The grapevine was buzzing with excitement but no one would confirm it. Now the curtain is up and the word is out. The world’s largest cellphone maker Nokia is on the verge of entering the portable laptop market. Surprised? Well, desperate situations call for desperate measures. The Finnish company has experienced eroding profit margins over the last few quarters with the global recession taking its toll on handset demand. Nokia management thinks the way out of the woods is to take the plunge into the portable laptop market — something that’s clocking explosive growth since the product was launched in 2007. The competition is fierce. But if Apple could bridge the gap over from Mac to iPod and finally to iPhone, Nokia can, arguably, also travel in the opposite direction.

The jury though is still out on Apple’s decision to launch the iPhone, a product that is yet to take off. But then Apple never had prior experience in producing handsets. Nokia though holds a slight advantage in this area since Nokia had a PC business earlier, which management wrapped up in 1991 to turn their focus to producing quality handsets. But that’s no guaranty that Nokia’s portable laptops would not bite the dust since the specific market generally has a profit margin which is razor thin and which can take another bite off Nokia’s falling profit margin, at least over the short term. But if Nokia can get a foothold on this section, then the returns promise to be rich in mid-to-long term. Global analysts feel that Nokia can stand out in the crowd dominated by stalwarts like HP and Dell by doing things differently. But how do they plan to do that?

Nokia’s first portable laptop — the Nokia Booklet 3G — promises to be lean, mean machine weighing only 1.25kg. But there are not too many surprises in store and the product is planned largely to be similar to other such portable laptops available in the market. And the biggest disappointment probably comes in the form of the Microsoft Windows operating system, whereas many analysts had thought that Nokia would use Linux for the Booklet 3G. The processor too will be from Intel — the tried and tested Atom. This may come as a further disappointment to serious computer games geeks who swear by AMD’s Turion for the ultimate gaming experience.

So although Nokia does not appear to be bringing something radically different to the table, the sheer size and the tectonic growth of the market may swing the pendulum to its favour in the portable laptop segment. Consider this: according to data made available by research firm IDC, the estimated growth in the shipment of portable laptops should shoot through the roof at 127% in 2009. Converted to absolute terms, the expected shipment should cross 26 million units this year. This piece of data should sound like music to Nokia management since the saturated handset market is on the decline and has shrunk 10% over the last one year.

Carrying around a plethora of accessories can prove to be a pain for anyone. It is especially more so for a professional who is required to travel extensively. And forget for a moment about a touring professional. Even for an intrepid traveler touring the globe, keeping all the gadgets charged, particularly in foreign countries with different specifications regarding voltage and plugs, can be a difficult proposition. This is where the PowerGorilla Portable Laptop Charger comes in handy. It’s a one-stop solution to all charging problems, anywhere in the world. In a nutshell, PowerGorilla is a high-capacity but sleek battery that can simultaneously charge two gadgets and — hold your breath — in over 150 countries globally.

PowerGorilla comes with a full set of adapters that can plug and play any gadget that’s powered by battery that includes video cameras, cellphones, iPods/iPhones, DVD players, Sat Navs and many more. The only thing that probably limits the PowerGorilla is that it can’t charge any device beyond 24 volts. But that is more than offset by the fact that on the road, the gadget doubles up as a power hub and as an added advantage, can be used to charge other devices while being charged from the mains.

PowerGorilla can keep a laptop going for six hours and for other gadgets which consume les power, it can turbo-charge those for well up to twenty hours. The six-pack includes overcharge and overheat protections, a slim LCD display to blink status and voltage information, surge buster and a set of AC adapters that can be used in 150 countries. There are fixed voltages spanning from 5v to 24v and the whole set weighs less than 1.5 pounds, making it truly portable and easy to carry.

But even if this seems like a weight to lug around, then one can go for solio magnesium, a universal hybrid solar charger for every gadget under the sun. The solio comes with a battery which provides instant backup power. One of the most advanced hybrid chargers in the world, the key advantage of this battery is that it can be powered by either the sun light or even via a wall socket. This dual function makes the solio an extremely flexible device that’s fit for regular use in any part of the world. Covered in a robust and attractive magnesium-alloy case, the solio boasts of three pivoting arms that are fitted with photovoltaic panels. And unlike most other solar charged batteries, solio has high-capacity battery that, like the PowerGorilla, will ensure that a traveler’s gadgets are charged throughout the day.

What’s more, this hybrid charger has the capacity to connect and charge any device that is USB connector compatible and is in sync with iGo Adapter Tips which have more or less all the proprietary plugs covered. The pack also contains a female USB adapter which is just the thing for iPod and iPhone, 5 x iGo connectors for Motorola, LG, Nokia, Samsung and Blackberry handsets, a hemp pouch as well as a Universal wall adapter kit.

Portable laptops have been pretty much the flavor of the season ever since the breed’s grand launch in 2007.  If the Eee PC by Asus had started the craze, the trickle has now turned into a full-fledged deluge with portable laptops dominating the global computer market. But like every other machine, the portable laptop comes with its own set of inherent weaknesses and limitations and there’s a checklist of pros and cons that set it apart from its main competitor — the laptop.

The portable laptop is essentially what is meant by its name — it is basically a mini laptop both in terms of size and specifications. So, although it’s easier to lug around for its portability and hence has proved to be an essential tool for busy executives on the move or intrepid travelers and even professional photographers, the machine has its limitations and is probably not best suited to complicated work. For instance, a portable laptop will lag its larger counterpart in terms of graphics clarity. Since the portable laptop comes with a cheaper price tag ranging between $300–$600, both the hardware and software of the machine lack the punch of a laptop.

So how does your portable laptop’s inside look like? A typical portable laptop will come with 7 inch to 10 inch wide screen. The processor speed will marginally vary between approximately 400 MHz and 1.6GHz. The RAM capacity will be between 250 MB and 4 GB. There is either going to be a conventional hard drive or a Solid State Drive (SSD). While the more conventional drives generally have storage that’s higher than 80 GB, SSD drives are lower down the pecking order when it comes to storage volume. However, since the SSDs do not have moving parts and are not only lighter but also durable, this obviously helps in the machine’s performance. If the SSDs do not satisfy your memory needs, opt for an external flash drive — it does not get any lighter and portable than that.

It is more than likely that the portable laptop will be WiFi capable and have bluetooth. And there is generally an in-built webcam and microphone. For easy maneuverability, the keyboard is around 80%–90% smaller than any general keyboard. There is going to be a memory card reader that can support SD, SDHC and MMC cards. The battery duration is comparable with that of a laptop and stands at about 2 to 4 hours. And the featherweight stuff weighs between a mere 1.5 and 3 pounds.

If there’s one Achilles heel that holds back a portable laptop, it’s this: they do not have an optical drive. This can prove to be a serious impediment to getting data from a CD or DVD (including movies) unless an external drive is installed. But that’s compensated for since the portable laptop generally comes with the required software to make the machine work properly.

It was a question of when and not why? And Altec Lansing has finally done what was widely anticipated for some time. And here comes the second wave, the XT2, an improved version of its popular XT1 laptop speakers. It’s common sense that Altec wanted to leverage the popularity and goodwill of the XT1, which won a lot of critical acclaim from the geeks worldwide. An improved version is sure to draw in the crowds and rake in the moolah.

Innovative looks with a stylish sleek quality make XT2 stand out in the crowd. The lightweight speakers are portable with a capital ‘P’ and they can be folded and put into the travel case that comes with it. The case thankfully has enough space to hold the speakers, cables and an AC adapter which has as variety of plugs suited for the requirement of different countries. The AC adapter can provide respite to the overworked batteries and run the speakers on power. The XT2 speakers are lightweight and come with unbelievably sleek dimensions of 2.2′(W) by 1.4′(D) by 7.4′(H).

Now, let’s look at its core features. The XT2 offers blistering volumes that do not mar the audio clarity. In fact, the audio clarity is way better than the ones blared out by the built-in speakers of most laptops. The XT2 speakers can also be powered by USB which may not provide enough bass but that can be resolved by the use of the optional subwoofer, offering that extra oomph! The controls comprise volume and power on the right speaker but there is no control available for bass or treble.

Along with the basic functions of the speakers, the XT2 also comes with the added feature of a built-in microphone which utilises the Voice over IP (VoIP) communication. The VoIP comes in handy for online gaming.

And three cheers for its looks. The XT2 power indicator has a blue glow which truly steals the thunder from competition. The slim and silver mesh front adds to the appearance and can be enticing for any geek who has a thing for a good-looking PC. In fact, the XT2 speakers will be an ideal fit for the stylish mac. And since the XT2 speakers are easy to set up, these are really a good buy. Though it’s unfair to compare XT2 to a 2.1 desktop sound system, the former will do just fine when it comes to ensure better quality audio for portable computing needs.

You want maximum mileage from your portable laptop. Whatever limitations that are there, you might as well try and maximize the machine by cutting down on the flab and giving the machine and its memory a toned look. There are various ways to crank up the machine so that it runs the distance on the trot and it may not always be achieved just by disk defragmentation or those quick fixes available for a PC. Yet at the same time, a few tweaks here and there can ensure that you can sleep easy about your machine’s speed. Here’s how.

To begin with, even if you are a Firefox fan, we give Google Chrome the thumbs up over this one when it comes to portable laptops. The lighter Chrome can easily chisel off quite a few seconds from your browsing experience by running at a higher speed and occupying less memory space.

But if you were thinking why we haven’t spoken about open source till now while talking about improving the portable computer experience, your need not wait any longer. We racked our brains to come up with Xubuntu, which cannot be defined as a standalone application but rather a power-packed combination of features optimized for the portable laptop. So let’s see what’s on offer here. There’s the Abiword word processor, Evince PDF reader, the GIMP graphics editor, Catfish desktop search, Firefox, internet messenger, a spreadsheet program, text editor, calendar, Thunderbird, IRC, etc. And we cannot round off the discussion on the Linux category without mentioning LXDE (Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment). The LXDE is an innovative desktop system which goes a long way while saving resources on a massive scale. And going by popular reaction and critical acclaim, the LXDE is light years ahead of KDE or GNOME, two extremely popular alternatives that have their own band of dedicated followers swearing by their efficiency.

And just to bolster your package, we suggest the use of PortableApps another set of compatible applications that rev up your machine. The PortableApps is loaded with an antivirus program (ClamWin), an IM device (Gaim) and OpenOffice. And if you are a Sudoku freak, there’s also a Sudoku program to keep your brain ticking away. The application occupies only about 512 MB and lets you add any feature you like. It also brings on board Mozilla applications like FireFox, Sunbird, and Thunderbird, which you may or may not use given how comfortable you are with Google Chrome. But at a nano 512 MB, a few redundant applications are hardly going to give your machine a cardiac arrest.

Finally, if you have always had a headache regarding running the video and audio files on your portable laptop, VLC provides just the right option to ensure smooth running of those files minus the whims and fancies of the flashiness of iTune or WMP. Same sound quality minus the flab goes a long way to keep your portable laptop just ahead of the competition. Cloud computing to save up some of your memory online is also the way forward.

If you are a student in school than having a portable laptop is almost a necessity especially if you are in college. Not only do you need it in order to do homework assignments but many professors expect for you to have one in class. There are actually quite a few benefits to being able to have a portable laptop in the classroom. It makes is easier to keep notes in a certain subject and get to them in order to do a report of some sort that is required by the teacher. Many professors will ask you to look information up right then and there during class. Although most of them only require you to have a notebook as opposed to a full blown computer during class time.

Being able to take all of the necessary notes in a notepad and save it right on the desk top means that you will have less need for a paper notebook and this in turns means that you will have to carry less around. For many students, this is a great convenience and it is also a cost effective method as well. No longer is there the need to purchase paper, do your assignment and still need to find a portable laptop or computer to be able to print it out. Everything that you need is all in one place and it becomes a one stop shop.

For many high school students, a portable laptop has also become a necessity. Even though these grades do not generally require you to take it into class, they are still important for being able to complete homework assignments. Many of the reports that students need to do now can be completed much easier now that research can be done faster on the internet as opposed to going to the library every time an essay is due. Parents no longer need to worry about providing transportation to check out books for school work since the student can just look it up at home. Of course, you will need to have a printer in order to print it out.

If for some reason you do not have a printer in your home, many times the student can simply download the assignment onto a flash drive that plugs into the portable laptop, take it to school and then print it out there. This way you don’t have to feel obligated to purchase a printer if you do not have the money. The educational system has become very sophisticated in having students use portable laptops for their class homework assignments and for research as well. When you child is on the way to high school and definitely for college, you will want to look into making the investment for one. They are also great for when your child wants to spend the night at a friend’s house but has homework. Your student will be able to take the portable laptop with them and be able to get the work done in a timely fashion.

With all of the things that you can do on your portable laptop, watching movies seems to be one of the best pastimes you can use it for. Many of the laptops that you purchase now already have a program built in so you can watch a DVD and some of them even come with a burner so you can download it onto your computer and then burn it. Not to worry, if yours does not have a DVD player already, you can purchase one and install it with no problem or take it to a shop to have it installed.

This is one of those great features that once you start using it you will try to figure out how you ever went without it in the first place. Being able to watch movies on your portable laptop is great if you are traveling and have a layover in the airport and need something to pass the time. All you need are a pair of headphones that you plug right into your computer so that you don’t disturb anyone who is sitting around you. It is also nice to have if you are traveling in a car and it is going to be a long ride. A movie will really help to pass the time away on your trip. Since the battery will only last so long in a portable laptop, you can either take an extra battery with you that is fully charged or get a charger that will plug into an outlet of some sort in the car. This way you won’t have to worry about the movie getting cut off at the good part.

Of course, kids, especially teenagers love to take small home movies on their phones or movie cameras and then download them onto a computer to burn and share with their friends. Being able to watch these movies on a portable laptop means that they can just take their computer with them and load the disk so their friends can watch the home movie that they made of themselves. For the younger generation of today, they are probably trying to figure out how we ever managed without this ability since parents lived in the dark ages.

As you can see, watching movies on your portable laptop can really come in handy in a pinch. You can also use it if you don’t have a DVD player in your home and if you start to watch a movie and need to leave, you can just take it with you so that you can finish watching it. No longer do we need to wait to watch something that we have waited so long to see. With the convenience of being able to take it with you, the wait is over to see the end. If you don’t have a DVD player on your portable laptop there is no need to wait. Now is the time to step up to the plate and see what you are missing.

Every once in awhile, you may find yourself thinking about the past and how much things have changed.  At one point, there were no cell phones and now everyone has one. If your parents wanted to get in touch with you they had to stand on the step and call your name or call your friends and try to find you. You may also think about the computer. When you look at the portable laptops that are on the market, your mind may wonder back to how they came about. And then you may sit back and really start to think about your age and how much you have seen over the years.

Years ago when the computer first went on the market, they were big, bulky and had to set on a desk. After some time went by, they started to get a little smaller and a little lighter so that they took up less space and were easier to maneuver. Then next thing you knew, the portable laptop was born and it seemed to happen like a flash before your eyes. All of a sudden you were able to purchase this thin easy to carry computer that could take your information anywhere. Of course it started out where it was a computer that you could carry and then the portable laptop seemed to take off and it became a one stop shop. You could play music on it, use it as a telephone and see the person you are talking to and you can even message someone as well.

Who would of ever thought that when the first computer was put on the market that the portable laptop would be born and it would become as much of a necessity as having the air that we breathe. If you were to really stop and think about it, once the cordless phone turned into a cell phone, it was only a matter of time before the desktop computer became mobile and turned into the portable laptop. They say that everything needs to evolve and as we have seen, this includes the advancement and evolution of technology as well. No man, woman, child or computer is to be left behind.

The portable laptop has made life more simple and convenient for many that own one. Over the years, the price has changed considerably and has become more affordable for more people to be able to purchase one. There are several versions that you can purchase and you can even design your own if you purchase from a company as opposed to purchasing it in a store. You can choose the color, and even a design. Most of them are pretty standard in a store but when ordering from a larger company you may have the option of adding or deleting programs and options that are available to you. Just remember, when you go to purchase your first portable laptop or even a replacement for the one you already own, feel lucky that it doesn’t have to sit on your desk.

If you are looking to purchasing your first portable laptop, you may be amazed at all of the different accessories that you can purchase to go with it. Some of them may be built in and some of them can simply be attached somewhere on the unit. There is something for everyone no matter what you are looking for. One of the most popular items is a webcam. For an older portable laptop that you may already own, you will need to purchase the webcam and plug it into the unit. If you are getting ready to purchase your first one, you will be able to purchase it with the webcam already built into the unit.

Webcams are great for many different things. You can use it when you are talking to someone so that you can see each other during the conversation. If you are talking to your loved one and they are away, it is a great way to be able to stay in touch. If you are using your portable laptop for business, it is great for web meetings so you don’t have to try and catch up on any important information that may have been discussed. The uses and possibilities are almost endless as to what you can do with a portable laptop.

Another great accessory for your portable laptop is a CD burner/player. This feature will enable you to be able to not only listen to your favorite music but you can also download music onto your computer and then burn it onto a CD so that you can take it with you. Being able to have this ability is a great perk so you can create your own music CD’s with different bands. It gives you the opportunity to be able to mix and match your tunes and make something that goes with your personality.

You can also purchase a pair of headphones that you can plug into your portable laptop so that no one else can hear what you are listening to. If you are listening to music, watching videos or even playing a video game, the headphones will keep you from disturbing anyone else’s peace. It is a great little accessory so that you can have the freedom to be able to listen to whatever you want and not have to worry about what anyone is going to say to you.

As you can see, there are many different accessories that you can purchase for your portable laptop. There are many others that you can purchase as well such as a USB port so that you can take your information with you and you can even purchase covers of your favorite sports team or a picture to spruce it up. With all of the options that you have, it may make it a little difficult to make a decision on where you want to start shopping. Don’t get overwhelmed, take your time and start with the small things first and work your way up.

You’ve probably once thought of writing a book or a magazine. You’ve maybe asked yourself – more than once – whether you couldn’t have done a better job designing book or newspaper layouts than those designed by professional designers. Previously, such a thought would be a very difficult one to materialize because publishing was possible on through the use of sophisticated and expensive industrial equipment. But now, the same can easily be done by use of desktop publishing software installed in your laptop.

So, what is desktop publishing software and what are the most common ones?

Desktop publishing software can basically be defined as software used by graphic designers for the purpose of creating visual communication for professional or desktop printing.

Software Variety

Now, which software should you use for your publication?

There are many DTP software but we shall examine the three most used ones.

Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is one of the most common desktop publishing software in the market today.  Adobe InDesign was meant to be a re-write of Adobe’s other program – Adobe PageMaker. The greatest strength of adobe InDesign is its ability to execute complex procedures while being relatively simple to the average person. It is something that one doesn’t have to be taught in class and is also easy to handle. Apart from having great graphics, adobe InDesign also has a great text layout and this is where we will be concentrating our efforts. Once you’ve installed adobe InDesign on your laptop, you will see that it has a pointer. Anyone who has familiarity with desktop publishing will find adobe InDesign  a pretty friendly software to use.

Corel Ventura

This is desktop publishing software manufactured by Corel Corporation. The software was acquired in 1993 and was repackaged with little changes made to it. This has made it to loose favor among designers who were expecting much better things from Corel.  In-fact, once the pride of Corel Corporation, the software is currently labeled under “other products” on the company’s website.

QuarkExpress

QuarkExpress is powerful design software produced by Quark Corporation. Despite the fact that it is facing stiff competition from Adobe products – mainly Adobe Indesign – QuarkExpress still retains a huge chunk of the market share that it commanded in the 80s and the 90s.

Now that you know the most common DTP software available in the market, how do you choose the proper one?

There are several things that you may need to consider here:

Cost: This is perhaps the easiest of all the factors to understand. Look at the cost of the software and see whether investment in it will be recovered from the benefits that you will enjoy.

Complexity of the program: Depending on how much you are ready to learn, there are various degrees of complexities that you may be willing to tackle. The more complex the software the more difficult it is for you to learn.

Use of the software: Consider what you want to do with the software that you would like to purchase. It does not make sense to buy software that you will not manage to use even 10% of its ability.

All in all, DTP software is important if you want to design a good publication.