Portable Computers Laptop, Notebook and Palmtop

Portable computers, once a novelty, are now a part of everyday business life. Portable computers work and act just like larger systems, except they are very compact. This study note will give u a brief description of portable computer types.

Types of Portable Computers:
Portable computers are classified according to size and function. Today there are three basic types of portable computers: laptops, notebooks, and subnotebooks.

Laptop Computers

With advancements in battery technology and the advent of functional, large-screen, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), the first truly portable computers, referred to as laptops, were produced in the late 1980s. These units featured integrated AT-compatible computer boards, including I/O (input/output) and video controller functions. Laptops, as mentioned, usually feature a folding LCD display and a built-in keyboard and pointing device. They also use an external power supply and a removable, rechargeable battery. Today's laptops have fairly large (2 GB or more) hard drives, a CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive), and a floppy disk drive (often the latter two are interchangeable plug-ins).When laptops originally appeared on the market, they were the smallest portable computers made. Today, they are high-end machines that offer features and performance comparable to a desktop system.

Notebook Computers

Advances in integrated circuit (IC) technology allowed the size of computer components to be reduced even further, and, in the early to mid-1980s, the notebook computer was born. Notebooks are roughly 8.75 inches deep × 11 inches wide × 2.25 inches thick, and designers are working to decrease the size and power consumption of these units even further. The reduction in size comes at a cost, however, and notebooks typically have smaller and less capable displays and keyboards than laptops. A wide variety of specialty items have appeared on the market designed to overcome some of the notebook's shortcomings. Docking ports are one such item.

Subnotebook (Palmtop) Computers

Even smaller than the notebook computers are subnotebook computers, also known as palmtops or handhelds. These tiny systems are 7 inches wide × 4 inches deep × 1 inch high. Due to their size, they are rather limited in function. Keyboards, for example, are too small to permit touch-typing. With notebooks decreasing in cost and weight, palmtops have been losing market share and popularity

Desktop,Laptop And PDA

Desktops versus Laptops versus PDAs

The choice of whether to purchase a desktop or laptop system should be based upon your sense of how you will be using your computer system. If you wish to get the most "bang for the buck" you’ll probably want to consider a desktop system. Dollar for dollar, you can get more computing power and expandability with a desktop. This is particularly important if you ever intend upon adding peripheral devices such as a scanner. If you plan on carrying your computer system with you, the obvious choice will be to purchase a laptop system. If you decide to buy a laptop, we recommend that you purchase it with a built-in ethernet card and a wireless card.
Handheld PDAs are increasing in popularity in medicine. We recommend that you do not purchase a PDA unless 1) you already have either a desktop or laptop system, and 2) have some very specific personal or professional uses for a PDA. Given that this technology is rapidly changing, any need for a PDA during your clinical years would be better served by waiting until then to purchase a system.Most computer systems are sold as complete system packages including computer, monitor, keyboard, modem, cables, and software. Many vendors have a series of systems to choose from, and which can be customized. For example, one common way to customize a pre-packaged system is to add extra random access memory (e.g., from 512 MB to 1000 MB); another is to add a printer. Many systems are "multimedia" with speakers and other hardware, which are ready to play CD-ROMs to their best effect.