Revision no.

: PPT/2K804/04
PPT/2K403/02

Laptop & Palmtop Computers

 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Types and Classes of Portable Computers

• Three basic form factors describe most of the PC-compatible

portable computer which are

– Laptops

– Notebooks

– Subnotebooks

• Categories are based primarily on size and weight, but these

factors have a natural relationship to the capabilities of the

system.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Laptops

• Improvements in the battery technology and the invention of

the Large liquid crystal display led to the development of the
Laptop in the 1980.
• Laptops had a folding LCD
panel display and an external
power supply.
• A laptop system weighs 7
pounds or more and is
approximately 9×12×2 inches
in size.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Laptops (contd.)

• Large active-matrix displays, with 64MB–256MB of RAM, and

hard drives of up to 20GB or more in size with virtually all

systems now carrying fast CD-ROM or DVD drives; onboard

speakers; and connectivity options that enable the use of

external display, storage, and sound systems

• Some models even include combo DVD-CD/RW drives and

wireless Wi-Fi network capabilities.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Notebook

• A notebook system is designed to be somewhat smaller than a

laptop in nearly every way: size, weight, features, and price.
• Improvements in the IC technology led to the development of
the notebook computer.
• It was 8.75 inches deep, 11 inches wide
and 2.25 inches thick.
• Notebooks are targeted at a wider
audience, from the power user
who can’t quite afford top-of-the-line
laptop to the bargain hunter who
requires only basic services.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Subnotebooks

• Subnotebooks are substantially smaller than both notebooks

and laptops and are intended for users who must enter and
work with data on the road, as well as connect to the office
network.

• First component omitted in a

subnotebook design is the internal
floppy drive, CD-ROM drives and
other bulky hardware components,
although some include external units.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Desktop v/s laptop

• Laptops are "desktop replacements", that is they replace

desktops and there is no need to purchase a desktop, if you
have a laptop.
• Laptop has some fundamental differences from a desktop in
terms of :
– Expandability
If you purchase a laptop, there is only so much you can change or
upgrade at a later time.
– Price
A laptop is portable, but you pay for this portablity in upfront
purchase price.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Palmtop (Handheld Mini-Notebooks)

• Palmtop computers are typified by the Libretto series from

Toshiba which weigh about a kilogram, feature a built-in hard

disk, have screens of 8 inches or less in size, and offer a tiny

keyboard with an integral TrackPoint device.

• Some of the newer Japan-market Librettos use the Transmeta

Crusoe processor, which can emulate Pentium and similar x86

CPUs.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)

• Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) are small portable

handheld computers that organize data, such as your

schedule, address book, appointment calendar

and to-do list.

• PDA will include software that will manage

tasks on your desktop PC and synchronize

tasks with your PDA.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

• Factors to consider while selecting the PDA depending on the

use are:
– Size
• Size of a PDA can range from that of a credit card to a notebook
computer.

• Larger handheld PDA's range in size from a thick checkbook to a

small notebook computer which usually cost more than smaller ones.

– Operating Systems
• Two operating systems dominate the PDA market - Microsoft's
Windows CE and 3Com's Palm OS.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

• Windows CE operating system comes with a large set of standard

applications and its interface uses a variation of the familiar Windows
desktop.
• 3Com's Palm operating system tend to operate faster - starting up
faster after you turn them on, running applications and finding data
faster etc.

– Display types
• PDA's use displays which are small and the display usually covers
most of the front of the unit.
• All PDAs have a liquid crystal display (LCD), backlit touch-screen with
a stylus for tapping commands, selecting items, and writing text and
has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels with four shades of grey and
expensive colour models offer 256 colors.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

– Memory requirement

• PDA's are usually supplied with 512-Kb of system RAM in credit card

models and up to 16 MB in larger models and many models also

provide expansion slots for more memory.

• Operating system and built-in application programs are stored in ROM

and to enable you to upgrade, some manufacturers place the

operating system in a socketed ROM module which can be removed

from its socket and replaced with a new one whereas other

manufacturers use flash memory which can be erased and

reprogrammed but will not erase when the power is disconnected.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

Compatibility problems led to the development of the following PCMCIA cards

and slot types.

Type Standard Description

Type I These slots work with memory expansion cards
which are 3.3mm thick.
Type II It supported most expansion devices such as
communication hardware and network adapters.
These cards are 5 mm thick.

Type III It was 10.5 mm thick and was used for removable
hard disk drives and compatible with Type I and II.

Type IV It was used for hard disk drives with size thicker than
10.5 mm thick.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

– Data Transfer from PC to PDA

• Most common method for transferring data to your desktop PDA/PC is

via a cable through a serial port however, many PDA's can

communicate with each other through an infrared port as well.

– Inserting text into a PDA

• Larger PDA's have actual keyboards but medium and small PDA's

require you to enter information through the touch screen with the

stylus but most systems let you tap letters on an on-screen

"keyboard" or write letters on an on-screen tablet.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

PDA (contd.)

– Power sources
• Most PDAs come with either alkaline batteries (usually AA size) or a
rechargeable battery pack and many also include a small backup
battery to protect the memory when your main batteries run out.
• Many PDAs have power-management settings to help the batteries
last longer.
– Accessing e-mail and Internet on a PDA
• Many PDAs are designed with the assumption that you'll check e-mail
through your desktop PC and download the messages to your PDA for
future reading however, some PDAs include a built-in modem or a slot
where you can add one, allowing you to send and receive e-mail
directly.
• Larger PDAs based on Windows CE may include Pocket Internet
Explorer, a slimmer version of Microsoft Internet Explorer and tapping
your stylus on a touch screen that's running Pocket Internet Explorer
is a convenient and fun way to surf the Web

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Design & Published by:

CMS Institute, Design & Development Centre, CMS House, Plot No. 91, Street No.7,
MIDC, Marol, Andheri (E), Mumbai –400093
www.cmsinstitute.co.in

© CMS INSTITUTE, 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored or emailed without the prior permission of Programme Director, CMS Institute