Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

Buying a laptop that you can use as a personal assistant

by: Dakota Caudilla

Don�t be surprised but buying a laptop can be even harder than buying a desktop computer. In fact, buying a computer is very straightforward. Laptops, however, are very personal stuff because it�s something that you will carry around with you and sometimes act as more than just a computer for you to work on. They become a companion! That�s why finding and selecting the right laptop can be very tricky.

Hard core computer gamers or people who will use their laptops for designing or video production may need more help than just reading about buying laptops. For conventional laptop users, here�s something for you to digest.

The price for laptops varies drastically from brand to brand. Some laptops can cost $500 while some laptops can cost you $6,000. Some entry-level (meaning basic laptops) can be bought for between $600 and $900. If you grab a laptop off eBay or other rebate or dropshipping websites, you might get a mid-range laptop for far less than that.

Even for basic laptop users, the description and specifications for the laptop is very, very important. If you�re not sure, check around and ask your friends for advice on how to buy a good laptop for the lowest price possible. You should be getting a laptop that comes with AT LEAST 512 megabytes of memory. The size of the memory ensures that your laptop can run multiple programs smoothly. As for hard drive, invest in as big a hard drive for your laptop as you can afford. Another thing that you may have to look out before you invest in the laptop is to find out how many USB ports that the laptop has. Most laptops come with at least 2 USB ports, the more the better. If you use a camera or thumb drive (disk key), this is where you insert the cable � the USB ports. You don�t want to have to remove the USB cable for your printer and mouse every time you try to save pictures from your camera to your laptop! Some laptops come with slots for camera memory cards, for instance, your compact flash cards.

If you�re keen on getting a Windows based laptop, the security of your laptop should be at the top of your priority lists. Windows SP2 XP should be ideal because it comes with antispam, antispyware, antipopups and antivirus programs. Some laptop retailers may offer you cheap or free programs that you can install into the laptop as a second layer protection to your laptop.

Other factors to take into account when shopping for laptops are the screen size, the life of the battery, the processor of the laptop, screen and keyboard, wi-fi networking, size and weight of the laptop.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.laptop-source.net on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

About the author:
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Circulated by Article Emporium

Read Articles:

Business DSL Access Information
Using Technology to Keep Families Con...
The Internet Phone Revolution.
MP3 - a worldwide mania
Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders
Internet Distribution: The Future of ...
Be Inspired to Create Quality Website...
Copy any DVD movie with EZ DVD Copy�
Learn How To TroubleShoot Keyboard Pr...
Know How To Quickly Install A New DVD...
Streaming Media: Why It Works
Google Creates Video "Vending" Machin...
Review: Real world Camera Raw with Ad...
Press Release MF Digital ...
Buying a computer
DVD Authoring Explained
Microsoft CRM Conversation Gateway: V...
Custom Gaming Laptops - Five Things Y...
Get Started In Creating Computer Games
Internet Tutorials are the Teachers o...
Why You Should Care About Internet Ma...
Is Your Music Player Spying On You?
5 Tips For Buying The Right Laptop Co...
What Does 2004 Hold For You?
Tips for Buying a First Computer
Set Up Your Own Blog Free
What Are The Best Uses for Hidden Vid...
Buying a Personal Computer
You Need a Spyware Remover!
Use A Spyware Remover Now
90s Web Design: A Nostalgic Look Back
Picasa.com - Google's new photographi...
Wanadoo Broadband
Internet Dating: Future Internet: Hum...
Choosing the best computer model
A guide to VoIP
What You Should Know Before Buying Co...
How to create your own streaming aud...
Image Pro 9: Powered Desktop Publishi...
San Francisco Web Development - Tools
Linux Display Settings
News Blogs
Vlogs And Wikis And Pods, Oh My!
Get Valuable Computer Based Training ...
Does Google Hire "Mad Scientists?"
Protect Yourself with a Porn Filter
Email Communication Is Dying. What's ...
How to register your domain
The West's Wild Internet
Transfer Huge Files Online Fast And Free
Predicting The Future Online
What kind of processor do you need on...
Is desktop search deserving?
Newsbytes From The World Wide Web
Tiscali Broadband
Does Your PC Have Worms?
Finding Cheap Computer Deals to Upgra...
Be Prepared Before Buying Software
Building Cheap Computers in 3 Easy Steps
Hot multimedia tips
Searching For The Right ISP?
Podcasting: Internet Radio On Demand....
Video Bytes From The Web
Eight Steps To Guarantee A Successful...
Benefits of Integrating Online Chat S...
Gaming Laptops - The Five Essential F...
The Malcontent of the Term �Mobile Co...
Flash MX invades the internet
What Is The Best Digital Camera For Me?
What's in a (TLD) name?

More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3

How Video can be used Effectively Online

A powerful way to convey your communication messages to your audience is to be able to have your promotional video available on your website.

Yet, we have probably all experienced visiting a website and clicking on a video only to have to been irritated that the content is not viewable or that the sound is inaudible. The result is we leave the website in frustration.

So how do you make sure the video content on your website can be watched by your audience? It all boils down to how you want your viewers to access your video file and the level of video quality you want your movie to be played at.

There are two different ways of sharing your video file on the web:

1. Streamable Video

This is where the viewer is able to download sections of your video (otherwise known as "streaming"), while the video is playing. The main benefit of this method is that the user does not have to spend time downloading the complete video before viewing.

There are three major streaming video formats ? RealVideo (RM), QuickTime (MOV) and Windows Media (WMV). These are playable on Real Player, QuickTime Player and Windows Media Player respectively. Windows Media Player is widely available on most PC's, as it is part of Windows Operating System. The other players need to be installed.

The only negative with streamable video is that the quality of the video is dependent upon Internet connection. In addition, it has the annoying habit of dropping video frames because the streaming software has to adjust the data rate based on the speed of your Internet connection, in order to keep playing the video.

2. Download and Play

This is where the viewer needs to download the entire video first, then play it on their video player application. The main advantage is that the video quality is not affected by Internet connection speed.

However, it can take some time for the video to download if the file is large.

So which format do you choose?

In a world where first impressions always count, it is extremely important for companies to appear professional and trustworthy at all times. Marketing videos with poor picture quality are likely to reflect a poor quality company in the mind of the viewer. Consequently, we always recommend the download and play option. This is because it allows for high quality video content to be viewed.

However, as you don't want viewers to give up on downloading your video, we only recommend that short video clips are inserted onto your website.

This means your website users will be able to download a short video at a high quality picture resolution that will portray your company in the best possible way.

Marie-Claire Ross is one of the partners of Digicast. Digicast works with organisations who are not satisfied that their marketing and training materials are helping their business grow. She can be contacted on 0500 800 234 (Australia wide) or at mc@digicast.com.au. The website is at http://www.digicast.com.au.

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

How Video can be used Effectively Online