TABLE OF CONTENTS Notebook computers are the most complex class of portable electronic devices being manufactured today. As general purpose platforms, notebook computers are designed to provide many different types of functionality at very high levels of performance. Given their current status in the marketplace as the ultimate portable electronic device, these products push the envelope on every critical design factor.
We will frame our discussion of notebook computers through examination of the Dell Latitude C800 as a case study, shown in Fig. 9.1. All conclusions drawn and commentary provided about this design are opinions of the author and are subject to error for which the author bears sole responsibility. The manufacturer s claims and specifications regarding this product override any statements made by the author. This particular system was purchased in January, 2001 at a list price of $2,539. The product specifications are as follows:
| Processor | Intel Pentium III 850 MHz |
| Memory | 64 MB (100 MHz SDRAM) expandable to 512 MB |
| Hard drive | 10 GB, 9.5 mm (user-removable 20 GB & 32 GB options) |
| Modular bay | 3.5" 1.44 MB diskette drive (standard floppy), 8X DVD drive (optional), 24X/10X variable CD-ROM drive (optional), CD read-write drive (optional), Zip 250 high capacity floppy (optional) |
| Fixed optical drive | 24X/10X variable CD-ROM (standard), 8X DVD or CD read-write (optional) |
| Display | 15.1" SXGA (1400 1050 resolution) TFT display, 16 MB video memory (upgradeable to 32 MB) |
| Modem | Internal 3COM mini-PCI modem (as shipped) |
| Graphics chip | ATI 3D... |
