Life
Story Of A Notebook :
By Roberto Sedycias
Computing on the move has been a focus area
for a lot of
Information Technology
Companies for years. The idea of being able
to work while on the road is extremely
fascinating. A notebook, also known as a
laptop, which may also be understood as a
mobile computer has been the solution for
these
portable computer related tasks.
History
It is a little hard to determine which is
the
first notebook or
portable computer ever
made. The Osborne 1 is considered by most
historians to be the first true portable
computer or notebook. This was produced by
Adam Osborne in the year 1981. It featured a
5 inch screen, modem port, floppy drives,
few bundled
software programs and a battery
pack. The total weight of the notebook was
about 11 kgs. Gradually after this Epson,
Radio Shack, IBM, Apple Computer etc. all
came out with a
portable computer. IBM`s IBM
PC convertible introduced in 1986 was a true
laptop computer. This computer ushered in
the
laptop area. Since these early models,
notebooks have seen tremendous development.
Features and Functioning
Notebooks have the identical major
components as Desktop PCs: microprocessor,
RAM,
operating system, input/output ports,
hard disk drives, speakers and sound cards,
and speakers. However, all laptops have
power management features to extend battery
life, or conserve battery power
when battery
is low. A notebook differs from a desktop PC
in terms of power supply, display, and the
type of input devices it uses.
Notebook processors usually have multiple sleeps,
meaning slow down modes which help in
increasing battery life and can also run on
low voltage. Hard disk in the notebook also
functions in the same way as it does in
Desktop. These are slower in speed and have
lesser capacity.
In addition to hard disks, notebooks also
have options for removable disk storage
system such as Floppy Discs, CDs and DVDs. A
notebook also has various input/output ports
that enable you to connect to various
peripherals. Most notebook computers today
feature built-in modems and Ethernet for
external connectivity.
Infrared ports for
wireless connectivity are also becoming very
popular. One of the most critical components
in a notebook is its
battery as it works on
battery power for usage while on move.
Battery life offered is different for each
device as it depends on the configuration
and power management features implemented.
All notebook computers come with an in-built
LCD screen for display output. For Input,
notebooks are featured with built-in
keyboards for text inputs. As far as
pointing devices are concerned, notebooks
use one of the three-Trackball, Pointing
stick, Touchpad.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Notebook
The most important
advantage of a notebook is its portability. One can work with ease
anytime and everywhere. Also, access to
wireless networking in public places is
making notebooks more and more useful. The
counting of disadvantages for a notebook
always starts with its high cost. Not only
the initial cost, its parts are also
expensive and are not interchangeable.
Notebooks have a lesser storage capacity and
its processor usually works at a lower speed
when on battery power. Notebooks are also
prone to theft due to its portability.
Future Directions
With falling prices and acceptance of
new technologies, we can expect to see a
significant increase in demand of notebooks.
Vendors are also working on the design of
the notebook to make it stronger so that it
can withstand jerks and shocks.
New technologies are being integrated into the
notebooks to prevent failure and data loss.
Mostly used by corporate firms,
professionals and businessmen, vendors are
now targeting students and home users as
well because of increasing affordability of
these devices.
So the emergence of this new usage category
is definitely on the cards. This means there
is a huge potential for notebooks in the
coming future and the price cuts offered
with technological improvements are sure to
fuel growth.
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