1. First you need to determine what type of a user you are.
Are you an Office User, Power User, Portable User or Mobile User?

2. Then from this, choose the notebook with the correct specifications for your use:
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
RAM (Random Access Memory)
STORAGE DEVICES
OPTICAL STORAGE
HARD DRIVES
TEMPORARY STORAGE
GRAPHICS CAPABILITIES
DISPLAY SIZE AND RESOLUTION
MODEMS
NETWORKING
EXPANSION SLOTS
CONNECTIVITY PORTS
VIDEO CAPTURING
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
POWER (Battery and AC Adapter)
OPERATING SYSTEM
ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE
ESSENTIAL HARDWARE
WARRANTY & SUPPORT
GENERAL GLOSSARY TABLE

Office Users - are those that need a notebook for basic office applications such as Office applications like word processing and web browsing or accounting. The notebook is mainly desktop bound and allows the user flexibility in allowing them to work from home or at the office. Notebooks for office users are not power/performance hungry and are mainly entry level machines. Notebooks for office users generally use Intel Celeron based or Intel Core duo CPU's.

Power Users - are after a desktop replacement for home or office and do not want to compromise in performance. These users would use the notebook for high-end financial or scientific work, multimedia, Database or graphics work and high level gaming. Power users should look for an Intel Core 2 Duo based CPU in a notebook with 4 MB Cache. This CPU has two cores and offers superior data processing performance, with up to 800Mhz FSB and will power through today's application like a breeze. which allows you to simultaneously execute multiple software applications in parallel without sacrificing performance. Notebooks for power users generally have powerful dedicated graphics cards, good quality speakers and large screens. Because of these features, notebooks for power users tend to be heavier and have shorter battery life (range from 2Hrs - 3Hrs).

Portable Users - are those who need more power than an office user but do not want to sacrifice battery life for power. These people tend to be on the road a little more than the power users but still require high performance. Notebooks for Portable Users tend to use Intel Core 2 Duo CPU's with smaller form factor or embedded graphics to achieve a better balance between performance and battery life by utilizing Intel SpeedStep technology to adjust CPU speed to increase battery life. For example, when in battery mode, the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU will reduce its speed by nearly half to conserve battery life. Notebooks with Intel Core 2 Duo CPU's generally offer battery life between 2.5-5hrs depending on usage and battery capacity.

Mobile Users (Road Warrior) - Mobile users generally are on the road all the time and require a slimline, lightweight notebook with maximum battery life (usually 4hours or more). These users should look for notebooks with Intel Ultra Low Voltage (ULV). The Intel ULV CPU are generally at speeds of around 1.1 - 1.4Ghz and have integrated 2Mb cache. Even though the CPU is at lower frequency then the Intel Core 2 Duo CPU's, they are a different technology and generally will out-perform Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0Ghz and above. They also run at a very low voltage and offer superior battery life ranging between 3hrs - 5 Hrs and beyond. The P-M CPU is one of the components that forms the new INTEL CENTRINO TECHNOLOGY. Notebooks fitted with this technology offers wireless connectivity via 802.11b/n so users can seamless connect to wireless nodes and be connected in a network or the world Wide web. Notebooks equipped with this technology are often very slim and lightweight and perfect for business travellers and users who want to continually keep in touch with their workplace or the web whilst on the road. Notebooks for mobile users tend to have shared graphics (to conserve battery life), minimum amount of ports, minimal multimedia features (eg smaller speakers) and smaller screens. This allows the notebooks to be lighter and run longer.

CPU TYPE
CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the part of a computer that does most of the data processing. The CPU type and speed are one of the major factors that determine computer performance. However, CPU speed alone does not determine performance. Situations commonly occur when a computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz CPU can outperform a computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo  2.2Ghz CPU. This is because other factors such as motherboard design, graphics card type and size and memory size, cache also have an affect on performance. The best indicator of performance are benchmarking tests, which allow you to independently compare performance across different computers. Here are the CPU recommendations based upon your user type:

DDR MEMORY
Short for Double Data Rate-Synchronous DRAM, a type of SDRAM that supports data transfers on both edges of each clock cycle, effectively doubling the memory chip's data throughput. DDR-SDRAM also consumes less power, which makes it well-suited to notebook computers. The amount of memory your notebook has is very important for all users. If you don't have enough memory for the applications you are running your notebook may become very slow and none responsive.

STORAGE DEVICE
Optical Storage; Most notebook computers have an optical storage drive of some sort, whether is a CD Burner or a DVD Burner. CD Burners can hold up to 750mb of data where as DVD Burners hold from 4.7gig up to 9.4gig of data, making the ideal for storing videos or music.

HARD DRIVES
Notebook computers now have the ability to have up to 250gig hard drives built into them. You can also have 80gig of data in light weight, portable external storage or a couple of hundred GIG using the larger and heavier desktop hard drives. There are also micro drives which hold several GIG in a card slightly thicker than your credit card.

TEMPORARY STORAGE
If you what to store small amounts of data for a short time, eg. to transfer data, we have previously used floppy disks. These do not hold enough data for today's standards. With inventions like thumb drives, memory stick and pen drive you can now hold over 80 times the amount of data on a memory stick no bigger than your thumb.

GRAPHICS CARDS
With the push for more mobility and longer battery life, more and more notebooks are coming out with shared video card memory. Utilizing the system memory for the video card you have the flexibility to set the video card memory to your needs. By sharing the system memory with your video cards, your notebook has much lower power consumption than if you had a dedicated video card. If mobility is not your main concern, if realistic gaming is at the top of your list then a dedicated video card is what you need. With as much as 64mb of external video card memory, notebook video card are producing graphics almost as good as desktop systems. As well as using your new notebook for business work, you can also relax and play the latest 3D games.

SCREEN RESOLUTION
There are several different resolutions on notebook computers, from XGA to Super-XGA and Ultra-XGA. There is also a new Wide-XGA format for wide screen monitors, which allows you to watch DVD’s in the full wide screen format. You can see more columns in Microsoft Excel, see full pages in Microsoft Word when viewing in landscape and have two or three windows open at the same time. With Super-XGA and Ultra-XGA displays you are able to view up to 30% more than a standard XGA resolution. Higher resolutions mean more pixels, more pixels mean clearer and crisper display, you text is sharper, photo’s and pictures are clearer and gaming is more realistic.

COMMUNICATION: MODEMS
There are two main types of modem, the older dial-up and the newer ADSL. ADSL is five times fast with connection speeds from 256kbps to 1.5mbps, where as the older dial-up has a maximum connection speed of 56kbps. With no phone call costs and a permanent uninterrupted connection, ADSL benefits every one from the business users to home users.

COMMUNICATION: NETWORKING
With the price of wireless technology dropping in price more and more notebook users are looking towards wireless networking as a way to network all of the computers. There is no need for laying of unsightly network cables or having a separate modems, hubs, switches or routers. Once set up, a wireless enabled notebook can automatically connect to any preconfigured wireless network. You are able to access all of the resources from ADSL internet access to printer and storage devices. The standard

EXPANSION SLOTS
There are a few ways in which you can add devices or peripherals to a notebook computer. One way is through the PCMCIA Expansion slots, another way in through a docking station or port replicator. Short for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, and pronounced as separate letters, PCMCIA is an organization consisting of some 500 companies that has developed a standard for small, credit card-sized devices. Originally designed for adding memory, the PCMCIA standard has been expanded and is now suitable for many types of devices. There are three types of PCMCIA cards. All three have the same rectangular size (85.6 by 54 millimetres), but different widths. Port Replicator or Docking Station allows you to connect your devices such as printer, keyboard, LAN mouse, power and monitors into one central location. By either plugging in one cable or attaching your notebook to the docking station you not only save time but cable and attachments are less likely to get damaged through wear and tear.

CONNECTIVITY PORTS: USB
Short for Universal Serial Bus, an external bus standard that supports data transfer rates from 12Mbps on version 1.1 up to 480Mbps on version 2.0. A single USB port can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, such as mice, modems, and keyboards. USB also supports Plug-and-Play installation and hot plugging. FIREWIRE; A very fast external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of up to 400Mbps (in 1394a). A single 1394 port can be used to connect up 63 external devices. In addition to its high speed, the data is delivered at a guaranteed rate, unlike USB which. This makes it ideal for devices that need to transfer high levels of data, such as video devices.

VIDEO CAPTURING
If you’re looking for a notebook for Video Capturing or editing then there are a few things you will need in your new notebook. Firstly you will need to get the video onto the notebook, either from an analogue video camera or a digital video camera. The newer and better quality digital video requires a High speed USB Version 2.0 or IEEE1394 Firewire connections on the notebook. The older and lower quality analogue video cameras connect through a USB video capture device. Which ever connection you have you will also need to store the video while you’re capturing it and editing the video. For digital video it is recommended to have at least a 40gig hard drive, the more the merrier. As analogue is lower in quality and smaller in size you are able to store the video on a lot smaller hard drive, say 20gig. Once you have capture and edited the video you will want to store the video on a CD or DVD. With DVD technology becoming easier and cheaper to use more and more home user are turning to DVD Burning as a means of backing up their home videos. Your average DVD Disk will store about an hour of digital video on one disk costing as little as $3.00 per disk.

LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
A type of a battery composed of Lithium, the lightest metal and the metal that has the highest electrochemical potential. Because of its lightness and high energy density, Lithium-Ion batteries are ideal for portable devices, such as notebook computers. Lithium-Ion batteries have no memory effect and do not use poisonous metals, such as lead, mercury or cadmium.

WINDOWS XP
Microsoft has released the new version of Windows, Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. As the names suggest Windows XP Home is designed for the home user and Windows XP Professional is designed for the business and professional users. There are a few main differences between the Home and Professional versions, with Windows Professional having enhanced networking, security and management features. If you are logging onto a large network, typically more than five computers (which would be domain based), then you will need Windows XP Professional. OR if you need file or folder level security you will also need Windows XP Professional. Microsoft has left a few things out of the Home Edition like file Encryption, 64-Bit support and Automated System Recovery (ASR).

ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE
There are a few essential software titles every computer should have installed on them, to get the most out of your computer. The main peice of software every computer must have is an 'OS' or Operating System. Most computer will have Windows XP which has built in Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Media Player and much more. You will also need an Office package of some sort, like Microsoft Office 2003. There are several different titles in this package such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, Power Point, Publisher and Business Contact Manager. Another Essential piece of software every computer should have is a good Anti Virus and Internet Security, like Symantec's Norton Anti Virus and Norton Internet Security. These packages prevent Viruses from destroying or corrupting your data, they stop annoying spam mail and much more.

ESSENTIAL HARDWARE
To make the most out of your computing experience there are a couple of essential hardware components you will need. To protect your notebook from dangerous and expensive damage from electrical or phone line surges, experts recommend the use of high quality Surge Shields. With few insurance companies and no warranties covering damage to computer by electricity, it is a wise investment to purchase a high quality surge shield with your new computer. For less cost than a cup of coffee per month you can have peace of mind your computer has the best protection available.

If you need to transfer or back up data one of the fastest and most reliable ways is through a USB Thumb drive. Holding over 80 times the amount of a standard floppy disk, you can transfer data from 128mb up to 512mb in a couple of minutes.

WARRANTY/SUPPORT
Notebooks are designed to enhance and increase productivity, hence it is important to have little down time as possible. so when investing in a notebook you want to ensure the units are reliable. If something do fail, you want to have access to support and relatively fast turn around fix. So notebook is just not about specification, you should look at the 'total cost of ownership'. With decades of experience in the computer industry large manufacture such as Toshiba, HP/Compaq, and Acer, to name a few, give you the best support and warranty. Toshiba and HP/Compaq spend millions of dollars every year on research and development to give you the most up to date notebook with the support to match. With a large range to suit every user you will find a notebook to suit your needs. With spare parts and accessories available many years down the track you can rest assured you can upgrade your notebook or get it repaired for many years to come.

Toshiba offers a variety of online support resources to assist you including the Download Centre which provides the latest driver and file downloads, Technical Bulletins which provides the latest technical information, Warranty information and Service Centres dedicated to providing you with the highest level of maintenance, warranty, and repairs, and ASK IRIS, your Instant Response Information Service. Toshiba has Call Centres ready to assist you.

IBM Service Pac - Warranty & maintenance options enhance the service levels provided under your IBM hardware's standard warranty. On specified machines, IBM Service Pac - Warranty & maintenance options can also provide additional years of service on your IBM hardware once the standard warranty has expired.

Fujitsu, are dedicated to providing you with a twelve-month service programs local warranty and it comes standard with each Life Book computer sold by FUJITSU PC AUSTRALIA Limited or our authorized agents. An International Limited Warranty comes standard with each Life Book computer.

ASUS notebook purchased after January 1st, 2002 will carry 2 year standard warranty services in most territories. When you are on business trip, leisure, or even study abroad, you can always receive the best support from ASUS with ASUS Notebooks. We not only offer user a complete nation-wide service, but have also established numerous service sites at various countries around the globe.

Computer Cybershop Backup and Support
With a dedicated technical department Computer Cybershop aims to offer you the best service in town. We offer you services from data back up from your old notebook or desktop, to complete network and server setups. With specialist notebook technicians we are able to attend to all of your notebook needs. We have a 7 day replacement DOA (dead on arrival) policy and loan notebooks for longer than 4 days notebook repairs to minimize downtime for you and your business.

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GLOSSARY