I plug my camera into the chromebook and review the photos, and if I see a particular photo is not what I want I go back to the location and shoot it again. There is nothing worse than to travel long distances to photograph a subject, and return home and find out there are problems with the photos. The LED screen on the camera does not show flaws that will come up on the larger computer screen.
As my own personal choices:
I'd stick with established brands. Read the evaluations and comments for the various brands and models. Not all established brands have good reputations. A brand may be good, but a specific model, a clunker. Both Apple and Windows have their fanboys and detractors, so take glowing reports either pro or con with a grain of salt. Both have strong points and weak points. Price for what you get can also be an issue.
Off brands may be here tomorrow and they may not.
Clerks in a store are not necessarily the best source of information, but you might get lucky and find one who knows computers and photography.
I neglected computers that use the Linux Operating Systems as there are fewer people familiar with the many flavors of Linux compared to Windows and Apple.
To a point, I'd stick with an internal HD or SSD. SSDs are faster, silent, use little power, and the prices are coming down. Use external drives for backup. The external drive may require another charger and more hookup wires/cables. More to keep track of when traveling can be a pain.
Just purchased a MacBook Pro w/ retina display. ( used of course)15.4" . Everything I've read points to the Apple brand for best " built in " program for editing photos. Don't know your budget? But you can find some great deals on Ebay or Amazon. 16GB 500GB storage Solid-state Drive. Mid2014 less than$1100 .
Consider that Homeland Security is likely to force it into checked baggage. If that is the case, weight is now more important to keep your checked bag under the weight limit.
For carry ons, just call the airline and ask. Last I heard cell phones and laptops were OK. Some flights offer WiFi but I think you'll find that's a bit expensive. Again, ask the people in charge (the airline) for an up-to-date answer
Both brands are good depending on the software. I'd be wary of used computers, particularly as you will be depending on it for storage and transmission of photos. Rhe same goes for on-line storage
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