Beware the Notebook Blues

Of all the various shapes of computers people buy, the world's fastest selling is the notebook. Despite their size they are capable of running any application used on a larger model -- attach an external monitor and a keyboard and you have a system which is all but the same as a desktop computer.


Hundreds of foreigners have them, since it is possible to carry them in or out of the country without worry or expense. Their light weight also makes them more secure, since you can lock them away or take them home with you.


Notebooks are thus nearly ideal. Until they break.


The problem with notebook computers is that they are not made up of modular standard components like most desktop computers. While a vast international commodity market has developed for the parts of desktop PCs, notebook parts are more specialized and thus much harder to get.


Various industry standards for notebooks are emerging. If you want to replace a hard disk or increase the memory on your notebook computer, these parts are now fairly easy to buy here. The 1.8-inch (4.5-centimeter) PCMCIA Type II slot on many new notebooks can now take a modem or extra RAM. A PCMCIA III will take another drive which can hold up to 300 megabytes.


But there are still hundreds of manufacturers around the world turning out models with their own peculiarities. Screens, power-supply units, keyboards, internal modems, and batteries very often differ between manufacturers. It is an unwritten law that when your notebook breaks, such parts are impossible to replace here.


Because the desktop PC is now such a standard, there is a vast market in Moscow for both new and second-hand parts.


At Tyschinsky Market (near the Byelorusskaya metro station) on weekends, it is possible to buy just about any second-hand part for your computer.


Thus if your desktop's monitor dies, you can simply buy another, plug it in and start working.


If your notebook does stop working, the first issue is the guarantee on your machine. If it is a relatively new IBM or a Compaq notebook then the guarantee is valid here (Compaq warranty service is handled by Merisel CAT). Other manufacturers may claim to offer international guarantees, but quite often different rules apply in Russia when you read the small print.


If your machine is not an IBM or a Compaq, and it does not have a valid warranty, then it is still possible that the manufacturer is represented here by a distributor and that spare parts are available.


Dell, represented by IBS, and Apple Computers, represented by RUI, both fall into this category. Taiwanese companies DTK, represented by Kami, and Acer (several distributors) not only sell their own brands but also manufacture a large number of notebooks under licence for other companies. So if you have a Taiwanese-made notebook computer, it would be well worth giving them a call.


Perhaps most likely to yield success is a call to the largest notebook computer vendors in the city, all of which have large enough stocks to hold spare parts and maybe even your model of computer.


Bely Veter (a new shop opposite Kuznetsky Most metro station), Kami, Trio+, Croc, Lamport and Smart Corp. all claim to carry fairly large stocks.In short, if you are planning to fit out a Moscow office, think very carefully before basing your plans on notebook computers.


If you are using a notebook, think about how you would work if it broke tomorrow and prepare for that day before it happens.


Finally, computer companies here make a fortune from foreigners who have had their computers damaged or destroyed by power surges.


The AC adapter for your notebook will act as a first line of defense, but is often not enough to save your notebook. If you do not have some form of surge protector, buy one now.





Robert Farish is the editor of Computer Business Russia


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