Interest in bulky desktop PCs is gradually falling. According to the researcher IDC market, in the second quarter of 2015, about a third fewer computers were sold than last year. To attract a buyer, manufacturers have to come up with something new.
The most popular and interesting option is portable mini-PCs and monoblocks, which come to replace large system units. And most importantly - you can buy them at a very reasonable price. We have chosen three portable models worth up to 35,000 rubles and we believe that they will also interest you.
Three hundred and forty grams. This is how much a full-fledged computer weighs today. comes preinstalled with Windows 8.1, but it can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free. The performance of this mini PC is comparable to tablets, so it's not powerful. But, given that it looks like a USB flash drive, this is a very convenient and mobile option.
The Compute Stick is equipped with a Bay-Trail processor with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz in turbo mode. Also on board 2 GB random access memory and a 32 GB built-in flash drive. The device has built-in Wi-Fi modules of the “n” standard and Bluetooth 4.0, there is USB port 2.0 and Micro SD slot for memory expansion.
Mini-PCs can be used to install on TVs, turning them into Smart TV analogues, or as a compact office computer. Also, the Compute Stick can be useful to parents if they are looking for the first PC for the younger generation. Playing on this thing is also possible, albeit with restrictions. In addition, the Stick copes with streaming videos and is able to play Full-HD videos uploaded to it.
Price: from 10,000 rubles.
ASUS portable PC is great for office work, Internet surfing and watching movies. It has more power than the Intel Compute Stick, and this is its strongest point. VivoPC. It is designed in the form of a small box and occupies a modest place next to the monitor or TV. On board device core processor i3, 4 gigabytes of RAM and a capacious 1 TB HDD.
You can play, but VivoPC only plays games with low system requirements. The main points that we noticed in the test: ASUS is very quiet in operation (only 1.1 naps under full load) and offers good equipment. There are 4 USB 3.0 connectors, 2 USB 2.0 connectors, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, an SD card slot, a speaker, as well as HDMI and DisplayPort ports.
The device weighs almost 1.2 kilograms, which allows you to take it with you to work or on a trip. And with a power consumption of around 34 watts at full load, it won't burden your electricity bill.
Price: from 28,000 rubles.
A full-fledged PC, and even with a monitor, plus a chic design - and all this for about 35,000 rubles? Meet MSI Adora 20 2M. In terms of cost, this monoblock is perhaps the most budgetary of all devices of this type. Its performance is average (Core i3, 4 GB of RAM, HDD 500 GB), but this is quite enough for office tasks and Internet surfing.
There is no need to talk about top-end equipment, and Full HD resolution this 19.5-inch PC will not indulge. Maximum - 1600×900 dots. But MSI Adora 20 2M scores points with its low power consumption(only 60 watts) and virtually silent operation (1.4 sleep) at full load. And in movie mode, it works even quieter (only 0.5 sleep).
Price: from 35,000 rubles.
laptop operating system
Portable personal computers (PPCs) are mobile computers(computer), made on the basis of microprocessors and designed for personal use for various purposes.
Notebook computers are full-fledged portable computers. They occupy a minimum of space, but in terms of performance they are not inferior (and sometimes even superior) to stationary PCs. Portable computers are indispensable for business people - they allow you to work on the road, make presentations in clients' offices, and when combined with a mobile phone and webcam, they themselves turn into a mobile office. As a rule, all modern portable computers fully comply with the highest requirements for modern computers, therefore, attention should be paid to the dimensions of the product, as well as the energy intensity of the battery. The higher it is, the longer the laptop can work without recharging.
Notebook computers are currently the most prestigious in the world. The name of this class of computers comes from the Latin word "porto" - I carry, and means that these computers are easily portable. They are often designed in the form of suitcases or folders.
Portable computers are a mysterious, unknown and frightening phenomenon of our time. They have features that distinguish them from desktop computers. For example, PC cards, daughter cards or batteries. The requirements for chipsets and graphics subsystem are also different from those for desktop computers.
Portable computers are divided into two main types:
These types of portable computers, in turn, are divided into several subtypes (see Appendix A).
Notebook (English notebook - notepad, notepad PC) - portable Personal Computer, which houses typical PC components, including display, keyboard and pointing device, PDA, and batteries. Laptops are small in size and weight, the battery life of laptops varies from 1 to 15 hours.
A laptop is essentially a full-fledged computer. But to ensure mobility, portability and energy independence, all components have peculiar features.
The laptop case is usually made of high-strength plastic. Inside, it is covered with a special thin metal foil to isolate the electronic filling from the effects of external electromagnetic fields. Along the perimeter, as a rule, a metal cord is made, which gives additional strength to the body.
The display is very important characteristic, since it affects the size and weight of the laptop, i.e., the larger the diagonal of the display, the larger the size and weight of the laptop. The battery life of the laptop also depends on this characteristic, respectively, than more display, the shorter the battery life, since the display is the main consumer of energy, but now they are producing laptops that, despite their large size, are quite light in weight, and whose battery life is up to 5 hours. The displays of modern laptops are quite diverse, on average, from 13 to 17 inches, but this, of course, is not the limit. So, if you want the battery life of the laptop to be as long as possible, then you should focus on computers no more than 15 inches. 15-inch laptops combine optimal performance and energy consumption. Display resolution is also very important, respectively, than more resolution, the better the image quality. You should also pay attention to such display characteristics as response time, display contrast, as well as viewing angles. It is better when the response time is minimal, the contrast is maximum. When it comes to viewing angles, the larger the viewing angles, the better.
When choosing between a glossy or matte display, you need to know that glossy displays have the ability to reflect light, which increases contrast and image quality. But when choosing, you need to compare several models, since the quality from different manufacturers, respectively, is different.
The laptop keyboard is made using a special technology and consists of several layers of thin plastic with contact pads, which allows you to reduce the thickness to several millimeters.
The main evaluation criterion is the convenience of work, which, in turn, is made up of a combination of the following factors. First of all, you should pay attention to the softness of the keys and the fixation in the pressed state. Secondly, the colors with which Latin symbols and Cyrillic letters are applied.
Use in this case different colors is very appropriate and convenient (which is what most manufacturers do), since it will already be quite difficult to confuse the characters. Thirdly, the keyboard layout (the maximum proximity to the layout as on the keyboard from a regular desktop computer is welcome).
The convenience of the location of the cursor control keys is also noted (most often they are combined into a separate block and moved slightly forward relative to the main line of the keyboard), the keys for moving through lines and pages, as well as Delete and Insert (very inconvenient when they are located throughout the keyboard in sufficient distance from each other, and the Delete and Insert keys are located next to the space bar, which does not exclude their accidental pressing). The presence in the keyboard of special function keys available by pressing and holding will not surprise anyone, but you should also pay attention to the usefulness and functionality of some of them. By combining the appropriate combinations, you can disable / enable the touch panel, sound, control the brightness of the screen and the volume.
pointing devices. Notebook computers use the TouchPad and TrackPoint as such devices. The TouchPad pointing device is a small touchpad that is sensitive to pressure and movement of the finger, which is located under the keyboard, with two buttons that act as left and right buttons. right buttons mice. Some models also have additional buttons (or a four-way joystick) for scrolling text. The TrackPoint pointing device is most often used in portable computer models with small dimensions, and is a small joystick located between the second and third lines of the keyboard in the middle, and additional buttons that are also functionally analogous to pressing the left and right mouse buttons. For these pointing devices, the following parameters are critical: positioning accuracy and cursor movement speed, ease of use, as well as practicality of use (rapid wear of the rubber pads on the joystick in a TrackPoint pointing device and contamination of the touch panel in the TouchPad).
Additional function keys. The presence of some functions that are performed with a single press of a key can serve as an additional "plus" since, with the help of such "convenient" keys, you can initiate a call to a given program, Internet browser, email application and other useful applications with one click.
Battery. In order for the laptop to work on the road and in other places where there is no access to the mains, a battery is included in its kit. Over the years, batteries have evolved from bulky and low-capacity to super-compact and long-lasting. Limiting technical characteristics, unfortunately, cannot yet be implemented in one battery, so you have to choose some specific parameters that are most important for everyone. There are many different battery designs on the market today, each trying to achieve the best possible performance.
Batteries charge automatically when the notebook is connected to the mains via the power adapter. If you disconnect the adapter plug from the outlet, the laptop automatically switches to battery power mode, moreover, to energy-saving mode, as a result of which the brightness of the screen matrix decreases and performance decreases slightly. However, if desired, you can switch to the standard mode of operation.
Battery life depends on its capacity and on the number of "charge-discharge" cycles, which is sewn into the memory chip of most batteries. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the rules of operation battery, which mainly consist of compliance with the temperature regime and "charge-discharge" cycles.
The main types of batteries:
Nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries perform best when fully discharged before recharging. If you have not used the battery for a long time, then you can restore it by several cycles of full discharge / charge. To do this, you need to leave the laptop turned on until the moment automatic shutdown, also exist special utilities for battery recovery, which allow you to automate this process.
For lithium-ion batteries, however, such full charge-discharge cycles can shorten the life of the battery, so it is not recommended to perform this procedure with laptops equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
If the battery is left fully charged for an extended period of time, the battery indicator reading may be inaccurate, resulting in the system shutting down before the indicator reaches zero. Performing a complete discharge and charging of the battery allows you to reset the indicator to the actual state of the battery Pakhomov S.O. Iron 2010. Computerpress recommends [Text] / Pakhomov S.O. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2010. P. 328.
All types of rechargeable batteries have a different clock frequency and energy density (see Appendix B).
The laptop matrix is a full-fledged liquid crystal monitor. Everything that is necessary for its full operation is placed inside the top cover of the laptop - the matrix itself, cables that transmit data, an inverter to ensure the operation of the backlight and some additional devices:
The laptop drive is devoid of mechanics that pushes the tray, so it was possible to make it so thin while maintaining all the functions of a full-fledged drive. Most modern drives are of the DVD-RW standard, but you can often find a Blu-ray drive in expensive multimedia laptops.
RAM. The main indicator is the volume in gigabytes. Depending on the tasks that the laptop will perform, the amount of memory may be different. If, apart from office applications, simple games and watching movies, nothing else is required from a laptop, then 2GB of memory will be quite sufficient. Well, if you need to perform complex calculations and processing heavy graphic information and also play modern games, then here you need to stop at least 4 GB. You should also pay attention to the type of memory - modern memory now is, of course, DDR3, it works much faster than the previous one.
The laptop cooling system consists of a cooler that takes air from the vents on the bottom of the laptop (which is why the laptop can only be used on a hard, flat surface, otherwise cooling is disturbed) and blows it through a radiator, which is connected by a copper heat conductor to the processor and sometimes the motherboard chipset.
laptop processor appearance and size is very similar to the processor of a conventional computer, however, a large number of technologies are implemented inside it that reduce power consumption and heat dissipation, for example, Centrino technology.
A subsequent upgrade of the processor in a laptop is unlikely, since in addition to different supply voltages within the same family, we can talk about different processors with a related name, such as Pentium III-M and Pentium III. In addition to the possible incompatibility with motherboard there may be problems with the cooling system, which is designed taking into account the power dissipation applicable to a specific case. The only right way suggests itself: when buying a laptop, carefully select the necessary processor for your own tasks and not rely on its subsequent improvement.
The laptop hard drive, despite its small size (due to the use of magnetic media with a diameter of 2.5 inches), has a volume comparable to the volume of a hard drive for desktop computer. The SATA connection interface is the most common, but it is still quite common to find IDE interface, especially in older laptops. Recently, so-called solid-state hard drives (SSDs) have been developed based on flash memory.
Laptops, in turn, are divided into different models based on the diagonal of the display:
Personal Pocket Computers (PDAs) have distinctive characteristics from laptops.
PDA is a portable computing device with wide functionality. The PDA is often referred to as a handheld because of its small size. PDAs were originally intended to be used as electronic organizers.
PDAs offer the same benefits as laptops, but there are differences that affect user choice.
The relevance of mobile computing and the ability to access information is increasing every day. Palmtops are seen as an inexpensive and reasonable solution for most businessmen who need fast access to various kinds of data organized in the most natural way. The small size and power of the palmtop allows you to use it in almost any situation, and compatibility with personal computers and embedded in it communication capabilities make sure you always have the information you need.
A pocket computer has a rare combination of prestigious and truly useful “ready-to-use” thing for a student, an entrepreneur, a manager, a writer or a scientist to the same extent. organizer functions, notebook and the telephone directory is capable of performing any handheld computer. Recently, more and more handheld computers are equipped with GPS system And wireless interface WiFi.
The main advantage of besklaviaturnoj handheld computers - compactness and reasonable price. Some models weigh about 200 grams, so they are convenient to carry in pockets and handbags. Machines with a small screen are useful for viewing data downloaded from a desktop computer.
However, the pocket computer has a number of disadvantages. Unlike laptops, pocket computers have a small memory - up to 64 MB, and in new models up to 128 MB. In this regard, it is concluded that compared to laptops, PDAs can remember a smaller amount of work performed.
In the case of handheld computers, cell phones, digital players free space is worth its weight in gold. As a result, peripheral devices for portable digital electronics account for media (memory cards, microhard drives, etc.). PDAs, like laptops, are powered by batteries.
The main functions of the PDA:
At present, communicators and smartphones, which combine the functions of a PDA with the functions of a mobile phone, have become widespread. Communicators have a number of drawbacks compared to PDAs, the main of which is a shorter battery life.
A smartphone is a mobile phone with extended functionality comparable to a personal digital assistant (PDA).
The communicator is a pocket personal computer supplemented with the functionality of a mobile phone.
Currently, there is no clear distinction between smartphones and communicators, since the functionality of both classes of devices is approximately the same. Smartphones and communicators differ from ordinary mobile phones by having a sufficiently developed operating system that is open for software development by third-party developers (the operating system of ordinary mobile phones is closed to third-party developers). Installation additional applications allows you to significantly improve the functionality of smartphones and communicators compared to conventional mobile phones.
The analysis and evaluation of portable computers led to the following conclusions:
Table 5.3. Comparative characteristics portable computers.
| Parameter | Nomandic | Lap Top | Note Book | palm top | PDA |
Organizer |
|
CPU |
Pentium Pro Pentium |
486 SXL, Pentium |
Casio, NEC, etc. |
ARM, NEC, etc. |
||
|
Weight, kg. |
Up to 1.5 | 5-10 | Up to 1.5 | Up to 0.3 | 0,25-0,5 | 15*8*2,5 |
|
Dimensions, |
40*30*20 | 35*25*10 | 25*15*6 | 15*8*2,5 | 20*10*3 | 15*8*2,5 |
|
RAM/ROM, MB |
Up to 64 | Up to 64 | Up to 12 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 0,5 |
|
GB, no more |
2 | 1 | 0,5 | - | - | - |
|
Flash, MB |
- | - | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
|
CD-ROM (maybe) |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
|
Screen diagonal, cm |
Up to 50 | up to 40 | up to 26 | To 10 | up to 25 | To 10 |
|
Resolution, pixels, no more |
1024*760 | 640*480 | 800*600 | 640*480 | 640*480 | 320*200 |
|
Keyboard (type) |
Standard |
Standard and shortened |
Portable |
Portable |
Portable and pen |
Portable |
|
Manipulator (type) |
Mouse, trackball |
Trackball, trackpoint, trackpad |
Trackball, trackpoint, trackpad |
trackpoint, trackpad |
trackpoint, trackpad |
trackpoint, trackpad |
Portable workstations- the most powerful and large portable PCs. They are often made in the form of a suitcase and carry the slang name Nomadic - a nomad. Their characteristics are similar to those of stationary PCs - workstations: powerful microprocessors, often of the RISC type, with a clock frequency of up to 300 MHz, RAM up to 64 MB, gigabyte disk drives, high-speed interfaces and powerful video adapters with video memory up to 4 MB.
In essence, these are ordinary workstations powered by the mains, but structurally designed in a case that is convenient for carrying, and having, like all portable PCs, a flat liquid crystal video monitor of a class no higher than VGA. Nomadic usually have modems and can quickly connect to communication channels to work in a computer network.
This type of portable computer can be used effectively for road presentations, especially with multimedia facilities, but can also be successfully used in a stationary version, allowing you to save space on your desktop.
Portable (knee) computers type "Lap Top" are issued in the form of small suitcases the size of a "diplomat", their weight is usually in the range of 5-10 kg. hardware and software allows them to successfully compete with the best stationary PCs. Modern Lap Tops often use Pentium, Pentium Pro microprocessors with a high clock frequency (up to 200 MHz); RAM up to 64 MB; hard disk drive up to 1200 MB, often removable; it is possible to use CD-ROM and other multimedia software.
Notebook computers(Note Book and Sub Note Book, they are also called Omni Book - "ubiquitous") perform all the functions of a desktop PC. Structurally, they are designed in the form of a miniature suitcase (sometimes with a removable lid) the size of a small book. In terms of their characteristics, they largely coincide with Lap Top, differing
from them only in size and somewhat smaller amounts of RAM and disk memory (floppy drive and hard drive are often external). Instead of a hard drive, some models. especially among the Sub Note Book (a smaller version of the Note Book), have a non-volatile Flash-memory with a capacity of 10 - 20 MB.
Many models of notebook computers have modems for connecting to a communication channel and, accordingly, to computer network. Some of them for remote wireless exchange of information with other computers are equipped with radio modems and optoelectronic infrared ports. The latter provide intercomputer communication at a distance of several tens of meters and within line of sight. The possibility of communication is indicated by the appearance of a special icon on the computer screen. They have small-sized liquid crystal monochrome and color displays. The keyboard is always shortened, manipulators such as Track Point and Track Pad. Resource growth is performed by PCMCIA cards.
The Note Book is powered by portable batteries, providing autonomous operation for 3-4 hours (and in the case of using lithium ion batteries, up to 12 hours).
The leaders among the Note Book seem to be the IBM ThinkPad models, which set the standard among this subclass of PCs. But there are prominent representatives of Note Book and many other companies: Toshiba, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, etc.
Example 5.2. Compaq's Note Book LTE 5000 has a Pentium MP and a modular, easily modifiable structure with the possibility of expanding the RAM up to 72 MB. disk memory - up to 5.4 GB and local PCI bus, powered by two batteries, providing autonomous operation up to 16 hours.In essence, having a Note Book at hand, you always have a modern office computer at your workplace, at home, and on the road, which for a businessman is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Note. Now the quantity of Note Book in the USA has exceeded 10 million pieces.handheld computers(Palm Top, which means "handheld") have a mass of about 300 g; typical dimensions when folded 150x80x25 mm. These are full-fledged personal computers that have a microprocessor, random access and permanent memory, usually a monochrome liquid crystal display, a portable keyboard, a port-socket for connecting to a stationary PC in order to exchange information.
Electronic secretaries(PDA - Personal Digital Assistant, sometimes they are called Hand Help - hand assistant) have the format of a pocket computer (weighing no more than 0.5 kg), but wider functionality than the Palm Top (in particular: hardware and firmware oriented on the organization of electronic directories that store names, addresses and phone numbers, information about the daily routine and meetings, to-do lists, expense records, etc.), built-in text and sometimes graphic editors, spreadsheets.
Most PDAs have modems and can communicate with other PCs and, when connected to a computer network, can receive and send e-mail and faxes. Some of them even have automatic dialers. Latest Models PDAs for remote wireless exchange of information with other computers are equipped with radio modems and infrared ports.
Manual input of information is possible from the keyboard (QWERTY keyboard for models HP 100LX, Casio Boss, Psion Series), some models (Newton Message Pad, Dyna Pad, Versa Pad, etc.) have "pen" input: touch screen, pointer (pen ) and on-screen keyboard emulation (with a pointer you can "press" keys on the screen), some models (Sharp Wizard) have a hybrid input: from the keyboard, to select menu items and some handwritten entries - pen input.
Electronic secretaries usually have a small liquid crystal display (sometimes placed in a removable computer cover) and the ability to increase resources according to the PCMCIA specification. PDA is perhaps the fastest growing type of portable computers: according to experts, in 1996 the PDA fleet in the US alone will exceed 10 million units.
Electronic notebooks(organizer - organizers) belong to the "lightest category" of portable computers (this category also includes calculators, electronic translators, etc.); their mass does not exceed 200 g. Organizers are not programmed by the user, but contain a capacious memory in which you can record the necessary information and edit it using the built-in text editor; in memory you can store business letters, texts of agreements, contracts, daily routine and business meetings. An internal timer is built into the organizer, which reminds you with a sound about the task at a given time. There is protection of information from unauthorized access, usually by password.
There is a connector for connecting to a computer, a small monochrome liquid crystal display. Thanks to its low power consumption, battery power provides up to 5 years of data storage without recharging. Unfortunately, most organizers are not Russified, and program Russification cannot be done.
personal computers:
desktop, portable,
Pocket.
Desktop PC…………………………………………………………….3
Laptop PC…………………………………………………………...4
Pocket PC……………………………………………………………...9
Conclusion………………………………………………………………… 13
There are three main types of computers: desktop, portable and pocket. Each of them is considered separately below.
Desktop PC
H desktop PCs that support one workplace make up the largest group of personal computers, or microcomputers. Before the advent of portable PCs, the words "desktop" and "personal" were synonymous. Desktop PCs are also called workplace computers or office computers (although office PCs are now more commonly referred to as workstations). The vast majority of home computers are also desktop computers. Both have almost the same characteristics: 32-bit and 64-bit architecture and system bus organization, use standardized hardware and software.
Manufacturing companies offer many different models of desktop personal computers, differing both in power and in price. Most desktop PCs fall into two broad categories: IBM-compatible PCs and Apple Macintosh PCs. Computers from these groups are not compatible with each other, that is, they are completely or partially unable to use the hardware and software products each other.
Desktop PCs, aimed at a wide range of consumers, are the undisputed sales leaders in the computer industry, since with a small size and affordable price, in most cases their capabilities are sufficient to solve a wide variety of tasks in the office, in production, and at home.
Desktop PCs have system unit, containing the power supply, motherboard with processor, hard drive, disk drives, monitor, keyboard, mouse. Fax, modem, etc. can be connected to them. external devices such as audio speakers. In some models of home PCs, the system unit with the monitor is assembled in a single case (Apple iMac, Acer Aspire, Compaq Presario).
Office PCs are designed primarily for networking and therefore support remote configuration. Non-networked home PCs support communications over the Internet. They differ in the set additional features. The PC 99 System Design Guide (http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/pc99.htm), developed by a group of companies led by Microsoft and Intel, provides specifications for desktop home (Consumer) and office (Office) ) PC of the late 1990s.
Portable PCs
The requirements for portable computers are very different from the requirements for desktop personal computers: they must be mobile, have small dimensions and weight, and also be able to work autonomously without being connected to a power outlet. In addition, such systems must be resistant to vibration and shock, not only in the off state, but also during operation.
These requirements lead to the need to change the design of all components of laptops compared to desktop computers. First of all, this applies to assemblies containing moving parts: floppy drives, CD-ROM drives and hard drives.
The most expensive node laptop still remains display. Currently, almost all laptop displays are based on liquid crystal panels. Color LCD displays are two types: active matrix and passive. If we compare the image of the screen of a notebook computer with what a desktop monitor with a cathode ray tube can provide, then in the case passive matrix, preference will have to be given to the desktop version: the liquid crystal display loses literally in all respects, except, of course, compactness and power consumption. Active matrices, on the contrary, at equal resolution create a clearer and sharper image than cathode-ray tubes, do not suffer from the characteristic passive liquid crystal displays with inertia and are free from the flicker inherent in kinescopes, which causes eye fatigue. To date, laptops are already used active matrices supporting a resolution of 1024x768 pixels. They would no doubt be a real threat to traditional monitors were it not for their price, which so far remains too high for the mass market.
As sources autonomous power supply laptops use rechargeable batteries, which have a very limited energy capacity: usually, the time of continuous operation without recharging the batteries is from one and a half to four hours. Almost all components used in laptop computers, differ from the standard reduced power consumption- this applies primarily to drives, disk drives and CPUs, which in recent years have increasingly become the most "gluttonous" nodes. Memory modules for laptops are also different from those used in desktop PCs. Usually they have slightly worse access times, which affects the final performance, and sometimes very significantly.
The dimensions and weight of a laptop can be of great importance to the user. This is where laptop designers face seemingly incompatible requirements. On the one hand, a modern PC is inconceivable without such devices as a floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drive and a sufficiently capacious drive; on the other hand, all this should fit into a compact case that can be put in a briefcase. In addition to the absolutely necessary display, processor board and memory, you also need to provide a place for a battery, without which a notebook computer loses one of its most important advantages - autonomy. Thus, in the most compact laptops there may not be enough space for a typical set of peripherals, and the manufacturer is faced with a choice: either sacrifice one of the devices (most often a drive, making it remote), or go for a noticeable increase in the dimensions and weight of the product. A very promising way to solve this problem is the use of a modular design. In this case, in the presence of a rechargeable battery, it is possible to install one of two peripheral devices - a floppy drive or CD-ROM drive, and when removing the battery (which makes it impossible to work outside the immediate vicinity of power sources) - both drives at the same time. The user gets complete freedom of choice of configuration, and its change is made in a matter of minutes.
Recently, the design of mouse cursor manipulators for laptops has changed. Previously, the most common such device was a trackball - a kind of inverted mouse. It was quite convenient, but its reliability left much to be desired, especially in road conditions, where the risk of contamination of the surface of the manipulator ball is higher, and there is less opportunity to clean it than in stationary operation. This has led to the fact that now trackballs are practically not used in portable computers. They were replaced touch padstouch- pad, which are almost rectangular panels measuring approximately 5x6 cm. They have a very high sensitivity, and their use requires slightly more attention than with a conventional mouse or trackball.
Keyboards laptops are always less convenient than desktop computers - this is due to the small area of \u200b\u200bthe working panel of the computer, on which keys can be placed. Today there is no single standard for the layout of laptop keyboards, so different manufacturers place the keys in different ways. In a number of laptops, and especially often in foreign-made models, the so-called blind Russification of the keyboard is used: Russian and letters are drawn in the same color and differ only in their location on the key. For most users, this makes it extremely difficult to work with a computer.
Working in the Windows 95 operating system, the user can simply open the appropriate window and look at battery discharge level. In the most simple models diagnostics is limited to this. In more advanced ones, such information is also output to an additional miniature liquid crystal display or other means of displaying information, such as LEDs. Some models allow, if necessary, to assess the condition of the batteries even without turning on the computer.
When the energy reserve in the laptop batteries is exhausted, they will crash, which can be likened to an unexpected disconnection of a desktop computer from the network. To make this shutdown less unexpected and give the user the opportunity to accept preventive measures, almost all notebook-type computers provide timely warning about the depletion of energy reserves in the batteries. As a rule, this is a repeated beep, sometimes accompanied by flashing LEDs. Some computers take more drastic measures to protect user data: when a certain level of battery discharge is reached, the computer is automatically forced to shut down and its state is first reset to the hard drive. When the user recharges the batteries or resumes operation from an external power source, the computer will exactly restore its state at the time of shutdown.
There are several classes of mobile industrial computers, and actually laptops - only one of them. These computers are targeted at applications where operating conditions are not very harsh, but are significantly different from office environments. This includes, for example, the professional activities of medical workers, journalists, industrial technologists and other mobile users. Currently, laptops themselves are the most common type of mobile industrial computers. What are their features compared to office models?
Let's start with the most noticeable. IN best cars This class does not use a plastic case, but a cast metal case. This allows you to solve several problems at once.
Firstly, such a case, combined with special methods of fixing internal components, provides a very high mechanical strength of the notebook.
Secondly By gluing the processor directly to the case, it is possible to solve the problem of its cooling in an original and very effective way.
Third By attaching the molded parts of the case to each other on "silicone" seals, it is possible to provide a high degree of protection against adverse external influences.
Fourth, the use of an all-metal cast housing allows solving the problems of protection against radiation, electromagnetic and electrostatic effects. This minimizes the notebook's own electromagnetic emissions.
For several years in a row, Toshiba, according to various analysts and experts, has been considered the first in the global notebook market - both in terms of sales and technical level produced PC notebooks. On the Russian market, mobile computers with this brand can be found much more often than laptops with the brand IBM, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Acer, and even with the Rover Book brand, the most popular among local buyers due to their relative cheapness with good technical data. The results of various surveys and reviews of the domestic market stubbornly show that Toshiba laptops in the last four years have firmly held the first place in terms of the number of offers for their sale, occupying from 25% to 35% of the market in this indicator.
Even the most unpretentious models of the Toshiba Satellite 2130CTD or Satellite 2150CDT, which were in high demand in early 1996 among domestic buyers, faithfully serve their owners, allowing you to process texts, spreadsheets, surf the Internet, edit graphics - that is, as such called "workhorses", they are able to perform a large amount of work on a computer without failures and failures.
A thorough analysis of user requests and the prompt release of PC-notebook models that meet the needs of the buyer is, perhaps, one of the main lines of the company's behavior in the market, providing it with leadership.
The capabilities of even the most "simple" Toshiba laptops have grown so much in recent years that the models that were then high-end are an order of magnitude inferior to the current "middle". And the merits of the company should be attributed to the fact that it carried out the process of such a radical renewal of the family of PC notebooks with its own brand quickly, although not painlessly.
Classification of portable computers
The first portable computers produced by Adam Osborne's company were called Portable and weighed about 10 kg. With a weight of 4-5 kg, they began to be called "knee" (Laptop). Having "lost" a couple more kilograms, such machines began to be called laptops (Notebook - notebook), and their lightweight versions - subnotebooks (Subnotebook).
The most common portable computers are laptops and subnotebooks. The boundary between them is very conditional. Usually consider that the weight of a laptop ranges from 2.2 to 4.5 kg, and subnotebook - from 0.9 to 2.7 kg. The overall dimensions of a laptop are usually 50x279x215 mm, and a subnotebook - 38x254x190 mm. The size of the screen matrix of a modern laptop is from 11.3 to 15 inches, and subnotebook - from 6.4 to 11.3 inches. A laptop usually outperforms a subnotebook in terms of maximum installed RAM and hard drive capacity, although it all depends on the class of the machine. Typically, a subnotebook has external drives for floppy disks and CD-ROMs, while laptops usually have them built in. Basic operating system for laptops and subnotebooks is Windows 95/98 due to its ability to recognize the insertion and removal of PC Card devices without rebooting the machine, as well as advanced battery management capabilities.
Pocket PCs
H title "palmtops"(Palmtop) stuck to the class of pocket microcomputers that fit in one palm. These computers, which weigh less than one pound, are also called personal digital assistants or electronic secretaries. They are convenient for travel and business trips when you can't use a laptop.
Structurally, palmtops are two connected panels that can be folded like a notebook. The usual size of a palmtop is 20x10 cm, thickness - 2-3 cm. On one panel there is a mini-keyboard, on the other - a touch screen. A special fountain pen is used to control programs. There are samples of palmtops, consisting of a single panel, without a keyboard.
The common drawbacks of palmtops until the late 90s were their own interface that required learning, poor compatibility with desktop computers, poor communications, and an inconvenient LCD display.
The situation changed after Microsoft developed the Windows CE operating system in 1996, which is essentially a compact Windows version 95 for palmtops. The delivery set of the Windows CE operating system includes abbreviated versions of Word, Excel packages, Pocket Internet Explorer browser. The introduction of Windows CE largely addresses the interface and compatibility issues of palmtops.
The leading manufacturers of palmtops are Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Philips, Psion.
Over the past 9 years (since 1993) in the world of personal computers, new member – personal pocket computer (PDA). A major role in the spread of this type of technology was played by devices based on the platform Palm which appeared in 1996.
The figure shows a handheld computer connected to a desktop PC using a cradle.
CPC This regular computer only with limited resources - power, memory, processor, screen, input / output information. But the main requirements for such devices are long-term operation without recharging the batteries, size, weight, convenience, reliability and fast response to user actions. It is also understood that for normal operation with this device, you must have a regular desktop computer (with an operating Windows system, MacOS, Unix)
The very first name of such devices is PDA (personal digital assistant) - “personal digital assistant”, you can also find the name “manual PC”, “handheld”. A PDA is usually understood as a device that fits in your pocket, and can operate for a long time on batteries, and this device must also have at least the functions of an organizer.
Organizer- from the word "organize" - organize, plan, arrange, form, put in order, (translated from English) An organizer is a device that looks like a calculator into which you can enter phone numbers and addresses (there is a keyboard), it has a clock and an alarm clock. In Soviet countries, such devices were called electronic notebooks.
PDAs are divided into:
1. 
Palm- or simply "Palms" (emphasis on "a"), the very first of all listed.
2. PPC- (Palm-size PC) , this is everything that runs under WindowsCE 2.0-2.1, looks like a Palm.
3. HPC– (Handheld PC) PDA with small keyboard, available with WindowsCE, EPOC32 .
4. Pocket PC–– (the most modern) multimedia PDAs with WindowsCE 3.0, differ from PPCs in increased resources (memory, processor)
Palm are the most popular and massive PDAs, they appeared in 1996 and their main purpose is an Organizer attached to a desktop PC.
Palm trees are the best organizers. In addition, Palm can access the Internet, send mail, Palm can be used as a dictionary and reference book, you can listen to music, read books, store data arrays in it, use it as a voice recorder, and play games.
Almost all modern handheld computers are equipped with touch displays. With the help of a special pen (pen), the user pokes at the display to do something,
Figure 1 shows a view of a simple PDA (Personal Pocket Computer) governed by Palm OS 3.1. All models CPC have their own unique design and therefore the size and location of the buttons may vary.
The user works with the PDA using the Stylus, it acts as a "mouse". All work with the PDA consists of constant “poking” and “moving” the Stylus in areas 1 and 2 (Fig. 1).
Region 1 will perform the role of the Display, where you can see the current application and everything that happens to it, now this is the Applications application. Region 2 will act as a keyboard (or control panel), where you can enter text and control the application. Buttons are on the left quick start calculator and text search throughout the PDA. On the right are "Exit" button(upper) and Menu button(bottom), an arrow and a menu icon are drawn on them, with these buttons you can exit the application and enter the application menu, these are very often used buttons.
Region 3 these are buttons for quickly switching to any Application (selected by the user), usually this Text editor, Calendar, Address Book, or Task Scheduler. If the application allows these buttons can play the role of a keyboard, the "up", "down" buttons are used to navigate through lists, tables. For example, in games, these are control buttons.
Finally, a few words should be said about trends in the world of Handheld Computers. Over the past 2 years (2000 - 2001), new models of PDAs have appeared with more powerful resources and support for multimedia and wireless communication, Today we are seeing a change in the original concept of Handheld Computers: now it is no longer a “plug-in organizer” that provides only basic functions and the ability to communicate with a PC, but a more or less full-fledged handheld PC.
You can even say more, the term Personal Computer, which appeared in the 80s, has already lost its original meaning. PCs have become "common":
1) A PC at work is not personal because it is “working” and outside of work a person is not connected with it and cannot use it.
2) A home PC is a "family" computer, the whole family has access to it, and again, it cannot be used outside the home.
3) A modern PC has such large resources that it makes no sense to use it only for one person. PCs began to be used as servers - that is, collective use.
4) An example of a personal device that is inseparable from its owner is a mobile phone.
And the PDA can just become the same Personal Computer of a new type. He can be inseparably with only one person. You can take it with you everywhere and work with it. A PDA is not comparable to a Notebook in terms of size and battery life.
Conclusion
The report discussed three main types of personal computers: desktop, portable and pocket.
Not so long ago, a laptop was considered more of a luxury item than a full-featured personal computer. This was mainly due to the high cost, poor quality of the liquid crystal display, and less performance than desktop computers. But over the past few years, the situation has changed a lot, and today for 2000-2500 dollars you can buy a quite decent laptop, approaching in its capabilities to inexpensive desktop systems.
Technologies are developing and laptops are being replaced by even more compact ones - pocket personal computers. But it is still too early to talk about the absolute advantage of any kind of personal computers.
Therefore, the integration of these devices into many devices is currently no longer surprising. However, what everyone used to call the word "computer" actually has the full name "personal computer". And recently, even the "personal portable computer" is gaining popularity. It means "portable", which defines the portability of the device.
PC can be portable and desktop. A desktop PC is a fully assembled computer that is interconnected equipment that provides power and versatility, but is tied to one place because of its bulkiness. Of course, now they are trying to produce as small parts as possible, thin displays and mobile wireless mice, but all this is still inferior in terms of convenience to portable PCs. The laptop computer is much smaller and more capacious battery(after all, desktop, in turn, always work from the network and do not need long battery life). However, this affects the performance of such devices, which becomes less. However, the computing capabilities of some portable devices are also very large.
It is in this classification that they are presented on the market. However, ordinary people tend to confuse this terminology, based on the fact that they are not well versed in this area. Sometimes professionals are also confused, since the boundaries of the definition of certain devices in a certain group are very vague. The frames are usually set according to the size and weight of the device, and each of the categories has its own standards.
The very first portable computer is a laptop. It is a portable computing system in its original, so to speak, form.
laptop - very small device. If we consider the term in detail, that "lap" is translated as "knees", which means that the device must be placed on this part of the human body.
The concepts of "laptop" and "laptop" closely overlap with each other - for example, Google translator stubbornly perceives them as synonyms, although this is not entirely true.
The characteristics of the laptop include the following:
All this leads to the fact that a good laptop becomes a full-fledged replacement for a desktop PC. It is a portable computer, there is no doubt about it, but in terms of performance it can also compete with non-portable devices.
Notebook - from the English words "laptop" ("note") and "beech" ("book"). Represents portable device with a high level of mobility. It is thinner and more minimalistic than a laptop, but due to its portability, it often costs the same or even more.
Notebook features include:
This is a classic division of laptops and laptops, which is currently undergoing changes. The terms "laptop" and "netbook" are much more common. To describe this classification, the distinguishing feature of a laptop is its combined components, and screen sizes vary from fourteen to seventeen inches (like laptops).
Netbook - "beech" ("book") for using the Internet ("no"). Usually a small laptop, which does not exceed thirteen inches, is a netbook. Its performance is less, but offline work reaches more hours. Resource-intensive programs will not fully work on a netbook, difficulties will arise when working with large-scale tables and images. Drives are not built into such devices, but memory (both operational and hard drive) is much less important than laptops.
But netbooks are equipped with high-quality network adapters, and their mobility is very high: they weigh no more than 1 kg and fit in an ordinary women's handbag, because they can be quite small - with a screen diagonal of 7 inches.
The views described above do not reflect the entire situation in the current market. The topic of tablet computers and smartphones, as well as PDAs that have lost their prevalence, is not touched upon. Further we will talk about them.
A portable tablet computer is commonly referred to simply as a tablet. In appearance, a distinctive feature is the absence of a keyboard, as well as the replacement of the main functional interface with a full-size touch screen.
Tablets lose even more performance than netbooks, however offline time their work is increasing. It is easy to see this proportional relationship.
Tablets usually have sufficient multimedia capabilities and Internet access - this is where the computing potential of the device is directed.
The concept of a tablet laptop is also known, to which a keyboard is still attached to help the touchscreen.
The computer was much more popular before smartphones took over the market. It was a very small computing device the size of a cell phone. PDAs are hardwired to their operating systems, and in their early years were intended to be used as organizers by business people. At the same time, smartphones have the same or even more functionality, so the PDA has lost its prevalence.
Types of portable computers have long included smartphones. After all, they are both PDAs and ordinary mobile phones. Powerful smartphones have versatility comparable to a weak netbook + enable cellular communication. For the most part, such devices are available with a touch screen, although there are also push-button models.
Note: speaking of the portability of computing devices, it is necessary to mention portable programs for a computer, that is, those that do not require installation. They are extremely popular for use on netbooks, which lack a lot of memory and processing power.
