Personal Computing: Laptop as Desktop PC Replacement?

The Sony VAIO CW Series laptops (pictured), start at about $720, and have large 14-inch screens and keys with about the same size and spacing as desktop keyboards.

For your next personal computer, should you go with a laptop PC even though you compute primarily at one location?

More people have been answering this question in the affirmative. Sales of laptop PCs surpassed desktop PCs for the first time in the third quarter of 2008, according to the market research firm iSuppli.

Several factors explain the trend. Traditionally, desktops far outperformed laptops with cost, speed, storage capacity and reliability. Desktop PCs still have an advantage in these areas, but the difference has decreased dramatically. The smallest laptops, the netbooks, are now priced equivalently to the least expensive desktop PCs.

The main advantage of laptops is the most obvious. Rather than being tethered to one spot, you can compute wherever you happen to be, whether from building to building, within an office, factory, house or even outside.

This portability is accentuated by the recent improvements in wireless Internet technology, with wireless network adapters now built into most laptops. This and other advances make it easier to set up a network in a business or home and to connect to an existing Wi-Fi network for Internet access in selected airports, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets, libraries and college campuses.

Stationary desktop PCs still have their benefits. Their greater speed and capacity make them better suited for video editing, computer aided design, and high-end gaming. A larger keyboard makes it easier to type and larger screen makes it easier to view. People using desktops are also generally less prone to ergonomic problems, such as neck and back strain from slumping over a small machine.

Unless you're near an outlet, laptops are also limited by their battery life. And laptops are more easily stolen than larger desktop PCs, which is a big factor in organizational settings.

Workarounds are available, however, to mitigate these issues. You can use a supplemental mouse, keyboard, and/or monitor with a laptop PC. Laptop stands can improve the ergonomics without requiring supplemental devices. AViiQ has recently introduced its Portable Laptop Stand which, unlike most other laptop stand, folds up so you can carry it along with the laptop.

Some people carry an external laptop battery with them, which can double computing time. Energizer's Energi To Go XP18000 is a portable power pack that can charge a laptop and two other devices at once while away from an electrical outlet.

Most laptops today have a security slot to secure the unit to a desk or other immovable object with a security cable and lock such as those from Kensington.

The word "laptop" has evolved into an umbrella term for "portable computer." Portable PCs today come in four main flavors, listed here by decreasing size:

• Desktop replacements
• Laptops
• Notebooks
• Netbooks.

Variations include tablet PCs with touch screens that can be used without a keyboard and "rugged" laptops built to withstand strong vibrations, heat and cold, moisture and dust

I've been experimenting with using a Sony VAIO desktop-replacement laptop as my main work machine to see how well it replicates my current desktop PC experience. Sony makes some of the most reliable laptop PCs, according to a study by