The first thing you should do when you get your new laptop is uninstall all that free trial crap that gets loaded on by the manufacturer. Six Months of Earthlink, two weeks of Adobe Photoshop Elements, McAfee Anti-Virus, one month of MusicMatch... who needs it? Not you! (Besides eventually charging you money, a lot of these programs you didn't ask for can slow down your computer.)

Now that you've cleared out some room on that hard drive, start installing some of these free and useful applications, many of which are open source (meaning anyone can view and alter the code of the program to improve or customize it if they have the skill or desire). Here are ten (or so) applications that will let you do almost anything you could need to on your computer, without you having to spend a dime.


Firefox (XP/Vista/OS X/Linux)

The most important item you can install on any computer.

The Firefox Web browser will probably be the application you use the most on your laptop. Now don't get us wrong -- Internet Explorer 7 isn't awful -- it's just that Firefox is that much better. Particularly attractive is the ability to add new features through extensions, which are small-add ons to Firefox that allow you do do everything from block advertisements to save chunks of Web sites to your Google Notebook.

We've discussed some of our favorite extensions before, but here are some other ones we like: If you use Gmail, then check out Better Gmail from the folks over at Life Hacker. Better Gmail adds a host of new abilities to the Google mail service, including new keyboard shortcuts or even a completely new look. We also like the Remember the Milk extension for adding a to-do list to your Gmail inbox. Also worth checking out (if you're a Windows or OS X user) is PicLens, which turns any photo site -- including Flickr, Google Image Search, or even MySpace -- into an interactive 3D wall of images that makes scrolling and scanning huge numbers of photos easy and fun.

Laptops may fit into almost any backpack or carry-on bag, but their compact size means you'll still need a few accessories to stay productive and happy while you're on the road (or down the road, at a Wi-Fi cafe). We picked five of our favorite notebook peripherals that no road warrior should be without, and decided to go on and on about them in this here video. Take a look!

What is Penryn?
Those new Intel processors we mentioned during CES are finally starting to show up in laptops in reasonable numbers. Toshiba, Sony, HP, and Dell are all tossing Intel's new mobile processors, built on the chipmaker's way-smaller-than-a-human hair 45-nanometer (nm) technology, into portables aimed at the hardcore, and often media-hungry, computer-user. As we mentioned in our '5 Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop' primer, these chips will keep the "Core 2" moniker that Intel has been branding its processors with since 2006, but will have slightly different model numbers to differentiate them from the older Core 2 models.

How is Penryn different from standard Pentium Core 2 processors?
Penryn is not a revolution, but rather an evolution of Intel's Core 2 family of processors. Three new technologies have been crammed into this new square of silicon to make faster and more powerful laptops with longer battery life.

First is the 45nm size reduction of the processor's die (the tech term for a processor's casing or mold). This die shrink means the processor can have features and innards as small as 45 nanometers wide, which means that Intel can squeeze more processors out of a single slab of silicon. The newfound space not only drives down prices, but also enables the new processors to use less energy and run at cooler temperatures. Cooler-running processors mean that Intel can ramp up computing speeds without melting the insides of the computer (or burning your lap, for that matter).

When a processor's die is shrunk, however, it becomes easier for electrons to leak out wasting electricity, and counteracts some of the benefits of the size reduction. To combat this leakage, Intel has introduced a new transistor technology called High-K that reigns in much of the leakage and leads to more energy efficient processors. Tests have shown that Penryn processors can get almost a full hour of battery life over older Core 2's during normal usage and about 20 minutes more while playing back a DVD.

Lastly, is a new set of instructions called SSE4, which is aimed at speeding up media functions such as video encoding (converting video so you can edit it on your computer) and playback. The catch is that software developers must write applications to specifically take advantage of the new instructions. The popularity of the Intel processors and the dramatic performance increase guarantees that companies will get on board. Applications that are already SSE4-enabled (like the DivX video encoding suite) have seen boosts in performance of almost 40%. That's quite a difference when you're talking about cutting down what typically takes an hour to encode HD video to just over 30 minutes.

How do I know if a computer has Penryn?
Well, besides looking for the 'Penryn' logo on a laptop's spec list, make sure the model numbers start with '8' or '9' (i.e. T9500 or T8300). Penryn is the code name the new chips were developed under at the Intel labs, and often Intel chips continue to be referred to by their code name once they're released.

Do I need one now?
If you're a hardcore gamer, a videomaker or a high-def movie enthusiast with money to burn, go for it. The current models of Penryn or Core 2 9000 and 8000 series are more expensive (Penyrn-enabled laptops start at $1,000) and aimed at the upper end of the consumer market. Anyone who does a lot of video editing on the go should also seriously consider getting a Penryn-equipped laptop. Over the coming months, however, more mainstream (read: cheaper) models will be stuffed into laptops for your computing pleasure. If basic Web browsing and e-mail are your main computing concerns, then save yourself the cash and stick with the old school Core 2s.

Who makes Penryn-enable laptops now?
HP and Sony offer the most laptops with Penryn processors, each offering four different models that pack in the latest from Intel, while Toshiba has three Penryn powered models available. Dell currently only offers its XPS M1330 with the new processors, but we expect that selection to expand soon. By mid March almost every laptop manufacturer should be offering at least one model with a Penryn option and by the end of the year it should be standard on most laptops.


Related links:

• Five Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop
• Intel's Shrinking Processors: What It Means For Your Next Computer
• Heads or Tails? Dual Touch Screen Laptop Is CES Highlight

In the world of computing, small is in. Be they laptops or desktops, PCs keep getting smaller. And that's not a bad thing. Smaller means a laptop is easier to toss in a backpack without feeling like you're carrying a computer, or that a desktop can be moved to the living room without looking too tacky. Bottom line: Smaller PCs can be hidden completely from view.

We took a walk around CES collecting shots of the tiniest PCs we could find. Including some that make the Mac Mini look downright bulky.

Related Links:

• Wireless Portable PlanOn Printer Holds Paper Too
• Graffiti Splotched Gadgets All the Rage in 2008
• OQO's Tiny PC Is First Computer On Sprint's New Wi-Max Network

Sure, iPods are cool, but they're just not the status symbol they once were, and there's nothing cool about having sleekest slimmest laptop on the market if everyone else has one, too.

Companies are realizing this and know that people, especially fiercely independent Americans, have a need to be different. So, as a way to make their products stand out (and their customers feel a little more unique), consumer electronics producers have taken to decorating many of their goods with graffiti and modern-art inspired graphics, intricate etchings, vaguely Japanese designs, and yes, even leather.

We wandered around CES and snapped pictures of some of the coolest examples of decorative electronics and customization options available to try and make you the consumer feel a little less like just part of the herd.

Related links:

• Ladybug Speakers Ready to Shred With iPods and Skateboarders
• Zune Originals 8-Gigabyte (GB)
• Customize Your YouTube Player to You