Glossary

Not sure what the latest computer terms mean? Here is our handy run down of everthing you need to know when considering a new laptop of mobile PC.

3G HSDPA
HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access) is a mobile telephony technology that allows wireless internet access at broadband speeds.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth uses short-range radio signals to wirelessly connect external peripherals to your laptop.

DVI out
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) ports let you connect an external digital monitor or projector to your laptop.

Ethernet
A wire-based network technology (see Networking). The 10/100 Base-T Ethernet connection provides speeds up to 100Mbps (Megabits per second), while Gigabit Ethernet can reach a faster 1000Mbps.

ExpressCard
A replacement for the PC Card slot in your laptop, allowing faster connection speeds and the benefi t of devices being hot swappable (so you can remove the cards without having to switch your laptop off). Like PC Cards, they come in a range of sizes and can be used for adding a variety of peripherals.

FireWire (IEEE 1394)
A high-speed port for the connection of external peripherals. Its ownership by Apple means many non-Apple laptops opt for smaller mini-FireWire ports, which run marginally slower than full-sized IEEE 1394 connections.

Graphics adapter
The GPU (Graphics Processor Unit), or graphics adapter, delivers visuals to the screen. Integrated adapters provide basic graphics, while dedicated adapters can be used for gaming and multimedia use.

Hard drive
Where fi les and folders can be permanently stored. Storage space ranges from 40GB (Gigabytes) to 250GB. Faster rotational speeds allow quicker access to data, and range between 4200rpm (rotations per minute) and 7200rpm.

HDMI out
HDMI (High-Defi nition Multimedia Interface) ports carry digital audio/video (AV) signals to external displays. Unlike DVI, HDMI supports uncompressed high-definition (HD) signals for optimum AV quality.

High-Definition (HD)
A general term for the latest high-quality digital media content. This includes the HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats and also High-Defi nition TV (HDTV) broadcasts. It refers to the increased resolution of HD content, which displays at a vertical screen resolution of 1080 pixels for a sharper image. It shouldn’t be confused with Super-TFT screens, which are sometimes inaccurately marketed as High-Defi nition displays.

Memory (RAM)
System memory (also known as RAM) temporarily stores data for the processor. The more RAM your laptop has, typically, the faster it will operate.

Modem
A device for sending and receiving data via a standard phone line and used to connect to the internet.

Networking
By connecting two or more laptops, a network is formed, so you can share files between machines. Networks can be fixed or wireless, depending on whether the network is connected by physical cables (see Ethernet) or radio signals (see Wi-Fi).

Operating System
The Operating System (OS) is the main software program on a laptop, and provides the base for all hardware and software to operate from. Various operating systems are available, but Microsoft’s Windows is the most commonly used.

Optical drive
Optical drives allow for the use of CD and DVD discs for data access and storage. All drives will play audio CDs and movie DVDs, while higher-specifi ed laptops provide CD-RW and/or DVD+/-RW drives, allowing you to copy data to discs.

Parallel
An old technology rarely used anymore, although some modern laptops continue to ship with parallel ports. The primary use for the connection is to attach a printer.

Pointing stick
On smaller laptops where there may not be space for a touchpad, a pointing stick (PS) may be used. Usually found in the centre of the keyboard, it resembles a small button. As with a touchpad, a pair of mouse buttons sit below the keyboard.

Processor
Also known as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), the processor is the heart of your laptop. Processing all data, the advent of the mobile CPU has revolutionised the industry, as laptop CPUs can run faster and provide increased battery life. The most popular are Intel’s Core 2 Duo and AMD’s Turion 64 x2 chips, both of which are dual-core and optimised for high performance mobile use.

RAID
Redundant Array of Independant Disks (RAID) is a data storage technology allowing two or more hard drives to be connected together and recognised as a single drive for increased storage capacity.

Screen
Measured in pixels, the higher the screen resolution the sharper the image will be. While larger screens provide an obvious increase in viewing space, higher screen resolutions can also deliver the same effect. To provide a more vibrant image, many laptops now carry Super-TFT screens (also known as anti-glare) to allow more light from the screen.

Serial ports
Serial ports are an older method for connecting external peripherals, such as mice, printers and external modems.

SLI
SLI (Serial Link Interface) is a technology developed by nVidia for connecting two or more of its graphics adapters together to work as one and increase 3D performance.

S-Video
S-Video can be used to connect your laptop to an external monitor or even your television. When equipped with an S-Video-in port, external video equipment can be fed into the laptop for recording video to the hard drive.

Touchpad
Laptops ship with a built-in mouse. The most common is the touchpad (TP) located beneath the keyboard. A pair of buttons accompany the touchpad for opening and selecting from menus onscreen.

USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) enables users to plug their peripherals into an available USB port and have it automatically recognised and installed. USB 1.1 is the older variation and transfers data at up to 12mbps (megabits per second), while USB 2.0 offers faster speeds of up to 480mbps.

VGA out
Although most laptops are predominantly used for mobile operation, many users confi gure them as a main home system to save space and add manoeuvrability. As a result, it can often make sense to attach a full-sized external monitor to enjoy greater screen sizes than laptop technology can offer. To this end, many laptops ship with external VGA (Video Graphics Array) ports to allow the quick connection of an external display.

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, also known as wireless LAN, allows you to set up a wireless network in your home (see Networking). You’ll need a Wi-FI router, prefereably with broadband connected, and your laptop must be Wi-Fi-enabled. Available in different forms, 802.11g is the most common and allows for data transfer speeds of up to 54Mbps (Megabits per second), which is fine for websurfi ng and fi le sharing, but not for streaming video. 802.11n networks are faster and allow for video streaming.

WiMax
A long-distance wireless technology. Designed to provide broadband internet access to even the most remote locations where traditional phone lines are unavailable, WiMax aims to increase broadband adoption around the world.