I have been thinking more about what would be the perfect laptop. The current model I have (Dell Latitude D800) is very under par. Not only is it too big and bulky, it is very inefficient to use. I started to think of what would make the perfect development / work laptop. One that can be used for business and travel, since I am a consultant.
The perfect laptop in my mind would have a thin small formfactor. I often think of the ibook hardware line or IBM thinkpad for the size comparison. I would also have to have the following items:
- Powerful processor (duo core)
- Great battery life (at least 4 hours)
- 1-2 gig of ram
- Great resolution (don’t care so much about screen size, but rather resolution) 1400×1050 or greater
- TrackPoint (I hate the touchpad – read some previous blog posts)
Those are the major items. The selection below is where a laptop would excel in my eyes.
- Build in wireless
- Build in Blue-tooth (for mouse, pds, phone, etc..)
- 4 usb ports (can’t live with just 2)
- S-video out (just because you never know)
- SD or CF card reader (this is very handy)
Here are some ideas that I have not seen or that are not very common:
- Built in FM / AM radio (great for when at a client site)
- Remote (for DVD and presentations)
- DVD viewing mode (I often use my laptop as a dvd player)
- Easy conversion for a second hard drive (Use of virtual pc images has made this a viable option)
Those are some of the key things that I would love to see in my next laptop. As we move closer to Vista, I think the key items will be in the processor and video area. However, I would like to see a more reliable and efficient laptop selection.