Tablet pc
Tuesday, June 16, 2009The Tablet PC ushered in a new era of mobile computing as a single, fully functioning PC that's practical and comfortable. With integrated pen support, touch-screen support, digital-ink input, handwriting recognition technologies, and innovative hardware, ultra-portable Tablet PCs are comfortable and productive virtually anywhere, anytime
Many Tablet PCs such as this one from Electrovaya are made to function as a totally portable tablet, but can be docked with a keyboard for desktop use. The Scribbler includes Electrovaya's SuperPolymer battery technology for extended battery life. (Image courtesy of Electrovaya Inc.)
Tablet computer-A complete computer contained in a touch screen. Tablet computers can be specialized for only Internet use or be full-blown, general-purpose PCs with all the bells and whistles of a desktop unit. The distinguishing characteristic is the use of the screen as an input device using a stylus or finger. In 2000, Microsoft began to promote a version of Windows XP for tablet computers, branding them "Tablet PCs".
Tablet PC-A tablet computer environment specially from Microsoft that is based on an enhanced version of Windows XP. Designed to function more like a portable writing tablet than previous tablet-based computers, it includes handwriting recognition as well as the ability to retain handwritten words and annotations without turning them into computer text. This latter ability is known as "rich digital ink," because the inking (writing, drawing, scribbling) is stored as a graphic after algorithms smooth out rough edges.
Tablets vs. traditional notebooks
The advantages and disadvantages of tablet PCs are highly subjective measures. What appeals to one user may be exactly what disappoints another. The following are commonly cited opinions of the tablet PC platform:
Advantages
The ability to use in environments not conducive to a keyboard and mouse such as lying in bed, low lighting when a lighted screen is the input source, standing or with one hand.
Recording non-character based information such as diagrams and mathematical notation and symbols.
Lighter weight, lower power models can function similarly to dedicated reading devices like the Amazon Kindle.
Disadvantages
Higher cost — convertible tablet PCs can cost significantly more than their non-tablet counterparts although this premium has been predicted to fall.[34]
Input speed — handwriting can be significantly slower than peak typing speeds which can be as high as 50-150 WPM, though Swype and other technologies provide alternate, speedier methods of input.
Screen damage risk - Tablet PCs are handled more than conventional laptops yet built on the same frames and since their screens also serve as input devices (like PDAs) they run a higher risk of screen damage.
Designing around disadvantages
Manufacturers can design additional durability into the displays of tablets to effectively reduce screen damage risk, hinge failure, and screen size limitations. The use of scissor shock absorbers mounted to the screen, flexible connectors for data cables, molded magnesium alloy screen casing, durable and replaceable screen overlayments, and purpose built convertible hinges impact reliability.
Features
New Tablet PCs may have:
Capacitive technology, which senses touch of finger with no pressure required for system to recognize input.
Digital palm recognition technology prevents inadvertent contact from disrupting pen input.
Multi-touch recognizes multiple simultaneous touches, allowing for enhanced manipulation of on-screen objects.
Sunlight readable displays (800 nit display) are clearly readable even in bright and direct sunlight.
Docking station can improve the extensibility of tablet PC such as:battery ,Keyboard, USB, RS232, LAN and VGA.It usually design for using tablet PC as desktop computer.
Before you read details go through some defination related to Tablet pc-
Generically, a tablet PC refers to a laptop or slate-shaped mobile computer, equipped with a touchscreen or graphics tablet/screen hybrid to operate the computer with a stylus or digital pen, or a fingertip, instead of a keyboard or mouse.
This form factor offers a more mobile way to interact with a computer. Tablet PCs are often used where normal notebooks are impractical or unwieldy, or do not provide the needed functionality.
Specifically, Tablet PC refers to a product announced in 2001 by Microsoft, and defined by Microsoft to be a pen-enabled computer conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft and running a licensed copy of the "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition" operating system or a derivative thereof.
Touch Screen-A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus. Widely used on ATM machines, retail point-of-sale terminals, car navigation systems, medical monitors and industrial control panels, the touch screen became wildly popular on handhelds after Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007.
Ultra Mobile pc-A lightweight, small tablet PC with an on-screen keyboard introduced in 2006. Weighing two pounds or less and using a hard drive for all content, the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) runs under the Windows Tablet PC operating system with Touch Pack software. Touch Pack provides an on-screen keyboard that is operated with the thumbs as well as enlarged buttons for menus that are easier to tap with the fingers. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are included.
Formerly code named "Origami," the Ultra-Mobile PC followed the Portable Media Center, introduced in 2004.
Pen computing-Pen computing refers to a computer user-interface using a pen (or stylus) and tablet, rather than devices such as a keyboard and a mouse.
Pen computing is also used to refer to the usage of mobile devices such as wireless tablet PCs, PDAs and GPS receivers. The term has been used to refer to the usage of any product allowing for mobile communication. An indication of such a device is a stylus, generally used to press upon a graphics tablet or touchscreen, as opposed to using a more traditional interface such as a keyboard, keypad, mouse or touchpad.
General techniques of pen computing
User interfaces for Pen computing can be implemented in several ways. Actual systems generally employ a combination of these techniques.
Pointing/Locator input
The tablet and stylus are used as pointing devices, such as to replace a mouse. Note that a mouse is a
relative pointing device -- you use the mouse to "push the cursor around" on a screen.
However a tablet is an
absolute pointing device -- where you put the stylus is exactly where the cursor goes.
There are a number of human factors considerations when actually substituting a stylus and tablet for a mouse. For example, it is much harder to target or tap the same exact position twice with a stylus, so "double-tap" operations with a stylus are harder to perform if the system is expecting "double-click" input from a mouse.
Note that a finger can be used as the stylus on a touch-sensitive tablet surface, such as with a touchscreen.
Handwriting recognition
The tablet and stylus can be used to replace a keyboard, or both a mouse and a keyboard, by using the tablet and stylus in two modes:
Pointing mode: The stylus is used as a pointing device as above.
On-line Handwriting recognition mode: The strokes made with the stylus are analyzed as a "electronic ink", by software which recognizes the shapes of the strokes or marks as handwritten characters. The characters are then input as text, as if from a keyboard.
Different systems switch between the modes (pointing vs. handwriting recognition) by different means, e.g.
by writing in separate areas of the tablet for pointing mode and for handwriting-recognition mode.
by pressing a special button on the side of the stylus to change modes.
by context, such as treating any marks not recognized as text as pointing input.
by recognizing a special gesture mark.
The term "on-line handwriting recognition" is used to distinguish recognition of handwriting using a real-time digitizing tablet for input, as contrasted to "off-line handwriting recognition", which is optical character recognition of static handwritten symbols from paper.
Direct manipulation
The stylus is used to touch, press, and drag on simulated objects directly. See the special Wiki article on Direct manipulation. The Wang Freestyle system [3] is one example. Freestyle worked entirely by direct manipulation, with the addition of electronic "ink" for adding handwritten notes.
Gesture recognition
This is the technique of recognizing certain special shapes not as handwriting input, but as an indicator of a special command.
For example, a "pig-tail" shape (used often as a proofreader's mark) would indicate a "delete" operation. Depending on the implementation, what is deleted might be the object or text where the mark was made, or the stylus can be used as a pointing device to select what it is that should be deleted.
Recent systems have used digitizers which can recognize more than one "stylus" (usually a finger) at a time, and make use of Multi-touch gestures.
The PenPoint OS was a special operating system which incorporated gesture recognition and handwriting input at all levels of the operating system. Prior systems which employed gesture recognition only did so within special applications, such as CAD/CAM applications or text processing.
Netbook
Monday, June 15, 2009
The laptop of yours has a screen that's plenty big, has enough storage & it's expensive,heavy,low battery run time.But you are doing only lighter operation such as net browsing,word processing.So you need a netbook- a smaller, lighter,less expensive portable pc designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet.
In early 2008, the mobile computer landscape was dominated by laptopcomputers. There were a few alternatives to traditional laptops -- tablet PCs, advanced PDAs and even a few smartphones could perform many basic computing tasks. some companies offered laptops that were nearly as powerful as their desktop counterparts.
A year later, the traditional laptop faces some competition in the mobile computing market. By cheap,lighter –Netbook.
INTERNET---------NET
NOTEBOOK-------BOOK
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+ NETBOOK
A netbook is a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet also defined by size, price, horsepower, and operating system. They are small, cheap, under-powered, and run operating system requiring less processing power.
Netbooks run either Windows XP Home edition or Linux (not only is Linux unfamiliar to many, but the versions of Linux on Netbooks are not the mainstream popular distributions). They do not run XP Professional, Vista, or OS X. Microsoft arbitrarily restricts Netbooks from running the Professional Edition of Windows XP. Likewise, Apple arbitrarily restricts OS X to Apple hardware and it has never played in the low-end realm that Netbooks occupy.* Vista requires too much horsepower to run well on a Netbook. HP has been the only company to offer Vista on a Netbook. The price, however, was so high that it's debatable whether such a machine qualifies as a Netbook.
Its a rumour that Microsoft has plans to make Windows 7, the upcoming version of Windows that will replace Vista, available on Netbooks.
Size-wise, Netbooks have 9- or 10-inch screens, weigh from 2 to 3 pounds, and sport keyboards sized from 80 percent to 95 percent of normal.
Primarily designed for web browsing and e-mailing, netbooks rely heavily on the Internet for remote access to web-based applicationsand are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who require a less powerful client computer.[3] Netbooks typically run either Windows XP or Linux operating systems rather than more resource-intensive operating systems like Windows Vista.The devices range in size from below 5 inches to over 13,typically weigh 2 to 3 pounds (~1 kg) and are often significantly cheaper than general purpose laptops at US$ 400, with some even in the US$ 50–100 range.
According to Deloitte, as of the start of 2009, the established definition of a netbook was a notebook computer with a low-powered x86-compatible processor (compatible with PC standard software), small screen (no larger than 10 inches), (usually) small keyboard, equipped with wireless connectivity, lightweight (under three pounds/1.3 kilograms) and no optical disk drive. Netbooks are typically low cost, relative to other notebooks.
Which one to buy-Notebook or Netbook
(Comparison)
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1. Smaller/lighter
Good: Most of these tiny books weigh between 2 and 3 pounds, lightening the load considerably, and also fitting easily in your backpack, briefcase or purse. Their 7-to-10-inch screens are fine for everyday tasks like e-mail and simple Web browsing.
Bad: If you have large hands, you might feel awfully cramped by the keyboards of these small machines, ranging from 80 to 95% of a full-size laptop keyboard. And while you can get away with small screens for simple tasks, if you every try to do real work, with multiple apps and windows open simultaneously, on a netbook, things will start to feel cramped pretty fast.
2. It's all you need
Good: Web browsing, e-mail checking, writing, talking on Skype: these are all ideal uses for netbooks, storing your data "in the cloud" and getting things done without breaking your back lugging around an anvil-like laptop. If you need more storage, you can usually plug in a thumb drive or flash memory. And what about CDs or DVDs? They are so last century.
Bad: Netbooks are underpowered. If you want to edit pictures using Photoshop, a netbook's Intel Atom processor is way too lame to get anything done quickly. The lack of optical storage, even if you can plug in an external unit, is also a dealbreaker for some users.
The Asus Eee PC ("Eee" is pronounced as in "see") is a subnotebook/netbook computer by Asus and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state driveand relatively low cost. Newer models have added the option of Windows XP operating system and traditional hard disk drives. Newer models have also increased in price, though they remain relatively inexpensive as laptops, and notably inexpensive for ultra-small laptops.
Asus shipped 700,000 Eee PCs in September 2008 and total shipments reached 1.7 million in the third quarter of 2008 (behind the 2.15 million shipment of Aspire One), making Asus the world's fifth largest portable computer manufacturer.
3. They're getting better at playing back video
Good: Proven by the first appearance of NVIDIA's Ion platform, video playback in small form factors will become more reliable, displaying 720p/1080i for sure, with even some talk of 1080p playback onthe HP Mini 110 Netbook, due to ship in a couple of weeks. If this works, you could use a netbook in your home theater to watch downloaded HD movies.
Bad: Even if these netbooks could play back 1080p, they probably can't handle Flash video from sites such as Hulu or YouTube, none of which are enhanced by video acceleration. You'll probably need a lot more horsepower than the paltry processors inside a netbook to play back streaming HD movies, complete with 5.1 sound.
4. Some can run Mac OS X
Good: The Dell Mini 9 has been successfully hacked to run Mac OS X with all its features intact. And, Windows 7 will be available on netbooks.
Bad: Hackintosh on a netbook? It might do in a pinch, but with those tiny, slow processors inside, they're not going to break any speed records. Also, you'll have to buy the software, raising the price so much that it might negate the advantage of a netbook.
5. The price is right
Good: Priced at $300 to around $500, you get a lot of bang for the buck with these cheap PCs. Opt for Linux, and they run even faster, plus you don't have to pay for Windows XP. We even saw a Dell netbook on sale for $200 a few weeks ago, and whoa, that 3K Razorbook 400 netbook you see pictured above is $148.
Bad: Those $300-$500 prices are just the beginning, rising quickly if you add more RAM or disk space, which is sorely needed. You can end up spending 700 or $800 if you get one of the larger netbooks crammed with options.
The term netbook was originally introduced by Psion in 1999 as a generic term for small form-factor portable computers with a laptop like clamshell design and sufficent processing power for office, internet and web work. The Psion Netbook was a small line of netbooks which ran a custom version of Psions Epoc Operating System and later WinCE. Psion Netbooks never gained significant market share and their production was discontinued.
The Psion NetBook is powered by an Intel SA-1100 StrongARM processor running at 190MHz and has 32MB of RAM fitted as standard. This is expandible to 64MB.
The touchscreen is 7.7" diagonal screen size with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.
It runs EPOC32 ER5 as an operating system.
The NetBook has a standard (16 bit) PCMCIA slot and a Compact Flash slot. It has a serial port capable of speeds of up to 115200 baud.
Requires backup battery CR2032
In October 2003 Psion Teklogix announced the NETBOOK PRO, replacing the original netBook. This was similar to the earlier model, but upgraded with a 16-bit colour SVGA (800 × 600 pixel) display, 128 MB of RAM, and a 400 MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor running Windows CE .NET 4.2 instead of EPOC.
The Psion NetBook pro is powered by an Intel XScale PXA255 processor running at 400MHz and has 32MB of Flash RAM with 128MB SDRAM fitted as standard.The touchscreen is 7.7" diagonal screen size with a resolution of 800 x 600. Being TFT it has better visibility in daylight than the original NetBook.It runs Microsoft Windows CE.NET 4.20 asan operating system.The NetBook Pro has a standard (16 bit) PCMCIA slot and a Compact Flash slot. It has a serial port capable of speeds of up to 115200 baud, a single mini USB 1.1 master and a 2.5mm stereo headphone/mic socket.The backup batteries are two standard AAA type.
The term netbook was re-introduced by Intel in February 2008 to describe a category of small-sized, low-cost, light weight, lean function subnotebooks optimized for Internet access and core computing functions (e.g., word processing) — either directly from applications installed on the netbook itself or indirectly, via cloud computing.
Rugged Laptop
In place of extreme temperatures, moisture,high vibration,shock and altitude-your expensive laptop will get damaged.But you can't left it,as you are integreted with your laptop for work.Thus to continue work in those environment, you need a rugged laptop that can sustain such harsh situation and at the same time can maintain computing.
If you want to buy a new laptop then ask yourself the question below-
Do you want to use your laptop where there is probability of-
- Drops and shocks
- Liquid spills
- Vibrations
- Dust
- Extreme temperatures
- Extreme freezing or cold temperature.
If the answer is yes then you should buy a rugged laptop.
If you have already decided to buy a rugged laptopthen,The key factors to keep in mind while buying a rugged laptop are:
Do you really need a rugged laptop? i.e. do you need to spend the extra money and live with potentially reduced performance and features. Perhaps a water resistant & drop protection laptop case will do?
What kind of hazards do you think your laptop will be subjected to?What is your usage environment for this laptop?
---As rugged laptop are directed to special features-Over heating protetion special,shock prove special.
As laptops become more and more integrated into people's personal and professional lives, importance of their reliability keeps getting more important. Most of us have to deal with consequences of a laptop falling out of its bag or spilled coffee on laptop keyboards etc. This results in lost productivity, or worse, loss of important data. A robust laptop is a vital tool in modern information age.
A rugged (or ruggedized, but also ruggedised) computer is a computer specifically designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions, such as strong vibrations, extreme temperatures and wet or dusty conditions. They are designed from inception for the type of rough use typified by these conditions; commercial units upgraded for this purpose make poor substitutes.
What makes a laptop rugged?
Various techniques are used to protect notebooks against specific issues:
Sealed port and connector covers
Removable shock-mounted hard drive (preferably SSD)
Vibration-resistant LCDs
Flexible internal connectors
Materials used and construction: A rugged notebook chassis is typically made of strong materials, such as Magnesium alloy which is significantly stronger than typically used ABS plastic. The screen hinges and latches for rugged notebooks are considerably strengthened as compared to mainstream laptops. Many rugged laptops (e.g. Panasonic Toughbook-74 and Itronix GoBook XR-1) also come within an integrated handle for outdoor uses.
Hard drives: A rugged laptop typically comes with a shock mounted hard drive. In some cases, these drives are single platter 1.8" units, mounted inside a regular 2.5" enclosure. The drive is constructed with special dampening materials inside the enclosure that can provide up to a 145 percent increase (per Dell) in shock protection.
Some laptops use a Solid State Disk (SSD) instead of the usual conventional disks (which have spinning platters). Since SSDs are based on non-volatile flash memory and don't have any mechanical moving parts they tend to be significantly more robust (and silent) than the conventional disks. Tests done by engineers at Dell show that the SSD has an operating shock tolerance of up to 1,300 Gs, which is twice the rating of mechanical drives. However, the price point of a similarly sized SSD is significantly higher than a conventional disk. Medical, automotive and military applications are beginning to use solid state drives. In March 2007, Fujitsu announced limited availability of its Lifebook laptop series with Flash SSD as an option. Around the same time, Dell announced availability of SSD drives with Latitude D420 and D620 ATG models - an upgrade to 32GB SSD from the default 60GB conventional disk will set you back $480 (June 2007 pricing). Although cost on SSDs is coming down fast. In January 2009, on a Latitude XFR D630 Dell laptop difference of cost between a conventional 80GB drive and a 128GB Mobility Solid State Drive became only $50!!
If you intend to use your laptop in harsh temperature conditions, the all-weather Fujitsu hard disk (Model MHW2040AC - Ultra ATA/4200RPM drive) is worth looking into. It provides stable operation in extreme temperature environment(-30 to +85 degrees Celcius).
One of the ways to protect a traditional hard drive from shock and vibration is to use a shock pad wrap. E.g. some authorized Toshiba service providers can add one such wrap around many Toshiba notebooks. This wrap consists of a thin, pliable, jell-like material, which can be applied in strips or a complete wrap as the hard drive cavity design permits. The wrap serves to isolate the drive from hard inner surfaces of the notebook case or drive mounting. Vibration and shock inputs are partially absorbed with less energy being transmitted to the drive itself. Installation consists of removing the drive from the notebook, applying the shock pad material to the drive housing or mounting caddy, and reinstalling the drive in the notebook computer. The amount or location of shock pad material may be limited by the notebook computer’s drive cavity design.
Car Mounting: Since many applications of rugged laptops involve them being mounted in a car, many rugged laptop manufacturers provide tools to make their laptops relatively easier to mount and unmount on a vehicle.
Security: Since many of the ruggedized laptops get used in military applications, some of them come with special security features. For example the GoBook VR-1 from Itronix comes with Removable hard drive, Fingerprint scanner and Smartcard reader.
Ready for outdoors: Ruggedized laptops often get used in outdoor applications, and hence need to account for both bright sunlight and dark conditions. So, some of the rugged notebooks have Sun-light Readable display and backlit keyboard. E.g. Panasonic Toughbook 30 sports a amazingly bright 1,000 Nit screen enabling easy outdoor readability. The Dell ATG D620 comes with a red (which is easy for human eyes in the dark) task light to illum
Some of the factors that are considered while classifying "ruggedness" of a laptop include:
Shock resistance: This is a measure of how much shock can the laptop handle. It is typically measured in the height of the fall that the laptop can take. E.g. "The Panasonic Toughbook 28 was sequentially dropped in non-operating mode, onto each face, edge and corner for a total of 26 drops from a height of 36 inches. The drop surface was defined as two-inch-thick plywood over a steel plate over concrete. The Toughbook 28s were visually inspected after each drop and a functional check (boot-up into Windows) was performed after each drop."
Water resistance: Water (and liquids in general) is hazardous to many electrical components in a laptop. This spec measures whether the laptop works after being subjected to rainfall etc.
Dust resistance: Air vent system for cooling tends to a collector of dust particles from ambiance. Toughbook CF-W5 and CF-T5 models do not employ an air vent system, thereby preventing dust and dirt particles from infiltrating the inside of the notebook - instead CPU heat is released through the casing.
Vibration resistance: How does the laptop standup to continuous vibration - e.g. when it is being used for in-vehicle computing. Vibration can cause keyboard damage and internal component damage to a laptop.
Extreme temperature exposure: How well does the computer perform while being exposed to very high or very low temperature? E.g. The Itronix GoBook III laptop can operate under following temperature range: -23° to 60° C (-10° to 140° F) - for cold temperatures they do require purchase of an optional hard drive heater. By contrast a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop can operate in the temperature range of -32° to 104° F. The ML910 Rugged Notebook from Motorola (introduced in March 2007) includes as a standard feature a hard drive heater for startup and operation in freezing temperatures and also has diagnostic software that monitors internal conditions and prevents outages due to extreme heat and cold.
Rugged laptop, the Sony VAIO Type G will offer protection against spills, scratching and being dropped. The VAIO Type G includes a drainage system under the palm rest with drainage holes on the bottom of the notebook. If something is spilled the notebook will automatically shut itself down and drain the liquid, it is also recommended to have the notebook professionally checked just to be sure no further damage was done.
Along with the drainage system Sony has added a special coating to the LCD that will help prevent scratching, the notebook can also withstand a fall from 35.5-inches when turned off or 28-inches when running.
Vehicle mounted environments (e.g. public safety vehicles or utility trucks) are well suited for rugged computers as the vibration and jolts inherent there would cause failures in typical portable computers. Ruggedized laptops, rugged notebooks, rugged tablets and rugged UMPCs (ultra-mobile personal computers) are made of magnesium alloy materials made to be 20 times stronger than standard plastic found on commercial laptops. Hard Disc Drives are shock mounted with foam or reinforcing material to withstand vibrations of daily use.
While most manufacturers (hopefully) try to make their laptops robust against saccidents, very few have this as their primary focus. Specialist manufacturers provide a spectrum of "semi-rugged" to "rugged" to "bullet-proof" laptops. In early 2007, Dell announced its first semi-rugged notebook computer - the Latitude ATG (All-Terrain Grade) D620. It followed it up in early 2008 with a fully ruggedized notebook, the Latitude XFR D630. So, what are the various factors to look at while considering to buy a ruggedized laptop?
- Drops and shocks
- Liquid spills
- Vibrations
- Dust
- Extreme temperatures
Standards
MIL-STD-810 (also known as Mil-Spec): a military standard, issued in 1962, which establishes a set of tests for determining equipment suitability to military operations. Often used as a reference in the commercial laptop industry.
MIL-STD-901: a military standard for shock which applies to equipment mounted on ships. Two levels apply. Grade A items are items which are essential to the safety and continued combat capability of the ship. Grade B items are items whose operation is not essential to the safety and combat capability of the ship but which could become a hazard to personnel, to Grade A items, or to the ship as a whole as a result of exposure to shock.[1]. Qualification testing is performed on a barge floating in a pond where TNT is detonated at various distances and depths in the pond to impart shock to the barges. See Barge Test .
IEEE 1613 Computers in electrical substations used to concentrate data or communicate with SCADA systems follow IEEE 1613 "Standard Environmental and Testing Requirements for Communications Networking Devices in Electric Power Substations."
IP (Ingress Protection): see IP Code
IS (Intrinsic Safety): see Intrinsic safety
ATEX (Potentially Explosive Atmospheres): see Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association): see National Electrical Manufacturers Association
IK Code (Also known as EN50102) see EN 50102
European railway standard EN50155, “Railway Applications—Electronic Equipment Used On Rolling Stock”, provides an example of a tough non-military specification. It extends operating temperature range (-25/+70 degrees C), resistance to humidity, shocks, vibrations, radiation - encountered in vehicle or airborne installations.
Noteworthy providers
Intel Classmate PC is also well-protected against accidental damage.
Intergraph
Intermec
Motorola ML and MW Series
One Laptop per Child Association
Panasonic Toughbook
Psion Teklogix
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories For Harsh Electrical and environmental applications
Symbol Technologies
Systemax SR Series
Toshiba Tecra Series
Systel Inc
Trimble Navigation Rugged mobile computers; Nomad, Ranger, Recon
Ampro by ADLINK
Advantech Corporation
Vision4ce GRIP series rugged PC IP65
NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association): see National Electrical Manufacturers Association
IK Code (Also known as EN50102) see EN 50102
European railway standard EN50155, “Railway Applications—Electronic Equipment Used On Rolling Stock”, provides an example of a tough non-military specification. It extends operating temperature range (-25/+70 degrees C), resistance to humidity, shocks, vibrations, radiation - encountered in vehicle or airborne installations.
Rugged laptops are commonly used by public safety services (police, fire and medical emergency), military, utilities, field service technicians, construction, mining and oil drilling personnel. Rugged laptops are usually sold to organizations, rather than individuals, and are rarely marketed via retail channels.
roll6101
Standard Laptop
Notebooks are more multiple-purpose computers in a form factor of about ten inches and up. Notebooks can create content and handle heavy multi-tasking loads with many applications running at once. They can view, create, and edit high-definition video content and run intensive programs like computer aided engineering and mathematical modeling.
Subnotebook
Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptop not designed for fast speeds but more for power efficiency,weighing 0.8 and 2 kg;battery more than10 hours.To achieve the size and weight reduction subnotebook use small screen (down to 6.4"),few ports, expensive components.Even Omit DVD or CD dirve.
If you are thinking about getting a subnotebook, be sure to ask yourself three questions:
Do I need only basic computing tasks such as web browsing, email, word processing, spreadsheets and basic photo editing?
Do I need high battery time,more than 10 hours?
Am I willing to sacrifice features for portability over a budget laptop?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then a subnotebook might be a computing item to consider.
A subnotebook, also called an ultraportable by some vendors, is a laptop designed and marketed with an emphasis on portability (small size, low weight and long battery life) that retains the performance of a standard notebook. Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptops, weighing between 0.8 and 2 kg (2 to 5 pounds); the battery life can exceed 10 hours when a large battery or an additional battery pack is installed.
This category of computers can range in price from high end high capability models at $2,000 to low end low capability models at $250.These computers are often confused with the "Ultra-Mobile PC" category, which is the name of a platform of small form-factor tablet PCs. Unlike UMPCs, they generally are found to run full desktop operating systems such as Windows or Linux, rather than specialized software such as Windows CE, Palm OSor Internet Tablet OS.
Subnotebook are as relatively new development in the personal computer market that is the result of industry development to bring computers to developing countries. Projects such as the XO and Intel's Classmate looked at producing extremely cost effective computers that could still handle basic computing tasks so they could be sold in large quantities to governments for use in schools. Both the companies developing such systems and the general public saw this systems and their potential as highly portable computers with network access.
The Acer netbook or subnotebook on the right sports an 8.9" screen compared to 15" on its big brother to the left. Subnotebooks sacrifice keyboard and screen size for portability.
In 1998, Sony popularized the subnotebook class with its VAIO (pronounced "vy-o") 505G at three pounds and less than an inch thick. To reduce traveling weight, floppy and CD-ROM drives were external, and a docking station was included. (Image courtesy of Sony Corporation.)
To achieve the size and weight reductions, ultraportables use high resolution 13" and smaller screens (down to 6.4"), have relatively few ports, employ expensive components designed for minimal size and best power efficiency, and utilize advanced materials and construction methods. Some subnotebooks achieve a further portability improvement by omitting an optical/removable media drive; in this case they may be paired with a docking station that contains the drive and optionally more ports or an additional battery.
The term "subnotebook" is usually reserved to laptops that run general-purpose desktop operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, rather than specialized software such as Windows CE, Palm OS or Internet Tablet OS.
Sizes (smallest to largest):Nintendo DS Lite (handheld), Asus Eee PC (netbook) and MacBook(laptop)
Most subnotebooks are not what you would consider fast when it comes to computers. They are not designed for fast speeds but more for power efficiency. They need enough processor performance to handle basic computing tasks such as web browsing, email, word processing, spreadsheets and basic photo editing. This is where they tend to get the nicknames as network devices or mobility platforms. Frankly, you don't need much computing power to do these tasks. As such, subnotebooks tend to use older mobile parts or newly designed low wattage parts such as Intel's Atom processor.
Where's The CD?
Since their computing tasks are limited and costs are a key factor, the number of features in a subnotebook is less than you would find in a traditional laptop or even an ultraportable. Items such as CD/DVD drives are not required and only add to the cost an bulk of the system. By removing features like this, they can reduce the weight, size and power consumption. As a result, most people will not be able to use a subnotebook as a complete PC replacement without adding additional peripherals such as a external drives.
Solid State or Hard Drive?
Speaking of drives, many of the early subnotebooks decided to use flash or solid state drives in lieu of a traditional hard drive. This one again reduces the overall size of the system and reduces power consumption. The problem is that the memory chips used for solid state drives are extremely expensive. This results in limited storage space (sometimes not even enough to hold Windows XP) or rapid increases in the cost of the system compared to a standard notebook. Because of this, most of the recently announced subnotebooks have opted to use traditional notebook drives instead of flash memory.
Software
Software is another big item when talking about subnotebooks. Windows Vista is generally too resource intensive to support the hardware. Microsoft had planned to phase out support and sales of Windows XP that could run on the systems. This along with the base costs of the Microsoft software led many of the manufacturers to turn to open source software such as Linux and OpenOffice as a means of running the systems. This helped reduce costs but has some compatibility issues for consumers and governments.
Microsoft made some recent announcements that are set to change the subnotebook market. They have pledged to continue selling Windows XP for subnotebook uses only and at discounted prices. This means manufacturers of subnotebooks can bundle Windows XP for those that require it past Microsoft's original end of life date. In order for XP to be allowed for sale though, there are hardware restrictions on the subnotebooks such as the processor speed or the amount of RAM.
Display and Size
LCD displays are probably the biggest overall cost to manufacturers of laptop PCs. In order to reduce the overall costs of these systems, the manufacturers developed systems using smaller screens. Ultraportable systems tend to use 11 to 13-inch displays while subnotebooks use screens anywhere from 7 to 10-inches in size. This reduces the cost of the display and has the benefit or producing a smaller overall system. The downside is that the smaller screens have much more limited resolution making them more difficult to use for some tasks.
With subnotebooks being smaller than ultraportables, they also tend to be much lighter. This makes them great for those that need to have network connectivity while they are traveling or basic productivity computing. The small size does have its drawbacks though. Subnotebooks tend to be very narrow forcing the keyboard to also be smaller than a traditional notebook design. These small keys can be very problematic for use over extended periods of time or for those with larger hands.
Costs
The goal of these subnotebooks was to be less expensive than a traditional notebook PC. This is true for some of these models, but many subnotebooks have expanded features or items that have driven their costs up. What were announced as systems ranging in price from $100 to $400 have quickly escalated to be between $300 and $800 depending upon configurations. This puts many of these subnotebooks directly in competition price wise with full features budget notebooks. Of course, a budget notebook is larger so it really comes down to a question of size versus features.
Conclusions
Subnotebooks offer up some great values in the computing world as well as extremely mobile computing platforms. The problem is that they fail in most aspects of having all the standard features of a traditional laptop computer. This makes them a good choice for supplementing a desktop PC for those that don't want to buy a full notebook for traveling away from the office or home. They are very good as network appliances for web browsing or accessing email.
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