Laptop choiche

The Intel Atom Pine Trail chips are due to be released on January 11. These chips have processor, graphics and memory functions integrated into a single chip. Pine Trail processors are meant to reduce power consumption. They are unlikely to give a performance boost. But in 2011 or so, Intel plans to launch yet another line of processors code-named Cedar Trail. According to sources, the Cedar Trail processors will considerably improve the overall performance of the laptop.

The Cedar Trail chips will be based on the 32nm process, the Pine Trail processors, on the other hand, are based on the 45nm process. These processors are expected to deliver twice the graphics performance of Pine Trail processors. That should make them capable of handling 1080 p HD video content. But playing GPU-intensive 3D games will still be out of question.

The Toshiba Satellite P500 will be available from October. This multimedia PC has an 18.4 inch LCD display with 1920x1080p resolution. A cool addition to this notebook is the Blu-ray drive which is seldom seen on Toshiba notebooks.

The P500 runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB of DDR memory. The maximum hard drive capacity is 500GB. As this is a multimedia PC, there is a NVIDIA discrete graphics card. Other features include 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 eSATA/USB combo port, HDMI REGZA, a 5-in-1 card reader, Express Card slot, FireWire and integrated Harman Kardon speakers. For connectivity there is Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

No information regarding prices is available now.

With everyone feeling the ill effects of the reverse growth of global economies worldwide, it seems that it is no longer feasible (or in some cases, possible) to buy portable computers. When monthly budgets are stretched out of proportion to stay afloat, is it still wise to invest in a second computer, one that is portable?

Market slowdown

Every part of the international market is experiencing a slowdown, including notebook sales. Back in the nineties, people knew that a notebook was a nice investment. After acquiring a good personal computer (note: tower or mini tower CPU) people wanted to have a portable one, too.

The slowdown came palpably last year with the credit crunch. What’s keeping things steady, at least for now? Netbooks. Netbooks, the notebook’s miniature version, is literally saving the notebook industry by providing a sustainable niche that people still find interesting and worth their money.

If you plan to invest in a new notebook, on the other hand, it’s important to first establish what you need.

What are you?

The first kind of consumer is firmly attached to his portable computer- this person is always on the go, and rarely leaves his notebook at home. In his machine, he stores his ledgers, his Microsoft Excel documents, memos, important emails and vital documents. He needs them to be right there when the need arises. Not having them when theres a need means he might lose his job, or worse, his face in front of his bosses.
You need to check hard disk size.

The second type of consumer needs a very portable and possibly very light computer for the daily commute. He needs flexibility, high storage space and features for the person on the go.
You need to compare the weight.

The third type of consumer needs power in his portable computer. He wants to watch DVDs and Bluray movies, and he wants to play games while surfing the Web at high speed.
You need to check DVD drive availability

After determining what kind of consumer you are, it’s time to pick what kind of operating system you might need.

OS X, Windows or Linux?
There are basic choices for your operating system: you have of course, the popular line of Windows (from Windows 3.1 to Windows Longhorn), OS X (expensive) and of course, open-source, always free (not really) Linux.

Pick OS X if you want to use Macintosh computers; it’s that simple. Macs are pricier than generic assemblies that use the Windows platform; also, if you’ve been using Windows for the longest time, re-learning another operating system might be difficult for some.

How about Linux? Choose Linux if:

1. You have no budget for an OS.
2. You believe in the goodwill of mankind (a.k.a. open-source technologies)

The most popular for home use right now is Linux Ubuntu, which also has several other versions for businesses and programming. Linux has been around for the longest time, and is the choice of many institutions that don’t have the budget to renew software for a hundred machines on a seasonal basis.

If you want Linux, you won’t be having any difficulties as all three operating systems share many “similar” functions. Remember though, that OS X does not suffer from viruses or trojans.