TOP 15 Laptops

The answer to the question "What is the best laptop?", is clearly, "It depends." It depends on what your personal needs and priorities are. That's why when a friend tells you with certainty what the best one is, she may be speaking truthfully, but it may only her truth.

For example, some people may find a high performance model intolerable because the keyboard is too small. Or, if you want to replace your old desktop clunker with a portable model, you will need excellent docking abilities. And then, of course, there is the issue of weight. A high priority if you carry your notebook a lot, a secondary consideration if you do it only occasionally.

That's why I like the way the folks at PC World do their rankings.
PC Magazine has its favorite laptop computers, and we're here to tell you what they are.

They have three categories, and they give their top choices for each. The categories are Desktop replacement, all-purpose notebook and ultra-portable

In the Ultraportable category, they like:

1. Dell Latitude X300
• 1.4-GHz Pentium M Low Voltage 738 processor
• 12.1-inch screen
• 4.0 pounds
• 40GB hard drive
• DVD+RW drive
• $2364

2 Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D
• 1.1-GHz Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 713 processor
• 10.6-inch screen
• 4.1 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• $2149

(more)





3 (Best Buy) Dell Inspiron 700m
• 1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor
• 12.1-inch wide-screen
• 4.8 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD+RW drive
• $1916

4 IBM ThinkPad X40
• 1.2-GHz Low Voltage Pentium M processor
• 12.1-inch screen
• 5.6 pounds
• 40GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• $2299

In the Desktop Replacement Category, their favorites are

1. HP Pavilion Dv1000
• 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor
• 14-inch wide-screen
• 6.4 pounds
• 80GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price: $1933
• Manufacturer's Pricing A docking station and great speakers make this well-designed notebook good for playing multimedia.

2. Dell Inspiron 8600
• 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor
• 15.4-inch wide-screen
• 8.3 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD+RW drive
• Price: $2480
• Manufacturer's Pricing Convenient design touches and good sound make up for this speedy laptop's thick case.

3 (Best Buy) HP Compaq Business Notebook Nc6000
• 1.6-GHz Pentium M 725 processor
• 14.1-inch screen
• 6.6 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price: $1874

4. Dell Latitude D600
• 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor
• 14.1-inch screen
• 6.4 pounds
• 80GB hard drive
• DVD+RW drive
• Price: $2125

5 .IBM ThinkPad T42
• 1.8-GHz Pentium M 745 processor
• 14.1-inch screen
• 6.3 pounds
• 40GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price: $1879

And for All-purpose notebooks:

1. Acer TravelMate 8000
• 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor
• 15-inch screen
• 7.6 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD±RW/-RAM drive
• Price: $2499

2 (Best Buy) IBM ThinkPad R51
• 1.5-GHz Pentium M 715 processor
• 15-inch wide-screen
• 7.4 pounds
• 40GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price: $1699


3 Polywell PolyNote 3015AW
• 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor
• 15.4-inch wide-screen
• 7.6 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD+RW drive
•: $2499

4 Fujitsu LifeBook S7010
• 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor
• 14.1-inch wide-screen
• 5.1 pounds
• 60GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price:$1919

5 MPC TransPort T2200
• 1.7-GHz Pentium M 735 processor
• 14.1-inch screen
• 6.9 pounds
• 40GB hard drive
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive
• Price: $2002

Toshiba Satellite M-35

One of the world's most popular laptops is Toshiba's Satellite M-35.

By now you know I'm partial to the ultra-light notebooks, so I'm not terribly impressed with this puppy's more than 6 pound heft. Still, if your muscles don't object, you get a lot of power for your poundage. And with a price under $1499, it won't take too much of your hard-earned dough. (Amazon often has prices much lower than that!)


This lappy toppy comes with a home theatre size screen (ok, I exaggerate) at 15.3 inches. And it has a whole lot of bells and whistles (including CD burner) to keep you working away on the road. (Really, shouldn't you get off that computer every once in a while???)

Laptops in the News

All the latest news from the world of computer laptops, from new products to components, legal issues, company announcements and everything that has happened in the last four weeks in the world of laptop computing.

Just click HERE

IBM X41 World's Lightest Laptop

IBM, now IBM/Lenovo, is coming out with what appears to be the lightest laptop in the market.

HERE is what PC week said after the big unveiling:

"IBM this week announced what company officials say is its lightest portable notebook that features the company's built-in fingerprint reader, along with new software that carries out a complete hardware check to ensure the system is working at peak performance.

The new software bundled with the ThinkPad X41, which weighs in at 2.7 pounds, does a check of the machine's system software and compares that to a list of available updates. Users can obtain the most recent versions of files such as drivers, BIOS updates, and system utilities. The software also offers users the chance to get the latest in system upgrades, company officials say.

As with other IBM mobile systems, X41 users can download the latest version of the company's Rescue and Recovery technology, which includes an embedded, preboot emergency system that provides one-button access to tools that can recover information from a software failure.

One user who has used IBM laptops with fingerprint readers is Havertys Furniture, an Atlanta-based company with more than 115 showrooms in 16 states. Company officials say the technology has made a measurable improvement on productivity and lowered system downtime among remote employees.

"We have employees who work both in the office and on-the-go and ThinkPads with integrated fingerprint readers enable them to quickly access files without having to key in passwords. This helps ensure that our intellectual capital and company information are protected on the PC," says Pat Zurica, Director of Technical Services at Havertys.


System Specs
The new ThinkPad X41 is fueled by Intel's Pentium M Processor as well as that company's 915GM chip set. The portable system has a 400-MHz front-side bus, and Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator 900. The system also comes with the ThinkPad Power Manager, which gives users control over the thermal management of the system by allowing them to control the speed of the chip and speed of the fan that cools the chip.



Confident the systems will appeal to SMBs, IBM announced it would make versions of the new system available through its Express program, which could help lower costs associated with password management and resets. With the built-in fingerprint reader, IT administrators gain an extra layer of security to mobile systems and have fewer concerns about passwords being stolen, company officials say.

In a related announcement, IBM also rolled out several options for the X41, including the X4 UltraBase Dock, providing users with added expansion. With the UltraBase Dock, which brings the combined weight to 4 pounds, users can employ devices such as additional batteries, a CD or DVD optical drive, and a number of storage products to increase capacity."

Apple's G4 iBooks

Like all Apple products, they are sleek, functional and work like a charm. The latest iBooks come from $999 for the 12 inch:

1.2GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @1.2GHz
12-inch TFT Displays
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
30GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme built-in

to the 14 inch at $1499, made for a really large lap

1.33GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @ 1.33GHz
14-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA drive
SuperDrive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme built-in