But on the whole, when the average price of a computer is now in the $600 to $700 range, a 20 to 30 percent premium for portability doesn't mean as much as it did when PCs were selling for $1,500 to $2,000.
That said, there are four general classes of laptops on the market today - and picking the one that's right for you is more important than a particular brand or specifications.
At the highest, and least portable end, are desktop replacement machines - they can do everything a desktop computer can do. And at 8 to 10 pounds, they weigh almost as much, or so it seems whenever I lug one through an airport. They start at less than $1,000, although you can easily spend two to three times that much.
Most of these computers have 17-inch, widescreen liquid crystal displays, which makes them a good bet for students who have limited space and want an entertainment center that will play DVDs or even bring in TV broadcasts with an optional tuner.
At the low end, these machines may have older versions of Intel or AMD processors that use a lot more power than newer machines. So their battery life is likely to be a few hours at best. Think of these giants as desktop computers that are relatively easy to move, instead of as computing-to-go.
The sweet spot for most laptop customers is still the all purpose machine. Most weigh 5 to 7 pounds and have brilliant 15.4- inch displays. So pervasive has the playing of DVDs become that it's getting harder to find one with a screen in the classic 4-to-3 aspect ratio - the market has gone widescreen even at this size.
An all purpose laptop is big enough for relatively comfortable computing - the screen is readable and the keyboard will be close to full size. For a student (or adult) who wants entertainment as well as utility, look for a model that has headphone and microphone jacks on the front, along with physical buttons, slides or wheels for controlling music and DVD playback when the machine is closed up.
Likewise, this year's option-turned-must-have-accessory is a built-in Webcam. Students love these for posting videos on YouTube, MySpace and Facebook, as well as for making videophone calls or chatting with their friends. If you buy one for your kid and want to see his or her gorgeous face now and then, you'll need a Webcam, too. These are relatively inexpensive gadgets (less than $100) and well worth the time it takes to set up if your children or grandchildren are Webcam-equipped, too.
