College students head back to campus soon—and many of their parents will be sending them back with new computers. But which ones are best for returning students? These essential devices can be expensive, so getting the most for your money is key.

1. August 14, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
What a student’s major is important to
consider when choosing a laptop
College Students Laptop Guide: What a student’s 11- to 14-inch laptops: Laptops in this size category
major is important to consider when choosing pack power, speed, and durability into a compact
a laptop package. They can actually be more expensive than
mid-size laptops, but they make up for the price
premium in slimness and portability—something
on-the-go students definitely appreciate.
C
ollege
students Apple 11-inch MacBook Air
h e a d
back to cam-
pus soon—and
many of their The ultrathin
parents will be 11-inch Mac-
sending them Book Air (64GB,
back with new computers. But which ones are best $1,000; 128GB,
for returning students? These essential devices can $1,200) serves
be expensive, so getting the most for your money as an entry
is key. port for Apple
laptop buyers,
A student’s major is important to consider when replacing the recently discontinued white MacBook.
choosing a laptop. Windows is the platform of The updated Air runs the new Mac OS 10.7 Lion,
choice for many business students, and enginee- which is easy to use and features multi-touch ges-
ring programs such as AutoCAD and Pro/Engineer tures and full-screen apps. The Air is pricier than
are only available on Windows. Arts and sciences other laptops, though: You’ll pay more for less on-
students should be safe with either Windows or board memory.
Mac, a platform that tends to offer more security
against viruses. Dell Inspiron 14R 2nd-Gen i5
Furthermore, be sure to check your school’s website
to see if the school recommends buying a computer
with a specific operating system. The Dell Inspi-
ron 14R 2nd-
To help you make the right decision, we’ve listed Gen i5 ($650) is
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several types of portable computers by category; an affordable
all offer good value and performed well in our Ra- all-round ma-
tings (available to subscribers). chine for the
mainstream
Printed with
user. While it
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2. August 14, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
What a student’s major is important to consider when choosing a laptop
doesn’t excel in a specific area, it offers flexible pri- That said, this laptop is a solid value and has good-
cing and versatility. The battery life leaves a little enough features for the average student.
to be desired, but the keyboard and touchpad are
easy to use, and the graphics are solid for gaming Dell Inspiron 15R 2nd-Gen i3
(after studying, of course).
Asus U36JC
The Dell Insi-
pron 15R 2nd-
Gen i3 ($550)
The 13- has many of
inch Asus the same fea-
U36JC ($1,000) tures as the
offers an at- 14R 2nd-Gen
tractive design i5 (suggested in
and is packed the previous category), but it improves greatly upon
with power battery life. This Core i3 version is fast, functional,
and features. It and more than adequate for everyday use. It’s a good
has a quick-start feature that lets you browse the laptop that offers a little something for everyone.
Web before you boot Windows, and it’s both thin
(0.76 inches) and light (3.7 pounds). The touchpad Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro
can be frustrating to use, but overall, the U36JC of-
fers great value.
15-inch laptops: Midsize laptops offer plenty of fea- Apple’s 15-
tures and versatility, and many of them won’t break inch MacBook
the bank with lots of additions you might not need. Pro ($1,700)
is fast and
Gateway NV59C70u powerful, but
it’s significant-
ly more expen-
sive than other
The Ga- mid-size laptops. It features a sleek design, runs on a
teway NV- Core i7 processor, and like the MacBook Air, it ships
59C70u ($600 with Mac OS X Lion. The MacBook Pro is pricy, but
to $800) has fans of Apple products won’t be disappointed by
an attractive this high-performance machine.
design, about
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5 hours of bat- 17-inch laptops: These large laptops are really
tery life, a Core desktop replacements, offering much more power
i5 processor, and 640GB of hard drive space. It’s than smaller models—but they’re still portable. Just
budget-friendly, probably because it doesn’t offer bear in mind that the extra power is most useful
Printed with
the extra features found on more expensive models.
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3. August 14, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
What a student’s major is important to consider when choosing a laptop
for gaming—which might not be the most optimal The HP DV7 6175-US ($750) isn’t quite as powerful
pastime for a college student! as the 4295: It runs on a Core i5 processor and offers
a 750GB hard drive. It also does not come equipped
Dell XPS 17 with a Blue-ray disc drive. But it has a 10-hour bat-
tery life–and lets you save a little money, too.
Netbooks: These smaller devices are useful for
The Dell XPS students who want to carry a computer with them
17 ($900; to take notes in class or work on the go but don’t
$1,300 with necessarily require all the power and features of
3D) runs on a a full laptop.
powerful Intel
Core i5-2410M Asus EEE PC 1015PX-MU17-WT
processor
and includes
500GB of storage. It can play Blu-ray discs, but its
most notable feature is an optional upgrade that A solid op-
adds a stereoscopic 3D panel to the display, so stu- tion is the
dents can watch 3D movies or play 3D games in 10-inch Asus
their downtime. EEE PC
1015PX-MU17-
HP DV7 4295-US WT ($270 to
$320), which
weighs only 2.9
pounds. It features an Intel Atom N570 Dual Core
The HP Processor and a 250GB hard drive and includes a
DV7 4295- multi-touch touchpad, a built-in webcam, and up
US ($1000) has to 10 hours of battery life.
a Blu-ray disc
drive and an Tablet computers: Tablets may not be the first
HD display, choice for schoolwork tools; most students probably
and it delivers wouldn’t opt to write papers on them. But choose
both power the right apps, and tablets can serve as study guides
and performance with its superior audio, video, and and e-book readers, and they can let students do
graphics quality. The laptop runs on a powerful i7 Web research on the go. Of course, tablets are also
Core and comes with a 1,000GB hard drive, and its great for multimedia entertainment.
battery lasts up to 5 hours.
Apple iPad 2
HP DV7 6175-US
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The Apple
Printed with
10-inch iPad
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4. August 14, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
What a student’s major is important to consider when choosing a laptop
2 ($500 to $700), the leading tablet on the market, fice. You’ll need a student or teacher ID to get such
is lighter, thinner, and speedier than the original discounts.
iPad. It has a fine display and includes both front
and rear cameras for photo and video. Consumer Finally, consider what extras you might need. A
Reports found the battery life to be about 12 hours, package like Microsoft Office may be necessary for
about 50 percent better than its predecessor. And the students for word processing and presentations,
Apple App Store offers over 90,000 apps, including and a laptop bag is an easy, secure way to tote your
educational ones that can help students in math, computer with you when you’re on the go. A USB
science, and other fields. thumb drive or external hard drive is also a good
idea for students, because it allows you to save a
Samsung Galaxy Tab second copy of your work in case anything happens
to your laptop.
Other Business News:
The 10-
inch Sam-
sung Galaxy
Tab ($500 to CloudTag: College Students , Laptop , Netbook ,
$600) runs on Tablet , Hp pavilion dv5 batteries , Dell xps m1330
the newest An- batteries , dell inspiron 1300 batteries , Dell d630
droid tablet OS, batteries
Honeycomb,
and will soon be upgraded to include Samsung’s
TouchWiz UX interface. That upgrade will add a tray
of mini-apps, including a calendar and music player, Battery Technology Related Articles:
as well as a Media Hub (for downloading movies
and other content), a Reader Hub (for downloading
e-books), and a Social Hub (for e-mail, instant messa-
ging, and social networks). As for apps, the Android Help Tips: Do Your Eyes Have Computer Vision Syn-
Market is growing swiftly and also offers a plethora drome?
of apps for students. The Galaxy Tab also comes in
a 7-inch model ($350). Lose Your Laptop? Change all Passwords, Quickly
Other things to consider: Before purchasing a lap- Battery Technology | Follow 6 tips To taking care
top, be sure to check out your school’s website to see of your Laptop Battery
if they offer any deals on computers or software.
Many schools offer computers that come pre-equip- Top 10 ways to improve iPad battery life | Battery
ped with the programs you’ll need for a specific Technology
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major, and they often come with an extended three-
or four-year warranty. Sample Tips for Longer-Lasting Laptop Batteries |
Battery Technology
Apple also offers an education discount of $50-$200
Printed with
(depending on the computer model) if you buy an 6 Ways to Revitalize an Older Laptop | Notebook
AppleCare extended warranty (which covers you Refresh
for 3-years) or the latest version of Microsoft Of-
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5. August 14, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
What a student’s major is important to consider when choosing a laptop
Care Tips – Clean Up That Laptop Before Back to
School
Lenovo Android tablet Review, brings Good value,
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10 ‘great’ technologies products back with hindsight
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