A laptop is obviously intended to be portable, and fairly easily portable, at that, in most cases. In most cases, the size, resolution and viewing angle of the screen is also important, and as it is the size of the screen that governs the overall size, and therefore, the weight of the computer, a laptop is, effectively, a compromise between visibility, and portability.

You should, of course, choose a screen of sufficient size, and resolution, to allow you to perform work, or other tasks, comfortably, but bear in mind that larger screen sizes ? up to 17 inches, measured diagonally, in the largest cases ? will substantially decrease the ease with which a laptop can be lifted, and transported.

Laptop screens are LCD, or ?Liquid Crystal Display?, in design, and more often than not, nowadays, TFT (?Thin Film Transistor?), or ?active matrix? ? as opposed to the slightly lower quality ?passive matrix? ? and a typical, 15, or 15.4 inch screen, with standard XGA (1024 x 768 pixel) resolution, will probably suffice for all but the most demanding, intricate applications. The Toshiba P200-10O Laptop, for example, offers a 17 inch, TFT display, with WXGA+ (1440 x 900 pixels).

Returning to portability issues, battery life is, obviously, important for mobile computer users, and the latest ?Li-Ion? (?Lithium Ion?) rechargeable batteries, although more expensive, are also more powerful, and easier to care for, than older NiCad (?Nickel/Cadmium?), or NiMH (?Nickel Metal Hydride?) battery technologies.

Toshiba as a Manufacturer

Toshiba is one of the top ten electronic manufacturers in the world, and, with over 30 years experience in the European consumer electronics market, and over 20 years experience in the research, development and production of laptop, or notebook, computers, understandably has a reputation for the quality, flexibility and versatility of its product range. Its Satellite, and Satellite Pro, ranges, for example, include a range of functionality, suitable for home, education, or business computer users.

Conclusion

Laptop computers can be a boon for personal, or business, computer users, allowing access to documents, applications and even email, and Internet ? via wireless, or Bluetooth, connectivity ? whilst on the move. You should, however, think about a screen size ? which, remember, will also determine the overall physical size, and weight, of a laptop ? and specification, which is appropriate to your needs; as is often the case, extra functionality means extra cost, so careful a consideration of your requirements can save you the cost of unnecessary, and ultimately, worthless, features.