Choosing a Laptop for travel

By Aleksi | Permalink |

No Comments | September 27th, 2007 | Trackback

There are almost too many choices for computers on the market. What’s even worse (greater) is that they are all becoming more and more affordable. Five years ago, if you wanted a Laptop with 80gb and running over 1.5 ghz you would have to shell out quite a bit of money-quite the contrast of today. With so many options, it can be extremely difficult to find a laptop you will A. Be happy with, and B. Feel like you got a good deal.

Obviously, if you’ve got a lot of money to spend, and you travel to areas that will put your computer at higher risk to being dropped, smashed, covered in dust, dirt or sand, and generally abused more than a red-headed stepchild, you’d probably want to buy a Panasonic Toughbook. Personally I feel that they should be renamed the Panasonic No-one-can-afford-book. All joking aside, these are fairly “normal” computers, they run on Windows, and include all the features any other computer would, but they are built in rugged cases that are designed to withstand the shock of being dropped and hit, as well as gel inserts that surround key components like the hard-drive, CD-rom drive, etc.

If you are not so concerned with the durability of your computer, and you prefer to use a Mac, for instance, you could find yourself down at the Apple store checking out the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Like most Apple products, these computers are available in Silver, White, or Black, and match the other items Apple makes that probably take up space on your desk. As far as the performance goes, the MacBook is available in three versions, a basic white version with a 13-inch screen, all the way up to black version with a bigger hard-drive and some other small tweaks. Expect to spend about $1,300 on a MacBook. The Pro is just what it sounds like, a larger professional version, available in either a 15, or 17-inch version, over 2 ghz, and a titanium case. You can expect to pay around $2,000.

Obviously the price and practicality are important when you are looking for a laptop, so it helps if you have an idea of your needs, as well as an idea of how much you’re willing to spend.

A few other models to check out:

Sony Vaio
Toshiba Satellite
HP Compact Tablet