您可能从我之前的评论中可以看出，我是一个视觉学习者，我喜欢简单的分步说明。这就是为什么审查笔记本电脑简化(Laptops Simplified)的想法吸引了我。一本承诺是“最简单的学习方法”的精美插图书有什么不喜欢的？("Simply the Easiest Way to Learn?")作为最近购买上网本（我拥有的第一台全新的移动计算机）的人，我希望学习各种可以增强便携式计算机体验(computer experience)的有用的东西。那发生了吗？(Did)让我告诉你。
小型计算机的大书
简易笔记本电脑(Laptops Simplified)的页面比标准平装书(paperback book)大。这使插图更易于查看，并为说明和信息留出了足够的空间。作者表示，这本书是为“从未使用过这种特定技术或软件应用程序(technology or software application)的读者”和“想要扩展知识的读者”而写的。这给人一种通用介绍的感觉，可以用于该系列中的任何一本书，但该书确实以直截了当的方式为新用户解释了基础知识。
由于简化(Simplified)系列是 Wiley视觉(Visual)系列的一部分，因此重点在于插图以及使信息尽可能简洁易懂。有很多截图，所有截图都标有与页面上的说明相匹配的编号箭头。有些页面有一个“Simplify It”侧边栏，为想要超越基础知识的人提供额外的有用信息。
笔记本电脑的开始
笔记本电脑简化版(Laptops Simplified)从对笔记本电脑的基本描述开始，以通用笔记本电脑为例。有可能找到的端口图片，包括 PC卡插槽(Card slot)和调制解调器插孔(modem jack)，随着时间的推移，这些在笔记本电脑上变得越来越不常见。奇怪的是，这本书自始至终都将笔记本电脑的屏幕称为“显示器”，这可能会让新手感到困惑。对屏幕尺寸、重量、内存和存储(memory and storage)、处理器、图形、无线功能和电池类型进行了一般性讨论。其中一些信息没有什么用，因为笔记本电脑是一揽子交易——买方(package deal—the buyer)得到制造商想要输入的东西。一般来说，一个指示必须选择最重要的属性并将其保留在列表中的第一位，可能会在其他不太重要的属性上做出妥协，这将是有用的。如果制造商提供该信息， Windows 体验指数(Windows Experience Index)的讨论可能有助于正确决定购买哪种型号。一些讨论是针对高端游戏玩家的，他们不会读这样的书。有一章专门介绍第一次使用笔记本电脑，但同样，它使用的是普通笔记本电脑。新的笔记本电脑所有者最好阅读随附的用户手册并按照这些说明进行操作。(Windows 7)的移动设置和电源管理(power management)，以及关闭时的选择说明（以及合上盖子可以做什么）。
然后....
本书的其余部分几乎都致力于通用的Windows 7指令，完全没有针对笔记本电脑的指令。尽管这些内容清晰且插图精美，但本书并未详细介绍Windows 7(Windows 7)新用户可能需要的那种细节。维护(Maintenance)章节讨论了诸如 Windows 7 自动执行的硬盘驱动器碎片整理之类的事情，并且仅简要提到了清洁屏幕的安全方法。我很惊讶地看到有关将键帽从键盘上弹出以清洁它们下方的说明。以我的经验，这是(NOT)一个(something one)不想要做。有些键帽很容易脱落，但必须以特定方式戴上，一旦将它们从键盘上取下来，就不是发现这一点的好时机。安全一章提供了(Security)密码保护和文件加密(password protection and file encryption)的简要说明，但任何想要拥有真正安全的密码并(secure password and work)安全有效地使用加密的人都需要比Laptops Simplified提供的更好的说明。
判决
虽然Laptops Simplified有其优点，例如清晰的说明和易于阅读的插图，但它有太多的缺点需要推荐。较大的页面和厚重的铜版纸非常适合插图，但出于好奇，我称了这本书的重量，它大约是 1.6 磅（761 克），而不是你想塞进笔记本电脑包作为参考的东西，假设它会合身。购买(Before you buy)前一章并没有明确说明，在笔记本电脑中选择单个组件的自由度不如在台式电脑上(desktop computer)的自由度。本书的内容太多(Too)与笔记本电脑无关，如果想要一个好的Windows 7参考那里有很多更好的（我们已经审查了很多）。节省您的时间和金钱(time and money)以获得更好的书籍。
Book Review - Laptops Simplified
As you can probably tell from my previous reviews, І am a visual learner and I like ѕimple, step bу step instructions. This is why thе idea of reviewing Laptops Simplified appealed to me. What's not to like about a lavishly illustrated book that promises to be "Simply the Easiest Way to Learn?" As someone who recently bought a netbook (the first brand new mobile computer I've ever owned) I was hoping to learn all kinds of useful things that would enhance the portable computer experience. Did that happen? Let me tell you.
Big book for small computers
Laptops Simplified has pages that are larger than the standard paperback book. This makes the illustrations much easier to see, and leaves plenty of space for instructions and information. The author states that the book is for "the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application" and also for "readers who want to expand their knowledge." That had the feel of a generic introduction that could be used for any book in the series, but the book does indeed start by explaining the basics for a new user in a straightforward way.
Since the Simplified series is part of Wiley's Visual series, the emphasis is on the illustrations and on keeping the information as concise and easy to understand as possible. There are plenty of screenshots, all of which are marked with numbered arrows that match the instructions on the page. Some pages have a "Simplify It" sidebar with additional useful information for people who want to venture beyond the basics.
Laptop beginnings
Laptops Simplified starts off with a basic description of laptops, using a generic laptop as an example. There are pictures of the ports one is likely to find, including the PC Card slot and the modem jack, which are becoming less common on laptops as time goes on. Oddly, the book refers to the laptop's screen as its "monitor" throughout, which might be confusing to the newcomer. There are general discussions of screen size, weight, memory and storage, processors, graphics, wireless capabilities and battery types. Some of this information is of little use, because a laptop is a package deal—the buyer gets what the manufacturer wants to put in. An indication that, generally speaking, one has to choose which attribute is most important and keep that first on the list, probably making compromises on other less important attributes, would have been useful. The discussion of the Windows Experience Index could be useful in making the right decision on which model to buy, if the manufacturer provides that information. Some of the discussion is aimed at high end gamers, who aren't going to be reading a book like this. There's a chapter devoted to using the laptop for the first time, but again, it uses a generic laptop. It would be much better for the new laptop owner to read the owner's manual that comes with it and follow those instructions instead. There are good instructions for using Windows 7's mobility settings and power management, and an explanation of the choices one has when shutting down (and what one can do by closing the lid).
And then....
Pretty much the entire rest of the book is devoted to generic Windows 7 instructions, nothing that is laptop-specific at all. While these are clear and well illustrated, the book does not go into the kind of detail that a new Windows 7 user would likely need. The Maintenance chapter talks about things like defragmenting the hard drive, which Windows 7 does automatically, and only briefly mentions safe ways to clean the screen. I was astonished to see instructions for popping the keycaps off the keyboard to clean underneath them. In my experience, this is something one does NOT want to do. Some key caps come off easily but have to be put on in a specific way, and once you've got them off the keyboard is not a good time to find this out. The Security chapter has brief instructions for password protection and file encryption, but anyone who wants to have a truly secure password and work safely and efficiently with encryption will want much better instructions than Laptops Simplified provides.
Verdict
While Laptops Simplified has its good points, like the clear instructions and easy to read illustrations, it has just too many shortcomings to recommend. The larger pages and heavy coated paper are great for the illustrations, but out of curiosity I weighted the book and it is about 1.6 pounds (761 grams) and not something you'd want to stuff in a laptop bag for reference, assuming it would fit. The Before you buy chapter didn't really make clear that one does not have as much freedom to choose individual components in a laptop as one does with a desktop computer. Too much of the book has nothing to do with laptops, and if one wants a good Windows 7 reference there are plenty of better ones out there (and we've reviewed quite a few). Save your time and money for a better book.
