Cheap Laptops

How to Find the Cheapest Laptop Deals

2010-06-18T18:59:00.000-04:00

Finding the cheapest laptop deals is no easy task. There are a few simple preliminary concepts that will make searching for a cheap laptop less cumbersome.

Before purchasing a new inexpensive laptop you have to decide how much money you are willing to spend. I usually consider cheap laptops to be any laptop under $500. But as technology improves this price threshold will eventually go down. It is important to set a maximum price because it is very easy when shopping for a laptop to lose sight of this price ceiling that you have set for yourself. That extra 2 gigs of RAM may sound like a great deal, but not if it costs you more than you are willing to spend overall. This $500 price cap is my own personal threshold and will vary from person to person.

After setting a price cap, you then have to decide what the most important features and hardware you want to include in your new laptop. When searching for cheap laptops, it is important to focus on three main hardware components. These three main options are hard drive storage, RAM, and processor speed. There are many other important laptop specifications, but these three are the most important things I look for.

Hard drive storage refers to how much space is available on your laptop. This is pretty easy to gauge as most laptops now are between 100 gigs to 1TB. The more space the better, obviously when selecting a cheap laptop deal I would prefer to have 1TB of memory.

RAM is your computer's random access memory. This is a form of computer data storage. Like hard drive storage, more RAM is better when buying a new laptop.

The final specification I am most concerned with when purchasing a cheap notebook is the processor speed. The faster the processor, the better. Having a slow processor is very frustrating because it will undoubtedly affect your computer's performance.

Jonathan Chambers writes about cheap laptop deals at www.cheapestlaptopdeals.net.

Apple dismisses netbook trend

2009-04-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Netbooks have cramped keyboards, small screens, "junky" hardware and bad software, said Tim Cook, chief operating officer of Apple, during a fiscal second-quarter earnings conference call on Wednesday. They don't offer the "consumer experience" that Apple wants to offer through its Macintosh hardware.

"It's not a space ... we're interested in," Cook said. "It's a stretch to call them a personal computer."

People who want to use e-mail or surf the Web can instead buy products such as Apple's iPhone or an iPod Touch, Cook said.

Netbooks are small and low-cost laptops that are designed for people to run basic applications such as Web surfing. Netbooks are priced between $300 and $500, with screens anywhere between 7 inches and 12 inches.

Apple's cheapest laptop costs $999, and it would rather focus on offering quality through its Mac products, Cook said.

In the fiscal second quarter, Apple's desktop sales rebounded with new products, and its lower-end laptop sales picked up as prices dropped. But despite those gains, Apple saw its overall PC shipments fall. It sold 2.22 million Macintosh computers, a 3 percent decline from a year earlier, the company said on Wednesday.

"We feel great about our performance, and the pipeline looks fantastic," Cook said.

Apple reacted strongly to netbooks because the increased adoption of that type of product is annoying them, said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

"If they didn't bother about [netbooks], they wouldn't comment about it," Kay said. Netbooks may not be ideal today, but there is plenty of room for them to mature, he said.

"They get in as a poor cousin like any disruptive technology, but the quality will improve," Kay said.

Netbooks are already being considered the bright spot in an otherwise tumbling PC industry. In the first quarter of 2009, which roughly corresponds to the quarter Apple reported on Wednesday, worldwide PC shipments totaled 63.4 million, according to IDC. That was down 7.1 percent from a year earlier. Some vendors, including Hewlett-Packard and Acer, saw shipments grow, partly due to sustained demand for netbooks, according to IDC.

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Cheap Laptops and coupon codes

2008-12-29T21:18:00.002-05:00

Salivating at all the after Christmas specials? Looking to purchase a cheap laptop or desktop computer? Below you will find some of the end of the year specials on Dell, Hewlett Packard and other computers. Make sure you use the coupon code at checkout so you can save additional money and come away very happy!

Hewlett Packard is currently offering 30 percent off any new HP Pavilion notebook PC $899+ with coupon code NB4355.

Dell which rolls out new specials almost weekly is offering 20% off all Inspiron Laptops $999+ with coupon code 5Z0TC5B4TM83C6.

Visit Cheap stingy bargains for more details and additional coupons for many other deals going on including for cheap desktop computers.

When your done purchasing a desktop or laptop computer, why not come over to http://www.dslone.net for great deals on DSL, Cable Internet or Satellite Internet Service. Compare prices from over 20 providers and save a bundle of money! No telephone required and they also provide availability for Fios and other high-speed internet service providers.

Enjoy your holidays and your new cheap laptop computer!

Many great tech products aren't cheap: Here are some worth the money

2008-11-29T15:22:00.001-05:00

With the economy hitting the skids, consumers are hard-pressed to spend much during the holiday season and they want to get a great deal.

The good news is that consumer-electronics companies and retailers are also feeling the pinch. Many are offering terrific deals on an array of high-tech devices. What's more, great prices can be found every day on the Web, especially at respected online retailers such as Amazon and J&R Electronics.

Here are a few tech ideas for the holidays. Some items aren't exactly cheap, but if you're certain you'll still have a job in a few months, they are worth buying for yourself, your family or friends.

Here are some to consider:

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Wireless Notebook Mouse. Stick in the accompanying USB plug and these mini-mice will work on almost any surface -- bed linen, couches, wooden tables. They are much easier to use than the mice built into laptops. Microsoft's Optical Mouse 3000 and Logitech's V220 can often be found on sale for $20 (the regular price at Amazon).
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Mini-notebook computers. A new class of laptop, minis are relatively inexpensive and easy to tote around. They are half the weight of a traditional laptop and have smaller screens, 9 to 10 inches. Mini-laptops are great for writing and surfing the Web, but lack the power and memory to handle intensive audio or video tasks. Top minis include the Acer Inspire One ($400) and the Asus Eee 1000H with 10-inch screen ($479). One complaint: some minis have cramped keyboards. Give them a test drive first.
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LCD monitors. If you haven't replaced that big old CRT hogging up precious real estate on your desk, buy an LCD. Luxurious 19-inch screens from top brands such as Dell and HP can be purchased for under $200 at Best Buy. Some 17-inch screens sell for less than $150. You'd be surprised at how much better it feels to sit at a desk with a slim screen.

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Buying a cheap laptop?

2008-04-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

If your on a budget and a low-cost laptop is the best you can afford, I have a few tips for you.

Memory! You should at least purchase a notebook with a minimum of 1gb of laptop memory or preferably 2 gigs! If your not a gamer you can choose integrated graphics as there is no need for a more advanced video card from nvidia or ati.

If your not going to travel with your laptop then a basic battery should suffice, as this option will keep your cost down.

You may also elect not to purchase anti virus software beyond the free trial that most pc vendors give you. You can instead download free virus protection software such as AVG which is just as good as the more expensive options like Norton.

Last but not least, look for coupon codes on the internet to save you even more money. Laptop makers like DELL and HP have coupons available daily that will save you as much as 30% on your order and make your cheap notebook computer even cheaper!

Do you need Internet Service for your laptop?

2008-02-02T01:15:00.000-05:00

So you just purchased your brand new cheap laptop and are looking for Affordable Broadband or DSL for your notebook computer. What are your choices?

1- Wireless Internet is your first choice if you have a home network and an adapter.

2- If your laptop is your main computer, you can choose either DSL or Cable Internet from your local provider.

Are you looking for the latest deals on broadband? Go to www.dslone.net for the best offers for High-Speed Internet Access. If you live in the following counties you can go directly to that page:

Pierce Mecklenburg Jefferson Suffolk EL Paso Dekalb Jefferson Kern Multnomah Oklahoma Jackson Baltimore Norfolk Lake Wake Providence Monmouth Hudson Cobb Snohomish Bucks Gwinnett Kent DC Davidson Hidalgo San Joaquin Tulsa Montgomery Bernalillo

Enjoy your new laptop and choose your Internet Provider wisely!

Configuring a cheap affordable laptop

2008-01-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

We all want to save money, especially if were in need of a cheap laptop. What would be the minimum configuration though that would have saved you money on your new laptop but also makes you feel that you have purchased a quality second or back-up notebook?

Memory: Probably the most important, 1gb is the minimum. How many times have we blamed our slow computer on the Internet? Well when you add extra memory it gives your laptop that extra boost.

The rest all depends on your needs, wifi, graphics card, etc. etc.

Battery: Get the battery with the most juice. You'll be kicking yourself when all you get is less than 2 hours of work time on your labtop.

If you have DSL or High-speed Internet and you roam around the house with your computer go for the wireless-N wifi card. They are backwards compatible with b/g, so you can use your computer when n isn't available, but the distance you get with wireless n is amazing especially when you use your laptop with a compatible router.

So go ahead and get that cheap laptop, but an inexpensive notebook computer doesn't mean it won't deliver when you need it!

Most affordable computers with quality components? The winner?

DELL

Cheapest Laptops

2008-01-05T01:50:00.000-05:00

Dell has the Inspiron 1525 which at $499.00 is the cheapest and most affordable laptop I could find on their website. Cnet has not reviewed the computer as of yet.

HP offers the Compaq Presario C700T notebook computer for the starting price of $449.99, again no review yet by cnet as this laptop has just been released.

Both these laptops are customizable and offer good deals for the budget conscious consumer looking for a school or home office computer.

Looking for a cheap laptop? How's $200 sound?

2007-08-22T23:31:00.000-04:00

These days, laptops come in three flavors: ultra-thin, average all around, and ultra-powerful. Hitting either extreme, whether you're looking for maximum portability or performance, will typically hit your wallet pretty hard as well. Electronics purveyor Asus is looking to shake up that perception with its "Eee" line. The three E's evidently stand for easy to learn, easy to work, and easy to play. It looks like Asus might add easy on the wallet, too.

According to a forum post on EeeUser.com, Asus wants to have two of its inexpensive laptops out toward the end of this year. For somewhere between $250-$400, you'll be able to tote around a laptop with a dinky 7-inch display, 512 MB of RAM, a small internal flash drive and Wi-Fi. It looks like buyers will have the ability to upgrade certain components for a bit more money, like springing for a larger hard drive or a more powerful battery. The EeePC's specs might make it sound a bit weak, but they should be easy to lug around — Asus plans for the Eee notebooks to be around an inch thick or less, and weigh about two pounds.

Unfortunately for us in the U.S.A., it looks like the drool-worthy price of $200 will only be slapped on an Eee laptop variant sold overseas. A super-cheap, super-portable laptop would be a dream come true for those of us who don't want to lug around our lap-crushing work notebooks every time we take a trip.

Cheap laptops for poor children programme runs into problems

2007-04-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

he One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) programme that aims to provide an innovative portable computer to poor children around the world is running into difficulties that have forced major changes to the initiative.

The small computers, which were originally meant to run on an open-source operating system and sell for $100 each, will now also run a version of Microsoft's Windows operating system and cost $175 each, Fortune magazine reported Friday.

The Fortune report quoted project creator Nicholas Negroponte as saying he had still not succeeded in landing the three million orders for OLPC that were needed to get production started, prompting a new strategy to also market the laptops to state governments in the US.

"We need to trigger a supply chain for three million units to get started, and need a few large agreements to kick it off," Negroponte said.

He said the project was now "at the most critical stage of its life", but he remained optimistic about its prospects, adding that new countries, including Peru and Russia, have inquired about taking part. He said he was hopeful that the price would drop to $100 per unit once sufficient volume was reached.

In addition, the rising cost of materials - in particular nickel, was responsible for the increased price of the machine. The rollout had also been pushed back because of changes in the design, which were "not unusual in technology development projects".

The lime-green-and-white devices feature a string pulley to charge its batteries, with a minute of yanking yielding 10 minutes of electricity. The computer relies on flash memory rather than a disk drive, and features a digital video camera, wireless connectivity and Linux open-source operating software tailored for remote regions. The display can switch from colour to black-and-white for viewing in direct sunlight and the computer uses just two watts of power compared to the typical laptop's 30 to 40 watts.

Australian state considers cheap laptops for remote children

2007-03-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

The government in Australia's Northern Territory is considering handing out cheap laptop computers to students in remote areas.

The United Nations 'one laptop-one child' initiative is already underway in Argentina, Rwanda and Pakistan.

The computers cost $US140 and use four watts of power.

This means they can operate on alternative energy, like solar power.

The Northern Territory Department of Education's Gregory Moo says the initiative could help improve the literacy and numeracy skills of Aboriginal children.

"We were fortunate to receive two machines and we've looked at them fairly extensively from a technical point of view," he said.

"I suppose the next step for us is to look at a whole class or a whole school.

"Some of the networking and collaboration features that these machines offer really can't be explored until you have all the children with the device."

Should You Buy a Used Laptop or a Refurbished Laptop

2007-02-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

You may be thinking that you are not able to afford a laptop computer, but perhaps you have not considered a used laptop as an option. A used laptop will afford you the opportunity to own a notebook computer at a price that will not put a huge dent in your wallet. Often you can purchase a gently used name brand laptop at a fraction of the retail cost.

There are many avenues to consider if you are thinking about purchasing a used laptop. You may decide to check your local ads, purchase one off lease, or purchase a refurbished computer. There is no right or wrong answer when deciding which method is best for your purchase; it is really up to you.

However, you may be more comfortable purchasing your used laptop off lease or buying a refurbished one. While there is nothing wrong with finding your laptop through the local newspaper ads, buying one off lease or refurbished may offer you a little more protection.

Whereas you have to deal with an unknown individual if you purchase through a newspaper ad, buying a leased or refurbished used laptop offers a bit more security, as most times you are dealing directly with a company; and it is much easier, most times, to solve potential problems with your purchase when you are dealing with a company.

One company that has a great reputation of offering used laptops is Compaq. You can often purchase a virtually new, used laptop from Compaq for hundreds less than you would spend on a new laptop computer. These used laptops are sold as “refurbished”, which can mean something as minor as a scratch on the cover.

There is no need to be hesitant if you are considering purchasing a used laptop. In most cases, you will find that your laptop will perform just as well as a brand-new computer. And if your used laptop is refurbished, there is a strict set of guidelines that companies must follow when reselling these computers to the general public.

Almost all companies that sell used laptops work extra hard to ensure that their product will perform for the consumer for a long time to come. You should also be sure to check into warranty information for the used laptop that you are considering purchasing. If you take a little care, you should have no problem finding a used laptop that suits your needs.

Brenda has used many laptops, and has a nice list of used laptops and refurbished laptops and information on how to get free laptops.

Cheap Laptops-Buy This Marvellous Piece Of Technology For Less

2007-01-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

Desktops are passe. And in case you are still stuck with one, replace it immediately with a more convenient notebook or a slim laptop. Laptops were a luxury item at the time of their introduction, but as it happens with every technologically inspired product, they too became a necessity with the passage of time. Today, you wouldn’t be surprised to find every other kid in the block proudly boasting about or displaying his own. It is no longer just a luxury or a necessity, it is a device to be proudly owned and flaunted!

Laptops are such marvellous pieces of technology that they have taken the whole world by storm. Advancements are being made in it with each passing day and every new innovation becomes outdated even before it actually becomes known to the world. Prices of laptop too keep fluctuating with the latest ones being atrociously expensive and the precedent models immediately coming within your reach. Various factors that determine the price of any cheap laptop are its brand, model and configuration. Always keep your usage and purpose in mind before going in for the laptop of your choice.

Laptops, no doubt, are expensive commodities. But with the advent of e-shops and Cashback portals, they are now well within the grasp of common man. Web offers cheap new laptops under various schemes at prices that are much lower than the high street. Plus, you also receive additional gifts and incentives in the form of cashback that such portals offer to their members. All in all, it’s the customer who gains the maximum out of the whole bargain. This exciting and innovative piece of technology is up there for grabs…click your mouse and it can be yours forever!

Adam Jaylin is the incharge of Internet Marketing division at UK Online Market.

Discount Laptops

2007-01-16T23:49:00.002-05:00

Buying discount laptops is one of the means of saving hundreds of dollars needed to buy a new laptop. Generally, laptops are expensive, sometimes two times more than that of a desktop PC and are not affordable for most low budget people. For those who are looking for a cheap laptop PC with same functions of an advanced laptop, a discount laptop is the best solution. Discount laptops are cheap, smaller in size, and very suitable for business travelers and executives.

Promotional exposures, secondhand or outdated, and operational faults are the major reasons for selling laptops at a discounted price. A laptop manufacturing industry requires a comparatively large investment; so the discount on new laptops is a part of their promotional endorsement of leading manufacturers. Sometimes discount is offered as seasonal reductions. Discount from a secondary manufacturer or supplier is not ideal. Purchasing a discount laptop is also not a good idea if you are not familiar with the quality and the reputation of goods that a supplier is selling. Most of these sellers sell laptops which may be refurbished, reconditioned, or not work at all. So, the purchaser should careful while selecting a discount laptop.

To promote the sales rate and clear out the old stocks, computer manufactures and suppliers sell laptops with discounts. Launching of a new laptop technology will dramatically reduce the price of older versions; hence one can purchase these at discount rates. You can purchase a good discount laptop at less than $1000. Selecting laptops with only those features that you need will save you many dollars. Purchasing from secondhand sellers also help you to get good discount laptops.

There are many ways to purchase discount laptops. You can purchase discount laptops directly from manufacturers or from retailers. Shopping through these suppliers is an ideal option to get a notebook PC within a budget. Another source for getting discount laptops is online shopping.

Some retailers offer after-sale service for discount laptops, while online merchants will not offer services after the sale.

Top 10 Laptops

2007-01-16T23:49:00.001-05:00

Laptop computers, also called notebook computers, are functionally similar to the desktop computers. Today, laptops are mainly used by almost all computer professionals and business people.

Leading manufacturers introduce new versions each year. So finding the top 10 laptops from this wide spectrum of the computer world is quite difficult. Some of the latest laptops available are Gateway NX850XL, Toshiba Qosmio G35, Toshiba Satellite M65, Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P, HP Compaq Presario V5000Z, Dell XPS M170, ThinkPad T60, HP Compaq nx6110, MacBook Pro, and ThinkPad X41 Tablet.

Gateway NX850XL is a best home desktop-replacement laptop. This series is noted for high performance, bright and sharp display, and top-speed components. Mostly come with 17-inch display, this type of laptops are generally called as "consumer line of laptops." The laptops come with high-end graphics card, external TV tuner, and latest Intel Core Duo processors. The body is comparatively large and which has wide space to accommodate 10-key numeric keypad and speakers.

Toshiba Qosmio G35 is the best tricked-out multimedia laptop. This state-of-the-art machine has set features of crisp display, A/V controls, built-in TV tuner, and latest audio controls. Double-layer DVD burner is an added facility.

Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P is a latest ultra portable laptop specifically designed for business purposes. Features include long life battery, best multimedia controls, and double-layer DVD burner. HP Compaq Presario V5000Z is a good performance laptop available at a low price. This attractive system has double-layer optical drive and multi-format media-card reader.

Dell XPS M170 is a high performance laptop with features such as top shelf processor and graphics engine, and good multimedia facilities. This model is the slimmest and fastest gaming machines in the laptop industry.

ThinkPad T60 is a thin, light weight laptop series with strong security features. It features state-of-the-art internal and external support with a full range of network connections and top-shelf performance.

HP Compaq nx6110 is light weight, inexpensive laptop for small business. Well labeled ports and slots, long life battery, premium Pentium M processor, and 40GB hard drive provide comprehensive support for your business work. MacBook Pro, well known for its design, is one of the powerful laptops from the Apple. Two models are available in this category.

Toshiba Satellite M65, popularly known as the most colorful laptop, is a midsize, reasonable price laptop with excellent multimedia support, double-layer DVD burner, best speakers, mobile performance, and long battery life.

Best Laptops

2007-01-16T23:47:00.000-05:00

Best laptops are quality keeping notebooks that have the state-of-the-art technical features to cater for your business, educational, and entertainment needs. The best laptop for a user means a laptop with a good design, reliability in function, affordable to the budget, and easy to use. It assists him with a wide range of technical support to cater for his specific needs.

To withstand the competition and rapid changes in the laptop industry, manufacturers have introduced new laptops or advanced versions in each intervals. Today, the demand for laptops is fast growing. As the demand increased, the number of available models also increased. So, the user should be careful while selecting a laptop. Reviews on laptops help you to select the best in the market. Individuals can approach the Internet, which provide you with laptop models with configuration, price range, and rating.

The best laptops are well known for their innovative performances and durability. These are calculated using a number of tips related to the functionality of PCs. Screen size, portability, speed, upgradeability, memory, batteries, hard drives, hardware, and price are the major factors to determine whether a laptop is best or not. Even though laptops with different screen sizes and resolutions are available, the best notebooks feature wide screens with great resolution for good picture quality. For best gaming laptops, the minimum screen size is 15.4 inches and resolution is either XGA (1024 by 768 dots) or SXGA (1280 x 1024 dots). A best laptop is comfortable for your business meetings and trips.

Speed is another major consideration while searching for a best laptop. A high- speed processor offers the best performance. Laptops generally use memory devices of 128 MB of RAM, 256 MB RAM, or 512 MB of RAM. Laptop with memory size greater than 256 can run applications efficiently regardless of the operation system. For web surfing and occasional typing, laptop with a minimum of 256 MB RAM is used.

Best laptops always come with top quality hardware. Batteries are mainly used for supplying power to the laptop. Lithium batteries are long-life batteries. Standard DVD/floppy drives are used for best performance. Laptops cost much more than desktop computers. But compared to the functionalities, this price rate is not big.

Laptops provides detailed information on Laptops, Cheap Laptops, Used Laptops, Refurbished Laptops and more. Laptops is affiliated with Laptop Hinge Repair.

Cheap laptops to revolutionize software

2007-01-05T02:16:00.000-05:00

Forget windows, folders and boxes that pop up with text. When students in Thailand, Libya and other developing countries get their $150 (U.S.) computers from the One Laptop Per Child project this year, their experience will be unlike anything on standard PCs.

For most of these children the XO machine, as it's called, likely will be the first computer they've ever used. Because the students have no expectations for what PCs should be like, the laptop's creators started from scratch in designing a user interface they figured would be intuitive for children.

The result is as unusual as — but possibly even riskier than — other much-debated aspects of the machine, such as its economics and distinctive hand-pulled mechanism for charging its battery. (XO has been known as the $100 laptop because of the ultra-low cost its creators eventually hope to achieve through mass production.)

For example, students who turn on the small green-and-white computers will be greeted by a basic home screen with a stick-figure icon at the centre, surrounded by a white ring. The entire desktop has a black frame with more icons.

This runic setup signifies the student at the middle. The ring contains programs the student is running, which can be launched by clicking the appropriate icon in the black frame.

When the student opts to view the entire "neighbourhood" — the XO's preferred term instead of "desktop" — other stick figures in different colours might appear on the screen. Those indicate schoolmates who are nearby, as detected by the computers' built-in wireless networking capability.

Moving the PC's cursor over the classmates' icons will pull up their names or photos. With further clicks the students can chat with each other or collaborate on things — an art project, say, or a music program on the computer, which has built-in speakers.

The design partly reflects a clever attempt to get the most from the machine's limited horsepower. To keep costs and power demands low, XO uses a slim version of the Linux operating system, a 366-megahertz processor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and no hard disk drive. Instead it has 512 megabytes of flash memory, plus USB 2.0 ports where more storage could be attached.

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How about cheap laptops for 14.98?

2006-12-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

Just found out that stephon marbury new sneakers starbury just sold it's 3 millionth sneaker. Wow! How about a laptop for that price?

According to Cnet, the top ranked budget laptop is the Toshiba Satellite P105-S6024.

It's priced at 914 dollars though?

Cnet's other top picks:

HP Pavilion dv2000t

HP Pavilion dv6000t (Core 2 Duo)

Toshiba Satellite A105-S4074

Averatec 3360

Cheap laptop for poor kids ships

2006-11-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

A non-profit organisation, One Laptop per Child, has shipped a laptop that will retail for less than a $100, aimed at making computers as a learning tool available to poor children.

The first laptops, made for poor children in developing countries, were showed to the US State Department recently, reports The Inquirer.

Although the laptop is currently selling at $125 a pop, Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab — who founded One Laptop per Child — hopes that the price will drop to a $100 by 2008.

According to The Inquirer, 900 units will be manufactured early in 2007, which will be distributed amongst software developers to create applications for it, after which the computers will be mass-produced.

The project is not without its share of criticism though, reports the International Herald Tribune. These range from environmental concerns, to the tech community doubting whether a computer can be made for a $100.

The computers will also be undergoing stringent testing during the next couple of weeks: "We have to test, test, test this machine under conditions of extreme cold, extreme heat, mud, dust, jungle and daily abuse by kids," Negroponte told the International Herald Tribune.

The project also rattled the tech community, as a low-cost computer will probably need to run on free — or almost free — software, introducing millions of children to the world of open source software.

Source: cooltech.iafrica.com

Buy A Laptop Computer Online Securely And Get The Best Deals

2006-11-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

Cheap Laptops

There is a reason the internet is still working and growing at a rapid rate. It is simply the best place to get a great deal on just about everything. You can buy a laptop computer online and easily save 25% to 60% off retail price. How can this be? Online companies do not have the overhead a regular store has, thus passing the savings onto the consumer!

Thanks to ever advancing technology buying online is safer than ever. Websites install encrypting security technology to help assure a privacy safe transaction. The information given from the consumer to the merchant is scrambled, so no one can read it. On secure websites you will notice a little "lock" in the lower right side of the screen. Another clue if a website is secure, upon ordering the URL address will start with "https//". This is a reassurance to consumers that the site is secure.

Choosing which laptop PC to buy online is a whole other subject. It is best to stay with the companies with proven technology such as IBM, Dell, HP, Toshiba and the other big name brands. These companies have the best reputations for producing great notebook computers.

The best part about shopping online is how easy it is to view all the products without having to go from store to store. Wasting gas and time and energy. Through the internet, it is also very easy to buy. Most e-commerce sites accept many forms of payment. Major credit cards and even Paypal. This too assures a secure purchase because they also have security techniques in place to prevent fraud.

One of the best reasons to buy a laptop computer online remains the deal. Typical computer users update equipment about once every two years because of the ever changing technical world. This could get expensive, but what they know more than the average consumer is buying online is cheaper. A lot cheaper.

Many options are open to the PC user when it comes to purchasing a new notebook. One could buy a new notebook PC, or to save even more money buying refurbished laptops is a great alternative. Computers can be reconditioned fairly easily with great success. Used laptops are brought back to original working condition by replacing, or repairing old parts. This is very popular because laptops really can last a long time with few problems.

No matter what PC is best for you, an excellent cost saving option for purchasing mobile computers is to buy online. Get the best deal and save time and energy while doing it.

Online Crazy Deals is a safe shopping site offering the best in computer and mobile technology.

Beware cheap laptops, say police after $100,000 raid

2006-11-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

Police in Christchurch are warning people not to be tempted by offers of cheap laptop computers after a $100,000 burglary in the city.

More than 50 Hewlett Packard and Compaq computers, together with printers monitors and other computer gear disappeared from a suburban warehouse early on Labour Day, police said today.

A small white flat deck Isuzu truck was taken from the Addington distribution warehouse and used to make several trips removing the gear, Detective Sergeant Todd Hamilton, of Christchurch police, said.

The truck was recovered several kilometres away in Harewood the following day, October 24.

Mr Hamilton said the value of the stolen equipment was "getting close to $100,000".

Police wanted to hear from anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the Addington area on Labour Day or had noticed the movements of the Isuzu truck.

Mr Hamilton said the large number of computers taken in the raid "have to go somewhere" and police wanted to hear from anyone who was being offered cut-rate laptops.

People buying items for "considerably less than the going rate" were liable to be charged with receiving, he said.

If police seized items as stolen goods, purchasers were unlikely to get them back and would lose their money.

Lame Duck Or Mobile Jack-of-all-trades: Cheap Laptops

2006-09-26T23:21:00.000-04:00

A simple search on Internet price comparison engines turns them up: new laptops available for as little as 600 dollars. But what is the consumer getting for that price - a high- tech PC for general use or a lame duck that will barely live out the season?

"Laptops in the entry-level class for 600 to 800 dollars are best used as advanced typewriters or for surfing the Internet - but not for daily mobile use," says Thomas Rau from the Munich-based magazine PC-Welt. His opinion is based not least upon the fact that their heavy weight of around three kilogrammes makes them uninviting for constant carrying.

These low-priced portable computers are most likely to please buyers who do not expect extreme performance out of them: "Normal users can - at least in terms of processing power - bring home a plain laptop without any concerns," says Michael Wolf from the German consumer testing organization Stiftung Warentest in Berlin. "The only ones who need the processing power found in expensive laptops are those who play very quick 3D games or who want to do special applications like professional video or picture editing or hard disc recording."

Affordable and expensive laptops perform differently because of the components used inside: the most important differences involve the processor, the main memory, and the size of the hard drive, explains Alexander Brand, product manager at Hewlett-Packard (HP). The software is another way to differentiate between the chaff and the wheat. The cheaper devices often offer Microsoft Windows XP Home as an operating system, whereas the higher price class tends to offer XP Professional.

No new laptop should have less than 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM, feels Michael Wolf from Stiftung Warentest. Double that amount is called for if videos are to be edited. The hard drive should hold at least 40 gigabytes (GB), says Thomas Rau.

The most important difference between the laptop price classes can be seen in the CPU and graphics processors. Expensive units work with Pentium M or dual core chips, while cheaper devices use slower chips like the Intel Celeron or the AMD Sempron. "They have a lower processing speed of 1.7 to 1.8 gigahertz, but not all of the energy saving functions," says Thomas Rau. That old nugget about energy- guzzling desktop processors being built into cheaper laptops has not been the case for a few years now, however, the expert reports.

A quick graphics card - essential for 3D action games - can only be found in significantly more expensive laptops. "The cheapest often have only simply graphics solutions, but for current office and multimedia applications that's quite acceptable," explains Michael Wolf.

Another cost factor is the size and quality of the monitor. The bigger, the more expensive, the rule of thumb goes. Fifteen inches is standard for entry-level devices. "A laptop of that type can be placed on a writing desk or held under your arm," Wolf says. Mobile computers in the 800-dollar class are less well suited for "computer aided field work," however: a display must be very bright and be of high quality to provide good images outside in summer.

Those who intend to use the laptop frequently on the road should consider buying a light subnotebook with a 12 inch screen, Wolf recommends. "Subnotebooks or notebooks with a particularly low weight are typically found in the upper price classes, however," says Alexander Brand from HP. Miniaturization costs money.

One stumbling block in the evaluation of laptop power is the battery. The customer is often working blind here, since the data provided by manufacturers is not always to be trusted: "There are scores of laptops that can't even make two hours under realistic conditions," recounts Michael Wolf of his experience with laptops. If the manufacturers list the battery life at 2 hours, then the risk is high that the actual figure isn't long enough to watch a video DVD.

The influence of the processor on the battery life amounts to maximally 15 to 20 per cent, says Thomas Rau. "If you turn down the brightness or turn off the WLAN, you can save more energy than with a thrifty processor."

By Arnd Petry,

$10 laptops for children?

2006-09-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

If MIT's Nicholas Negroponte can try and sell laptops to children at $100, Indians are aspiring to better him many times and sell similar laptops at an unbelievable price of $10, or Rs 450 each.

Having rejected Negroponte's offer of $100 (the real price was coming to $200) for children of less developed countries, HRD and telecom ministry officials and experts from IITs and Indian Institute of Science met last week to devise a roadmap for the indigenous laptop.

One official who attended the meeting said: " No one had any doubt about the feasibility of the project. Everyone is enthusiastic and wants a quick rollout. But we have given ourselves three years before the first $10 laptop comes out."

When the $100/laptop proposal had come in April, Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT, Chennai, had not only pointed out various problems relating to cost and technology but also offered to devise a much cheaper but equally advanced computer for schoolchildren.

As a first step, the meeting identified critical challenge areas and set up six anchor groups which would be in touch with experts in these critical areas and remove bottlenecks.

Institutions like IITs/IISc have been identified as anchor institutions for the project and entrusted with the task of research and development of cheap laptops.

The critical area that needs to be stressed is creating a low cost device which works towards digital literacy for all. Explaining digital literacy, one official said: "We are working on the premise that if illiterates can handle television and other electronic equipment, why not computers?"

The other critical area is training of mothers. "If the mother is trained, the entire family can become computer literate," the official said. The final critical area relates to standardisation of content and methods for vetting it. Officials working on the project say cheap laptops would mean nothing without a good bandwidth connection.

The Breakthrough for Laptops Came in 1983

2006-08-21T00:17:00.001-04:00

When the first personal computer arrived, people were in awe. Suddenly they had a computer as powerful as a huge mainframe that could sit on their desk, or in their home. It was an amazing feeling. Little did those people know, however, that something even more remarkable was soon to happen – they’d be able to pick that computer up and carry it with them.

The first laptops were not so much portable as they were ‘luggable’ – you could get them from one place to another, but only just, and you probably wouldn’t want one on your lap, which was why they weren’t know as laptops yet. These computers were quite common in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

The real breakthrough for laptops came in 1983. This was the year when the first PC-compatible laptop, the Compaq Portable, was released and also the year when the term ‘laptop’ was first coined by the makers of the Gavilan SC, the first such computer to run on batteries alone. The first real commercial breakthrough, the TRS-80 Model 100 (Tandy 100), came that same year, thanks to its low price.

Since then, laptops have had a considerable presence in the PC market. IBM started cranking out laptops from 1986, and Toshiba followed in 1987. By 1989, Apple was making the first portable Macs.

In 1991, Apple’s Powerbook introduced the laptop layout that is universal today – the keyboard at the top, mouse trackball at the bottom, with room to rest your wrists. The design was quickly copied by IBM for its ThinkPad range, and then by other laptop manufacturers after that.

Since then, improvements have been mostly incremental, but two things stand out. The introduction of Windows 95 in 1995 made laptop power management much simpler, allowing them to standby and hibernate in a standardised manner. The addition of lithium batteries has also been a turning point, allowing laptops to hold a much longer charge than they used to be able to.

John Gibb is the owner of Laptop resources
For more information on Laptops check out http://www.laptop-computer-sources4u.info

Cheap Laptops

A Buyer's Guide to Laptops

2006-08-21T00:17:00.000-04:00

When you’re buying a laptop, it can be difficult to know what to look for. Most people have bought a desktop system before, but the number of first-time laptop owners is growing every year, and the configuration of laptops is different in many notable ways.

In laptops, one of the most vital things to look for is a long battery life. Don’t trust what the manufacturer says – look for objective, independent tests instead. A laptop is just about useless if its battery lasts a few hours, unless you only plan to use it in places where there’s a power outlet to plug it into.

Another very important factor is the laptop’s weight. If your laptop is too heavy, then it’ll end up just sitting on your desk, acting as an overpriced desktop system, or perhaps breaking your shoulders when you try to carry it around. It is far better to sacrifice a little speed for a lighter weight – trust me on this one.

An often-ignored factor that is well worth paying attention to is the build quality of your laptop. Laptops are expensive, so it’s tempting to just get the cheapest one you can find, but it’s enormously frustrating when the case starts to crack, the keys start to fall off the keyboard, the system starts to overheat, and so on. It’s just not worth it to buy a badly-built laptop, no matter how cheap it might be.

While wireless networking technology isn’t unique to laptops, it is much more important in laptops than it is in other computers. If you are buying a laptop now, you’re almost certainly going to want to use it with a wireless network some time over the next few years, and you should choose a system that makes this as painless as possible, or you’ll regret it at some point.

John Gibb is the owner of Laptop resources
For more information on Laptops check out http://www.laptop-computer-sources4u.info