Types of computers

PC/desktop computers
PC/desktop usually refers to a general-purpose computer that is made up of a
separate monitor, keyboard, mouse and processor unit.

Advantages of PC computers over the Laptop computers

1. Spare parts and connections tend to be standardized, which
usually results in lower costs
2. The desktop tends to have a better specification for a given price
3. Power consumption is not critical since they usually plug
straight into a wall socket
4. Because they are usually fixed in one location, there is less
likelihood of them being damaged
5. lnternet access is also more stable since they are not moved
around (the user will always have the same data transfer rate).
Disadvantages of PC computers when compared to the Laptop
computers
1. The most obvious is that they are not particularly portable since they are made
up of separate components
2. Because they are not particularly portable, it is necessary to copy files, when
you want to do some work elsewhere (for example, at home)-with a laptop you
simply take the whole computer with you.
3. They tend to be more complicated since all the components (for example,
keyboard, mouse) need to be carried round with you

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Laptop computers
It refers to a type of computer where the monitor, keyboard, pointing device and
processor are all together in one single unit. This makes them extremely portable.
Key features you would expect to find in a laptop:
• Lightweight
• Low power consumption (and also long battery life)
• The processor shouldn't generate too much heat (cooling is very important)
Advantages of Laptop computers when compared to the
Desktop computers
1. The most obvious is their portability
2. Because everything is in one single unit, there are no trailing wires
3. They can take full advantage of Wi-Fi
4. Since they are portable, they can link to any multimedia system

Disadvantages of Laptop computers when compared to the

Desktop computers
1. They are easily stolen since they are portable
2. They have limited battery life
3. The keyboard and pointing device can be awkward to use

Tablets
They are a relatively new Internet- enabled portable computer. They work in a similar
way to a Smart phone. They use touch screen technology and don’t have a keyboard
which is a part of the touch screen and keys are touched by fingers or a stylus. Internet
is usually through Wi-Fi or 3G/4G/5G connectivity.
Some features of the tablet
1. High definition, anti-glare 4. Bluetooth connection to
displays printers and other devices
2. Front and back facing 5. Flash (solid state) memory
cameras and cloud storage facilities to
3. Lower weight and longer backup and synchronize
battery life than laptops (sync) data source.

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 6. Sensor to carry out the What is a Phablet?
following functions: It is a tablet designed as a hybrid
a. Proximity sensor between a tablet and a smart phone
b. Accelerometer and has a smaller screen than a tablet
c. Speech recognition system (between 12 cm and 15 cm display
size)

Advantages of Tablets compared to the Laptops

1. Very fast to switch on
2. Fully portable
3. Touch screen technology
4. Can use several Apps as standard (built - in camera)
5. Don’t generate any heat
6. Battery life of a tablet is longer than a Laptop
7. When the power button is pressed it goes into standby but still connected to the
Internet so that you can still hear alerts from emails,…etc

Disadvantages of Tablets compared to the Laptops

1. They have limited memory
2. They can be expensive if the Internet is accessed through 3G/4G/5G mobile
networks
3. Typing on a touch screen can be slower than a keyboard in laptops.
4. Laptops tend to support more types of file format compared to tablets.

Smart Phones
They allow normal phone calls to be made but also have an operating system
(such as ios, Android, Windows….etc), allowing them to run a number of
computer applications that allow the following functions:
1. Sending and receiving e-mails. 6. Voice Over Internet Protocol
2. Surf the net (VOIP)
3. Global Positioning System 7. Streaming of videos and music
4. Calendar functions 8. Access to social media
5. Telephone banking 9. Instant messaging

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What is OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)?
The next generation of smart phones will use touch screens with OLED where
the touch screens are coated with a crystalline layer that allows the phone to be
partially solar powered, but this will allow them to use Li – Fi.
What is a Li – Fi?
A communication that uses visible light rather than a radio wave.
What is the advantage of using Li – Fi?
1. Faster than Wi – Fi. (it has a much higher data transfer rate)
2. More secure (it stops unauthorized use of Internet “Piggybacking”)
3. It can be used on flights as it doesn’t use radio waves.

How does the OLED technology work?

The technology works by switching LED bulbs on and off in nanoseconds (10-9)
which is too quick for the human eye to detect.
What does light on represent?
It represents the binary value 1
What does light off represent?
It represents the binary value 0.

Advantages of smart phones when Disadvantages of smart phones when

compared to laptops compared to laptops
They are very small in size but laptops The small screens makes pages
are much heavier. difficult to read and small keyboards
makes typing very difficult while
laptops have much bigger screens and
keyboards
Can use them to make phone calls as Web browsing and photography can
well as connect to the Internet (this is drain the battery quickly.
not the case with laptops
They can be used almost everywhere Memory size isn’t very large if
as they use Wi – Fi and mobile phone compared to laptops and pcs
networks
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They have hundreds of apps Not all websites features are
compatible with smartphones
operating systems when compared to
laptops
They have a reasonable battery life It’s easy to lose a smartphone
compared to laptops because of its small size.
Fitness and health-monitoring
capability

Smartwatches
Smartwatches essentially allow users to wear a mini-computer on their wrists.
They offer the same functions as a smartphone and make use of OLED
technology.
What are the functions of smartwatches?
• Internet connectivity (browsing, searches, sending emails and so on)
• Ability to make and take phone calls
• Messaging via text or video
• Weather forecasts
• GPS
N.B: Many of the advantages and disadvantages of smartphones also apply to
smartwatches, but the following are additional points to be considered.
Additional Advantages Additional Disadvantages
Smartwatches are relatively large and
They are even more convenient than
bulky which can make them
smartphones since the technology
uncomfortable to wear.
delivers notifications straight to the
user's wrist

They are very easy to use for monitoring They tend to be rather unattractive in
fitness and health regimes design.

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Mainframe computers
It is a term used for a large (room-sized), very powerful computer system.
Main purpose:
Running commercial applications, such as banking and insurance, as huge
amounts of data has to be processed every day.
The features of Mainframe computers:
1. They may have many CPUs
2. They have very fast processor speed
3. They can support many operating systems
4. They have huge amounts of storage capacity
5. They have huge internal memory (RAM)