Lead

Feather light technology

A small form factor enabled by SSDs and special casings are what make ultra-thin notebooks so very light, writes Nivedan Prakash

Thin and light is definitely the in thing when it comes to notebooks, and ultra-light laptops are creating a buzz in the PC market at the high-end. Vendors have adopted several technologies to bring down the weight of a notebook from the normal 2.5 to 3 kilos to a svelte 1 to 1.5 kilos. What’s more impressive is the fact that they have achieved this without compromising on performance and features. Ultraportables, that is what they call these machines, are around 10x14 inches in size and approximately 1-inch thick.

These laptops offer an optimal combination of portability, performance and features. They are on the pricey side, with most of these models costing more than Rs 80,000 and some going for twice that.

Here we look at the technology under the hood and even in the hood, that makes these machines so powerful and yet so light. Power-tuned mobile processors deliver sufficient power to let you run practically any application including the ubiquitous office suite, background anti-virus, Web browser, e-mail client as well as multimedia apps for playing DVDs, editing files from your camcorder et al. Even though they are so compact and small, these machines have a more reasonably large keyboard and display, a decent hard drive, and a built-in optical drive.

An ultraportable’s innards are different

So where does an ultraportable lose weight and become the computing equivalent of a supermodel? For starters, these machines are made of the right stuff—magnesium and carbon fiber cases weigh less but remain strong as regular shells. Ultraportables use HDI (high density interconnect) technology on the motherboard, require innovative engineering for placing components and, last but not least, use ultra thin components that are difficult to manufacture and, hence, expensive.

Most mobile PC users think that they have to compromise on power and performance in order to get a lightweight and mobile form factor to take on the road. Today’s new generation of thin and light notebooks and ultra-portable products dispels that belief, thanks to next-generation components and technology.

Companies such as HP, Lenovo, Fujitsu, and Sony are responding to customer demand for thinner, lighter notebooks. These notebook manufacturers are known for their rugged tough-book line, designed to operate in rough environments. The models offered by these brands offer high-end performance, feature extremely light weight and compact size.

For example, Sony’s latest Vaio TZ series notebooks are just one-inch thin and weigh a mere 1.2 kg. For many users, it’s the perfect blend of technology and mobility. The lightweight Sony Vaio TZ series comes with a multi-layered carbon fiber body and ultra-thin lid to reduce weight and increase robustness. A 48 GB SSD replaces the traditional HDD; it is lighter and consumes less power to boot. This extends battery life to as much as up to 12 hours. The ultra- thin 0.2mm LCD panel further enhances portability.

Commenting on their ultra-thin notebooks, Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony India, said, “Mobile endurance, lightness and operation ease for effective business travel are all neatly packed into

the Vaio TZ series. For heightened convenience, the Vaio TZ has useful security features such as an embedded TPM security chip, with HDD password and a fingerprint sensor that protects your data from would-be hackers and thieves.”

Tamagawa added, “The kind of versatile features that our product possesses makes this notebook PC the ultimate solution in personal computing just about anywhere you like—at a café, airport lounge, or around the house.”

HP uses light, yet strong magnesium alloy to create ultra-light notebooks that start at 1.3 kg. The configuration includes an integrated optical drive. The HP Compaq 2510P is an ultra-thin notebook. The ultra light HP 2133 Mini-Note PC is the first product in the new category of mini-notebooks from HP’s stable for the next generation of mobile users weighing less than 1 kg with an 8.9-inch screen. This model sports a Via C7-M processor running at 1.2 GHz and has a 120 GB hard drive and 2 GB RAM for the Vista variant (1 GB for the Linux option).

Anurag Arora, Country Manager-Business Notebooks, Personal Systems Group, HP India, said, “Given the huge demand for lightweight notebooks from our customers, HP excels in this category. Designed for highly mobile professionals and constant travelers, our ultra-thin business notebooks keep users connected and productive on the move. HP offers the best in class, ultra thin, lightweight notebooks with full sized keyboards to provide a rich computing experience.”

Coming to the architecture of the machines, the HP business notebooks come with U7600 ultra low voltage Intel processor or ultra low voltage Via processors. They also offer longer battery life; HP also offers an 8-cell extended life battery and a new 12-cell ultra capacity battery that double and triple battery life, respectively. Ultra thin business notebooks have a display, which is LED backlit. To keep things light most ultraportables come with small albeit sharp screens—the HP Compaq 2133 mini notebook has an 8.9-inch screen.

“The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC is designed specifically for mobile youth and business professionals to play, learn and work anywhere from the boardroom to the five star coffee shop. With the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, users can flaunt the sleek design while enjoying the easy to use features,” added Arora.

Talking about what makes an ultraportable so light, Sailesh Sharma, Product Manager, Fujitsu India, said, “It’s basically the small form factor and the body that is made of a magnesium alloy and carbon fiber, which makes these notebooks so light and at the same time tough. The whole mechanism has to be reworked on to fit into a smaller form factor.”

Commenting on the differences between conventional notebooks and ultra-thin models, Sharma said, “Normal notebooks are made of plastic that might make them good looking but they cannot be ultra-portable because they use thick plastic. In contrast, the bodies of ultra-thin notebooks are made of carbon fiber and magnesium alloy that makes them lighter and tougher.”

Apple’s MacBook Air triggered off the latest round of my notebook is lighter than yours is. This ultrathin, ultraportable has a full sized keyboard, a widescreen 13.3-inch LED display and it features an advanced trackpad with multi-touch that let you pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image. Measuring an unprecedented 0.16 inches at its thinnest, its maximum height of 0.76 inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks, the Air only lacks an optical drive.

The incredible thinness of MacBook Air is the result of numerous size-and weight-shaving innovations. A slimmer hard drive, strategically hidden I/O ports, a lower-profile battery, even the MagSafe power connection was slimmed for this sleek machine.

Angeline Tan, Product Marketing Manager, Apple Asia, said, “The MacBook Air’s performance is as impressive as its form, thanks to its 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core2 Duo processor. This chip was custom-built to fit within the compact dimensions of the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air battery is our thinnest ever, yet it does not compromise on power. You can access the Web wirelessly for five full hours.”

SSDs score over HDDs

The hard-disk drive is ubiquitous. In the world of ultraportables, however, it has a challenger called the solid-state drive, or SSD. SSDs are more reliable, boot up faster and improve battery life by sipping power to the tune of up to 20%. In notebook computers, data moves to and from an SSD over 100 times as fast as it does to and from a hard disk.

For now, the trade off is price. SSDs cost a lot more for lesser capacity than HDDs, which is why the latter still rule in conventional notebooks. For ultraportables, however, the advantages of a SSD can be compelling. SSDs are available in capacities going up to 256 GB, although 64 GB is the common option now with 128 GB appearing. Then there are micro drives that allow up to 20 GB of storage in a CompactFlash 42.8×36.4×5 mm (1.7×1.4×.2 in) form-factor.

Arora explained, “HP notebooks have a 5400 rpm HDD and also have the option of a SSD. The HP Mini-Note comes with a 4 GB SSD flash module. Some of the HP ultra-thin notebooks like the HP Compaq 2510P notebook come with an integrated optical drive while weighing just 1.3 kg.”

Commenting on how battery size and HDDs help in making ultra-thin notebooks light weight, Tan said, “The MacBook Air’s 80 GB HDD has been optimized for efficient use of the MacBook Air battery and with the optional 64 GB SSD the efficiency increases.”

What’s next

According to experts, for ultra-thin notebooks, battery efficiency will continue to improve; disks will continue to shrink, and may be replaced completely by solid-state memory, and displays will be crisper and more energy efficient.

“Instead of the regular mechanical buttons we have started using capacitive buttons that are touch-sensitive,” stated Arora. These buttons not only take less space but also are more reliable and prevent dust from going inside the notebook.

Sharma commented, “In the future hard disk capacity will rise as will memory. There will also be an influx of low voltage processors in the ultra-thin notebook category.”

nivedan.prakash@expressindia.com