This piece started as a “10 Laptops to buy” type-piece, but laptops are dynamic in the sense that you could want an entertainment laptop, a multi-function laptop, a highly portable laptop, a business laptop, etc. and it is hard to decide what is better across categories for different needs. Therefore, we compiled a list of 10 things you should look after you figure out what type of laptop you want.

1. Hard Drive

The size for your hard drive really depends on what you are storing (that’s what she said!). If you have tons of digital media at your disposal, then perhaps a 500GB-1TB hard drive is what you should seek. On the other hand, if all you have is program files, music, and documents, then maybe something smaller will suffice like a 125GB hard drive. But of equal importance is the type of hard drive. Solid State Discs are starting to come down in price even though they are still relatively expensive, but they last longer, have no moveable parts, stay cool, and have fast transfer rates. Another example, such as a SATA II Hard Drive, would allow for around 3GB/sec transfer speeds and a SATA III Hard Drive would get more than double the SATA II. So, pending on your needs there are options that you should explore instead of just blindly selecting.

2. Memory

For memory, I look for laptops that have extra expansion slots in the event I wish to increase my laptop’s memory. As my base, however, I wouldn’t purchase a laptop with any less than 2GB of memory. Today you will see laptops with 3GB, 4GB, 6GB, or even 8GB of memory either provided already or available to upgrade at your leisure. Luckily, most stock laptops today come with a chunk of memory from the get-go and you will also likely have the ability to upgrade. But if you see a computer with only 1GB of memory or less, prepare yourself for a more frustrating experience in comparison to a computer that has more memory.

3. Weight

For me, anything over 6 pounds is too much weight for a laptop. There is no reason that you should be lugging around a hunk of metal and plastic when the sole purpose of the laptop is mobility and portability. Most of the laptops that have a 15 inch screen or less will be under my 6 pound benchmark, but if you are in the market for a big screened media laptop, then it will likely go above 6 pounds. Just think about the bag you use to carry your laptop and if your travels will have you wishing that you were transporting less weight.

4. Battery Life

This part is essential. With a decent battery life, you can take your laptop wherever you go and you won’t have to worry about charging. Laptops with below 4-5 hours of battery life seem useless to me since the actual battery “decays” over time, that is that it loses its ceiling battery life the more it is charged and drained over and over again. Initially having 4 hours of battery life will eventually become 3 and a half and then down to 3 hours before you realize it. However, there are ways you can get crafty to put less strain on your battery (for example, getting a solid state hard drive or keeping the brightness of your screen down, etc.).

5. Warranty

Although seemingly unimportant, the warranty of your laptop may be the most vital aspect of your laptop purchase. For example, if you are acquiring a refurbished computer, you are likely going to see a 30-90 day warranty. If you think about it, the computer was refurbished because there was something wrong with it (it could have been something benign or extremely malignant), and getting a one month to three month warranty does not secure your laptop for long. If you are purchasing a new laptop, most warranties are around 1 year and they may even cover accidental damage (water spills or even dropping the laptop). For business laptops, you may see a warranty of up to 3 years. So when looking at laptops, be sure to find out what the warranty is and what it covers. The longer the warranty and the more coverage it provides the better.

6. Processor (CPU)

We live in a world where computers are offering multiple cored processors that go into the dozens. Nowadays, I wouldn’t purchase a laptop that isn’t at least dual cored, but understand that the clocking speed is of true importance. If the laptop you are looking for is dual-cored, but doesn’t have a good enough clocking speed, then the “dual-coreness” will be practically useless. Understand that just because the laptop is dual-cored, does not mean that it is twice as fast. Most dual-cored laptops are only about 50% faster than their single cored counterpart. Either way, I would specifically look for a clocking speed of no less than 1.6 GHz which will be common among most laptops today.

7. Ports

Ports are extremely necessary with the amount of gadgets that are computer connected capable and the more ports the better (cough, cough, Macbook Air). To start, multiple USB ports are a must and if you can get your hands on at least one USB 3.0 port and the rest USB 2.0, then you will be in good shape. Other ports that you should look for include HDMI and VGA. With a VGA cable you can hookup your laptop with a computer monitor, especially if your laptop screen is small, for your viewing pleasure. With an HDMI port, you can hook-up with your HDTV and watch HD movies/videos with great clarity. Also, look for SD/MicroSD ports as it will likely make uploading your digital camera photos or anything else easier when stored on an SD card.

8. Webcam/Touchpad/Keyboard

I see some laptops out there that have only a 0.3 megapixel camera and I think that with skype/gchat/whatever video conferencing program you fancy, you should at least have a semi-decent camera so that your friend or even business associate isn’t seeing you all pixelated when in a video chat. So if you want a laptop with a camera, make sure it has at least a 1 megapixel camera. Otherwise, just purchase a USB attached camera. Other things to consider are the touch-mouse pad and the keyboard. Presently, more and more touchpads are being made multi-touch, meaning that you can use more than one finger to give commands like zoom in/out, scrolling, etc. With the keyboard, personally, I like the chicklet keyboards that have the raised, individuals keys, but if you prefer something that boasts ergonomics then go with that.

9. Optical drive

Sometimes, it may not even be necessary to have an internal CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive. But if you plan on using CD’s, DVD’s, or even Blu-ray Discs to use or burn you should look into the drives that are offered with your laptop. It is possible to get an external drive where it is attached via USB and functions just like it would if it were inside the laptop. Understand though that if you do not need one of these drives, it may be best to just leave them out and keep the laptop’s weight down because online storage and USB storage has trumped the world of CD/DVD storage.

10. Brand

Lastly, the brand should carry some weight. Up and coming brands will have a tendency to be cheaper and provide more with their computers than the leading brands simply because they have something to prove against the market and those other larger companies. Style is also inherent with the brand that you choose, so if you are looking for a particular style, certain brands may carry that setup while others might not. Brands also carry with them similar warranties and as a result, special attention should be made when choosing a particular brand.

The next generation of netbooks are a lot like cell phones, in that they don’t cost much up front, but you’ll be paying for privilege and convenience.

Until December 24, RadioShack is offering the LG X120 netbook for $49.99 with 2-years of mobile internet service.

The netbook is a true cell phone, and it’s a true netbook in every sense of the word. It’s designed for 3G mobile Internet service, but don’t expect to run photoshop or games on it. It does carry a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM, however.

The LG X120 is a 10.1-inch laptop weighing 2.8lbs. that goes for $399 without activation. It’s available at 2,000 RadioShack stores nationwide.

How much does size matter?

One of the best parts about a netbook is also one of its drawbacks.

They’re small.

The keyboards are undersized. The displays are tiny. But the battery life is huge, and that’s why netbooks are the hottest thing going right now.

The Lenovo S12 attempts to bridge the gap by tossing up a 12.1-inch screen and slightly larger keyboard than the usual netbook. But it is still a netbook with out the bells, whistles and optical drives of traditional computers. This model doesn’t yet have the much rumored and hotly anticipated Nvidia Ion chipset, which will let us run 1080p video and modern PC games on a low power netbook. Therefore, we’re still dealing with a regular old netbook that’s a little bigger.

That’s not a bad thing, mind you. The S12 gets more than five hours of battery life during normal use. You can squeeze out more juice if you’re really careful. The glossy screen is surprising light on the eyes. It’s back-lit running at 1280×800, which is much higher than other netbooks we’ve encountered out there.

The S12 has three USB 2.0 ports, an ethernet port, a 4-in-1 card reader, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, an ExpressCard slot and a standard six-cell battery, which is very, very necessary. Some earlier models came with the three-cell battery. Don’t bother.

The interface is comfortable, and the touchpad is smooth and easy to navigate with. The keyboard is really comfortable to type on, but Lenovo switched the FN and CTRL keys on the left side of the keyboard. It’s a huge pain, because when you think you’re hitting CTRL-C, you’re actually hitting FN-C and not copying that text you wanted.

The 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM are both sufficient for the needs of a netbook user. You can even sneak a few video files on there.

The Intel ATOM N270 processor is also sufficient, especially because the S12 runs Windows XP.

Lenovo also throws in a hard drive backup utility that operates independent of the operating system and a facial recognition security utility that uses the on-board webcam.

If you’re looking for a slightly larger than normal netbook that’s comfortable, with decent battery life, look no further. At $449, it’s pricier than what you might find at the store, but the computer is stable, fairly speedy and still cheaper than a “real” laptop.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is great if you get the optional 6-cell battery

Here’s an old reviewers’ question for you. Is it fair to judge a product by its default configuration?

I recently called the Dell Inspiron Mini 10′s 3-cell 24WHr battery a deal breaker, and it’s absolutely true. Dell’s netbook gets just over three hours of battery life, which is poor by both small laptop and netbook standards.

But when you’re buying the Mini 10, you can upgrade to a 6-cell battery with more than six hours of life for just $30.

A lot of people, I’d imagine, just buy the default configuration, not wanting to deal with the specs, like the difference between the hard drive and optional SSD drive.

Even with its 10″ x 7″ x 1″ dimensions, weighing only 2.63 pounds in my test, I’d never recommend someone buy the Mini in its default form.

It’s principle. The Mini 10 is an otherwise stellar computer. It’s fast, light, comes in a variety of colors, has an on-board TV tuner with HD antenna and cable adapter, comes with an HDMI port, SD/MS/MMC card reader, 3 USB ports, ethernet and built-in a/g/n WiFi. Even the display puts it over the top. The Mini 10 standard (as opposed to the V edition) comes with a 720p HD display. The keyboard is small, like on all netbooks, but it’s more comfortable than the Asus Eee PC that won the day in my Globe story.

At $349, the Inspiron 10 is a good value with this anchor called a 3-cell battery holding it down.

Dell should drop the 3-cell battery, make the 6-cell the default and only battery option, and charge $379 for the product. That would still make it cheaper than most of the Asus, HP and Lenovo competitors, and other reviews back up the fact that the Dell is right behind these laptops.

Dell’s idea with the Mini appears to have been to give users more regular “computer” features. The HDMI port is a great touch, and even the digital TV was appreciated. It’s pre-configured, and the software actually works. the Dell TV software fires up, scans the signal for channels, and works quickly and easily — and that’s from Dell. Years ago, if you bought a Dell, you could easily spend an hour or two deleting all their bloated support and utility software.

So let’s do this:

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with a 3-cell battery.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with a 6-cell battery.

If Dell throws in the 6-cell battery and throws out the 3-cell without jacking the price too much, then I believe it’s a winner. Good screen, good keyboard, Atom processor, television, HD video — all great features, but something has to power it all.

When someone asks you to name computer manufacturers, the obvious names pop into your mind: Dell, Gateway, Apple and so on. But within the last couple years, something curious has happened. Computer manufacturers who previously were nameless and fameless are suddenly front and center.

Take Acer for example. The last year has seen an explosion in the popularity of netbook computers, and Acer’s Apsire One line of $270 netbooks are all the rage. Previously, no one has heard of MSI, but now everyone and their mother is hacking their $300 Wind to run OS X. Same with Asus and their EEE PC line.

Some companies ready to break onto the scene are more familiar for their other products. At the Nokia World conference in Germany last week, Nokia announced their Booklet 3G, a sleek, 2 cm thin aluminum netbook, signifying that the company who previously made their mark on the electronics world by manufacturing phones is now trying to expand themselves back onto the PC market after selling that division more than fifteen years ago.

The Booklet 3G is powered by the same Intel Atom processor in the MSI Wind and Acer One lines, but whereas those netbooks are only wi-fi capable, the Booklet 3G will come built in with a 3G/HSPA antenna, giving the netbook data network access wherever cell reception is available, along with the assisted GPS found in mobile phones. The netbook will also have a 10.1-inch HD-ready screen and HDMI port, something typically reserved for higher-end laptops and desktop, and certainly not something offered on current netbooks.

Nokia is truly in a unique position too introduce a computer as ground breaking as the Booklet 3G is. Of course, a netbook this exciting is also rather wallet-breaking as well. While only European pricing has been announced so far, the Booklet 3G will sell for 575 euros, which comes to about 820 dollars. However, netbooks often come subsidized if they have a data antenna. No subsidies have been announced yet, but they would have to be hefty to be anywhere near the sub-$300 prices on other netbooks.

It’s also yet to seen whether or not the subsidized notebook market will even prove to be profitable. Many carriers in the US are offering netbooks for as low as $50 with a 2-year data contract. Considering how much iPhone users complain about being locked into their contracts though, the carriers will probably face some stiff resistance.

Curiously and notably absent form the netbook market though is Apple. Apple even poked fun at the concept of a netbook yesterday at their keynote, showing an image of someone failing to shove a Dell Mini into his back pocket. Apple continues to claim that people don’t want an underpowered netbook; they want fast and they want powerful. Of course this is belied by the fact Apple continues to offer their white plastic MacBook for sale, and that their “mobile computing platform” of the iPhone and iPod touch has half the processing power of current netbooks.

More over, an article Wired ran last month argued that we’re in the middle of the “good enough” revolution, stating that “the low end has never been riding higher.” An interesting point to consider.

In any case, netbooks are here to stay. It’ll be interesting to seem some the innovations that trickle down towards the end user from higher end computers. An always on data connection, A-GPS, and HDMI connectivity are a great start. What’s next?

Our friends at Kensington recently sent us a little care package of goodies to try out, as they debuted a collection of products specialized for the growing number of netbook users.

Netbooks “" those little tiny computers with a dozen hours of battery life “" are growing hugely in popularity lately. Kensington recently came out with an equally tiny wireless mouse, a reversible sleeve, a security lock, a multi-device power adapter and a good, old-fashioned, wired USB mouse.

After toying around on some of the netbooks we’re reviewing for various purposes, we’re impressed, particularly with the Wireless Mouse for Netbooks and its nano receiver. It’s a small but comfortable mouse and a great alternative to the frustrating touchpads. Just keep a supply of batteries or rechargeables handy.

The Security Lock for Netbooks works with any laptop with that security slot, which is nearly every laptop. It features a coil of wire around a four digit combination lock. The wire is thin, but you can’t beat the portability. It won’t stop a pair of bolt cutters, but it will prevent someone from walking off with it at the library.

I’m not a huge fan of sleeves, but the Reversible Sleeve for Netbooks is a great choice for those of you that are. It fits up to a 10-inch netbook and stretches for some accessories. Forget about a full power cable, though. That’s why we tend to use bigger laptop cases. Maybe we’re old fashioned.

If you’re all like “man, I hate battery-powered wireless mice,” boy, do we have a solution for you. The Wired Mouse for Netbooks was actually our favorite device. We didn’t mind the little bit of wire for the security of an “always working” mouse. It beats carrying around an old Dell mouse in our little netbook sleeve. It’s a plug-and-play mouse that tracks really well on these small screens.

The last item up for bid is the Power Adapter for Netbooks. But they didn’t give us one, so we don’t have much to say about it. From the pics, it appears to come with a variety of charging heads, and it charges both the laptop and your USB-compatible phone. That’s handy. Wish we had one.