Choosing a laptop for your business

There are a large variety of makes and models of laptops (also know as notebooks) on the market today so choosing a laptop for your business can be a really daunting experience.

Here are some key points that can help you make the right choice.

1. Your business

If you are a consultant, you are probably out and about seeing clients on a daily basis. So choosing a laptop that is light and has a fair amount of battery power would be best. If your business deals with graphic or multimedia applications then a laptop with a large screen and a powerful graphics card would best suit your needs, however these types of laptops can be somewhat uncomfortable to carry around and would mainly be used as a desktop replacement.

2. Service

When you rely on your laptop on a day-to-day basis one of the important factors to consider is how quickly you can get your laptop repaired if it becomes faulty. Being without this important work tool can be very frustrating and could greatly reduce your productivity. So when choosing a laptop for your business, make sure you find out about repair turnaround times. I know that certain vendors offer different care packs like “next day on-site repair”, “next week on-site repair” or you have the option to send the laptop into a repair centre. Care packs have levels of costs associated with the repair service so simply choosing the right care pack for your needs will help you reduce your downtime.

3. Screen size

For people on the move a 12’ to 14’ screen is ideal. Remember the bigger the screen gets, the more power your laptop will use and this will drain your battery life when not on mains power. Usually laptops with a 12’ screens and less are called Ultraportables. I have found that laptops with 14’ screens are quite comfortable to use.

If your business is graphics or multimedia in nature then choosing a laptop with a much bigger screen would be advised, not simply because it’s easy on the eyes but because those laptops tend to have faster processing power, however they are somewhat power hungry so battery power is shorter.

4. Battery Power

Today’s laptops have improved battery power and can last between 3 to 6 hours between charges. The time the battery lasts does of course depend on the type work you are doing.

5. CPU (Central Processing Unit)

In other words, your computer's brain! These days the new CPU technology is the Intel Pentium M. This CPU has enhanced SpeedStep technology which saves power and allows the chip to run cooler than previous models.

6. RAM (Memory)

Most laptops come with 512MB as a standard. This memory configuration is adequate for your needs if you’re doing word processing and checking emails. However, having more RAM in your laptop is a real bonus, especially with the new applications that are coming out that are memory intensive. I would recommend having 1GB RAM as a standard for your laptop; it really makes a difference in your productivity especially if you are multi-tasking applications.

7. HDD (Harddrive)

Most laptops these days come with either a 60GB or 100GB. These sized drives can store a fair amount of data and also has become a standard in today’s laptops.

8. Ports

All today's laptops come with the standard ports (LAN, Modem, Monitor, Serial and USB). Devices which are USB enabled include printers, digital cameras and webcams to name a few. Having enough USB ports on my laptop is important because I sometimes use devices at once like my USB mouse, my USB printer and my USB webcam. There are devices you can purchase to increase your number of USB ports.

9. Wireless\Bluetooth

This has also become standard. Wireless functionality is now built into laptops and allows you to connect either to your home, office or hotspot wireless access point. The Bluetooth functionality now allows you to virtually connect your PDA, mobile phone or even your Bluetooth headset to your laptop.

10. CD\DVD Writer

Make sure when choosing your laptop that it comes with a CD\DVD Writer. It becomes quite handy when you want to backup your data to CD or DVD on the fly.

One final point about mainetance. The way to keep your laptop in good working order is to only load the applications you will be need in order to help you run your business.

Countless times, I have seen laptops that have become unusable because the owners have loaded applications they found on the web or from CD’s that came with computer magazines. Only loading the applications you will need for your business will help keep you productive and will also lower your support costs.

Gary Hecht works as an IT Consultant and provides technology solutions to the SME market in Melbourne, Australia.

5 comments | Add your own

The reason I decided against getting a laptop - was simply because I know I'll be taking my work absolutely everywhere with me! At least with my home PC, once I leave the house I give myself a break! John Romaine from Brisbane, Australia
Hi Gary, all good advice. I've been in IT for 14 years (starting out as a soloist, now running a team of 4-5 in my own business). I understand, to be impartial you couldn't put brands up here... but I'll pop in my 2c worth (I don't want any sales, I just want other business owners to have good experiences with technology in general).
So.. here goes. Buy in order Toshiba, HP/Compaq, maybe IBM. Stay clear of Dell, Acer, other unknown brands. The hardware support on Toshiba's is worth the extra $$ you'll spend.
Buy the business model notebooks, not the consumer based ones. The consumer ones are normally available at major retail stores and just aren't the same product as the business based machine.
Finally, just some advice. Don't let the kids use it. It's not a toy and should be treated as an expensive business tool (which it is). Games, bad websites and funky screensavers only serve slow the machine down and expose you (and your valuable client lists) to unnecessary risk. Andrew Way from Thebarton, South Australia
Over the last five years we've been manufacturing a lightweight polycarbonate Laptop safe that can be installed in a vehicle in its own docking station and then simply reinstalled in a second or third docking station located in other secure locations such as home or the office.
Originally designed for a 15" maximum size, we now find that the wide screen versions - which unfortunately don't fit our safes are being sold to the uninitiated for every purpose not just as a
desktop replacement. 'Bigger the better' seems to sell the best.
Your advice in this article is spot on. Unfortunately a lot of the travelling and holidaying public which are mostly first time users are not as well informed as they should be. David Jackson from Wangaratta NE Victoria
I have to disagree with Andrew about Toshiba being the top choice. I have had experience of three toshiba models in the last 5 years here in NZ and I have to say they have invariably been disastrous experiences. The backup service is well marketed but fails to deliver, the machines themselves have been continuing problems. This last machine a tecra m3 was a replacement for the previous machine which I had the same repeated problems with for a year and now this machine runs so hot it nealry cooks my hands if I type for more than 20 minutes! In my opinion dont buy toshiba hype and look elsewhere for a laptop. Paul from Nor
I am definitely a laptop convert. It is great being able to work anywhere (when I choose to!). When I am not working, the whole thing disappears inside a drawer! A laptop is like a mobile phone, convenient, portable, and with an all important off button! Zern from eicolab

5 comments | Add your own

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