Laptop computer - what kind of device? Types and types of portable computers

A computer is, above all, a computer. Because the integration of these devices into many devices at the moment no one surprises. However, what everyone is accustomed to call the word "computer", in fact has the full name "personal computer". And recently, even the "personal laptop" is gaining popularity. This means "portable", which determines the mobility of the device.

Mobility as the goal of portability

The PC can be portable and desktop. A desktop PC is a fully assembled computer that is interconnected equipment that gives power and versatility, but which is tied because of its unwieldiness to one place. Of course, now they try to produce as little detail as possible, thin displays and mobile wireless mice, but all this is still inferior to the convenience of portable PCs. A laptop computer is a much smaller size and a more capacious battery (in fact, desktops, in turn, always work from the network and do not need a long battery life). However, this affects the performance of such devices, which becomes smaller. However, the computing capabilities of some portable devices are also very large.

The three main categories of laptops

The three main categories in which a portable computer is presented are:

• Laptop;
• a laptop;
• Subnotebook.

It is in this classification that they are represented on the market. However, ordinary people tend to confuse this terminology, based on the fact that they are not sufficiently versed in this field. Sometimes professionals are confused, since the boundaries of the definition of certain devices in a certain group are very fuzzy. The framework is usually set by the size and weight of the device, and each category has its own standards.

Laptop

The very first portable computer is a laptop. It is a portable computing system in its very original, so to speak, form.

A laptop is a very small device. If you look at the term in detail, that "Lap" translates as "knees", which means that the device should fit on this part of the human body.

The notions of "laptop" and "laptop" closely intertwined with each other - for example, the Google translator stubbornly perceives them as synonyms, although this is not entirely true.

Main Features of Laptops

The characteristics of a laptop can include the following:

• The diagonal of the screen should be at least fourteen, but not more than seventeen inches;
• Built-in video cards provide high-quality graphics;
• A large, comfortable and expanded keyboard;
• There is always an optical drive (in other words, a drive);
• The capacity of the battery allows you to work independently from it for three or more hours;
• Easily replaceable parts (in case of breakage).

All this leads to the fact that a good laptop becomes a full-fledged replacement for a desktop PC. It is a portable computer, it is undeniable, but it can also compete with non-portable devices in performance.

A laptop

Laptop - from the English words "laptop" ("note") and "beech" ("book"). It is a portable device with a high level of mobility. It is thinner and more minimalistic than a laptop, but because of its mobility it often costs the same or even more.

Among the characteristics of a laptop:

• Long battery life;
• Simple graphics;
• Multifunctionality;
• Diagonal screen within twelve to fourteen inches.

This is a classic division of laptops and laptops, which is currently undergoing changes. Much more often you can find the terms "laptop" and "netbook." To describe this classification, the distinguishing feature of the notebook is its combined complementing, and the screen sizes range from fourteen to seventeen inches (as in laptops).

Netbooks

Netbook - "beech" ("book") for using the Internet ("no"). Usually a small laptop, whose monitor diagonal does not exceed thirteen inches, is a netbook. Its performance is less, but autonomous work reaches more hours. The netbook will not fully run resource-intensive programs, the difficulties will arise when working with large-scale tables and images. In such devices drives are not built in, and the memory (both operational and hard disk) 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 are placed in an ordinary women's handbag, because they can be quite small - with a screen diagonal of 7 inches.

The synonym of the netbook is just the last category - a subnotebook, characterized by ultraportability. It is easy to see how smooth, but contradictory transitions from one category to another reflect the fuzziness of the framework of these terms.

Are all these laptops?

The types described above do not reflect the whole situation in the current market. The topic of tablet computers and smartphones, as well as the lost PDA, is not touched. Then we will talk about them.

Tablets

A portable tablet computer is usually called simply a tablet. In appearance, the distinguishing feature is the lack of a keyboard as an input device and the replacement of the main functional interface with a full-sized touch screen.

Tablets even more lose in performance than netbooks, but their autonomous working time increases. It is easy to see this proportional relationship.

The tablets usually have sufficient multimedia capabilities and access to the Internet - this is aimed at the computing potential of the device.

It is also known the concept of a tablet notebook, to which a keyboard is attached to help the touchscreen.

PDA

A pocket portable computer was much more popular when smartphones had not yet flooded the market. It was a very small computing device the size of a cell phone. CCPs are tightly tied to their OS and in the first years of release they were intended for use as organizers by business people. At the same time, smartphones have the same or even more functionality, so that the PDA has lost its prevalence.

Smartphones

Types of portable computers have long been included in smartphones. After all, they are both CCPs and ordinary mobile phones. Powerful smartphones have a multifunction, comparable with a weak netbook + enable cellular communication. For the most part, such devices are available with a touch screen, although there are push-button models.

Note: when speaking about the portability of computing devices, it is necessary to mention portable programs for the computer, that is, those that do not require installation. They are extremely popular for use on netbooks, which lack much memory and computing power.