And with the many technology advances we've seen in recent months, notebooks are now very affordable.

So as you look at that big clunker taking up all the desk space, why not consider a notebook computer?

All the big manufacturers make them: Dell, Gateway, Toshiba, HP, Sony, Lenovo, Compaq and, of course, Apple computer with its like of MacBook and MacBook pro computers.

First, though, just what is a notebook computer?

A lot of people - even come computer manufacturers - use the words laptop and notebook interchangably. If you do, that's okay. But the terms are really different. While both are portable computers meant to be carried from place to place, a notebook is generally smaller than a laptop. It gets the term from a sheet of note paper.

And that's a pretty good rule of thumb to use in defining it. A notebook is about the size of a sheet of 9-by-11-inch note paper and generally about an inch-and-a-half thick and less five pounds in weight. Anything bigger than that can reliably be called a laptop. Other than size, there are no other significant differences between a laptop and notebook so if you want to use the same term for both, no one is going to quibble.

There are two classes of notebooks. Notebooks with 12 or 14 inch screens are standard-sized. Smaller notebooks - those with 9 and 10 inch screens and weighing around two pounds - are called ultraportables. Ultraportable notebooks usually have smaller keyboards, don't have built-in CD or DVD drives and hard drives that typically have 20 to 40 MB capacities

Technology has made notebooks smaller, more powerful and much more affordable today than even a year ago. You can expect to fiind a solid, reliable notebook for well under $1,000, with fully-featured powerhorse models listing out at a tad over $2,000.

Notebooks can easily be used as replacements for desktop computers. Many fit into docking stations that hook them up to larger screens, power supplies and bigger keyboards and mice. A docking station at home or in the office is a great convenience.

But so is a notebook. That's why for many, it's their main computer. Taken from home to office to school, on business trips and vacations and - with wi-fi Internet connectivity or PC card modems that patch into the cellular phone network - notebooks provide always-available computing and Internet access. All your files, all your programs, are always with you.

As you can see, notebook computers make a lot of sense as replacements for desktop PCs. So start shopping. Once you have one, you'll be glad you did and wonder how you got along with one for so long.