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Laptop And Netbooks Vs Tablet

Laptop And Netbooks Vs Tablet

What's new and what you are going to see in the near future.
Don't Throw Away Your Laptop Yet
From the outside, laptops do not look any different from what they did, say, five years ago. They still open up like a book (and so also called notebooks), but lurking within its innards are silicon innovations. To start with, USB 3.0 has started shipping in the new systems. This medium not only supports older USB interfaces but also speeds them up.

You can transfer data at lightning speeds to any USB 3.0-ready device. LED screens have also become common in these devices. Every manufacturer has models with LED screens. Unlike the earlier LCD screens, LED make it possible to make very thin, eco-friendly screens that consume less energy and enhance battery life.

The biggest change has come with the adoption of multi-core processors. The Intel Sandy Bridge iCore processor, for instance, is being placed within most new laptops. AMD is also working on the same lines with its Fusion processor. These processors give the user experience an immense boost. It's almost like injecting steroids into the notebooks.

 LAPTOP NEWSPEAK
Know What These New Terms Mean

HDMI: Audio/video interface port on the laptop. This can connect the laptop to any hidefinition-ready display, like a TV. Most support Full HD resolution of 1080P.

USB 3.0: The latest version of USB ports. The 3.0 version is 10 times faster than the conventional USB 2.0 ports.

Multi-Touch Trackpad: Like multi touch screens found on tablets such as the Apple iPad, these new track pads have similar functions. With finger swipes and pinches, users can flip images, zoom in and out and go forward and back on the laptop screen.

BD Player: The latest optical drive to come to laptops, replacing DVD read/write. These run hi-def Blu-ray discs and in some cases write on to a blank media as well.

Sandy Bridge: The second generation of Intel's iCore processor. Sandy Bridge is much faster than the first generation, have multiple cores and graphics unit on them too.

APU: Accelerated processing unit is used to describe the latest set of processors from AMD. These are Fusion processors that have both graphics processing and CPU on a single chip.

DDR 3: This is the latest in RAMs. DDR 3 supports higher frequencies (MHz) for better computing performance. These consume much less energy as well.

PICTURES: Must-have laptops in the market

If that wasn't quick enough, the use of solid-state drive (SSD) storage further reduces the boot times of operating systems, games and programs. There had been reliability issues in the past with SSDs, but these have been resolved now. Like these, some remarkable tools have been incorporated into a notebook.

Designers at Fujitsu, for example, have grafted a projector to the company's laptop. So instead of the optical drive, this laptop sports a projector-an innovation that most professionals will find handy.

Review: Google laptop Chromebooks

The future has sweet offerings in store. Multiscreen laptops are becoming a reality. But before that, we should see dual-touchscreen notebooks. These laptops are built in the same manner as regular ones, but the physical keyboard would be replaced by a touchscreen keyboard and a trackpad. A gimmick? Maybe.

But you'll soon see these in the stores. Screens with resolutions higher than Full HD are also on the anvil. These will not only make pictures look better but also will make movies and gaming an out of this world experience.

At the moment SSD drives with 256 GB space are available; within a year we will see larger capacities on laptops.

Laptop And Netbooks Vs Tablet
Because of their different functionalities, tablets essentially aren't a threat to the laptop. People buy laptops because they need larger screens, optical drives and a keyboard that will not make their fingers hurt after a while.

Laptop And Netbooks Vs Tablet
The main purpose of the laptop is for work or play or both. Tablets on the other hand are majorly for entertainment. This can be deduced from the number of games being built just for tablets. Tablets don't support optical drives and most don't have USB or Ethernet interfaces either.

However, the turf gets levelled when tablets are stacked against netbooks. Both devices do not have optical drives. Entertainment and Internet access are the main reason for buying netbooks. Tablets win because they are lighter and slimmer, and carry a much better touch screen. And don't forget the extended power of apps for tablets. The sheer amount of applications available for both iOS and Android tablets is mind boggling.

 MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
Keep These Six Points In Mind When Buying A Laptop

First and foremost is your budget. Let's face it, if you do not have the funds, you won't be able to get the best.

Type of use? Entertainment, gaming or official/ business purposes? Each laptop maker has something different to offer in these segments.

Display. Many ignore the fact that a display is very signifi cant part of a laptop. You will be staring at a screen at a very close distance for long hours, so better get one that doesn't affect your eyes.

Keyboard and trackpad. Your fingers will be doing all the work, so opt for an ergonomic keyboard with a big trackpad. In netbooks, you hardly get a large trackpad.

Configuration. Ask yourself if you really need a high con figuration or whether a light configuration would do.

Battery life. If you work long hours, then you obviously need a good battery. Plump for for a 9-cell battery. If not, you can select the regular 4-6-cell arrangement.


Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos

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