Laptops have become an important part of our everyday lives over the years. The laptop has found its way into the lives of stay at home moms, salesmen, corporate America and even more so, students. College students rely heavily on the use of laptops for their school research, term papers, classes, online classes and even leisure time.
There are a few important features that one should look for when buying a college student laptop. Generally looks start out being important, but soon end up getting replaced with essentials, such as memory capacity, and wireless capabilities that are integrated into the laptop. This is very important. There is no point in having a laptop if it can't leave your desk.
Many college campuses today have wireless access points in all the dorm rooms and several locations throughout the campus. Ample USB ports is a definite plus when considering a college student laptop. You would be amazed at just how many things you will want to plug in and hook up to a loaded computer. Wireless offers so much more convenience for a student who may need to access printer sharing for those endless essays or term papers.
Another important feature to look for is a CD/DVD drive. The very best are the combo drives that offer CD/DVD burning capabilities as well as standard video and audio. Colleges use quite a bit of study material that is available in DVD format. Generally, professors will require a student install or download software needed for that particular class, so actually a DVD player is not only a great feature to have, it is almost necessary.
Dorm rooms in college are extremely small and space is an issue. Looking for a laptop for college should also include space requirements. Most dorms are a shared room and having only one corner to house your computer, bigger is not always better in this case. There are plenty of smaller, more compact laptops available on the market that are just as functional as their larger competitors.
A 60GB hard drive is a good start. This amount of space will be plenty of room for media storage, software, and that occasional music download, or photos of that last toga party; remember that? Well you would if you had enough memory in your laptop! Consider a minimum of 512MB if you plan on running multiple applications at once, as this will help speed up applications.
No matter which model or make, remember that a great college student laptop is one that has everything right at your fingertips. Media features plenty of memory space, wonderful sound and graphics are a definite plus and wireless integrated into the laptop. Watch for specials in your weekend paper to find a great price on laptops. Another great idea is to check for specials that state "no tax"; you could actually save hundreds of dollars on a laptop of your choice just by finding a store that offers no sales tax incentive.
Merchants are singing those three magic words again, 'Back to School' and the fallout is everywhere!
Just as you're getting your deep dark pre-cancerous tan going - you hear those words - and it spells the end of summer. Once again we are bombarded with advertising, featuring the latest in 'teen ware' 'school ware' and 'metal detector ware'. Kidding!
Is it just me or does it seem this year there is a lot more 'Back to School' advertising for notebooks and laptops? They seem to be everywhere... on TV, radio, and online.
Laptop ads are everywhere. Why is this?
Well, notebooks have come down in price, they have become more affordable, even for the modest student. Laptops have also come down in size, making them ideal for that school napsack, or dormroom. They have also become tougher and sturdier - better equipped to meet the hard/wear/tear that students give it.
With notebook technology changing every two years or so - notebooks can now handle most tasks students throw their way. These advanced notebooks can do the job. They also present a much stronger entertainment value to students, they can handle better graphics and gaming, but most students try to keep parents in the dark about this factor as they plead for a new laptop for college or school. All this pleading is further fueling the demand for laptops.
Then there is a little thing called the Internet. Throw in a wireless connection and the student laptop is coming into its own. Big Time!
The Internet has become a second teacher/parent/counselor to most students. God help us all! But it has also become a priceless source of the collective knowledge on this planet; frightening but true. The Internet is an invaluable source of knowledge for any high school/college student.
Not having ready access to all this knowledge and information will put any student at a disadvantage with his peers. It's a very competitive world, in high school, in college and in the future job market - every student should have an even playing field.
That's where the little notebook computer enters stage right!
Laptops or notebooks have quickly become a school necessity. When? How? Why?...
It's the perfect learning tool for students:
* very portable, you can carry them anywhere, class, cafe, dorm, home...
* very convenient, you can take notes in class, type up assignments, print assignments, communicate home, access the Internet...
* very tough, many newer notebooks are designed to withstand a good pounding and keep on computing, ruggerized for sturdy use...
* very powerful, notebooks or laptops are catching up to their desktop cousins in computing speed, hard drive storage and performance...
* very affordable, prices have dropped and are falling even further, laptops are now outselling desktop PCs so this price will drop even further, there's a whole slew of used and refurbished laptops hitting the market...
If you're a parent, student, or guardian; here are some of the factors you should consider when buying the best student laptop or notebook:
* size, it must be small, lightweight and very portable, fit comfortably under the arm or in that backpack
* sturdy, it must be tough, sturdy, ruggerized, and able to take more than one hard knock because students are students
* connections, wireless connections should be offered, the Internet is such a valuable tool in itself - a student should be able to access it anywhere. Most notebooks have these connections but check - a printer port, a 56Kbps-modem, a VGA port for an external monitor, and should have at least one USB port for external keyboard/mouse, digital cameras, drives, and MP3 players
* technical specs, it should have enough RAM, storage space (hard drive) and computing speed to do any job the student can throw at it
* battery life, make sure your student notebook has a reasonable battery life, 5 hours or more
* price, it should be reasonably priced, refurbished laptops may be an option for those on a strict budget
However, some words of wisdom, students or parents shouldn't skimp too much - if you're spending 10's of thousands on an education, you should also provide for the best possible equipment in the form of a sturdy, lightweight high performance laptop. Besides, a high quality laptop will last for years... just imagine your son or daughter writing their resumes on it after they have finished college... keep this image in your mind as you go about buying that perfect student laptop.
Both Richard Neesal & Titus Hoskins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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