Things are happening quickly in mobile computing…which notebook would I be best off buying right now

Things are indeed happening quickly in mobile computing. Only a few years ago notebooks (or laptops) used to be expensive and much slower than a desktop computer. Today notebooks are far more popular than desktops and there’s one to suit every user – student, professional or IT geek.

With so many notebooks to choose from it may seem a bit confusing…but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s not hard at all.

Value

Even if you’re on a tight budget you can still have a nice looking, quite powerful notebook. The processor will be slightly slower, the hard drive a bit smaller and you won’t get a 1080p HD display. But your new notebook will still be much faster than its equivalent of three years ago. Value notebooks will play DVDs and movies off the hard drive in 720p HD with no problems at all.

They also have several USB ports, internal wireless networking, internal speakers with good sound as well as a sound chip capable of sending good audio to expensive headphones.

A value notebook will generally have a 13–15 inch display and weigh less than 3 kilos.

Entertainment

Entertainment notebooks – sometimes called desktop replacements – are more expensive and larger, but they have every feature in the book. With their size and power, a full 1080p HD display as well as a Blu-ray drive, they are perfect for gaming and  watching movies. You can watch movies on the computer or attach it to a TV or AV receiver for even better picture and sound. Not that there’s anything wrong with the onboard audio system and speakers…they can be quite sophisticated and include a subwoofer and virtual surround sound.

Of course you can easily move your entertainment notebook around but it’s not really designed to be portable. With a 16–18 inch display and weighing about 4 kilos you have better options if you need a computer on the go.

Business

Business people on the go need power and portability. Business notebooks weigh 1.5-2.5 kilos but still have plenty of power and features. One of their features is high-capacity batteries which gives you up to 10 hours of work.

Business notebooks are not made for gaming. The focus is on hard drive space and processing power, often they won’t use a top-end graphics chip. The display is 13-15 inches.

Ultra-portable

The ultra-portable notebook only weighs about one kilo but don’t mistake it for a netbook. It has a better processor, more memory and a higher resolution screen. Don’t expect it to be much faster than a value notebook, though.

The screen size is 13 inches or smaller. The ultra-portable notebook has a proper keyboard and enough power to do most daily tasks so it’s perfect if you’re always on the go. But it’s no match for the business notebook when it comes to performance.

As always you can buy online or visit your local Betta Electrical. Here you are sure to find a wide range of options as well as the best advice in town.