Scan this code for more info. COVERSTORY To download a barcode app, SMS to 56677 from a with Internet access and camera. Ultrabook vs Notebook vs

Before we dive into the actual 30+ reviews or even attempt to give you any buying advice, it’s essential to first clear the air of all the confusion over ultrabooks, notebooks and , and how they’re different from each other.

- Abhijit Ahaskar, Rahul Kumar and Jayanta Ghose ltrabook is a term coined by for light, but they’re not labelled as ultrabooks. Irrespective notebooks based on certain pre-defined of what they’re called, the good thing is that they’ve specifications. Broadly, these specifications changed the look and feel of notebooks altogether, and Urequire that the ultrabook should reduce we’re hoping that over time, economies of scale will its bulk without compromising on performance or take over, and a lot more notebooks will have similar battery life. So, the height of ultrabooks with 13-inch specifications as ultrabooks. displays shouldn’t exceed 18 mm, while the 14-inch ones should limit it to 21 mm. The battery backup Key Features in Ultrabooks should be more than 5 hours and it should wake up from Ultra-books are sturdy and compact and most of them hibernation in 7 seconds or less. They should be based boast of uni-metal body made from light weight alloys on Intel’s latest low voltage microprocessors, code- of aluminium, magnesium or some carbon fibre. They named Sandybridge and Ivybridge. Plus, they should are crafted on low-power processors with 32 and 22 nm support some security features like Intel’s Anti-theft and microarchitecture from Intel; as a result they offer battery identity protection technology. back-up of upto 9 hours. Ports are important in any , but unfortunately the slim edges of ultra-books When an Ultrabook is not an Ultrabook make notebook like connectivity a distant dream. All you An ultra-book is best understood as a property or an can see on an ultra-book are a few USB ports, an Ethernet object. Intel’s ultra-book is a property built by Intel port, a mic and an audio jack. Ultra-books are crammed whereas, the object ultra-book is just any ultra-slim for space and a full-keyboard ultra-book is still a rarity, notebook like Macbook Air, or notebooks based on AMD’s though backlit keys mostly found in high-end notebooks, Trinity, the chip giant’s second generation, A-Series of is a common feature in ultrabooks. APUs. Seeing all the action in ultraslim , AMD introduced two of its Trinity APUs specifically for this Where do Netbooks Stand After this? ultrathin segment, viz. the dual-core A6-4455M and For now, ultra-books seem to be on the right track but quad-core A10-4655M. Such products would be thin and then netbooks had raised high expectations too. A direct

50 PCQuest NOVEMBER 2012 A CYBERMEDIA Publication www.pcquest.com Scan this code for more info. To download a barcode app, SMS to 56677 from a mobile phone with Internet access and camera. comparison between a netbook and an ultra-book leaves Ultra-book is an evolution the former nowhere in the picture as they are not just of notebooks shoddily built but also lack the strength of ultra-books. We all love our note-books. Even the simplest model They were mostly based on Intel’s Atom processors and will give no cause for complaint. Then how and why is had much smaller 10-12 inch screens which made them the ultra-book a threat? Ultra-books can make your dear unsuitable for rigorous tasks such as gaming or multi- notebook look ugly with their slimness, powerful Core tasking. The tiny keyboard was dying for space and the i7 processors and memory of upto 6 GB. Actually, it is eyes had to be strained not just to see the screen but an evolution for notebooks-from a notion of thick and also to find the right keys. Some hope floated in their heavy portability to one of ultra-light and slim portability. long battery back-up and affordable prices but the lack Neanderthals evolved to Homo sapiens and life saw not of enthusiasm on the makers’ part, killed even that. just improvement but also advancements. Ultrabooks Netbooks are now in virtual oblivion and you can see have done just that to notebooks. But who really needs some obsolete units in some retail outlets at Nehru Place them? What kind of people are they meant for? We’ll find in New Delhi. out in the next story. Who needs an ultra-book? ot everyone really needs an ultrabook. That’s why you’ll always continue to find those heavy-weight monster laptops that serve as desktop replacements, the ultra-powerful and glittery gaming laptops, Nand even the traditional low-cost laptops that you can buy in the Rs. 30K price-range. So the question now boils down to who really needs an ultrabook. So, in this story, we’ve done a complete round-up of ultrabooks, featuring some 30+ of them for working professionals, travelers, and even the budget conscious who aspire to buy stylish looking laptops but can’t afford them. Powerful ultra-books for professionals – Professionals from business and IT need powerful notebooks and that is the reason why weak netbooks fell short of their expectations. For the ultra-books to avoid a similar fate, they have been muscled with the best and latest machinery. Intel’s Core i7 processor with 6GB RAM along with security features makes them not only robust from inside but also on the outside. Ultra-books use SSD for boot-ups and so in just 5 seconds it can be ready for use. The ultra-books are available in 15 inches as well and their HD displays are a sight. However, most lack an optical drive. Who needs them anyway? Long lasting ultra-books for travellers- Working while travelling has numerous constraints, of which a long lasting battery is the most critical. A long battery life is required in , tablets and notebooks and now the same question is being asked about the ultrabooks. In relation to notebooks, ultra-books have much longer battery back-up. The Rapid Start Technology from Intel helps in fast wake-up and this saves power consumption when the ultra-book is in sleep mode. Some ultra-books deliver more than 8-9 hours and that alone will make it a traveller’s companion. Aspiring Budget Conscious Buyer - It is no secret that ultra-books are expensive and until recently, most ultra- books started from Rs 60k, but not anymore. The higher pricing can be understood because of the ground-breaking components being used, but for an average buyer price plays a decisive role. Far from being a niche product for the rich, ultra-book is now seen as a smart kin to notebook available at a smart price. www.pcquest.com A CYBERMEDIA Publication NOVEMBER 2012 PCQuest 51