Tag: desktop computers

Intel gives a product-class name to the likes of the VAIO Tap 20

simonmackay 26/04/2013 Current and Future Trends, Desktop Computers, Laptop, Notebook and Netbook Computers No Comments

Article

Intel Developing an Adaptive All-In-One PC Standard | Tom’s Hardware

My Comments

Windows 8 has added another product class to its list of computer product classes. This has been brought on by the likes of the Sony VAIO Tap 20 and the Dell XPS 18, where the computer can be set up to work as an all-in-one desktop or a tablet.

Intel have defined this class as the “Adaptive All-In-One” and they specify that the computer be equipped with a touchscreen that is between 18.4 inches and 27 inches. It would have an industrial design that allows the computer to be operated lying flat or standing up. Here, this could be in the form of a foldable kickstand or a detachable pedestal as well as being light enough to carry around or rest on your knees. The computers would be expected to be able to work from Lithium-polymer batteries thus allowing them to be used around the home without the need to be plugged in.

Typically these computers would implement a wireless (preferably Bluetooth) keyboard and mouse or, if they implement a detachable pedestal, they would have a wired keyboard and mouse that connects to the pedestal.

The goal eventually is to create software that exploits this design, mainly in the form of a multi-user touch environment. Typical usage classes could be games such as electronic versions of classic multi-player card and board games; or art-type applications.

As this Microsoft blog article and my comments on that article highlighted, this was about a computer product class that worked well with different comfort zones and skill levels. The article highlighted the children sitting on the couch and playing puzzle games on the VAIO Tap 20 with one playing and the other watching with interest.

Of course, it would be interesting to know who else would front up with a computer of this class in their product range.

On the other hand, there may be issues about particular chipsets or thickness limitations which may require manufacturers to use a different name for their computers of this kind. Similarly, manufacturers may want to use a different marketing name for these computers.

Touchscreen interfaces becoming more relevant for regular computing

simonmackay 05/03/2013 Computer Hardware Design, Computer Systems No Comments

Article

My Comments

Increased relevance to regular desktop computing

Windows 8 “Modern UI” start screen – optimised for touchscreens

Since Windows 8 with its “Modern” user interface came on to the scene late last year, the touchscreen has been valued as a part of the regular computer rather than an option for some business computers or for use with mobile computing devices like tablets and smartphones.

Here, the touchscreens in this computing context are seen as a complementary third method to control the computer. It comes in handy with coarse navigation of the user interface, especially with selecting options or working “at-a-glance” dashboards like the “Modern” UI that is your start point in Windows 8. You can also flick across material you are reading or viewing such as text you are “skimming” or a PowerPoint presentation. This is something I have experienced for myself when I reviewed the Fujitsu TH550M convertible, the Sony VAIO J Series all-in-one and the HP Envy X2 detachable-keyboard “hybrid” tablet. The HP, for that matter, was the first touchscreen computer that I reviewed with Windows 8.

HP Envy X2 detachable-keyboard hybrid tablet computer

As we already know, the consumer tablet computers like the Apple iPad drew us towards the touchscreen paradigm. But Windows 8 plus some variants of desktop Linux had integrated touchscreen computing from the ground up rather than as an afterthought.

Apple missing out on the touchscreen trend with the Macintosh

The article that I cite raised the issue that Apple weren’t equipping the Macintosh regular-computing platform with touchscreens even though other platforms that serve the same usage style were equipped with this feature. This is because they see the regular-computing platform of being comparatively little value to the iOS mobile-computing platform. It is similar to how they added on the mouse and the 3.5” floppy disk to the Apple II platform in 1987 even though the Macintosh, which was the “new baby” with both these options commercialised these features from the day it was launched in 1984.

On the other hand, Apple could enable the MacOS X operating system with touch control as part of a major upgrade then roll out the functionality in to the MacBook and iMac lineups as well as offer a Desktop Display with touch abilities.

Other gaps in the touchscreen computing trend

Speaking of this, there aren’t many add-on touchscreen monitors available at a reasonable price for use with the regular “tower” desktop. This is more so with monitors sold through larger technology chains that pitch at the small business or the consumer. Typically, you may find that these places offer a touchscreen monitor that is a smaller size and pitched for the POS system, thus sold at a price that is considered ridiculous for regular desktop computing.

Personally, I would rather see more of the touchscreen monitors being available at a slight premium above a non-touch variant of a particular monitor screen size and resolution. Here, one could set up a multi-screen arrangement with one touch-enabled monitor and use the touch-enabled monitor as, for example, a persistent “Modern UI” control screen. This could then lead to a gradual upgrade path for those of us who want the “all-touch” user interface across the multiple screens.

Conclusion

Of course, these comments may be too early to make as Windows 8 and the “open-frame” computing crowd makes the touchscreen display mature quickly and more software authors integrate touch in to their software and games.

Len Deighton had set the standard for creating the magnum opus using a computerised word processor

simonmackay 04/03/2013 Computing Skills, Milestones to the Connected Lifestyle No Comments

Article

Len Deighton’s Bomber, the first book ever written on a word processor. – Slate Magazine

My Comments

Before the arrival of the word processor, whether in today’s office suites that you can buy for your computer or even the basic text editor programs that came with most operating systems, the creation of a novel or other book required a lot of work.

This work was especially in the form of a continuous cycle of typing and reviewing the chapter drafts for that magnum opus. Len Deighton had a few IBM Selectric “golfball” typewriters which he used to work out his manuscripts and his personal assistant was ending up typing the chapter drafts as part of the review cycle for his novels. But in 1968, Eleanor Handley mentioned about this hard work to an IBM technician who worked under contract to this author to service these workhorses for him.

At that time, IBM had just launched the MT/ST which was a Selectric typewriter that worked alongside a tape drive system so the documents can be stored on reels of magnetic tape. The technician mentioned that IBM had this machine that could help him with this and future magnum opuses. He had leased the machine and the delivery men had to remove his front window so they could hoist it in by crane.

The features and tricks that this device had allowed him to review, insert and substitute text for each of the chapters that existed on each reel of tape. He exploited the “marker codes” that could be placed on the tape so he could locate the passages he was working on and this machine came in to play in him writing “Bomber” which was a novel set in World War II.

These devices evolved from the dedicated word-processing machines that worked alongside electronic or, in some cases, electric typewrites to the dedicated computer programs that you bought for most desktop computer systems from the early to mid 1980s.

With the arrival of the Graphic User Interface in 1984 courtesy of the Apple Macintosh, the ability to turn out copy that was hard to distinguish from published copy became a key feature. Here, the computer could draw out the typeface without the printer needing support for that font. As well, the word-processor became part of integrated “office” computing packages that had this function along with database, spreadsheet, presentation / business graphics and email functionality.

For me, the concept of creating a document from “go to whoa” using a computer’s word-processor software rather than handwriting it was a marked change. Here, the time it took to turn out a polished document was significantly reduced and I realised that I could easily work “from mind to document” without “scratching out” text with a black line or “wedging in” text using the caret symbol.

As for novelists and other authors, the amount of time it took to create copy for the paper or electronic destination was significantly reduced and you were able to make sure that the copy was “how you wanted it”.

Similarly the fact that Len Deighton had the MT/ST equipment at his home was a prediction of things to come in the form of desktop and personal computing which came about 10 years later.

Why purchase as much storage capacity as you can afford when you buy a computing device

simonmackay 01/11/2012 Computer Hardware Design, Computer Systems, Smartphones, Tablet Computers No Comments

Toshiba Tecra R950 business laptop

Very often, I notice people who are buying a computer, tablet or similar device purchase the device based on the price without thinking of the issue of the unit’s secondary-storage capacity.

But in most situations, the cheaper variants of these devices have lesser storage capacity. This may not be an issue if the device is serving as a secondary computing device and you are likely to either use a auxiliary storage devices like external hard disks, removable SD cards or cloud-hosted / network-hosted storage with the device regularly. What can happen as you use that iPad or laptop is that the main storage capacity fills up and it feels as though there is a noose around your neck as there is less storage capacity on your device for you to store programs or data. In some situations, the device doesn’t perform as well as it should.

You also think of having to frequently purge your system of data that may be “put away” but is to be on hand for use at a later time. In some cases, this activity may cause you to dump data that you may later regret dumping.

Toshiba AT300 10″ Android tablet computer

But you can avoid this with new computing devices especially those you expect to use as your main computing devices if you buy or specify as much storage capacity as you can afford. For example, I encouraged someone who was in the market for an iPad to think of the higher-capacity models because people tend to have them full of photos, music, email and apps very quickly.

In most cases, your device’s storage capacity can be a key bargaining point when choosing that device. For example, you may have something of AUD$100-200 between one storage class and another more capacious storage class for a tablet or a laptop. Some dealers may also try to offer the variant with more capacity for the same price as the model that you are after and have budgeted on.

There is also a reality that as time passes on, the cost of data storage does reduce for a particular capacity due to Moore’s Law.

So if I buy or specify a computing device for someone, especially if the device is expected to be a main or sole computing device, I would make sure that there is as much hard disk, SSD or other storage space as you can afford.

Desktop computers–not as ugly as they used to be

simonmackay 18/05/2012 Computer Hardware Design, Desktop Computers No Comments

A major change has been happening for the average desktop computer system. Here this class of computer isn’t just the large box that sat under the screen or the large tower that sat beside the desk. In some ways, these desktop computers are now being welcomed back in to the main living areas of the house rather than being shut out to the den.

System types

There are two major directions that are being made available for this class of computer.

All-in-ones

This style integrates the computer circuitry, the screen and all of the secondary storage in one box about the size of a small flatscreen TV. The keyboard and mouse appear as separate devices that connect to this unit. An example of this style is the Sony VAIO J Series “all-in-one” that I have recently reviewed.

The style was inspired initially by the Apple Macintosh being the most popular of this form factor, but was augmented initially by the “transportable” computers that appeared at various times through the 1980s. Compaq also tried to bring this style in to being in the mid 1990s but with little success.

Some all-in-one variants where the computer circuitry, keyboard and secondary storage may appear but this style has been and could be targeted at the “retro 80s” market. This is because most of the computers that were popular in the early days of hobby and home computing that existed through the late 70s to the late 80s like the Commodore 64, the Apple IIe or the Sinclair ZX computers were based on that design layout even though, in a lot of the early designs, the secondary storage was outside of the system.

Most of these machines now have a touchscreen built in to them so as to make them appeal as interactive terminals. But HP have raised the stakes in this form factor by develop the Z1 which was a high-powered 27” workstation that implements a modular design so that it can be upgraded or repaired more easily.

Low-profile system units

Another direction for the desktop computer is for a traditional “three-piece” system to be equipped with a low-profile system unit. In earlier times a low-profile system unit was a box about the size of a typical video recorder or hi-fi CD player released through the late 80s and was very unreliable due to intense heat build-up.

Now these are units that appear in different sizes ranging from a small book to a loaf of bread to an ordinary two-slice toaster and some may be mistaken for a typical consumer network-attached-storage unit. This may include “pizza-box” designs that are so slim that you don’t know they are there; and the highly-powerful heavy-duty servers that are as big as the classic desktop computer designs.

Common features

The common features with these newer desktop-computer designs include a thermal design that relies less on a constantly-running fan to keep the system cool. In some cases, any system cooling fans that are used in these computers may operate in an “on-demand” manner where they come on if the system is running hot. This then leads to a reduced noise output from these computers compared to the traditional desktop computer.

Similarly, some of these computers will even use an outboard power supply that looks like the kind that would come with a laptop computer. Of course these would be designed to work without the use of a cooling fan.

Depending on the configuration, you may have new-design desktop computers that may suit average desktop computing tasks whereas you may have highly-compact systems like the HP Z1 that can perform heavy multimedia, graphics or intense gaming tasks.

On the other hand, most of these systems may not be as adaptable to newer needs as a classic desktop system. This may be due to a lot of the systems being built around integrated rather than standards-driven modular architecture.

Choosing the right form factor for your needs

If you want to place value on a touchscreen on a desktop setup, you could go for a large-screen all-in-one that has this feature. Similarly, the all-in-one can come in handy for a brand-new computer system where you are starting from scratch.

On the other hand, if you have a display type, size or arrangement in mind, you could value a low-profile desktop units. This same situation can come in handy if you have a screen, keyboard and mouse that is still in good order. In some cases, you could easily hide the system unit behind the screen or a peripheral if you don’t like the look of it.

It is also worth knowing that some of the larger low-profile desktop units may have room for expansion with the ability to add one or two expansion cards such as installing a discrete graphics card or upgrade secondary storage to your needs.

The traditional “tower-style” desktop is still a sure bet if you place your emphasis on expandability, ultra performance or a system that has to suit your computing needs exactly. Here, these should be purchased from a quality independent computer store who can build them “to order” or have one or more systems available “off the peg” at a cost-effective price to start from.

Conclusion

At least this the improvements in the new desktop-computer designs have allowed for the desktop computer system to be considered as a system option for most computing tasks in environments where aesthetics or noise issues do matter.

Business-grade computer systems aren’t just for the big business

simonmackay 12/05/2012 Computer Systems No Comments

Dell Vostro 3550 business laptop

Any of you who regularly follow HomeNetworkig01.info regularly will come across reviews for desktop / laptop computers and peripherals that are pitched at business users. Examples of these include the HP ProBook 4520, the Dell Vostro 3550 and the Toshiba Tecra R850 laptops as well as most of the laser printers.

But you may think that this equipment, especially the desktop and laptop computers is to be pushed well away from small-business operators and home / SOHO users, only intended for large corporations.

Where to get these computers

Think again! The big-box computer retailers like Best Buy, Harvey Norman and JB HiFi could make you think that your shop, community organisation or other small business effort is only fit for the consumer desktops. You may get a reprieve with larger office-equipment chains like Staples, Office Depot or Officeworks offering business-grade printers and some business-grade computer equipment.

If you do engage an IT contractor or solution-provider who may provide the computing needs for your business, such as a point-of-sale system for your shop or a server for your small office or medical practice; you are in luck. Typically most of these operators are likely to sell business-grade desktops or laptops on an as-needed basis. They won’t have an inventory of such equipment on hand unless they operate a shopfront because of the storage requirements for the unsold equipment.

On the other hand, an independent computer dealer or a chain of specialist computer stores, especially those that are located near the central-business-district (downtown) area in a large city or other major business zone, may sell these computers.

But you will also have a greater chance in looking for these computers online. This may range from computer brands that operate an online store or direct-sales platform like HP and Dell; to online stores the deal in both business and consumer computer equipment. Infact Dell can get your business machine “how you want it” by allowing you to vary the specifications to your needs or budget; or simply allow you to order a configuration “off the shelf”.

A trend that is starting to surface over the last few years is the creation of computers that tick the boxes for personal computing and business computing requirements. They will bave some of the looks and features associated with a consumer-grade computer yet have the manageability and security features associated with a business computer. This has come about due to:

the arrival of the “bring your own device” practice adopted by an increasing number of workplaces; along with
computer manufacturers answering the reality of the “work-home” laptop that has to “look the part” at home, including the home being the office for a business which may or may not have a storefront of some sort;
computer manufacturers catering to the Silicon-Valley / Northern-California workplace culture that replicates a common room in a university’s student-union or student residential facilities, something underscored by the startups based in that area, and being different to what’s expected in New York or Chicago; and
stiff competition from Apple with their MacBook products.

Features of interest with business computers

Security features

Toshiba Tecra R850 business laptop

One key differentiator for business computer equipment, especially laptops, is security features that are pitched at protecting sensitive corporate data. There may be less of a perceived need for these features for most small business, community organisation or small-office / home-office users.

But some of these users and their small organisations may be handling highly-sensitive data through their working life. This may range from an arts-and-antiques valuer who has details of the location and value of arts and antiques collections; through a lawyer, doctor or similar professional handling material that is confidential between them and their client or patient; to independent designers working on a unique significant design.

One common and obvious example is the provision of a fingerprint scanner which uses your fingerprint as the key to your system. This can be tied in with your operating system’s login process and / or it can work with a password vault for your online services. Infact some of use could use the fingerprint sensor and the supplied password vault software for doing something like logging in to Webmail services or our Social Web presence.

Another example is a “Trusted Platform Module” which provides a secure computing environment for use with some security software. This will be used in an operating-system-native manner with the “BitLocker” disk-volume encryption functionality available since Windows 7 Ultimate. In Windows 8, this function would be taken further via the creation of a “virtual smartcard” for its password-vault function. Windows 10 makes use of this to facilitate local login credentials attestation and permits “secure-system” verification before access to resources. Other third-party endpoint-security tools can make use of this feature to verify the integrity of their functionality and in some cases, TPM can be used as an extra authentication factor for Web services.

Manageability features

Computers targeted at the business end of the market will also have hardware and software that provides for central manageability. This includes software that propagates policy-definition files to the system or reports system data to “dashboard” software that is part of business-system management tools.

Such features and tools are typically focused at larger businesses with many computers managed by an in-house IT team. But they can be relevant if your business deals with an IT contractor or value-added reseller and you have them provide support for your desktop computer. These people may use the remote troubleshooting or software-delivery aspects of these features to help you diagnose your system from their office.

Sturdy construction and long service life

Toshiba Portege R830 ultraportable notebook

Toshiba Portege R830 ultraportable business notebook

Most business-grade computers offer some level of increased durability compared to consumer-grade systems due to them being expected to be depended on for one’s business life.

These kind of features may range from a sturdy physical build to active setups that protect the hard disk if the machine is dropped. Similarly, it may be easier to obtain replacement parts for these computers should the computer hardware need repair work done on it.

I have even recommended low-end business laptops that don’t have all of the manageability and security features but have the sturdy build as an option to consider when buying a laptop for secondary or tertiary-level students.

Disadvantages

Limited finishes and styling

With a few exceptions, most business computer equipment has been finished in a conservative grey or silver finish to make it look the part in a corporate office in New York or Chicago. This has been emphasised more so with any of the IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad / ThinkCenter line of computer equipment which has been favoured by many business users.

Reduced multimedia capabiltiy

In a lot of cases, business computer systems didn’t have much emphasis on audio or video performance. This was assumed that business computing was to he looking at Excel spreadsheets, entering data or preparing and showing PowerPoint presentations with simple charts. Activities like audio and video playback or graphic editing, let alone game playing was out of the question as far as this user class was concerned. It is although some of these laptop computers that move between the office and home are pressed in to service as DVD players or games machines to while away long flights or placate young children on long road-trips.

But newer business-grade computers will typically come with the new integrated graphics and audio chipsets that are as capable as most average consumer equipment. This wouldn’t hit the mark with advanced photo/video editing or intense gaming and you would need to use a multimedia computer for these tasks.

As far as software goes, in most cases, you will only have what comes with the operating system for multimedia and games. In the case of Windows, this will typically be something like Windows Media Player and the usual casual games.

If your work-home laptop is purchased on a “build-to-order” basis, you may be able to ask about having advanced media players or access to games portals thrown in to the equation. In some cases, you may have this functionality thrown in to a pre-built configuration especially if you are just buying one desktop or laptop computer. But you can gain this functionality with software that you can buy “off the peg”.

Small-business product ranges

Some computer manufacturers have created a separate product range for computers that are focused towards small-business and community-organisation users. Initially these users were served by most of the computer manufacturers through the low-tier of the business product range and this is something that the rest of the computer industry do at the moment.

The examples highlighted here are the HP Pro and the Dell Vostro model names where computers with these model names have a feature set that is focused towards this user class. These computers will look very similar to a mainstream consumer product although they will have an aesthetic nature associated with business use. The operating systems that these computers will come with will be the Pro variants of the current Windows operating system while some manufacturers may offer an option to have the computer supplied with another “open-frame” operating system like Linux.

There will be the heavy-duty construction and security features associated with the business-class computers such as a TPM module and / or a fingerprint reader perhaps offered as an option, but cut back on enterprise-specific manageability features. If they do maintain any sort of management feature, they will offer it more as a simple-to-use package appealing to something that the business owner can handle themselves.

When should I consider the business computer option

I would consider purchasing the business-grade computer for office or mobile use if the computer is expected to be your primary work computer that you rely on, you are handling highly-confidential or risky data or, in the case of a laptop, find that it could suffer heavy use that puts it at increased risk of damage.

This article, originally published in December 2012, has been updated in January 2016 to reflect newer trends concerning business computers and in May 2017 to call out the HP Pro (HP ProBook) and Dell Vostro product ranges being focused towards small-business / community-organisation users.