The Mobile PC Control Panel

Most Windows Vista mobility enhancements are designed with a single purpose in mind: to give you easier access to the notebook-related features that you use most. That makes sense because when you're using a notebook on the go, you might have only a limited amount of battery power, and you don't want to waste it trying to locate some obscure configuration option. And it's still true that most notebook keyboards and pointing devices are harder to use than their full-size desktop counterparts, so the fewer keystrokes and mouse clicks required to perform Windows tasks, the better.

Your first indication that Vista wants to make your mobile computing life easier is the new Mobile PC Control Panel page, shown in Figure 7.1 (in the Control Panel, select the Mobile PC link). The idea behind the Mobile PC page is to consolidate in a single spot all the Vista configuration options that are directly or indirectly related to notebooks. Whether you want to change the screen orientation on your Tablet PC, adjust settings before a presentation, or change power options, it's all just a mouse click or two away.

Figure 7.1. The Mobile PC Control Panel gives you quick access to most notebook-related configuration options.