Is "Laptop" Being Phased Out?
Is there really a difference between a laptop and notebook computer? For most people shopping for a mobile (or portable) computer today, the short answer is “no”. In fact, the difference between a laptop and notebook today is mainly what the manufacturer chooses to call its product. Technically and traditionally, the difference between the two is a matter of size.
Notebook computers typically weigh less than six pounds and are small enough to fit easily in a briefcase. Laptop computers are small enough too that they can sit on your lap. Nowadays, laptop computers are more often called notebook computers, though technically laptops are somewhat larger in size than notebooks.
The laptop was originally designed to be similar to a desktop, but be small and light enough. For this reason, years ago, a laptop had more features than notebooks did, but the tradeoff was it was also a larger and heavier than a notebook. This is because the notebook style of portable computers was for mobility, not just portability. To be a more mobile device, the notebook was a thinner design and it weighed less than the laptop, simply because it didn't come packed with features and multiple devices and drives.
Today technology allows devices to be smaller and better for mobile computing by design, so the size of portable computers is decreasing.
Another reason the term “laptop” is becoming used not often is because a portable "comparable to desktop" system today could easily lead to heat discomfort if left on your lap for long periods of time. By calling a laptop a notebook, it also removes the association that the portable device is well-suited to being used only on your lap.
People often call their notebook a laptop and use the two words interchangeably. However, most mobile computer manufacturers stopped using the term “laptop” completely; they use the term “notebook.”
At present netbooks are a new category of laptops. It's an inexpensive, lightweight machine which is powerful enough for the basic, day-to-day, Internet-based tasks that people use a regular laptop for.
At the same time, today's netbooks aren't perfect. Since they are such small, inexpensive devices, they include processors, memory, and hard disks several generations behind the ones found in regular notebooks. Even so, the potential is there for netbooks to become mainstream devices.
(http://www.webopedia.com)
1.16. Listen to four people talking about computers and note what each of them uses computers for.
Can you guess what their occupations are?
Listen again and fill the gaps.
1. I work on ______ connected to а computer.
2. The computer _____ the sounds.
3. The thing which I find really _____ is electronic mail.
4. With e-mail I can _____ with the offices around the world.
5. I also use the computer ____ drawings and _____ records.
6. We have to test our installations ____.
7. I use either our ____ or _____ that we're connected to.
8. And we use computers _____ the books in the library.
Unit 2
Computer Hardware
Vocabulary
physical ['fɪzɪkl] физический, материальный,
телесный
store [stɔ:] (v) запасать, откладывать
(n) запас, резерв
storage device ['stɔ:rɪdž] устройство хранения
данных/информации
internal [ɪn'tɜ:nl] внутренний
external [ɪk'stɜ:nl] наружный, внешний
refer [rɪ'fɜ:] иметь отношение, относиться
peripheral [pə'rɪfrǝl] внешнее оборудование; внешние устройства;
периферийное оборудование
run on работать на
application [̗æplɪ'keɪʃn] прикладная программа
requirement [rɪ'kwaɪ əmənt] требование; необходимое
условие
equipment [ɪ'kwɪpmənt] оборудование
brain [breɪn] мозг
capacity [kə'pæsətɪ] вместимость, ёмкость; объём;
мощность
permanent ['pɜ:mǝnənt] постоянный, неизменный;
долговременный
temporary ['temprǝrɪ] временный
random ['rændəm] выбранный наугад, случайный; беспорядочный
access ['ækses] (информ). выборка (из памяти);
доступ (к базе данных)
preceding [prɪ'si:dɪŋ] предшествующий
common ['kɒmən] общий;простой, обыкновенный
общепринятый, распространённый
substance ['sʌbstǝns] вещество
overall [̗əυvər'ɔ:l] полный, общий, предельный
feed (fed) давать; дать
2.1. How would you describe what computer hardware is to someone who knows a little about computers? Work in pairs or small groups.
2.2. Now read the text and try to describe computer hardware again using the key vocabulary in bold type.
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal hardware devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.
The internal hardware parts of a computer are often referred to as components, while external hardware devices are usually called peripherals. Together, they all fall under the category of computer hardware. Software, on the other hand, consists of the programs and applications that run on computers. Because software runs on computer hardware, software programs often have system requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the software to run.
(http://www.sharpened.net)
2.3. Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). Read Text A to check your answers.
1. Hardware is known as something you can actually touch.
2. The pages and the ink of a book are the hardware analogy.
3. The main memory refers to physical memory that is internal to the computer.
4. There are two different types of memory: the main memory and the random access memory.
5. Devices which can be connected to the CPU are known as
peripherals.
6. A keyboard is the most commonly used output device.
7. To display the processed data an input device is used.
8. Mass storage devices retain data even when the computer is turned off.
TEXT A