Choosing laptops a serious business<\/p>\n
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
So you decide to buy a laptop but then stop dead in your tracks
\nwhen you actually go to the local computer store to pick one out.<\/p>\n
Given the plethora of laptops available today, choosing the
\nright one to suit your needs could indeed prove to be as
\nintricate and daunting a task as choosing, perhaps, a life-time
\npartner.<\/p>\n
And unless you're an Britney Spears-Warren Beatty kind of
\nperson, who sails through the opposite sex like a boat through
\nwater, you are likely to find that the relationship with your
\nsignificant other will far outlast the one with your portable PC.<\/p>\n
Girlfriends and boyfriends, husbands and wives, don't go out-
\nof-date after a couple of years and need replacing -- although
\nsome of you out there may disagree.<\/p>\n
Part of the limited life problem is that unlike desktop
\ncomputers, whose components are more flexible for later upgrades,
\nwith laptops, you're most likely stuck with the specifications
\nwhen you first bought them -- save adding memory and some
\nexternal peripherals -- so optimizing the specifications from the
\nstart would likely ensure the longest lifetime.<\/p>\n
The main consideration is keeping that \"does it suit my needs\"
\nphrase in mind while asking yourself such questions as: \"What is
\nthe laptop for?\" and \"Do I even need a laptop?\" If you only need
\nto organize your contact numbers and jot down some notes, a
\npersonal digital assistant (PDA) -- or those new snazzy cellular
\nphones that nears becoming PDAs themselves -- would probably do.<\/p>\n
Carrying on, laptops -- like boxers -- are classified
\naccordingly to their weight. And unlike the debatable question on
\nmale sexuality, size and weight does matter for laptops, as it
\nhas a trade-off relation with their performance and mobility.
\nLaptop prices, however, has a rather queer relation with the
\nother variables.<\/p>\n
Standing in the heavy-weight class, are the \"power notebooks\"
\nor \"desktop-replacements\", weighing up to 3 kilograms or more,
\nwhich are little beasts packing a performance that matches those
\nof grunty desktops (hence the name).<\/p>\n
Next comes the \"standard laptops\", the vanilla-flavored
\nnotebooks weighing between 2 and 3 kilograms with performance
\nrunning on a laptop-tailored processor.<\/p>\n
Finally, there are the \"thin-and-light laptops\" and the
\n\"ultraportables\", the flyweights of portables, weighing 2
\nkilograms at the most, and stripping out almost everything except
\nthe bare necessities.<\/p>\n
We could also add to this list the \"sub-notebooks\"; but laptop
\npurists are likely to object, complaining about their
\ninconveniently small displays and cramped keyboards.<\/p>\n
As a rule of thumb, if you are going to use the laptop for
\nlight browsing, email and text editing, consider purchasing a
\nstandard, budget notebook.<\/p>\n
The following are tips for laptop components, which are of
\ncourse basic in nature, but since you've been reading this far,
\nit is worth continuing, rather than ditching The Jakarta Post and
\ngrabbing a more comprehensive computer review magazine.<\/p>\n
Processor: The Central Processing Unit (CPU) can be likened to
\nthe computer's brain. Most laptops today come with the mobile
\nversions of the Intel Pentium (the Pentium-M) or AMD XP (the XP-
\nM). There are also mobile Intel Celeron and AMD Sempron for
\nbudget laptops. Only choose the mobile Pentium 4 or AMD 64-bit
\nprocessors if you really need the power. As for the \"Intel
\nCentrino\" buzz we've all been hearing about, it is not actually a
\nCPU by itself but a package of technologies consisting of the
\nIntel Pentium-M, the Intel 855 or 915 chipsets and the Intel
\nPRO2100\/2200 WiFi board.<\/p>\n
System Memory: Random Access Memory (RAM) is where data
\nresides when computers are on. Laptops today commonly come with
\n256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, and stick to that, as most software
\npackages need at least 128 MB to run.<\/p>\n
Video Memory: Most laptops implement a \"shared\" 64 MB video
\nmemory, which is adequate for ordinary users. However, opt for
\n\"dedicated\" memory for more powerful display needs.<\/p>\n
Harddisk: The norm is 40 GB today, though budget notebooks
\nsuffice with 20 GB. Get a bigger drive if you have a huge library
\nof data.<\/p>\n
Other drives: Keep the DVD or CD-ROM drive to install
\nsoftware. Floppy drives are becoming obsolete as flash drives
\ngain popularity.<\/p>\n
Connectivity: Most laptops today come with Wireless Fidelity
\n(WiFi) cards and the Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) -- to connect
\nthose popular flash drives and other peripherals -- replacing the
\nlegacy serial port, while parallel ports are becoming obsolete as
\nwell. Consider a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port and memory card
\nreaders if you have a digital camera.<\/p>\n
Batteries: Opt for lithium ion (LiON) over nickel metal hybrid
\n(NiMH) ones, as they last longer on a single charge, have a
\nlonger lifetime, and are relatively more environmentally friendly
\n(though any battery technology is always debatable for
\nenvironmentalists).<\/p>\n
Lastly, the places to look for your laptops.<\/p>\n
The Mangga Dua shopping complex in West Jakarta is the city's
\ncomputer capital. Another place worth browsing around is the Mal
\nAmbassador in South Jakarta, particularly if you're looking for
\nrefurbished or used laptops. Ratu Plaza is also gaining a
\nreputation for looking for anything \"computerish\", having stores
\nApple products with for all you Mac lovers. The Bhinneka website
\n(http:\/\/www.bhinneka.com) is also a comprehensive place on the
\nInternet to browse around.<\/p>",
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