Archive for September 2011
Best Laptop Computers for College Students
1. Overview
Before we look at the laptops most suitable for college students, we should understand what makes a good student laptop. Typically, a student would want a laptop that’s lightweight and comfortable enough to lug to and from their various classes. In addition, the laptop has to have great battery life and performance. And price is sometimes a concern, so the above features need to be packed into an affordable package.
After considering the types of laptops suitable for college students, I’ve decided to split them into three categories: budget, thin and light and ultraportable. So let’s take a look at them now …
2. Budget Laptops
For a college student who is short on cash, a budget laptop is a good buy. Some of the best budget laptops include those from Dell, Toshiba and HP. I personally find the Toshiba Satellite A215-S4747 to be a great budget laptop. You get an AMD based dual core CPU, which perfroms very well with most applications. You also get a huge 200GB hard drive and a large number of peripheral ports.
There’s also a nice Sony VGN-NR160E/S model that is (surprisingly) within the budget category. Out of the box, this machine gives you the Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 processor, 1 GB of RAM and a large 160GB hard drive – that’s a lot of computing power at budget price.
3. Thin and Light Laptops
If you prefer a more powerful laptop and don’t mind a little bit of weight, then try going for a thin and light laptop. Some of the models I can think of include those from Lenovo, HP and Sony.
The Sony VAIO VGN-FZ280E is a pretty good choice for a thin and light notebook. This system comes with a Bluray compatible writer that can also burn CDs and DVDs. You also get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and a very large 250GB hard drive.
Another model I’d consider is the HP Pavilion dv6675us. You will get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 4GB RAM and 250GB of hard drive space. The 4GB of RAM is a great feature which will come in handy if you’re a student of finance or science and need to run intensive computational applications.
4. Ultraportable Laptops
If the size and weight of the laptop is of high importance to you, then go for an ultraportable laptop. These laptops give very good computing performance in a very small, compact package.
In this category, I think the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 is a great choice for students. It is slightly pricey (but not outrageously so) but it is one of the best performing laptops around. It weighs only about 3 pounds and is hence an extremely portable piece of hardware. You also get an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz CPU, 2GB RAM and an ample 100GB hard drive. You don’t get a built-in DVD writer though – that unit is external to the laptop.
Another good choice is the Toshiba Portege R500-S5001X. It weights 2.4 pounds and is less than an inch thick. This is one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks you will find in the market. It’s also very reasonably priced.
Conclusion
Well! I hope this article has shown you the various types of laptops which are suitable for college students. Regardless of your needs and budget, make sure that you do proper research before shelling out any cash. Until next time, best of luck and happy shopping!
3 More Reasons Why Steve Jobs (Apple Computers) Is Such a Success
I had an amazing response to last week’s article on Steve Jobs’ (Apple Computers) Rules For Success so I’m going to share with you 3 more of his top tips so that you can continue accelerating your personal and professional success by learning from the Apple legend! (Check out my list of articles if you missed the start of this series)
Small Consistent Steps
1. Be Different
Steve says “Be Different. Think Different. Better be a pirate than to join the navy”
I love this one because both the ‘navy’ and the ‘pirate’ resonate with me! I spent 14 years in the corporate world (not to mention a stint in the Reserve Army!) but I ‘escaped’ that to set up Outshine Consulting and The Success Rules. Now neither scenario is better than the other, but I think the key point to think about here is WHICH one you want to be.
If we lived in a world where everything was constantly changing we’d feel in a state of chaos.
However, to be a successful entrepreneur like Steve Jobs, it’s VITAL that you keep challenging the status quo, looking for new ideas, being innovative and creative. Following what’s been done before you is more likely to result in ‘the same again’ rather than something cutting-edge and new.
Do you want the challenge and the change, or do you want consistency? Be honest with yourself because not everyone is made for the Navy, and not everyone would make a good Pirate!
2. Do Your Best
Steve says “Do your best at every job. Success generates more success. So be hungry for it”
This is such a critical point, which I cover thoroughly in The Success Rules. If you’re stuck thinking about how to be successful, or waiting for it to happen, that’s exactly where you will stay. And quite frankly, standing still doesn’t indicate you’re hungry enough to actually WANT to be successful.
You need to get on with the job, and get the wheels of motion moving because every little taster of success that you experience – no matter how small – will help to generate more and more success. As the momentum builds, so will your level of achievement which in turn builds even more momentum and motivation. It’s the snowball effect at it’s best, but you need to be hungry to achieve your goal and willing to get moving in order to experience it.
3. Learn Continually
Steve says “There’s always “one more thing” to learn! Cross-pollinate ideas with others, learn from customers, competitors and partners. If you partner with someone you don’t like, learn to like them – praise them and benefit from them.”
If you’re not growing, your dying. This can be a harsh statement to swallow, but there’s no middle ground here – you’re either developing, learning and growing, or you’re wasting away and dying. So which do you want to be?
Steve Jobs clearly has the balance right – he didn’t get to where he is today by sitting back and making the most of what he already knows. He’s constantly creating and innovating, which only comes from continual education.
By building an effective network you can learn from intelligent people who challenge your way of thinking and help you develop new ideas and strategies to achieve success. Education is all about spending money – you can develop everyday by recognising the strengths of those around you, or by picking up a book instead of plonking yourself in front of the TV again. The choice is yours.
HP Laptop Computers – A Review of the HP ProBook 4710
Hewlett Packard, or HP as it is usually referred to, is one of the biggest information technology companies in the world with a long history in technological innovation. In recent years the company has grabbed a significant share in the highly competitive PC market and since 2006 HP laptop computers have been the best selling laptops in the world, accounting for just over 21% of all laptop sales.
One of the most popular HP laptop computers on the market right now is the HP Probook 4710s. Released in the summer of 2009, the machine has been attracting lots of attention for all the right reasons and looks set to continue selling well for 2010.
Looks wise, most HP laptop computers are well designed, attractive machines and the Probook 4710s is no exception. It has a glossy slimline finish and is certainly one of the better looking machines HP have produced in recent years. Although some people may not like the fact that it’s made from plastic, this does make it a hell of a lot lighter and therefore easier to carry around.
In terms of display capabilities, a screen size of 17.3 inches with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels ensures that it’s easy on the eye in more ways than one, while the high definition display makes colours look rich and vibrant – great for presentations involving images or video of any sort. As for viewing angles – horizontal angles are pretty good and you’ll only really start to notice a shift in colour when you’re looking at the screen from around 75 degrees off centre. On the other hand, vertical angles aren’t quite as good, as colours begin to wash out when viewed from above.
As a business laptop it’s one of the best HP laptop computers available at the moment. It features HP 3D Driveguard, which will help protect your hard drive if the machine is dropped. This is a crucial feature if all your business files are stored in your laptop. HP also provide HP ProtectTools with drive encryption, HP Spare Key, which is a very handy programme that allows you and your employees to access the laptop if a password is forgotten, Device Access Manager, HP Disk Sanitizer, File Sanitizer, and McAfee Security Solution. All these added extras make the Probook 4710s a great option for any small business that doesn’t have the benefit of a specialized IT department.
All HP laptop computers in the Probook series now come with a full sized keyboard which includes a separate number pad. This is a major bonus if number crunching plays an important part in your business. The newly designed keyboard also has more space between the keys than previously, which helps reduce typos and makes the laptop much more comfortable to use.