Just the Facts about Laptops

By Matthew Kerridge

Whether you are using your laptop for work, school or play, there is no arguing that they are astoundingly convenient tools. Rather than spending the majority of the work day in a cubicle or at home, we can now get our work done from virtually everywhere.

It was not until quite recently that the price of basic laptops began to fall within the range of most consumers. However, the efforts of philanthropists to find construct an affordable laptop for under privileged communities have ended up paying off for citizens across all demographics.

When it comes to computing on the go, laptops are particularly useful for accessing the internet wirelessly. Just over the course of a few short years, nearly every city has been covered by a hodgepodge of free wireless access points to get online. While it is important for users of these free wireless hot spots to remember that they are surfing on an open network and to take basic security precautions, the growing network of wireless internet in urban areas is one of the many reasons that a growing number of people are learning how get most of their work done anywhere they choose.

Extended warranties have been the butt of plenty of jokes over the years, but the joke might be on you if you ignore this option without considering the consequences. Due the compact nature of the many critical components to a laptop, it is much easier for these types of computers to break down than other devices. While extended warranties for laptops might come with a large price tag of their own, they can be well worth the money to protect an expensive computer.

The most exciting development in affordable laptops during the last couple years has been the explosion of netbooks onto the market. Netbooks are simply very basic laptops that have only the hardware and software that is necessary to get online and complete general tasks. However, a growing number of applications are now available on the internet in the form of cloud computing that makes installing and running large software packages increasingly unnecessary.

Although many computer users neglect to perform regular backups of their data, this is just asking for trouble when it comes to laptops. While the threats that a home personal computer faces are relatively limited, nearly anything can happen to your laptop when you are the go. Whether it is theft or a clumsy accident, the information on your laptop is far more vulnerable to loss than the traditional PC that is stored safely at home or work.

As more and more professionals and students find that they are able to do almost as much with a laptop as they can with a personal computer, many people are declining to upgrade their PCs and making the switch to a laptop lifestyle. Still, laptops are not capable of performing all forms of computing, such as storing high volumes of data or running demanding computer game software. For households that are home to serious computer users, the home PC is likely to be around for a long time to come. - 31403

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