A longtime companion at work, school, and on the road, the laptop has finally come home.

Bigger, crisper displays and more usable key layouts have replaced small screens and cramped keyboards. Processors have caught up in speed, and innovative new processors provide some real advantages. Fast CD and DVD recording drives are common, as are ample hard drives. As computers become a repository for digital photos, music, and video, manufacturers are making laptops and the peripherals to which they connect increasingly compatible with home-entertainment systems. And a growing interest in wireless computing plays to the laptop's main strength: its portability. A laptop is the most convenient way to take full advantage of the growing availability of high-speed wireless Internet access at airports, schools, hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Most laptops now have wireless networking capability built in and deliver commendably long battery life. The thinnest laptops on the market are less than an inch thick and weigh just 3 to 5 pounds. To get these light, sleek models, however, you'll have to pay a premium and make a few sacrifices in performance and screen size.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard (which also makes Compaq), Lenovo (formerly branded as IBM), Sony, and Toshiba are the leading Windows laptop brands. Apple makes Mac OS MacBook and MacBook Pro models. Laptops can be grouped into several basic configurations:

Budget models. These have slower processors, fewer features, and lower screen quality than others but are suitable for routine office work and home software. Price: $1,000 or less.

Workhorse/multimedia models. These have faster processors and more built-in devices, so there's less need for external attachments. They also have larger screens and enhanced sound and video components for home-entertainment uses. They're not lightweight or battery-efficient enough for frequent travelers. Price: $1,000 and up.

Slim-and-light models. These are for travelers. They are about an inch thick and weigh about 3 to 4 pounds. Some require an external drive to read DVDs or burn CDs. Price: $1,000 and up.

Tablet-style. These sit in your hand like a clipboard and have handwriting-recognition software. Some convert to a "normal"Δω laptop with a keyboard. Price: $1,600 and up.

FEATURES THAT COUNT

Windows laptops generally have a 1.2- to 3.5-GHz processor. Popular processors include Intel Core Solo and Duo and AMD Turion 64. Apple laptops have made the transition to Intel processors and use Intel's Core Duo. The different types of processors make direct speed comparisons difficult, but any type of processor will probably deliver all the speed you'll need.

Laptops come with a 40- to 160-gigabyte hard drive and 256 megabytes or more of random-access memory (RAM). We recommend at least 512 MB.

Laptops use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In CONSUMER REPORTS tests, a normal battery provided two to five hours of continuous use when running office applications. (Laptops go into sleep mode when used intermittently, extending the time between charges.) You can extend battery life somewhat by dimming the display as you work, turning off wireless devices when they aren't needed, or only using basic applications. Playing a DVD movie uses more battery power than usual, but most laptops should be able to play one through to the end. Many laptops can accept an "extended'Δω battery, adding size and weight but giving as much as twice the battery life.

A laptop's keyboard can be quite different from that of a desktop computer. The keys themselves may be full-sized (generally only lightweight models pare them down), but they may not feel as solid. Some laptops have extra buttons to expedite your access to e-mail or a Web browser, or to control DVD playback. You can attach a USB keyboard, which you may find easier to use.

A 14- to 15-inch display, measured diagonally, should suit most people. Displays that are 17-inches are becoming more common. A resolution of 1280x800 (WXGA) pixels (picture elements) or more is better than 1024x768 (XGA) for viewing the fine detail in photographs or video but may shrink objects on the screen. You can use settings in Windows to make them larger. Many models are now offered with a display that has a glossy surface instead of a matte one. Those look better in bright ambient light, as long as you avoid direct reflections. A "wide-aspect'Δω display (WXGA or WSXGA) fits wide-screen DVD movies better.

Most laptops use a small touchpad in place of a mouse-you slide your finger across the pad to move the cursor. You can also program the pad to respond to a "tap" as a "click", or to scroll as you sweep your index finger along the pad's right edge (or use two fingers). An alternative system uses a pencil-eraser-sized pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard. You can attach a USB mouse or trackball if you prefer.

Laptops usually include at least one PC-card or Expresscard slot for expansion. You might add a wireless-network card or a cellular modem, for example, if those are not built in. Many laptops offer a connection for a docking station, a $100 to $200 base that makes it easy to connect an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, network and power in one step. Most laptops let you attach these devices anyway, without the docking station. An external display lets you set up your workspace more ergonomically. At least two USB ports, for easy hookup of, say, a printer, digital camera, or scanner, is standard. A wired network (Ethernet) port is common, as is a FireWire port for digital-video transfer. Many models have a standard internal wireless-network (Wi-Fi) adapter. An increasingly common option is an internal Bluetooth wireless adapter to link to a cell phone, PDA, or another laptop.

For backing up files or transferring them to other computers, you can use a USB memory drive (about $20 and up), which fits on a keychain and holds up to 8GB. Or save files on a writeable CD or camera-memory card. The small speakers built into laptops often sound tinny, with little bass. Headphones or external speakers deliver much better sound.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Decide if a laptop is right for you. If you're on a tight budget and aren't cramped for space, a comparably equipped desktop computer may be preferable because it costs a few hundred dollars less. It's also a better choice for heavy users who spend hours at the computer each day. Otherwise, consider a laptop. If you'll use it mostly at home, built-in wireless networking lets you use it throughout the house and easily store it.

Windows vs. Macintosh. Many people choose laptops using the Windows operating system because it's what they've always used, but Apple's Mac OSX is a fine alternative. In recent subscriber surveys, Consumer Reports found Apple technical support to be top-notch. According to a recent survey, we also found that Apple computers have been less susceptible to most viruses and spyware than Windows-based computers. Apple's MacBook will suit you if you're interested in basic photo editing, music, video, and office applications, but the 13.3-inch screen is small. The Apple MacBook Pro is suited to more intensive tasks but is relatively expensive as laptops go.

Buy à la carte. Dell and Gateway pioneered the notion that every computer can be tailored to an individual's needs, much like choosing the options for a car. This configure-to-order model is now common practice for laptops as well as desktops.

You can also purchase a computer off the shelf. (You can do the same online if you opt for the default choices of equipment the manufacturer offers.) That's fine if you don't have very strict requirements for how a laptop is outfitted or if you want to take advantage of an attractive sale.

Menus show you all the options and let you see how a change in one affects the overall price. You might decide to use a less-expensive processor, for example, but spend more for wireless capability or better graphics. Configure-to-order will often give you choices you won't get if you buy an off-the-shelf model. And configure-to-order means less chance of overlooking important details. But be sure to double-check your choices before ordering, and look for unwanted items that some manufacturers include by default.

Downplay the processor speed. Speed is no longer the be-all and end-all of personal computers. Current processors deliver all the speed most people need. Spend the money on more memory instead.

Look closely at warranties and insurance. Since the average cost of repair is usually not much more than the average cost of an extended warranty, we don't recommend buying a service you might not use. If you intend to travel a lot, consider buying screen insurance from the manufacturer.

Copyright © 2003-2007 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

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