Finding the right travel friendly laptop is all about identifying what you'll be using your laptop for and finding the right balance of features at the right price. Some of the key areas you'll need to consider for your new laptop are weight, battery life, durability, and system specs. Weight is a no-brainer. Nobody wants to lug around a heavy brick of a laptop all day so most users in need of easing their burden should look for a laptop that weighs less than five pounds.
The amount of battery life you get out of your laptop is going to be driven primarily by the programs that you utilize. A laptop that boasts a 6hr battery life on a single charge is going to perform quite differently if you're writing email versus if you're doing photo and video editing. The key takeaway here is that if you're purchasing a laptop to do anything beyond simple functions like web surfing and word processing, carefully consider the effect this will have on the advertised battery life of the laptop you're looking at.
Durability and weight tend to have an inverse relationship so if you're looking for a super light three pound laptop, be prepared to buy a heavily padded case to carry it in. That's not to say that lighter, laptops are always less durable, but consider the amount of wear and tear your laptop will be subjected to in your travels, and make sure you buy the most durable carrying case your budget will allow.
System specs covers a wide range of features for your laptop including processor speed, RAM, hard drive space, CD/DVD drive, and anything other system hardware that goes into making your laptop. Systems specs is going to drive all your other decision factors as extra components add weight (larger hard drives), utilize extra battery power (dedicated video cards), and can make your laptop more delicate (CD/DVD drives).
That being said, you need to make decisions based on how you're going to use your laptop. Check the recommended system specs on the software you use most frequently and make sure your laptop exceeds them. If you're looking to do music or video editing with your laptop, this may very well mean you'll have to sacrifice on weight and battery life as you will need a laptop with a big hard drive, lots of RAM, and a dedicated audio and video card. If you just need a laptop for basic documents, instant messaging and email, you can get away with an inexpensive processor, minimal RAM, and no extra frills
So now that you know a little bit more about how to shop for your new travel friendly laptop, here are five of the best on the market.
Sony Vaio VGN-SZ760NC
At a weight of 4lbs and only 1 inch thick, this Sony laptop is the perfect blend of power and mobility. Features include a 2.4 Ghz Dual Core processor, a dedicated video card, a 250 gigabyte hard drive, built in Bluetooth and much more. At around $1,650, this laptop is a road-warrior's dream.
Toshiba U405-S2854 Satellite
For the more budget conscious shopper still looking for a powerful travel laptop, this Toshiba weighs in at just less than 5 pounds with tons of great features like a 2ghz Dual Core processor, 3gb of RAM, a 320gb hard drive, a built-in webcam, and a multimedia card reader. At around $930, this laptop is a great choice for students.
HP 2133 Mini-Note Laptop
At a super light 2.8 lbs and 1 inch thick, the HP 2133 is perfect for casual web surfing, email, and word processing. The aluminum casing provides light yet sturdy protection for this little dynamo which boasts a 120gb hard drive, 2gb of RAM, and a built-in webcam.
Acer AOA110-1722
This Acer is a mobile internet device that allows wireless access to internet email, instant messaging, as well as built in productivity software thanks to OpenOffice. This Acer unit provides significant cost savings by foregoing a CD/DVD drive and a hard drive (it utilizes a Flash drive to provide storage). At $380.00, this laptop is a steal for the level of functionality it provides.
MacBook Air
At .75 inches thick and starting at 3lbs, you won't find a thinner laptop than the MacBook Air. This lightweight wonder is a powerhouse which can handle video editing and music as well as standard productivity software. You may sacrifice a bit of durability with the MacBook air, but at around $1,800, you will have the sleekest most portable laptop on the market today
The amount of battery life you get out of your laptop is going to be driven primarily by the programs that you utilize. A laptop that boasts a 6hr battery life on a single charge is going to perform quite differently if you're writing email versus if you're doing photo and video editing. The key takeaway here is that if you're purchasing a laptop to do anything beyond simple functions like web surfing and word processing, carefully consider the effect this will have on the advertised battery life of the laptop you're looking at.
Durability and weight tend to have an inverse relationship so if you're looking for a super light three pound laptop, be prepared to buy a heavily padded case to carry it in. That's not to say that lighter, laptops are always less durable, but consider the amount of wear and tear your laptop will be subjected to in your travels, and make sure you buy the most durable carrying case your budget will allow.
System specs covers a wide range of features for your laptop including processor speed, RAM, hard drive space, CD/DVD drive, and anything other system hardware that goes into making your laptop. Systems specs is going to drive all your other decision factors as extra components add weight (larger hard drives), utilize extra battery power (dedicated video cards), and can make your laptop more delicate (CD/DVD drives).
That being said, you need to make decisions based on how you're going to use your laptop. Check the recommended system specs on the software you use most frequently and make sure your laptop exceeds them. If you're looking to do music or video editing with your laptop, this may very well mean you'll have to sacrifice on weight and battery life as you will need a laptop with a big hard drive, lots of RAM, and a dedicated audio and video card. If you just need a laptop for basic documents, instant messaging and email, you can get away with an inexpensive processor, minimal RAM, and no extra frills
So now that you know a little bit more about how to shop for your new travel friendly laptop, here are five of the best on the market.
Sony Vaio VGN-SZ760NC
At a weight of 4lbs and only 1 inch thick, this Sony laptop is the perfect blend of power and mobility. Features include a 2.4 Ghz Dual Core processor, a dedicated video card, a 250 gigabyte hard drive, built in Bluetooth and much more. At around $1,650, this laptop is a road-warrior's dream.
Toshiba U405-S2854 Satellite
For the more budget conscious shopper still looking for a powerful travel laptop, this Toshiba weighs in at just less than 5 pounds with tons of great features like a 2ghz Dual Core processor, 3gb of RAM, a 320gb hard drive, a built-in webcam, and a multimedia card reader. At around $930, this laptop is a great choice for students.
HP 2133 Mini-Note Laptop
At a super light 2.8 lbs and 1 inch thick, the HP 2133 is perfect for casual web surfing, email, and word processing. The aluminum casing provides light yet sturdy protection for this little dynamo which boasts a 120gb hard drive, 2gb of RAM, and a built-in webcam.
Acer AOA110-1722
This Acer is a mobile internet device that allows wireless access to internet email, instant messaging, as well as built in productivity software thanks to OpenOffice. This Acer unit provides significant cost savings by foregoing a CD/DVD drive and a hard drive (it utilizes a Flash drive to provide storage). At $380.00, this laptop is a steal for the level of functionality it provides.
MacBook Air
At .75 inches thick and starting at 3lbs, you won't find a thinner laptop than the MacBook Air. This lightweight wonder is a powerhouse which can handle video editing and music as well as standard productivity software. You may sacrifice a bit of durability with the MacBook air, but at around $1,800, you will have the sleekest most portable laptop on the market today
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