The term portable refers to the devices that can easily be carried from one place to other. Portable computers contain integral keyboards, monitors, and pointing devices. Notebook and laptop computers are the most common types of portable computers.

Types Of Portable Computers

Portable PCs

Portable computers are divided into two types based on operating systems. One is the portable computers that run Microsoft Windows® operating system. These are known as portable PCs or portable personal computers.

Macintosh Portable Computers

Other type of portable computers is Macintosh® portable computers. Such portable computers run all the versions of MacOS®. Both MacOS and Macintosh are the registered trademarks of apple computers.

UNIX and LINUX Portable Computers

Moreover some portable computers support same operating systems. For example some notebook and laptop computers run both the UNIX and LINUX operating systems. UNIX is the multi-user operating system whereas LINUX is an open source implementation of UNIX. UNIX is the registered trademark of The Open Group whereas LINUX is the registered trademark of Linux Torvlads.

Portable Computer Specifications

Important specifications related to portable computers include storage, displays, resolution, user interfaces, expansion slots, and input / output ports. RAM is the essential part for processing. Storage choices include FLASH memory, CompactFlash, and IDE hard disks. In other options there are floppy drives, tape rives, and removable magneto-optic (MO) storage technology.

Compact disk storage in Portable Computers

The most removable storage devices available in almost all portable computers are CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory) drives. CD-ROM choices include CD-R and CD-RW. CD-R drives can read the compact disks many times but write once. CD-RW drives can read, write, erase, and rewrite the compact disks. Moreover these devices are less expensive than other removable storage. The choices for DVD (digital versatile disk) drives are also available.

Portable Computer Displays

Display choices for Portable Computer CRT (cathode ray tube) displays and FPDs (flat panel displays). CRT displays are suitable in rugged environments. Flat panel displays are quite thin. Such FPDs use plasma gas and liquid crystal technologies.

Portable Computer Resolutions

Cathode ray tube (CRT) displays offer more resolution as compared to FPDs with liquid crystal and plasma technologies. Various video standards are available for portable computers. These include VGA (video graphic array) SVGA (super video graphics array), XGA (extended graphics array), and SXGA (super extended graphic array).

Portable Computer Interfaces

Interface options for portable computers include serial, parallel, and wireless. Also provide interfaces for Ethernet networks. In serial interfaces USB (universal serial bus) is common. Wireless options include Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is the registered trademark of SIG (special interest group). In expansion card standards portable computers mostly use AGP (advanced graphic port) cards, PC cards, and PCI (peripheral component interconnect) standards. Portable computers also allow connecting speakers, voice recorders, MP3 players, and headset jacks.