By Chester Chen

CHOOSING a notebook can give you a headache given the number of brands, models and configurations available.

As a guide, follow the 4Ps for selecting a notebook: portability, price, performance and prestige.

Shop around to get a better understanding of your priorities. Don't be afraid to ask the salesman a lot of questions.

Remember to get a hands-on test - try the keyboard, view the display and feel the weight.

Make sure the shop has the battery pack so that you can feel the real weight.

It may be wise to have a geek at hand when you need help in the technical aspects.

This is how I would list my priorities:

Portability: Between 1 and 1.8kg

Performance: Can handle word-processing, spreadsheets and everyday applications like calendar and calculator. Most importantly, there must also be a full-size keyboard.

Prestige: Go for the cutting edge technology, like solid state hard drive, touchscreen or LED backlight.

Price: Below $4,000

This narrows my choices down to the HP Compaq 2710P and the Toshiba R500. All the criteria are met by both, but the HP has the edge in the prestige department because it is a tablet PC.

If I am really concerned about the products' reliability, I'd do some research on online forums or ask friends and family who have bought them.

Portability

A HIGHLY mobile notebook means it is lightweight, usually below 1kg. If this is what you want, you will have to live with some sacrifices to have a notebook that can fit into a tote bag.

These notebooks usually use a slower single processor of the ultra-low voltage type like Intel Core Solo with the speed of 1.2GHz.

This is good because it means less power requirements so the battery size is smaller, further cutting the weight down.

As space is precious, the units only have one slot for RAM.

Since the screen size is usually between 7 and 12 inches, there is no room for an optical drive although you still need one as an external accessory.

You can find some notebooks in the ultra portable range with built-in optical drives but be prepared to pay for that kind of cutting edge technology. Consider these four models:

• Asus Eee PC 900 (right), $798, has a solid state hard drive and weighs 990g
  
• Packard Bell Easy Note XS20, $888, DVI-I external display connection, weighs 919g
  
• Kohjinsha SA1F00, $899, touchscreen for easy input and navigation, at 990g
  
• HP 2133 Mini-Note, $999, large 120GB hard disk drive, at 1.2kg
  

Price

IF YOU have a small budget, looking out for the best bang for the buck might not be the best thing to do.

You will compromise on size and weight. Heavier laptops tend to have larger displays but not necessarily higher resolutions.

So don't expect to play any graphics intensive games. Similarly, video encoding or 3D graphics rendering will be slow, limited by the processor speed.

Consider these four models:

• Axioo TEN812P, $999, 1.86GHz Processor, 2.1kg without battery
• Acer Extensa 5620, $999, 15.4-inch Wide XGA LCD, 2.88kg
• PackardBell MH35-T2370, $999, 160GB hard disk drive, 2.5kg
• Lenovo IdeaPad G410, $999, one-key easy recovery, 2.35kg
  

Performance

NOTEBOOK vendors try to outdo each other by including as many features as possible like high definition displays and fast processors.

You end up with an expensive device when compared to a desktop with similar features because making them compact is costly.

And these machines are not really portable. Some will break the scale at well over 3kg.

Consider the following five models:

• Acer Aspire 8920G (below), $3,398, 18.4-inch high-definition LCD with Digital TV tuner and a Blu-Ray optical drive for cinematic viewing, 4.1kg
  
• Asus Lamborghini VX2S, $3,998, finished in lacquer yellow or carbon fibre with leather and stitching detailing on the inner surfaces, 2.9kg
  
• HP Compaq 2710P, $3,999, thin and slick convertible tablet-PC, 1.68kg
  
• Dell XPS M1730, $3,999, a gamers' delight with a dual video card setup, 4.81kg
  
• Asus M70, $4,699, loaded with multimedia features and a terabyte of storage, 3.78kg
  

Prestige

MARK Twain said: "Clothes make the man."

Buyers who make prestige their priority will base their purchases on the brand, looks and only lastly technology.

Consider these five models:

• Lenovo Thinkpad U110, $2,999, finished in metallic red with spiral tendrils texture and detailing, plus a super glossy keyboard, 1.09kg
  
• Toshiba R500, $3,699, built-in DVD optical drive, 968g
  
• Sony VGN-TZ38GN, $4,499, ultra-thin LED backlit LCD and instant audio and video without booting Windows, 1.17kg
  
• Lenovo Thinkpad X300, $4,799, exotic material construction with carbon fibre and magnesium alloys, 1.42kg
  
• Apple MacBook Air 1.8Ghz, $4,992, 4mm at the thinnest and 19.4mm at the thickest, and you get a non-Windows operating system, 1.36kg

This article was first published in The Straits Times, Digital Life on 15 July 2008.