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Laptop or desktop? A quick flick of a coin could solve the question but that would be unscientific and so un-tech savvy.
The problem is, if you first set aside price you’ll find both putting up some pretty tough contention when you go down to specs and size. Let's also set aside looks since there are some desktops and laptops that only the designer could love.
Now that my PC has gone to that place of serene repose for tech hardware, there is every reason to put to the test the question, desktop and laptop?
HP which prides itself as the number one provider of PCs, servers and printers to small and mid-sized businesses worldwide, has a wide range of both laptops and desktops that sit well in any office environment,including a home office especially in terms of space-saving.
The desktop in the Ultra-Slim series arrived in a box smaller than the one containing the screen accompanying it, giving the first hint that my desk would suddenly become larger.
If you don't like the anorexic and cute, then the Ultra-Slim desktops are worth a closer look.
You won't raise any sweat getting the dc7700p Ultra-Slim that's less than 6kg, out of its packing and on a corner of your desk which will lose the same amount of space as a 15-17 inch laptop.
Press the discreet power-on button and there is a barely noticeable hum as the dc7700p Ultra-Slim kicks into action.
You can choose to run a Pentium D processor or the latest Core 2 Duo together with a maximum of 3GB of RAM and storage of up to 250 GB.
The one big criticism of Intel's Core 2 processors is the heat it generates, but even after running the HP with a Core 2 Duo E6400 processor non-stop for several hours, the unit was still cool to the touch.
What makes real business sense is the Intel vPro technology that's found in the HP Compaq dc7700p range.
When your office PC starts acting a shade from its normal self, the first instinct will be to check the system for malware and investigate other units on the network. Needless to say, paranoia will also set in as every other person starts to notice slight quirks, real or imagined, on their machines.
The productivity lost along with the worrying and annoying trouble-shooting would be unnecessary say HP and Intel with vPro technology, because of the embedded security that scans in the background and isolates any terminal that's under attack so others on the network remain safe.
The dc7700p Ultra-Slim has enough ports to run whatever devices you may have, and the size of it means you won't have trouble reaching to the back of the CPU where most of them are placed, with the exception of the headphone and microphone outlets in the front along with a pair USB 2 points.
The dc7700p Ultra-Slim sits well with HP's latest attraction, the 19 inch flat screen monitor in the Performance line.
Working two arms length away from the screen however, still left me with that same feeling you get when you end up on the front row of the movies staring at the big screen. Since it wasn't comfortable working with the keyboard balancing on my lap while edging the seat even further from the screen, I tried toning down the 300 nits brightness screen but still it was too super-clear and bright for personal comfort.
The Active Matrix TFT screen monitor comes with a Dual DVI digital interface that accepts dual analog or dual DVI inputs.
The promise of a 1000:1 contrast ratio, promised a fast response time and multiple displays didn't disappoint, with crisp high resolution photos, Windows Media Player, Web and document pages all open at the same time.
The nearest challenge to the dc7700p Ultra-Slim desktop is HP's desktop replacement the nx9420.
The 17 inch notebook is not one that you'd carry about too often, weighing some 3.3kgs.
Still, if you want to ferry it from office to home you can, without straining too many muscles. One muscle that will definitely be under no strain will be those in your eyes as the screen is not just large but most all, crisp and clear.
Like most business laptops, this one is dressed seriously in black and is very much a no-nonsense device that can come across to some as just a little old-fashioned with its raised left and right click buttons sitting with the standard sized touch pad.
Still, what matters is that it gets the job done since you can easily work for hours on this notebook which comes with a full keyboard including numeric keypad and a comfortable give from the keys.
The standard battery pack can run for three hours and can be coupled with an add-on 12 cell Ultra capacity pack, to double the running time.
The only drawback here is the weight and bulk once the 12-cell pack is added.
If your job calls for some multi-media work, the nx9420 is great. Video editing for instance was not a problem with the Core 2 Duo processor, dedicated 256 MB video card, large screen, sufficient number of ports (firewire, USB, S-Video) and 7-in-1 media reader.
If you already have a desktop and want something to carry about for work, HP offers on the other end of the scale, the nc2400 which weighs in at just 1.29kg and is almost 25mm thin.
The 12 inch widescreen laptop is light and compact, and traveled easily tucked among papers and files in just one hand. This was even with the larger battery pack that doubles the standard battery life of three hours.
With many other compact laptops on the market and some even smaller than the 12inch nc2400, I was disappointed with the TFT WXGA screen and the design decision to put in a pointstick rather than touchpad, especially since space was devoted to a pair of good-sized left/right pointstick buttons.
There are some who say in defense of the pointstick, that it is more precise, even comfortable to use but I just can't find any joy in using it and a quick straw poll found that I was not alone in feeling that way.
The screen had me wondering if something was wrong with my eyesight, but after subjecting others to reading off the nc2400 screen, the conclusion was the problem lay not with our eyes but with the clarity of the screen.
In keeping with the neat layout of the notebook, buttons are kept flush and touch sensitive.
As the laptop is most likey to serve as a traveling companion for executives, a biometric fingerprint sensor has been built in to lock/unlock the device.
At the office, the laptop could still serve as a workhorse linked to an external monitor and a docking station, one of the many offered by HP in its range of accessories to complement the notebooks for use in the office.
There is a docking station for both the 17inch nx9420 and the 12inch nc2400, and though a little bulky, it is useful sitting on any desk.
All you have to do is drop in the notebook without fussing about with power sockets, etc. The docking station comes with a number of ports to support USB devices, Digital Video, and audio in/out as well as a security cable slot, just in case.
So, as we started, laptop or desktop?
If you want something that comes with a 3-figured price tag, the desktop is your choice, but chances are you will have to compromise on the processor, system memory, hard disk and graphics.
As the coin sits, daring to be flipped, I toss the question instead to a member of the growing community of tech-savvy leaders of the future.
"With a laptop you can work at home, sitting at the desk or on the sofa. The desktop takes up space and is bulky," he said sagely.
Good observations. He gets to keep the coin.
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