Portable computer
A
Portable computer is a computer that is designed to be moved from one place to another (in other words, it is a
computer that is
portable). Portable computers, by their nature, are
microcomputers. Early portables were unkindly referred to as "luggables," referring to their great size and weight (owing partly to the need to include a full-blown
CRT monitor, as
LCD technology was not yet mature). The term "luggable" is today used mainly when speaking of 17" and larger widescreen laptops.
The term
portable computer is now almost exclusively used to refer to portable computers that are larger than a
laptop, often use conventional parts and usually do not run on
batteries. Smaller portable computers are referred to by their more specific terms:
* The
laptop (or notebook) with a
flat panel display and
keyboard, requiring a seated position and both hands. A relatively recently introduced modification has been the
Tablet PC, which essentially is a laptop operated with a stylus on a touch-sensitive screen. See also
desktop replacement computer, a large laptop designed to perform all of the functions of a
desktop computer.
* The
palmtop which is something between a laptop and a PDA (q.v.).
* The
pocket computer, which was mostly a phenomenon of the 1980s, and combined the features of an
alphanumeric calculator, a small
home computer (usually programmable in
BASIC), and a PDA (q.v.). Manufacturers of these included
Tandy/Radio Shack,
Hewlett-Packard,
Casio, and
Sharp Corporation.
* The
personal digital assistant (PDA), usually held in one hand and operated with the other.
* The
wearable computer with
handsfree interface, and usually some voice capability (
speech recognition and
speech synthesis).
Portable computers have been increasing in popularity over the past decade, as they do not restrict the user in terms of mobility as a
desktop computer would. Wireless
Internet, extended
battery life and more comfortable
ergonomics have been factors driving this increase in popularity.
The first portable computer was the
Osborne 1, developed by
Adam Osborne. The first
IBM PC compatible portable computer (and indeed the first IBM PC compatible, or "clone," of any kind) was the
Compaq Portable. The first full-color portable computer was the
Commodore SX-64.
*
Laptops*
Palmtops*
Personal digital assistant (PDA)
