Laptops are small, mobile computers onto which some people (like me) can store their whole lives. While losing a planner would be inconvenient and losing your house would be devastating, losing a four pound piece of electronics really shouldn’t be as dramatic as all that. Unfortunately for some of us, who keep their work, personal, private information on these hunks of metal; who keep all their life’s hopes, dreams, aspirations on this fifteen inch screen, it’s all we’ve got. Luckily there is such a thing as external hard drives so that even if some of it gets lost, it won’t be everything.

Laptop was a term introduced in 1983 for one of the original mobile computers the Gavilan SC. Coming equipped with the MS-DOS operating system, 5-MHz Intel processor, 48kb of ROM and weighing in at a husky 9lbs, we can see just how far we’ve come.

Today’s laptops are light, frisky, come with tons of memory, a super fast processor, and whatever operating system is current. If you didn’t get in under the XP window and you’ve got anything other than a Mac, you’re probably running Vista which is a very finicky system. The nice thing about today’s laptops though, in addition to their other benefits is that they’re relatively inexpensive. You can get a fairly well turned out system for a few hundred bucks. These are systems with 75-100GB hard drives; plenty of room for pictures, video, music, files, and everything else you could need in a computer.

It’s important to remember to shop around before you just go and buy whatever system is the first to pop out at you. Laptop reviews are available online, in magazines, or regarded journals. You should thoroughly research your laptop before buying it and always check on a stores return policy before you go plunking down a G.

You’ll need accessories with your new laptop. If you’re buying it new or used, you’ll want to find out about replacement laptop batteries, what kind of memory your laptop has, and what’s the best laptop case for your travel needs. Will you be taking it out a lot? If you’ll be away from a plug you may need to invest in a laptop that’s got only good battery life but also some backups so you’re not left holding the ball if it goes down.

Used laptops are an idea if you’re trying to save some money, but it’s also a road fraught with potential pitfalls so you should be careful. Make sure the hard drive is stripped before you buy it; if you buy a laptop that’s infected too badly, it will be just like buying a dying animal; you’ll have to put it down and start all over again anyway; why go through that heartbreak?