Tips For Choosing A New Notebook PC For Back To School Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Oe Tips For Choosing A New Notebook PC For Back To School (NAPS)—According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 66 percent of elementary and high school students in the U.S. use a computer at home to complete homework assignments, and a Kaiser Family Foundation study found that young people ages 8 through 18 spend an average of an hour and a half a day on their computers. Technology is a significant part of every student’s educational experience and a notebook PC is a must-have item on any back-toschool shopping list. Today, though, there are so many options for a new PC thatit’s difficult to select the right one for the job. Understanding the right questions to ask yourself about how the laptop will be used can help you find a computer that will facilitate homework while also acting as an entertainment hub for music, movies, games, surfing the Web andsocial networking. To demystify the process and help you get the most bang for your buck, consider these tips for choosingthe right laptop: Size and Weight: How often will the notebook be carried? Whatscreen size is the best fit? A larger screen and keyboard are great for watching movies and doing homework, but a smaller system is more portable. Battery Life: Today it seems “my battery died” is the new “the dog ate my homework.” Make sure your student’s laptop will stay powered throughout the day— from the classroom to the library to the desk at home. Consider choosing a machine like the HP Pavilion dm1z, which is based on technology that enables up to 12 hoursof resting batterylife. eUsage: Besides homework, what are the other activities the laptop will be used for? Students today are doing more than ever before with their computers, and often doing several different activities at the same time—from homework to playing games to creating and editing videos and chatting with friends. Laptops powered by VISION Technology from AMDare designed for multitasking and can keep up with your scholar’s needs. eHD Graphies: Will the laptop be used to watch videos or play games? Considering that 48 hours’ worth of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, according to comScore’s @ U.S. Online Video Rankings, chances are the answer is yes— which makes graphics quality important. Look for VISION Technology from AMD to know you're choosing a laptop that provides a combination of performance and video powerfor brilliant and beautiful high-definition video. Comfort: If you have smaller children who will use the laptop, look for touchpads that will be easy for small hands to use or consider getting an external notebook mouse. Also, pay attention to how hot the laptop is when shopping, as well as the noise level. Expert Advice Leslie Sobon, a computer expert at AMD whohas experience helping parents with backto-school technology shopping, points out that laptops with VISION Technology from AMD have unprecedented battery life and power for long hours of studying on campus, brilliant HD graphics for gaming and entertainment, and supercom- puterlike performancefor incredible video playback. Learn More For more information, visit www.amd.com/vision. --- PHOTOS --- File: 20190816-141125-20190816-141123-81072.pdf.jpg --- FILES --- File: 20190816-141123-81072.pdf