Laptops

A Laptop is a type of PC designed for portability, housed inside a small semi flat case including a built in Keyboard and Track Pad, which is essentially a flat Computer Mouse. Laptops also include a foldable screen section and rechargeable battery that allows use anywhere, not just plugged into a wall socket at a desk.

There are several different types of laptops on today. 2-in-1 Laptops are a hybrid of Tablets and Laptops in which the screen has touch screen functionality, and can switch between modes by either folding the keyboard back and away behind the screen or by detaching the screen from the keyboard.

Ultraportable and Ultrabook laptops are lightweight and slim for maximum mobility. Their design also improves the battery life, although their benefits come with a reduction to the number of input and output ports also known as IO.

Chromebooks are an excellent option for low cost laptops, containing all that's needed for web surfing, office and productivity software use, word processing, presentation creation and more powered by Google's Chrome OS.

One of the easiest things you can do to minimise the need for cleaning or replacing damaged components is by keeping your laptop away from food, drink, water and other environmental hazards.

Extreme temperatures can also put significant stress on the internal components of a Laptop. When it's on, be mindful of where the heat sinks and fans are across its casing so they are not inadvertently blocked causing heat to get trapped inside the Computer. Many Laptops have heat vents underneath and to the sides, making soft surfaces like bedding and cushions unfavourable as they can seal these vents shut. Dust and pet hair can also block vents and is best cleaned using compressed air.

At the software level it is important that you keep the Operating System, Security & Virus Protection and other software and apps up to date. Software is always being updated to add features, improve performance and increase device security. Out of date software is vulnerable to threats and viruses.

If you have grown accustomed to capturing screenshots on a Smartphone, you may find yourself wanting to do the same thing on a Computer. A Laptop can capture all the visual elements on a screen and save them as an image file, all the same as the rest.

On PCs running Windows 10, the PrtScr (Print Screen) button will copy an image of the entire screen, and if you're in a multi screen setup every screen at once, to your clipboard which can then be pasted to any graphic design or image editing program you prefer such as Paint or Paint 3D using Ctrl+V or a right mouse button click. Pressing Alt+PrtScrn will do almost the same thing except it will capture the window open e.g. Google Chrome, Outlook, Gmail etc. rather than the full screen.

The above methods also carry forward into Windows 11, which can also instantly save screenshots to a Pictures > Screenshots folder as well as the Windows Photo App by pressing Windows Key+PrtScr. Software like the Windows Game Bar allows recorded video of the screen if needed.

When choosing a new PC, including laptops, it is beneficial to think about how you will be using it. Having a clear understanding of this will let you find a PC that is powerful enough to efficiently perform the tasks you want to do without paying extra for unused features or excessive high-performance components.

A midrange PC designed for frequent users will be powerful enough to cover a wide range of general uses including internet browsing, multimedia streaming and most software and games. Mid range laptops tend to have decent battery life and are designed for easy portability and flexibility. Low end laptops will be enough to cover basic internet browsing, email and word processing. High end laptops are designed for more intensive tasks like professional multimedia production, 3D graphics modelling and state of the art Gaming.

For many people storage capacity will be a key feature to look for. Solid State Drives (SSD) are much faster than hard drives, boosting the overall performance of any Laptop.