The Facts

• Have laptop, will travel
  
  Early attempts at manufacturing and marketing portable computers were less than successful; it wasn't until the late 1990s that the laptop came into its own. Now, laptops have virtually every bell and whistle that their desktop counterparts have. Today, many companies prefer laptops, as it gives employees more flexibility (both in and out of the office), the ability to easily travel with the required information, and to encourage working at home.
  
  

Benefits

• You can work anywhere
  
  The benefits of using a laptop computer are numerous. It's a chance to do get some work accomplished at times that were traditionally wasted--when at the airport, or traveling in airplanes or trains. It also allows users to have their data with them wherever they go, including working at the location clients, where it's important to be organized and not fumbling around on an unfamiliar machine. Because the world is rapidly becoming one giant Wi-Fi hot-spot, users are able to surf the Internet and connect to e-mail virtually everywhere.
  
  

Misconceptions

• The main naysayers claim that laptops can never match the performance of desktop machines. While in some cases that is true (mostly with smaller hard drives and RAM capacity), laptops can work virtually as well as desktops. Besides being able to add an external monitor, laptops are able to accommodate an external keyboard and mouse, as well as any USB or FireWire peripheral that works on desktop computers.
  
  

Risk Factors

• Because laptops are toted around, they have a larger chance of being damaged, lost or stolen. The battery life of laptops is usually lower than what the manufacturer touts, and upgrading certain items (installing a larger hard drive, for example) is far harder than performing the same task on a desktop or tower PC.
  
  

Size

• Built-in keyboard and track pad
  
  For computer users, size almost always refers to hard drive capacity or screen size. But with laptops, size also means the physical dimensions of the computer itself, including weight and thickness, as well as height and width. Laptop users who travel tend to prefer the lighter, smaller models, and are willing to forgo some features that are common on desktop models, including screen size, hard drive capacity, and multiple USB ports.