Laptop Technology & You!

Technology is quick. New innovations are taking place even as you read this article. Laptop technology changes ever two years or less, but that’s okay. This is what upgrades are for!

All of the new laptop technology terms are hard to keep up with, especially for the laptop newbie. Graphics chipset, CPU, 64-bit … what does this all mean? Well, it is important to be up to date and understand all of these laptops terms in order to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to modern laptops. After all, small laptops are now outselling their desktop predecessors, and for good reason: Laptops out-performing desktops entirely!

So, below is a cheat sheet that will help you better understand the new laptop technologies as of 2007.

Sonoma Chipset
This is Intel’s new, next-generation chipset, and already it has club members—sonny, BenQ, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, and more! The Sonoma Chipset will, no doubt, become the standard for many of the high-end laptops coming out soon, as this chipset is faster and has a much better battery life than it forerunners. Mobile professionals, especially, will be wowed by Sonoma Chipset because wireless connections will be easier with the integrated tri-mode 802.11a/b/g. This makes it easier to stay connected no matter where you are online. Hi-Def Audio, PCI Express, and integrated graphics also make this stellar chipset stand out.

PCI Express
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express is a new standard for expansion cards. This is a great improvement that will make your laptop run faster.

Graphics Card
Constantly improving graphic cards handle the graphic or visuals on your laptop. If you are a gamer, you will want to purchase the highest-quality system available. Check out premium products, like FireGL V200, ATi Mobility Radeon 9800, or Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator 900.

64-Bit Laptops
The difference between a 32-bit and a 64-bit system is the amount of memory they support. Most modern systems run on the 32-Bit System. However, Intel, Apple, and AMD offer 64-bit technology. Do you need a memory of 64-bits? For the average laptop, perhaps not. However, if you are interested in desktop publishing or graphics arts, 64-bit technology definitely couldn’t hurt!

Built-in Cellular Modem
Most of the higher-end laptops include an integrated tri-mode 802.11a/b/g for wireless WI-FI connections. However, the Sony’s New Ultra-Portable VAIO VGN-T350P, has the world’s first “Built-in Cellular Modem!” This means you can use your cell phone to connect to the Internet! How cool is that?!

Laptop innovations are always in the works. Changes are constantly occurring. Be sure you are on the cutting edge of laptop technology in order to benefit from all the cool happening in the world of laptop innovations!