Small Features of a Laptop that Can Make Life Much EasierThe Extra Laptop Features You Shouldn't Ignore When Buying a Laptop
Many people wanting to buy laptops hardly know enough about the general features of laptops and which ones matter most. If that’s your case, we can help you get a better grip. If you know what’s important in a laptop, you’d most-likely make a wiser selection. Laptop specifications and features have been significantly covered in our laptop buying guide and you could check that out, to learn more. Here, we are taking a closer look at the small extras that come with laptops, some of which could really make a big difference as to how your laptop serves you. You surely expect your laptop to have a processor, a hard drive, a random access memory, a display screen and other standard components. Yet, there are more features that are optional and might not be provided. How important they turn out to be will depend on the intended use for the laptop. So, which ones should matter when you buy a laptop? Let’s take a look. WLANThat’s for wireless LAN, or more fully, wireless local area network. (can also be called local area wireless network, LAWN). WLAN provides communication, without wires and cables, over a short distance, using high-frequency radio waves or infrared signals. Once there is an Access Point (AP), an enabled device can access the local network, wirelessly. That means mobility too, because you can access the network from any location within its coverage (say, for internet access in an office or home). Access requires a wireless network adapter, which your laptop must have, if you wish to enjoy wireless connectivity, where available. In other words, you need a Wi-Fi enabled laptop - familiar standards are 802.11b (11 Mbit/s), 802.11g (54 Mbit/s). The wisdom is to check before you buy, if this is important to you. LANWhen there is a local network of computers (local area network, LAN), say in the office, at home or elsewhere, you don't need leased telecom lines to connect to it. Computers in a LAN share common resources. Ethernet is the most common LAN technology in use today and delivers fast data transfer at low cost. The simple requirement here is for your laptop to have a LAN interface, so you can connect to a LAN when you have to. FireWire PortThe IEEE 1394 interface (FireWire Port) is a serial bus interface providing high-speed communication. Most audio and video equipment use this for transfer of digital signals. While a USB port could do, the transfer rate for uSB is significantly lower. If you will transfer recordings from your digital camera or video equipment to your laptop, for example, you’re likely to find need for a FireWire port in your laptop. FireWire is fast and also offers better quality of transfer. If you will need it, ensure it's there in the laptop you buy. BluetoothBluetooth gas become quite a popular device. Bluetooth is a wireless short range data exchange protocol. A bluetooth-enabled laptop can communicate wirelessly with other enabled devices, within the appropriate range – your phone, printer, digital camera, etc. Because this communication is by radio, it doesn’t require a line of site. Besides, Bluetooth is a low power-consumption technology. If a laptop doesn’t come with built-in Bluetooth, the option of using a USB Bluetooth device is available. A Bluetooth USB Adapter will not cost more than a few thousand Naira, but you-re certainly happier if your laptop has built-in Bluetooth. So, if you must have built-in Bluetooth, the time to insist is before you buy.
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GPU/Dedicated GPU RAMA GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a dedicated processor for graphics, designed specifically for fast graphics rendering. GPUs are optimized for accelerated rendering of 2D and 3D graphics, especially computer games and video. Not having a GPU would mean that your laptop will not cope well with applications that will benefit from a GPU. Your laptop may come with no GPU or may have an Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP) or even a Dedicated Graphics Card. A dedicated GPU has dedicated RAM for graphics (more effective, especially for high-end 3D graphics), but IGPs like Intel's GMA X4500HD, AMD's Radeon HD 3200 and NVIDIA's GeForce 8200 are well-rated. The big question: do you need a dedicated GPU RAM or even a GPU? An ordinary laptop user really doesn't have to bother, especially as the extra features mean higher prices. Yet, if you do require graphics processing power, ensure you get it. HDMIHigh Definition Multimedia Interface is simply an interface for delivering uncompressed digital data (audio and video) in true high definition quality.. With HDMI connection, your laptop can, for instance, play video direct to your High Definition Plasma TV. The benefit is that the high-def quality is retained, because of the high digital capacity of the HDMI interface. If you’d want to use your laptop this way, it will be a good idea to go for one that’s HDMI-ready - has HDMI port and possibly comes with the HDMI connector. Multi Card ReaderA memory card enables fast and easy storing and transfer of digital files. Based on flash memory technology, memory cards usually have a USB interface. Some examples of memory card are CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD Memory Card), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Mini SD Cards, Micro SD Cards, Memory sticks, SmartMedia Card, etc. Various devices can use memory cards: digital cameras, camcorders, PDAs, laptops, cell phones, portable audio players, video players, DVD players, etc. For instance, you can increase the storage capacity, using such memory card. If you have stuff on a memory card that you want transferred to your laptop, say recorded pictures or video from your digicam or camcorder, how do you get the laptop to read the memory card? Most full-featured today’s laptops have a built-in multi card reader or 5-in-1 card reader – card readers that can read from different types of flash memory card. Makes life easier. USB PortsFor USB ports (to which you can plug USB devices/USB cables), it’s more a question of how many, as your laptop,, will definitely have some. How many ports do you need anyway? Well, be sure you have what you consider at least your minimum. Serial PortsThis is where there is an issue, as most laptops hardly come with a serial port, anymore. Practically, too, most users don't have need for hem. Yet, some do. Certain users, by the nature of their work, need that serial port interface. What can you do? Not much, except to search out laptops that still retain the serial port, if you need it. Hint: the Dell Latitude series is one place to check as they still retain these ports - the Dell Latitude D630, for instance. Optical DriveSimply, this is the drive for CDs, DVDs, etc. Your laptop is likely to come with an optical drive, unless it’s a netbook (mini laptop). Most netbooks have no optical drive. Optical drives come in many forms though, and that’s where .a choice may come in. From the basic CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) which can only read CDs and not write, to CD-R (CD-Recordable), to CD-RW (CD-ReWriteable), to DVD-ROM (DVD Read Only Memory) to DVD-R (DVD Recordable) and DVD-RW (DVD ReWriteable) and even Blu-ray. It much depends on what you plan to be doing with your laptop, but be sure to get the minimum you need. PC Card/EspressCardExpressCard is a newer standard replacing PC Card (PCMCIA) as an interface to connect peripheral devices to a computer. ExpressCard technology offers an easy, secure way of adding additional functionality to a notebook. ExpressCard allows modular expansion for users of PCs who can plug in additional resources via the ExpressCard module. Today, ExpressCard is the next-gen solution for hot-pluggable internal I/O expansion for notebook and desktop PCs. Many internet service providers, for instance, offer a wireless networking card, which can be used to access their network, once you plug in and install the card in your laptop. To use ExpressCard interface, your laptop should have an ExpressCard slot, whether for the ExpressCard/34 module (34mm x 75mm) and the ExpressCard/54 module (54mm x 75mm). There again, check before you by, depending on what you need. Choose What's ImportantWhen laptops add more features, their prices also tend to pad up. You certainly don't want to pay for what you don't need, just as you don't wish to miss what you'll need. The answer is to understand these extras and decide which ones you must have in your laptop. Hopely you now know what to check for.
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