The Sony Vaio is thin and sleek in design.
The Phillips Nino is a high-tech companion.
Nokia sets the standards for the cell-phone industry with
phones like the 6160.
Motorola has made top-of-the-line beepers from the start.
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The Ultimate Communication Tools | by Andrea Kung
Today's teens are constantly on the run and communication is key whether it be with the 'rents or with friends for scheduling Friday night's plans. For the modern teen, there are many options when it comes to communicating: laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, and beepers. With all this different models and brands to choose from which should you choose? Well, it depends on budget, but this is a dream guide, so we're only going to talk about the best.
Laptops
With laptops, weight is key. In general, today's laptops range anywhere from 3 to 9 pounds without their batteries. Also, battery life is important when you're away from home for long periods of time. That's why I recommend the Sony VAIO PCG 505-TX after spending several hours comparing battery lives, performance, speed, and other specs of various models. Its battery life when left to drain with power management features off is about 120 minutes, and its performance rating is one of the highest by C|Net for UltraLite Laptops.
This 4.8-pound notebook computer comes with Windows 98 plus a variety of other programs. It has a 300 MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, and a 6.4GB hard disk. It also comes with built-in speakers, microphone, and modem (56kbps). The only problem with this 10.2" x 8.2" x 0.6" Sony VAIO is it's overpriced at $2499.
The Basics:
Processor: Pentium MMX
Processor Speed: 300MHz
Amount of RAM: 64MB
Hard Disk: 6.4GB
Operating System: Windows 98
Additional software included
Floppy Drive included
56 kbps integrated Modem included
Pointing Device: Touchpad
Diagonal Screen Size: 10.5"
LCD Technology: Active Matrix
Battery Type: Lithium ion
Weight w/ battery: 4.8 lbs
Dimensions (LxWxH): 10.2" x 8.2" x 0.6"
Base Warranty: 12 months (1year)
Personal Digital Assistants
PDAs are great for keeping numbers, addresses, memos, dates, and other important events organized. Furthermore, they're smaller than laptops. I'd have to say the best product in this field is Philips Mobile Computing Group's Nino 510 16MB CE2.0, a palm notebook PDA that weighs less than 8 ounces. At $419.95, the price may seem a bit high for 5.25" x 3.41" x .75" machine, but the included features are worth it.
The Nino 510 supports 256 colors (320 x 240 pixels), and backlighting and contrast controls allow for easy readability and brightness to prevent eyestrain. There's no need to worry about your AA NiMH battery either because as it synchronizes with your Windows 95/98/NT PC to transfer calendar, contact and to-do lists, it automatically recharges as well.
The Nino 510 can also communicate wirelessly with other infrared and Windows Classic Edition 95/98/NT 4.0 devices with its infrared transceiver which means you can transfer information with other PDAs and control other IrDA devices. Even more communication is available with the optional 19.2K modem, which allows you to refer to saved web pages and to send, read, and receive email. What happens if it runs out of space because of the included Windows Classic Edition 2.0 palm operating system? Well, it won't because it can accommodate for data growth with its 16MB of DRAM memory, expandable to 48MB with optional Compact Flash storage cards.
The Basics:
Processor Speed: 75
RAM Memory Included: 16MB; maximum expansion 48MB
ROM Memory Included: 16MB
Serial Port Connection Method: Wireless Infrared
Synch Device Included: Yes, Docking Cradle
Operating System: Windows Classic Edition Version 2.0
Screen Type: Backlit Color
Battery Type: AA NiMH
Battery Life: 8 hours
Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.25" x 3.41" x .75"
Weight: .1 lb.
Manufacturer Warranty: 12 months (1 year)
PC Card Support
Handwriting Recognition
AC Adapter included
Optional Software available
Optional Modem available
Cellular Phones
Wireless phones are great. You don't have to be hooked up to a wall to talk, and you can use them almost everywhere…except during takeoffs and landings of airplane flights. There are three types: analog, digital, and dual-mode. Analog allows you to talk in remote areas, while digital lets you call people in urban areas, and dual-mode gives you the best of both worlds. Obviously the most convenient is the dual-mode cell phone.
The Nokia 6160 is a good, long-lasting, dual-mode phone and costs approximately $199. Its only lacking is its average design. Otherwise, this phone is great for the teen who needs to keep in touch with everyone with its ability to store up to 199 phone numbers, 100 more than the average. It also comes with security features (keypad/electronic lock), voicemail, and short message services (SMS). It also has numerous calling features such as a call timer, caller ID support (if you pay for it, you can get it), call waiting, call forwarding, message/call indicators, and more. This phone is also great for the garrulous teen who can enjoy up to 3.25 hours of nonstop talking.
The Basics:
Type: Dual-mode (you can use it anywhere) Security accessories Voicemail available
Indicators for calls, messages, low-battery, signal strength, and clock Weight with battery: 5.9 ounces
Phone book capacity: 199 entries All calling features included Battery type: NiMH or Lithium ion, comes with NiMH
Maximum talk time: 3.25 hours Maximum standby time: 200 hours Warranty: 12 months (1 year)
Beepers/Pagers Once only the domain of doctors and lawyers, the phrase "beep me" is common amongst teens and adults of all ages. The beeper is cheaper than a cell phone, and allows you to pick and choose who you want to call back. Furthermore, the service is inexpensive usually $1.99/month or more depending on the service you get (local/regional/etc.). There are several types: numeric, alphanumeric, and two-way (lets you send and receive messages).
This was another tough choice because of the variety of pagers out there. However, I finally settled for the
Motorola Ultra Express. It has all the standard features such as time, date, message time-stamping, etc. The added bonus was it ran on a single AAA battery and has a battery backup for those important messages. Its look was stylish and the translucent blue color is really becoming on the summer's hottest fashions.
The above items make up the ultimate tools for communications for a teen. If you have those… I envy you. If you don't… let's get back to work so we can get them!
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