A mobile computer is a personal computer that you can carry from place to place. Similarly, a mobile device is a computing device small enough to hold in your hand.
The most popular type of mobile computer is the notebook computer. The following sections discuss the notebook computer and widely used mobile devices.
Notebook Computers
A notebook computer, also called a laptop computer, is a portable, personal computer often designed to fit on your lap. Notebook computers are thin and lightweight, yet they can be as powerful as the average desktop computer. A netbook, which is a type of notebook computer, is smaller, lighter, and often not as powerful as a traditional notebook computer. Most netbooks cost less than traditional notebook computers, usually only a few hundred dollars. An ultra-thin is another type of notebook computers have touch screens, allowing you to interact with the device by touching the screen, usually with the tip of a finger.
On a typical notebook computer, the keyboard is on top of the system unit, and the monitor attaches to the system unit with hinges. These computers weigh on average from 2.5 to more than10 pounds (depending on configuration), which allows users to transport the computers from place to place. Most notebook computer can operate on batteries or a power supply or both.
Tablet PCs Resembling a letter-sized slate, the Tablet PC is a special type of notebook computer that allows you to write or draw on the screen using digital pen.
With a digital pen, users write or draw by pressing the pen on the screen, and issue instructions to the Tablet PC by tapping on the screen. For users who prefer typing instead of handwriting, some Tablet PC designs have an attached keyboard; others allow you yo connect a separate keyboard to the device. Most Tablet PCs have touch screens. Tablet PCs are useful especially for taking notes in lectures, at meetings, conferences, and other forums where the standard notebook computer is not practical.
Mobile Devices
Mobile devices, which are small enough to carry in a pocket, usually do not have disk drives. Instead, these devices store programs and data permanently on special memory inside the system unit or on small storage media such as memory cards. You often can connect a mobile device to a personal computer to exchange information between the computer and the mobile device.
Some mobile devices are Internet-enabled, meaning they can connect to the Internet wirelessly. With an Internet-enabled device, users can chat, send e-mail and instant messages, and access the Web. Because of their reduced size, the screens on mobile devices are small, but usually are in color.
Five popular types of mobile devices are smart phones, PDAs, handheld computers, portable media players, and digital cameras.
Smart Phones Offering the convenience of one-handed operation, a smart phone is an Internet-enabled phone that usually also provides personal information management functions such as a calendar, an appointment book, an address book, a calculator, and a notepad. In addition to basic phone capabilities, a smart phone allows you to send and receive e-mail messages and access the Web – usually for an additional fee. Some smart phones communicate wirelessly with other devices or computers. Many also function as a portable media player and include built-in digital cameras so that you can share photos or videos with others as soon as you capture the image.
Many smart phones also offer a variety of application software such as word processing, spreadsheet, and games, and the capability of conducting live video conferences.
Many smart phones have keypads that contain both numbers and letters so that you can use the same keypad to dial phone numbers and enter messages. Others have a built-in mini keyboard on the front of the phone or a keyboard that slides in and out from behind the phone.
Some have touch screens, where you press objects on the screen to make selections and enter text through an on-screen keyboard.
Instead of calling someone's smart phone or cell phone, users often send messages to others by pressing buttons on their phone's keypad, keys on the mini keyboard, or images on an on-screen keyboard. Types of messages users send with smart phones include text messages, instant messages, picture messages, and video messages.
- A text message is a short note, typically fewer than 300 characters, sent to or from a smart phone or other mobile device.
- An instant message is a real-time Internet communication, where you exchange messages with other connected users.
- A picture message is a photo or other image, sometimes along with sound and text, sent to or from a smart phone or other mobile device. A phone that can send picture messages often is called a camera phone.
- A video message is a short video clip, usually about 30 seconds, sent to or from a smart phone or other mobile device. A phone that can send video messages often is called a video phone.
PDAs A PDA (personal digital assistant) provides personal information management functions such as a calendar, an appointment book, an address book, a calculator, and a notepad. Most PDAs also offer a variety of other application software such as word processing, spreadsheet, personal finance, and games.
A common input device for a PDA is a stylus. Some PDAs have a built-in miniature keyboard or an on-screen keyboard. Some PDAs also support voice input, have built-in cameras, and can function as a portable media player.
Many PDAs are Internet-enabled so that users can check e-mail and access the Web.
Some also provide phone capabilities. As smart phones and PDAs continue a trend of convergence, it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between the two devices. This has led some manufacturers to refer to PDAs and smart phones simply as handhelds.
Handheld Computers A handheld computer, sometimes referred to as an Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), is a computer small enough to fit in one hand. Many handheld computers communicate wirelessly with other devices or computers and also include a digital pen or stylus for input.
Some handheld computers have miniature or specialized keyboards. Many handheld computers are industry-specific and serve the needs of mobile employees, such as meter readers and parcel delivery people, whose jobs require them to move from place to place.
Portable Media Players A portable media player is a mobile device on which you can store, organize, and play digital media. For example, you can listen to music; watch videos, movies, and television shows; and view photos on the device's screen. With most, you download the digital media from a computer to the portable media player or to media that you insert in the device.
Some portable media players are Internet-enabled so that you can access Web sites and send e-mail messages directly from the device. Many offer personal information management functions such as a calendar and address book, and include a variety of games and other application software.
Portable media players usually include a set of earbuds, which are small speakers that rest inside each ear canal. Some portable media players have a touch screen, while others have a touch-sensitive pad that you operate with a thumb or finger, to navigate through digital media, adjust volume, and customize settings.
Digital Cameras A digital camera is a device that allows users to take pictures and store the photographed images digitally, instead of on traditional film. While many digital cameras look like a traditional camera, some are built into smart phones and other mobile devices.
Although digital cameras usually have some amount of internal storage media such as memory cards. Digital cameras typically allow users to review, and sometimes modify, images while they are in the camera. Some digital cameras connect to or communicate wirelessly with a computer or printer, allowing users to print or view images directly from the printer. Some memory cards can connect to a network wirelessly, so that you can transfer photos directly from the memory card in the card in the camera to the Internet without requiring a computer.
Often users prefer to download images from the digital camera to the computer. Or, you can remove the storage media such as a memory card from the digital camera and insert it in a card reader in or attached to the computer
