Laptops are small mobile computers that are light and portable enough to fit on your lap. They weigh usually in the range of 4 to10 pounds depending on the materials, size and other factors. When compared to the PC Desktop, the portable laptops are different on the basis of peripherals and weight. A typical portable laptop computer has a weight of four to five pounds. Some bulkier laptops range in their weights from six to seven pounds as they may have a CDROM/DVDROM or a floppy drive.

Laptops operate typically on a single battery and function similar to their desktop counterparts as the basic components of laptops and desktop computers are same. Laptops have liquid crystal (LCD) displays and uses different RAM modules. A portable notebook or laptop is provided with a pointing stick or touch pad and built-in keyboard as an input device. You can also plug in an external mouse. The power consumption and noise are less compared to a desktop. Unlike desktops, laptops can be run on batteries also.

Osborne 1 was the first available portable computer in 1981 for commercial use. This portable computer weighed about 24 pounds and was available at a price of about 1800 dollars. Later IBM launched ‘Kaypro’ in 2000, which had a LCD display of 25 lines and 80 characters, a removable keyboard and a floppy drive of 3.5 inches.

The following are the different types of laptops. Ultra-Mobile PCs are small in size and portable. Ultra portables have LCD screen of about 12 inches or less, weighing about 3 to 5 pounds. Thin-and-light Laptops typically weigh about 4 to 6 pounds and have a screen size of 12 to 14 inches. Mainstream Laptops have a screen size of about 14.1 inches to 15.4 inches and weigh about 5 to 7 pounds.

Laptops have proven to be useful in many ways. While on the move, from students to business executives, software professionals and housewives have found laptops to be beneficial. Laptops are available across a wide range of brands, models, sizes, styles and prices. As the innovative laptops have increased in demand, leading notebook manufacturers such as IBM, HP-Compaq, Dell, Acer, Sony and Toshiba are offering sophisticated laptops with innovative features and designs. As the demand for laptops has increased, you should be careful when choosing a laptop. You can look for reviews on laptops from online sources and the manufacturers also provide the information on the various models available with details of prices, specifications and ratings on their websites.

Laptops have to be chosen based on the features such as Portability, Price, Screen size, speed, memory, upgradeability, hard drives, batteries and hardware. You can go for a laptop with a better screen resolution of 1024 x 768 XGA or 1280 x 1024 SXGA. For getting best performance in terms of speed, laptops can be chosen having memory capacities of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB or 1GB of RAM, depending on your use of application. For occasional typing and web surfing, a laptop with a memory of 256 MB RAM is sufficient. You need to also check for lithium batteries as they offer longer life. Other peripherals such as standard floppy or DVD drives are required. Though laptops are expensive than desktop computers for similar configurations, the price tag is not big when compared to the functions they offer.

It never fails - awhile back, perhaps it was a few years, perhaps it was only a few months, you bought a new super-fast, top-of-the-line desktop or laptop computer. At first it ran fantastic - there were few software crashes, browser pages visually popped onscreen, and games ran smoothly at high frame rates.

Unfortunately as the computer got older, problems started occurring. Crashes became more frequent, web pages took longer to load, games appeared slightly jerky, and the overall computing experience lost its luster. Why did this happen? Is there a conspiracy among computer and software manufacturers to make computers run slower so you’ll give up and buy a new machine? While conspiracy theories are questionable, here are seven valid reasons why your computer may start to run slower as time passes:

1. Slower boot due to installed software

If you install software, device drivers, or other applications that request to be loaded upon a computer’s boot, naturally your computer will start up slower. Security software such as firewalls and antivirus applications must start up immediately to help increase your security. Some software partially loads at boot so when you launch applications they seem to start faster. Plus, device drivers and helper software for printers, multimedia devices, and other peripherals may require being loaded at boot to make using such devices in a plug-and-play environment as seamless as possible. All of this increases your overall boot time.

2. Slower overall experience due to installed software

Just as loading these applications slow your computer’s boot time, they also may require additional CPU cycles, causing your main applications such as web browsers or word processors to run slower. Plus, more tasks consume additional RAM, requiring your computer to use your hard drive as virtual memory. Paging information to and from your hard drive increases the disk thrashing, slowing down your computer further.

You can help offset this somewhat by installing additional RAM if supported by your computer.

3. Uninstall software doesn’t always work well

While most applications support an uninstall procedure, these don’t always work perfectly. Uninstallers may leave temporary files, items in the Windows Registry, startup tasks to now non-existing files, device drivers that now are not needed, etc. Install and uninstall many applications and the leftover garbage can drastically slow your computer’s overall speed.

4. Hard drive fragmentation

As you write and delete files on your hard drive, the locations of files become scattered throughout, and files themselves can become fragmented. This causes longer times to seek for and load individual files, slowing down your computing experience.

This is more of a problem on Windows computers, and while it comes with defragmentation software, it may not automatically run by default and need to be executed manually. Plus, it is debatable how well it actually works. Third-party software claim to do a much better job in defragmentation, potentially increasing your computer’s performance.

5 Updates require more power

Updates to your device drivers, software, and operating system just may require more computing power than older versions. This can be due to sloppy programming or the addition of newer features. Plus, as security holes are fixed and workarounds created, such software may require more CPU cycles, RAM, and overall storage space on your hard drive.

Security is one reason why an older version of Windows may run much faster than a newer version. While the older version may seem to work fine, its lack of protection features can expose your computer to all types of security risks.

6. Possible hardware problems

In some circumstances, failing hardware may be to blame. Bad sectors can form on hard drives, and if the drive repeatedly tries to access a file on a failing sector or has to block off certain sectors as unusable due to minor failures, this can increase file access time. Other problems such as software that never used to crash but now aborts continuously can be linked to malfunctioning RAM. Diagnostic programs found on the Internet can help confirm either of these problems if they are suspect.

7. The dreaded malware

Of course, viruses, spyware, and other malware may be to blame. These create additional processes that put more strain on a computer and can increase its overall boot time. Other users may be lurking around your PC via an open port, causing all sorts of nastiness. Malware may be running in the background using your computer to relay e-mail messages, attempt to shut down websites via denial of service (DoS) attacks, and more. Thus, while security software may decrease your computer’s overall speed slightly, not having such software (and keeping it updated) can cause an even worse situation.

As you can see, perhaps the debated conspiracy theory of hardware and software makers teaming up to slow computers down as they get older may not be accurate. Installing and updating software can increase your boot time and decrease the speed of other applications. Faulty uninstallers leave junk behind that can slow your computing experience. Hard drive fragmentation causes increased file seek and read time. Hardware failures may be to blame for other problems. And of course, there’s always the possibility of a malware infection slowing the machine. By understanding the true reasons computers may slow down with age you can take steps to offset these problems.

Copyright 2009 Andrew Malek.

The laptop notebook computer is one of the greatest technological advances to come along. And you will probably find it difficult to eschew the computer if you live if the modern world, unless you are Amish. The desktop computer was a wonderful invention, but the laptop notebook computer is gaining a powerful momentum that is hard to ignore.

While people have come to use the terms laptop and notebook interchangeably to describe the portable computing devices that business owners and stay-at-home moms alike carry around, there are a few differences between the two.

A laptop computer is a portable computer that is small enough to fit comfortably in the user’s lap. They are a bit larger than their counterparts – the notebook computer. Laptop computers are normally larger to include such features as built in or removable CD ROM drives.

Most standard laptops will feature a 14 inch to 17 inch screen, a full featured keyboard, 2+ hour battery life, integrated audio system, mid to high level graphics cards, integrated modem and WiFi capabilities, and a built in or removable optical drive. Laptops offer the ability to be upgraded to some extent also.

A notebook computer is designed to be ultra-portable and ultra-lightweight. Therefore, it includes the minimal amount of features necessary to provide the greatest degree of mobility. Standard notebook computers feature 4+ hours battery life, minimal graphics system, no internal optical drive, 12 to 14 inch screen, integrated modem and network capabilities, and the smallest possible keyboard. It is also normally thinner than a traditional laptop computer.

With technology improving at such a rapid pace, though, it is now possible to include much more computing power into a smaller space. This may be one of the reasons that the line has become blurred between the laptop and notebook computers. Now, both of these mobile computing devices have simply become known as the laptop notebook.

And since the differences are so slight, there really is no harm in putting the two into the same category. Most people do not care enough to recognize the difference in the terminology anyway. They just know that they want their laptop notebook along for the ride.

The HP Compaq NX9600 is a good laptop notebook, bot it is better off as a desktop replacement because of its weight. Anyway what matters differ, as we are going to look at its attractive features. If you want to buy a strong laptop notebook, that is meant for your desktop replacement, coupled with a high-tech feature, and other attractive features, then my choice for you is the HP Compaq NX9600. It has a weight of about 9.6 pounds, but it has the latest connectivity technology.

At times, people run away from a heavy laptop computer, but i am sure after reading its features, you might want to consider having this. For those who love big screens, you’ve got it. It has a 17-inch widescreen, with a high resolution, giving you what you need as regards viewing. Its bright screen has a bright display that it even attractive not only people, but insects.

A disappointing thing is that, despite the weight of the laptop pc, it is still very expensive. It is not a cheap laptop pc, so might want to consider adding some more cash to what you have at hand. The HP Compaq NX9600 is full with ports connections, and other multimedia options. If your concern is the multiformat DVD burner drive, then you’ve got it. And if the 6-in-1 memory card reader is your concern, then you are also right there. You can also get an Expresscard slot, and a HP USB digital drive for an extra storage.

Its FireWire, S-Video, docking station, and USB ports will also impress you. All these features will certainly.

It has a hard disk drive of 100GB, and a RAM of 1024MB of DDR2-400 SDRAM. This space is just too enough for you to settle your space for saving files, documents, and others. It also possesses a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X600 graphics card if you want to light up your screen. Actually, this helps graphics designers, and software designers in their work.

Its Internet connectivity is not left out. It consists of a V.96 modem, the gigabit Ethernet, and also the 802.11g connectivity. For mobile businessmen, this features can make you go crazy. What else do you want apart from all these. But to disappoint you, mobile businessmen may not like its battery life, which lasts for like one and half hours.

Computers are the lifeline of today’s modern world. Every day, computers with higher capacities are introduced into the market. In the new line of laptop computer, Acer has unveiled the new Aspire Timeline series notebook PC available in 13.3-inch (3810T), 14-inch (4810T), and 15-inch (5810T) varieties. The new laptop series from Acer measures as thin as 24 mm and weighs just 1.6 kg.

Features of Acer Aspire Timeline Series:

One of the most promising features of Acer Timeline is its balance. They are thin but designed to render a heavy look. These laptops are designed as per the needs of trendy users. Acer Timeline looks stylish by combining the essence of both traditional and modern approaches. The new laptop series from Acer has multitouch system as well.

Energy saving is another great advantage of using Acer Timeline. The laptop can conserve power even when it’s using the power adaptor. Attached with Acer Power Smart Adaptor, Acer Timeline notebook can save up to 66% of electricity. The adaptor automatically switches to adaptive charging mode when the battery is fully charged. This special feature stops further power consumption and also reduces the wear and tear of the battery.

The new notebook series from Acer have WiFi, WiMax, and 3G connectivity to give better experience to its users. Aspire Timeline series uses Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU9400/ Core 2 Solo ULV SU3500 CPU processor and supports up to 8 GB RAM. With Aspire Timeline, enjoy more space while fulfilling your computing needs. The hard drive of Aspire Timeline ranges from 500 GB to 80 GB SSD. Other important features of Acer Timeline are Bluetooth, Intel GMA 4500 MHD video chipset, 8XDVD SuperMulti burner, WWAN GTM382E module for UMTS/HSPA and Quad-ban GSM, 5-in-1 card reader, and LED-backlit TFT LCD monitor.

Aspire Timeline can satisfy your needs if you are looking to buy a new-age computing machine. Get advanced level of computing experience while enjoying enhanced features such as stylish look, light-weight, excellent battery back-up, power-saving adaptor, multitouch system, video chipset, 5-in-1 card reader and others.

Read laptop reviews to know more about the Acer Aspire Timeline Series.

Notebook, notebook computer, laptop, and laptop computer are different terms for a small computer, which is mobile, and weighing about 1 to 6 kg or 2.2 to 18 pounds, depending upon the model. In 1979-1980, Bill Moggridge of GRiD Systems Corp. designed one of the first laptops and named it as the GRiD Compass 1101. It featured the clamshell design where the flat display folded shut on the keyboard. In May 1983, Gavilan Computer Corp. introduced and first marketed as a laptop, known as Gavilan SC. About this same time, Sharp Corp.Ltd., announced their laptop Sharp PC-5000.

In 1989, Compaq introduced Compaq LTE, which was a laptop of a smaller size, about the size of an A4 paper notebook, and it popularly came to be known as a notebook computer or notebook. Thereafter the terms laptop and notebook began to be used interchangeably. Nevertheless, the terms, notebook and laptop are incorrect terms, as due to the heat, many laptops cannot be placed on top of the lap, and most notebooks are not the size of an A4 paper notebook. However, what manufacturers usually call as a notebook, end-users prefer to call it as a laptop; hence both the terms are used.

According to the functions and the models of notebooks, they are generally classified as: Ultraportables (screen is diagonally less than 12 inches, weight is 1.7 kg or less); thin-and lights (screen is diagonally from 12 to 14 inches, weight is from 1.8 to 2.8 kg); medium-sized laptops (screen is diagonally from 14 to 15.4 inches, weight is from 3 to 3.5 kg); and desktop replacement computers (screen is diagonally from 17 to 20 inches, weight is 4 to 6 kg).

The concept of laptop was to make a device that could use the same software of a desktop computer, but much smaller in size to enable mobility and support mobile computing (ability to use the computer while in transit). Thus, further innovations have introduced transportables (which can be moved from one place to another without supporting mobile computing); tablets (which feature touchscreens and support mobile computing); ultra mobile PCs (which are very small and compact tablet PCs); internet tablets (which support internet and mobile computing); personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are pocket-sized and support mobile computing; handheld computers, which represent expensive tablets or PDAs; and smartphone, which is a PDA or a handheld computer with cellphone integration. Over the development phases, these classifications got blurry at times, and many machines fused functionalities of other categories.

Notebooks can be used for various purposes. Commercial purposes like attending phone calls, receiving and sending emails and faxes, typing out letters and printing them, making presentations with pie and bar charts, and taking data from one place to another can be achieved by any standard notebook. However, high fliers prefer thin-and-light notebooks and for regular office work, ultraportable notebooks are preferred. Both are wireless notebooks so they can be remotely accessed. Scientific purposes are best suited with a notebook that features fast computing speed, good 2D and 3D graphics display, and a large memory, like desktop replacement notebook, and a thin-and-light notebook. Artistic purposes require animation, 2D and 3D drawings, interior & exterior designing, arranging music compositions, post-production audio-video work, etc., which can be fulfilled by desktop replacements, gaming notebooks, and mainstream notebooks.

Educational institutions normally do not prefer notebooks due to its high chance of being stolen. Additionally, they prefer that their assets do not move around within the premises in the hands of students who may be careless. However, to keep up with the times, and to be considered as techno-savvy, they do invest in notebooks. The types of notebooks best suited for educational purposes are mainstream notebooks, and desktop replacements. Students need a notebook to do projects, prepare study notes, and to play some games in their spare time. They need to take the notebook wherever they go, hence, size and weight are major considerations. The type of notebook that fulfills student needs is a thin-and-light notebook with locking facility so that they can lock it with their backpack. Most students report late submission of projects due to their notebooks being stolen.

So no matter what the purpose one might have for using a notebook, it seems that mobility will always seem to be the main reason for such a product purchase. Nowadays with so many models being offered with affordable prices, it seems that notebooks will always be a product in demand. After all it is one of the best selling computer hardware for quite some time. And that says it all.

There are actually a lot of reasons why you should buy the HP pavilion DV8000Z.

I can start from its graphics features, or its complete processing technology. You will actually be amazed when i finish telling you what i have got right here. First, i will want you to know that the new HP pavilion DV8000Z comes with an AMD Turion 64 ML-37 processor, using a 2GHz, and 1MB cache. With this alone, professional laptop notebook users will be amazed.

You will also be impressed with its numerous features such as its Broadband feature, 3-D modeling and animation software feature, composition and video editing feature, e-mail features, Acrobat, and several other interesting features. The truth is this laptop notebook is fit for business users, who admire a combination of entertainment, security, and multimedia features.

For graphics artist, and high software users, they have come to appreciate the effect of the 64-bit chip. This chip is actually multiplying daily, as producers are loading out 64-bit versions. Some of these producers that have applied the 64-bit version include; Epsom offering 64-bit drivers for its printers, and animator software developer SoftImage which is now using the 64-bit version for its program.

Even Microsoft has a 64-bit being used. There are just so many software and programs that being realeased, and they are equipped with a 64-bit version. For those who have not known what it means, the 64-bit feature can speed up your time of processing data, which allows more work to be done faster, and more cash to be gain. Most recent, and standard laptop computer now comes using this feature.

I should also tell you about its 17-inch wide screen XGA display. Honestly, with this display you will choose to go for it, no doubts about that. Another impression also goes to its ATI Express Radeon 200M 128MB graphics card, which makes this laptop computer a complete machine for graphics designer. The HP pavilion DV8000Z also comes with a hard disk drive space of 160 GB, and a RAM of 1GB, in two 512MB setups.

You will find out that this laptop computer is a real machine consisting both of good features of every thing you need in a laptop notebook. Although, the weight is not encouraging, weighing about 8 pounds, you might want to consider putting it somewhere on the desk.

Notebook or laptop computer is a portable computer that can be easily carried around, and is capable of performing all possible functions of a computer. Notebook, that usually weighs around 2.2 to about 18 pounds, comes in various sizes and varied possible features.

Unlike most other electronic goods, learning how to use a notebook is no big deal. People, who are used to working on computers, find notebooks almost as convenient to use as they have been using it already. However, the touchpad or the trackpads (that are used in place of the mouse), or the pointing sticks might pose slight difficulty for the beginners, though they can conveniently attach a mouse externally. Nevertheless, the fact that notebooks bear such great resemblance to computers surely serves as a great advantage to the users.

These days notebook can also read as well as write CDs and DVDs. They are also capable of copying and transferring data using Bluetooth devices. Most of the times, these are built in the notebooks, though one may need to attach them externally if the features have not been already provided beforehand. Pen drives, etc, can also be used on notebooks for exchanging data. Notebooks also allow the benefits of using internet connection after proper configuration has been done. Microphones and web cameras can also be used with the notebooks these days.

These days there are various kinds of notebooks that are available in the market. These can be broadly classified as Ultra-Mobile PCs (or the UMPCs), the desktop replacement computers and the ultraportables. While the Ultra-Mobile PCs are laptops that can be easily carried around owing to their extra small size, the powerful desktop replacement computers are mostly to be used in a fixed place. They are more bulky and weigh more as compared to the expensive ultraportables that are specifically meant for those business travelers who need small as well as light weight notebooks that can be easily carried around, while traveling around.

Notebooks are especially useful to those who have to work on computers for long hours, or are heavily depended on computers for their work. Though notebooks may not be as powerful as computers tend to be for the same price range, they are capable of performing all the functions that any computer would perform. There are a number of varieties one can choose from and the special features, included in each notebook, vary from one model to another. Much it depends on the price range and the manufacturer.

The main source of power for a notebook is its main battery, and the external adapter, that is used for charging the battery, from time to time. This allows the user to work on his or her laptop for hours together, without having to connect it with any wires, till the battery exhausts. The time taken for charging the battery varies from one notebook to another, though usually it does not take more than a few hours to charge them.

With each passing day, and new developments in technology, notebooks are becoming more and more popular among the people all over the world. Though these were initially meant for the business class, who had grown dependent on their computers, these days notebooks are being used by almost anybody and everybody.

The falling prices, reducing sizes and growing features are surely making notebooks one of the most sought after electronic devices of the new millennium. Hence in today`s world having a notebook has become a necessity, no one can stay without one. After all who can deny the luxury/necessity of owing a notebook in today`s world?!

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A laptop computer, or simply, a laptop is a small mobile personal computer that has components that are similar to their desktop counterparts but are optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption. Laptops usually have a built-in keyboard and typically employ liquid crystal displays (LCD). There are several categories of laptops like Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers (UMPC), Ultra-portables, Thin-and-Lights and Mainstream.

Laptops are also known as notebook computers or simply notebooks. A laptop generally runs on a single main battery and is capable of doing the same tasks as a desktop computer can. For a given price range, laptops are generally less powerful than a desktop computer as they prioritize their compactness and energy efficiency over absolute performance. Thanks to advances in dual-core processors and perpendicular recording, laptops are giving tough competition to PCs.

Bill Moggridge’s designed GRiD Compass 1101 is widely regarded as the first true laptop which was released in 1982. Laptops have an in-built touch-pad or track-pad for input, though an external mouse can also be attached. Ultra-portables are mostly used by business travellers as they are very light (1.4 kg to 2.3 kg), have an extended battery life and are often very expensive. They generally do not have full size keyboards and their screens usually measure less than 30 cm diagonally. UMPCs are extremely portable as their size matches with that of the Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

Most modern laptops feature a 30.5 cm or larger active matrix displays with resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels and above. High-end laptops like the Dell Inspiron E1505 and E1705 come with advanced features. Current models of laptops use lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries that can last for hours with light-duty use. Intel, AMD and VIA have developed a wide range of laptop specific processors; Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Acer, Apple and Dell are among the leading manufacturers of laptops.