What are the usual requirements for a college laptop?

Leafy

I was hoping to hold this off until the summer before college, but given the current state of my desktop, I may have to get a new computer sooner than that...

My desktop is over 6 years old. It was a low-mid range computer when I got it, and it performs like a bottom of the line new computer as is... when it decides to start without major bugging around, of course. (Why does it take half an hour for it to start? Our ancient Mac took less than 5 minutes...)

It's gotten HEAVY use over the last 6 years, at least two hours each night, probably more like three or four... so it's served me well, but I'm thinking that, hardware-wise, its time is swift approaching.

So I've been looking at college laptops. I'm going to be a senior in high school this year, graduating May 2011, and entering college fall 2011, so the requirements shouldn't be TOO different.

I'm not going into design or engineering, I'm going into some biology field: premed, biotech, something along those lines. I don't know if I just need the equivalent of a typewriter with a screen or if I need something to put the large hadron collider's supercomputer to shame. All I really need it to do for *my* enjoyment is turn on, connect to the internet, and run IM clients. That's not so much to ask, is it? I don't need it to run MMORPGs with optimum speed.

So... if you're about to be a college student, what are your requirements for a laptop?
Oh yeah. CD drive a 99.9% must have. If I can get away with a way cheaper laptop without one and just buy a USB drive, that would be alright, but I'd prefer an onboard one.

Answer
For most college students, all you need is a computer with a word processor, internet access, IM, etc. All those things can be done with a very basic new laptop. Of course, some college students like to game. Then you'd need a serious laptop with a good graphics card. It doesn't seem like you're doing that so all you really need is a decent modern laptop. Buying a 400-500 buck laptop should be sufficient enough.

Would a tablet PC be good for a college student for taking notes in class?

awesomo

I have a laptop but it is a little big to bring to class. It has a 17" display and is over an inch thick. It probably weighs a good 10 lbs. I had to buy a laptop bag for it because it doesn't fit in my oversized backpack! I also have a lot of books and other things so I need to reduce weight. Also, I ride my bike sometimes and it is almost impossible to do with a 50lb backpack and a laptop bag over the shoulder as well.

I am taking a few easy lecture classes this semester that I know will be note heavy. I have taken my laptop to a few classes in the past but most of the classes were engineering, math, or physics with a lot of formulas and stuff that I can't easily type into a computer. I am wondering if a tablet PC would be a fix for this if I could write down equations and formulas and just take notes on it. One tablet could replace all my notebooks and the ability to have internet in class to look things up during the lecture would seem to maybe be beneficial? I am on a budget so should I get a tablet or just stay with the notebooks? Also, do tablets have the ability to record a lecture? Maybe just sound with high quality? I have trouble taking notes and paying attention to what the instructor is doing at the same time. I think a voice recorder built in would be awesome!

Are these things worth the money? What kinds are available that would be perfect for a classroom setting? Do these things just come with a Wi-Fi card or do I need a subscription to a phone company for 3G? I would rather not have to pay a monthly subscription for internet when the campus internet is Wi-Fi, free, and over the entire campus.
Can you use a pen to write on the screen of a netbook or does the technology exist? I need to write formulas and stuff, not just type letters or characters.

Answer
Yes, it does exist. You can use a stylus (don't use a pen. It won't work on capacitive touchscreens and will cause scratches on resistive ones). They usually come with the tablet pc if it has a resistive touchscreen and you can find them on ebay if it has a capacitive touchscreen.

What kind of tablet pc do you want to buy? An iPad, maybe? I don't recommend that if you are on a budget, though. Maybe you can get one with Android Honeycomb? Those are usually cheap, and you can download a sound recorder app and a note-taking one. And Android tablet PCs are, like, much better than Windows ones.

Pictures of Honeycomb tablets:

http://www.hardwaresphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/acer-inconia-a500-android-honeycomb-tablet-pc.jpg

http://www.browse-tools.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Asus-Eee-PC-Tablet-Pad-MeMO1.jpg

Most come with WiFi. There are some tablet PCs that have a version with WiFi and a version without. If you have your eye on a particular model, check reviews and ask around. If you have a com sale or something coming around, wait till then. Those kinds of sales are great places to find a good tablet PC for a cheap price.

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