Laptops Buying Guide
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What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies:
WHAT DO I NEED TO STAY CONNECTED?
To send and receive email, browse the Web and share files or printers, your laptop must be able to connect to a network or the Internet. This is usually done via a modem, an Ethernet hook-up or a wireless connection. But your laptop has additional connectivity needs, too. Laptops include a variety of ports or connectors that physically link to and communicate with different kinds of equipment, including digital cameras and external monitors.
If you can't find the port you want, you can usually buy a port replicator or a docking station, which adds connecters. These laptop-expansion options tend to be pricey, however, so you're generally better off buying a laptop that has everything that you'll need out of the box. Find out about each type of connection below.
PC Cards versus mini-PCI | Modems and Ethernet ports | Wireless antennae and radios | Other ports and connecters
PC Cards versus mini-PCI
The PC Card, a credit card-shaped device that plugs into a slot on your laptop, can provide a number of connection types. Modems, USB connections (say, for your digital camcorder) and wireless LAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC Cards are handy because they're easy to upgrade and you can buy third-party PC Card solutions after you purchase your laptop. However, most laptops come with only one or two Type II PC Card slots, forcing you to limit the number of PC Cards you can add.
The mini-PCI card, on the other hand, is a smaller, more compact version of a PC Card. Laptop manufacturers install mini-PCI cards inside laptops, which has a couple of advantages: they're usually cheaper and they leave PC Card slots open for additional uses. Unfortunately, mini-PCI cards are almost impossible to remove or upgrade, because they're integrated and sometimes take power from the laptop's CPU.
If you know you're going to want 802.11 wireless on your laptop, consider a system that integrates these connections on a mini-PCI card, leaving your PC Card expansion slot(s) free.
Modems and Ethernet ports
Virtually all laptops come with 56Kbps modem (RJ-11) and Ethernet (RJ-45) connections. Look for a system that integrates these connections on a mini-PCI card, leaving your PC Card expansion slot(s) free.
Wireless antennae and radios
Many laptops also include built-in antennae for wireless networking (802.11 or Wi-Fi) so that you need to add only a PC Card to enable wireless networking. Or, even better, some laptops include internal Wi-Fi radio embedded in the laptop itself. Intel's new Centrino technology includes just such a setup, although Centrino itself has some limitations.
If you choose a laptop with networking built in, make sure you understand the difference between the networking standards currently on the market, including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. If your notebook doesn't offer either a built-in antenna or wireless mini-PCI, it's fairly easy to find PC Cards that get the job done.
Other ports and connecters
Most notebooks have a printer port, a VGA port for an external monitor and at least one USB port for connecting an external keyboard and mouse, drives, digital cameras and MP3 players. If you plan to use your notebook for watching DVDs or making presentations, look for a notebook with a 'multimedia jack' (a combined stereo- and video-out). For home use, you may want a stereo input, a game port, a MIDI connector and a FireWire port for capturing and editing digital video or hooking up an external storage drive.
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