How to Buy a Laptop?

Ladies & gentlemen, which one of you hasn't thought in the past 2 years (or so) about buying this precious electronic toy nicknamed (and also named): a laptop.
Yes, this relatively new instrument which some 10 years ago was still a "status symbol" reflecting sophistication & class and by now has become a "must have" little friend that accompanies us throughout our daily tiresome routine.

In average, a person buys a new laptop every 3 years, and spends between $300 -$1500 on the newborn. Wouldn't it be cool to hear some advice about buying a new laptop computer? in case your answer is "Yes", you're welcome to read through the following advice.



1. Size - ask yourself whether you need it for basic use (email, document or image storage etc.) or you need it as a substitute to a desktop computer. If the answer is more like the first option - you might purchase a relatively cheap & light 10 inches laptop. If the answer is more like the second - you'll have to pick a heavy 17 inches in a higher price, or just purchase a desktop computer( they're still around, you know..).

2. Memory - if you buy a laptop with a 64-bit operating system (like: Windows 7), you might insist on a memory (RAM) size of some 4 GB, because the computer actually can make use of this large memory to perform much faster.

3. Screen - think of where are you going to use the laptop. Some screens are just impossible to use outdoors, so if you believe you'll need it frequently to be used outdoors, check the laptop you're interested in outdoors (or just ask someone who owns such a model).

4. Hard disk - an average user need about 20 GB of hard disk memory, so you don't have to pay extra to get a vast hard disk of 500 GB or so, if you just need the laptop for web browsing & letters writing.

5. USB sockets - check carefully whether the laptop you're interested in has sufficient USB sockets for what you actually need. Less then 3 sockets isn't recommendable for an average user.

6. Battery - remember that a battery loses of its capacity relatively fast, so if it's argued that a certain battery lasts 3 hours, remember that after half a year, this feature may become more like 30 minutes...

To sum it all up - enjoy!

Your Laptop's Battery - a Few Important Points to Remember

Your battery is low again, ah?? Here's a pack of small details you probably don't know yet, and might be helpful for you:

1. What's better : keeping the laptop plugged in to the power socket or letting it get empty and recharging it ? most of you might jump and say "sure, keeping it plugged in". Wrong! the battery is like a muscle, if it gets some training, it preserves its potency. If it's always fully charged, it gets older very fast.

2. If you think that after some 6 months with the laptop, the battery holds for less hours than when it was brand new, you're absolutely right! To know exactly how much capacity the battery has lost, you may use the following software: http://download.cnet.com/BatteryBar/3000-2094_4-10866804.html

3. Along the laptop's life, the power meter (this little meter that tells you how fully charged is the battery at the moment) gets less & less accurate. This may cause you problems like: sudden shutting down of the laptop while doing something important. You can fix this issue by "recalibrating" the battery.
How to recalibrate:
a. Charge your battery completely. Then,wait 2 hours with the laptop plugged in.
b. Drain the battery completely (till the laptop turns off). Then. wait 5 hours.
c. Charge again the battery. Now, the power meter should be more accurate.

4. When is the appropriate time to dump your battery and purchase a new one? Experts claim that it's recommended to keep the battery while it's at least 25% of its original strength. Below this point, the battery can't give you a reasonable service.

Summary - the battery is the laptop's #1 headache, but using the points I've mentioned, might prevent this pain from becoming a migraine..