Mobile Devices

Question 1

What are common laptop battery types?

Answer 1

Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd)
Nickel-metal Hydride (NiMH)
Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
Lithium-polymer (Li-poly)

Question 2

What is SODIMM and where do you find it?

Answer 2

Small Outline Inline Memory Module (SODIMM) is the industry standard FORM FACTOR for laptop RAM

Question 3

Does SODIMM have to be compatible with the motherboard?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

What are these types of?
200-pin DDR
200-pin DDR2
204-pin DDR3
260-pin DDR4
262-pin DDR5
32 or 64 bit configurations

Answer 4

SODIMM (small outline inline memory module) RAM (for laptops)

Question 5

How do you migrate info during Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive replacement?

Answer 5

Manually or through migration software.
Move all data to a new location (cloud or external device) & copy to new drive once installed.
Manual is preferred for simple user data.
Manual migration does NOT include user settings / config.
Migration software moves files, setting configurations, & apps. Both drives usually need to be accessible during the migration.

Question 6

What are the 3 form facotrs of HDDs and SSDs for laptops?

Answer 6

1.8”, 2.5”, M.2.

Question 7

A SATA cable connects a laptop to its HHD/SSD drive. What does this cable provide?

Answer 7

Power & Data

Question 8

How do you replace a NIC (network interface card)?

Answer 8

Remove the bottom cover, remove the screw, disconnect the two antenna wires, pull straight out of the M.2 socket - replace and reverse.

Question 9

What are the two primary types of mobile display units?

Answer 9

Liquid crystal display (LCD) - 3 popular variants are IPS (in-plane switching), TN (twisted nematic), VA (vertical alignment). Current passes through a semi-crystalline liquid. A backlight is required.
Organic light-emitting diode (OED) - the image-producing components & the light source are in a single panel. The organic light-emitting compound sits between an anode and a cathode, which produces a current. As the current runs through it, the compound produces light. Popular in high-end monitors & small devices like phones. Good for curved displays; power consumption is lower and contrast ratio is higher than an LCD.

Question 10

Which is best for a wide viewing angle: IPS, TN, or VA?

Answer 10

IPS

Question 11

What is best for competitive gamers: IPS, TN or VA?

Answer 11

TN (oldest LCD technology but also the quickest.)

Question 12

Which has the best contrast ratio: IPS, TN or VA?

Answer 12

VA (best contrast ratio & middle ground for colour / lag)

Question 13

Which is best for graphic artists: IPS, TN, or VA?

Answer 13

IPS

Question 14

802.11 standard = wireless

Question 15

What are 5 parts of a laptop display unit?

Answer 15

backlight (for LCDs)
inverter (analog to digital) (LCDs)
screen (LCD or OLED)
digitizer (if touch screen)
webcam
microphone
WiFi antenna

Question 16

If the laptop offers wireless, it has a Wi-Fi antenna.

Answer 16

Usually placed in the top of the clamshell case to it’s higher up and gets better reception. The wire runs through the hinge into the bottom shell & plugs into the motherboard.

Question 17

What is an inverter?

Answer 17

Small circuit board located behind an LCD panel that turns DC current into AC current (which is needed by the backlight). Common cause of flickering screens & dimness.

Question 18

What are the two main types of RAM?

Answer 18

SODIMM and DIMM
SO-DIMM is half the size of DIMM so are usually used in laptops, notebooks, small PCs & home theatre setups
The motherboard has to be compatible with the type of RAM you choose.
SODIMM will not fit in a DIMM slot

Question 19

What is the most common RAM form factor?

Answer 19

DIMM or Dual In-Line Memory Module

Question 20

Is a Lightning cable proprietary?

Answer 20

Yes - it’s an Apple product for iPhones & iPads. Macs may use lightning ports for charging only (instead of data & power like iPhones)

Question 21

What is a serial interface used for?

Answer 21

Allows serial data transfer in small bits between devices.
USBs, Thunderbolt, & HDMI are all serial connections.
Common accessories include displays, external hard drives, and input/output devices.

Question 22

What is a port replicator?

Answer 22

Allows for a compatible laptop to connect to additional ports, such as the ones built in to the laptop, and can be used for a keyboard, mouse or printer. Allows for continual connection.

Question 23

What generations of cellular are there?

Answer 23

2G (telephone circuits)
3G (telephone circuits)
4G (IP instead of telephone) (2 varieties: WiMax & Long-Term Evolution or LTE). Higher range and faster upload/download speeds.
5G:
3 5G classifications - enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) for cell phone & mobile communication
URLLC (ultra-reliable low-latency communications) for autonomous vehicles & industrial applications)
Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) for IOT device sensors.

Question 24

What are Preferred Roaming List (PRL) Updates?

Answer 24

Updates to the reference guide used by mobile phones to connect to the appropriate cell phone tower. The guide usually updates with phone updates.

Question 25

What is GSM (global system for mobile communication) vs. CDMA (code-division multiple access)?

Answer 25

Both are obsolete 3G standards. Were incompatible with eachother and used by competing providers.

Question 26

Are GPS and cellular location services the same thing?

Answer 26

Nope. GPS is satellite based; uses triangulation between receivers & satellites. 3 main components: the satellite constellation, the ground control network, & the receiver.
Cell location is obvs based on connection to cell towers (triangulation) and are carrier-based.

Question 27

What’s the difference between MDM (mobile device management) & MAM (Mobile application Management)?

Answer 27

MDM implements security policies and allows remote tracking, locking, unlocking, encryption, wiping, etc.
MAM is for remote installation, deletion, encryption & wiping of corporate apps and related data.

Question 28

Microsoft 365
Google Workspace
Apple Cloud

Answer 28

Microsoft Cloud
Google Workspace / Google Drive
iCloud (Apple ID for access)