Laptop Computers

 Introduction

As Part of our on Going Facebook Series (Social Media an Productivity), I have come up with this Article In which we will be talking about using Laptop Computers.  We know that Our Series is about Technology, the Internet and Social media – and thus we need to be well equipped when it comes to using a computer since all these basically need computers in one way or the other. Computers have emerged to be part of our lives and that has left us a challenge – in order to be effective and efficient with them we need some basic lessons on how to use them. Why Laptop? It is used both in Personal and Business Environments. You Probably have or sooner will have it.  Once you know it, you are good for any other kind of Computer. Basics Computer Maybe we can start by defining a computer in general. A computer is basically a programmable electronic device which takes data processes it into meaningful information. So, based on this above given definition we get that any electronic device which can be fed data (basically pieces of unprocessed information) and be able to take that data, processes it (through instructions which are literally programs) and then gives us meaningful and or processed information is called a computer. This then makes your mobile phone, smart-watch, smart-tv, LAPTOP, desktop and many more gadgets to be what we call computers. They are all computers, the only difference is that we classify them into different categories, kinds and Applications. Laptop A Laptop is a kind of a computer which basically is portable for carrying around (hence the name laptop – use it on your laps). This though, is not to be confused with a mobile phone. A LAPTOP has its form-factor designed for keeping it on your laps / table that is how you will see the deference between a phone and the Laptop. Keep in mind thought, that they are all computers, it is just that they have specific kinds for every particular one. We also have other ones which are basically sisters to LAPTOPS, those ones we call them desktop computes. Desktop computers are simply for desks as the name suggests. Most usually they have their parts distributed; A monitor on its own, The System Unit, and other components. Software and Hardware Computers are made up of two components which is Software and Hardware, that also includes the Laptop Computers. So, we then need to know and be able to tell what is software vs hardware when we are using our Laptops. Software – these are the programs (instructions) that perform the things a computer does. Software is not touchable, you can only see it, and it is not manufactured but it is coded by Computer programmers Like : CLICK HERE! Hardware - these are the physical components of a computer, the ones you can touch/handle. Hardware usually make casing for the software in order for a computer to function well. Having said this, it means that indeed also a Laptop computer has both these components – Hardware and Software. So, now we have just introduced the Laptop computers, in the next page we will then talk about their structure and how to basically use them because what we want to achieve is to be able to use them effectively. Usage In the Structure, we will just  talk about the basic and physical parts that we deal with daily. We are not going to touch the special and technical parts/components. Parts Monitor – The main part which contains the screen in which you get your display. Keyboard – The part which has different input keys (alphabets and numbers). Body – The casing of the inner parts of a laptop. Sometimes – we also have PORTS, EXTERNAL KEYBOARDS, MICE, EXTERNAL/WIRELESS DEVICES, HEADPHONES AND MORE! How To Use The Laptop? Now that we have introduced the essentials of a laptop, How then do we use it? Power on The first thing to do is to switch it on. Laptops have a button with the power icon ( ) it can be on top above the keyboard or on the sides of the body. Press that power button and in a few seconds you will see a display on your screen. Wait for it to give you a window to put in you login credentials (if it was set to) then if the login was successful it will load the main screen (Technically we call it desktop – or Home screen). Do some stuff (Work) Now that your laptop is on, you need to start working: laptops can perform a number of Activities (creating things, typing documents, viewing images, accessing the internet, doing social media and many more). All these activities are done by what we call Applications (software). You just have to know an application name for you to accomplish a task using a Laptop. So, this basically means that using a Laptop is just like using your mobile phone – because for you to send messages you need a messenger app right! THE SAME APLIES. Search / Find the Apps In a Laptop there are two most important features for you to be able to do any task: The SEARCH () and START features / buttons. Choose either of these and type in the name of whatever you want in the laptop and it will show-up, then click (usually double-click) and it will start running. Please note that different Applications have different approaches of using them (Just like in your phone). THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USING A COMPUTER AND USING AN APPLICATION. People know how to use some particular applications and they don’t know other applications – which does not mean that those individuals can’t use a computer, they only can’t use Particular Applications. Closing / Shutting down It is of utmost importance to know how to Properly Power on and Shutdown your computer for you to be more productive and to have your gadget working most effectual. Shutting down Apps Before we look into shutting down the Laptop, let’s shortly look at closing you apps. Most applications in their top-most bar, in the far right or left, they have three buttons  (icons): Minimize, Maximize, and Shutdown (Depending on the Operating System). When you are done with any Application, click on the Shutdown icon (Usually an X) to close the application. That will ensure a proper functioning of the memory, processor and storage of your computer which in Turn works for you when using the computer for other applications. If you do not properly shut down applications, most of those applications will keep on running, and that will affect the performance of the computer. Shut down the Computer Now that you are done using your Laptop, you need to shut it down. To do so, first make sure that there is no open application. Then (remember the SEARCH and START) go to search and type in shutdown / logoff. Select it and your computer will start Shutting down. Other Significant Stuff Knowing how to use your mouse / Touch pad: We have two main clicks; Left-click (which we usually call it click) and a Right-click (called Right-click). Play around your mouse, so that your hand gets used with these clicks. The FILE button : Most applications usually have the menu (at the top) where you find the file button. That is the button which has most of the important activities in any application you are working with. Just click on it (in different applications) and see what you can do with your work. Conclusion Today we talked about Computers, introduced them and then specifically differentiated the Laptop computer amongst the others. We looked into the salient components of a computer and how to differentiate between them.  We also looked into the basic usage which is powering on a computer, opening applications, closing applications and Powering off Your Laptop. In future Articles we will dive deeper into the usage of the most popular application software out there but for now you can have a glimpse here..