Of course we can’t carry a desktop everywhere we go, so the laptop was introduced to answer our prayers.  As laptops became too bulky and power hungry, notebooks were released. When our desire to fit our computers in our back pockets became too much, netbooks arrived on the scene. But what really are the differences between these three classes? Are they significant? Which is the best for you? Hopefully, the guide below will help you choose which option best fits your lifestyle.

Laptops – As the largest and most powerful of the group, the laptop is slowly replacing the desktop as the standard home computer.

• Approximately 14-17 inch screen.

• Full Sized Keyboard

• 2GB of RAM or more (upgradable)

• Advanced Graphics Card, Nvidia, ATI, etc. (usually 128MB or more)

• Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Modem, Bluetooth.

• Quality Sound Card and Speakers

• Approx. 3 Hour Battery Life

• DVD+/-RW Drive

• Low Energy/High Performing Processor

• Large Hard Drive

Notebooks – The more portable, less powerful, and lighter cousin of the laptop, notebooks offer a good compromise of power and mobility.

• Approximately 12-14 Inch Screen

• Basic (usually integrated) Graphics System

• Approx. 4-5 Hours of Battery Life

• Fewer Ports

• Either No Internal Drive, or a Basic CD/DVD-ROM drive

• Smaller Hard Drive

• About 1GB of RAM

• Smaller, More Compact Keyboard

• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet

• Energy Saving Processor

Netbooks – The ultimate solution for mobile computing. Netbooks are generally extremely light-weight, small, and energy-efficient. As you can tell by their name, they are best suited for internet users who need to stay connected on the go.

• Approximately 8-10 Inch Screen

• No Internal CD or DVD drive

• Extremely Small Keyboard.

• Lower Performing, But Very Energy-Efficient Processor

• Few Ports

• Most Are Cheaper Then Laptops or Notebooks.

• Sometimes use Solid State Drives (lower capacity, power-saving) instead of Hard Drives

• 1GB or Less of RAM

• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet

• Extremely Minimal Graphics System

• Weigh around 2-3 pounds

Overall as you can see there are many options and styles today to suit your portable computing needs. If you a serious heavy computer user and want the most powerful version then a Laptop is for you. If you want it all, but can comprimise a little on power & specs then a notebook is your flavor. Lastly, if you just want the ultimate portability and really need a computer solution for basic work, but mainly internet use then a netbook is your winner. Hopefully this  guide was helpful to you in choosing which option best fits your lifestyle. Enjoy and happy computing!

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When you think of amazing tech products I’m sure computers come to mind, but who would have thought that amazing innovation can come in the form of a bag? Well it does thanks to the Aerovation CPF Laptop Bag that helps carry your precious tech product, but most importantly allows you to easily get through the airport security hassle free!

What is so innovative about the Aerovation CPF® Laptop Bag is how you can enjoy an excellent practical form factor to carry your laptop, but also relish in the new amazing design with the bag having separate compartments for carrying your laptop and other items. This makes getting through those nasty check points super simple. For example, when you get to the scanning tunnel just leave your laptop in the bag! Yes, no needing to stress while you rush to pull out your laptop and do the song and dance.  TSA knows about this bag and it’s designed for you to separate the two compartments at the bottom.  Leave the handle and shoulder strap on top of the bag they are 100% X-ray transparent.  Lay the flattened bag on the belt with the logos up and let it through the tunnel.  When you get to the other side simply grab the handle and let the two compartments fall back together and be on your way.   There are strips of velcro on the inside that secure the two compartments. Check out the video demo here:  

The Aerovation CPF® laptop bag is easy to use and just so handy.  The laptop computer goes in a dedicated compartment in the bag in which is fully padded with a zipper that goes around three sides for easy loading.  Your accessories and personal items go into the other compartment.  When the bag is in the carry configuration it looks like a normal laptop bag so it’s your fun surprise.

So how do you get through the airport screener? These Aerovation CPF laptop bags are fully compliant with the new TSA standard operating procedures for checkpoint friendly laptop bags.  Aerovation Products developed this bag with TSA and all TSA screeners have been trained in recognizing and processing this bag at all TSA security checkpoints. Wow, what can you say? Your like airport royalty! This bag fits 95% of laptop computers so give it a try. We say two thumbs up with innovation!

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Just when you thought notebooks could not get any smaller, Sony recently introduced the Vaio Lifestyle as an addition to its already robust mobile lineup. As the lightest eight inch notebook in existence, the Lifestyle perfectly balances performance, battery life, and mobility. At 1/2 pounds, the Lifestyle can handle up to a 128 GB hard drive, an Intel Atom processor, and 2 GB of RAM.

The Sony Vaio Lifestyle is the perfect notebook for students, those who travel often, and people who simply want extended battery life without sacrificing performance. I strongly recommend this notebook because it packs as powerful a punch as most laptops. The Vaio Lifestyle may be a bit pricey, but nowhere else will you find a better combination of power and portability. The Lifestyle is definitely one of the best new gadgets of 2009.

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This looks like it’s going to be an incredible summer for the “subnotebook”, which is what they’re calling the latest flood of laptops designed to be ultraportable (think: 7″ screens) and inexpensive (think: $300 and up).

Those heading to college this fall should definitely take a look into the subnotebook category, if they haven’t already.

While laptops are ever-popular in the college classroom, they’re still often a bit heavy to carry around casually.  If I know that I need to go bike off-campus after a class, I’ll opt to take notes on paper instead of lugging around my 8lb HP laptop.  My lower back thanks me.

However, these laptops are often 2 lbs or less, making them only too convenient for the casual note-taker to take to class, around campus, and on trips.

In addition to being lightweight, laptops such as the eeePC 1000H (now there’s a mouthful) were built to be durable.  So if you think you’d be worried about stuffing something so small and valuable into a bookbag full of ultra-unportable 400-page textbooks, worry no more.

Just a couple of years ago, we were paying premium prices for such portability.  However, now it looks like we’re paying much, much less.  The just-released 1000H retails at $550 and up.  However, there are a number or even cheaper ultraportables out there — and rumor has it that Dell is going to unveil its own ultraportable starting at $299 in August — you just have to know if it has everything you need.

For now, I’m just going to review the eeePC 1000H, so that you can make an educated comparison with any of the several other subnotebooks debuting this summer.

The cheapest version of the 1000H comes with a 40GB hard drive — to put that in perspective, that’s about enough space for Windows XP (which comes pre-installed), Microsoft Office, and 10,000 songs (my own calculations — no promises!)  Which is more than enough for the casual user.

It comes with 1GB of memory — which is enough to run Windows, Firefox, and Microsoft Word easily, but I wouldn’t suggest running any games at the same time.  If you tend to have a lot of programs open at once, I would spring for the version with 2GB of memory (RAM).

This has a 10″ display, which, while larger than most other subnotebooks, is pretty small compared to a regular laptop.  I would suggest going to a nearby electronics store and looking at a 10″ screen, just to be sure that it’s what you want.  A lot of keyboards on subnotebooks are also small — so those of you whose hands that tend to cramp while typing will want to take this into consideration — but ASUS has actually managed to fit a keyboard 95% the size of a standard keyboard onto this model.  Pretty impressive.

As far as subnotebooks go, this seems to be a solid laptop, though somewhat pricier than comparable laptops, like the MSI Wind and the Acer One.

Will this be the premier subnotebook of the summer?  We’ll have to wait and see.

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