intensive than a 15-17″ is better. Screen sizes range from 12 to 19 inches. A laptop computer with smaller screen is great option if you do not plan to use laptop too much.

Going from 256MB of RAM to 512MB of RAM will speed up your laptop. If your needs are somewhat mundane - email, spreadsheets, word processing, etc. 512 MB of RAM should be plenty. RAM is to a computer what location is to real estate.

You also need to think about the hard drive in the laptop you are considering. The hard drive is also a very important specification to consider in buying a laptop. The speed of a hard drive is normally calculated in rotations per minute. A hard drive of about 50 gb or over is a good rule of thumb.

In addition to the processor, you will probably want to upgrade your system with memory, monitor, a graphics card or video card, and pointing device and keyboard. Finding cheap components is easy today due to the internet, many sites have popped up and made all of these components accessible. The important thing to remember when shopping for components is that you need to make sure they are compatible with your system.

Laptop cases are an important computer accessory you should make sure you acquire. They have many sections that accommodate important office documents. Another important type of carrying case is the wheeled roller case. But, their safety and protection is equally important. A laptop case is specially made for carrying a laptop but a backpack is just a bottomless pit. Getting a quality bag is very important since you are carrying around an expensive piece of equipment. Your notebook is going to be at least 6 pounds, probably more. The portability of laptop computers is both a boon to busy business people. Your notebook should be sturdy and rugged. Expensive notebooks should be protected properly.