It's that time of year again.  The time when relatives, Lenovo colleagues and my twitter followers ask me "what computer should [my son or daughter] get for college?"  In order to be as helpful as possible, I've put together a basic guide for selecting the best machine for going off to school this fall.  Enjoy!

1.     Follow the college's recommendation. IT departments around the world have painstakingly set minimum requirements for use on their campus.  They know their campus best, and it is important to seek out their guidance prior to purchasing.

2.     Wireless connectivity. This is a must - most laptops ship with 802.11bg wireless.  If you plan to do a lot of travelling on and off campus, you might also consider a laptop with built-in 3G or 4G.  This will 

3.     How will you use the PC? Are you a gamer, a  poet or an "always-on" social networker?  A student's potential major and lifestyle can inform a good decision on the product in terms of screen size, battery life, weight, video RAM and processing power. There are more form factors than ever before to choose from: netbooks, laptops, tablets, desktops, nettops and all-in-ones. Some students have even used both a laptop for on-the-go and a desktop for in their dorm (which can double as a nice flat-screen TV).

4.     This will be your constant companion for 4 years: buy one that will last. Generally, the more memory you have, the faster your PC will run. Students also have more data than ever before – term papers and e-books usually share the same drive with space-consuming music and movies – so go for at least a 128GB hard drive. Think about whether a solid state drive makes sense for you. They cost more, but you’ll notice the bump in speed and durability. For processors, I suggest going with at least an Intel Core i3 (for gamers, physicists and engineers, go with Core i7).

5.     The operating system. Make sure you’re using the latest operating system (Windows 7) and don’t forget about productivity software like Office 2010.   Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate is required on most campuses since it can do something called “domain join.”  This allows the computer to be recognized by the campus network as a trusted computer.  If you get Windows Starter or Home versions, you will not be able to do this.

6.    Focus on fun and functional features. Touchscreens are taking over in many technologies we use everyday. Consider whether a touchscreen PC makes sense for you – we now make touch-enabled ThinkPad laptops and ThinkCentre desktops. 3D technology is another hot trend right now, but perhaps not the technology most suited to academic use at this point.  For most users, DVD-R drives are still an important feature since so much class information is distributed via DVD.

7.     Service and Repair. Find out whether the school will provide repair and loaner services to students. Typically, schools support a limited number of vendors, so please go to your new institution's incoming student portal first.  Refer to rule #1! To help students and parents decide which machines best suit individual majors, we’ve created a student portal.  It gives you a way to browse through majors to find the best fit. There is a big difference in the needs of undergraduate engineering majors and liberal arts majors. It is important for students to equip themselves appropriately for their academic work and lifestyle. Here are two other sites that may help guide you in your PC selection process: FastwebZDNet I’d also like to mention that we just launched the University of Bloggers site where students can win $20,000.00 (yes $20K!) for tuition and fees just by blogging.  We’re also giving away some great back to school PCs.  For more info, visit www.lenovoblogu.com