The portable computer has come a long way from it’s early days as
a monitor sized computer, which you could take to your hotel room,
plug in, and use like a normal computer of the day. Now, we have
computers the size of notebooks and sketch pads. It’s all
because of advances in technology that we have the CPU power in laptops that we have today. Now we
have low power CPUs, Hard Drives, etc, etc. It’s all thanks to
the smaller space between the transistors in today’s integrated circuits.
The smaller the space, the less power the CPU will take, and the less
heat it gives off. Of course, the laptop CPU’s transistors have
to take less power than a regular desktop CPU, because most laptops
only run off of a battery that doesn’t hold much charge compared to
the almost inexhaustible power coming from the wall. Laptop CPUs
are usually one step ahead in technology, and one step behind in
MHz. This makes for a very power efficient processor. For
instance, take the latest Pentium III laptop CPUs. They were the
first CPUs using the .18micron manufacturing process. But,
unlike the desktop CPUs at the time, running at 600MHz tops, it ran at
around 400MHz. 400Mhz is just fine for a laptop CPU, but take
into account that the .25micron Celeron Processors for laptops were
running at 466MHz. Obviously, because 400Mhz is plenty speed for
a laptop, 466MHz is even better. And to top it off, both laptops
cost about the same, which is even better.
Now, we have a 700MHz processor from Transmeta,
called the Crusoe.
You can read more about it by clicking on the name. Will it
change the laptop world? The world can only guess…
X-Box
Recently, good ole Bill was all studded out in a leather jacket to
introduce the Microsoft X-Box, which is to compete with the PSX2 and
Sony Dreamcast in the Game Console Market. Why would I be
mentioning this on a computer site you might ask. Well, lemme
fill you in. Our two favorite titans of the industry, Intel and
Microsoft decided to get together and have a little “fun” on
a Saturday night, if you catch my drift. Intel, gave Microsoft
free processors to power the x-box, just so that AMD wouldn’t get the
contract. Talk about a monopoly…hell, these people have
Boardwalk, Park Place, and the rest of the board, except for Med. and
Baltic Aves, and are hanging on tight for their lives. If Intel
was an animal on a farm, the farmer would have already “put it
down.”
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If we didn’t have so much war and could work together in peace we would be in an “airtop revolution.” Not only the monitor but the input point would replace the keyboard. We could then input info via _____ ______? Well you get it. We will get there someday.