Toshiba's seven key professional laptop

The seven keys for professional laptop Toshiba

   
In addressing the decision to purchase a laptop for professional environment, you must think of Toshiba. No wonder the Japanese automaker pioneered the world by launching the first commercial laptop: Toshiba T1100, and that was in 1985. The nearly three decades of experience accumulated by the company in this segment, are a guarantee that other brands do not have.

In addition to considering a brand, we must also think of the fate that we will give the team because it determines the characteristics to look for in the market to meet our needs. The price range and features available is so varied, it might be interesting to make a list of requirements to refine the result. In this article we look at the seven keys to making the right choice.

1. Screen, size and weight

In the professional environment there is a wide range of possible uses for a laptop. We can consider scenarios ranging from the device that occupies a testimonial place in the office of a senior executive, where it is used for specific consultations, through the professional who performs with him presentations, which prefers a clean table because he hates cables up the wanderer who spends more hours on airplanes and airport terminals than at home.

Toshiba Portégé Z930

The reasonable range of screen sizes should range between 12 and 17 inches, conditioned to some extent by the distance that will work and the space where we do.

The resolution ideal screen is related to the use: a minimum of 1280 pixels horizontally by working with an operating system like Windows XP, if instead work with Windows 7/8 / 8.1 need a screen in 16: 9 format so the ideal resolutions for electronic office work are up to 15.6 "HD (1366 × 768) and 15.6 format" to 17 "(1600x900 pixels) HD + and Full HD (1980 × 1080 pixels) if the image quality is an important factor the work to be done with the laptop. There are models with higher resolutions, such as the so-called 4K or UHD with 3840 × 2160 pixels.

Having defined this aspect, the size and weight of the equipment is the next factor to consider, because it affects the price. For highly mobile safe bet is the lightness (between 1 and 1.5 kg.) For medium mobility work has to be balanced (about 2 kg.), And if the team changes some stage both factors are secondary.
The design may be another factor to consider, because today the team that accompanies us in our professional activity, it is also a sign of distinction when used before a select audience. Care of every detail is important.Toshiba Portégé Z930 profile

2. Processor and memory

Processor and memory are two components that determine the performance of the team, and we must adjust to the real needs. Text editing may be the simplest case where high computational power is required. In the medium term we can consider the intensive use of Internet and courier services, and treatment of static image or video (or its projection) are the most demanding.

For the most basic applications, the Intel Celeron type processor with 2GB of RAM are sufficient, in the middle range can consider Intel i3 or similar processors with 4 GB of RAM, and for intensive tasks the minimum floor would be Intel i5 / i7 or equivalent, with 8 GB of RAM. Mention here that the operating systems for 32-bit architectures support a maximum of 4GB of RAM.

3. Storage Capacity

The storage capacity is not usually a factor exceptions. In the world of mobility and the ability to connect to public and private clouds, GB disk size can start on the threshold of 320 GB. 

What does deserve to be considered is the speed of the hard disk. The basic tasks can be satisfied with drives that spin at 5,400 rpm. Raising the bar we have 7,200 rpm discs. For the most demanding advisability are solid state disks (SSDs), enabling boot the computer in a few seconds, and have a transfer rate very high data throughput.

Against them it is that they are less long-lived than traditional disks. SSHD hybrid drives (SSD + HDD) provide a good compromise between speed and service life, as they provide the advantages of SSDs and HDD. Being the OS on the SSD, startup is immediate and we have the advantage of ample storage up to 1 TB. They are also much cheaper than SSDs and only slightly more expensive than HDD.Toshiba Satellite Pro T110

4. Connection options and expansion

Each laptop is a small universe that integrates hardware necessary elements for work, but has the need to communicate with the outside world. In business are essential network connections, both wired and without. In the first case, the ethernet network card should include the widest range of connection speeds, with a minimum of 10/100 Mbit / s, ideal also be prepared to networks 1000 Mbit / s.
As for WiFi connections, when we see the specifications for a laptop in this section, we look at the chipset compatibility with IEEE 802.11 *, the asterisk representing here a letter indicating these effects connection speed.

On a computer with professional guidance WiFi chipset should be compatible at least with the IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n, leading compatibility with networks in 2.4GHz and 5GHz. There is a new standard that is treading force, able to match the bandwidth of Ethernet card: 802.11ac, so soon we can enjoy an excellent connection with the new cards WiFi 802.11 ac / a / b / g / n. Currently these wireless cards are combo and include Bluetooth 4.0 + HS standard technology to connect our personal devices

Toshiba Protégé Z30, profile

Another element to consider is the webcam, webcam English team. The minimum quality threshold for video conference can be at VGA resolution (640x480 pixels). The cameras provide HD resolution (720p) provide sharp images.

You can connect the notebook to an external display is an interesting feature. At least it should provide VGA connection and desirable to also have HDMI connection (High Definition Multimedia Interface), which allows transmission of digital video and audio. Very important that all ports are standard format to avoid lugging cumbersome adapters.

As for expansion capabilities by connecting external devices, it is important to consider the number of USB 2.0 ports. Three is a good number, as many external drives are fed through them, occupying two of these ports. If also it has a USB 3.0 port better,.

At the level of capabilities to include memory cards, it is interesting to mention compatibility with SD cards using an adapter that allows incorporate Micro SD.Toshiba Satellite Pro webcam

5. Battery

The battery is the component of the notebook that frees us from the yoke of the transformer and its cable, allowing real autonomy regardless of the stage where it is used. There are two aspects to consider when evaluating the battery type and capacity.

Within existing types, the lithium-ion (Li-ion) is the current standard and offers high performance, but is emerging a new type of technology called Battery Prismatic which doubles the amount of charge / discharge of the battery without this lost capacity.

Capacity is measured in mAh so that the greater the longer battery capacity. We may find that a battery in the consumer market have 6-cell 4000 mAh, while the professional market we can find 4-cell Prismatic battery with 4400 mAh, which allows us to have longer battery life at lower weight.

6. Building Materials, sound and energy consumption

When selecting a laptop all that is within our reach appreciate regarding its construction are the type of screen, housing materials and keyboard. The screens for most common current laptops are called TFT-LCD (thin-film transistor - liquid crystal display), although in the highest part of the range are the LED screens that consume less power, are lighter and offer better quality of image.

As for the computer case, the use of derivatives plastics, carbon fiber or lightweight metals make the difference in weight and cost. The quality of material that is built keyboard is usually equivalent to having the housing. In high-end notebooks we can find backlit keyboards (LED backlight).Toshiba Satellite Pro U500 keyboard.

Laptop manufacturers professional range systems often offer high quality sound, ranging from simple two-way stereo speakers between 2 and 5 watts, to DTS systems with exceptional quality.

Energy consumption is the Achilles heel of portable computers. Every provision consumes power. When deciding on this aspect have to look at the energy efficiency of equipment (such as Energy Star or EPEAT).

7. Accessories, spare parts, warranty and safety

Laptops usually sold "bare" minimum equipment with cables and little more himself. When selecting a brand, should take into account the supply to the local market accessories (such as protective covers, for example). Also if there is a sufficient supply of spare parts (battery life is finite and its duration is less than that of other components).

Another important and if you travel frequently, detail is the existence of a service in each country visited and warranty conditions, both in duration and territorial scope. Evaluate extended warranty programs is essential in the professional environment.

Finally there is the safety aspect of the laptop, whether implemented physical access control (such as Fingerprint Reader, SmartCardo or Chip TPM) and other logic to protect our information in case of loss or theft type.

Conclusions

Equipment intended for professionals often have higher performance than domestic consumption. This necessarily implies a higher price. It is therefore appropriate to assess our real needs well Sometimes it's more interesting to hire a service extended warranty or insurance to have the latest processor model.
Finally note that manufacturers such as Toshiba, have specialized departments to meet the most demanding needs and guide the buyer to choose, appropriately, more convenient model within an offer that is designed to cover multiple usage scenarios.