A Few Things You Need To Know About Buying Ultraportable Laptops

Of all the  different  categories of laptops  ultraportable laptops are the thinnest and lightest you can find. Why are they called ultraportables? Because  you  don't need to sit at your desk with these laptops. You can work on the go, travel on the road, or any kind of space.  Also, their reduced size make life a lot easier for everybody...However, if you have hands as big as Big foot,  then ultraportables are not for you since the  keyboards are quite small... However, if you're still intent on buying these petites, here are a few things you need to know about buying ultraportables

Screen Size/ Resolution

The screen size of most ultraportables is 13-14 inches, although  some  go as low as 11-12 inches.    However, with 11-12 inch ultraportables you may have to trade portability for usefulnness in that the keys are  smaller so they clam together. However, if you;re in high school or college,  13-14 inch display will be quite beneficial as you will need a bigger keyboard to work with.   Also the screen resolution on your ultraportable should be reliable enough to allow you to view web pages. acceptable range for reliable screen displays are  1,366 x 768 and  1,600 x 900

Two common buzzwords worth looking out for are LED Backlighting and  IPS screens ....These two technologies help ultraportables maintain their thin figure. If you're an entrepreneur or professional  who does a lot of work on Excel,  a 13 -14 inch screen will be the perfect antidote... an 11 inch screen will also  be just fine for you if you  work  in the air.

Processor, Graphics, Memory!
By far the meat of ultraportables or any laptop for that matter are the processor, graphics and memory...Without these three elements, they cease to be laptops.   The  processor of your ultralaptop should be be of the dual-core variety,  manufactured by either Intel  or AMD, the top processor manufacturers in the business.. In case you're not sure the processors  give laptops, or PC'S their power and speed.  These processors run very cool temperatures and use little battery power  since ultraportables are thin in size.

Most ultraportables carry a memory size of 4 GB of DDR memory.. But if you are the type  who keeps his programs open, including 150 window sessions, I suggest you get 8 GB of memory.  That will put less pressure on your system and prevent it from crawling like a turtle.  In general, ultraportables are tough to upgrade, so  you will be better maxing out the memory.

And of course, most ultraportables use AMD or Intel graphics cards.. Nvidia is also another popular graphics alternative.The graphics help  generate the sounds and images. If you're into videos,surfing the web  or causal graphics,   get an ultraportable with integrated graphics. However, if you're into discrete graphics, you'll be better off buying gaming laptops. Ultraportables  are too  thin to handle that load..They'd crumble under all that pressure.  That said you still need to buy as much graphics as possible to forestall the day when  your laptop turns into a turtle.


More Storage
Most sleek ultraportables  are equipped with flash storage or Solid State Drives(or SSD). Now Solid State Drives are an absolute must  fro ultraportables or any other laptop...They are fast, low in capacity and can absorb shock. An d they carry storage of  128-256 GB/ The only drawback with SSD'S is that  like flash storage they're expensive when they max out at 512 GB.. If you want more storage you need to get an ultaportable laptop with a spinning hard drive of  2 TB. . The only problem with this choice is that the spinning drive is slow, but it has a higher capacity  and is cheaper... These make for interesting tradeoffs and the choice is yours

Light Weight
If you're going for a 11-12 inch laptop  the  weight should be roughly 2.5 pounds whereas if you're gunning towards a 13-14 inch ultraportable, then the weight should be between 2.75 and 4 pounds. Composite materials such as advanced alloys and machined  aluminium contribute to the thinness of ultraportable laptops.  


Long Battery Life
Because of the portability of untraportables,   they require  long battery life. You should buy an ultraportable with a battery lifespan of 8 hours. If you're carrying it around the house, 6 hours should be sufficient, But if you are on the road your  ultraportable should last 7 hours or more. It will be of great benefit to you if your ultraportable lasts longer in sleep mode. Two weeks to one month is common place for most ultraportables these days.

HDMI &VGA Ports

If you yearn to share videos and photos with your friends then you need to get an ultraportable  with HDMI ports. But if you're a business professional  who does presentations  to sell your products to clients then get a laptop with a VGA port or mini-VGA  port with an adapter.

To summarize, here are the specs you  should look for when shopping for an ultraportable laptop:
Screen size:13-14 inches, 11 inches(If working on a plane).
Screen Resolution: 1,366 x 768 and  1,600 x 900
Processor:Intel  or AMD
Graphic Card:Intel   AMD, or Nvidia
Memory:4GB
Storage:128-256 GB) standard hard disK(2 tb).
Weight 2.75 lbs(11-12 inche), 2.75(13-14 inch).

Battery Life:8 hrs(If on the road) and 6 hrs(If using around the house).

Connectivity:HDMI ports(for sharing videos and photos) and VGA or mini VGA port with adapter(for professional presentations).








That's a wrap  on 'A Few Things You Need To Know About Buying Ultraportable Laptops'. So if you're looking for a laptop  including 11-14 inch ultraportable laptops,, Go to  Amazon.com 

Things To Look For In A Midsize Laptop

If some one told you" I want a mid-size laptop for my birthday" you'll be probably be like what"? Well, here is what you need to know about midsize laptops.  Midsize laptops are laptops that range between 13 and 14.5 inches in screen size and they weigh between 4-6 pounds. They're popular among users because they strike a nice balance between performance and mobility. And they're versatile in terms of feature variation, which  run the entire gamut in terms of business, entertainment, mobility  combinations thereof and you will still end up with the laptop of your needs.  Because of their feature versatility they're popularly known as one size fits all.

Although they used to be bulky in the past, midsize laptops have grown to be ultrathin while packing powerful features at the same time

So here a few things you you need to look for in a midsize laptop while shopping.

Solid processor
Make sure your mid-size laptop is equipped with a solid processor.....Your processor must surely be Intel's Core 2 Duo processor for long battery life, strong performance, and cool temperatures.If you want maximum juice you can always go for Intel 2 Core Extreme although you'll have to cough up extra cash. 

More Than Adequate Memory
Your mid-size laptop must  have more than adequate memory...You cant afford be  stingy about this feature as it will most certainly affect your laptop's performance. The maximum requirement for mid-size laptops is 2 GB of DD2RAM, which most certainly add more power performance  wise. Also be on the look out for upgrades a the time of purchase for improved performance... To give your laptop memory that extra turbo  boost I suggest you add Intel Turbo memory. this flash module, which comes in 1 GB, cuts down on laptop boot up program access, and writing data to the hard disk.

Powerful Graphic Chipset
For your mid-size laptop to perform at its maximum best, it must be equipped with a powerful graphics chipset, preferrably Intel. If you're a multimedia or gaming buff go with a dedicated graphics chipset such as ATI or Nvidia. Video RAM of 128 or 256 MB should do it...But if you want   more juice go for a high end graphics processor with 512 MB of video RAM.

Spacious Hard Drive
If you're a serious gamer or video enthusiast, you most certainly need a spacious hard drive. You  need 250 MB of hard disk space to support your gaming and media files...However, if you're a casual user, 100 MB should be enough. And your hard disk rotation speed must be at least 5,400rpm.   If you really want faster boot up times, then  you may  want to purchase solid[- state drives (SSD). These flash drives offer faster boot up times and are more resistant to shock when they crash to the ground. If you're looking for speed and durability the SSD is an absolute must.

Wireless Connectivity
If you're someone who is constantly on the move, wireless connectivity is an absolute necessity. you need to stay in contact with the rest of humanity. Your laptop must come with a WIFI card which supports 802.11a, g, and draft N wireless standards..It must also support Integrated Bluetooth. Draft N utilizes multiple input , multiple out(MIMO) technology which helps reduces signal interference.

Although Bluetooth is standard on most laptops, most configurations only provide it as an option.  To make your laptop Bluetooth compliant, make sure your laptop supports Bluetooth 2.1 and Enhanced Data Rate(EDR).

Laptop Display
As a rule, most midsize laptop displays should be 14 or 15.4 inches in size. But they've been known to go as high as 16 inches .For sharp  text and smooth DVD or blu- ray movie movie playback you'd be better off going with the maximum resolution on whichever screen size that you choose. Also, your chosen laptop must use LED backlighting-which offers less weight and saves you power rather than the traditional fluorescent tubes. If you're into video conferencing , or want to say hi to all your friends  make sure the display bezel of your laptop is equipped with a webcam.

That's a wrap  on 'Things To Look For In A Midsize Laptop'. So if you're looking for a laptop including a midsize laptop, Go to  Amazon.com 

The Low Down On Light Laptops - Ultrabooks

Last Week I tried to show you  Why You Should Switch From Desktop to a Laptop. This week we are going to delve into different categories of laptops, starting with the low down on light laptops...Popularly known as thin and light,  light laptops have become quite popular with laptop enthusiasts. Why? because they provide the best of both world. They are powerful enough to perform any task you throw their way and yet light enough to carry on the road..Their thin build makes for easy portability..

 But what really are  light laptops?
Light laptops are made up of two categories-utrabooks and ultraportables and are 11.6 to 13.3 inches in size. For today we'll start with ultrabooks and next time we'll finish up with ultraportables.

Utrabooks  have five characteristics:

Slim Display
Ultrabooks measure about 18mm thick and have a display size of between 11.6 and 13.3 inches, although some go as high as 14 inches. Also, most ultrabooks weigh between 3 an d 4.5 pounds, athough there is no weight limit..There is no limit on the display either although 15 inch displays have started appearing on the market. With such a thin size it makes for easier portability, regardless of where you are going.

Quick Restart From Sleep
Ultrabooks are able to assume a quick restart from sleep in seven seconds. When you are ready to work, they get their ignition started. Ultrabooks are able to achieve this quick restart through a combination of flash memory and a tradition hard drive...Some high end ultrabooks use  Solid State Drives(or SSD). Although SSD's are expensive than their traditional brethren, the are faster. Some ultrabooks, such as Asus Zenbook Prime can wake up in as low as 2 seconds.

Intel Core Processor
Ultrabooks are powered by Intel's third generation core processor called Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge offers enhanced graphic performance without sacrificing battery life. This is made possible by their tri-gate transistors which helps secure the CPU(Central Processing Unit). However, there are ultrabooks on the market equipped with second generation processors. And they tend to be cheaper.

USB 3.0/Thunderbolt Ports
Most Ultrabooks are equipped USB 3.0 and/or thunderbolt ports. The USB ports will be definitely be handy for multimedia buffs  as they help ensure a faster transfer of data. The Thunderbolt ports help  download movies quickly. In some cases they can download movies in 30 seconds. The first ultrabook to be equipped with a Thunderbolt  was Acer Aspire S5.

Long Battery Life
Ultrabooks are also well-known for their long battery life.Some ultrabooks such as Dell XPS14  can last for as long as 8 hrs although the average is between 5.6 and 6hours.

Extras
Some ultrabooks such as Dell's XPS line  come equipped with Intel's Smart Technology. Now this technology is quite unique in that it enables you to stay current with your email, news, social networks, e.t.c. It also has cloud computing component as it allow you to do cloud updates  if you're away from your network-e.g writing email on a plane. So that once you re-establish network connectivity all your offline items synchronize automatically.

Other ultrabooks such as Lenovo's Ideapad U310 have gone one better with the Smart Update feature.  This feature enables the notebook to keep email and social network updates in the background while the system falls sleep. So that when you get back to wok, all your updates will be refreshed.


That's a wrap on "The Low Down On Light Laptops - Ultrabooks" Next week we'll touch on ultraportable laptops....

Cheers!

 If you're looking for an ultrabook  try Amazon.com   

Why You Should Switch From A Desktop To A Laptop

You've been using  your  your trusted Dell desktop for God knows how long.....It has served you quite well over the years. You've done everything on this desktop including  playing solitaire. But now how about switching to a laptop?  You'll get twice the fun when using a laptop with exciting features  and top- notch speed. Most importantly, unlike the desktop, you have the option of staying stationery or moving around with your laptop. Let me list a few more reasons why you should switch from a desktop to a laptop

Stress- Free Portability
One benefit of using a laptop is stress-free portability. You have the option of taking it anywhere be it work, home, beach, you name it.  This allows for continuous workflow wherever you go. You can get that with a desktop. There is nowhere you can carry the system unit and the monitor with you. It will be just too stressful and farcical. Also, the ability to browse on the laptop using WIFI- makes the laptop's portability a very handy asset...You can browse anywhere inside or outside the house. Unfortunately you cant do that with your desktop because of its stationery status. So you're consigned to staying at home or in the office or wherever your desktop is installed,

More Versatility

Unlike a desktop, a laptop provides more versatility. It has more available slots for features such as USB, Firewire, Bluetooth, WIFI, e.t.c. Many laptops have  cameras built for Skye and video conferencing purposes.

No Need For A Wall Socket
With the advent of batteries running for 6 hours there is no need for a wall socket. You can do your work anywhere outside your home or office in peace and quiet without any distractions. And thanks to the battery you can work on the go as well. You can even lie down on the beach with your laptop if you want to.

If you're looking to make the switch from desktop to laptop try Amazon.com  and TigerDirect.com.


That's a wrap for "Why You Should Switch From  A Desktop To A Laptop." Hopefully this post will convince you to switch from a desktop to a laptop. From next time onwards we'll look at different types of laptops..

Cheers!