While technological advances have produced powerful and highly useful laptop computers, this technology isn't appropriate for everyone. Notebooks with 12-inch screens are lightweight and great for travel, but they are harder on the eyes and function more slowly than bigger computers - and the keyboards can be difficult to use for long periods of time. Yes, you can plug larger monitors and standard keyboards into them, but these accessories, even with docking stations, are cumbersome.
The only mid-range option has been the 14-inch notebook. This weighs about one kilogram more than a 12-inch laptop but usually operates somewhat faster and is marginally easier to read due to the larger screen.
Now, a new addition to the laptop market, dubbed the "luggable PC", truly fills the middle ground. Also called replacement desktops, these computers deliver much improved power, expandability and speed. At up to nine kilograms, luggables are easily twice the size and weight of compact laptops. They have 15- to 20-inch screens, which may be larger than many people have on their desktops, but still fold up into a briefcase-sized pack.
Luggables have large disk drives and built-in peripherals (such as DVD drives) are installed instead of being external as they are on many smaller computers. Battery life is usually much shorter in these computers, but they can be plugged into power sources. These devices are often the choice of gamers, those who like high quality videos on their PC and who like or need ample PC power, but they also have a niche as an "in-between" PC that can easily be moved from room to room, but not so easily moved from city to city.
To make it easier to extract information from office documents, software developers have created new "open standard" document formats for word processing files, spreadsheets and presentations. The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) has developed OpenDocument, which is included in office suites offered by IBM and Sun Microsystems. Microsoft's Office Open XML format will be included in the next version of Microsoft Office, expected in the second half of 2006.
The OpenDocument formats were developed collaboratively by an international alliance and are maintained by OASIS, a neutral consortium, rather than being controlled by any one party. While OpenDocument supports the Office Open XML format, Microsoft does yet not plan to support OpenDocument.
Another useful development is Portable OpenOffice.org, a full-featured office suite that's compatible with Microsoft Office, Word Perfect, Lotus and other office applications. It performs nearly all of the functions you'd expect in an office suite, but at no cost. This new version does not need to be installed on a PC - it can run from a USB memory stick. A more complete version of the software is also available for installation on a PC, also free of charge.
Detailed discussion on OpenDocument
Portable Open Office
OpenOffice for Installation: http://www.openoffice.org/
Another new technology to watch is the dual-core CPU (central processing unit - the brains of your computer). Future PCs will have dual cores, which will make them much faster at performing background tasks while users carry on working. This will allow users to reliably run full virus/spyware scans or burn CDs or DVDs while continuing to use the computer for other work. This is a huge step forward, because many of these CPU-intensive tasks can slow the traditional PC down to a snail's pace or, worse, result in data errors.
If you travel or work at more than one location, you may have discovered the convenience of a memory stick - a device small enough to attach to your keychain that stores data that can be retrieved by plugging the stick into the USB port of a computer. A notable development in memory sticks is the U3 smart drive, a small device that carries software applications and personal settings. This allows you to bring your programs with you without running into copyright difficulties or IT departments that don't want programs loaded onto corporate PCs. You can access your personal workspace wherever you go, and when you unplug the U3 USB stick, you take your personal information with you and the computer remains unaltered.
U3 is available from several memory stick manufacturers at prices as low as $US30. As long as you know there's a PC where you're going, either a memory stick that just stores data or a U3 smart drive stick may be a simple and cheap solution. And keep in mind that many smaller programs can run on standard memory sticks, so it may not be necessary to change from the one you might be carrying right now.
http://www.u3.com/