DRAM

DRAM (dynamic random access memory) distinguished itself from earlier SRAM (static RAM) in that it used a transistor and capacitor to store its data, and it is the basis for most modern types of RAM.

SDRAM

SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) was one of the earliest types of RAM to come in separate sticks that could be replaced, as earlier memory types were part of the motherboard. The modules operated at 3.3 volts and used 168 pins to transfer data.

Rambus (RDRAM)

Rambus was a technology used by Intel from 1999 to 2003. It offered better performance than current solutions at the time due to the fact that the memory could read and write on the rise and fall of a clock cycle, effectively doubling its throughput. The technology never became widely mainstream and was replaced by other options.

DDR, DDR2, etc.

DDR SDRAM (double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM) is an improvement on the original SDRAM technology. The technology has the ability to read and write on the rise and fall of the clock cycle, similar to Rambus, and has continued to evolve to faster clock rates and better performance over many years. The original DDR standard was replaced by DDR2, DDR3, etc. but none of the standards are backward-compatible, making it impossible to use older memory in new computers.

Memory technologies have continued to improve and evolve since the dawn of computing, and there is no reason to think they will stop any time soon. As more and more computers move to solid-state drives instead of platter-based drives, the performance bottlenecks are improved, meaning faster and better-performing RAM may be needed again soon.

Computers with Thunderbolt ports are capable of connecting to up to seven devices by daisy-chaining devices together. The system can even support connecting up to two high-resolution displays using the port. The ports will eventually support up to a 100 Gbit/s transfer rate, though their current iteration is limited to around 20 Gbit/s.

Apple’s implementation of Thunderbolt came as somewhat of a surprise. Many were expecting an all-new port and cable design, but instead, Thunderbolt is designed around Apple’s existing Mini DisplayPort, which was previously used as a connection only for external monitors. The design makes sense, however, as Thunderbolt can support monitors and other devices at once, with only a single port required. This makes it especially appealing to computer manufacturers, as it could mean fewer ports in the future, and therefore lower manufacturing costs and fewer design limitations.

Many have criticized Apple for not supporting the USB 3.0 standard in its newer models, but Thunderbolt has the potential to be much faster and more robust, especially as USB is a host-driven technology, meaning its speed can be limited by the speed of the host. In theory, Thunderbolt could provide around four times the throughput of USB 3.0, and its ability to connect multiple devices to a single port gives it a significant advantage over USB as well. Apple has certainly made a strong choice in choosing Thunderbolt over USB 3.0, and only time will tell if this choice will pay off for both Apple and Intel in the coming years.

Desktops

The traditional desktop computer is declining in popularity as most users are gravitating toward the portability of laptop computers. The benefits of a desktop machine are still valid, however. Those who need the most powerful computer possible, or those who need to be able to easily add or remove hardware components, will generally prefer a desktop computer. Desktops are also preferred for users who wish to power multiple displays and those who are heavy gamers.

Laptops

The laptop computer has been growing in popularity in the past few years largely because it has nearly caught up in performance to desktop machines. Instead of having to choose between a powerful desktop machine or a slower laptop, users can now have both. Laptops will appeal most to users who desire portability but also solid performance.

Netbooks

As one of the most portable form factors available, small netbooks provide greater portability than laptops but at the cost of providing less performance. They are well-suited for users who value portability and don’t mind trading it for reduced speed, less multi-tasking ability, and less storage.

All-in-one machines

All-in-one computers are those that include the CPU and LCD display in one self-contained unit. They will appeal most to users who want a slim design that is easy to connect and to use. Many all-in-one machines are also very affordable, making them a good choice for smaller budgets.

With so many manufacturers now offering tablets as the ultimate portable computing solution, Sony’s P Series is a bit of a departure, but for those who still want a physical keyboard; it could be a much better choice. The P Series also utilizes Windows 7 Home Premium, which is good news for those who find Apple’s iOS or the Google Android platform of many tablets to be a bit limiting. The inclusion of Windows 7 can be a bit of a downside, however, as the machine tends to be a bit sluggish, with only a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor powering it.

Hardware-wise, the P also includes 2 GB of RAM and a 64 GB SSD for storage. The SSD provides faster boot times and probably helps overall performance in quite a few ways, as Windows 7 would undoubtedly run much slower if the machine included a standard hard drive.

In addition to the small keyboard, users can navigate with the pointing stick, located at the center of the keyboard. There is also a touchpad built into the right side of the screen bezel, however, and two click buttons on the left. This means that users are intended to cradle the screen portion with a hand on either side when navigating around the screen. While this is somewhat non-traditional, it tends to work well, but compared to the touch screen interfaces of most tablets making their way to the market, it remains to be seen if users will take to this new interface.

Overall, the Sony Vaio P-Series is a solid offering that will appeal to those who want a very portable device that runs a full-featured version of Windows. Its very small screen and somewhat non-intuitive interface may turn some buyers away, however.

One of these refinements came from the Consumer Electronics Show in January, being shown by Synaptics, the company that makes most of the touchpads in modern laptops. The main change they showed off was an “unhinged” touchpad that can be clicked anywhere on the surface without any dedicated buttons. While touchpad improvements may not seem to be a very news-worthy item, they could change the way we interact with laptops to a great degree.

To get an idea of what the unhinged touchpad is, it helps to step back a bit to earlier designs. The original touchpad included the touchpad surface and usually two buttons, which corresponded with traditional left and right mouse clicks. The user drags a finger across the touchpad to move the mouse cursor, and presses a button to click. Some users find having a separate mouse button is inconvenient, however. To answer this issue, some manufacturers did away with the buttons and made the touchpad surface itself clickable. This meant that users no longer had to reach for a separate button. The problem with this design is that these touchpads use a “hinged” design, with the hinge being located at the top. This makes clicking at the bottom of the surface easy while clicking at the top is more difficult.

Synaptics’ new design incorporates an unhinged surface. This allows users to click just as easily anywhere on the surface. Will this design be a revolution in how we use our laptops? It is really more of an evolution. Synaptics is taking a good design and refining it into an even better design that will likely become the standard for the majority of laptops going forward, at least until the next evolution.

Let us look at an example. A 15 inch laptop may have a resolution of 1440×900, while another 15 inch laptop may have a resolution of 1680×1050. With only a 15 inch screen, the larger resolution will likely result in text that is difficult to read, and will give onscreen elements such as icons a much smaller appearance.

So what types of users benefit from higher resolutions? In general video and graphics professionals would benefit most. The higher pixel density (number of pixels per inch) will help graphics professionals and video editors see smoother lines and more detail in their images, which is a great benefit. Most of these users consider the smaller text and screen elements to be a worthwhile tradeoff for these improvements. Gamers and users who watch a lot of movies and other multimedia on their laptops may also prefer a higher resolution.

So are average users left out in cold? After all, everyone could benefit from higher pixel densities if they didn’t have to suffer from smaller text and screen elements. Luckily, software developers are working on this problem with a solution called resolution independence. This would allow the operating system to draw screen elements and text at virtually any size independently of the screen’s pixel density. Eventually this will allow users to use the highest screen resolution they can afford, but still have a readable screen, benefiting from the best of both worlds.

RaceTrack memory stores digital data as a magnetic pattern on a components known as “nanowires”. These nanowires are so small they are 1,000 times finer than a human hair, yet they are capable of storing large amounts of data. The combination of multiple nanowires in a single device would mean vast amounts of storage, and IBM claims it could be as much as 100 times greater than current technologies. In time, they claim it could allow a single portable device to store all the movies produced in a single year.

But large storage capacity isn’t the only benefit of RaceTrack memory. It is also more energy-efficient than existing technologies, making it particularly well-suited for portable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. It is also very fast, as the data stored in the nanowires can be moved and accessed very quickly.

The data is stored along the nanowires of the device, and when needed, electrical current applied to the nanowires causes the data bits to move to where they are needed at a very fast speed, up to hundreds of miles per hour. This is how the data is able to be accessed so quickly, as it doesn’t rely on the computer or the device to seek the data, but the RaceTrack technology moves the data to where it is needed much more quickly.

IBM has not given a timeline for when they expect RaceTrack memory to be available. It is certainly an exciting technology that could change the way we think of storage and the way we use our devices, so keep an eye on this emerging technology in the future.

Apple has repeatedly stated that they are not interested in making “netbooks”, which are often under-powered, extremely portable notebooks. In truth, there is very little difference between the new 11.6 inch Macbook Air and the majority of netbooks on the market, but the Air has a more powerful processor and larger storage than most. All of this does come at a price, however, as the Macbook Air is around twice the price of some netbooks.

The design of the 11.6 inch Macbook Air is quite impressive to behold. It measures just .68 inches at its thickest point, and only 0.11 inches at its thinnest. In fact, one might wonder where Apple has managed to put all the essential components in a case so slim. But all of the components are there, including a 1.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, and Nvidia graphics processor, and 2 GB of RAM. The unit comes with a 64 GB SSD for storage, but can be upgraded to as much as 128 GB. While this may not seem like much storage for files, SSD technology provides a much faster experience, and its slim and lightweight design is essential for the portability of the machine. Although the 11.6 inch screen is one of the smallest Apple has ever used, it boasts a very high resolution of 1366 x 768, for a very sharp image.

For those who want the ultimate in slim and portable designs but don’t want to sacrifice performance as much as with most netbooks, the Macbook Air should make a great choice. Its price is higher than many in its class, but the extra performance will be worth it for most buyers.

USB 1.0 is the original iteration, which was frequently referred to as simply “USB”. The USB 1.0 technology was developed by seven companies: Nortel, DEC, Compaq, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and NEC. It was first introduced in 1996, and was devised as a way to standardize a protocol for connecting multiple devices, getting rid of the need for multiple types of connectors and also allowing more bandwidth for devices, as USB cables were able to transfer up to 12 Mbps, which was much faster than any previous protocols. This made it a feasible way to connect hard disk drives and other devices that required high data transfer speeds to operate correctly.

USB 2.0 was released in 2000 as an improvement to the USB specification. It boasted speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which was a huge improvement over the original speeds of USB 1.0. USB 2.0 became very popular and is still the most popular connection type for peripherals in use today as of this writing. Most computers and laptops include at least two USB 2.0 ports, and some include even more, owing to the increasing need for more ports to connect users’ devices.

USB 3.0 was announced in November of 2008, and is yet another improvement on the original protocol. USB 3.0 products are only recently coming to the market, but it looks to be a big improvement in speed, as it can theoretically reach speeds up to 4 Gbps, which is faster than the limitation of most hard drives.

While USB has been around for many years, its continued improvement and refinement means it will likely be around for many more. The promise of very fast transfer rates for USB 3.0 mean that it could replace virtually every connection on a computer or laptop.

Acer’s Aspire One 532h series was one of the first to offer built-in 3G support, and still one of the best. The 532h is the most compact model in the line, at only 2.5 pounds. Its 10.1″ screen is large enough to get work done, but its compact size makes it easy to take with you anywhere for a great mobile experience.

The Nokia Booklet 3G is a fairly new entry to the market, but its compact and lightweight design, as well as its excellent battery life of up to 12 hours, makes it a solid choice for on-the-go users. Built-in 3G service as well as Wifi and Bluetooth give multiple connection options no matter where you are.

Users who want a little larger and more powerful notebook may like the Dell Latitude D620. With its widescreen display, it may be a better fit for spreadsheets and other larger document editing. Portability is ensured with the choice of a 6 or 9-cell battery for longer life, and integrated 3G wireless support keeps users connected.

Not to be confused with the Latitude, the Aspire One D620 is a very slim and compact model that weighs just a little over two pounds. It also provides users a choice of a 3-cell battery for lighter weight or a 6-cell for up to 10 hours of battery life. 3G connectivity is built right in.

While the Latitude D620 provides a roomier screen in wide format, the D410 opts for a standard 4:3 aspect screen but gains a more compact design. It is one of Dell’s lightest and most portable notebooks, and includes Wifi, Bluetooth, and 3G connectivity built right in. With the introduction of 3G support for laptops and notebooks, users don’t have to squint at a small screen or do without a full keyboard on their Smartphone. All of the laptops and notebooks in this round-up provide a great experience and nearly always-on connectivity that will keep you productive no matter where you are.