11: Go wireless
Integrated wireless networking (Wi-Fi) has become an indispensable feature. Most notebooks ship with a choice of 802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g. Capable of data throughput of 11Mbps, 802.11b is fine for ordinary use. Public hotspots typically use 802.11b or 802.11g. (The latter is backward-compatible with 802.11b.) Unless you're in and out of office environments, don't worry about support for 802.11a. Santa Rosa-based notebooks have the option of the fastest Wi-Fi standard to date, the 802.11n radio which is suppose to give ten times more bandwidth than the previous 802.11g standard. 12: Power without the plug
Lithium-ion batteries have all but replaced nickel-cadmiums because they're lighter, have a higher energy density, and don't suffer from recharge-inhibiting memory effect. So-called "smart" lithium-ions give feedback to the laptop about their remaining power, so the computer can conserve as necessary.

Two more specs to look for in laptop batteries are capacity (measured in milliamp hours, or mAh), and the number of cells. Typical batteries have a mAh rating between 2,000mAh and 6,000mAh; higher is better. Cells are the actual compartments where power is produced and can range from four to 12; the more the better.

13: What's in a name?
Intel loves its code-names. In the mobile arena, the company's Centrino mobile technology tops the list. The Centrino platform, which arrived in early 2003, combines Intel's Pentium M or Core Duo/Solo CPU, Intel chipset, and Pro/Wireless Wi-Fi circuitry. A notebook must have all three parts to be a Centrino notebook.

A newer version of Centrino, the Core platform (previously codenamed Santa Rosa), arrived this year. It features Intel's 965 chipset and adds support for HDMI and 800MHz dual-channel DDR3 memory to laptops. What does all this mean? Dual-core or even future quad-core processing, faster graphics and multitasking, plus increased battery life over older models. The best news: We expect prices on older--but still excellent--Centrino models to fall a bit.

14: Tiny, tinny sound
Notebooks are notorious for having terrible speakers. Our recommendation: Get a good set of headphones, or a stereo or three-piece speaker set.

Laptops generally lack the sound-processing abilities to use surround-sound speakers, but you can add it. Creative's Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook slides into a PC Card slot, providing support for up to eight-channel surround sound.

15: It's not just size that matters
Notebook hard drives start at 80GB. Form factor may restrict your options, but if possible, go for at least 120GB or 160GB if you'll be storing lots of image or music files. Capacity isn't the only issue. If you have a choice, select a drive with a rotational speed of at least 5,400rpm. The faster it spins, the faster you'll get your files.

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