Chapter 2.

Portable PC Overview: Types and Features

Types and Classes of Portable Computers
Major Features
Types and Classes of Portable Computers
The evolution of portables over the past 20 years shows a continual trend in
miniaturization. While the general appearance of desktop computers has not
substantially changed much since 1985, the portable computer industry has
spawned several new classes of computers. In general, each new class is smaller
than the previous one. The end result is that computers with as much power as
full-sized desktop systems can now fit into handheld or notebook-sized portables.
At least seven different categories of portable computers have appeared on the
market. Today, while there are individual or niche market exceptions, only four
main categories of PC-compatible portable computers remain popular:

Laptops/notebooks
Subnotebooks/ultraportables/ultralights
Tablets
Handhelds/palmtops

In general, as new, smaller classes appear, the older and larger classes become
extinct. The laptop/notebook category, however, has not been replaced by a
smaller category and instead has proved so powerful and useful that it continues
to be the most popular class by far in the portable computer industry.
Laptops Versus Notebooks
The dividing line between what we might call a laptop or notebook system was
always somewhat poorly defined, and in fact today the terms are completely
synonymous. While the marketing departments in the computer manufacturers
have overwhelmingly decided to call all of their laptops notebooks, most people
continue to use the more readily understood term laptop instead.
The definition of a laptop computer is fairly simple, a laptop is any portable
computer featuring a clamshell design (where the screen and keyboard are
hinged together), which is also small and light enough that it is capable of being
used on one's lap. To that definition, most people would add the requirement that
the system should be capable of running on internal batteries.
The definition of a notebook computer is unfortunately much less clear. Originally,
notebook computers were just that, computers the size of a paper notebook. In
other words, they had to be about 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall. They also
had a fixed display, which means the system did not feature a hinged clamshell
design like a laptop. Eventually, the marketing departments of the various
computer companies began using the term notebook to apply to notebook-sized
laptops, meaning systems that incorporated the hinged clamshell design.
Eventually, they began using the term notebook on systems that were larger than
a true notebook, but having a weight below some arbitrary figure like six pounds.
Finally, all size and weight distinctions were dropped, and the marketers simply
began to use the term notebook to describe all of their laptops. Perhaps they
thought that calling them notebooks was sexier than laptops and somehow
implied that the systems were smaller and lighter than they really were?

In any case, today's laptops have become high-end machines, offering features
and performance comparable to a desktop system. Compare that to the original
generation of laptop systems, which normally didn't even have a hard drive.
Indeed, many high-performance laptops are now being issued to users as their
sole computer, even if their only form of travel is to go from home to the office
and back. Active-matrix displays as large as 17 inches, up to 2GB or more RAM,
and hard drives of up to 160GB or more in size are all but ubiquitous, with
virtually all systems now carrying fast DVD+/-RW or CD-RW drives, onboard
speakers, and connectivity options that enable the use of an external display,
high-speed storage, and a surround sound systems. Most models now include
wireless Wi-Fi network capabilities as standard equipment as well.
Sub notebooks: The End of a Trend?
The evolution of laptops has followed an interesting path. As the internal
components of laptops continued to shrink in size, of course, so did the size of
laptops themselves.
Eventually, the sizes shrunk to a weight of less than 3 pounds, and thus a new
category was born the sub notebook. But a small size meant a small keyboard
and screen, which further meant that the sub notebook could be difficult to use.
Despite some initial excitement for these systems, they failed to attract a
significant following, and the category was soon abandoned. At long last, portable
computers had become so small that some of them were now too small.
Nevertheless, the idea of a highly portable laptop was too good to let die. As
components continued to decrease in size, it soon became possible to design a
laptop that was both lightweight and reasonably powerful. But instead of adopting
the tainted name of sub notebook, these systems were now given the new name
of ultra light, a category that will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter.
The Many Types of Laptops/Notebooks
As laptops and notebook computers became increasingly popular, manufacturers
began to segment the market. As with most products, one of the primary ways to
segment the market was by price. Most manufacturers thus began offering three
lines of laptops according to price: high-end, medium, and bargain-basement or
value.
Another way to segment the portable market was in terms of size and weight. In
many cases, the smallest and lightest laptop was also the most expensive
because it was using the latest components. But often users actually preferred
heavier systems.
Today, most manufacturers segment the market into up to five classes: desktop
replacement/gaming laptops, mainstream laptops, value laptops, thin & light
laptops, and ultra light laptops. Some might combine the mainstream and value
systems into a single category, or likewise combine the thin & light and ultra light
into a single category as well. A small group of companies specialize in an
additional class: ruggedized laptops. Table 2.1 compares the basic dimensions
and costs associated with the most popular types of laptops.

Table 2.1. Typical Characteristics and Price Ranges for Various Types of Laptops
Laptop Type

Weight (lbs.) Thickness (in.) Display Size (in.) Price Range

Desktop replacement 6.08.0

1.52.0

1517

$1,000$4,000

Mainstream

6.08.0

1.52.0

1415

$1,000$2,500

Value

6.08.0

1.52.0

1415

$500$1,500

Thin & light

4.55.5

1.01.5

12

$1,000$3,000

Ultra light

3.04.0

0.81.2

710

$1,000$3,000

Table 2.2 list the typical processors, maximum memory, and maximum hard drive
capacities found in the various types of laptops.

Table 2.2. Typical Processors, Maximum Memory, and Maximum Hard Drive Capacities
Available for the Different Laptop Types

Laptop Type

Typical Processors

Desktop replacement Pentium 4

Maximum Memory
(GB)

Maximum Hard Drive Size

(GB)

160

120

100

80

60

Pentium M
Athlon 64
Turion
Mainstream

Pentium 4
Pentium M
Celeron M
Athlon 64
Turion
Sempron

Value

Pentium 4
Pentium M
Celeron M
Celeron
Athlon 64
Turion
Sempron

Thin & light

Pentium M
Celeron M
Turion
Sempron

Ultra light

Pentium M
Celeron M
Turion
Sempron

The various laptop form factors are described in more detail in the following
sections. Note that these designations can be somewhat vague, and the
marketing departments in most companies like to come up with their own terms
for what they think a particular system might conform to.
Desktop Replacements
Desktop replacements are the heavy-weight division of the laptop family. Laptops
of this class are very similar in size and weight to the original laptops. They
typically weigh between 7 and 12 pounds or more and are usually large enough
to accommodate the largest laptop displays available, now 1517 inches measured
diagonally.
As the name implies, the desktop-replacement system is designed to have most
of the power and features of a typical desktop computer. This eliminates the need
for a user to have both a desktop and portable, which saves quite a bit of money.
These laptops generally have two or three data-storage drives: A large hard drive
and an optical drive of some type (usually a DVD drive or a combination DVD/CDRW drive) are usually included as standard; plus in some cases an optional third
drive bay might be available as well. Because all these drives employ rotating
storage media, they are frequently referred to as spindles. Thus, most desktop
replacement laptops have historically been referred to as two- or three-spindle
systems. Note, however, that because of the decreasing use of floppy disks,
many vendors are no longer bundling floppy drives as standard equipment and
only offer them as $50 external USB attached options. This, combined with the
emphasis on reducing size, weight, and power consumption, has also caused
virtually all three-spindle designs to be discontinued. As such, most modern
desktop-replacement laptops are now two-spindle designs, with the second drive
contained in a swappable media bay with optional optical drives or hard drive
carriers available to plug in.
Desktop-replacement laptops either come standard with top-of-the-line
components or have them available as options. This means the fastest mobile
processors, the largest amounts of memory and hard drive storage, and the best
mobile video accelerators. Table 2.2 shows how the components in these laptops
compare with those in other categories.
These systems generally de-emphasize battery life and power-conserving
technology in favor of desktop type processors and video components, making
them more suitable for gaming and multimedia applications. Many desktop
replacements are being positioned in the market as gaming or multimedia
systems suitable for delivering presentations on the road. Because of their
greater weight, these laptops leave the desk only in the company of salespeople
and other travelers who absolutely require the features they provide.
To use them as a desktop replacement, you can equip many laptops with a
docking station (or a less expensive port replicator) that functions as the user's
"home base," enabling connection to a network and the use of a full-size monitor
and keyboard. For someone who travels frequently, this arrangement often works
better than separate desktop and portable systems, on which data must
continually be kept in sync.

Mainstream Laptops
People who buy large numbers of laptops are interested in the best combination
of functionality and price. As with the thin & light laptops, the compo entry of a
mainstream laptop does not have to be of the latest and greatest vintage, but
neither does the laptop have to be very light? The main goal is low price. The
laptops have to be relatively powerful, but any component that is not absolutely
essential is left out.
To cut costs, mainstream laptops use average-size displays (today, 14 or 15
inches in diagonal), lower capacity hard drives, and include an average amount of
RAM. Floppy drives have universally been eliminated from virtually all modern
laptops; however, most manufacturers enable users to attach (and optionally
boot from) an external USB floppy drive if necessary.
Because they are two-spindle systems and do not need space for a large display,
these laptops can be significantly smaller and lighter than the desktopreplacement systems.
Value Laptops
Value laptops are designed to appeal to people who require only a minimum level
of performance. These laptops are designed to sell at low prices. To create their
value line, some manufacturers simply take a variation of their existing
mainstream laptops and configure them only with the most affordable
components available. Some value laptops are stripped-down models with only
the barest minimum of components. Value systems may be two generations
behind the high-end laptops when it comes to performance and features. For
example, it is quite common for value laptops to use Intel Celeron or AMD
Sempron processors, which sacrifice performance for price when compared to
higher powered CPUs. Nevertheless, the absolute decrease in functionality
between successive generations of processors and other features is actually quite
small. Although low-cost processors may have clock speeds only half that of the
latest generation of CPUs, the actual performance difference may be substantially
smaller. As the name implies, these laptops can represent a good value for the
customer.
Value systems generally use chipsets with integrated graphics, which also shares
some of the main memory for graphics use. Also, these laptops are invariably
equipped with the smallest hard drives available these days, 40GB, with larger
drives as an optional upgrade. They also generally use the slowest 4200 rpm
drives, which causes significantly longer boot and hibernation/resume times as
well as slower operation reading and writing files in general. Some may include
wireless networking as standard equipment, but the lowest cost models may offer
wireless as an extra cost upgrade.
Thin & Light Laptops
Many users do not need to carry the equivalent of a desktop around with them.
They especially do not want to carry around something that weighs close to 10
pounds. For these users, manufacturers have come up with the thin & light class
of laptops, which attempts to combine an optimum amount of portability and
functionality.

As the name suggests, this category of laptops keeps a low profile, generally
about an inch in height. Likewise, its weight is relatively low, typically around 5
pounds.
Despite the low weight, these laptops can pack a considerable amount of power
and incorporate numerous features. The processor is usually one generation
removed from the fastest available, but this penalizes performance by only a
small amount. The available memory and hard drive capacity are similarly
reduced but still highly capable. Also, to fit into a 1-inch profile, these laptops
require the thinnest available optical drives. Therefore, the latest and greatest
combination rewritable drives may not be an option.
Ultra lights
Sometimes it seems you cannot keep a good idea down. The original lightweight
laptops called sub notebooks never caught on with the public, and by the late
1990s most manufacturers had abandoned this segment. There was always,
however, a group of highly mobile workers who needed the lightest functional
laptop possible. Fortunately, by the turn of the century, mobile technology had
caught up with them.
With the advent of tiny 1.8-inch hard disk drives, laptop designers could now
design a highly functional laptop that weighed less than 3 or 4 pounds. Floppies
were now completely unnecessary because most input and output was done via a
network or USB connection. Even CD-ROM drives were less crucial. Large
program or data files could be easily downloaded over a local network or USB
connection. The only problem with this category of lightweight laptops was its
name. The term sub notebook had negative connotations as an inferior
technology. Thus was born the ultra light category.
The typical ultra light weighs no more than 3 or 4 pounds and is generally no
larger than 8.5x11 inches in size. The most desirable characteristic particularly
among executives is thinness. Laptop designers continually try to shave
millimeters off the profile of these devices to get them as close as possible to
measuring under an inch.
One weak point of ultra lights is battery endurance. To keep the weight down,
designers of these laptops employ the smallest possible batteries. This can offer
significant weight savings because batteries are typically the heaviest component
in the system. The smaller battery is partially offset by the decreased power
requirements of the smaller components in these laptops, but in general ultra
lights are hampered with notably short battery lives, sometimes barely more than
an hour.
Because the accent is on size and weight, the internal components are generally
two generations behind the leading edge in terms of performance and capacity.
Processor clock speeds are typically around 1.5GHz or less. Hard drives are
generally no larger than about 60GB.
As with value laptops, the components may not be the latest and greatest but are
generally good enough to handle most jobs. The most crucial compromises of
these products, however, are not buried inside but plainly visible on the external
surfaces. The keyboards are often shrunk by 90 95%. And screens are no larger
than 12.1 inches the smallest generally available for laptops. On the back panel,
the lack of real estate often forces designers to jettison all but two or three of the
most necessary connectors.

Some manufacturers achieve a good compromise with portability by combining

the ultra light with a slab containing those components that are not needed very
often. For example, the ThinkPad X-series uses a detachable module (or slice)
that fits under the main system to carry CD-ROM or DVD drives and floppy drives.
In most types of products, devices become more inexpensive as they get smaller.
But the situation is often the opposite in complex electronic gear, where prices
often increase as the size gets smaller. Some ultra lights are intended (and
priced) as high-end executive jewelry, such as for the executive who uses the
system for little else but email and scheduling but who wants a lightweight,
elegant, and impressive-looking system.
Ruggedized Laptops
Laptop computers are normally designed for relatively genteel environments: an
office desk, an airline tray table, and maybe a hotel coffee table. Many workers,
however, need computing power in the outside world, a place where even the
most delicate electronic equipment may be caked with sand, rained on, and
dropped repeatedly.
For that reason, a small number of manufacturers have specialized in creating
ruggedized laptops. These devices are built to withstand varying degrees of
stress. Almost all rugged laptops can handle drops well. Their delicate internal
components, such as their hard drives, are shock-mounted to avoid damage. The
outside case of the laptop may be reinforced by magnesium and have a rubberlike outside skin.
Rugged laptops vary in the degree to which they are waterproof. Most will
withstand significant amounts of rainfall. Some are completely waterproof and
can be safely dropped into a pool or even salt water.
Inside these computers, you can easily see that the emphasis has been placed on
durability instead of performance. Most components are two generations old.
On the outside, ruggedness can sometimes interfere with usability. A waterproof
keyboard is not as easy to use as a regular one. Note also that for true
ruggedness, all the many connectors on a laptop must be securely covered with
waterproof rubber plugs. Connecting and disconnecting these plugs can be
tiresome.
Although rugged laptops use older, less powerful components, you would never
know this by looking at the price. These units are typically the most expensive
laptops on the market, often costing twice as much as a desktop-replacement
system. Still, for many companies, the cost is well worth it. They would rather
buy a single rugged laptop than a more delicate system that has to be replaced
three times because of damage.
Tablets
In some applications, a keyboard is either unnecessary or a hindrance. For that
reason, manufacturers have repeatedly offered tablet-style computers. These
systems are like laptops without the keyboard. The top panel of the device
consists solely of a large LCD panel. Except for a few buttons accompanying the
screen, all input is accomplished via a stylus on a touch-sensitive panel that
covers the tablet's screen.

In the fall of 2002, Microsoft launched a new initiative for tablets with a special
version of its Windows operating system, dubbed Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC
Edition. This operating system differs from the regular version of Windows XP in
that it enables users to manipulate the Windows interface with a stylus and to
enter text using handwriting. Microsoft claimed that these new tablets would offer
enhanced usability and would be better able to read the user's handwriting than
previous attempts. Several companies, such as Acer, HP, and Gateway, are
offering tablets that can use this operating system. Most of these devices are
really hybrid notebook/tablets. The basic design looks like a notebook, except
that the screen can be rotated and closed down on the keyboard, thus hiding it
during tablet use.
A typical tablet is represented by the ThinkPad X-Series Tablet. At first the
system looks like a small, 4-pound ultra light laptop with a 12.1-inch color
display. Inside is a special low-voltage version of the Pentium M processor
complemented with 512MB1.5GB of DDR2 SDRAM and a 4060GB hard drive. The
main difference between this system and a standard laptop is that this system
includes a touch-sensitive display that can be twisted around and then folded
back to cover the keyboard, at which time the included stylus can be used for
input.
Most Tablet PCs have the advantage that they can be used either as a tablet or
an ultra light notebook. Other systems are permanently in tablet form, these are
sometimes called slates. Despite having been on the market for a couple of years
now, it is still too early to say how successful these devices will be.
Handhelds/Palmtops
The rarest category (at least outside of Japan these days) is the handheld or
palmtop PC. Not to be confused with the PDAs (such as the Palm and Handspring
series) or the Pocket PC, these handheld mini-laptop computers are true PC
compatibles even though they are hardly larger than a paperback book. The most
famous handheld is the Toshiba Libretto.
Palmtops such as the Libretto offer a standard layout of keys, but with small keys
spaced much more closely together than with a standard keyboard. As such,
these systems are very difficult to use for extensive typing, but for simple field
work, email, or Internet accessory anything that doesn't require a lot of data
entry they are incredibly useful.
PDAs
PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are another form of small computer often
associated with PC compatible laptops. There are currently three main types of
Personal Digital Assistants, differing primarily on the operating system on which
they are based:

Palm operating system

Microsoft Windows Mobile (formerly known as Pocket PC or Windows CE)
Linux/Java-based

While these systems can be used with PCs, none of them are PC compatible, and
as such are not intended to be covered in this book.

Palm OS based PDAs are meant to be used more as laptop accessories rather
than laptop replacements. In their initial incarnation, Palm systems were
designed only for simple management of personal information, data such as
might be found in an address book or a daily calendar. The Palm's strongest
feature was its easy communication with a laptop or desktop, allowing the user to
quickly back up and update the data on the PDA. As the power of tiny PDA
processors has increased and wireless communication has become more
commonplace, the new generations of Palms are tackling more communications
tasks, such as email and cellular voice communication.
Windows CE devices always had more ambitious designs. In their original form,
they looked and acted like handheld computers, featuring a keyboard and simple
computer-style applications such as word processing. For a short time,
manufacturers even offered so-called "Jupiter" handhelds that were as large as
ultra light laptops. Because they were not PC compatible, however, these tiny
systems could not run the thousands of Windows programs on the market and
had to wait for Windows CE applications to be developed. Because of this lack of
software, Windows CE devices eventually evolved into a form factor that was
similar to the Palm systems but could handle more applications.
The Linux/Java-based PDAs are primarily embodied by the Sharp Zaurus models.
They are sort of a combination of Palm and Windows Mobile devices, usually
including a tiny keyboard, standard PDA software, as well as the ability to handle
email, web browsing, and media playing.
In general, PDAs are viewed more as laptop accessories than laptop
replacements. A small but growing number of people, however, are using PDAs as
highly mobile email terminals, the advantage being that they can sometimes
leave their heavier laptops home.
Major Features
No matter which type of laptop you have, you can be sure that it has a somewhat
standard set of components.
Processors
There has always been a range of processors available for laptops, but one rule
has almost always applied: The fastest laptop is almost never as fast as the
fastest desktop. The problem is one of power. Fast desktop processors run on AC
power, of which there is a relatively limitless supply available. Portables in most
cases at least occasionally must run on batteries, which have to be small enough
so that the laptop can be lifted. Portable systems are also smaller than most
desktops, and the tighter confines mean that the ability to run a high heatproducing processor is more limited. Therefore, a mobile processor in general has
a more limited amount of electrical power available.
Intel has responded to the needs of mobile systems by offering low-power "M"
versions of its most popular processors. Figure 2.1 shows the Pentium 4-M chip,
the mobile version of the Pentium 4. These processors are generally similar to the
desktop versions except they use lower voltages internally and can adjust their
clock speeds depending on the user's requirements. By lowering their voltages
and clock speeds, these chips can cut their power requirements and thus extend
a notebook's battery endurance. Note also that the maximum clock speeds of
these chips are almost always slower than those of desktop chips.

Figure 2.1. The Pentium 4 Processor-M chip from Intel. (Photo courtesy
of www.intel.com.)

Table 2.3 shows a comparison of the clock speeds of various mobile processors
from Intel.

Table 2.3. Clock Speeds (in GHz) Available for Intel's Mobile Processor Chips
Intel Mobile Processor

Clock Speeds (GHz)

Pentium M

1.0 to 2.26

Mobile Pentium 4

1.4 to 3.46

Celeron M

0.8 to 1.5

Mobile Celeron

0.65 to 2.8

In March of 2003, Intel introduced its Pentium M chip for laptops, a part of its
Centrino platform. The Celeron M followed as a low-cost version of the Pentium
M. Unlike previous mobile processors from Intel, these chips are not a variation
on a desktop chip, but a Pentium-compatible processor built from the ground up
for mobile applications. Intel claims that laptop designers can achieve 10%-40%
longer battery endurance if they use this chip.
In addition to the chips' energy conservation, Intel also claims that the Pentium M
and Celeron M are faster than they may appear. Because they use a different
internal architecture, they are able to squeeze out more effective work during
each clock cycle. As a result, you cannot directly compare the clock speeds of
Pentium M/Celeron M and other mobile Pentium chips. For example, Intel claims
that a typical laptop running a 1.6GHz Pentium M chip will race through
benchmark programs 15% faster than a Pentium 4-M running at 2.4GHz. Intel
also claims that this same laptop's batteries last 78% longer on the Pentium M
than on the Pentium 4-M.
Another processor specifically designed for portable applications is the Efficeon
chip from Transmeta. This chip promises very low power consumption but at the

expense of processing speed. The Efficeon has a different instruction set than
Intel Pentium processors, requiring it to perform extra steps to translate the
Pentium instructions into a form that the Efficeon can understand. Thus, although
the Efficeon may have clock speeds comparable to Pentium M chips, its
performance is considerably slower. Unfortunately, Transmeta has yet to capture
much of the market and is concentrating more on licensing its power-saving
technology rather than selling processors.
Some laptop manufacturers occasionally opt for the highest performance possible
by using desktop processors. As can be expected, these power-hungry chips
result in surprisingly short battery endurance. Note, however, that this quest for
desktop performance is never completely successful. Overall system performance
depends not merely on the processor but on several other components, and as a
result these devices have yet to equal the performance of the fastest desktops.
Video Display Size and Resolution
Ever since the days of the luggable in the early 1980s, the design of portable
computers has been highly dependent on the latest lightweight displays. When
low-power LCDs became available, the development of the battery-powered
laptop finally became possible. Today, the size of the display is the single most
important determinant of the size of the laptop.
Currently, virtually all laptops use active-matrix color displays. These screens
provide needle-sharp images of high contrast, in most cases better than the CRT
displays that most desktops use. Indeed, many desktop users are now upgrading
to flat panels. The prime impetus for this switch may be to save space, but the
improved image quality is at least a partial factor.
There are, however, a few drawbacks to LCD displays. The first is that they have
a fixed or native resolution. CRT displays can easily switch to higher or lower
resolutions. When LCDs are moved above or below their native resolution,
however, the image becomes decidedly blurry or even distorted.
The second drawback of LCDs is their limited field of view. These displays may
present high-quality images, but only to viewers sitting directly in front of the
screen. People who may be sitting a few feet to the right or left of that optimal
position may see an image where the colors have been shifted and the contrast
lowered. With the increasing popularity of LCD televisions, some LCD
manufacturers are developing screens that are more suitable for wide-angle
viewing. If you plan to use your laptop for informal presentations, you should
take a look at laptops that advertise wide-angle capability. Of course, some
people prefer a more limited viewing angle because it makes it harder for other
people to read your screen when you are working in public.
One other downside of LCD screens is that they are considerably more expensive
than CRTs. The good news here, however, is that the prices of LCDs have
continually dropped over the years and will continue to do so. Indeed, the
popularity of desktop LCD displays should lead to increased volumes and lower
prices for both desktops and laptops.
Because the technologies used in today's LCDs are basically similar, the main
differences among screens have to do with their sizes, their resolutions, and their
aspect ratios.

Screen Size
Size is, of course, the most visually apparent property of an LCD screen. In
general, as time progressed, screens became continually larger. There is,
however, a size limit for laptops. As LCD screen sizes moved beyond 17 inches,
measured diagonally, they became too large to be portable and were relegated to
desktop use.
In today's laptops, screen sizes vary from 7.2 inches (measured diagonally) for
the smallest systems to 17 inches for the largest. The most common size is now
14.1 inches, which represents a good compromise between size and portability.
In general, users are well advised to get the largest screen they can comfortably
carry and afford. But note that for some screen sizes, there may be a choice of
several different resolutions available. Choosing the wrong resolution may make
the screen harder to read, or limit the amount of information that can be
displayed.
Screen Resolution
The resolution of a screen depends somewhat on its size. As the size of the
screen increases, it can comfortably accommodate more pixels, thus allowing for
increased resolution.
For 14.1-inch screens the most common variety most laptop manufacturers offer
two choices of resolution: XGA and SXGA+. A few vendors also offer SXGA, but
the unique aspect ratio (5:4) makes that size and resolution somewhat rare. The
increased resolution of SXGA+ over standard XGA enables users to display nearly
87% more onscreen information such as folders, documents, web pages, and so
on, at the same time. Increased resolution also increases pixel density (the
number of pixels per inch of screen size), which in turn increases the apparent
sharpness of photographs and graphic images. Some people even maintain that
increased pixel density increases the readability of text. On the downside,
however, increased resolution also decreases the size of standard text and icons
on the screen. As personal preference varies, users should personally examine
several different size/resolution combinations to see which seems best to them.
Note that once you have chosen a resolution, it cannot be changed. A laptop's
video circuitry can simulate a change in resolution, but the resulting image will be
much less sharp than the image at the screen's original or native resolution.
Table 2.4 lists common LCD screen sizes and the resolution they support.

Table 2.4. Screen Size and Resolution: A Sampling of the Most Common Combinations
Available for Laptops
Screen Size (in.)

Resolution Type

Resolution

Aspect Ratio

Pixel Density (Pixels/in.)

12.1

SVGA

800x600

4:3

83

12.1

XGA

1024x768

4:3

106

13.3

XGA

1024x768

4:3

96

14.1

XGA

1024x768

4:3

91

14.1

SXGA

1280x1024

5:4

116

Table 2.4. Screen Size and Resolution: A Sampling of the Most Common Combinations
Available for Laptops
Screen Size (in.)

Resolution Type

Resolution

Aspect Ratio

Pixel Density (Pixels/in.)

14.1

SXGA+

1400x1050

4:3

124

15.0

XGA

1024x768

4:3

85

15.0

WXGA

1280x800

8:5

101

15.0

SXGA+

1400x1050

4:3

117

15.0

UXGA

1600x1200

4:3

133

15.4

WXGA

1280x800

8:5

98

15.4

SXGA

1280x1024

4:3

106

15.4

WSXGA+

1680x1050

8:5

129

15.4

WUXGA

1920x1200

8:5

147

17.0

WXGA+

1440x900

8:5

100

17.0

UXGA

1600x1200

4:3

118

17.0

WUXGA

1920x1200

8:5

133

Screen Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio for most laptop displays is the same as that for desktops and
televisions: 4:3 (that is, the height of the screen is 3/4 the width).When 4:3 LCD
screens came out, the public quickly gravitated toward this standard shape.
Now, however, with the popularity of DVDs and high-definition TV, many
manufacturers are installing widescreen displays on their systems (see Figure
2.2). These displays have a wider aspect ratio of 8:5 (16:10). Note that although
this is much wider than the standard computer display, it is not quite as wide as
the 16:9 proportions of HDTV, but is able to accommodate a full 16:9 HDTV
picture within a 16:10 display with only a small upper and/or lower border (often
used by the DVD player controls). Widescreen laptops are usually sold as
multimedia or desktop replacement systems, due to their larger (and clumsier to
carry) sizes.
Figure 2.2. The Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2, with its 17-inch WUXGA display.
(Photo courtesy of Dell Inc.)

One interesting thing to note is that having a widescreen display doesn't

necessarily mean you get more resolution or desktop screen real estate. For
example, many so-called "widescreen" laptops have 15.4-inch WXGA (1280x800)
displays. Personally, I would rather have a standard aspect ratio 15.1-inch
SXGA+ (1400x1050) display because even though it doesn't have the
"widescreen" aspect ratio, it actually offers an overall wider and deeper image in
pixels than the so-called widescreen display. At the higher 1400x1050 pixel
resolution, you'll actually be able to fit more open windows (web pages,
applications, and so on) both in width and depth than you could on a WXGA
screen. In fact, the SXGA+ screen has nearly 44% more overall resolution,
meaning you can fit that much more content on the screen. The primary
advantage of using a widescreen on a laptop is that human vision sees more
peripherally than vertically, making wider screens better suited to what you
actually see on them.
Video Accelerators
A crucial and sometimes overlooked aspect of computer performance is the speed
of its video accelerator. This chip, shown in Figure 2.3, speeds up the process of
moving pixels around the screen. Computer game players have been especially
sensitive to the speed of their video processors because this can greatly influence
the quality of their entertainment.
Figure 2.3. Video accelerator chips from NVIDIA. (Photo courtesy of
www.nvidia.com.)

Currently, the best laptop video accelerators are from ATI and NVIDIA. Note that
as in the case of processors, laptop video accelerators are usually not quite as
fast as those in desktop models. Typical video accelerators are listed in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5. Typical Video Components and the Best Optical Drives Available for Different
Laptop Types

Laptop Type

Screen
Size (in.)

Video Accelerator

Video
Memory
(MB)

Optical Drive

Desktop
replacement

15.4/17

ATI Radeon X300/X600 NVIDIA

GeForce Go 6800

128/256

DVD/CD-RW or
DVD+/-RW

Mainstream

14.1/15

Intel Media Accelerator 900 ATI

Radeon 9000 ATI Radeon
X300/X600

64/128

DVD/CD-RW or
DVD+/-RW

Value

14.1/15

Intel Media Accelerator 900

64/128

DVD/CD-RW

Thin & light

14.1

Intel Media Accelerator 900 ATI

Radeon X300/X600

64/128

DVD/CD-RW

Ultra light

12.1

Intel Media Accelerator 900

64/128

None

In addition to the type of video accelerator used, laptop users should also pay
attention to the amount of video memory installed. The amount of video memory
used for laptop graphics chipsets currently varies from 64MB to 256MB. In most
cases the video memory is dedicated memory (separate from main RAM) used to
hold information that will eventually be displayed on the screen. However,
systems with video accelerators built into the motherboard chipset (such as the
Intel Media Accelerator 900) use shared memory, which means that the video
accelerator borrows main system RAM for video use. Since there is no dedicated
video RAM, this results in a less expensive design (which also uses less power),
but sacrifices performance when compared to dedicated video memory designs.
The more video memory available, the more colors the laptop can display and the
faster the video accelerator can operate. Large amounts of video memory are
also useful for 3D graphics such as in games.
Purchasers should be careful to note the type of video chipset and amount of
video memory in a potential new notebook. Although there are a few select
models with upgradeable graphics, in most cases the video accelerator
components cannot be changed.
Spindles (Storage)
The classic three-spindle laptop is disappearing. These systems generally had
three forms of rotating memory: a hard drive, an optical drive, and a floppy drive.
Now, because floppy disks are so rarely used, many laptop manufacturers have
been leaving them off in order to save weight and lower costs. In some twospindle systems, the floppy can be swapped into the storage bay normally
occupied by the optical drive, but you can't run both simultaneously. In most
cases, the floppy is relegated to being used as an external device that connects to
the system via a USB cable. Since floppy drives aren't used much anymore, this
doesn't seem to bother many people, which is one reason the three-spindle
designs are fading. As average file sizes continue to grow well past the capacity
of a floppy, this once familiar component may well disappear altogether.
Currently, most vendors offer external USB floppy drives for laptops as a $50
option.
The most important drive in a laptop is its hard drive. Currently, drive sizes range
from 20 to 160GB. Many experts suggest that users get as much hard drive
storage space as they can afford. When users eventually purchase a digital
camera or start storing audio and video on their hard drives, they will soon take
advantage of all the storage space they have available. External USB drives can
also be used to extend the storage of a laptop, and are actually quite excellent for
backup, but when mobile, you generally have to rely on the drive that is installed
internally in the system.
Some laptops have drives that rotate at higher speeds than other drives. The use
of faster rotating drives will positively impact system performance by a significant
amount. A faster-spinning drive enables the system to access information from
the hard drive more quickly. Faster drives also have a major impact on startup
(boot) times, as well as the time it takes to hibernate and resume from
hibernation.
For some time there has been a variety of optical drives available for laptops.
Most systems today include a DVD-ROM drive, a combo DVD/CD-RW burner, or a
DVD+/-RW drive, many of which can also handle DVD-RAM as well. In most cases
these drives are not nearly as fast as their desktop counterparts, especially where
DVD burning is concerned.

Expansion Options
Laptop components are so tightly crammed together that few expansion options
are available. Often the only way to expand the capabilities of a laptop is to insert
a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card (see
Figure 2.4). These cards, also known as PC Cards or Card Bus Cards, were
originally designed as memory cards but are now capable of providing a wealth of
features. Almost any feature not provided on a laptop or not provided in sufficient
quantity can be added via a PCMCIA card.
Figure 2.4. A diagram of the PCMCIA PC Card.

Note that there are two types of PCMCIA cards and three sizes. In addition to the
older 16-bit PC Card, there is also a high-speed 32-bit Card Bus Card that is
required for high-speed wireless networking cards. The three sizes are Type I,
Type II, and Type III, which mainly vary in thickness (see Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5. An illustration of the three sizes of PCMCIA PC Cards: Type I,
II, and III.

Note that a Type III slot can accommodate a Type I or Type II card as well.
Virtually all laptops have either a single Type III slot or two Type II slots stacked
together so that they can also accommodate a single Type III card in the lower
slot if necessary. Note that there are no Type I slots, and all laptops will take
Type III cards in at least one slot. Because most of the capabilities formerly
provided by these cards are now included as standard on the notebook's
motherboard, many manufacturers have tried to save money by including only
one Type III PCMCIA slot on their laptops. Although this does save a little on cost,
it does limit the expansion capabilities of a laptop, in that you can install only a
single Type I, II, or III card at any given time.
A sampling of the different kinds of PCMCIA expansion cards available includes:

Encryption/Security
Dual serial ports
Data acquisition
10/100/1000 Ethernet
USB/FireWire
Flash card reader
Hard disk card
TV/FM tuner
Video capture
ATA/SATA interface
SCSI interface

External Interfaces
A standard set of connectors for laptops includes a serial port and a parallel
printer port. Because the devices that usually connect to these ports now are
equipped with USB connectors, many laptop manufacturers are omitting these
connectors.
It is quite common for laptops now to have several USB 2.0 connectors. They can
connect to a variety of external devices, including a keyboard, mouse, printer,
scanner, storage drive, and even a USB hub to allow connection to more than two
devices.
A small number of laptops have IEEE 1394 (FireWire/I. LINK) connectors, RCAstyle or S-Video connectors, and DVI interfaces. The IEEE 1394 connector, which
is also known as FireWire or I. LINK, is mainly used to connect to digital
camcorders. The RCA and S-Video connectors are used with TVs and VCRs. Most
of the RCA, S-Video, or DVI connectors are video-out, but a few can also accept

video input as well. The DVI interface is used with new display devices such as
plasma TVs. Users who are interested in using their laptops for video applications
should be sure that the necessary connectors are present. If they are not, they
might be supplied via PC Cards.
One connector that should be on all laptops large or small is a standard analog
VGA port. Without this, you will not be able to use your laptop with a video
projector to make presentations.
Pointing Devices
Traditionally, there have been three types of pointing devices: trackballs, pointing
sticks, and touchpads. If you do not like the device on your current notebook,
you can always add an external mouse via a USB connector.
Trackballs
Trackballs originally premiered on the Apple Macintosh Portable and soon
appeared on several PC laptops. Because this type of pointing device takes up a
relatively large amount of space, both in terms of its footprint and its height, it
has been dropped from laptop designs.
Track Point (Pointing Sticks)
Pointing sticks originally premiered on the IBM ThinkPad but soon became a
standard feature on many Toshiba, Dell, and other laptop systems. This device,
which looks like a colored pencil eraser placed in the middle of the keyboard, can
be accessed by the user without moving his hands from the keyboard (see Figure
2.6). IBM refers to it by the trademarked name Track Point.
Figure 2.6. The IBM Track Point, the original pointing stick. (Photo
courtesy of IBM, www.ibm.com.)

Touchpads
Touchpads originally debuted on the short-lived Gavilan, one of the first laptops.
Laptop designers particularly like them because they take up so little space.
Beginners or casual users like them because they are easy to use; however,
experienced laptop users do not find them nearly as fast or accurate as a Track
Point.

Two manufacturers make most of the touchpads in use: Alps and Synaptic. Many
reviewers prefer the Synaptic touchpad because its sensitivity can be adjusted. If
the touchpad is too sensitive, you can activate it simply by floating your thumb a
few millimeters above the surface, something that happens frequently during
typing.
Combination Pointing Devices
Some laptops offer two pointing devices: a touchpad and a pointing stick. This is
a great idea because many users have strong preferences for either one or the
other device. The combination enables manufacturers to offer a single laptop
those appeals to both groups of users.
Docking Options
All portable computers entail some type of compromise. One way to lessen that
compromise is to purchase a docking station. Most laptops have available both a
full-function docking station and less expensive port replicator. Laptop users can
quickly snap their laptops into either of these devices and suddenly endow their
systems with additional capabilities.
Unfortunately, port replicators and docking stations are not standardized in the
industry; the connectors and physical formats are proprietary to the various
manufacturers. This means that a port replicator or dock for one system will most
likely not work with another, unless it is a compatible model from the same
manufacturer. Most manufacturers that make port replicators and docking
stations available try to make them work with multiple different models or even
different product lines.
Many bargain laptops do not have available port replicators or docking stations.
On the other hand, if you rarely plug external devices into your laptop or never
move it from a stationary location, then a port replicator or docking station might
be something you could live without.
Docking Stations
Docking stations are designed by laptop manufacturers to provide laptops with
many of the advantages of desktops. The exact features provided by a "dock"
vary from one model to another. Some provide a wealth of storage options, such
as extra hard drives and optical drives. A few will also provide desktop-style
expansion slots. These slots can be used with a wide array of unusual expansion
cards, such as signal-acquisition cards.
Port Replicators
Port replicators are designed to provide some of the benefits of docking stations
at a low cost. One of the chief benefits of these devices is to make it easy to
quickly connect a laptop to a number of external devices. For example, when
many users take their laptop roaming, they need to disconnect and then later
reconnect their external monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, network, and phone
lines. With port replicators, all they need to do is connect those devices to the
port replicator a single time. Then they can simply dock and undock their laptop
from the replicator as needed. Port replicators are a major convenience item,
even if a laptop is used only at home.

Note that there are generic USB-based port replicators available for laptops that
don't have a port replicator option; however, they are often problematic, don't
support many types of connections, and in general are a poor substitute for a
true port replicator or dock.
Networking
In the laptop domain, networking components used to be relegated to PC Card
add-ons, but as the need to attach a portable system to a network has increased,
so have the networking options associated with portable systems.
Wired Networking
Most recent laptops are equipped with internal LAN adapters that allow them to
be connected quickly to any Ethernet network. This enables quick and easy
connections to LANs in the office or cable and DSL modems at home. This
connector is also useful in hotels where broadband connections are present. Most
of the newest laptops include gigabit (1000Mbps) Ethernet support as well.
If a laptop is not equipped with an internal LAN adapter, users can still provide
this capability by inserting a PC Card LAN adapter. Because of the high speeds
required for 100Mbps or gigabit LAN connections, these cards will normally come
in a 32-bit Card Bus adapter.
Wireless Networking
At first an interesting novelty, wireless networking is quickly becoming an
essential standard feature for laptops. For a slight investment in hardware, a
wireless LAN (WLAN) offers the user the ability to have a high-speed connection
to a local LAN or to the Internet while roaming anywhere in the office or at home.
On low-end systems where internal wireless network adapters are not standard,
most laptop manufacturers are pre-installing wireless LAN antennas as standard
equipment in their laptops. This allows the system to be wireless upgradeable via
the installation of an internal Mini PCI either at purchase time or any time in the
future.
Note that there are three different types of wireless LAN technologies: 802.11a,
802.11b, and 802.11g. Unfortunately, these standards are not all compatible with
one another. To ensure greater compatibility, WLAN products can be certified by
the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Alliance.
802.11a
Despite its name, 802.11a was actually the second wireless LAN standard to
appear. Being second, it also has the advantage of being faster (54Mbps) and of
providing more channels for laptops to use. The disadvantage is that this
equipment is more expensive than that of the more popular 802.11b technology.
Because this standard supports more channels (and therefore more simultaneous
users) and is less susceptible to interference from devices such as microwave
ovens, it is the WLAN of choice for large office buildings.

802.11b
Originally, 802.11b was the most popular WLAN standard, available in many
offices, homes, and even coffee shops. Unfortunately, it is also the slowest, with
a nominal throughput rate of 11Mbps. Note that 802.11b is not compatible with
802.11a and that both require different types of antennas. Also note that 802.11b
is vulnerable to interference from devices such as microwave ovens and wireless
phones. Many laptops were equipped with 802.11b. For those laptops and
notebooks not already equipped, an assortment of inexpensive 802.11b PC Cards
is available.
802.11g
A newer variation of 802.11b, 802.11g is as fast as 802.11a yet is also backward
compatible with the large installed base of 802.11b equipment. Because of this
compatibility, 802.11g has replaced 802.11b in most new installations. Note,
however, that because it uses the same spectrum as 802.11b, it is vulnerable to
the same interference from microwave ovens and wireless phones. Therefore,
many users in high-density areas might still opt for 802.11a.
802.11n
A new standard currently under development is 802.11n. This standard will offer
up to 10 times the speed of 802.11g, operate over greater distances, and should
be backward compatible with both 802.11g and 802.11b devices. The 802.11n
standard uses a feature called multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), meaning
multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to allow for increased data throughput
and range through multiplexing signals over several antennas at once. This
standard is not expected to be completed until November of 2006, and it may be
some time after that before certified products are available. Beware of products
advertised as "MIMO" or "pre-n" only because they do not technically conform to
this standard and may not be upgradeable to true 802.11n when the standard is
finalized.
Combinations
Not sure which standard will prevail? Would you like to cover all bases? Some
cards offer the option of handling all three standards. These are called
802.11a/b/g dual-band/tri-mode cards. They are available both as internal Mini
PCI cards as well as Card Bus cards. Most laptops today include dual-mode
802.11b/g cards or tri-mode a/b/g cards.
Wide Area Networking
The problem with all the 802.11 standards is that they have limited range,
usually less than about 300 feet. If you want coverage over a greater area, in
places such as a client's office or a parking lot, you can use directional antennas
or range extenders to increase the range. Another option is to connect using a
WAN (wide area network) via the cellular phone network. Users can easily
connect to a WAN by purchasing a wireless modem PCMCIA card and setting up
an account with a local cellular service. Some users may also be able to use their
cellular phones as wireless modems through either a Bluetooth or USB
connection.