In the early 2000s, there were many more kinds of personal computers, but most did not take them seriously, so different PDAs or palmtops can only be found at auctions. We have collected for you the most relevant types of portable computers and described their main features.
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Laptops
Often in the dialogue, a laptop is referred to as a laptop, and somewhere it is, but if you are going to buy a personal computer it is better to distinguish these two things.
The main differences and features of a laptop:
- Compact size. All such devices are portable: you can take them with you to work or study, use them in public transport, take them to a picnic, etc.;
- Less performance than the PC. Laptops differ from personal computers in compactness, but they lose in data processing speed and capabilities: for example, only the most powerful models can support modern games;
- Сonstruction. The laptop consists of two parts: the LCD and the main unit with a keyboard and touchpad. These devices can be used with or without a computer mouse, for connection, there is a USB connector on the case;
- Features. Laptops differ significantly in performance: budget models can only support office programs and browsers, and gaming laptops meet the system requirements of the most “cool” modern games.
But one of the main features of the laptop is its variety. This is a whole class of computers, among which you can find a lot of exotics: transformers, protected laptops, laptops with touch keyboards, and a lot more, it all depends on your preferences.
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Notebooks
The most popular type of personal computer. The notebook PC differs from other types of portable PCs:
- High power
- Maximal productivity
- Higher battery capacity
- Larger screen size
- The heaviest weight (which makes it less compact than other types)
- Largest screen size (10 to 20 inches)
- A large number and variety of ports
It is the most similar type to the PC. The number and different types of ports allow you to connect to your notebook almost all kinds of other gadgets from an extra keyboard and ending with a TV or stereo.
But such advantages are worth paying for and cheap notebooks cost as much as some of the more expensive smartphone or tablet models. So people who are going to buy a portable PC not for work, but for entertainment, take the lighter versions of mobile PCs such as laptops or tablets.
Netbooks
Netbooks are the lightest and lightest types of portable computers. They are much less expensive than notebooks and laptops and have lower performance.
The main differences and features of netbooks:
- The notebook and netbook. The keyboard is impermanent due to its small size and lacks the “hot keys”, the additional digital layout, and the control buttons of the device.
- The software. The new models of netbooks have a specially arranged Windows operating system. In laptops there is no such problem – you can install any software system, suitable for the user and it will work properly.
- Keyboard. Normal laptops have a functional keyboard, similar to that of the stationary device, and models with a display over 20 inches are also equipped with special game keys.
- Price. A powerful netbook with average characteristics will cost you less than a low-budget laptop.
- Available storage capacity. Netbooks do not replace the computer and do not take up the consumption of powerful “hall”. Designed for quick communication, they look like a functional tablets with a keyboard.
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Smartphones
The most compact and indispensable type of PC for every modern person, regardless of age or profession.
- Communication. Unlike other types of PCs, the smartphone not only provides a reliable connection of a person with the world around him through the Internet and mobile network but also allows you to find the necessary information in a few clicks.
- Usability. Thanks to the ability to install applications, a smartphone can be transformed into any gadget, be it an e-book, a small TV, a graphic tablet, and more. Everything depends only on your imagination.
- Adapted applications. Website developers are keeping pace with the times and have long adapted the work of their resources for phones, creating convenient and comfortable mobile applications. Some of them are so clever that it’s even hard to imagine that someone will use that social network from the site itself, rather than from the app.
- Accessories. Smartphone has features that not most PCs have: a flashlight, a good camera, a phone, a radio, NFC, and much more. Moreover, new models of smartphones can display images on TVs, VR glasses, printers, or projectors, which makes not only work more convenient but also entertainment such as watching a movie or a document.
But that doesn’t mean that a smartphone can replace a PC. Many PCs remain much more powerful than smartphones and are a better choice for work than smartphones.
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Tablets
When Steve Jobs spoke at the unveiling of the first iPad in 2010, he said the famous phrase that “tablets will take over the world.
And indeed, until 2013, everyone thought that would happen, but trends show that people favor smartphones over tablets.
Most people think that the tablet today differs from the phone only by the screen diagonal, but we have collected the main differences and features of the tablet:
- Usability. If Wi-Fi, and therefore access to the Internet, can be found even in the most budget devices, not all tablets support the work in mobile networks, or some models have reduced functionality, which does not allow the use of calls and SMS.
- Display. Tablets tend to have more glare in bright ambient light and lower pixel density, but this doesn’t matter, since large displays don’t need to be viewed as close up as possible.
- Camera. In terms of photo and video capabilities, smartphones come out as unqualified winners. They use higher quality and more expensive modules, as well as the total number of cameras, is greater in smartphones.
- Navigation. As a navigator, the tablet is a more convenient solution, again due to the larger screen. Of course, this is provided that the tablet supports GPS.