Most people go shopping for the machine based on the hardware specifications of the computer. Some examples are the processor speed, memory, harddrive, etc. But in your search for a new laptop, have you considered what kind of software comes with it? Probably not.
What you can expect on your new laptop (I am assuming you bought a machine with Windows on it - Linux and Mac based notebooks will be different) are the following:
- Some trial software for anti-virus and spyware. Some examples are Norton Internet Security and McAfee Internet Security. Typically they offer you a ninety day trial after which it costs $40-$50 to renew it for a year.
- CD and DVD burning software comes standard on most models. The only ones I have seen that don't come with anything in the last few months is Gateway. It is better to get some sort of burning software as opposed to the built in software in Windows.
- Microsoft Works come standard with most computers. The only one I have seen in stores that doesn't include it are Acer notebooks. If you are not familiar with Microsoft Works, it is the watered-down version of Microsoft Office.
- A sixty day trial of Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition. You can find Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, and One Note (think of One Note as a doodle pad). You typically don't find Acer Notebooks with the trial included, but you can download it for free off the Internet.
- If your notebook has a webcam, you will find some webcam software included. HP for example, included muvee AutoProducer with their webcam equipped notebooks.
- If your notebook has a Light Scribe Drive (found on HP and Compaq) there is also Light Scribe labeling software included.
- You will also find other free software on there such as Adobe Reader.
It seems not too long ago, I wrote about laptop batteries and their lives. Based on the previous article, my laptop battery should be nearing less than 50% of it's capacity.
Well, I am sad to say I think it is closer to zero.
Just the other day, while out on a consulting job, I decided to show a client some examples of some websites in an effort to give them some ideas. Turning on my laptop, I booted up windows and was ready to show them the samples... and then...
"Battery low, change battery or plug in immediately"
Needless to say, I got about five minutes of power out of it.
That sucks.
So, off to find a replacement battery. I will let you all know what kind of prices and places I was able to find a replacement.
Till then,
Take care.
To be honest, most people wouldn't consider the amount of power there computers use, rather, just like appliances, most of us consider them to be a necessary cost of life. But I thought it would be interesting to know how much it costs me to have my laptop on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So I did a little experiment.
I went over to my local hardware store to purchase a energy meter. This device just plugs into any wall outlet an measures the amount of power that passes through it. You can also set the rate that you pay for each kWh (kilowatt hour) from your utility company to figure out the cost of running the device.
After setting up the program to run for a few days I came up with the following result:
My laptop uses an average of 30 watts per hour.
Now, with all the concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions, I went online to find some calculators to find out how much carbon dioxide is a result of me having my laptop on all the time.
Using my laptop results in about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year.
Feeling a little guilty (I am killing the world for my children) I checked into what I could do to offset these carbon emissions. I came across one site that stated that a tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. So to make up for the carbon emissions my laptop generates, I would have to plant about eight trees.
In conclusion, I urge you to think about what effect you and your computer use has on the environment. Chances are in our lifetimes we won't have to deal with the consequences of our actions but our children will.
Customers expect that laptop computers and laptop accessories should be cheaper and available easily in third world countries’ computer markets - but the fact is that is not currently the reality. Among cheaper laptops acer laptops perform very well. Laptop accessories should be purchased keeping in view laptop compatibility. Customers should be well aware of laptop guideline uses for better performance of their machine.
I had the opportunity today to try out a laptop hooked up to a LCD TV with an HDMI cable. I used the same laptop as the last time (an HP notebook). This time I connected it to a Sharp Aquos 40" LCD TV valued at $1899 CDN.
Let me just say Wow. Even without installing the drivers for the display, it looked wonderful and it is amazing to see all the space available on the desktop.
I only ran into two problems. First, be sure to set the aspect ratio so that it is not stretching the display in any way. In the case of the Sharp, I set the aspect ratio to "Pixel for Pixel". Secondly, none of the desktop backgrounds from Windows Vista looked exceptionally great on the screen. This could be due to the fact that the wallpapers were not the correct resolution for the screen. Also, standing right in front of a screen this big, I would not expect it to look so good anyway's.
In conclusion: HDMI on a laptop works great provided the TV or monitor supports the resolution and you have the aspect ratio set properly.
I am sitting here blogging. I have been typing for two hours or so. And do you know what? My wrists hurt.
This is a sign I need to take a break. In fact, I should have taken a break a long time ago. You should take a break at least every half hour. If you don't, you run the risk of getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a painful, progressive condition related to the compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It can start simply as pain in the hands progressing to numbness, loss of strength and finally loss of function. Even though there is surgery available to reverse most cases, take a break every once in awhile - your wrists will thank you.
People tend to get really excited owning their first laptop. Their is definitely a sense of freedom when you can take your notebook wherever you go. Here is a list of some places you shouldn't take your notebook:
1. The beach
Sure it may seem like a good idea to take your laptop out with you while you catch some rays, but please reconsider. The sand at the beach is not good for the insides of your notebook and can damage it.
2. On your motor boat
Ok, sure it may be cool to take your GPS software out on the lake and mark those good fishing spots but water and laptops are not friends. There is definitely a good chance of the notebook getting wet, and a chance that it could fall in the lake.
3. The tub
Sure a good soak in the tub is great, but leave the laptop out of it; it has the same problem as the motor boat: water.
4. Winter camping
I suppose it would be ok to take it with you if winter in your part of the world is warm. Up here in Canada, the -40 degree Celsius is not so good for the laptop. Without proper warmth, the screen can freeze and crack.
5. Outside in your vehicle on a hot day
If it is hot outside and your laptop is going to be in your car, leave it in the trunk. Why? If you leave it in the passenger compartment, the heat inside could cause parts of your notebook to melt.
Computers rapid change into laptops is taking place all over the world in offices and homes. A major concern is the life of the laptop battery which matters a lot for the user. Some branded computer firms claim their batteries have a longer life - for example acer laptops. Every laptop has some typical feature which distinguishes it from the other; for example a toshiba laptop is very beautiful in shape and fully loaded with all accessories. The most important thing to do is to understand laptop guideline uses. A user must be well aware of stolen laptop guide for enhanced security of his machine. A problem apparent in third world countries’ computer markets is shortage of used laptop accessories.
Do you make periodic backups? If you don't, you are not unlike the hundreds of notebook users that do not backup their information. Most people assume that since a laptop is more durable than a desktop, the hard drive in the notebook should last longer.
Inevitably, laptops are just as likely to have a hard drive failure as a desktop. Often these failures can be more costly as a large number of business people use their laptops specifically for work.
In order to protect your data, you can try some of these steps:
- Purchase an external hard drive.
By purchasing (don't just buy it - use it) a portable hard drive, it is easy to make backups. Usually you just have to plug the hard drive into the USB port on your laptop and you can use the included backup software to backup your vital files. Price on external hard drives usually start out around the $100 mark and up.
- Use a USB flash drive
With USB flash drive prices plummeting, this can be a cost effective option if you do not have a lot of information to backup. Provided your data takes up less than 8 GB or so (currently the largest size available at a reasonable price) this can be a convenient option. Not only do USB flash drives fit in your pocked, they can also fit in your safety deposit box for extra security. Most flash drives also come with some security software to protect your information should the drive get stolen.
- Make a backup on DVDs or CDs
One of the cheaper options, you can backup your information on traditional CDs or DVDs. The catch with this method is that you have to do it, there is not really any automated backup solution that would backup to your optical drive and change disks as needed (as of yet). One advantage of backing your data to optical disks is that they should last longer than the above discussed options and provided you are not using re-writeable disks, do not run the risk of being erased by accident.
Remember to backup your information, it shouldn't be considered a chore, rather you are protecting your pictures, data, and potentially your livelihood by engaging in this important habit.
When you are out buying your computer, you will have the option of either a dedicated video card, or an integrated video card.
If you are into playing computer games, chances are you would opt for a dedicated card. If you just work, type, surf the Internet and check some emails on your notebook, an integrated card will do fine.
What does a video card have to do with battery life?
Simple. If you want better battery life, an integrated card will give you the most battery life, whereas a dedicated video card will give you the least battery life.
When you are out shopping for a notebook hard drive, you probably have noticed that they come in different speeds. The way the notebook drives are rated is by RPM (revolutions per minute). Typically, you can find either 4,200 RPM, 5,400 RPM, and 7,200 RPM drives. When making your decision, consider the pros and cons of each drive speed:
4,200 RPM
This drive has the lowest speed out of the bunch. On the good side, it's slower rotational speed gives you better battery life. On the bad side, you get less performance. The performance on this drive should not affect you if you are doing normal computer tasks such as Internet, email, or typing. For gaming and video editing, you would see the worst performance out of the bunch.
5,400 RPM
The 5,400 RPM drive is almost 30% faster than the 4,200 RPM drive. You get better performance with this drive but less battery life. Out of the three drive options, this drive gives you the best all round performance and battery life. It is good for the everyday stuff, as well as game playing and video editing.
7,200 RPM
The 7,200 RPM drive is the fastest drive of the bunch. Expect quicker boot times into your operating system, better game performance and quicker video editing times. The catch: this drive has the worst battery life of the bunch.
When you are out shopping, you need to decide if performance is most important to you, or if battery life is the major concern. If you want the best compromise go with the 5,400 RPM drive - you get good battery life and good performance.
If you have been out shopping for a laptop, you may have notice that some of them come with HDMI interfaces. A HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) port allows you to hook up your laptop to most of the new LCD, plasma, and projection televisions. The HDMI port replaces the DVI (digital video input) port found on some older gaming laptops.
I had the opportunity to try out a laptop today with a number of different televisions. The laptop in question was a gaming laptop, worth about $1599 CDN. It has a GeForce Go 7600 dedicated card (with 256 Mb), 2 GB of ram, and a 17" screen.
The televisions that I hooked this notebook up to were a Samsung 40" LCD TV, a Sanyo 27" LCD TV, and a Philips 63" Plasma TV.
The laptop was hooked up to the television with a six foot HDMI cable and I attempted to get a resolution higher than 1024x768.
Not to give specific reviews of the laptop and televisions used in the test (we are not a review site), I was unable to successfully get the screens to display 1920x1080 (the resolution used for HD TV). I did have some success, but the limitations of the TVs and control panel for the video card, did not allow me to show the whole screen properly. Specifically the edges of the screen were all cut off. There were also some issues with respect to the screen refresh rate. Bear in mind that I didn't install any drivers for the TVs before testing them out.
Immature drivers for Vista, and rush testing, may have impacted the results. I will take a look at the HDMI output on laptops at a later date to see if there have been any improvements.
A handy computer like a laptop is easy to use and transport. There are many computer companies which are making their own laptops and asus laptop is very popular and easily available in major markets of the world. More sophisticated hp laptops are a little bit heavy and sensitive to dust. A laptop buying guide can be viewed online so that you have all the information you need before you purchase of one. For student laptop guide websites offer special sections. Like pc computers laptop computers are a favorite now among people around the world for their portability and easy handling.
