Laptops: a buyer’s guide

Buying a gadget ain’t easy. Especially if you’re spoilt for choice. And buying a notebook or a netbook? That’s worse. First, you must contend with the umpteen alternatives, the disconcerting specifications soup, and confusing configurations conundrums. Then, there’s the overly aggressive, all-pervasive marketing hype, glib-talking and delusory salesfolk, and often ill-informed and prejudiced peer hearsay to deal with. Together, everything conspires to make your choice more difficult. So, here’s some no-nonsense, cold practical logic and a tips matrix that will help you to arrive at the appropriate buying decision with confidence and minimal ado.

Determine your requirements

Ask yourself, what you need the laptop or notebook (as this contraption is better known nowadays) for? That’s what you must evaluate at the outset. And only you can answer this. List out your needs mentally and then match the type of machine with your prime needs. If it is just regular text document editing, e-mail and web browsing on the go, all you require is a basic, entry-level 13.3-in-15-in laptop. In fact, it is very possible that even a cheaper 9-in or 10-in netbook will meet your requirements.

However, if you need to produce a good amount of number-crunching spreadsheets and look at or edit heavy, graphics loaded files, nix the netbook notion. Else you will end up scrolling up, down and around and waiting for files to load and execute a slightly complex command.

Even for corporate needs, like presentations, when you do need a faster processing, a bigger screen and better audio and video, it is best to go in for a regular laptop. It would be ideal to pick a good business notebook. Yet, if due to budget constraints, you are forced to opt for a basic entry level notebook, do beef up the RAM to 4GB at the very least.

If you need a laptop for handling graphics, images or video regularly, don’t consider a bare-bones entry level notebook. Look at a highest end model within your budget. Throw in at least 4GB-8GB of RAM. Ramp up the hard disk to 320GB. And look at 15-in or better still 17-in models, with a graphics processor unit (GPU) to boost processing speeds. Ideally, with their glorious design, rock solid performance, furious speed and trail-blazing battery life (10 hours) with no bar on price, the MacBook Pros are where you need to bury your bucks. And if you are heavily into gaming, a high-end machine with a GPU is a must. That’s where laptops like the Alienware M17x blow the competition to smithereens. Not far behind comes the MSI GT 640.


What fits your budget

Admit it or not, this is the numero uno buying decision-maker. Yes, all of us always want the ultimate hardware. But invariably, most of us are constrained by the contents of our wallet. And that is why it is important to weigh your needs carefully before setting off on arriving at the best buying decision within the limitations of the lucre available.

Keep in mind, alluringly price-tagged inexpensive laptops, though glowing with features, functionality and once in a while decent performance, are not really built to face the slings and arrows of day-to-day handling for more than a couple of years. No, they won’t conk out, but they will not wear well.

Prioritise your wants, balance your needs. Choose a processor, memory, hard disk, screen-size and weight according to your wants and then balance them to fit your budget best. Do you need a supersonic processor, GPU and loads of RAM (for document reading/ editing, web browsing and regular audio-video entertainment, you don’t)?

Or, do you want gobs of hard disk space to hoard and haul around movies and music? Or, a beautiful screen to present designs, images and graphics? Maybe you travel a lot and would prefer something that has better battery life plus one that’s more lightweight.

Right now, in the hugely crowded budget to mid-range market, our vote would go to the Dell Vostro and the Sony W series. Among fairly well-built business laptops, the HP EliteBook series (8440p) is worthy contender along with the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge and the ThinkPad X100e.

A base configuration today comprises: 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 13.3-in screen, 3.5 hours battery life, 2-3 USB 2.0 ports, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Unless you are tech-savvy and absolutely certain of an impending model launch, don’t wait around till Kingdom Come for something specific. Rapid technological advances ensure that no matter what you buy, it will be outdated in a year’s time.

Beauty is skin deep. If money-no-object eye candy is all-important, the Dell Adamo XPS, MacBook Air or the Sony Vaio X series are what will make you gloat as people’s jaws drop. Else, don’t fall for a laptop just because it looks snazzy — unless you only want some ‘lap candy’!

Also, don’t reject a model just because it doesn’t have in-built Bluetooth. You can pick up a Bluetooth dongle for Rs 200 which will work just as well. Ditto for fewer USB ports — a Rs 150 USB hub allows you to multiply them.

Where there's battery, there's computing

If lengthy battery life doesn’t seem very important to you, remember the prime reason you’re shelling out the extra bucks for a portable computer is to have the immense convenience of being able to work/ play untethered and away from your desk or table. And ever so often, you will not be near a power source. Hence, long battery life can be extremely convenient, if not vital in all sorts of situations.

Buy a laptop with a 6- if not a 9-cell battery. Look for something that gives you at least 3.5 to 4 hours of battery life at the very least. If you’re a frequent traveller and like to work on the go, perhaps you could consider some of the 7-10 hours battery life notebooks and netbooks.

Today you get models like the HP EliteBook 6930p at the top end that can last nearly 17 hours with an extended battery and the entry level Acer Timeline 4810Tz that ticks for 8 hours.

Extended warranty, service setup

If anything can go wrong, it will, says Murphy’s first law. This couldn’t be more true for laptops in which any component — from the relatively inexpensive adapter to the very expensive screen or motherboard — can go kaput anytime.

As in the case of cars, it always makes a lot of money sense to buy an extended warranty with your notebook. This stretches the warranty of your laptop one to two years beyond the mandatory first year. That extra Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000 spent initially will give a lot peace to your mind (and moolah mound) for the next couple of years. Not all notebook vendors offer extended warranties.

To reiterate the Murphy: If anything can go wrong, it will. So always double, nay triple check, the customer service capabilities of the notebook vendor — specifically in your city.

Tip: Never follow the herd blindly

Computers are unreliable, but humans are even more unreliable. Don’t go by reputation, legacy and brand alone. Just as car models from the same manufacturer differ in build quality and performance, laptops from one company can vary hugely. Just because your pal’s two-year Dell never has never stammered, doesn’t necessarily mean every Dell will be a smoothie.

Don’t swallow hearsay from people who are partially informed or have limited knowledge. And when it comes to your friendly neighbourhood sales guy, please don’t accept what he says as the Biblical truth. He is out to net a customer and notch up a sale. Make an informed decision after doing your own evaluation and checking, prior to going shopping or after seeing what’s in the market.

Read up independent views on the Internet or in a newspaper/magazine review. Don’t fall for the goody-goody reviews on sites like Mouthshut.com; these can be PR spiel. Go Googling for a specific model’s review. Don’t leave it to the dealer to make the choice for you. He, most probably will have a vested interest in pushing a particular model. Always physically check out a recommended model — or whatever takes your fancy — then deploy Google .

What about the Apple iPad?

So where does the Apple iPad — unarguably the most lusted-after geek gadget in the world today — fit into your scheme of gadgetry?

“More intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone”, this 9.7-in multi-touch screen tablet computer that runs the iPhone OS further obscures the line between the two hardware genres. The 680gm-730gm, iPad serves as an instant-on Internet device that can be used for on-the-go web browsing, e-mail, e-book reading, audio-video multimedia playback, as well as computing and gaming.

Setting out to be a game changer, the edgy iPad is comfortable to use as a large handheld or a lap device. Depending on what you do on your laptop or netbook, it can even replace these devices for a number of tasks that you deploy these bulkier gadgets for.

Given the humongous bank of nearly 2,00,000 existing iPhone/ iPod Touch applications to fall back on, resounding support from the developer industry and burgeoning consumer groundswell, iPad is all set to create a new paradigm in computing that will touch your future.

Why buy a netbook?

Because netbooks are compact, convenient, effective but inexpensive. Classified as ultra mobiles, these 9-in and 10-in screen netbooks are a very sensible investment for most people looking for a portable computer today.

It's the money, Honey!

Costing between Rs 14,000 and Rs 28,000, netbooks can satisfy most people’s day-to-day requirements on the reading/ editing documents, web browsing, audio and video front. They simply make helluva lot of economic sense. So why pay double for a laptop if your needs are limited?

The new jeeves!

Running Windows XP or 7, a netbook has a good enough hardware to run MS Office or any regular productivity routines for word processing, e-mail and web browsing etc. Virtually all Windows apps that you would run on a regular laptop — barring graphics intensive apps like video editing or heavy Photoshop files — work perfectly. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LAN connectivity is standard with two to three USB ports, a card reader, mic and headphone ports, built-in mic, speakers and a web cam. Sadly, netbook keyboards are 78 per cent to 93 per cent smaller than a laptop’s and the trackpad is often half of what Big Bro carries. But you get accustomed to this easily.


Ultra portable awesomeness

Apart from not breaking your bank, at 1kg to 1.2kg, these immensely portable devices don’t break your back either. This is almost half the weight of a regular laptop. That makes them ideal travelmates — be it to Honolulu or the just the loo!

The power and the glory

With batteries that last for eight to 11 hours on one charge, some netbooks can hold their own on staying power against costly premium league notebooks. Perfect travel companions again.


The Personal Telegraph