For Students: Purchasing the Right Laptop for School

In the classroom, portable computers are as essential as pens, pencils, and papers were in their hay-day. That isn't to say that those traditional classroom instruments are no longer used or needed; but let's face it; as society moves further into a paperless world, those tools start to feel antique. In the realm of education, this particularly becomes more relevant while moving up in grade levels.

As a professor in higher-ed, I encourage my students to take advantage of the technologies they can afford. In my experience, most of the students have a portable computer, while those that don't are usually in the market for purchase. There are now a variety of portable computers available including laptops, netbooks, and tablets such as the iPad. Because of this, in this article, I use the term portable computer loosely, and usually in favor of laptop or notebook.

Many students tend to overload and oversize their portable computer in effort to essentially create something similar and powerful to an ultimate desktop powerhouse. These are the laptops with 17" and 18"+ inch screens, are very heavy, and don't really conveniently fit onto any normal sized backpack or messenger bag. Add the fact that there are books and possibly other things to carry throughout the day, and suddenly the investment of a few thousand dollars only becomes a nuisance. Unfortunately most of the students with these portable computers usually stop carrying them, mentioning that they are too big, bulky, and that they wish they had something smaller. If there is a required technical need for high or gaming power, such as in many technology and gaming degree programs, an alternative may be Dell's Alienware M11x. This 11" widescreen highly portable machine can be built to order, and features high-powered gaming convenience with 3D graphics acceleration and more.

Netbooks continue to be hot. With each passing semester, more and more students are carrying them. They are small, lightweight, powerful, convenient, and extremely affordable. For standard computing, including using business and office applications, web browsing, multimedia, and more, a netbook is a perfect solution. Most netbook specs range with 10" to 11" widescreens, weigh under 5 lbs, and feature a battery that supplies power for 5-10 hours. HP's Mini 210 HD netbook, for example, has a suggested retail of approximately $300, features 1 GB of RAM, 720p HD screen, a 160 GB hard drive, and has a 4 out 5 star customer rating.

Finally, tablet style devices. I suppose, until the wave of tablet devices that will follow the iPad arrive; it will yet to be seen as to whether not having a physical keyboard is convenient for note taking and other related tasks, especially long term. Currently, for the best of both worlds; HP's Touchsmart line of subcompact portables convert from a standard laptop with built-in keyboard to a tablet style pad via a swiveling 12" widescreen. Although a bit pricier than any netbooks to be found on the market, HP's Touchpad is light, highly portable, and features options to be found on most full sized laptops.

Resources:

The Dell Alienware M11x gaming notebook
The HP Mini210 HD netbook
The HP Touchsmart tm series ultra-portable notebook