Advantages of Laptops

If you are reading this book, you are probably already aware of at least some of the benefits of using a portable computer. Here is a list that possibly includes some benefits you had not considered before.

Multiple Uses

By their nature, portable computers are generally much more useful than desktops. Except for a mere handful of exceptions, portables can do anything that a desktop can, plus a range of other tasks that would be impossible for desktops.

The chief strength of the portable is its freedom from the desk. It can be used almost anywhere. Indeed, almost anywhere a human can go, so can a laptop.

Some uses for a laptop would not even make sense for a desktop. For example, an increasing number of notebook computers are being equipped with GPS antennas and mapping software. The same could be done with desktops, of course, but with much less interesting if not impractical results.

Ideal for People with Multiple Workplaces

For many people, the idea of working in a single workplace is no longer practical. Many workers have to travel as part of their job, whether across the country or around a metropolitan region. Even those workers who never travel may find it advantageous to bring work home, or to work while commuting. For all these workers, the notebook computer is ideal.

Instead of going through the expense of purchasing a desktop computer for each workplace, you can buy a single notebook. The notebook can be carried with you, from one workplace to another. If its battery is charged up, it can even be used while en route from one workplace to the other.

Flat-Panel Displays

Flat LCD panels were used in laptop systems long before they became popular for desktop systems. Laptops actually drove the development of LCDs, and desktop users (and television fans for that matter) can now enjoy the same benefits of these displays that laptop users have had many years earlier.

There are three main benefits of LCD flat-panel displays as compared to CRTs. The first is, of course, its flatness. Unlike most CRT screens, it does not bow out slightly in the middle. Instead, it is perfectly flat, just as a piece of paper. Many new CRT displays are emulating this flat-screen look to a remarkable degree. But even on these screens, the center of the display tends to bow out toward the user ever so slightly.

The second advantage is size. Actually, there are two benefits in this category. The first is plain truthfulness. The fact is that a 15-inch CRT monitor does not actually measure 15 inches diagonally. The usable display space is only about 14 inches in size. By convention, CRT manufacturers for some reason measure not just the usable display space on these monitors but the entire front surface of the tube. By contrast, with LCD screens, the manufacturers have been more honest. As you might expect, a 15-inch screen actually measures 15 inches.

The viewable surface is, of course, only one aspect of a screen's size. There is also the thickness to consider. Here, LCDs have a huge advantage. The traditional CRT monitor may be as thick as it is tall. The end result is that these monitors take up an extraordinary amount of desk space. By contrast, an LCD screen may be only 2 inches thick or less. But a laptop does an even better job of saving space: On these systems the LCD screen is usually less than a half-inch thick.

The third advantage of flat-panel screens is their sharpness. If you look at a CRT screen under high magnification, you will see that each pixel has indistinct borders and is slightly blurry. Sometimes the pixels exhibit microscopic jittery motions. Under the same magnification on an LCD screen, however, you'll see pixels with distinctly sharp edges and no jittery motion at all.

Laptop LCDs have had one special advantage over many desktop LCD panels, and that is that the laptops have always used a direct digital interface. After using laptops for many years and enjoying the advantages of the crisp LCD panels they used, I was excited to see LCD panels become widely available for desktop systems as well. However after seeing some of the available LCDs, I was extremely disappointed in their performance. They were visibly not near as crisp and accurate as what I was used to on my laptops.

The problem was that many low-end LCD panels were designed to use the analog VGA connection. If you use an LCD panel with a desktop system, and connect that panel to the system via a 15-pin VGA connector, then you are missing out on a great deal of quality. This is because the video signal is first generated in the video card as a digital signal, then converted to analog and sent to the display, where it is finally converted back to digital before being shown on the screen. This double conversion results in slightly fuzzy characters, colors that are not precise, and other undesirable artifacts such as moiré patterns. The only way to avoid such problems is to eliminate the analog conversion and send the digital signal directly from the video card to the display, which is exactly how it has always been done in laptops.

While this is not an issue for laptops due to their all-digital design, if you want the same quality display performance on a desktop LCD then I recommend using only LCD panels and video cards that incorporate a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connector instead of the analog VGA connector. By using DVI to connect a video card in a desktop system to an LCD panel, you avoid the analog conversion entirely, and have the same crisp and clean image on the display as on a laptop display.

Low-Energy Consumption

In these days of energy consciousness, laptops have a tremendous advantage over desktops. Even an Energy Starcompliant desktop system uses up a fairly large amount of electricity. People who leave their systems powered up most of the day would be surprised to find out how much this adds to their monthly electrical bill. Notebook computers do not generally comply with the government's Energy Star conservation initiative. The simple reason is that they do not need to; they already use comparatively little electricity.

Built-in UPS

Power failures can be real calamities for computer users. When power is cut off to a system, everything in memory disappears. If the system was writing something to a disk, the write process may have been only partially completed, leading to a corrupted disk. In some cases whole files may be lost; in the worst case, a whole disk. To avoid this danger, many computer users have gone to considerable expense to purchase an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). This is a battery-powered device that will keep a system powered for a few minutes after a power failure so that it can be shut down properly. The cost of a UPS may be several hundred dollars.

Notebook computers are already equipped with a very good uninterruptible power supply. It is called the notebook's battery, and it will last not just for a few minutes, but for a few hours. If you work in an area where the local power company is not reliable, a notebook computer is a must.

Integrated Design

Notebook computers have a highly integrated design. All components are assembled by the manufacturer and tested prior to sale. By contrast, in the case of some small desktop vendors, components may be thrown together without sufficient testing, leading to all sorts of headaches for the user.

More Space Efficient

Even the largest notebook computers can be safely hidden inside a desk drawer. Indeed, some thin and light notebooks are so small that you might be able to stash several of these devices in a single drawer. On a small or cluttered desk, a notebook can easily find enough space for a home. In small offices, a notebook's ability to save space is highly appreciated. Ecologically oriented users will also be interested to know that at the end of the notebook's useful life, laptops are physically easier to recycle.