Portable Computers Popular in businesses with traveling or mobile staffs Often as powerful as desktops Major concerns are heat, battery life, and impact resistance Usually twice the cost of an equally equipped desktop

Portable PC Form Factors Laptop The largest in size (around 7lbs) Usually the highest performers Notebook Smaller than laptops (around 5lbs) Performance is usually less than laptop Sub Notebook Smallest of all Used for scheduling or special purpose

Portable PC Concerns Upgrade Issues Many are either physically unable or cost prohibitive to be upgraded Battery Life Most portables have a battery life of only a few hours Heat There is little room for air circulation in the small cases used by portables Synchronization

Portable Unit Display Types Dual Scan (Passive Matrix) Uses two transistors to light an axis. One for the X (horizontal) and one for the Y (vertical) If one transistor fails, the whole axis fails Active Matrix Contains at least one transistor for each pixel Most use TFT (Thin Film Transistors) Requires more power than Dual Scan models

Portable PC Battery Types NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) No longer used due to charging problems NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hybrid) Found in lower end portables Li-Ion (Lithium-Ion) Lighter than previous two, found in higher end systems Lithium Ion Polymer 40% longer life than Li-Ion