Five Features No New Laptop Should Be Without

"In many vertical markets, rugged-ization and durability arevery important, with features like shock mounted [hard disk drives]or SDDs, crumple zones in the notebook in case of accidental drops,and spill-proof keyboards," says David Daoud, an analyst with IDC , a Framingham, Mass.-based technology research firm.
 
Not everyone is sold on SSDs, however. Michael Gartenberg, vicepresident and research director at the New York-based Jupiter Research firm, says small businesses watching their budget might be turnedoff at the relatively high costs of SSDs compared to traditionalhard drives. “While battery life is improved, you’lldefinitely pay a premium for not a lot of disk space, plus theclaims about [increased] performance are not proven,” saysGartenberg. “The best bang for your buck is still is magnetic[hard disk] storage.”

Integrated cell connections
Rather than hunting for a Wi-Fi hotspot, your laptop can log onlineanywhere you can get cell phone reception -- even while on a movingtrain or in the back of a cab. A new trend is for laptop makers toinclude integrated GSM/GPRS connectivity, giving you access to awireless carrier while on the go. Some even include support forhigh-speed “3G” connections, offering broadband-likewireless speeds.
 
“Integrated WAN and GPS are interesting new features inlaptops,” agrees Gartenberg. But he cautions “you needto decide if you’re willing to make an investment in acarrier, which is not unlike a cell phone commitment.” “In the wireless world, we also expect Qualcomm’s Gobochip to find a great deal of interest, among those who travel a lotand travel across regions with different wireless broadbandstandards,” adds Daoud.
 
Side view screens
Many laptops today include a 2.5-inch colour liquid crystal display(LCD) on the opposite side of your screen -- just as your flipphone might have a smaller screen on the outside (mainly to showwho’s calling). Some Windows Vista-based laptops include anextra “SideShow” screen so you can quickly readdownloaded emails, notes or calendar appointments -- all withouthaving to turn on the PC.

Gartenberg agrees a “mini environment in which you canrapidly boot up to look at a calendar or access a Webbrowser” is appealing, though SideShow hasn’t caught onjust yet: “It remains as a promise more than a fulfillment atthis point.”