Help Me Choose the Best Laptop
I need help with choosing a new laptop, or notebook as our US friends like to call it! As you can imagine, there are hundreds, if not thousands of options available. I’m not fixed on a particular brand of laptop at this stage - I’m finding it hard just to decide on the basic spec at the moment - but I have found this handy tool from Dell useful .. I also found this Dell discount code too .. . So here are my thoughts on what I think would make the best laptop for me and the specifications on the Dell Latitude D530 which seems to be an ideal match.
Processor
Intel seem to be the leaders here and the minimum requirement is Dual Core with at least 2GHz and a fast bus. The Latitude D530 has an Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 processor which delivers 2.4GHz using a 800MHz bus and has a 4MB Cache.
Microsoft Operating System
I say Microsoft simply because I’m not familiar enough with the others so for me the choice is Windows XP or Windows Vista. I’ve used Windows Vista and whilst I think it’ll become the norm in the near future, I’m familiar with Windows XP and with the forthcoming SP3 release, I’m leaning towards staying with XP at this stage. The Latitude D530 comes with Windows XP Professional edition.
Display
In the past I’ve gone for a big is best approach but this time I’m thinking of focussing on quality and so I’m leaning towards a 14″-15″ monitor or even a screen size of just 13″. The Dell D530 has a 15″ monitor with an enhanced SXGA+ display that provides a rather excellent 1400×1050 screen resolution.
Laptop Memory
I’m torn between 2GB and 4GB. To be perfectly honest, whilst the latter is double the former, I just don’t know if that means it’s twice as good. Thoughts welcome. The Latitude D530 has a perfectly acceptable 2GB, delivered from 2×1024MB, and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory.
Hard Drive
This one is quite easy for me. I simply don’t need hundreds of GB storage space. What’s much more important for me is the speed of accessing that data. That’s one of the main reason the Latitude D530 looks a good buy for me as it has a 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive, oh and 120 GB storage. So many other laptops have have 5400 rpm or less.
Optical Devices
The D530 has 8x DVD+/-RW Drive, which is probably ok but I’m thinking 16x would be better, but is it necessary if I don’t use that format often?
Battery Power
This has to be a combination of time away from a main power source and low weight. Clearly the greater the battery power, the heavier the battery. A lightweight 4 cell battery is provided with the Latitude D530 so it’s light weight. Other laptops have 4 cells, 6 cells or 9 cells.
Wireless Network
I absolutely must have wireless connectivity. Most laptops come with 802.11 a-g. The Dell D530 also has N wireless network connectivity for an enhanced wireless functionality. I’m told its much better but as I haven’t used it yet I’ll have to take Dell’s word for it. The D530 also has Bluetooth connectivity for even greater ease of networking.
Dell Latitude D530 - Is this the best laptop for me?
So is the Dell Latitude D530 the right laptop for me? Well, it delivers most of what I’m after but the true question is - am I looking at the right things when choosing a new laptop?
Dell Discount Codes
Want some more help? Try the Laptop Buying Guide at Gadget Heaven™
Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC
Have you ever thought just how big, heavy and clumsy your ‘lightweight’ laptop really is? Well Samsung have. Enter the Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC range. The power of technological convergence has allowed us to leave unnecessary devices at home and combine them into just one powerful device. To be frank, you’re beyond help if you are one of those people who has to have the latest gadgets with you at all times, but let’s take a look at this technology craze from another perspective.
Ultra Mobile PC
Over the past year or two we’ve gone wireless daft with a plethora of new wireless devices hit the market. Most of these converged products were Ultra Mobile PCs. Samsung introduced the Q1, the first ever UMPC but Ultra Mobile PCs are still to penetrate the mass markets.
Although the Ultra Mobile PC market is still in its infancy, electronics companies are already developing their second generation UMPCs. The new generation is looking introduce a keyboard, higher resolution and performance, and longer battery life, and Samsung has opened the gates once again with its Q1 Ultra.
New Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC
Compared to previous models, there are improvements to the CPU, the LCD screen and its wireless network capabilities. Samsung accepted customer feedback that most web pages have widths of 1024 pixels which cannot be viewed on a 800 x 600 screen without scrolling and so made the changes to improve the browsing experience. The keyboard is QWERTY and the keys are intended to be pushed with your thumbs when holding the device with both hands. However, as the keys are placed quite close together, a lot of practice is probably required for ease of use.
Other improvements include the joystick, which has been upgraded from being able to move in four directions to eight, and the “Mouse Sel” button on the outer rim of the joystick will activate the joystick to act as a mouse. There is a finger print sensor which can be used to login for additional security.
No one knows what reaction the Ultra Mobile PC will have on the consumer electronics market, not even Samsung. But we’ll never know unless we try and so Samsung should be given credit for developing such an extensive range. Want One?
Features:
See the Samsung website for more information on the Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC.
What is the difference between a PMP and UMPC?
First of all, for those that don’t know, a PMP is a Portable Media Player and a UMPC is an Ultra Mobile Personal Computer. For an example of a UMPC, see my article on the Samsung Q1. Both devices are able to perform most functions done by PCs, but also act as portable movie and music players. The differences are very slight. If there is a difference, it is in how they are operated. PMPs specialise in multimedia functions, and other than a few products, most cannot setup and run programs. On the other hand, the Samsung Q1 Ultra is meant to be a PC. If you prefer, you can install multimedia programs in the Q1 Ultra and easily access music, movies or TV through DMB.
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