Laptop computers: built-in wireless capability and larger displays add to their appeal.(Computers, Phones, and Peripherals: Portable and Versatile)(Buyers guide)

Bigger, crisper displays and more usable key layouts have replaced small screens and cramped keyboards on laptop computers. Processors have caught up in speed with desktop models, and innovative dual-core processors are also available. Fast CD- and DVD-recording drives are common, as are ample hard drives.

As computers become a repository for digital photos, music, and video, manufacturers are making laptops and their peripherals increasingly competitive with home-entertainment systems.

And a growing interest in wireless computing plays to the laptop's main strength: its portability.

A laptop is the most convenient way to take full advantage of the growing availability of high-speed, wireless Internet access at airports, schools, hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Most laptops now have wireless networking capability built in and deliver commendably long battery life. The thinnest laptops on the market are less than an inch thick and weigh just 3 to 5 pounds. But to get these light, sleek models, you'll have to pay a premium and make some sacrifices in performance, screen size, and features.

A desktop computer typically costs less for equivalent performance and is easier to upgrade, expand, and repair. It usually offers better ergonomics, such as a more comfortable keyboard, bigger eye-level display, and enhanced audio. But as costs plummet, a laptop computer is your best choice if portability and compactness are priorities.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE