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6: Finger fitting
As notebooks shrink in size, so do their keyboards. If possible, try
some simple typing exercises before you buy. The smaller the keyboard,
the more creative the vendor may have gotten with key size and
placement. Pay particular attention to the spacebar, Shift, Ctrl, and
Backspace/Delete keys. Be sure all are in a good location for your hand
size and typing style.
7: Touchy, touchy
Computing
today relies a lot on mousing. With a notebook, all you get is a touch
pad or pointing stick. Unless you plan on traveling with a mouse, test
the notebook's input device for comfort and responsiveness. Some touch
pads include extra features, such as a dedicated area for scrolling.
We've never been big fans of those little pointing sticks tucked in the
middle of the keyboard, because precision is tough and the little nubs
wear off, requiring replacement.
8: Vying for video RAM
If you're not planning
on doing much graphics work or playing 3D games, shared memory should
be fine. But if you have a choice, aim for a graphics chipset that
shares at least 384MB of system memory. You may not find it in an
ultraportable, but other notebook types may offer more robust graphics
chipsets. In fact, many high-end notebooks have discrete graphics
subsystems with dedicated high-speed video memory. If gaming or
intensive graphics work is on the agenda, look for 512MB or 1GB of
dedicated memory.
9: A slot for all reasons
Like a PCI slot in a
desktop, a PC Card (or PCMCIA) slot in a notebook provides expansion
opportunities. Additional USB and FireWire ports, wired and wireless
modems, and wireless LAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC
Cards and slots come in three sizes: Type I, II, and III. Type I cards
are normally used for memory, Type II for input/output devices, and
Type III for mass storage and firewalls. The very latest notebooks include the ExpressCard slot which is set to replace the PCMCIA card format in the long run.
10: Get connected
Ports,
especially USB and FireWire, are necessities, but on notebooks they're
usually in short supply. At a minimum, look for two USB ports, and if
you have any legacy devices, such as parallel printers, look for those
ports, too. If you'd like to use a digital camcorder or iPod with your
notebook, make sure the notebook has a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port.
Connecting a monitor will require a VGA port. (If you'll be giving
presentations, a VGA port is also where you'll connect a projector.)
And if you want to output video to a television, find a notebook with
an S-Video out.
Tips 1 - 5 |
Tips 6 - 10 |
Tips 11 - 15 |
Tips 16 - 20 |
Tips 21 - 25
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