Notebook Computer

NOTEBOOK COMPUTER

Dad, can I request you something- asked eleven year old Barbara. Yes, of course my daughter.- replied Mr. John, father of Barbara. Dad, I am fade up with your old desktop. Why dont you purchase a Notebook in stead of it

The notebook computer is slim and moreover very trendy.- Barbara replied. I am thinking seriously about it. But, I prefer a desktop because, that can be updated easily. But, to update a notebook, it is very difficult. Moreover, notebooks are costlier then desktops.- replied Mr. John. Oh, if that is the case, then I dont insist. But, still, it would be very easy for you to carry the notebook whenever you travel.-Barbara again replied.

Looking at the conversation above, it is clear to us that, notebooks are costlier than desktops. Moreover, updating a desktop is much easier in comparison to a notebook. Yet, the note book is still a craze among the buyers specially the new generation in comparison to a desktop. Whenever, you travel or have to make a presentation, notebooks plays the role of a real friend. Moreover, a desktop is bulky and the notebook is handy and portable. Notebook computer primarily have more specialized components in comparison to a desktop. Therefore, before buying a notebook, the buyer should consider many facts like: i) what application would be using mostly by him ii) do he need the computer to present before groups or in company meetings iii) is there any option in mind to upgrade the computer iv) whether the buyer is ready to sacrifice some features only because of the size and lightweight v) is the screen quality and the size is important , and so and so forth.

Laptops and Notebooks are very commonly used terms in the world. In fact, there is no basic difference between a laptop computer or laptop and a notebook computer or simply notebook. It is nothing but a mobile personal computer. The weight of this small computer varies from one kilo to three kilograms. Laptop is the older term and notebook is the new term. The name laptop was introduced in 1983 after the installation of Gavilan SC. The term notebook was coined for the first time in 1989 when Compaq LTE series was launched. The new generation small pc was termed as notebook as the size has been considerably reduced to the size of an A4 paper sheet. There were some older portable computers such as Macintosh portable or Zenith TurbosPort. These were earlier considered as Laptops. But in reality, such computers lack the main characteristics of a laptop or notebook. A modern laptop or notebook runs on a single battery. These mini computers have liquid crystal displays. Most of them use different memory modules for their RAM. Along with a comparatively smaller keyboard, there is a touchpad, which is also known as a trackpad or a pointing stick for inputs. There are provisions available to externally connect a keyboard or a mouse. Around the Globe, there are lots of manufacturers of notebooks. Among them, the most notables are: Acer, Compaq, Apple Computers, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, BenQ, Samsung, Linux, Panasonic, Dell, ECS, Gateway, Zyrez, Medion, Sharp, Toshiba, Voodoo PC, etc.

Let us look into the little history part of Laptops. Long back, in 1970, the idea of small computers was pioneered by Alan Kays Dynabook concept. It was developed at Xerox PARC in early seventies. But, the concept of laptop/notebook was not technically feasible during those days. The first commercially available portable computer (not laptop) was Osborne1 launched in 1981. Osborne 1 was a microcomputer released in 1981 with a tiny 5 inch display screen and run on CP/M 2.2 Operating system. The weight of the computer was 23.5 pounds, i.e., around 12 kg. As mentioned above, Gavilan SC was the first ever marketed laptop launched in May 1983 by Gavilan Computer Corp. The GRiD compasses notebook computer, launched in 1982 was also a contemporary of Gavilan SC. But there are arguments, about GRiD computers. Many people do not want to call it as a laptop computer. But, Gavilan SC had more features of a laptop. It was equipped with a Floppy disk drive and used MS-DOS programme. It was powered by a 5 MHz Intel processor. It was also equipped with a graphical user interface stored in 48 kb of ROM. An Internal modem along with facility for connecting to a printer was also available. It was designed with LCD display and was equipped with touchpad like pointing device installed on a panel above the keyboard. Therefore, it has been considered as the first marketed modern laptop. Now, coming to the new term called notebook. Compaq LTE series launched in 1989 was considered as the real notebook. Compaq LTE and Compaq LTE286, were introduced with a smaller size- the size of a paper. These mini computers had both inbuilt hard disk and floppy disk drives and inbuilt modem. The model name LTE was derived from LITE- because of the small size as well as weight. The 286 model came with 40 megabyte hard drive. The weight was three kilogram and powered with MS-DOS version 3.31.The memory was 640K base RAM. 40 MB HD hard disk was used in the 286 model. By the end of eighties, the laptops were become popular among business people. In 1987, a large scale Laptop supply was ordered by US Air Force. The Department requested for Laptops and later on 2, 00,000 Laptops were sold to them by many leading companies around the world. Thus, the most popular use in large scale came into light.

Now, it would be worthwhile to look into various components of a notebook computer. Let us discuss about all these components one by one.

Screens: The screens of notebooks are called LCD screens. The screens are lightweight and flat. In desktops, monitor size can vary from 14 to 21. Normally, notebook screens are within 11 to 15. LCD screens are more expensive in comparison to normal CRT monitors. The screen resolution in a notebook varies from 800x600 to 1024x768. It has a limited viewing angle for the viewer. The user has to look at the screen straight to get the best result. The active matrix display in TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screens is also available. Now-a-days, DSTN (Double-layer Supertwist Nematic) screens are available but having very tight viewing angles.

Keyboards: An external keyboard is the right answer to a notebook. Although a keyboard has been attached with notebooks but the service is not at par with the service of a keyboard provided in a desktop. This is because of limited space. Therefore, companies are squeezing the keys in a notebook key board.

Graphic Controller: Due to heavy power consumption and limited space available, graphic controllers has been introduced to notebooks. The new line graphic controllers have enough power to satisfy all the customers. In this regard 4MB of RAM is sufficient. But, to edit and view photos on internet, minimum of 8 MB is required. More RAM will serve the user with more graphic operations.

Touchpad, Pointers: The mouse is a basic requirement in a desktop. But, mouse is not a requirement in a notebook or laptop. Although, the user can attach a mouse externally, but the right answer is the touchpad or pointers. A pointing stick looks like just as an eraser and is jutting up from the centre of the keyboard. The user can tilt it in different direction for cursor movement. A touchpad is a small table located in the systems palm rest. The user has to glide his finger across it to move the cursor. Some notebooks include both of them.

Batteries: the most interesting point is notebook computer are designed in such a way that it requires less power than a desktop. Normally, notebooks are powered with a single battery. Normally two different types of batteries used in notebooks. These are: Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-ion). Li-ion is lighter than the other one. The life of a fully charged battery also lies on the fastness and compatibility of the processor. For a life longer battery performance, the user should eliminate unnecessary needs from the notebook. If the user wants to play a full DVD, then he can not curse the battery manufacturing Company. Moreover, nearly, all laptops can be even powered by an external AC converter.

Expansion Ports: Normally a notebook is powered with same types of ports such as USB, serial, mouse, etc. as available in a desktop. Other ports may be Ethernet, audio/ video in/out, infrared are among the common ones. The PC cards are an added advantage. To get more results, a notebook should contain with two PC card slots.

After discussing about the components, now it is time to have a brief look at the processors part. In a notebook computer, both Intel and AMD processors can be used. Different model line is associated with speed and performance at different levels. The processors are designed in such a way that the notebook as a whole consumes less power. Moreover the design helps to take less space and also run cooler in comparison to desktops. There is no need to say that, the more powerful processor will give more results. There is a competitor also to these two giants. Transmeta is a competitor to Intel and AMD. This processor is specially designed for ultra light notebooks.

There are various types of Models available in the market. The models can be classified as Bargain, Ultralight, Workhorse, and, Leading Edge, etc. The Bargain models are entry level notebooks. These are featured with basic computing tasks and word processing systems. Normally, these notebooks have 64MB RAM, 5GB hard drive, ATI rage mobility video card, 12 matrix display, CD ROM drive, etc. The Ultralight models are more premium in nature. These are light and required less space. There are again wide ranges of models under the same category. These notebooks have Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon processors, 64 MB of RAM, 10GB hard disk, ATI Rage LT Pro, 12 active matrix display, 24XCD ROM etc. The Workhorse notebooks are budget computers. Decent sized screens, additional bay to put a CD writer, an extra battery, larger gard drive, are some common features of a Workhorse model. Normally Workhorse models have Intel Celeron or AMD Duron processor, 128MB or RAM, 15GB hard disk, Rage mobility 128, 14.1 passive matrix display, CD-RW, etc. The Leading Edge models are generally with Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon processors, 256 MB of RAM, 30Gb hard disk, NVIDA Ge Force GO, 15 active matrix display, DVD combo, etc. These are high performance notebooks. The screens are larger and the keyboard is of full size.

As already discussed above, the upgradeability of notebooks are limited. There are many reasons behind it. Each laptop or notebook designers have their unique design and construction. Therefore, these are very difficult to be upgraded. The repair cost and cost for upgradation, if possible is on a very higher side. Notebook components can rarely be swapped with other laptops and same product lines. Moreover, standard peripherals like sound, video, USB, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. are an integral part of PCB, the motherboard. Therefore, upgradation is difficult. But other components such as RAM, hard drives, Batteries are user-upgradeable. Moreover, many notebooks have removal CPUs. But, in many notebooks CPUs are soldered and non replaceable.

Now, last but not the least, lets us discuss about the security part of a notebook. Notebooks are prime targets for theft especially from public places like an Airport, Hotel or a Coffee shop. It can lead to serious identity problems. As per an FBI report, 97% stolen notebooks can not be recovered. In the market, locking cables are available which is designed similar to a bicycle locking cable. It can be hindrance to a casual thief. Motion sensor alarm is another option. These devices can be triggered to make beep sounds or alarm (around 100-db) at the slightest movement of the notebook. The user is advised to engrave his name or ID on the Computer. Moreover, the user can use password locking, encryption and anti-viral software to save it from other dangers.

The handy portable notebook does bring a revolution to the market. Because of the mobility factor, notebooks and the latest version, the palmtops are more in demand among the people then the age old desktops. Although there is much more to distinguish between the laptop or a desktop with regard to its utilities, both of these have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is the user or the buyer who will choose any one of it as per his/her convenience. Now-a-days, the concept of the $100 laptop is latest sensation. This $100 laptop project is meant with a specific motto. One laptop per child is the motto of this programme. The aim is to give access to every child in acquiring knowledge and also to help the child in the modern form of education. Things are really going to change in a faster way in near future. A time will come very soon, when the most miniature notebook of todays market will be termed as outdated by the next generation.