Roberto Sedycias asked:




Notebook or laptop computer is a portable computer that can be easily carried around, and is capable of performing all possible functions of a computer. Notebook, that usually weighs around 2.2 to about 18 pounds, comes in various sizes and varied possible features.

Unlike most other electronic goods, learning how to use a notebook is no big deal. People, who are used to working on computers, find notebooks almost as convenient to use as they have been using it already. However, the touchpad or the trackpads (that are used in place of the mouse), or the pointing sticks might pose slight difficulty for the beginners, though they can conveniently attach a mouse externally. Nevertheless, the fact that notebooks bear such great resemblance to computers surely serves as a great advantage to the users.

These days notebook can also read as well as write CDs and DVDs. They are also capable of copying and transferring data using Bluetooth devices. Most of the times, these are built in the notebooks, though one may need to attach them externally if the features have not been already provided beforehand. Pen drives, etc, can also be used on notebooks for exchanging data. They also allow the benefits of using internet connection after proper configuration has been done. Microphones and web cameras can also be used with the notebooks these days.

These days there are various kinds of notebooks that are available in the market. These can be broadly classified as Ultra-Mobile PCs (or the UMPCs), the desktop replacement computers and the ultraportables. While the Ultra-Mobile PCs are laptops that can be easily carried around owing to their extra small size, the powerful desktop replacement computers are mostly to be used in a fixed place. They are more bulky and weigh more as compared to the expensive ultraportables that are specifically meant for those business travelers who need small as well as light weight notebooks that can be easily carried around, while traveling around.

Notebooks are especially useful to those who have to work on computers for long hours, or are heavily depended on computers for their work. Though they may not be as powerful as computers tend to be for the same price range, they are capable of performing all the functions that any computer would perform. There are a number of varieties one can choose from and the special features, included in each notebook, vary from one model to another. Much it depends on the price range and the manufacturer.

The main source of power for a notebook is its main battery, and the external adapter, that is used for charging the battery, from time to time. This allows the user to work on his or her laptop for hours together, without having to connect it with any wires, till the battery exhausts. The time taken for charging the battery varies from one to another, though usually it does not take more than a few hours to charge them.

With each passing day, and new developments in technology, notebooks are becoming more and more popular among the people all over the world. Though these were initially meant for the business class, who had grown dependent on their computers, these days notebooks are being used by almost anybody and everybody.

The falling prices, reducing sizes and growing features are surely making notebooks one of the most sought after electronic devices of the new millennium. Hence in today’s world having a notebook has become a necessity, no one can stay without one. After all who can deny the luxury/necessity of owing a notebook in today`s world?!

Sally

Jesse Miller asked:




A notebook computer, sometimes called a laptop, typically weighs less than 5 pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness. “Notebook Computers” is another term for the portable computer. Notebook computers are no longer fancy toys; the notebooks are being used as business tools ready to compete with your desktop computer. With wireless cards you now have entertainment on the go. There’s a huge selection of wide-screen, light weight, top-of-the-line, and multimedia notebook computers. Desktop performance in a notebook including wireless features with the versatile range. So you can take your notebook on the road.

Notebook

Notebook computers generally cost more than desktop computers with the same capabilities because they are more difficult to design and manufacture.Think you can’t afford a notebook. Now you can get some at reasonable prices. But before purchasing cheap notebook computers, it is wise to look through reviews to get an idea of the model best suited for your individual needs. You might get a good price just to get it home and find out you can do no more than play games on it. Your search should include cost and needs.

Battery

Laptops usually run on a single main battery or from an external AC/DC adapter which can charge the battery while you are using it. Typical battery life for most notebooks is two to five hours with light use, but may drop to as little as one hour with lots of use. And that means you can expect battery life at best touching the five hour mark.

Kimberly

Ray E Baker asked:




When it comes to choosing a cheap laptop or notebook, there is one thing to be certain of, there is so much debate between everyone whether a laptop and notebook are the same or completely different. On one side of the debate, you have many experts agreeing that the two are completely different. Going by the concept that a laptop is a portable computer while, a notebook is for taking notes, they will argue the point until your eyes cross, pointing out all sorts of things like a notebook is defined by many different companies as having different options from the type of processor, to the RAM, and even the optical drives. When you look at this concept, a notebook would be a veritable note taking machine which has no problems what so ever running word processing capabilities, internet access and can even come with an optical drive for means of storing data.

On the other side of the table you have the laptop, which of course has more processing capabilities as well as RAM and have no problems running multimedia programs as well as high-end development software like CAD or even Dreamweaver and Photoshop. However the concept them becomes even more confusing when you start to realize that some computer companies use the terms loosely and call all of their portable computers one or the other. Some even separate them based on their capabilities and as a result a long standing debate has developed between experts in the field as to whether they are the same exact thing or completely different.

According to the first set of experts, if you are looking for a cheap laptop notebook, you go with the notebook because it has less features which makes it cheaper. On the other hand since many companies call them either one or the other, this will make the decision process that much harder. Instead of thinking whether you want a cheap notebook or laptop, you should instead think about the features you need in the particular mobile computer and just look for one that is affordable and has all the features you need.

Do not allow yourself to get dragged into this debate, it is not worth all of the effort, just think of it as a mobile PC and nothing more. Otherwise you could spend many days looking for a cheap notebook or laptop when in fact you need the other one. Save yourself some hassles and sit down to think about what it is exactly you plan on using the laptop for and go from there. Once this part is out of the way, finding a cheap notebook/laptop will be a much easier task because you know what you need and can then compare prices looking for the cheapest, without having to give up any features.

Harold

Mike Wendland asked:




Get ready for a new type of computer that is about to be as common as the laptop. In fact, you could think of it as the next evolutionary step of the laptop.

Before you replace your current portable computer, you may want to get yourself informed about this handy new machine that is known as the Tablet PC.

Of all the personal technology advances we’ve seen over the past five years, the Tablet PC has to rank among the most significant. For the Tablet PC is truly one of the most innovative and useful products that is just now starting to gain major traction. These machines, which are powered by a specially tweaked version of the Windows XP operating system, allow users to scribble notes on a screen with a pen-like stylus, turning handwriting or block printing into what’s called digital ink.

Although Tablet PCs have been on the market for a few years now, much of the public has been unexposed to them. That’s about to change. Tablet PCs are now showing up on TV commercials, in magazine and newspaper ads and being exuberantly talked about through word of mouth. Maybe it’s time for you to consider one.

Some Tablets are slate models only. That means there is no keyboard, just the screen. You write on them like those old Etch-a-Sketches that kids used to play with. Others, are called convertibles. Flip the screen up and it looks and works like a notebook computer, with a keyboard, CD/DVD slot, track pad and the like. But swivel the screen around and down over the keyboard and it’s a slate.

All of the big computer makers produce Tablet PC models: Dell, Gateway, Toshiba, Lenovo (IBM), Fujitsu and others. There are a couple of Tablet-only makers, too, like Motion Computing and Rugged Computers. Even Apple Computer with its fabled Macintosh line is rumored to be close to developing a Tablet version.

You can get a Tablet PC for arounf $1,800 with most of the features we all demand in portable computers like wo-fi Internet access and Bluetooth wireless. Some models have built-in CD.DVD drives (which adds to the weight factor), others include them as external devices.

Whatever you do, make sure you get enough memory to run all those cool applications. My recommendation is at least one GB, instead of the standard 512MB on most machines.

Over the past couple of years, Tablets have sold fairly well in what are known as vertical markets, among niche interest groups like students (great for note-taking and recording lectures), medical professionals (for keeping track of patient records) and salespeople (for forms and order-taking). Indeed, some schools are now giving Tablet PCs to their students, that’s how great they are as educational tools.

But now that the momentum has built up, most observers are convinced the real market is much larger … and largely untapped, if you’ll excuse the pun.

The Tablet PC does everything a regular computer does. It has a complete Windows XP operating system and can run all of the normal programs and applications consumers are used to on their desktops and laptops. The big difference is that with a Tablet PC, you can also use that electronic stylus to run many programs, taking notes by hand or tapping on the individual letters of an on-screen keyboard representation to type.

Handwriting can be converted to type with just a tap of the stylus, though, obviously, the neater you write or print, the more accurate will be the conversion into type.

I’ve been a a tablet user for several years and, truthfully, I seldom convert handwritten notes on the Tablet. I don’t need to. I can read my own notes just fine. And there’s something satisfyingly personal about seeing my scribbes on a computer screen. It’s sort of the ultimate in customization.

While a Tablet does everything a regular computer does, they have the added advantage of some special tablet-only software enhancements. I bought a $39 add-on to the Outlook program that lets me use digital ink to enter calendar, to-do, journal and contact info. And a $99 program called PlanPlus from Franklin Covey puts the equivalent of a Franklin Planner on my Tablet. I’ve fallen in love with this application.

Then there’s Microsoft OneNote, which comes bundled on many of the Tablets sold today or can be purchased separately for $99. OneNote I believe, is the most amazingly useful application for any platform I have ever tried.

Besides the digital ink note-taking and organizational features, OneNote uses the built in microphone on the Tablet to record meetings, lectures, interviews, whatever you want. As you take notes of a presentation and hear something that’s important, make a star or exclamation mark next to someone’s words that you’ve jotted down, just as you do with pen and paper notes. Afterwards, as you review the notes, you can tap on the special mark you made to hear the actual recording of the subject as the presenter spoke the information.

No matter how much I use OneNote, it blows me away every time.

If you’re thinking about a new laptop and if note-taking is a part of your life, a tablet should be at the top of your shopping list.

It’s that handy.

Is a Tablet PC right for you?

Obviously, only you can answer that. But it’s been my esperience as a longtime road warrior who has used all sorts of laptops, that the Tablet PC offers so many more features and so much more convenience than a standard laptop that I would never go back.

I bet you will feel the same.

Jacob

Roberto Sedycias asked:




Computers have now become best friends of man. This magical technologically advanced device provides us with those facilities which otherwise would have been possible only in our dreams.

Computers come in two forms: desktop and laptop/notebook. The second type is a more stylish, handy, and slick form of the first type. It is also known as notebook computer or simply notebook. It is considered as a small mobile computer. Its weight is somewhat around 1-6 kilograms (2-18 pounds), which varies with size materials and other factors. They are also available in different beautiful colors.

Apart from being stylish and slick it is also portable as it is much smaller in size than a desktop. Unlike desktops a notebook more often than not operates on a single main battery and with the help of an external AC/DC adapter, which assists in charging up the battery along with sourcing power to the laptop computer itself.

Both a desktop and a laptop perform the same tasks as personal computers. They possess all the components of a desktop in a miniature format (the components are-modem, CD-ROM drive, speakers, etc) and are optimized for mobile use. They have efficient power consumption facilities. Initially laptops were priced higher than desktops but now they are almost equally priced.

Most of the Notebook computers have liquid crystal display and make use of different memory modules intended for their RAM (Random Access Memory). Contrasting desktops laptops exploit a built-in keypad, touch-pad or a pointing stick although external keyboard and a mouse can also be put together.

Before this polished and stylized portable computers were introduced, the world`s first commercially on hand portable computer known as Osborne 1, came out in the year 1981, which made use of CP/M operating system. Unlike today`s laptop it was a bit heavy with a small monitor. Nonetheless, debatably the first true notebook was known to be GriD Compass premeditated by Bill Moggridge in the year 1979-1980, which was launched in the year 1982. It had plasma display and bubble memory. In the year 1983 Compaq introduced their first Compaq portable and eventually with the improvement in technology others came forward with their produce, which provided us with our familiar notebooks in their present form.

Nevertheless laptops have certain disadvantages also:

Laptops are more complex than desktops and other electronics as some parts may cause some difficulties in their replacement or repair function.

Compatibility is another issue here. In many cases it has been seen that most of the internal parts produced by notebook producers are not interchangeable with other manufacturers and it is so because the manufacturers want the customer to buy the same manufacturers component for their laptops.

Upgradeability of laptops is very much limited both in terms of technical and economic reasons.

Also, it has also been found through studies that laptops can be harmful and injurious to health. It is said that it can raise the temperature of the scrotum, possibly putting sperm count at jeopardy.

However Notebooks have advantages also: notebooks are versatile and convenient; they have more clear and high-tech digital monitor display; they are stylish and trendy; notebook computers are easy to keep, as they don`t take much space because unlike the desktops many of its components are built-in.

Following are some of the most notable brands and manufacturer of a notebook: Acer- Aspire, Apple-MacBook, Compaq- Presario, Lenovo- IBM, ThinkPad, Panasonic- Tougkbook, Sony-VAIO, Toshiba-Dynabook, Hewlett-Packeard- HP Pavillion, LG, Hyundai, HCL, BenQ, Falcon Northwest and many others.

Following are some of the categories or subtypes of notebook computers: UMPCS (Ultra-Mobile PC`S), Ultraportables, Thin-and-lights, Mainstream, Desktop replacement Computers Transportable, Tablets (shaped like slates).

With so many varieties of notebooks available in the market the user is surely spoilt or choice!

Angela