I nearly broke my charger yet again yesterday, when I tripped on the cord at a very bad angle.  It’s got me thinking that I’d really like to just get a new computer rather than consider charger #4.  However, my computer is in pretty good shape and it’s a pity to get rid of it.  At first I was looking at some of those websites that pay you for a used laptop, but then I remembered all my relatives in China who’d love to have a nice and (relatively new) computer like this one!  Sometimes I forget how lucky I am, with access to the latest electronics and the funding to afford the ones I want.  The past two or three cameras I’ve had were all taken back to China after I broke them, fixed up, and given to a relative to use.  Same thing goes for my first laptop.  Seems like I tend to replace my electronics when my clumsy hands break them.

Maybe I'll go back to my roots with a Dell.

So, though I’m not yet in the market for a new laptop, I do anticipate a new in the next year.  That got me thinking about the qualities that I need in the perfect one…  It would need to be sturdy to stand up to the abuse I put it through, occasionally dropping it, usually holding it precariously, and often stretching it to its limit.  I’d need a long battery life because I tend to use it heavily and if I am ever away from an outlet, I need to still be able to survive!  I’d also want it to operate very well with multiple programs running – I tend to have 10-30 tabs open in my browser at any given point, with some flash programs going, my instant messaging platform, a picture viewer and uploader, music player, and some documents I’m working on.  It needs to multitask like I do!  It also needs to be able to store my huge collection of pictures, videos, music, and documents, as well as support my myriad of programs.

Being the brand-loyal kind of person I am, I'll probably opt for another HP.

What else?  I’m a huge fan of large screens and both my laptops have had wide screens.  I need really good speakers because I’d like to be able to hear things from afar and sometimes I think I’m a little hard of hearing.  There’d also need to be a built-in webcam for those days when Panda and I are not together and I need to see him on screen to be at ease.  It should also have a keyboard that can stand up to minor spillage and crumbs so I don’t have to worry replacing that.  And I think that they all come with wi-fi standard now, so that shouldn’t be a problem (but would definitely have to be a feature).  It’s also nice to have a CD-RW and DVD-RW drive, in case I ever need it (which isn’t that often).  Finally, I must have a card-reading slot so I don’t need to worry about cables to get pictures off of my camera.

As for things I haven’t had yet, I’d like bluetooth in this next one.  Not crucial, but a fun feature to have.  I have a remote for controlling media on this one, but I hardly used it, so that’s just a perk if it’s there.  Oh, and I’d like a long battery life without the really bulky battery that sticks out.  I like the angle it puts my keyboard at, but I don’t like how it doesn’t fit well into things.  Plus it’s suuuper heavy, so a lighter computer would be nice.  And that just about sums it up!  I’m sure when I start looking at features now in laptops, I’ll find a few more things I’d like to have.