Wi-Fi is the same as Network (Ethernet, LAN), except it uses radio, not cables. It is slower, but portable. It connects computers with other computers.

Many laptops now have Wi-Fi as standard. It is nice, but not necessary. More and more public places (like coffee shops or restaurants) offer Wi-Fi connections, but they often require some kind of membership or other payment.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology, like Wi-Fi, but it is weaker. Wi-Fi can work for your whole house; Bluetooth is only for one room. Bluetooth is used to connect your computer with small devices, like mice, keyboards, cell phones, or PDAs. Bluetooth is nice, but not necessary.

Before you buy a computer, consider weight and size. For a desktop computer, size is the biggest issue: will it fit on your desk? Where will the monitor and keyboard go? Is there enough space?

For laptops, consider the weight for carrying: a heavy computer might be too difficult to carry. When you feel the weight, make sure the battery is inside--it makes up a lot of the computer's weight. Also check a laptop's size, see if it fits nicely on your lap or on a desk/table you might use. If you will carry your computer in a backpack, check the size of the computer for that (you might also need a special protective cover for the laptop). Also check where the ports (USB, network, power, etc.) are located--they might not be convenient for you.

MS Office Personal Edition (Word and Excel only) comes free on many but not all PCs. Be sure to check! It does not come free with any Macs. Macs have a large selection of free Apple software which is mostly not available on PCs, however.

The best image-editing software is Photoshop. The cheaper version is called Photoshop Elements, and it can do everything you would want to do with Photoshop anyway (it just doesn't have the professional add-ons).

If you buy software, be sure to ask for the Academic Discount! As a student, you can often get a much cheaper price. Some software can be half price that way. Academic discounts are usually strongest with mail-order firms in the United States.

Here is an example of academic pricing:

Note that the academic prices for Microsoft products are 45% lower than the normal prices.

You should always shop around for the best deal. Computers and computer peripherals (printers, drives, scanners, etc.) are cheaper to buy in the U.S. (sometimes a lot cheaper!). However, Windows cannot always change languages so easily (though it can allow you to type in Japanese using the English version). So if you want the Japanese-version OS, you should buy in Japan. The Macintosh can change languages very easily--even the main language of the computer, for different menus and dialog boxes.

Also, the keyboard is different for Japan and the U.S.--you may prefer one keyboard more than another.
If you buy in the U.S., you should probably buy from a mail-order company. You can order by phone using a credit card, and the computer will be delivered to you. There will be a delivery charge, but sometimes it is very low. Also, if you buy from a company in a different state from the one you live in, there is no sales tax! That can save you up to 10% of the price of a computer. Ask the sales person if you can get that special deal.
Some colleges sell computers at the campus bookstore at an "academic" price, but these prices are usually not the best.

If you buy a computer from a shop and you need to buy extra RAM, ask them if they can install it for you--it might be difficult for you to do!