Mobile working Toolkit

Notebooks for business

Charles McLellan

Published: 17 Nov 2008

Types of notebook
Notebooks are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from tiny sub-1kg 'netbooks' to desktop replacement behemoths weighing over 4kg. Here, we describe the main kinds of notebook on the market, arranging them once again according to their portability (x axis) and cost (y axis).

Netbook

Screen ≤10.4in
Weight <1.5kg
CPU single-core, low-voltage Intel Atom or Via processor
GPU integrated
Storage 60-160GB hard drive or low-capacity solid-state drive (SSD)
Optical drive external option if offered at all
Connectivity Ethernet, modem (some), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), mobile broadband (optional)
OS Linux or Windows XP
Cost ≤ £350

The latest category of notebook to shake up the market is the 'netbook', or 'mini-notebook'. Although 'ultraportables' or 'sub-notebooks' existed long beforehand (see below), the small-notebook sector received a massive shot in the arm when ASUS released the 7in.-screen, 920g Eee PC in October 2007. Neither the hardware specification nor the build quality of the Eee was anything special, but the design was pleasing while the price — £219 at launch — really caught the eye. For the first time, a usable (for undemanding tasks) notebook was priced low enough to be almost an 'impulse buy'. Many did just that — ASUS reckons it will have sold five million Eee systems worldwide by the end of 2008.

Naturally, the Eee's success didn't go unnoticed by rival manufacturers, and a year on there are now around 50 systems that can be described as netbooks — including offerings from all of the top-tier vendors (Acer, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo). Netbooks have had an impact on the operating system arena too, putting Linux into the hands of a great many new users and forcing Microsoft to extend the lifetime of Windows XP (Vista being too demanding on hardware to be suitable for netbooks).

Ultraportable

Screen ≤14.1in
Weight <2kg
CPU low-voltage mobile processors; some dual-core CPUs
GPU integrated (low end), discrete or dual-mode (high end)
Storage 120-250GB hard drive or mid-capacity solid-state drive (SSD)
Optical drive integrated, or external option
Connectivity Ethernet, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), mobile broadband (optional)
Cost £500-£1,500+

Netbooks are above all affordable, and often sacrifice features and/or build quality in pursuit of a price point. However, ultraportables need to deliver the functionality required by mobile professionals, which means they are generally better-specified and more expensive than your average netbook. While remaining under the 2kg mark, ultraportables usually offer a 12.1in., 13.3in. or 14.1in. screen, a usable keyboard, a moderately fast CPU and a hard disk up to 250GB in capacity.

Many manufacturers now offer solid-state drives (SSDs) in place of hard disks in their ultraportable ranges, but prices remain high: Toshiba's entry-level Portégé R500, for example, has a 160GB hard drive and costs £999 (ex. VAT), while the SSD models cost £1,199 for 64GB and £1,599 for 128GB. If you can afford them, SSDs offer big advantages in the shape of fast performance, low weight and low power consumption.

Integrated mobile broadband is increasingly common as an option in ultraportables, but manufacturers vary in their abilities to squeeze an optical drive into the system. If there's no built-in optical drive, you'll usually be offered an external option; less common, but useful, is an expansion 'slice' that attaches to the base of the system unit containing an optical drive and extra ports.

Read the latest ultraportable and netbook reviews

Thin and light

Screen ≤14.1in
Weight 2-3kg
CPU low-voltage (often dual-core) mobile processors
GPU integrated (low end), discrete or dual-mode (high end)
Storage 120-320GB hard drive
Optical drive usually integrated
Connectivity Ethernet, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional), mobile broadband (optional)
Cost £500-£1,500+

Heavier than an ultraportable but still light enough to be carried when necessary, a 2-3kg 'thin-and-light' offers an excellent combination of performance, features, cost and portability. Low-voltage, often dual-core, mobile processors can deliver enough performance to satisfy most users, and most thin-and-lights have a decent-sized keyboard and display, a capacious hard disk and a built-in optical drive. They're often more expensive than slightly larger and heavier 'mid-size' notebooks, but if you need to maximise productivity while retaining a degree of portability, a thin-and-light system is an excellent choice.

Read the latest thin-and-light reviews

Mid-size

Screen 14.1in - 15.4in
Weight 3-4kg
CPU ranges from slow/budget single-core CPUs to fast dual-core processors
GPU integrated (low end), discrete (high end)
Storage 60-250GB hard drive
Optical drive integrated
Connectivity Ethernet, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (optional)
Cost £350-£1,000+

Whereas a desktop replacement (below) is designed to deliver no-holds-barred performance and a thin-and-light (above) combines performance and portability, a typical mid-size notebook is the ultimate generalist. Many (but not all) mid-size notebooks are designed to deliver basic computing functionality for productivity, online communication and entertainment. If you want an affordable notebook as your main computer, you'll generally be looking at a low-end mid-size (netbooks, which are also inexpensive, are more suitable as second systems). Because of their weight (3-4kg) and limited battery life, mid-size notebooks aren't really suitable for taking on your travels.

Read the latest mid-size reviews

Desktop replacement

Screen >15.4in
Weight >4kg
CPU fast dual-core processors
GPU discrete
Storage 120-320GB hard drive
Optical drive integrated
Connectivity Ethernet, modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Cost £750-£1,500+

Desktop replacement notebooks are designed to do what it says on the tin: deliver equivalent features and performance to a desktop PC. Not that these 4kg-plus behemoths are in any way 'portable' computers — except for occasional between-room travel within an office or home. Desktop replacements typically offer excellent performance, large screens and big keyboards (often with a desktop-style separate number pad). These systems deliver the computing muscle required for tasks like 3D modelling and advanced digital audio and video editing. The top end of the desktop replacement category is occupied by workstation-class notebooks, such as those provided by Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, HP and Lenovo. These systems are designed to run specialised high-end applications and have the ISV certifications to prove it.