Proposal Report

Dear Mr. Sanders,

Enclosed is the proposal of recommendations for selecting an appropriate laptop for your son to take to college.

In my research, I will investigate the hardware requirements of the programs he will be required to run and consider that he needs a machine with enough power to run these programs both now and in the future. Issues such as battery life and wireless networking will be addressed. The direction your son chooses to pursue, academically, will be considered to ensure he is equipped with all the necessary tools to get him through school.

The completed research report will provide you with up-to date information on the hardware of available computers. It will also limit your options down to practical solutions for your son.

The volume of information will meet the criteria, as agreed in our meeting and defined in the methodology report enclosed.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Keith Wilkins

Proposal for selecting a laptop for your son to take to college

Submitted to BelConCo

Prepared by Keith Wilkins

March 16, 2006

Introduction

Increasing the chance of your son's academic success is the idea behind buying this laptop. The right laptop can encompass all of your son's academic needs; not just some of them.

I propose to research the hardware and software requirements for your son's laptop and will present accurate and up-to date statistics and facts for you to base your decision on.

Problem

Your son is going off to college and with education becoming increasingly competitive; you would like to help your son out by buying him a notebook computer, or laptop. You know that most students now have laptops to assist them with everything from e-mail to research to note taking. You've encountered one problem making it extremely hard to make this decision, however; your son does not know weather or not he wants to be a computer related major or not! Computer technology has reached a new level of sophistication and each machine may be fine tuned to best suit your individual needs. However, just what advantages does your kid need? You aren't looking for more than you need - you are looking for just the right tool for the job.

Background

There was once a time when a notepad, a pencil and a calculator were all one needed to succeed in the realm of education. This time has since past. Not only are there entire majors that revolve around computers, but now you must have access to a computer for almost every college course available. According to a survey at Stanford University, laptops are taking over, "Increasingly, students are moving away from desktop computers toward laptops; over 77% of students (and nearly 90% of freshmen) have laptop computers." Resultantly there is a very large market for laptops making it difficult to find the right one.

The boundaries of computer-hardware limitations are constantly being pushed by the developers. Simultaneously, the requirements to run software are constantly going up. Once the processing capability is increased, the ability to write more complex code is feasible. This new more complex code, or software, will now require a more competent processing unit to interpret it, as well as more memory. Even though this will always hold true, the needs of your son's computer will depend on what he will be doing.

For example, every student will need to run Microsoft Office® to open word documents or to create power-point presentations. Microsoft Office® requires a 133MHz CPU with 128mb of ram and a display of at least 256 colors. However, a graphics art student will have to work in power-demanding programs such as 3D Studio Max® or Adobe Photoshop®. AutoDesk's (formerly Discreet®) 3D Studio Max® requires at least a 500MHz CPU with a recommended 1000mb of ram and a display of at least 16,000 colors.

Scope of Research

Using client guided parameters; I will determine what hardware and software requirements are crucial. It will also be taken into consideration that this computer will have to suffice for at least four years to come.

The project parameters are as follows:

* The top 3 laptops for a Computer Science major

* The top 3 laptops for a non-computer related major

* Clarify the most important aspect for choosing your laptop and provide a "recommended choice" for both categoried

Methodology

I will read customer reviews and research hardware architecture for potential laptops via the internet. I will also search the internet for customer satisfaction reviews of tech support and warranty information. I base the