What's the best laptop for world travels?

Yes, I've blogged about this topic before, but it is one of the most popular questions I get from colleagues and friends. So I'll repeat my advice from the previous post: assess your real needs, choose a "Top 5" brand, peruse the reviews, and settle for less. I'm also adding another piece of advice - get your hands on them.

Here's a video review from CNET of their favourite 5, all of which are in in my "Top 5" global brands:


Here's how CNET's Top 5 give you a good idea of the variety of choices in the market right now:

1. MacBook Pro line (13", 15", or 17"). I'm a huge fan of the Mac hardware-software marriage. The Pro line just got a new, fast processor in March, and still has great battery life, and a back-lit keyboard.  The trackpad is huge, and supports multi-touch. The design and capabilities of the MacBook Pro are first rate (and green), so even though you pay a slight penalty for the Mac brand, it's well worth it for those who prefer the Apple environment. Starts around $1,200.
2. Toshiba Portege R705, with a great balance of performance, design, and value. One feature I really like is that you can charge a phone via USB even when the laptop is off. I've just been on a trip where I only brought my phone's USB charger, and I had to leave my MacBook on all night to juice up my phone. I've found Toshibas to be quite capable of taking travel abuse in the past, and they also are quite green for their low use of toxic chemicals. The Portege gives you a very capable and attractive laptop at an attractive price, starting around $900.
3. MacBook Air 11" Apple took its super-thin laptop line to the next level a few months ago. The form factor is truly awe-inspiring, the screen is amazingly high resolution, and the instant-on power up is impressive. It's also a lot more affordable than the previous Air line. If you're mostly web-browsing and word-processing, this would be the barely-there Mac for you. But some will find it a little too lightweight in processing power and starting at $1,000 it's still not super-cheap.
4. HP Envy 17 HP's high-end laptop with a massive 17" screen, fast processor and humungous hard drive (1TB) is really for graphics professionals and/or heavy duty gamers. It also comes in a 3D capable version. It starts around $1300 but this thing weighs a ton and in travel laptops a 2-year warranty might not be enough.
5. HP Pavillion DM1  is a very capable Windows laptop that sells at netbook prices. For under $500 you get a decent dual-core processor with decent memory and a decent hard drive. It's very...well...decent. Again if you are mostly word-processing, web-browsing, and emailing, this would be the Windows laptop for you.

There are, of course, others. Lenovo and Dell make decent laptops that you can get serviced just about anywhere. Acer and Asus are OK too but not as reliable as the Top 5.

Most people over-buy computer power just like most people did not need SUVs in the 90s. You don't need a massive gas-guzzler if you only have one pack-the-car-to-the-ceiling trip per year. For the other 50 weeks a year you're carrying around waaaay too much car. Same thing on a laptop. Unless you're using Adobe Photoshop on a weekly basis, stick to the low end of the market. The sub-$500 laptops are probably fine for you.

You may want to re-visit which operating system you need. Laptop users really should not settle for anything other than Microsoft Windows 7 or Mac OSX, Apple's operating system. Yes, there's Google Chrome and Linux, but these are for having fun in a lab, not for getting help when your laptop won't boot and you're in a repair shop in Chennai's Ritchie Street. I say choose an operating system that won't drive you crazy. (Stay away from Windows XP and Vista.) I'm a Mac guy, but some people prefer the Microsoft universe, including my wife. I ain't a hater. I just don't like staring at an hourglass icon.

Last, the handling. Seriously. Pick it up in the store. Your body is going to be interacting with this  laptop for about the next three years. Your fingers should be happy with the keyboard, your eyes should be happy with the screen, and the trackpad or tracking stick should be easy to use. It should weigh balanced in your hand, and it doesn't hurt if it looks nice to boot.

So off you go with your new laptop to the far-flung corners of the world.

Your tech world traveller...