Computer Harness

admin Posted on January 1, 2012

computer harness

New Display and Input Developments Destined for Laptop Computing by Ritchie Smythe

Netbooks may be the rage these days but for tech savvy and power hungry mobile users, the laptop remains the choice. Even desktop users have switched to laptops with models that have become just as powerful as many desktops computers. In addition, these desktop users have the option of just unplugging the computers for sudden errands that require them to be out of the office or home for extended periods and still remain in touch with their computer files.

It’s interesting to note that many laptops are getting smaller and approaching netbook size. There was a time when laptops had sported 14″ widescreen displays and have become quite heavy as a portable mobile device. But heeding customer complaints and the rise of the more portable netbooks, we now see a trend where laptops commonly have 10-12 inch displays and getting lighter, just a wee bit heavier than the heaviest netbooks.

It can be said that for many models, the distinction between laptops and netbooks are getting fuzzier everyday. The hardware features are getting even. About the only difference is the absence of optical drives in netbooks and the use of less powerful operating systems like Android.

New Input Technologies

It’s not uncommon to see laptop users attach mini optical mouse to their laptop’s USB port as they have grown more accustomed to it than the unwieldy trackballs and trackpads commonly found in laptops. New developments in laptop hardware point to better and more responsive multitouch touch pads in upcoming models. Within the short term, Microsoft’s multitouch enabled Windows 7.0 operating system is expected to open up introducing touchscreens in laptops. Nokia, which has entered the netbook market with its Nokia Booklet 3G, is best poised to include touchscreen when it introduced its laptop computer running a more powerful Android OS from Google.

Another is the use of hand gestures to navigate and control the laptop. Using a webcam to detect hand gestures would be no different in using a mouse but it does offer something novel for computer users. If proven to be effective, the days of the mouse as an input device are numbered as this technology can be ported to desktop PCs as well. Toshiba’s Qosmio G50, for instance, is one of its latest laptop offering using webcam-detectable hand gestures.

Better Screens

Touchscreen technology aside, laptop displays using the standard LCD TFT technology is expected to get some updates. Currently harnessing fluorescent backlighting method to light up the screen, the new displays are expected to take in LED as a more power efficient backlighting method that also increases brightness by 30%.

Another exciting development is the potential of OLED and AMOLED technologies in laptops. Having shown how brilliant they can be in smartphones, they can now be made into larger screens suitable for laptops with their better economies in energy consumption. Sony was able to build an 11-inch OLED display and exhibited in the last CES event.

It has a stunning color display contrast on a razor-thin body. With a $2,500 price tag, this will surely put a laptop into upscale status and priced beyond most people’s reach. But the fact that it can be made large enough shows its promise. GP

About the Author

ITC Sales are a leading supplier of Dell and HP Laptops such as the Dell Precision and Vostro. ITC also supply servers such as the Dell PowerEdge
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