A question worth adding to your checklist if you are about to buy a new notebook is whether it is CardBus ready.
The CardBus is a credit card-sized, intelligent device that fits into a notebook's PCMCIA slot to perform data transfers via network or modem connection.
CardBus is a variant of the PCMCIA standard and a successor to the PC card.
PCMCIA, probably one of the most mocked acronyms of the industry, is simply the name of the international standards body - Personal Computer Memory Card International Association - responsible for establishing standards for cards used in portable PCs and personal digital assistants.
At first sight, there is not much physical difference between a PC card and a CardBus. Both have a 68-pin connector. Some notebooks, however, have specially designed keying that stops a CardBus from being forced into a PC card slot. PC cards will fit into CardBus slots because the technology is backward-compatible.
In terms of performance, CardBus trumps the PC card as it addresses the need for speed and demanding applications such as video-conferencing and collaborative computing, high-speed peripheral interfaces, and modern, performance-oriented networks.