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Demystifying Laptop Segments (Updated)
Rohan Naravane, Jan 01, 2010 1119 hrs ISTKnow what to expect from laptops in every price range and pick the best of the lot
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2009 has been quite an eventful year for portable computers. Laptops got smaller (read: netbooks) and slimmer than before. Mainstream models (in the Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 50,000 range) packed a lot more punch with respect to their internals as against last year. With all these portable computers flooding electronics stores, the uninformed customers could have a hard time figuring out which one is good for them. We take stock of all the portable computers available in the market today and help you buy.
If your budget is between Rs. 15,000-Rs. 30,000
This is the starting price range for currently selling portable computers. You will mainly get netbooks in this price bracket. Netbooks or sub-notebooks physically look like shrunken laptops. They have smaller screens - typically sized at 10 inches. They are roughly at least a kilogram lighter than your average 14-inch laptop. Thus, weighing 1.5 kilos or less, they are quite light and portable - carrying them anywhere is quite easy. In order to bring these devices to such compact dimensions, the optical drive (i.e. DVD writer) is removed. These devices would be unsuitable for people who use CDs and DVDs on a daily basis. But most of them have 3 USB ports on them. And since it is observed that more and more people prefer to transfer data between computers using USB flash drives these days, the missing optical drive wouldn't be that big a hindrance after all.
Most netbooks sport processors like the Intel Atom that draw a lot less power than a typical Core 2 Duo processor found on mainstream laptops. Effectively, they offer a longer lasting battery life than a laptop with a regular capacity battery. On an average, a netbook with a 6-cell battery should serve you for around 4 to 5 hours at least if you're surfing the net via Wi-fi.
But the high battery life comes with a compromise -- processing power. Netbooks are just about powerful to handle day-to-day tasks like surfing the net, office applications or basic multi-media. Tasks like rendering large videos, playing High Definition (HD) movies or heavy photo editing are not suitable for such machines. All in all, netbooks are ideal for people who want a cheap, portable PC for non-intensive computing. They are also a great secondary PC to compliment a powerful desktop PC at home.
Things to remember while buying a netbook:
- If you are looking for good battery life (which I'm sure you are), check whether the netbook has a 6-cell battery. Some netbooks have 3-cell batteries which will give you an uninspiring 2 to 3 hours at the most.
- Most netbooks, till date, have come with Windows XP. But now, some manufacturers have started pushing the Starter Edition of Microsoft's newer Windows 7 OS. While the Starter Edition does not have some of the appealing features of Home Premium or Ultimate editions (for which Windows 7 is applauded a lot), it should definitely be a refreshing change from the ultra-ageing Windows XP. Plus, upgrading it to a higher version later will be cheaper than buying a stand-alone OS disc. So, check if you are getting your netbook pre-installed with Windows 7.
- Intel has recently announced its Pine Trail platform which packs a new generation of their Atom processors -- which reportedly offer only a marginal performance boost, but are further optimized to deliver even better battery life. Thus, if you can hold off your netbook purchase for a month or two, manufacturers should launch newer models in India that incorporate this latest piece of hardware.
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