I get asked this question all the time. So much it inspired this new category called “Top Picks”. Although I may not always be the person to post new blog entries, I wanted to at least get this first one out.

So choosing a laptop can become a time consuming task of various online searches, visits to local resellers and countless conversations with someone you know in IT. Before we get to the question, first I want to ask why a laptop? The reason is that a laptop will generally have a greater initial cost, greater total cost of ownership “TCO”, and a shorter life span. So when making the selection from desktop to laptop, make sure it’s for the right reasons. Because it’s cool should be the case unless the investment isn’t really a big deal and you like toys. An acceptable response would be more along the lines of; “I travel 30% of my week and need the ability to work from various remote locations”. Home is not really a remote location. Work from home can still be done from the comfort of a desktop with a larger screen. The bottom line is make sure you justify your usage.

OK, so laptop it is! Now let’s unlearn what we see on TV and in the stores. The mini is cute but does not have the same power to multitask and perform replacement performance of a desktop. Don’t get me wrong I’m working from a Dell Inspiron mini right now on a Verizon wireless card at the top of a ski mountain. However, the cost was more comparable to a mid range laptop or high performance desktop with all the bells and whistles I needed. Although the mini seems like a great idea on cost, I can assure you if you are planning to use it for business, it will end up being double the cost you thought it would be. It is a great option if you use a laptop less than 10-15% of the time and just don’t want to carry around the extra weight. That’s why I purchased mine. I actually mount it in the car so I can video conference, use Outlook as well as our internal systems to update accounts that I might have just visited. I also went with a solid state hard drive, built in Verizon wireless card ($60 p/mo additional), and a digital TV card for when I want to watch the game from the train. The budget on such a device will be $800- $900, yes for a mini that started at $300.

Lets assume you’re looking for a bit more than what a mini can do and you use a laptop 50-75% of your time. That assumes that you may or may not have an office machine that you will use from time-to-time. This automatically means you want at least a 15″ screen for comfort, extended battery life, a warranty option, and minimally Office Basic. I’m going to make a recommendation for a specific laptop but for those of you that have incentives to use another vendor or a special in a retailer, that’s fine. However, I want you to stay with business class, preferably Dell or HP from my personal experience. Now here is how you should be shopping. For the above solution look at the laptops that range from $800-$1200. Yes that’s right, don’t look at the units that seem loaded with everything for less than $600. I can assure you, eventually you will just not be happy with it. What they need to do to bring that cost down will not be described in the marketing ad. It will be deep inside the hardware where you can’t see it, such as the type of memory, CPU speed, main board manufacturer, and other internal parts that you need a degree to understand. That’s why I give the price point to watch for. This rule of thumb brings the hardware to a standard that will provide better quality parts, that in turn will provide a better experience and a longer life for your investment.

Recommendation: Dell Latitude E4500/E5500/E6500 Range: $800- $1200

Some packages include a mini!