@Tomkitten,
Tomkitten wrote:To begin with, does one have to pay Verizon, etc for adding a laptop? I assume that the same password and user name can apply to both machines.
If you mean adding a laptop to your home connection then no, your ISP typically doesn't need to know or be paid for it.
Quote:Then, how does transferring documents and other info from one to the other work?
You can share a folder over your home network and then move them, but if that is complicated a very simple solution is to get a usb flash drive (you can get one for under $10) and use it (when you plug it into your computer it will show up as a new drive letter).
Quote:Can the two be connected so that the printer attached to the PC can be used by the laptop? I assume that whatever arrangement this requires would be also available for scanner and other peripherals?
The printer can be shared fairly easily but that is not usually the case with other peripherals.
Quote:
What is the maximum size screen on a laptop?
About 20" is the largest I've heard of in production.
Quote:Finally - any suggestions as to which is a good laptop?
Depends on what you want to do with it. If you just mean brands I've always liked Toshiba laptops myself but I'm not loyal to any particular brand and will have a look to see what's on the market whenever I'm buying.
Amazon is usually the first place I search, then smaller stores like tigerdirect.com. I'll usually also check out the manufacturers themselves (especially Dell and HP, Toshiba and others often have bad deals when buying direct).
If you want to get very cheap, ebay is another good place to go, but I don't really like Frankenstein (parts bought cheaply and assembled by some guy at home) laptops.