Laptops For College: 5 Things You Need To Know
If you’re going to be going to school, you will really need to think about getting a laptop computer. This is a great idea. As a university student myself, I realize how incredibly useful having a notebook computer rather than a desktop can be. With a laptop, you’re not tethered to any one location for doing your work. You can be in the library, at a friends house, or in lab, and have all your work with you!
In fact, a laptop is probably one of the most important items any student can own. Your laptop will become a much valued accessory during your college years. However, you need to make sure that you get the right laptop for your needs, and thats where this article intends to help. Below are five tips to help you select the right laptop for college, quickly and easily.
1. Know Your Price Range
This is critical. Since you’re about to spend a ton of money on tuition, you don’t exactly have a lot of extra cash to blow on a laptop. Fortunately, you can get very usable laptops for very low prices these days, making them more accessible than ever. You may even find that you can buy cheap used laptops to save even more money.
2. Get the Right Size
Size matters. Getting the wrong size of laptop will lead to frustration. To large, and you won’t be able to carry it around easily. Too small, and you won’t be able to get anything done with such a small screen and keyboard. Try out different sizes, and see which ones work for you.
3. Watch Out For Battery Life
Battery life is a very important factor for the student user. Since you’ll likely be spending a lot of time using the laptop unplugged, you’ll want enough battery life to keep things going. Be sure to check into extended life battery packs that will greatly enhance your battery life at the cost of a little extra weight.
4. Mac vs. PC
This is a huge debate. Don’t buy a Mac laptop just because you think they are cool, be sure that they are in line with your needs. Certain popular software packages do not run on Macs, so if you need these for your course work, be sure to look elsewhere. However, if you like the convenience and ease of owning a Mac, than by all means do so. This article was written on a Mac.
5. Be Sure To Get The Software!
Don’t forget to get the software you need! Things like Microsoft Office are pretty essential for every student, so don’t forget to include these in your budget.
So, I hope this helps you see how you can select the right laptop for college. It’s not rocket science (though that could be what you are studying!), but keeping these basic factors in mind can really help out. Thanks for reading.
Used Laptops: A Good Idea?
Many people are afraid of buying a used laptop because the don’t think it will be as reliable as a new one. Without the protection a warranty offers, this can be a rather daunting prospect. On the other hand, if you want a deal, and don't demand ultra-high performance, buying used is an excellent idea.
Buying a new laptop is much like buying a new car. The first time you roll off the lot with the new car, it will be very shiny, and all your friends will "ooh" and "ah.” Same with the laptop. As time passes, this sense of newness will wear off.
Others will get new and better cars/laptops, and you'll still be driving your old one. You might start thinking about selling this old laptop, and get a nice fancy new one again. However, you’ll find out soon enough that, as with a used car, you won’t get nearly the same value out of it as you would like, even though its not even that old and works fine in general.
What if you could be on the other side of this exchange, and you were the one getting the great deal on the laptop? Buying a used laptop is the same as buying a used car, and offers similiar savings. Why not let that other guy take the big depreciation hit? Of course, you have no warranty, but the price is so low that it won’t likely matter. In the end, you still come out ahead.
One of the neatest things about buying used laptops is that you can get some very inexpensive old models that are perfect for basic applications such as internet, e-mail, and office. My favorite laptop for these uses are IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads, because of their ruggedness. Buy one of these at a low price, reinstall the operating system, and you've got yourself a great little portable workstation.
If you’re a gamer, you can even get a nice little portable gaming rig. It won’t play the latest and greatest games, but with a used Alienware laptop or something similar, you can play many great classic games on the road, with a machine that doesn’t have the same crushing price tag as a new gaming laptop would.
So, is a used laptop right for you? If you're like most people, the answer here is most likely yes. Most people over inflate the risk of the laptop breaking on them, which leads to lower demand, and thus lower prices, for used laptops. You can get a nice used Apple laptop, typically quite expensive, for low prices. If you need the best and fastest, by all means buy new, but if you’re just looking for the basics, give used a try.
Great Value Laptop Insurance -your Glad You Purchased It Now
Did you know not all laptop insurance products are the same, and that some providers will not even cover you for say ‘Water Damage’? It’s the truth, no matter how problematic it is to get your laptop replaced or how important the material on it is, if your laptop was damaged by water most laptop insurance uk companies will simply send you on your way . The key term here is most and very luckily for me, not all!
Last spring I was staying at my parents’ apartment for a few weeks while my own apartment was being modernised . I remember being pleased that I had finally bought a brand new laptop to replace the clunky old desktop that I had been hauling around since my university days and that I could bring my laptop out to my parents’ place and use it there. Of course, I hadn’t counted on there not being any internet connection, so my laptop sat in the boot of my cay for most of my stay.
The day before I was moving back to my own place I wanted to show my mother some work I had done and pulled it up on my screen for her. She loved my new laptop and all of the functionality that it could bring and she was even thinking of having my Dad look into it as something that they could get for the house . She had been thinking about buying a new computer system as theirs was now 11 years old.
The next morning, I awoke to a chill in the room and a general still calm presence in the air. Even before I woke up fully , I knew that something was not right and then finally, as my eye site focused I could see what a swamp my desk was with water. There had been some serious leaking through the open window in the night and now my desk, which sat directly underneath the window, was soaked, including my brand new laptop. I forgot to shut the window tight, my parents had warned me about this problem! It sure is lucky I had decided to take out Laptop Insurance Uk, as it would not even boot up. Equally important was that one of my work colleagues had told me to check that the Insurance will cover me for liquid damage, this I had done and it was actually the third Laptop Insurance website I visited before the right policy for my laptop was found.
At the end of the day, there was nothing to do but to call the company that had provided me with the Laptop Insurance. The representative was happy to hear my concerns and asked me plenty of questions about the nature of the problem. I sat on the phone nervously, waiting to hear that this wasn’t covered.
I was very pleased , then, to find that it was definitely covered and that I could expect to see a resolution in no time at all. My problem with water damage, something that Laptop Insurance policies are notoriously reluctant to take care of, was well in the range of what could be covered and true to their word, I had the repairs taken care of very promptly.