As many an Excel-obsessed accountant will tell you, once you’ve made that bold leap into the world of dual monitors it’s very hard to go back. Having the freedom and flexibility to have two windows open at the same time at maximum size is a godsend for comparing data, as well as for anyone who wants to mix business with pleasure.
Windows 7 runs fine on my netbook. However, it is not duty free. Its hidden tax is shorter laptop battery life. In fact, this same tax impacts notebooks and laptops.
The Hewlett-Packard Envy 13 offers an excellent example of what a cutting-edge ultraportable should be–and it moves past the Apple MacBook Air in some important respects, despite its overly ambitious price tag.
First, let me say that I use a MacBook Air as my main machine and am well aware of its merits. That said, it is beginning to look a little long in the tooth when juxtaposed with the HP(HP DV2000 battery) Envy 13–which, like the Air, offers an aluminum chassis. I will also draw comparisons with 13-inch MacBook Pro since the Envy seems to fall somewhere between this and the Air.
If you’re in the market for a laptop computer, what should you think about? Here are some questions to ask, some of which you may not have thought of. (In my last post, I talked about choosing between a desktop and a laptop; and between a Mac and a Windows machine.)
Dell Latitude D600 Pentium M Centrino 1.4 Ghz 512 MB 40GB CD-RW 14.1″ Radeon 9000 Integrated 10/100 56K Built-in WIFI Windows XP Pro (NO COA or Restore CDs) AC Adapter Battery (not tested). 30 Day SATISFACTION GUARANTEED warranty. PERFORMANCE: This laptop is very fast having a full 1.4 Ghz of processing speed and plenty of power to run most any programs. With a Pentium M Centrino processor you’ll be on the cutting edge with the latest in Laptop Processing power. EXPANDABILITY: The Latitude(Latitude D600 Battery) D600 has a modular bay located conveniently on the front that can hold an optical drive (CD/DVD/CD-RW/COMBO/DVD-RW see specs for which drive is included with this option), floppy drive, an extra battery or second hard drive.
The HP(HP COMPAQ nw9440 Battery) Envy 15 has some real strengths: the design is sensational, the keyboard is excellent and the power on offer makes this a really versatile machine. This has to be balanced against the lack of internal drive and poor battery life, which means that this is a PC that will complement your plush office or home better than it will accompany you on your travels. There is no doubting the style on offer however and it will look good wherever you put it and whatever competitor you sit it next to.
There’s no doubt the Sony(VGP-BPS2C Battery) VAIO Z-series is expensive; too expensive for the regular consumer, and for most those extra tenths in performance, features, mobility will be impossible to justify. The fact remains, however, that it’s also one of the best laptops we’ve ever seen.
Unfortunately the A1185 battery in the MacBook Pro lineup is no longer user changeable (legitimately), which will irk some mobile users who like to carry a spare, an advantage that the previous generation gives you.
We’ve begun testing of an Acer(BATCL50L Battery) Timeline 1810, which is the same size as the Mini 311. The price of a Timeline 1810 starts at around $550, which is a full $150 more than the base Mini 311. However, that gets you Windows 7 Home Premium, 3GB RAM, a 320GB HDD, a Pentium SU4100 CPU, and around six to eight hours of battery life. Configure a Mini 311 with similar specs in the RAM, OS, and HDD areas and you’re looking at $565 (without the external Blu-ray drive).