FAQ

NO. While you will see certain areas across our site which lead you to other sites that sell laptops and other electronics and hardware, this site is here to help you choose a device. You can see features, compare against other devices and get user opinions, but you CANNOT buy from our site.

No, we do not upgrade or repair laptops/hardware.

We gather our information mainly from the web sites of manufacturers. Some of them provide very detailed information, others not so much. In the latter case, we sometimes have to resort to other sources which are not as reliable. These include other catalogs, message boards and phone sellers’ websites. If you think that there is incorrect data in the catalog for your phone, please contact us with the correct data, as well as where you found it, if possible. We thank you in advance.

Expect to pay between US$700 to $2,000 for a new laptop with decent features. Laptops are cheaper than ever, and low-end laptops can be quite a bargain if you’re looking for something to write your papers on for college or just use for utility browsing. It used to be that the LCD screen was the biggest cost of the laptop, but this is not really the case anymore with 20″ LCD screens going for only $200. You may find that you end up paying more for a combination of features, much like you would by adding a high-end package to a car.

When we say laptop we’re talking about a fully featured computer with attached screen that usually weighs between four and 8 pounds and can be carried in your briefcase. There are generally two types of normal laptops: larger, bulkier laptop units weighing in at around 7 or 8 pounds, or smaller notebooks that weigh in at about four or 5 pounds and that may lack a DVD drive. You may also encounter even smaller subnotebooks that have tiny screens and limited performance and storage; going smaller still you have the PDAs and full-featured cellphones.

A typical laptop is about the size of a ream of paper and folds open to allow you to view the screen and access the keyboard. There’s been a trend lately in large, high-end notebooks to increase the form factor beyond the normal 8.5″ x 11″ size. This has been spurred on by the availability of larger 17″ and 20″ diagonal screens.

If you need portability, you want a laptop. If you like to write papers or do your work in a library, at the beach, or while sipping margaritas on your porch on a warm summer day, think about getting a laptop. With wireless Internet available in more places, laptops are handier and handier. If you travel a lot and do work on airplanes, get a laptop. If you don’t have a lot of desk space, get a laptop. If you need a very high-powered workstation, don’t want to pay a premium for your system, or play a lot of 3D games, consider a desktop instead. Laptops are always a step behind desktop computers in speed due to the need to fit everything into such a small case while keeping heat levels and power consumption to a minimum. If you like the idea of upgrading your computer piece by piece, get a desktop system. Laptops are much less upgradeable than desktop systems. Now that prices are so reasonable for low-end equipment, you may want to consider a combination of desktops and laptops for your home.