When they first made their appearance decades ago, they weighed over a kilo, featured a wide screen and had a tedious appearance. As time passed, the forefathers went through a weight loss regime all together and a new breed of devices known as the notebooks emerged in the market. Downright anorexic but they definitely look way better than the ladies with the same condition.

Fats trimmed down, weighing just over a kilo with a screen measuring around 13-inches, they’re the coolest play thing for the digital dolly’s and dot com dandy’s out there.  Small form is the current marketing mantra for notebook manufacturers these days.

We bet you’re wondering how a notebook and laptop computer differs from one another. According to the manufacturers, some just generally call them “laptops” while some call them “notebooks”. The terms are often used interchangeably.

On a general note, laptops are somewhat larger compared to a notebook computer with a display unit that is at least 15-inches wide, when measured diagonally. Some manufacturers also tend to use the term notebook because their laptop computers generate too much heat, making it unsuitable to place it on your lap.

As for the next-gen notebooks, they respond faster, work longer and smarter, and focus strongly on design and security aspects. An average notebook generally weighs 2.75 kg to 2.25 kg, while the ultra-sleek ones drop to as low as 1.1 kg. In trying to compromise on the weight, which is undoubtedly a critical factor, these notebooks do not have any reduced features. Newer models even have outstanding features such as wireless charging. But however, the notebook has a lower processing power, though what it has is sufficient for most of the ‘on-the-go’ work.

Much advancement in the hardware and software industry has made it possible for the production of smaller, lighter and more advanced notebooks. They achieve lightness by having external drives that can be connected via USB. The thin and light portables weigh less than 2 kg and have an extended battery life of up to eight hours. Notebooks that were till recently considered a “must-have” for the frequent flyer alone, have now become a strong force in the personal computing segment due to these reasons:-

Power management
Battery life is one important requirement. Batteries in notebooks usually last for an average of four to five hours. Manufacturers work closely with the processor manufacturers to create their own power-saving technologies that help conserve power and extend battery life. Components that draw a lot of power are replaced with more energy efficient ones. For example, LEDs are replacing CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) for display backlighting. Some manufacturers have their own technologies to manage the battery life, for instance:-

• The Acer ePower Management tool adjusts current power usage settings, shows remaining battery power and also allows for customized profiles for optimized battery life.
• Lenovo offers the ThinkVantage Power Manager and BatteryStretch feature that enable lower power consumption and improved battery life – close to 10 hours of non-stop computing powered by batteries.
• Both Intel and AMD have incorporated power-saving techniques in their processors that shut down unused cores and segments in the processor.

Security
Another top priority is user and system security because many of these notebook users access networks from remote locations and public wireless networks. Besides, due to an increasingly mobile workforce, more employees carry confidential company information on laptops. This puts the organization at a greater risk because laptops can be stolen or left behind in public transport.

With that in mind, notebook manufacturers have security features such as fingerprint readers and hard disk encryption through TPM (Trusted Platform Module). With newer technological advancements, manufacturers are tightening up security by introducing multiple security features and multi-factor authentication. Enhanced security features such as HID-compliant contactless smart card reader, physical smart card reader, token authentication, poison pill technology, facial recognition and standards such as Opel and FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standardization) is becoming common in notebooks.

Dell, HP and other notebook manufacturers are using Intel Antitheft (AT) technology for notebooks. Intel AT is a hardware based technology that can intelligently detect suspicious behavior or receive a remote theft alert. This system then counteracts to the problem in three ways:

• When a user reports a lost or stolen laptop incident to a service provider, it can help by sending a ‘poison pill’ to disable the laptop.
• In the event of suspicious activity such as excessive login attempts, the laptop disables itself.
• If the laptop does not log into the network within a set period of time, it disables itself.

Instant Access
One feature that is fast catching on is instant access to e-mail, contacts, calendaring and scheduling tools – even applications. This feature spares you the often frustrating 3 - 5 minute Windows boot-up routine, just to check the latest e-mail. HP, for instance, calls this feature QuickLook 2. Asus calls it Express Gate and Dell has Latitude ON, though these terms generally refer to the Linux-based operating systems (OS) embedded in secondary systems that offer instant-on functionality.

*Apple MacBooks are definitely one of the next generation machines that are fast catching the fancy of Malaysian customers. Other brand leaders would be Dell, Lenovo, Sony and HP, all of which with notebook models that feature increased performance, additional hard drive capacity and speed, outstanding processors and graphic capabilities. If you’re planning for a purchase soon, we suggest that you pay attention to the hard drive, processor, RAM, connections, battery life and do compare the prices.

Given current trends, the Malaysian notebook market is poised to grow robustly due to increasing demand for mobile computing and the growing use of wireless telephony in the country. Furthermore, with the rising fame of the mobility concept, wireless hot spots are cropping up like wild mushrooms in coffee shops and malls, allowing users to plug into the Internet for free. Just like a mobile phone, notebooks have become an essential for the corporate whiz kids.

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