A Hard Look at Hardware

   In a technologically rapid society, one feels savvy until attempting to upgrade a device, system, or console.  Those brave and patient enough to do this even biannually may then feel outdated and covered in dust.  This, even after poring over specifications, then dictionaries.  I share a similar and most recent experience.

   Preparing myself to purchase a Tablet, I decided quickly against it as a laptop competitor.  Needing consistent wiFi connection, and having less practical use than a laptop, I was quickly turned off.   In a laptop, I decided I wanted processing speed, and a decent sized hard drive.  However, my two hour school commute made the Flinstone standard 15" screen sound archaic.  The system was to be a gift, so I also looked to save ducats.  Thinking outside of my normal Dell.com and Best Buy laptop box, I found myself at Walmart, lured toward an ASUS NETBOOK.  Determined to make a round peg fit a square hole, I learned I was compromising the operational and functional greatness of a good old fashioned laptop for size.  I always did say real women have curves.

   For all its teal aesthetic glory, and $278, the Asus 10.1" 1015PX-RTL304 Netbook offered my father and I  a 3-cell battery, 1 GB of RAM, 1.66 GHz processor, 250 GB hard drive, and a .3 MP webcam with the Microsoft Starter 2010 OS.  For such a teeny system, it seemed formidable.  Prior to purchasing, I did contact my college's Technical Support team, who live to ensure that my computer does not explode.  Additionally, I emailed my professor for advisement.  From correspondence and lecture time, I learned the Asus to be a good Netbook brand, but this system to be one of lower end in quality.  The processor, at 1.66GHz would be a slow and frustrating turtle.  Netbooks are also prone to overheating and parts warping due to the close proximity of components in the 10.1" space.  A Starter Edition OS would inhibit my new Netbook's capability to access the full abundance of files needed to run certain programs, such as MS Word.  A sluggish, melting, and 50 percenter computer wasn't what a fast past student like me needs.  Enter the Netbook's nemesis...

     Instead, Pop Pop and I settled, also at Walmart, on my new baby for $298.  The HP 2000-299WM Notebook sports a  6-cell battery with a faster 2.1 GHz processor, 3 GB of memory expandable to 8 GB, a 320 GB hard drive running at two times the standard RPM.  Though the screen is nearly 6" bigger,  the built in 3 MP webcam and microphone make this deal breaker worth relinquishing my obsessive attachment to it.  Size doesn't matter when the big dog is the top dog.  Also, with more space to upgrade internally (with an already phenomenal start), and less chance of warping, this computer is my kind of gadget.