Computers to Go
If you are looking for a small computer you can carry around with you, there are a few questions you should ask.
But “what’s the difference between a laptop and a notebook computer” is not one of them, because both laptop and notebook computers are compact units that fold shut and can be easily transported.
Danny Alvarran, a sales associate at Best Buy in Thousand Oaks, said a more important question might be: How is the laptop or notebook computer going to be used?
“Is it for fun or business?” he asked.
If it’s for fun, he might suggest one with a DVD player that comes with a plug to connect the laptop to a TV set and works as a DVD player. That DVD player also runs on the computer screen.
Eleven types of laptop computers were available at the Thousand Oaks Best Buy.
Next door at Office Depot, only six choices were available, but those in common sold for the same price.
For instance, the Hewlett Packard N3250 with a 475 MHz processor and 64 MB SDRAM, 6 GB hard drive, 12.1-inch SVGA display, 6X DVD drive and 56K modem cost $1,699.99 at both stores.
The Compaq Presario XL106 notebook with 475 MHz processor, 32 MB SDRAM, 5 GB hard drive, 13-inch display, 24X CD ROM and 56K modem sold for $1,199.99 at both stores.
And the Compaq Presario XL110 with a 475 MHz processor and 64 MB SDRAM, 6 GB hard drive, 12.1-inch SVGA display, 24X CD ROM and 56K modem cost $1,599 at both stores.
For $999.99, Office Depot offers an E Machines notebook with a 400 MHz processor, 32 MB SDRAM, 4.3 GB hard drive, 24X CD ROM and 56K modem.
After deciding on price range and features, buyers may want to go to a store and look at the computers on display, Alvarran suggested.
Touch the keys. Get the feel of it. Close the monitor/lid and see how small it gets. Think about how it will be used and ask whether it will perform those functions.
And think about buying an extended warranty, he said.
*
Since such protection could cost more than $200, buyers have to decide if it’s worth it, or if they are willing to take a chance.
“If the monitor breaks, that could cost you $1,000 to repair it,” Alvarran said.
Most laptops come with a one-year limited warranty on hardware. An extended warranty can provide further protection.
But Joan Peters, owner of Computer Advice in Oxnard, said that a laptop might not be useful much longer than two or three years.
“A laptop’s life is not as long as a full-size computer’s, because you can’t upgrade it as much,” she said.
And as fast as technology moves, the laptop you buy today could be obsolete tomorrow.
Peters also said it might be wise for buyers to consider getting a less-expensive off-brand laptop.
Her store in Oxnard sells a variety of computers, but she recommends Sager laptops. She has sold many of them, including 150 to the Navy, she said.
A Pentium III 500 MHz processor with 64 MB RAM, 6 GB hard drive, 24X CD ROM, 56K modem and a 14.1-inch active matrix screen sells for $2,099 and comes with a leather case, she said.
A 600 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 12 GB hard drive, 56K modem, 6X DVD and a network card costs $2,499, she said. It also comes with a leather case.
What raises the cost of a laptop is the size of the screen and the speed of the processor.
Some come with 15-inch screens.
“It’s gorgeous. But it increases the size and the weight,” she said.
People shopping for a laptop should not only consider the price, size and features, she said. They should make certain they take into consideration the computer’s durability.
If it looks fragile, it probably is.
CompUSA in Oxnard has 16 models on display, offering customers a chance to touch and compare. The models include HP Pavilion Notebook PCs that range from $1,149.97 to 2,399.97 and the Toshiba Satellite 1625CDT that has a 475 MHz processor and a 12.1-inch screen for $1,499.97.
Fry’s Electronics in Woodland Hills sells the same model number for $1,399 and the Toshiba Satellite 1605CDS with 450 MHz processor and 24X CD ROM for $1,899.
But it’s unwise to compare laptops on price alone. Some computers look and feel sturdier. And at stores that display laptops, it is easy to see which screens are clearer, without having to understand phrases like TFT active-matrix.
The display laptops also provide an opportunity to try out the keyboard. Is it clicky or spongy? Take time to try the gadget on the laptops that moves the cursor. Some have tiny knobs, others have sensitive buttons or rectangular pads below the keyboard that react to a soft touch of the finger.
The person who will be using the laptop is the best one to make that decision.
Buyers also should think about what software package comes with the computer, which comes full circle to Alvarran’s advice: Figure out what you plan to do with it before you go shopping.
Peters also suggested buyers look into extra features they might want to add later on and make sure your laptop can handle them. One such item is a cell phone plug-in that lets a laptop connect to the Internet using a cell phone.
And if the features you need haven’t been invented yet, wait a few minutes and check again.
*
Nancy Needham writes a weekly consumer column and can be reached at nancy.needham@reporters.net.
