Twenty years ago giving someone a notebook as a gift would have been considered ultra-lame. If you give one today, you have a friend for life. The difference between the two is the difference between microchips and paper - silicon and ink. There's a lot there. Today's notebooks allow us to watch movies, play intense and real time games, balance checkbooks, write printable term papers and surf the World Wide Web. Big difference indeed.
So, now that you know you'll be considered one of the greatest gift-givers if you give a laptop, what are you going to do about it? Where do you start? There are hundreds and even thousands of different notebook computers out there - enough to even make a seasoned notebooker's head swim.
Well, if you are in the mood to give a laptop this year, but aren't quite sure what to pick, allow me to tour you through some of your choices.
For the Game Maven
Video games have become quite demanding on PCs - desktops and laptops alike. But think of a laptop - a mini-computer in a sense. How does it fit all that gaming power into one, tiny, skinny, miniscule notebook? I mean how on Earth do you fit a substantial graphics card, enough high-powered RAM and a top-notch-performance super processor in a laptop? Ah, the fascinating modern age we live in. If you aren't a gamer, but know someone who is and you want to win them over, here are my two picks for laptop purchases:
Dell XPS M1710
Take gaming to the extreme with this piece of high-tech gaming magic. Run high powered, ultra demanding games without a hiccup to the game play or system performance with the amazing Intel Core 2 Duo processor (offering a staggering 2.33 Ghz of power). Make a friend by giving a gift which sports the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX graphics card - 512MB and all. The 17" widescreen just adds to the fun.
Alienware Area-51
For the ultimate gaming maven, take this notebook for a spin. As with the Dell, the Area-51 includes the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. But it also adds some more magic of its own - a NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700 GT. This graphics processor sports up to 1GB of whopping graphics memory. And the 17" wide and clear LCD screen adds more to be coveted by envious gaming partners. Your SimCity never looked so real, or Tony Romo so lifesize.
For the Road Warrior
There are a number of people out there (and you just may be one of them - I am) who either simply love to travel, or have no choice, being forced to war the road with their job. These are known as road warriors - and for them, a laptop needs to be just right. Specifically there is a need for their notebook of simply being light and thin - so they don't have to lug around an eight pound piece of equipment everywhere they go. At the same time, their laptop must have what it takes to keep them organized and working from the road. Here's to the road warriors:
Averatec AV3270-EE1
You want small - you got it. This little machine is tiny, but gets the job done for most any road warrior - and then some. With 60GB of hard drive space, 512MB of RAM, a DVD burner and wireless options, what else do you need while traveling? And its price is nothing to fret about either. Obviously this notebook - despite what it is able to pack into a 4.4 pound shell - will not work well for a gamer or those big on multimedia options and features. Other than that, however, this may be just what you are looking for while you are busy on the road and want the most bang for your buck (okay, the most feather-weight for your buck).
IBM ThinkPad X40
Although a bit pricier than the Averatec competition, the IBM ThinkPad offers a more quality construction and a lengthy battery life (among other things). This notebook is perfect for the basic traveling businessperson. I mean, after all, if you are on the road, who needs a powerful graphics card or DVD burner? You want performance and reliability - and that is just what this machine offers. And at 2.7 pounds, you aren't going to have a problem carrying this contraption through the labyrinthine airports.
For the Power-Hungry
Do you find yourself constantly in need for more power - more processing speed - more RAM - more "umph" for your buck? And yet, you aren't really into the whole desktop thing. You want the ability to be flexible with your PC - take it on a road trip - and you don't mind the extra weight. You just want more power (kind of like Scotti from Star Trek). Then a power laptop is probably just the thing for you. Here are my favorites:
HP Pavilion dv9500t
Okay. Let's get first things first - this monster of a laptop is 7.7 pounds. That's a lot of poundage to be lugging around with you wherever you go. But if you're a power addict - like Scotti - then more power to you. In my opinion, most power notebooks are simply hideous to look upon. The dv9500t is not. Its design is sleek, smooth and sexy. Beyond that it obviously comes with all the bells and whistles that power laptops are known for (plenty of ports, plug-ins and connections; lengthy battery life; quick processor, large RAM and plenty of hard drive storage space). And, that's not all (read like those over-the-top infomercials)! You also get it all for a reasonable price that won't break the bank. You can't go wrong there.
Dell Inspiron 1720
Dell makes a swell power notebook as well. And it's even easier on your pocketbook than the HP (if you stick with the base options and price, that is). But there are so many upgrades available (even different color options [I know you've always wanted a pink power laptop]) that the price can easily go far beyond the base. The good thing about this dell is that you can customize about everything, and therefore really get what you want in a power laptop. This is good, especially when considering you are using this laptop as your desktop as well. So, the ball's in your court with this one.
For the Highly Creative Early Adopter
There is a fairly new breed of laptop out there today. It is the tablet (read touchscreen) laptop. Small, portable, light, nifty, with a touchscreen (obviously), this laptop would give most any gift recipient a smile. So what are you waiting for? Here are some ideas to get you started in the right direction:
Lenovo ThinkPad X61
This one is perfect of a college student or a travelling business man. It is powerful enough for a tablet, portable, versatile, runs quiet, has great battery longevity and weighs only about four pounds. It doesn't have a touchpad, however. You will have to get used to the trackpoint mouse, or the pen. But this is not a big problem - I mean, it's a tablet after all. And the price won't blow you out of the water.
Dell Latitude XT
Okay, okay. I know. It is not out on the market just yet, but I just couldn't resist putting this as one of my top choices for a tablet. Yea, it is going to be awesome. And it is supposed to come out just around the corner - January 2008. Slim, sleek, sexy, touch/pen input options, optional dock which gives you more media options, etc, etc, etc. Believe, for a gift idea, you can't go wrong with the Dell Latitude XT. Just give them an IOU card with your signature and a promise to purchase the brand spankin' new Dell Latitude XT. You'll have a friend for life.
