Rami L. said on 09/02/2008:

The primary selection criteria of a laptop computer is its portability. If a laptop is only slightly too large in either psychological or material way it soon becomes a portable workstation to be used exclusively at home.

This happened to my MacBook.

adimoga said on 09/02/2008:

I am one of the team's members but i would like to share my opinion with you.
When i bought my laptop, i chose first the company that made it and secondly i wanted it to have a decent hardware, and after that... to look cool. In the past i had some problems with Asus laptops due to the fact that their hardware wasn't working well when i was using Softlce (a debugger software). Now i have an Acer, but i'll change it with one from another developer because it comes with Vista already installed and i want to change it, and i have to search for drivers...but when you buy a Dell laptop, they give you drivers for XP, Vista etc.

Rami L. said on 09/02/2008:

Since there aren't yet too many other participants please allow me to post a second opinion regarding the selection criteria of laptops: the level of virtual presence provided and location-free connectivity.

Firstly, the uses of a laptop computer in a modern setting necessitate an access to the internet as well as multiple options for communication. Since communication occurs on many levels a good laptop has to offer more than text-based forms of interaction. Recently built-in web cameras and microphones have started to become standard issue even on low cost laptop models.

Secondly, a laptop for today's digital nomad has to provide all the tools for virtual presence regardless of its physical location and when possible without a connection to a WLAN hotspot.

At this moment the current and emerging generations of mobile phones are rapidly blurring the lines. It's already easier to access the internet via a cell phone, for example while commuting, than to set up a laptop for a quick session in the web.

Well, at least here in Northern Europe.

adimoga said on 09/03/2008:

and one more thing.. the speakers are a point of decision for me too

Stefan Neagu said on 09/03/2008:

I buy a laptop after taking these aspects into consideration:
-brand- if I can afford it I buy a MacBook or a Vaio, because of the manufacturing quality and the support service, otherwise I just build my own using one of the prebuilt cases for sale.
-display quality and brightness- I'm going to stare at that display for 8 hours a day every day, it just has to have good brightness/contrast and gamut
-simple is always better- rotating flipping blinking bulging things and weird looking cases are not my style. I want a black square.
-keyboard feel and feedback- typing is a big part of my life- articles and code- so this is absolutely essential
-noise and hot spots on the case.

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Supriya Sharma said on 09/04/2008:

The main selection criteria for me is the processing power of the laptop and the type of graphics card it has. No matter how much the laptop costs finally but it should have a Great graphics experience so that i can play my favorite game without any frames getting stuck on the screen :)

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Glesia White said on 09/04/2008:

When purchasing a laptop the features I look for are....(1) Gigs, storage is very essential. (2) built-in web cam. (3) wireless capability. Great preformance at a low price!

michele curtis said on 09/05/2008:

When buying a laptop, these are the questions I ask:
1) Can I open it on the plane without the person in front of me impaling it in my chest when they lean back in the seat?
2) Will I be receiving my Social Security check by the time it starts up?
3) How easily would it connect to the Internet if I were locked up in Fort Knox with it and had to use it to request help to get out?
4) Is it purely into haute hardware or can I replace things from different hardware boutiques?
5) Will I need to learn how to survive on photosynthesis if I actually buy it?

Size, speed, connectivity, parts exchangeability, and cost....pretty much sums it all up.

Gerardo said on 09/06/2008:

My primary reason for buying a laptop is that it has as much function for the amount of money that i am willing to spend at the time, although i agree with the above posts, and if i can afford it i buy a Mac.

on the move said on 09/06/2008:

well i am a student and like many here laptop for me is for mobile computing.

first thing is battery life , i should not be searching for a power socket everywhere i take it.
it should have good display so that text looks crisp , images clear.
all connectivity options like wifi,ethernet(for internet),bluetooth(for phones) , card readers(for cameras) r a must too.
a decent attached webcam is a boon while video chatting.
good hard disk capacity(at least 160 gigs) is needed to store those hdtv videos.
since the laptop is going to b used for long duration in classes , it must not run too hot at bottom and cook my legs/table.
video out(VGA/DVI) will come handy when giving presentations using projector.
sturdiness in build quality will help as the laptop may fall down no matter how careful i am.
since keys r so close and less on a laptop , the more hotkeys (configurable preferred) ,the better.
brand and good warranty terms can ensure peace of mind.

though not important but i would prefer my laptop to be colored/textured , go ensure some individuality among other 30 other laptops in the class.


to bring down cost, things i can pay less attention to in a laptop are

dvd reader/burner, as now all storage is online and pen drives r cheap and fast now a days.
expensive gfx chip, as i m not going to play crysis on it , it just should handle all videos/presentations smoothly.
expensive cpu , as laptop in not for ray-tracing/video encoding.
as long as it is at least dual core(for decent multitasking) and has a dedicated mobile chipset(a desktop cpu will eat up battery very fast) , it should be ok , no intel/amd fanboyism here.

to sum it up my laptop should not make me miss my desktop.

DM said on 09/06/2008:

I'm interested in powerful laptops, capable of processing complicated graphics. I am also looking for an excellent sound and style.
That is why:

1. CPU, RAM and Graphic Card memory. I want to be able both to watch Youtube and to turn on a new aircraft or spaceship simulator and everything should flow smoothly.

2. Quality sound with a subwoofer. I often connect my old (but reliable) Acer 1350 to the DVD player not as much for a Wide screen as for the 3D sound. That's what carries me away! You won't really notice the size of the screen after 5min watching unless it's a smartphone :), but you do react to any sound effect literally flowing into your mind from a quality stereo system.

3. Design! I am not really experienced with Macs, but I circle around Mac lap- and desktops more than around IBM compatible products. I believe it's high time to step aside of sharp edges and black colour in laptops. We need more flow, more harmony and bigger colour variety as in Dell and some of SONYs.

Dean Tripp said on 09/08/2008:

I look closely at the specs of a laptop, being a gamer I find it quite necessary to have good processing speed and a decent Graphics Card for both gaming and video editing. RAM is also important as I listen to a lot of music and have a lot of videos saved on my computer. Lastly would be the display, I like the fluid look of LCD displays and HD Displays are always a nice bonus.

abeen said on 09/11/2008:

I would look for processing speed. I do not like to wait when applications run slowly. Just a click and then applications open.

abeen

Lindsi F said on 09/11/2008:

When purchasing a laptop, not only do I read up on the quality of it, I would like to see what all it's compatable with, what Anti-Virus comes on it (if it has one, which is preferred), whether it's Windows Vista or some other version (Vista preferred), how long the battery lasts, what the warantees are, whether or not it has a numlock pad, and if it's an eraser mouse or a touchpad.

So said on 09/11/2008:

Honestly, I'm looking for something idiot proof. I'm basically just on the Internet, doing some light designing, and running the most basic programs on my laptop. Anything more intensive warrants a trip to my good old desktop.

Sridhar V Iyer said on 09/11/2008:

In order of importance:
1)Battery life.(these days, anything less than 6 hrs is a big no no)
2)Heat generation (If I am compiling the kernel, I dont want the laptop to be hot enough to boil an egg)
3)Price: No.. I wont spend more than 1.5K on a laptop.. ever.
4)Processor/Memory: With memory being cheap, I prefer 4 GB.. and atleast a 64 bit dual core processor to use it properly. Those 45nm intel chips are pretty standard these days I guess.. so if they can be slapped in there without breaking my budget.. then why not.
5)Screen size: only 14 or 15 inch screens.. perfect for all purpose usage. If I need more screen estate, I will connect it to my 22'' lcd.
6)Graphics card: With proper drivers (closed or open) for Linux.
7)Hard disk: Dont care much about the capacity.. most of them are more than 80GB anyway and I have external harddisk for backup and moving stuff around. It should be really fast. I would prefer something supporting AHCI 3gps disks... (something like WD velociraptor would be perfect but not affordable)
8)All the other stuff that is pretty standard these days: network card, dvd/cd rw (hp seem to have some blueray drives.. sweet), video ports (hdmi/dvi is a must these days), atleast 2/4 usb ports, bluetooth.

Damien Basile said on 09/13/2008:

Size for portability- if its too heavy or too unwieldy then why a laptop at all.
RAM for processing- i work on graphics so the computer needs to be fast with whatever I do.
Harddrive- because I'd rather not bring another portable item, an external harddrive.
Battery life- what's the point of doing work on the road if the battery is just going to die quickly.

http://www.twitter.com/damienbasile

Steve Thomson said on 09/13/2008:

So far I've owned laptops that were too big to be easily portable so ended up being desktop replacements, so small that there was a usability issue and so poorly built that they couldn't take the rigours of travel. My needs therefore are dictated by previous experience. It has to be light, durable, big enough to have a full-size keyboard (for my full-size hands) but small enough to fit into a sensible briefcase. All the hardware has to work together (there's nothing more useless to me than a machine which has been put together thoughtlessly and so has compatibility issues built-in). It has to have a REALLY good screen for photo work, and it has to look great too.

I'm not asking too much am I?

Steve Thomson (Sleevie on Twitter)
www.profile-training.com

L Wilson said on 09/13/2008:

When considering a computer there are various factors I look for:

1.) Value: this is price vs content (HD size, # of usb ports, processor MHz, max supported ram) . What am I getting for the $ I am paying.

2.) Style: if a laptop is ugly I won't buy it. Products have to be visually appealing. Use color; mold cases in different colors this is inexpensive to do.

3.) Portablility: laptops need to balance content (see#1) with portability over 3lbs for a laptop is huge. Thin is in, it has to be thin. Like the mac pro the mac air is cool but almost too thin.

Larry Wilson III
Follow me on twitter @ www.twitter.com/lwilson3

Ton said on 09/13/2008:

An apple on the other side of the screen... thats it...

Kelle said on 09/13/2008:

when purchasing a laptop, you need take all of these factors into consideration:
size, brand, battery expectancy, GB, software, memory, speed, hard drive, image processor, price, etc. everyone has their own way of buy a computer and each person has different expectations of a certain device. As long as it functions well and can go just about anywhere with me then everything else will be just find. the main purpose for a laptop is so that it can be used anywhere, anytime.

Stephen said on 09/14/2008:

Battery life, hard drive size, and a very nice screen are my main things. Anything else is a nice add-on.

Dana said on 09/17/2008:

Any laptop that you buy, you have to take in consideration many things, as: brand, battery, weight, power, etc.
I've bought a HP Pavillion and I have to say that this is the only decision in my life that I truly regret! After one year, the motherboard is down! A laptop at 650 pounds is down in only 1 year!
Not that good image for HP!
Have fun reading all! :)

Greg said on 09/25/2008:

I'm in the process of looking for one because my desktop is a dinosaur, so I'm looking for something capable of replacing that as well as serving as portable option for taking on the road. Of paramount importance is the memory and speed. I have about a decade's worth of digital pictures of my kids that I'd like to have in both places, while still being able to perform things that require quick processor speed and alot of RAM like high powered business applications and gaming abilities for playtime. I know I'm demanding alot of a laptop, but I'm really in a better position to look for one to serve as both. That being said, the other option that is important to me is security... i.e. fingerprint recognition capabilities to ensure that my information is safe when being put into portable mode where the chance of someone else getting there hands on it becomes more of a concern.

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