Whew. There is a lot to think about.

Let's start with good points. Notebooks are marvelously convenient. They let you switch from room to room, office to home, coast to coast, couch to desk. They're also very compact. You can fit a notebook in places where you couldn't possibly fit a desktop (like on your lap or in your closet.) Notebooks are so powerful that they really can be your only computer. And notebooks are actually inspiring: you'd be surprised at what you find yourself doing when you have such a powerful thing literally in your hand.

Now some negatives. Though the gap is closing, notebooks still cost more than desktops - compactness and portability have a price. Also, notebooks typically get the latest technology a few months after it shows up on desktops. (You might not care about that, though.) Plus, notebooks are more vulnerable to problems than desktops, and can be harder to fix.

Let me explain that last point. Notebooks get used more roughly than stationary desktops do. This is true even if you don't travel. It's easy to drop a notebook and hard to drop a desktop. And notebooks get stolen more easily, too.

If a notebook needs repair, it can be hard to get replacement parts for it. The notebook market is so fierce that notebook development cycles are very short, and their components are often proprietary instead of standardized. As a result, the protection of an extended warranty is pretty important.

All told, of course, if you need the flexibility, I think notebooks are worth it. They are getting more rugged all the time, and they let you do amazing things. Check out our notebooks and see if you don't fall in love.

Can notebooks really replace desktop computers?

Yes, they really can. Even the lowest-weight notebooks now have impressive power and disk space. And now you can get notebooks with full-size screens and full-size keyboards built right in. This last kind of notebook is heavy (9 pounds or more), but you get all that a desktop offers, in a package that stores in a tiny space and unpacks in a flash. 

You can travel light AND have the most comfortable setup if you can afford to buy a lightweight notebook and then attach it to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse at your "home base." Mice and keyboards cost KD20-KD50; monitors can be as low as KD80. You should also consider a dock station or port replicator. These are devices that sit on your desk and provide "ports" for you to plug in all this external equipment. You then attach or detach your notebook by simply sliding it in and out of the dock station or port replicator. This is really convenient, and it protects the expensive connectors on your notebook. Dock stations and port replicators cost apprx.KD50.

Notebook Overview

What should I look for in a notebook?

Overall, the most important thing in a notebook is probably its performance, though of course reliability and comfort (whether it is too heavy for you, too small, etc.) are not to be ignored, either. We have notebooks in every price range that are solid performers and very good values. 

Your best bet is to describe your situation to me on the Usage and Features pages, and let me recommend some notebooks. You can then examine those and explore other related machines, and see how you like them.

Are notebooks, laptops and portables the same?

People are pretty sloppy about these terms. 

What I call "notebooks" - and what I am trained on - are full-function computers. They're as powerful as desktop computers AND they can travel. 

So-called personal organizers, like palmtops, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and handhelds (a.k.a. portables), used to be smaller, lighter and less powerful than notebooks. But this is less true every day. Smaller notebooks keep appearing, and the other machines keep getting more powerful. 

How much money will I have to spend?

Here's that frustrating answer: it all depends. What will you be using the notebook for? We have notebooks for under KD500, and top-end machines for KD1200 and up. The average notebook is about KD900 -KD1200. You can get good values in every price range. 

How heavy - or light - are notebooks, nowadays? How big?

Notebooks can vary in weight from as little as 3 pounds to 10 pounds and more. 

The weight of a notebook is usually measured in what the manufacturer calls its travel-ready configuration. Be careful when you compare this across notebooks. One notebook's weight might include a built-in floppy drive, battery, AC adapter, and CD-ROM, and another's weight might include none of those things. When you add in the weights of the external drives (5-10 ounces each), batteries (6-12 ounces each), AC adapters (4-16 ounces) etc., the comparative picture might change a lot. Don't forget that you may also need a carrying case, extra battery, and the external power supply too. 

Notebooks are getting lighter - and heavier - all the time. How can this be? Well, notebook manufacturers are taking notebooks in two directions. For the frequent traveler, very powerful notebooks are now coming in at 3 pounds or less, including batteries but excluding floppy or CD-ROM drives. For the notebook owner who has a strong back or doesn't travel much, notebooks are now being offered with full-size screens and full-size keyboards built right in. These can be heavy (8 or even 10 or 11 pounds), but you get all that a desktop computer offers, in a package that stores in a tiny space and unpacks in a flash. 

The width, depth, and height of a notebook are typically represented in inches. If you are facing the notebook the way you would use it, the width is the dimension from left to right; depth is from front to back; and height is the thickness of the notebook when it is closed. Widths vary from about 10 inches to 15 inches or so, and depths from 8 inches to 13 or 14 inches. The super-slim notebooks can be less than an inch thick, but most are 1.5" to 2.5" thick. 

How good are notebook warranties?

Every notebook we sell has a manufacturer's warranty. Most cover parts and labor for one year, with Return-to-Depot (RD) service. A few manufacturers offer up to 3 years' warranty. Manufacturers arrange for shipment at their expense to a "depot" - a repair company. After some days or weeks, depending on the problem, the repaired notebook is returned to you. 

Notebooks - especially ones that travel a lot - take quite a beating. Potential problems usually surface after travel miles add up. Plus, new notebooks replace older notebooks pretty consistently and it can be hard to get parts. Extending the manufacturer's warranty is well worth considering. 

What kind of accessories come with notebooks?

As to accessories, notebooks vary a lot. Every notebook comes with one battery and an AC adapter so you can run on AC and recharge the battery. But everything else varies from notebook to notebook. Here's some things to think about if your notebook doesn't already include them: 

• If you travel a lot, consider a carrying case, extra batteries, and maybe an extra AC adapter or a car or international adapter.
• If your notebook will be in a dorm or office, you NEED a lock. 
• If you need connectivity, be sure you have a modem and/or Ethernet cards. 
• If multi-media matters, you'll want a CD-ROM or DVD drive.
• If you can afford it, get more memory. 

Other accessories to think about include:

• For a stable setup at your home base, get a mouse and keyboard, monitor, and perhaps a port replicator or dock station. 
• If you're tough on your tools, definitely look into our extended onsite service plans (10-15% of price). 
• For data backup, consider a ZIP or Jaz drive. 
• And, of course, everybody needs a printer.

Buying Online

Should I buy my notebook online?

There are plenty of advantages to buying a notebook online: you can do it whenever you want, you don't need to find a parking space, and you don't have to hunt down that scarce sales rep - I'm here all the time. The only downside is that you can't really touch the notebook before you buy. But we have pictures of most products, and we list each notebook's dimensions and weight. Take a newspaper and a ruler, and fold the paper to the width and depth of the notebook you're interested in. If it's the Sunday paper, you probably can make a stack that simulates the height of the notebook, too. How will it feel when you heft it? Well, a half-gallon of milk or juice weighs 4 pounds; a full gallon weighs 8 pounds. But the feeling will be more like a heavy book or a stack of National Geographics: compact and solid, not awkward and fluid. 

If you've never placed an order online - go ahead. It is really safe. People do it every day, at hundreds of Web sites. One survey found that Web credit card theft is less than a quarter of what it is in traditional business. But if you still have any concerns, call 4814653/ 805080. We'll answer your questions, and place your order for any product on our Web site.

Specific Notebook Features

How powerful should my notebook be?

A notebook's speed and power - or, overall, its performance - translates to how it handles the work you do. With a "faster" notebook, you can more quickly page through a long document or more quickly switch among multiple tasks. With a "slower" notebook, you might see delays of a few seconds or more while you do these things. 

Overall performance or power depends on several things: the type and speed of the microprocessor (a.k.a. CPU), the size of the internal and external caches, and the amount of memory (a.k.a. RAM).

The speed and type of the microprocessor (a.k.a. processor or CPU) go hand in hand. The processor or CPU is a chip (a tiny bit of silicon) that is the brain of a computer. Its speed is measured in MHz (megahertz). Currently, speeds range from 650MHz up to 850MHz or more. 

"Pentiums" of various kinds are the most common processor type for PCs. One kind is the original Pentium. The Pentium III (say "Pentium 3") and the Celerons (one particular type of Pentium III) are even more powerful than Pentiums. And, as you might guess, the Pentium III (say "Pentium 3") CPU is still more powerful. Another type, called the Pentium MMX, is somewhere between a Pentium II and a Pentium III, but its focus on speeding up the display of images makes it especially appropriate for games or computer-aided design. 

Even the most low-end Pentium is quite a workhorse. If you are on a budget, consider getting a slower processor and using the money you save for more memory. Unless you are running CAD programs or complex calculations, this is probably a good trade-off. Slower processors would have smaller MHz ratings, or would be, say, a Pentium II instead of a Pentium III; or a Pentium MMX instead of a Pentium III. 

Pentium chips are made by Intel Corporation, but other companies make excellent (and sometimes lower-cost) Pentium-compatible chips. Cyrix, a division of National Semiconductor, is one example; AMD is another. Don't steer away from a notebook just because its CPU isn't from Intel. 

Memory (i.e. RAM, or Random Access Memory) is the computer's work space. More of it lets the computer work faster and lets you run more programs at the same time. Of course the processor (i.e. CPU) is important too, but for the same processor, more memory will make the computer perform faster. You will be able to start programs more quickly, page more quickly through long documents, or switch more quickly between two tasks, such as typing a letter and opening email. 

Memory is measured in MB (megabytes). Notebooks usually come with at least 32MB of memory to start. Almost all of them can be upgraded to hold more memory, up to some maximum amount: 64MB, or perhaps as high as 128MB or more. 

Never get a notebook with less than 32MB of memory. More is even better. If you do many tasks at once, get 64MB. A software developer or graphic artist may want to go even higher than that. 

If the notebook you're looking at has less memory than you think you need, you can usually add more memory as part of your original purchase, or at a later point when you're sure you need it. Prices vary widely depending on the notebook: 32MB of extra memory can cost as little as KD40 or as much as KD60; and 64MB can cost as little as KD80 or as much as KD100. If you are on a budget, consider getting a lower-end CPU and using the money you save for more memory. 

Cache, or cache memory, is another form of work space for the processor. (Memory (RAM) and video memory are other types of work space.) A processor can access items stored in cache very quickly, more quickly than in any other form of work space. The processor uses the cache to store the most frequently requested instructions and data. The larger the cache, the more likely it is that a specific action you want to perform is in the cache, and the faster the notebook will run as a whole. 

There are two forms of cache: internal cache (also called Level 1, L1, or CPU cache), and external cache (also called Level 2, L2, or secondary cache). Most notebooks have 16KB (16 kilobytes) or more of internal cache; 32KB or 64KB are large internal caches. More cache is always better. 

Most notebooks have 128KB (128 kilobytes) or more of external cache; 512KB or 1MB (1 megabyte) are large external caches. Again, more is always better. External cache is less fast than internal cache, but still many times faster than other forms of work space. 

Should I try to get a lot of disk space?

The "hard disk" (i.e. "hard drive") is where the operating system, all other software programs, and all your own information get stored. Its size is measured in GB (gigabytes). Most notebooks have at least 5GB, and you can go up to 20GB or more. 

Disk space is a good thing, and not very expensive. You should get at least 5GB of disk. Once you've loaded up those goodies that you got off the Net, and that a friend sent you, and that you installed for work ... you'll be amazed at how little space you have left. And even if it is technically possible to upgrade your disk later I can tell you that transferring all your data at that point is really a pain. 

What kind of screen should I get?

The screen, a.k.a. display, or Liquid Crystal Display, or LCD, of a notebook, is an important element of the notebook. The size of the screen, the type, and the resolution, can all be important. Most people focus on the size of the screen, since that is the most obvious element. If you are a graphic designer or an avid game-player, you might want to carefully check out the type and resolution as well. 

Screen SIZE is measured diagonally, just like on TVs. While you can get screens as small as 12", full-size notebook screens measure at least 12" diagonally, and can go up to 15" or more. A 14.1" (diagonal measure) notebook screen is about the size and shape of an 8-1/2"x11" piece of paper. It will give you almost the same viewing area as a 15" monitor on a desktop computer. A 12" notebook screen is about an inch smaller in both height and width than a 15.1" notebook screen. The smaller screens 12" can be great for traveling, because they are so light, but they of course do not give you much working area. 

There are trade-offs to consider in choosing the screen size. Bigger screens are easier to see and to work with, but they cost more, weigh more, and run the battery down faster. If you need the visual impact of a bigger screen when you give demos on the road, consider a carrying case with wheels and an extra battery pack Or, if you don't need a big screen on the road, save money on the notebook and get a separate big monitor that resides on your desk. And, of course, if you have a strong back or you're buying the notebook to be a space-saving all-in-one machine that doesn't travel much, go ahead and splurge on the big screen. You'll be delighted with it. 

The screen TYPE can be either active or passive. Active (a.k.a. active matrix or TFT) screens are a bit brighter and sharper than passive (a.k.a. passive matrix, DSTN, or dual scan) screens, but the difference is shrinking fast. Nowadays, most notebooks come with active matrix screens anyway. The biggest difference that you might notice is that passive matrix screens are hard to see unless you sit directly in front of them. This is a privacy plus when you are on a plane, but a negative for giving demos. Active matrix screens are broadly visible for demos, but eat up battery power. If you travel a lot with an active matrix screen, you'll probably want an extra battery. 

A notebook screen displays an image as a pattern of many small dots. "RESOLUTION" measures the number of dots on the screen; a higher resolution means more dots. Every notebook screen supports at least a resolution of 640x480 (say "six-forty by four-eighty"). Newer notebooks can also support higher resolutions, such as 800x600 (also called VGA) or 1024x768 (also called SuperVGA or SVGA). Look for notebooks to start offering resolutions as high as 1280x1024 or more. 

In general, the higher the resolution, the better pictures will look. Edges will be crisper, fine details will be more apparent. However, there are trade-offs when viewing text. At higher resolution, each text character will appear smaller, especially when viewed on screens that are 13" or larger. Reducing the resolution will make text characters bigger and easier to read, but of course fewer characters will then fit on the screen at a time. 

Notebooks normally list the maximum resolution that they can support. The notebook can always be reset (using Windows' Settings) to display at a lower resolution if that proves preferable. It's generally a good idea to get higher resolution, especially if multimedia or graphics applications are important to you. 

How long can I expect the battery to last?

Battery life can vary from under 2 hours to 5 hours or more. The type and expected life of the battery go hand-in-hand. 

Let's take battery type first. 

Today, notebook batteries are either Lithium Ion (i.e. Li-Ion) or Nickel Metal Hydride (a.k.a. NIMH). Older, so-called NiCad batteries, were made of Nickel Cadmium, but these are now rare in notebooks. NiCads had several disadvantages: they posed a greater environmental hazard than either of the two newer types, and they tended to develop a "memory," where after repeated usage, they would not discharge all the way. The newer battery types have much less of this problem. 

Lithium batteries are lighter in weight, and have a longer life, than NIMH batteries, but they also cost more. However, if you expect to run your notebook off the battery a lot, the convenience of lithium will be worth the investment. 

Battery life is usually expressed as a wide range, because it is highly dependent on how you use your notebook. For instance, if you read and write a lot of files, you will wear the battery down much faster than if you do a lot of reading and writing within one file. If you run Windows NT, or a large or active matrix screen, or many external devices, you will again run the battery down faster. You can conserve battery power by carefully tuning the battery conservation features on your notebook. Of course, higher conservation usually means a little less convenience; for instance, your battery will last longer if the hard disk is set to stop spinning after a very short period of inactivity, but then you will feel a slight hesitation when you need the disk again. In general, it is not possible to predict exactly how long a battery will last in advance; your usage patterns will determine this. 

If you expect to be away from a power supply for a long time (for instance, on long airplane trips or all day on a job site without power), you might invest in a second battery. Then be sure to charge that battery before you need it! You'll soon find yourself in that group of people who prowl airport lounges looking for seats that are close to outlets, and who plug their notebooks in before they take their coats off when they arrive at their destination. 

The expected length of time it will take to recharge a fully discharged battery can vary widely, largely because people don't always begin with fully-discharged batteries. NIMH batteries should initially be charged for 16 hours; lithium batteries need only 6-8 hours at first. Thereafter, charge the batteries according to the notebook manufacturer's recommendation. This may be as short as 6 hours, or as long as overnight. Remember that a battery, after lying on the shelf for some time, usually takes 2-4 full charges and discharges before it achieves its full potential again.

What kind of pointing devices can I choose from?

The pointing device is a notebook's answer to a mouse. It lets you point and click and drag items, just as a mouse does, but it's compactly built into the notebook. Though every manufacturer has its own variation on the theme, all pointing devices fall into three types: 

• A stick, also called a pointing stick, is a device that looks like a pencil's eraser-head situated in the middle of the keyboard, usually over the B and under the G and H keys. Sticks are common on Toshibas, IBMs, and many other notebooks as well. They're very compact, and it's hard to accidentally hit them. The downside can be the unusual feel of pushing a stubby stick with the tip of your finger. Also, you need separate devices (usually two elongated buttons) with which to perform the "click" action in "point-and-click". 
• A pad, also called a track pad, is an area below the keyboard, an inch or so square, that you run ("track") your thumb or finger over. While pads usually come with separate buttons on which to "click", they also let you "click" by simply tapping your finger on the pad. This can speed you up by reducing the distance your hand has to travel. Many people find pads to be quite intuitive to pick up, but it can be easy to accidentally brush them and send the cursor off on an unexpected trip. 
• A trackball is a round ball, either on the keyboard or on the cover of the notebook to the right of the screen, that you roll with a fingertip. Trackballs feel the most natural to some people and they're not error-prone, but they are like sticks in that they require separate devices on which to "click". 

Please explain notebooks ports - USB, SCSI, etc. - to me.

Notebooks can include many ports, or connections. In a notebook's description, we include a long list of codes that identify the notebook's ports. If there is a number next to a port type, it means the notebook offers more than one of that port. 

USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is a newer and much faster version of the serial port (see below). It lets the notebook connect to a wide variety of devices, such as cameras, external hard disks, scanners, printers, etc. 

IR, or InfraRed port, allows the notebook to transmit information to and over a "wireless" link. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) like the Palm Pilot, and some computers, printers, and cameras support this. 

S, or Serial port, is used to attach external mice, keyboards, or other devices. Most notebooks have a serial port. 

P, or Parallel port, is used by most printers and many network connections. Most notebooks have a parallel port. 

M means a port to attach an external Monitor. Most notebooks have a monitor port. 

PS2 means a special port (sometimes called the mouse port) to attach an external mouse or sometimes a keyboard. Most notebooks have this port, because it frees up the serial port for some other use. 

A means an Audio port. This means the notebook can accept input from a microphone or can transmit sound out via headphones or external speakers. If the notebook has more than one Audio port, it can support some combination of audio capabilities. 

MI means a specific audio port, namely one that accepts Microphone Input. 

HO means a specific audio port, namely one that transmits Headphone Output. 

SO means a specific audio port, namely one that transmits Speaker Output. 

EXP or EXPAN means an EXPansion port. This allows the notebook to be plugged into a port replicator or dock station. 

FD means an external Floppy Disk drive. Most notebooks have this if they do not include an internal floppy disk drive. 

ET10 means a 10-megabit Ethernet port. This allows the notebook to be plugged into a network or other communication connection that uses so-called "Ethernet protocol" and communicates at 10 megabits per second. 

ET100 means a 100-megabit Ethernet port. This allows the notebook to be plugged into a network or other communication connection that uses so-called "Ethernet protocol" and communicates at 100 megabits per second. 

SCSI means a Small Computer System Interface port. Many printers, external disk or tape drives, modems, and other devices can be attached on a SCSI (say "scuzzy") port. SCSI ports support higher transmission speeds than do traditional serial and parallel ports, and can allow you to attach up to seven devices to the same port. 

TV means a Television connection, allowing the notebook to be connected to a TV screen. 

What's a port replicator? Dock station?

Port replicators and dock stations are like power strips for a notebook where you plug in monitors, keyboards, printers, etc. You push one button to attach or detach the notebook, and all the devices stay connected to the replicator or station. Besides being convenient, this lets you neatly arrange your cabling, and helps avoid breaking a notebook connector. I recommend that you always get a notebook that can accept a port replicator or dock station, even if you don't need it right away (for instance, if you have just 1 or 2 external devices at first). This way you have the option in the future. It's easy to add a port replicator or dock station at a later point. 

Port replicators are relatively low cost because they usually just duplicate your notebook's ports. Dock stations often cost more than your notebook itself has. This is a good way to expand, but consider first whether you really need more capability than the notebook itself supports.