Laptops For Dummies
Chapter One
Sometimes You Can
Take It with You
In This Chapter
* Searching for a portable computer
* Looking back at the history of the laptop computer
* Deciding if you need a laptop
From the time when the first computer was powered on in the early 1940s,
users have craved mobility. I'm certain of it. Sitting in the lunch room,
some guy with a crew cut, thick glasses, and a white lab coat popped up and
said, "How 'bout we put wheels on the ENIAC? Then we could roll it out into
the quad and work outside on a sunny day? Hey?" And so the dream was
born.
This chapter provides an overview of the laptop computer concept. If you're
uncertain as to what a laptop is, or how it can help you, then this is where
you start reading.
The Power Cord Can Stretch Only So Far
Any computer can be mobile. The solution is simple: Just add a handle. I
remember my first portable TV. It may have weighed over 40 pounds, but
dangit, the thing had a handle, and therefore it was portable. Seeing that
portability is often desired in a product, manufacturers were quick to add
handles to everything, blessing products such as blen ... read full excerpt from Laptops For Dummies ebook
