Portability has traditionally come at a premium. Because of the extra expense involved in miniaturizing components, notebooks have often cost more than desktop PCs with equivalent performance.
But notebook prices have been dropping. The average price of a laptop today is about $1000, compared to $1250 in 2004 and $1640 in 2001, according to the
So the question is: How do notebook and desktop prices compare now? Do you still pay more for portability?
To find out, I used an admittedly unscientific approach (although I think I came up with some useful comparisons): I informally compared prices and features for desktop PCs and notebooks. At Dell's Web site, I compared what $600 would buy in a desktop to what I'd get for the same amount of money in a notebook. At Hewlett-Packard's site, I tried as best I could to match a notebook's specs to a $1200 desktop, to see how much the notebook would cost. Here's what I learned.
No matter how you look at it--comparing desktops and notebooks in the same price range, or seeing how much it costs to try to match a notebook's specs to a desktop's--the result is the same. Portability still comes at a premium.
Does this mean that next time you need a new computer, you should get a desktop PC instead of a notebook? If you're constantly on the go with your notebook, the answer is easy: No.
But some mobile professionals may fall into a gray area. For instance, do you carry a notebook outside the office only on occasion--say, once every two months, for a few days at a time? If so, you may want to hold onto your current notebook for travel purposes and buy a zippy new desktop for your office. And if you travel less frequently, you might be able to live without a notebook entirely, using a smart phone or wireless PDA instead.
The downside to using two computers is having two computers to maintain. You've got to buy and run antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall software on two computers; keep the operating systems updated and patched; defrag both hard drives; and so on. Nonetheless, having a backup in case one computer fails is a nice perk.
Of course, you'll need to keep data--such as e-mail and Microsoft Outlook contacts--synchronized between your two computers. Fortunately, you've got lots of options for doing that. Read "PC Syncing Tips" for more on this. For a review of low-cost notebooks, see "Solid $500 Laptops."
Speaking of notebook prices, Dell recently added a new low-price model to its premium XPS line. The XPS M140 costs only $999, has a 14.1-inch wide-screen display, weighs 5.5 pounds, runs on Intel's Pentium M 740 processor, includes 512MB of DDR2 memory, and has a 40GB hard drive.
As you may have heard, Apple's iPod Nano can be easily scratched. Fortunately, protective cases and covers are beginning to trickle out. WaterField's new $22 iPod Nano case fits snugly, is available in five colors, and has a strap to secure your earbuds.
WaterField also makes a compact, all-purpose iPod Gear Pouch with four well-cushioned inside pockets for cables, earbuds, arm bands, power supplies, and such. The pouch comes in two sizes, small ($29) or large ($35).
The Palm Treo and Research In Motion BlackBerry aren't the only keyboard-enabled PDA/phone hybrids around. New competitors have arrived or are on the way from HP, Motorola, and Nokia.
Nokia's E61 earned kudos for the ability to handle Voice over IP and global roaming, with support for GSM networks in Asia, Europe, and South America. The E61 will be available in the first quarter of 2006. Read Grace's review for details on all three smart phones.
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.
James A. Martin
