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Promise of portable computing
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The price of laptop computers is coming down -- offering the hope that the rest of us , can also hope to handle a notebook PC. A guide to the options available for those with limited budgets
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A prominent online computer store has a blurb that reads: `Cheap notebooks' -- surely a classic contradiction in terms! Portable computers have always been pricey; a bulky desktop can usually be had for between half and one-third the price of a notebook of comparable specifications. Indeed from the numbers of head honchos who can be seen staggering across airport lounges, with a leather covered laptop (or as they are now called notebook) computer slung over their stooping shoulders, it looks as if this is the new style of executive power dressing. Not that they seem to do much except to read their mail and play games while waiting for delayed flights.Recent weeks have seen a gradual fall in the entry level price of notebooks -- and though this still looks stiff in comparison with what we can expect to pay for a contemporary PC, it does offer the hope that one can hope to own a notebook without having to be a company CEO.Three weeks ago, Acer India, local arm of the Taiwanese IT company, announced an entry level notebook that for the first time breaches the Rs 60,000 barrier: The TravelMate 212 TX costs Rs 59,990 ( don't know why computer companies aimed at an intelligent customer still practices a sort of Bata Shoe pricing. Will they return the tenner do you think, or "keep the change"?)The 212 is one of the first notebooks to come with the new Windows XP edition and includes a 10 GB hard disk, 128 MB of RAM, floppy drive, built-in modem and runs off an 800 MHz Pentium III processor.Zenith, whose PC pricing is always aggressive have just launched their own notebook -- the "One-Up" 21A -- starting at Rs 75,000. Powered by a Pentium III ( 850 MHz) chip, it has comparable memory, similar floppy drive and modem but double the hard disk space ( 20 GB). It comes with Windows 98/ 2000 installed.The ACi- make notebooks from Allied Computer Industries ( big sellers in the UK) have usually served the entry level in India well and one of their fastest moving models last year, was prices at around Rs 65,000. Another model in this price range came from a Pune-based company called Pushpam Infotech.Otherwise the notebook scene in India addresses those who can think one lakh without blinking. HP's "Omnibook", the Toshiba notebook range distributed by HCL, Compaq's "Presario" or "Armada" range, IBM's "ThinkPads" and Dell's "Inspiron" series are other makes popular in India. Apple's loyal fan club will naturally swear by the iBook or PowerBook series. The entry level of Dell, Toshiba and Compaq range today hovers around Rs 85- 90,000 while most of the others are Rs 1 lakh plus and all are therefore outside the "affordable" parameters we have set for ourselves.The way things are going globally, we may hope to see notebooks without too many bells and whistles, below the Rs 50,000 mark, in the not too distant future. Meanwhile a large number of used notebooks are coming on the market some as cheap as Rs 20,000. But many will turn out to be expensive paperweights, if you don't keep track of what technology will demand in the months to come. If you plan to buy a new or used notebook today , what should you look for?All notebooks these days, weigh around 3 kg, and have specs similar to a mid range desktop PC. One shouldn't go in for notebooks based on obsolete chips like Intel 486 any more, or even on Pentium II. A 10 GB hard drive and 64 MB of RAM is the bare minimum one needs.The newer models come with Lithium-ion batteries rather than nickel metal hydride -- which gives more kick , weight for weight. The display is the differentiator. The cheapie is the passive matrix type while the better colours are produced by TFT or Thin Film Transistor displays. Matrix displays are going out of vogue and can be seen only on the second hand market. Most screens are 14-15 inch diagonal, but some of the lightweight models come with smaller 12 inch displays. This is not important -- the resolution or how densely the pixels are packed, matters more. A 1024 by 768 pixel screen is almost standard.It is important these days to have a built in modem for attaching a mobile phone or fixed phone jack ; and if one wants to make presentations using the notebook, a special "S-Video" port that attaches to an LCD projector is essential. Very soon, every new notebook will include a card that allows the user to latch to a wireless network using the "802.11b" standard. Increasingly, airports and malls abroad feature such networks -- so that you don't need to waste mobile air time or look for a phone outlet to get on the Internet. The wireless port of the notebook will directly mesh into the wireless net. If you plan to buy a second hand notebook, you must remember this, because in the long run, this will become the cheapest way to access the Web.That about sums up the notebook scene today. They are great for those who need to do their computing 'on the go', or carry their offices with them. But this is still a pricey neck of the computer woods, where you can get away with light hearts but not light purses. A. Vishnu vishnua@hotmail.com
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