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Owners appreciate convenience of laptops

Latest PC Card expands power of smaller computers

By Tatiana Botton

Good things really do come in small packages.

Or that's what computer experts at Comdex, the biggest computer convention in the world held late last month in Las Vegas, confirmed when they said present technology is ready to make laptop computers just as powerful as desktop machines.

The convention attracted 2,000 attendees, including computer technicians from UCLA and specialists from around the world. One of the things almost everyone agreed upon is that the new Personal Computer Memory Card International Association ­ or PC Card ­ is the key behind the laptop computer's growing power. The association has developed the standards for personal computer cards.

The PC Card is a small form-factor adapter for personal computers or other electronic devices, such as speech synthesizers, hard disks and fax modems.

"Everything is getting smaller and more powerful. We are talking about 32 Megabytes of RAM (random access memory), in this little box," said Guido Grimaldi, the assistant coordinator of the disabilities and computing program in the university microcomputer support office.

"There is no reason for anyone to purchase a desktop computer anymore. It's a big mistake to buy a desktop," Grimaldi said.

PC Cards, which used to measure anywhere from four to 12 inches, are now the size of business cards. Their price varies from $100 to $500, while the cost of new laptops varies from $3,000 to $7,000, Grimaldi said.

Despite their increasing popularity, laptops are pricey ­ about two or more times the cost of a desktop computer.

"We are talking about leading-edge type equipment, and the price is still very high. Students will (pay) $250 for laptop equipment when they can pay $50 for the (same) desktop equipment," said David Chien, a computer technician from the Student Affairs Office.

Even if the prices are high, many people are willing to pay because they need the leading-edge technology shown at Comdex.

"For the disabled community, personal computers are the solution to all their problems" Grimaldi said.

About a year ago, if a disabled person wanted a voice recognition program, they needed to have a desktop computer or a big machine to use things like speech synthesizers. They could also have a laptop that was fixed up to work with an internal speech synthesizer, but then the speech synthesizer occupied the space for a modem, Grimaldi explained.

And only special laptops were fit to handle the extra equipment, Grimaldi added.

But today, the PC Card allows people to plug all the same electronic devices into their small laptop.

Larry Pierce, a staff member at the Americans with Disabilities Act and 504 Compliance office ­ the campus agency that prevents discrimination against disabled persons ­ said he is now going to buy one of the powerful laptops.

Pierce lives with a gradual degeneration of muscle strength and he is bound to a motorized wheel chair with a head rest and layback system. He uses a voice recognition program that allows him to speak into a microphone linked to his computer instead of typing.

"For myself, when it's raining, it's impossible to come to work at UCLA. Now I will be able to do the same work at home," he said.

Laptop computers allow users the freedom to move and do their work anywhere.

"The individual bound to a wheelchair, who needs to use a voice recognition program, now can have a laptop mounted on their wheel-chair," Grimaldi said.

And disabled people can now do voice recognition on a laptop that was not available three weeks ago, Grimaldi explained.

Students also agree that laptop computers are helpful because they can bring their computers on campus, to the library or coffee houses without having to go back home and type all the work on their desktop computers.

Nadia Maria Davis, a 1993 law school graduate, said she borrows her father's laptop because she's always working and consistently needs a computer.

"I like to use it at coffee houses," Davis said.

Convenience was one of the major factors that encouraged students to buy laptops, they said.

"It is a lot easier to take it to the library and do the research or work there" said undeclared sophomore Lisa Garcia, adding that she already has a desktop computer but just bought a new laptop.

"The capabilities of a desktop and laptop are pretty much the same, the only thing is that the laptop is much more versatile," Garcia said.

Students that commute also need to have a work instrument that they can take home and then take back to school, they said.

Henry Chang, a third-year biology student, has a desktop computer at his family home, but he owns a laptop computer, too.

"Laptop computers are very convenient. I can go home on weekends and use my family desktop and then use my notebook when I come to UCLA," Chang said.

But even if laptops seem to be the most useful type of computers, engineers, scientists, architects and designers work on desktop computers because they need the big screen that comes with it.

Technology is progressing so fast, Chien explained, that in six months, people will be able to buy a laptop computer twice as fast as the one they already have for the same price.

All the new laptops come with at least one PC Card socket. The more expensive laptops may have as many as three sockets. However, current Macintosh computer laptops in the 500 series don't have a PC card socket, though they come with an option to use them through external devices.

Before this progress, members of the UCLA disabled community had to come to school and do their work in the computer lab. Now they can check out laptops, speech synthesizers and any other computer equipment and take it away from campus.

"All this is still in an experimental stage," Grimaldi said.

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