How to Buy: Notebooks for your business
Expert advice on choosing the perfect business portable--from size and weight to the right processor for your needs.| Editors' picks | ||||
Budget Dell Inspiron 1100: A speedy notebook with a smartly designed case--on the cheap. MORE OPTIONS  IBM ThinkPad R40 |
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Thin-and-light IBM ThinkPad T40: Solid performance and long battery life, perfect for business travelers. MORE OPTIONS Dell Latitude D600Apple 12-inch PowerBook G4 |
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Desktop replacements Sony Vaio PCGGRV7P A notebook featuring a dual-format DVD burner, which makes it an appealing choice if you need DVD burning capabilities in a notebook form factor. MORE OPTIONS IBM ThinkPad A seriesDell Inspiron 8500Apple 17-inch PowerBook G4 |
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Ultraportables Toshiba Portege 3505: The best of everything--a versatile, portable powerhouse. MORE OPTIONS Dell Latitude X200 |
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Unlike desktops, notebooks never seem to outpace their users in terms of performance or features. Can a laptop ever be too light or have a battery that lasts too long? Of course not. That's because notebook designs require a lot of trade-offs; it's not easy squeezing all that power into a portable package.
Unfortunately, this means there's never really a perfect time to buy a laptop PC. Budget laptops are readily available, and they can get the job done if you can live with a small display, a slow CPU, minimal RAM, and no extras such as built-in wireless. If you buy one, chances are you'll find yourself itching for a new machine within six months.
The most important criteria with notebooks are size and weight. Both home and business notebooks are divided into distinct classes, ranging from featherweight ultraportables to bulky desktop replacements. The most popular choice for businesses fall somewhere in between in the form of a thin-and-light system, which is nearly as small as an ultraportable yet delivers much of the performance and many of the features of a much larger system, including a built-in CD or DVD drive. Unfortunately thin-and-lights also tend to be pretty pricey, so if your budget is tight or you don't travel often, you can get by with a slightly larger mainstream or value system.
The type of notebook you choose will also dictate the screen size. Ultraportables have rinky-dink 12.1-inch displays that'll kill your eyes if you use them all day long; midsized notebooks have 14.1-inch displays; and desktop replacements have screens that are 16 inches or in a few cases even larger. If your notebook spends most of its time sitting on a desk, you should opt for one of the larger displays; on the other hand, just try fitting a 17-inch Apple PowerBook on an airplane tray table.
Trade-offs
Size and weight also determine other features to some extent, though that's beginning to change. At one time, you had to settle for a hefty desktop replacement to get the latest and greatest hardware. Now you can find laptops with the fastest Pentium M processors, memory measured in gigabytes, huge hard drives, and cutting-edge graphics that weigh as little as 2kg.
The smaller ultraportables, however, still lag in terms of performance and features, while at the opposite extreme, there are mainstream laptops or desktop replacements that offer the works at more competitive prices. If performance is your top priority, you can even opt for one of these larger notebooks with a less expensive desktop chip, though you'll sacrifice some battery life.
No single configuration will be right for every business user, but for most, we'd recommend one of the slower Pentium M processors (you'll save a little money without giving up much), 256MB of memory, a 20GB hard drive, a 14.1-inch display, an internal combination CD-RW/DVD drive, and integrated wired and wireless networking. If you want to shed a little weight, you can opt instead for an ultraportable with a separate media slice so that you can leave the drive behind when you need to travel light.
Buying advice
As with desktops, when you are buying a bunch, your best bet is to stick with a single vendor and product line. Some corporate notebooks, such as the HP Compaq Evo, the Dell Latitude, and the IBM ThinkPad, use the same components across most or all of the line, which means that you can use the same drives, docking stations and port replicators, and AC adapters with any system--a big advantage in business. Finally, we recommend that you invest in spare or extended batteries for employees who make cross-country flights.
Christopher Null is a freelance business and technology journalist in San Francisco. He has written for Wired, Smart Business, PC World, and Business 2.0. He is also a veteran of numerous small businesses--including his own Internet start-up, filmcritic.com, which he has operated since 1995.
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I am looking to purchase a multfunction laser printer for my small business. My phone line also has a Securitel service. A low frequency signal is sent down the line continuously, so that if the telephone line is cut the security company will be alerted. Unfortunately this low frequency signal can interfere with the fax signal and the fax function does not work. I was told that the fax modem in some manufacturers do not have a filter to overcome this signal sent by Securitel and some do. Can anybody tell me if they have bought a brand of Multifunction printer that is compatible with Securitel