Expert advice on choosing the perfect business portable--from size and weight to the right processor for your needs.
A few ounces here, a few ounces there. After a while, it adds up to a real pain in the shoulder. Like boxers, notebooks come in a range of weight classes, from 3 pounds to more than 10 pounds. And while it may be tempting to get a larger notebook that seemingly offers more bang for the buck, trust us on this, if you plan to commute with a laptop or spend any time on the road, there are only two types of business notebooks you should consider: ultraportables and thin-and-lights.
The key specifications for any business traveler choosing a notebook are weight and size. The smallest notebooks, known as ultraportables, generally weigh four pounds or less. They also tend to be less than an inch thick. Thin-and-lights, despite the name, are slightly thicker and heavier, generally weighing from four to six pounds. But they are still very travel-friendly and offer the performance and the features of much larger notebooks, which explains their popularity in business.
The coming of Centrino
The most significant development in this category was the arrival earlier this year of Intel's Centrino technology. Though integrated wireless gets all the press, the Intel Pentium M processor and its supporting chipset are the real boon for ultraportables and thin-and-lights. Generally, the better the performance, the less battery life you get. The Pentium M delivers excellent performance, yet in CNET Labs' tests, many models last around five hours--a few with extended batteries come tantalizingly close to lasting a full eight-hour workday. Bottom line: If you are buying a notebook in one of these classes, start with a Pentium M processor.
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 thin-and-lights with memory measured in gigabytes, huge hard drives, cutting-edge graphics, and combination CD/DVD burners that all but eliminate the need for the second optical drive found in larger mainstream and desktop-replacement systems.
Doing without drives
The smaller ultraportables, however, still lag in terms of performance and features. For example, they typically lack an internal CD or DVD drive, relying instead on a separate media slice, a dock that you leave behind on the desk most of the time. This was once a big drawback, but nowadays, we use fast wireless and Ethernet networks to exchange large files regularly, while occasional tasks that require an optical drive, such as backing up your hard drive or burning a music mix to a CD, can be done easily at a desk. At the same time, we're beginning to see ultraportables with an optical drive, such as the hot Sony VAIO PCG-TR series.
No single configuration will be right for every business user, but for most, we recommend a thin-and-light with 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 media slice.
The price of portability
Unfortunately, thin-and-lights tend to be 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. Getting a quality machine still means spending at least $1,000 to $2,000, and the sky's the limit from there, with some loaded Intel Centrino-based systems costing closer to $3,000.
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.
