Today's notebook computers finally have the right idea about being small and portable. The original idea of a portable personal computer came out as a heavy, clunky box with a tiny monitor tucked in the side. Computer engineers put in a lot of brain power to transform the internal components into a miniature versions and to develop a screen that is actually large enough to see without weighing a ton. In the late 1980's they finally developed a small computer case with the keyboard built in and a flat panel LCD screen that can fold open for viewing. The Idea was instantly a big success because the whole package was light enough to carry around and your could take it with you anyway and set up to work. With even smaller internal devices and lighter materials the developers created portable computers so small that they were just as thin and light as a notebook, and the name has stuck. Today's notebook computers have sleek, ergonomic cases, powerful processing hardware, large and vividly colorful flat panel screens, and in most cases built-in wireless networking capabilities.

"Mobile" really means something since there's no need to plant your computer hardware in one place to get things done. Going to the library to research for a report, working outdoors at a remote location, or just hanging out at a lounge and writing emails to friends are all parts of everyday life with the new notebook personal computers. Some of the greatest notebook computer manufacturers have a lot of experience and resources in engineering sophisticated electronics. Chip makers Intel and AMD have been neck and neck producing the most powerful and mobile central processors for working on the go, Seagate and Maxtor have been working for years to outdo each other on packing the most data storage capacity within the smallest portable hard drives, and nVidia and ATI have sizzling the screens with their dazzling graphics processors, along with many other great fits into the ever smaller notebook computer cases.

The current forward thinking marketing trend is to do away with the needlessly large desktop cases altogether. If you open a standard-sized case now you'll see there's a lot of empty space and that many of the components are not packing quite as many electronic gadgets into microscopic compartments as they could. We could soon see more notebook and tablet computers being targeted at knocking the desktops off of the desks in offices and homes, and in their place we'll find slender yet fully functional laptops that outperform the progenitors, as well as freeing up so much more space on top of the table and around the legs. The marketing departments feel we should be able to pick up our work and take a long excursion out of doors, maybe to get a cup of coffee and clear our heads. At some point the tiny and ubiquitous cell phones and the fast and mobile notebook computers will converge into the hardware that goes everywhere we go.