How to Choose a Laptop

Choose a laptop that is solid and sturdy, but is not too heavy. If you need to carry your laptop often, then you can opt for a lighter one. You can choose an ultraportable laptop, if you consider weight as an important factor over price, battery life, usability and reliability. Make sure that you are comfortable with the keyboard's touch and responsiveness.
Select a display according to your budget. You can select from a range of options like active-matrix display for best visual quality and quick response, HPA (High Performance Addressing) if you have a high budget, and dual scan display if you have a limited budget.
The measurement of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens for a laptop should be from 13 to 21 inches. The resolution of the screen can be as low as 800 x 600 pixels or as high as 1600 x 1200. The screen image will look crisper if it bears more pixels.
Find out about the configuration of the laptop including the hard disk size, amount of RAM (Random Access Memory), processor and its speed. Choose a laptop which has a 2 GB RAM, 2.0 GHz processor and 100 GB Hard Drive.
Test if the track pad or pointing device is functioning properly and you are able to master handling the pointing device. Analyze, if the laptop's bottom gets uncomfortably hot while in operation, as it may cause a problem to your lap due to the heat emitted. Ensure that your laptop has a lithium ion battery, as they have more battery life and are easily rechargeable.
Choose a laptop that has at least two USB 2 connections and one Firewire connection. Firewire and USB 2 connections are very fast and popular ways of connecting digital cameras, iPods and phones, etc.
Check if the laptop has a wireless network card (called Wi-Fi of 802.11), as it will enable you to have a wireless Internet connection. Bluetooth connection will also enable you to share information with other devices having Bluetooth. You can also opt for a wireless Internet card and USB flash drive
See if the laptop has a good central processing unit (CPU) and a good RAM, based on your needs and usage. Get a DVD burner, installed as it will help in backing up music files, pictures, documents, etc.
Install an anti-theft device that will secure your laptop. You can also install software that will disable the laptop, if it is stolen and will also report the location of the laptop if it connects to the Internet.
And finally, get the laptop installed with a Universal Security Slot (USS) and anti-spam and anti-virus software program.
Now that you've gone through this guide on the ways to choose a laptop, I'm sure you'll not find it a hectic task. Go through the recent models and new arrivals in the market when you want to choose a laptop. You can also buy a laptop bag which will make it easier to carry your laptop around. Chalk out your budget before you choose a new laptop. There are many brands that are available in the market. Hence going through all the features will ensure that you get the best deal for your money.