Expert laptop reviews prove to be very useful since the product lines come in too many shapes and sizes to make sense. The manufacturer websites are dense with marketing buzz and they have very little to offer in the way of specifications and practical, real world testing. That's where technical magazine writers and computer-obsessed bloggers come in very handy. For the major testing shops like CNET and PC Magazine the technicians take standard out of the box computers and peripherals and pass them through a grueling series of benchmark and durability tests.

These proofing platforms are in most cases far beyond the demands of every day use, and with that in mind, they don't really test for the things that matter to normal consumers. Most of the high-tech experts push the limits of the laptop computer hardware benchmark esoteric electronic specifications, and I have yet to see a test that measures how well a notebook stands up being a chew toy for the dog. Laptops are amazing since they have so many uses and encounter so many challenges. It's hard to get any sense of how a notebook will hold up in many conditions based on most expert reviews.

The great thing about the Internet and the World Wide Web is that practically everyone has a voice and a means to share their experiences with everyone else who cares. Anyone can hit Google Groups or Epinions and search out reviews on the different models of laptops. Other than the big commercial laptop computer reviewers there are countless individuals out there who are conduct their own field tests on all the computer hardware on the market. Nothing is more pertinent and meaningful than critiques from real "out-of-the-box" experiences with real people.

A few simple words from other buyers can amount to all the expert reviewing that you need for a computer system. Perhaps the greatest feature of the open discussion forums is that you can ask your own questions and get feedback on matters that really matter to you about the hardware, compatibility, and features. There are usually significant details that professional reviewers forget in their ivory towers or can't fit within the paradigm of their publisher's egg-shaped headspace, but discussion forums allow room for all reviews. Amateur and professional laptop computer reviewers are a dime-a-dozen, but then there's always that diamond in the rough. Some small voices can say the big things.