In the last issue, we started our series on the Ultimate on-line networkers laptop. This system is a combination of what is available today as well as what we can expect a little into the future. The systems here will make you the best equipped on-line networker in the block!
As a reminder and a launch point, there are two paths toward the Ultimate On-Line Networkers Laptop – the Ultra-Portable and the Ultra-Powerful. Both have terrific merits and we will discuss each in this program.
Can you tell which is which below?
Last month, we covered:
- Screens and Displays – what we look at.
- Storage – Where we put it.
- Peripherals – Both internal and external (is there such a thing?).
This month, we will present the following:
- Ports – Plugging things in.
- Communications – Talking to other things and people.
- Miscellaneous items – The rest of the kitchen after the sink.
- Software – What brings it all together.
- Cost – The bottom line.
"Ports"
Systems today are sprouting ports all over the place. Often they seem to be ill-positioned and that can be a big problem. To get the most EFFECTIVE solution, look for 3 or more USB ports and ones that are on as many sides of the machine as possible. I want one on the left, one on the right and 2 in the back thank you. Why is it that manufacturers feel compelled to put the USB ports so close together? This like 6 plug power strips with the plugs so close that you can only plug 3 power supplies into. Look at the spacing of the USB ports.
An S-Video port is great for those instances where you want to drive a TV, like for a presentation or to watch a DVD from the laptop. Every TV today has an S-Video input and the quality is between OK and good usually and sometimes even great. If you might be doing this a lot, or will be doing so in important situations, ask to a demonstration from the sales rep.
There are a number of things that you will NOT find on modern high end laptops. A parallel printer connector is one. Round mouse and keyboard ports and 25 pin serial ports are others. Don’t worry about it as they are no longer needed and they take up precious real estate on the back and sides of the machines. While it will come with a modem you will probably need that as much as you need a hole in the head. With WiFi and broadband data cards (like from Sprint, AT&T and Verizon) you should never need it again.
On the other hand Firewire ports are usually found on these higher end systems. I don’t really see much use form them with the speed and universal appeal of USB, but it is inevitable that the video camera you buy next year will need it (for example). One Firewire port is plenty. A single 9-pin serial port is also standard fare and sure enough you will need it someday. A security clamp will most assuredly be there. It lets you chain the laptop to a desk to DISCOURAGE theft.
I recently bought a docking station and don’t know how I could have ever done without it. In one motion, it it attaches the external USB hard disk, the Treo sync cable, the external monitor (DVI or VGA), the 100Mb Ethernet cable, the external speakers, the external microphone and it even comers with an extra power supply. It saves me 3 or 4 minutes each time I pack and go and the same when I return. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU AT LEAST BUY A MODEL THAT HAS A DOCKING STATION OPTION.
There is one really, really cool and powerful new development and I almost CONSIDER IT A MUST - a fingerprint reader. It won’t keep someone from stealing your laptop, but it will keep them from stealing your data. Insist on it. You will be happy you did.
All systems will have external plugs to attach speakers. The internal sound on these systems can be quite good, especially on the large models (like with 17" displays), where you can expect not only very high quality speakers and buy maybe even a subwoofer tucked under the keyboard. Oh the joy of tapping away while your keys buzz to John Entwhistle of The Who. For most, speaker quality is not very important on a laptop, where headphones are the norm.
Communications
All systems today come with 10/100Mb Ethernet ports (RJ45’s) and some even take it to 1000Mb (GigE for insiders and "slangers" like me). 100Mb is just fine now and well into the future.
On the wireless side, all systems today come with WiFi (802.11) and it has several flavors – A, B, G and now N. Each is backward compatible with the other so, more is better, right? Yep. Go for the N, although it will only be used at home for the most part. Hot spots are pretty much all "G" nowadays.
The hot new ticket is mobile broadband. These can come in a number of interesting and convenient formats. They might be PC Cards, USB plug-ins or even built right in. If it is an option for you, go for the built-in and you can thank me over and over. That precious PC card slot can remain open, there is no protruding antennae right there your right or left palm wants to be and it is supported by the laptop manufacturer. Some makers even have options of multiple carriers – what a concept!
Miscellaneous
It wouldn’t be complete without some alphabet soup on other areas like processors. The standard for high-end systems is the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. You won’t go much higher than 2GHz or maybe 2.2GHz, but that doesn’t really matter. They are plenty powerful.
Lithium ION (LiON) batteries are standard fare, although there are now options for higher capacity batteries. Get the high cap battery upgrade – just do it. You might event want a spare. Batteries wear out as well, so expect only 1 or 2 year of effective use before replacing.
Ideally, you want a system without a fan – you know that noisy little heater on the side of the system that can rock you to sleep. It reduces battery life and it can make a room, or your lap itself, nice and toasty.
Carbon fiber cases are not only cool (they may even come in a choice of colors), but they are tough and will protect your system from cracking when you drop them. Expect to have issues sooner or later with HINGES. Just a prediction of mine.
The better systems will have stronger hinges, but you seldom find that they are field replaceable. You have to send the entire system in for a floppy video panel or you just live with it since a week or two without the system isn’t an option. An on-site warranty (covered later) can help a lot – consider it.
A warranty is a wonderful thing indeed, until it runs out. Add on the best possible on-site warranty unless you can do without your system for a couple of weeks. Laptops are usually sent into large repair depots and you will be looking not at your clock but your monthly calendar as you await its return. I recently sent my laptop in to get a hinge fixed and a pointer pad replaced. It came back with the OTHER HINGE broken.
If you buy a true manufacturer extended warranty you will be a happier camper. These 3rd party warranties are to be avoided for the most part. I got a new external power supply that lasted a month and I had to SEND the whole system in to get a new one (gone only 2 weeks this round). My stories are tame compared to many. Do you have a horror story?
So, how much should one of these puppies weigh? Well, a power laptop might be 8lbs. or even more. It is really a 1-piece desktop for many people. On the compact (yet powerful) side, there are units in the 4.1lb. range (with 14" displays) and then a smaller grouping in the 2.9lb. range (with 13.3" or 12.1" displays). Bigger batteries and some built-in extras will up that a bit. I personally love the 2.9 pounders.
If you are an on –the-go on-line networker, ducking into Starbucks to do a few LinkedIn invitations, the smaller, lighter systems will be the way to go. Team these systems up with a big monitor and a mouse and keyboard and you are stylin’.
In this case, more isn’t particularly better.
Software
Just 6 months ago I didn’t think I would be saying this but DO NOT spring for a system with the Microsoft VISTA operating system. I am central to the computing community and I have yet to find ONE SINGLE HAPPY VISTA USER. Fortunately k, Microsoft has relented a bit and is providing XP machines where it didn’t do so. XP Pro is the one to get and you can thank me again and again for that.
There are some really useful add-on software pieces and the top of the list is SKYPE. Look for an article on this terrific technology in the next few months and you will see what I mean. Just earlier tonight I had a SKYPE audio and video call with the top LinkedIn user in Australia and it was truly a piece of cake. I have had SKYPE installed for well over a year and I just began using it. That sounds a lot like a typical LinkedIn user!
Some system out there will play DVD’s and CD’s without booting up the computer. Think about it, why should we have to wait 3 minutes to boot up the laptop, spin a hard disk, such battery life and all just to play a CD or a DVD. Fortunately, with the proper investment in a laptop, you don’t have to.
Software that does dictation is pretty useful. There are some third parties doing this and I expect to see it as a standard offering soon. When it uses the dedicated Start, Stop, Play, FF/REW and Record buttons for the DVD player that is even more useful.
A system with XP Pro will have remote control software that you will find very useful in a support situation. How great is it to let the support technician just take over your machine and diagnose things. No click here, tell me what you see and so on. Once you experience this you will see why they jumped up and down for days when they invented the bread slicer!
I expect that you will soon see iTunes pre-installed on laptops if it isn’t already there. With all their marketing muscle it is only a matter of time until we have this and a whole lot more. Did you see the latest from Apple and Starbucks? That is another whole article I suspect.
Cost
Here is the catch – this won’t come cheap my modern standards. Go back 10 or 15 years and this is dirt cheap, but in the days of $499 laptops (after rebate), it can be a bit of s sticker shock. You may find that you are approaching $3k or $4k or even more to experience the Ideal or Ultimate laptop. That might only be $200-$300/mo. and that might help.
I sure enjoyed doing this story. We will probably re-visit it in a year or so to see how my predictions come out and to see what I may have missed. How about a holographic or a projection monitor?
About the Author
Mike O’Neil is a technology strategist and an entrepreneur. He founded Integrated Alliances, a business-to-business networking organization with over 7,500 associates involved, 4 years ago. IA holds monthly networking events and teaches LinkedIn Workshops and Webinars and is now expanding its operations worldwide. Mike can be reached at moneil@thenationalnetworker.com.
Contact Mike at
MikeO@TheNationalNetworker.com
or via
TNNW Blog.
Editor's Note: She's Geeky Women's Tech Conference October 22-23 in Mountain View, CA.
From our friends at Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN.com) comes notification that Kaliya Hamlin is involved in organizing a great event designed to bring together women from a range of technology-focused disciplines who self-identify as geeky. Their goal is to support skill exchange and learning between women working in diverse fields and to create a space for networking and to talk about issues faced by women in technology. She's Geeky will bring together women in tech from across all disciplines for two days.
