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* Gericom By the end of the 1980s, laptop computers were becoming popular among business people. The NEC Ultralite, released in mid-1989, was perhaps the first notebook computer, weighing just over 2 kg; in lieu of a floppy or hard drive, it contained a 2-megabyte RAM drive, but this reduced its utility as well as its size. The first notebook computers with standard drives were the Compaq LTE series, introduced toward the end of that year. Truly the size of a notebook, they had hard drives and standard-resolution screens. * Hewlett Packard - HP Pavilion and HP Omnibook However this may not remain a misconception for long. Some newer laptops, for example Sony VAIO ultraportables, come with GSM cellphone-based wireless networking capablities, and it is possible to buy add-on PC card GSM modems which provide the same functionality for machines not so equipped. With these, a form of wireless broadband networking is available wherever there is cellphone coverage. Although this is much touted as an ideal business solution, the 'broadband' speeds are low compared to wired connections and the service is prohibitively expensive for most users at the time of writing (1Q 2006). In the US, wireless broadband offered by Cingular and Verizon starts at around $500 for a year with a minimum 2-year contract and each block of data transferred attracts a charge. Unlimited data plans are available but they would normally only appeal to corporate users. As technology improved during the 1990s, the usefulness and popularity of laptops increased while prices went down. Several developments specific to laptops were quickly implemented in their design, improving their usability and performance compared to desktop computers. Among them were: * ASUS * Sony - VAIO

* PDA Laptops are capable of many of the same tasks that desktop computers perform, although they are typically less powerful for the same price. Laptops contain components that are similar to those in their desktop counterparts and perform the same functions but are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and use SO-DIMM (Small Outline DIMM) modules (rather than the larger DIMMs used in desktop computers) for their RAM. In addition to a built-in keyboard, they may utilize a touchpad (also known as a trackpad) or a pointing stick for input, though an external mouse or keyboard can usually be attached. * Gericom * Improved liquid crystal display design, in particular active-matrix display technology, and increasingly, color screens. Early laptop screens were black and white or grayscale passive-matrix LCD displays prone to heavy shadows and blurry movement (some portable computer screens were sharper monochrome plasma displays, but these drew too much current to be powered by batteries). Improvements in production technology meant displays became larger, sharper, had higher display resolution, and could display color with great accuracy, making them an acceptable substitute for a traditional CRT monitor. Similarly it is often possible to wirelessly connect a laptop using a cellphone as a modem. Infra-red, USB and Bluetooth solutions are available. The same caveats regarding price of service apply. * NEC - VERSA, LaVie * Desktop computer

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* Medion * Voodoo PC - Envy * Tadpole - SPARCbook * Tablet PC Many parts for a laptop computer are smaller, lighter, or otherwise adapted from the corresponding part in a desktop computer: However this may not remain a misconception for long. Some newer laptops, for example Sony VAIO ultraportables, come with GSM cellphone-based wireless networking capablities, and it is possible to buy add-on PC card GSM modems which provide the same functionality for machines not so equipped. With these, a form of wireless broadband networking is available wherever there is cellphone coverage. Although this is much touted as an ideal business solution, the 'broadband' speeds are low compared to wired connections and the service is prohibitively expensive for most users at the time of writing (1Q 2006). In the US, wireless broadband offered by Cingular and Verizon starts at around $500 for a year with a minimum 2-year contract and each block of data transferred attracts a charge. Unlimited data plans are available but they would normally only appeal to corporate users. * Tablet PC Many parts for a laptop computer are smaller, lighter, or otherwise adapted from the corresponding part in a desktop computer: * Desktop computer

Upgradability is severely limited: typically only the RAM and hard drive can be upgraded. Often the CPU can also be replaced, and sometimes video card modules are upgradable too. Many laptops also include a MiniPCI slot inside, however it is usually not intended to be utilized by the end user. Because nearly all functions are integrated into the proprietary-design mainboard theoretically to save space and power, laptops are difficult to repair and upgrade. Outright replacement of faulty parts can include the display screen, drives, daughterboards, modem, storage devices and other components, but repair costs can be high, even when feasible (low upgradability). There is not a standard for A4-size laptops. * Improved interconnectivity. Internal modems and standard serial, parallel, and PS/2 ports on IBM PC-compatible laptops made it easier to work away from home; the addition of Ethernet networking ports and, from 1997, USB, and from 1999, Wi-Fi, made laptops as easy to use with peripherals as a desktop computer. Some computer novices assume that laptops are constantly connected to the Internet, even (for example) while located on moving vehicles. This is a myth perpetuated by many commercials, where a person is shown using the company's website from a laptop with no wires plugged into it. This is possible via Wi-Fi or related technologies, but most laptops do not maintain a constant connection to the Internet. The growth of Metropolitan area networks may render a constant connection possible in the future. However, most modern mid-range laptops have integrated WiFi, so only require access to a wireless router to connect to the internet or a wireless hotspot. In 2005, faculty members from the MIT Media Lab including Nicholas Negroponte introduced the $100 laptop as part of the One Laptop Per Child project. The aim is to design, manufacture, and distribute laptops that are sufficiently inexpensive to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education. The laptops will be sold to governments and issued to children by schools on a basis of one laptop per child. These machines will be rugged, Linux-based, and so energy efficient that hand-cranking alone will generate sufficient power for operation. Ad-hoc wireless mesh networking may be used to allow many machines Internet access from one connection. The pricing goal is to start at $100 and then steadily decrease. * Panasonic - Toughbook,Let's Note(Available only in Japan) However this may not remain a misconception for long. Some newer laptops, for example Sony VAIO ultraportables, come with GSM cellphone-based wireless networking capablities, and it is possible to buy add-on PC card GSM modems which provide the same functionality for machines not so equipped. With these, a form of wireless broadband networking is available wherever there is cellphone coverage. Although this is much touted as an ideal business solution, the 'broadband' speeds are low compared to wired connections and the service is prohibitively expensive for most users at the time of writing (1Q 2006). In the US, wireless broadband offered by Cingular and Verizon starts at around $500 for a year with a minimum 2-year contract and each block of data transferred attracts a charge. Unlimited data plans are available but they would normally only appeal to corporate users. Before laptop computers were technically feasible, similar ideas had been proposed, most notably Alan Kay's Dynabook concept, developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. 1983 also saw the launch of what was probably the biggest-selling early laptop, the Kyocera Kyotronic 85. Although it was at first a slow seller in Japan, it was quickly licensed by Tandy Corporation, Olivetti, and NEC, who saw its potential and marketed it as the Olivetti M-10, NEC PC-8201, and [1] Radio Shack TRS-80_Model_100_line or Tandy 100. The machines ran on standard AA batteries. The Tandy's internal programs, including a BASIC interpreter, a text editor, and a terminal program, were supplied by Microsoft, and are thought to have been written in part by Bill Gates himself. The computer was not a clamshell, but provided a tiltable 8×40-character LCD screen above a full-travel keyboard. With its internal modem, it was a highly portable communications terminal. Due to its portability, good battery life (and ease of replacement), reliability (it had no moving parts), and low price (as little as US $300), the model was highly regarded, becoming a favorite among journalists. It weighed less than 2 kg (4 lb) with dimensions of 30 x 21.5 x 4.5 cm (12 x 8.5 x 1.75 inches). Initial specs included 8 kb of RAM (expandable to 24 kb) and a 3 MHz processor. * Hypersonic Similarly it is often possible to wirelessly connect a laptop using a cellphone as a modem. Infra-red, USB and Bluetooth solutions are available. The same caveats regarding price of service apply.