Thursday, 04 September 2008 
After weeks of speculations on the Internet, Dell has finally launched today the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 low-cost netbook, featuring a 8.9-inch glossy LED display with 1024x600 resolution and the Intel Atom 1.6GHz N270 processor.
Starting at 2.28 pounds, the Inspiron Mini 9 comes with 512MB or 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of solid state drive storage, Intel GMA 950 graphics, a 4-cell battery, and optional 1.3-megapixel web camera. The netbook has one speaker, three USB ports, 802.11g wireless connection, optional Bluetooth, an Ethernet LAN port, 3-in-1 media card reader, and VGA output.
Dell ships the 910 with Ubuntu 8.04 or Microsoft Windows XP Home. Two color options are available for now, Obsidian Black that's included in the price or Alpine White for an additional $25. At last, all Dell Inspiron 910 netbooks come with 1 year warranty. You can purchase one right now directly from Dell. The starting price is $349 with Ubuntu, and $399 if you want Windows XP Home.
Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is now available to order on Dell's website
These two new notebooks both feature widescreen displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 55% wider viewing angle over average notebook. The HDX16 has 16-inch display and resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, while the HDX18 has 18.4-inch display and resolution of 1920 x 1080.Both notebooks use an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processors, have 4GB of DDR2 RAM, Nvidia GeForce 9600M 512MB graphics and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. HDX18 comes with a 320GB 5,400RPM hard disk drive and SuperMulti optical drive, and HDX18 comes with twin 250GB hard disk drives and a Blu-ray optical drive.
The HDX16 will be available later this month for $1249, as will the HDX18 for a price of $1549.
Asus has announced the launch of four new N series notebooks featuring Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) for smart power management, SmartLogin facial recognition system and built-in ExpressGate operating system to allow access to most commonly used program in just 8 seconds.The new N series lineup comprises of laptops from 10.2" size to regular 15.4" ones.
Asus N10: Designed for optimized mobility, the Asus N10 is perfect for individuals constantly on the move. Sporting a 10.2" monitor, the N10 delivers a multi-sensory experience with a Nvidia GeForce 9300M graphics card and Intel Atom processor.
Asus N20: Built for heavy usage, the Asus N20 comes with a 12.1" monitor and up to 12 hours of battery life. Equipped with an Altec Lansing sound system that provides excellent sound clarity, plus a highly efficient eSATA hard disk drive housed in a dust and moisture-resistant enclosure, the N20 is a versatile road performer for business and personal entertainment.
Asus N80: Designed specifically for business executives and professionals in mind, the Asus N80 comes with a 14.1" display powered by a standalone Nvidia GeForce 9 Series graphics card with up to 1 GB of VRAM, complemented by Dolby Surround decoding to deliver impressive sound quality that is sure to impress in any business or personal situation.
Asus N50: The Asus N50 is truly the pinnacle of mobile computing, designed for intuitive control and user-friendliness. A multimedia touchpad serves as a responsive point of control as well as an intuitive and convenient multimedia control unit, complete with backlit buttons, for instantaneous multimedia enjoyment. Another unique feature of the N50 is its built-in Air Ionizer that not only helps clean the air around the user of allergens and germs, but also promotes air-flow and circulation. More Info and Specifications.
Corporate-style notebooks tend to pack a big punch underneath professional, slick but plain chassis. Sounds actually like a lot of corporate folks in their black and gray suits. The Acer TravelMate 6292 has all these bases covered for a business computer. It starts at about $1,800, and with add-ons hovers around that $2,000-plus range, which is just low-cost enough to help a middle-management type to convince IT to allocate the money on it.
For the price, Acer knows how to add value with a brainy interior in an otherwise staid exterior. Its processor is the Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 variety with 2.0GHz, 800MHz frontside bus, and 4MB of cache. That's fired up with 2GB of memory. For long-term parking, there's ample room in the Acer with its 160GB hard drive.
This TravelMate also offers all the wireless capabilities that businesspeople could use in a hotel lobby or in a meeting with the next greatest prospective client. The wireless is 802.11 a/b/g/Draft-N. Communication with PDAs and other handhelds can be managed through Bluethooth or infrared. Old-fashioned Internet connection can be had through Ethernet or even 56k modem. A PC Card slot could provide accommodation for most other types of accessibility, such as High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, or HSDPA.
Perhaps another prerequisite for a business notebook should be toughness. Of course, not all corporate laptops need to be able to withstand a plummet of epic proportions, but they should be able to hand a ding or a donk here and there. The Acer folks made sure that the TravelMate can do just that with its scratch-proof surface and hard-drive shock protection. Security is key too, so hoorah for the fingerprint scanner.
Some users could gripe about the 6298's OK 12.1 inch screen, or its awkward keyboard, or its stiff black design. Others might have aching shoulders from the extra few ounces on this oversized ultraportable. (It weighs in at about 4.5 pounds.)
But those people might not understand corporate IT, and the need to squeeze as much computer out of them as possible. A reasonably priced TravelMate laptop geared with all that a businessperson could need does the trick.
Super models around the world have been under the magnifying glass as of late. From Rio to Madrid, activists are saying that models need a little more meat on their bones, that being a waif is a wee bit too unrealistic, and unhealthy perhaps, for average women folk. The message to girls out there: you don't have to be waif-like to be beautiful. Sony must not have listened when it was designing its new model ultraportable notebook, the Sony VAIO G1. And they shouldn't. In the world of ultraportables, less is more.
Powered by Intel's ultra low voltage Core Solo processor, this new Sony notebook weighs in at a dainty 2.1 pounds. I've eaten hamburgers that have weighed more. In any event, you won't be asking "where's the beef?" with this laptop. Though it's petite, it is still loaded with enough features to make it a functional companion on any business trip. There's the 12.1 inch display, which works just fine for word processing and spreadsheeting with its matte finish. (No Xbrite technology, though, so Web sites and DVDs may look flat.)
Speaking of which, the ultraportable VAIO G1 manages to contain a DVD burner too-with enough room to spare for a VGA port, two USBs, Ethernet, a PC Card slot, and two Wi-Fi antennae for respectable wireless capabilities. Don't forget a battery. Sony estimates put battery life at 6 hours, though smart money is four hours being more likely.
So how can the new Sony manage all of these features and still weigh less than my favorite hamburger? The beauty is in the carbon fiber body. Most laptops contain aluminum or magnesium of some alloy or another, but the carbon body of this ultraportable Sony makes it lighter and stronger, and better at not burning your lap.
One downside of this little guy-it only comes with 512MB of RAM for starters. It's upgradeable to 1.5GB, which you might consider if you're going to switch to Vista when it eventually comes out. Another downside: no cutting edge gaming capabilities with only an Intel Graphic Media Accelerator card. The price tag hurts too: $2,599, partly explained by the fact this Vaio notebook has to be shipped to the United States by importer Dynamism. It is not sold on the shelves here in the U.S.
Despite undoubted portability, a laptop sometimes just isn't functional enough. For example, doctors dashing around a busy patient ward, inputting sensitive data about Mrs Coggin's ingrowing toenail, Mr Chuffton's bottom grapes, and other such critical medical emergencies, would perhaps find a typical keyboard restrictive. To make life easier, enter one of the leading proponents of the Tablet PC, namely the Gateway convertible notebook.
For those unfamiliar with the term Tablet PC let me try and offer a succinct explanation. A tablet PC is a laptop with a touchscreen enabling the user to operate the notebook with a stylus or digital pen instead of a traditional keyboard or mouse. In other words you can write directly onto the screen, which can be swivelled 180 degrees and folded flat over the keyboard. This type of notebook is usually loaded with handwriting recognition software (built into Windows XP Tablet PC OS), and Gateway's convertible pc is no exception.
You've probably already heard the excitement about Intel's 64 bit Merom technology. Dual core processing features 2 independent processing cores which can share around twice the workload of your average Joe Soap processor. This is an ideal setup for multitasking graphic artists who like to have a few design software apps open at once. I'm pleased to say that this M285-E SBb Gateway Convertible can be configured with a 2.16 GHz T7400 Core 2 Duo (667MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache), and will be Vista ready when Microsoft's much heralded operating system finally ships.
The M285-E SBb notebook's 6.1 pound frame also houses a 14 inch widescreen display with 1280 x 768 resolution, up to 100GB (5400rpm Serial ATA) 2.5 inch hard drive, and a massive 4096MB (667MHz) of DDR2 SDRAM (2-2048MB modules). Ports and slots include a 7-in-1 media card reader, Type II PC card slot, and 3 USB useful 2.0 ports. There's also integrated Bluetooth, and an Intel 802.11a/b/g wireless card.
Security is covered in the form of an embedded TPM chip (version 1.2) for user authentication and data protection (version 1.2 ready), and a subscription to Lojack. The features and flexibility of this machine make it a great buy, but bear in mind, a fully loaded Gateway convertible notebook will chew a 2 grand sized hole in your wallet. However, cheaper configurations of this are available at Gateway's official site - Gateway.com.
Full review of Asus M70sa
Meet the next 17" DTR / multimedia system from Asus - the M70, which features the ATI HD3650 video card with 1gb of Video Ram, a Full HD display, and 1TB of hard drive space, and measuring in at 16.2" x 11.8" x 1.7" and weighing in just over 8 pounds with it's 9 cell battery. Get ready for a bit of a workout, this thing is large and in charge!
Opening up the glossy piano black LCD blessed by a 1.3mp webcam, you'll find the keyboard, which is very decent, with a tactile matte like finish, and full number pad, which helps with 10 key entry, or simple number entry. There is a 4 dedicated shortcut keys above the keyboard including the "instant fun" button, but it isn't really that instant, and only provides the media center in vista.
The Trackpad on the M70 looks the part, and then some. It features backlit hot touch area's that are enabled by tapping the function MODE area, then tapping the associated backlit area. Volume, backlighting, play, pause, next can be controlled by simply hitting the specific areas and is a nice feature to have as a multimedia notebook. The 5 speakers on the M70sa are well appointed Altec Lansing speakers with that funky dedicated woofer on the bottom of the unit. Chrome surrounds all except the most front speakers on the M70, and the sub helped fill in the lower-midtones
Features and Performance The M70 is definately not a simple mans machine, it features nearly every connection you will need, like: IR port, integrated TV tuner port, 4 USB 2.0 ports, mini-firewire port, SD card slot, Express Card slot, wireless on/off switch, audio in/out/spdif, and a Blu-Ray 2x drive sitting in the compartment to the left as well. But that's not it! The rear of the unit is actually pretty decked out as well with an AV input, HDMI output, E-Sata connector, RGB output, modem, Ethernet, and lockslot.
Gaming performance was decent, although not mind blowing - since the HD3650 uses slower DDR2 memory and slower clock speeds and finicky drivers - it did feel a little anemic playing on high settings on popular games, but otherwise for video, photo, or simple TV it performed very well.
The M70sa also comes with a carrying bag, USB mouse, HD tuner antenna, and that sweet accident protection program.
Apple defined what a music player must be. It defined what a smartphone should do. And now the company could be setting the bar, very high again, for what an ultraportable laptop should be like with its MacBook Air. All within less than an inch of metal, 3 pounds of total mass, and the starting price tag of $1,799, Apple has managed to deliver what all consumers have come to expect from their laptops, and much more.
The 13.3-inch backlit LED display does not compromise on resolution (1280x800) or performance. The keyboard is full-sized. The battery doesn't weigh the Air down, yet still motors on for as long as five hours. And somehow in its narrow confines, the MacBook has room for an iSight camera as well.
And then there's the innovation that we've all come to expect from Apple. The trackpad features Apple's multi-touch input, made famous by iPhones, where you can pinch and spread your fingers to zoom in and out of your display. Then there's an innovation truly MacBook Air: the laptop has no optical drive and instead forces you to rely on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to backup files on Time Machine, download music and movies, and communicate with others.
Its environmental advances will become industry standard and are numerous enough to deserve their own article.
"No optical drive?!" you might be able to hear an old-timer choking in panic and disbelief, unable to get over the previous paragraph. "How can I upload a driver or a new app, huh, huh, huh!?"
MacBook Air has this covered. Say you need to install a driver via a CD. The laptop has what's called Remote Disc, a wireless process that allows your Air to "borrow" the optical drive of a nearby computer with a drive. It's so freaky it's almost parasitic.
But it's progress, right? Sort of like the advanced human life forms that will thousands of years from now whose brains will be five times as big as ours and whose bodies are lifeless, useless spleen-like appendages.
But I digress. Back to the MacBook Air. If there ever was a weakness, it could be its 80GB of hard drive. A quieter 64GB solid state drive is optional as well as an external USB SuperDrive. Or the built-in mono speaker. But am I being picky here?
Otherwise, the hardware in this 3-pound package is Apple up-to-snuff. A 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo is standard, with 1.8 optional. The RAM is a standard 2GB.
Perhaps you'll never look at your old ultraportable the same way again.
mac airbook Product Photos
Acer sponsorship of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team brings the compact Acer Ferrari 1000 Laptop. Featuring Carbon Fiber lid, fierce candy red trim, and the speed-invoking Ferrari logo. The similarities do not stop at the exterior, as the Ferrari 1000 is filled with power, thanks to its AMD Turion Dual Core chip and 768 MB RAM. Light weight, it weighs four pounds (3.85 lb.) and with a thickness of only 1.36 inches means its designed for portability.
Design
Classified as an ultra-portable, taking this laptop out and about is a pleasure thanks to its small size and light weight. To help reduce size and weight on the Ferrari 1000, an integrated optical was excluded, instead comes with an external optical drive. Opening the laptop was designed to make you feel as if youve entered the cockpit of a supercar. Starting with the Carbon Fiber lid, it is flanked by red trim and has a distinct logo adorning the center.
Features and Performance
Powered by AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-56 dual core processor, this CPU sports a 2x512KB L2 cache, runs on an 1800 MHz HyperTransport Bus, and is built on a 90nm manufacturing process. Maximum power dissipation (Thermal Design Power, TDP) of the TL models is at 35W. ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 chipset equips an integrated graphics. Not to mention, 768MB DDR2 667MHz RAM and supports up to 4GB RAM and a Seagate Momentus 5400.3 (ST9160821AS) 160GB 5400RPM 8MB cache SATA drive.
Lets get to more goods: the vibrant 12.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800 native resolution) widescreen display with Acer CrystalBrite high-brightness LCD and with LED backlight. It enhances the viewing experience, as color and contrast are much more rich and vibrant. Viewing angles were respectable and color inversing was minimal.
Attached within the LCD panel-mounted is a 1.3 megapixel camera located above the display. You also get Acer VisageON software, which tracks 22 points of the users face so it to remains centered in the frame.
The Ferrari 1000 came with two batteries: one 6-cell rated at 4800 mAh and one 3-cell rated at 2000 mAh. The larger 6-cell capacity battery protrudes from the rear of the machine but the 3-cell does not. Overall battery life with the 6-cell isnt that great.
Recommendation:
The Acer Ferrari 1000 is stylish, feature rich and and is plenty fast but there is a caveat. For a 12-inch ultraportable, it is heavy. Battery life stinks, and the optical drive is external (which could be a pro or con). Gamers need to look elsewhere for their gaming delight and try the M1330 instead. Instead, users who opt for this machine will appreciate the slick Ferrari styling and great performance. While its bigger brother, the Acer Ferrari 5005 outperforms the 1000 in almost every respect, the Ferrari 1000 is tailored for a different audience. If you must have the Ferrari styling and prefer a lightweight stylish machine, then the Ferrari 1000 could be a good choice for you.
Acer Ferrari 1000 Product Photos
Full review of Fujitsu U810 Ultraportable Tablet
Laptop + Ultra Mobile PC + Tablet = Fujitsu LifeBook U810. Think this mini-sub-tablet Ultra Mobile PC laptop as the Swiss army knife of ultra portable computing. This little thing has a functional keyboard that can flip the screen that becomes a tablet with full touch-screen capabilities. Weighing only 1.56lbs and measuring 6.75-in x 6-in x 1-in, the Lifebook U810 is certainly is absolutely tiny, especially when you consider it�s a fully Vista-capable computer running inside.
The U810 can turn into 3 setups: laptop, tablet, or UMPC modes. Swivel and flip the screen over, and the device can be used as a UMPC (Ultra mobile portable computer). You can pull out the stylus and use it as a portable tablet. For a tiny machine, expect a tiny 56-key QWERTY keyboard that you can (barely) use if you find you need to type as a laptop. As you may expect, due to the size, its missing a lot key connection ports like: VGA output, expansion slots, and a half dozen USB ports. Instead, youll get one USB 2.0 port, SD media slot AND Compact Flash slots on either sides, a connection port to connect a Fujitsus Ethernet dongle and accessories. The remaining ports include the charger, headphone and microphone ports.
Intels mobile A110 processor found in other mobile devices (Smart phones and UMPCS) and runs at a modest 800MHz coupled with the Intel 945 chipset. Also includes 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 4200RPM 40GB hard drive. The 5.6-inch LCD screen (1024 x 600) is a sharp little glossy display with accurate touch-screen functionality that gives the imot plenty of flexibility to work with. Feel free to swivel and rotate the screen. Thankfully, the U810 is able to offer 802.11a/b/g WiFi, a finger-print access, and built-in webcam.
Performance
The Fujitsu comes pre-installed with Microsoft Vista. What does that mean? The load times are downright atrocious, taking up to 2 minutes to get to the desktop screen when powering up. It�s so slow that by the time Vista is fully ready to use, you already feel like the computer has already drained half the battery. However, things run much better as we noticed no slow down in web browsing and general desktop usages. The Fujitsu U810 managed only an average 3 hours of battery time running mixed video, web browsing, and data entry. Thats very disappointing for a machine of this size.
Conclusion
All all in one portable machine designed to offer mobile users to work, its certainly not perfect. With the lack of some ports and poor performance, its not ideal for users who demand power. Rather, its designed for casual users who need more than just a PDA. For those looking for a versatile portable computer, this is worth it. But if you dont mind having something bigger, go for a real tablet PC or ultra-portable laptop.
Fujitsu U810 Ultraportable Tablet Product Photos
Here's a flexible solar panel that can help you recharge your laptop when you're hiking in the himalayas, hundreds of miles from any power socket. It's waterproof and can provide a maximum output of 14 watts.
Have youever been on a desolate mountain, hiking all day up until youreach the summit where you've dreamed of reaching you're wholelife, only to realize you have no batteries for your camera torecord the vision for posterity? Or have you ever been lost inthe Amazon after your prop plane made an emergency landing, butluckily you have a sat phone on hand-except again, you have nobatteries? Don't worry, there aren't that many headhunters leftin those parts.
It's forthese situations-outrageous yet fully within the range of today'sadventurers-that Brunton developed the SolarRolls, as well asboring, everyday travels through the great outdoors. SolarRollsare rugged yet flexible solar cell power sources that can be usedwith most any portable electronic device, from cameras and cellphones, to video recorders and, why yes, laptops. They can evencharge car batteries.
In the "olden days"-just a few years ago-travelers would have tolug around and rely on heavy solid cell batteries for a similarbackup power system. SolarRolls, though, are so-called"amorphous" solar cells, meaning you can literally roll them upwithout fear of harming some hardened part. They are alsowaterproof. They are made of something called Tefzelfluoropolymer.
The largest, SolarRoll 14, is 12 inches by 57 inches rolled out,but weighs in at only 17 ounces. It can crank out a max 14 watts,so it's the one you'd want to charge your laptop whenyou're camping in the Rockies (or hanging out at an all-day musicfest). There is also the SolarRoll 9, at 12 inches by 40 inches,which cranks out 9 max watts, good for cell phones and cameras.The smallest, the SolarRoll 4.5, measures in at 12 inches by 22inches, weighs only 6.4 ounces, and cranks out-yes, you guessedit, 4.5 watts-perfect for cells phones, crackberries and thelike.
If ever you happen to be stranded in a glacier in Greenland withevery single portable device on you, all of which need to becharged, never fear. You can connect multiple SolarRoll panels together to up their wattage. At the time of writing this product is selling for $479, however, for the latest prices and more information on this solar charger check outBrunton.com.
The T4220 will likely be a hit with folks seeking a classy Tablet PC for business or college. Stand out features include dual-directional hinge movement, allowing rotation of the display any way you like, and a 2GHz core 2 duo processor.
Not alltablets are created equal. This isn't kindergarten t-ball, whereevery players a winner. No, the technology still on the left edgeof the technology curve-the newish end-so it's not something youcan buy into on the cheap and expect to get quality. But you canget value if you pay a little more. In today's case, value issynonymous with the Fujitsu T4220.
At slightlyunder $1,900 retail with features described in this article, theFujitsu T4220 packs much of the same stuff that you'd expect froma traditional laptop at this price range. It's an Intel Core 2Duo computer (the T7300 with 2GHz) on the Santa Rosa chipset with2GB of memory, which is right down the middle these days forVista-based computers. The hard drive isn't gigantic, at 100GB,but it'll do.
The accessibility options are not too shabby either. Bluetooth,smart card, optical, 3-in-1 card reader, VGA, USB, wireless-theFujitsu T4220 has 'em. It's got a DVD writer optical drive.
And for business types-whose laptops usually start at this end ofthe price range-it's got a fingerprint reader to make your ITdepartment happy. While we're on the topic of security, theFujitsu T4220 also comes with two locks-one on the front side andthe other on the space-saved/topical drive slot, to protectwhatever you happen to store in there.
But let's get to the truly fun part of Fujitsu T4220-it's atablet, remember? With tablets, users tend to cradle the computerin their hands. With that in mind, the Fujitsu designers placedfabric swatches on the bottom of the computer, in places whereyour delicate skin would be likely to contact the chassis. Thatway, you don't get the sweats when the core heats up.
Perhaps the second most important part of a tablet, its hinge, isunlike any in the business. It allows double-directionalmovement, meaning you can rotate the 12.1 inch display any way youlike.
The first most important part of a tablet, the screen, is alsostellar. With resolution capability up to 1400 x 1050, it wieldsa mighty colorful palette. But forget colors. How easy is it toscribble on it? From the reports I've heard, the pen writes assmoothly on it as if you're writing on paper. It even comes withan eraser!
Boasting an AMD 64 bit X2 Processor and 2GB of RAM, the new Vista powered DV6500z entices the big-box-store-shopper with its inexpensive multimedia capabilities.
The idea ofusing a laptop with their home's entertainment center might notbe mainstream just yet in the States. People with fancyhome-theater setups might tap into a laptop's multimediapotential, but the average user is still happy watching DVDs ontheir laptop on long flights rather than in their livingroom. TheHP Pavilion dv6500z might go a ways to change that.
Starting ata mere $649, the new Pavilion beckons the big-box-store-shoppinggeneral public with its affordable multimedia capabilities. Ofcourse, once you shop a little deeper for the HP, you realizethat, to actually get some value out of this HPPavilion, the price tag might need to be raised toplus-$1,000 with the necessary options.
For that extra change, you get the dedicated graphics card-annVidia 8400M GS-that, along with the nVidia nForce 630M chipset,AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-60 microprocessor and 2 GB of RAM,can really let the Windows Vista Home Premium work its multimediamojo on your high-def television, DVDs and even gaming.
It also helps in the home theater front that the HP Paviliondv6500z has a HDMI port, the premier hookup for HD devices. Andfor the rest of your devices-HD or otherwise-the Pavilion isaccessible to most anything. It comes with VGA and S-Videooutputs, as well as a 5-in-1 media card reader, three USB portsand an Expresscard slot.
Of course, even at that price level, you can't expect a blazingfast gamingnotebook. But we're still talking mainstream, where the HPPavilion dv6500z holds its own.
Qosmios are a series of high end desktop replacements. The F45 isn't the most cutting edge of the line, but it does offer a choice of Intel core 2 duo microprocessors, a 15.4" widescreen display, a HDMI port and a HD-DVD ROM drive.
High-definition DVDs in laptops are the next logical stepin HD technology's conquest of the world. I haven't quite figuredout yet if the HD technology people have good intentions, orsinister ones, with their takeover of our TVs, our movies andnow, yes, our portable computers. HD technology is coming at usso fast and furious it gives us little time to think beyond theprimal urge to hunt and gather and buy.
The latestassault comes in the form of these new Toshiba Qosmio F45 Serieslaptops complete with HD DVD drives, priced especially low toguarantee that knee-jerk "I must have that" thought. Those slychaps! The two new models are the AV425, starting at $1649, andthe AV423, starting at $1299. The difference between the twomodels is primarily that the more expensive model comes with aT7250 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (2GHz) versus a T5450 (1.66GHz); a 300 GB hard drive versus 250; and an NVIDIA GeForce 8600MGT graphics chip versus an Intel Graphics Media AcceleratorX3100.
But back to the conspiracy. These Qosmios are HD in a couple ofways, which makes them all the more alluring. First, you can popan HD DVD into the laptop itself and watch the stunning clarityin your favorite films-six times clearer than standard DVDs-onthe notebook's 15.4-inch display. If you don't care what otherswill think of your HD obsession in the library, plane, or yourother quiet location, then turn up the HD sound on the HarmanKardon speaks and the built-in subwoofer.
Or, my friends, truly succumb to the HD experience and plug theQosmio into your home's entertainment center via the HDMI port.The result is that the laptop's Windows Vista Ultimate OScapabilities will power the resolution of your HDTV up to 1080i ,as well as bump up the sound system. But beware. Once you walkdown the HD path, it's an exquisitely detailed yet slipperyslope.
You buy one of these new, lower priced Qosmios, and you couldsoon find yourself dropping the $2,999.99 for the high-end QosmioG45-AV680, with its 17-inch display and its HD DVD recordabledrive. I must have that. For more detailed specs and the latestpricing visit ToshibaDirect.com.
Available in a choice of white, brown, or silver, Sony's Vaio NR has some stylish design touches but offers an entry level price and specs.
Sony ismaking some serious forays into the mid to lower consumer pricerange with its laptops. Its latest addition to this mix-the VAIONR-is genuine value in the $700s to $800s range. For your JoeSoap notebook consumer-say, a college kid, a recent graduate, orsome other member of the "Millennial" generation-the VAIO NR'stop feature could be its customizability.
We don't refer here tothe amount of RAM you can load into the NR's 6.2 pound chassis,or your choice of graphics processor. No, we're talking colors.And not to denigrate your basic laptop buyer, but the ability tobuy one's own chassis color and personalize a product reallycould top lists here. In the case of the VAIO NR, users can pick from white, brown, or silver. Andthough the chassis is made from plastic and not some light, slickmetal, reports have this VAIO looking good (and well puttogether) nonetheless.
Not to say that you can't customize other features of this. You have your choice of Intel processors, from thesemi-antiquated 1.46 GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T2310 to the1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5450. You can pack in as much as 4GBof RAM as well.
The choices at this price level, though, stop there. The VAIO NRcomes with a 15.4-inch display and that's it. (It comes withXBRITE-ECO glossy finish, still, so it's not a bad thing.) Thegraphics chip is an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100-noAlienware gamer's delight is the VAIO NR. And you get WindowsVista operating system with all its accompanying software thatyou'll either have to ignore or delete yourself. Unlike Asus'snew , alinux operating system is not a starting option.
One other downside note as well, NotebookReview reports have the NR supposedly having some designflaws, such as a battery that wiggles inside the chassis evenwhen locked in, and an AV mode switch (that would allow you to usea media player without booting Windows) that failed to work.
Sure, you can order your VAIO laptop in brown to match yourleather handbag. But those issues are worth considering aswell.
The new Zonbu consumes far less energy than used by a everyday light bulb. The cost for such an eco-friendly notebook-$279 down and $14.95 per month afterward for two years tech support. This includes automatic data backup, and remote access to those files. If, perish the thought, your Zonbu should break, the service gets you a free replacement. In fact, the company claims it will send out your new laptop the day you report your system failure.
This comingnew year, Zonbu, a company out of Menlo Park, Calif., will beoffering a new 15.4" widescreen laptop with a unique data storageand warranty service. The Zonbu runs on a proprietary operatingsystem and is manufactured by Everex. You get a 1.5GHz C7-MVIAprocessor, you also get a less than spectacular 512MB of RAM,however the beauty of Zonbu is less about the hardware, and moreabout the service they offer.
Basically,the notebook comes loaded with 20 software apps, such as theaforementioned OS, firewall, and virus protection, all of whichthe company will upgrade automatically and for free.
Zonbu also provides its users with automatic data backup on anonline storage site, and remote access to those files via theZonbu computer or any other computer. If the Zonbu hardwareshould break, the service gets you a free replacement of thatlaptop. In fact, the company claims it will send out your newlaptop the day you report your system failure. And all of yourfiles will be backed up, remember, so no worries thereeither.
The cost for such a product-$479 down and $14.95 per monthafterward with no commitment. If you commit to their service forone year, the down payment goes down to $379. Commit to twoyears, and you save another hundred-with a down payment of $279.Break the commitment, and you could be looking at up to $200 incharges.
(In comparison, the Zonbu Desktop Mini-where the company got itsstart-comes at a down payment of $99 with a two-yearcommitment.)
That's all well and good, but Zonbu claim to fame is itsgreenness. The 5.3lbs (2.4kg) laptop produced by Everex isdesigned to earn the Green Electronics Council's EPEAT silverrating. It is also Energy Star 4, and meets RoHS standards. Foran idea of what this means, let's again compare with the DesktopMini. It uses just one-tenth the energy of a regular desktop,thanks in part to it not containing a fan or hard drive. Also thelaptop's low power design reduces CO2 emissions, and is totallycarbon neutral, and consumes far less energy than used by atypical light bulb.
And when (hopefully after years of sterling service) Zonbu givesyou the green screen of death, the company offer a free take-backprogram to recycle your used laptop responsibly. E-waste isquickly becoming a global concern. Millions of tons of electronicwaste is dumped in landfills and incinerators every year. Simplyreturn your Zonbu laptop and they will settle the tab for safelyrecycling all the components. They'll even recycle the originalbox it came in! And the 60GB hard drive that comes with thelaptop? Everything is stored on flash memory and backed up on thecompany's servers via the Internet.
The whole deal sounds zerific, right? But here's something to askZonbu if you decide to give them a call: What privacy guaranteesdo they make that they won't access your stored files on theirserver, or let someone else?
MSI has announced the arrival of the world’s first Turbobook - the MSI GX600 gaming laptop. The GX600 gaming laptop is the only gaming portable to feature MSI’s exclusive Turbo Drive Engine technology. One look at the GX600 gaming laptop and the first thing you’ll notice is the Turbo button taunting you from above the keyboard. You can’t resist pushing it, increasing the speed of the Core 2 Duo from 2.0 GHz to 2.4 GHz, adding short-term performance enhancement to your game. Boot time is just 40 seconds. Additional highlights of the GX600 gaming laptop include the racer-class 3D speaker, digital/analog 5.1-channel headphone output, colorful W/A/S/D buttons, MSI VIVID technology, HDMI connector and the latest wireless N-standard, topped off with a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, DVD Super Multi and integrated Bluetooth. The laptop comes bundled with Windows Vista Home Premium, and features a 15.4-inch non-glare LCD display, and the latest 250GB SATA hard drive. The GX600 gaming laptop retails for $1,499. MSI.
Touted as the best gaming laptop out there, the new Dell XPS M1730 laptop is the only gaming laptop with AGEIA PhysX processor, which enhances the quality of real-time physics on PhysX-enabled games. To put it simply, when you’ve got the M1730 laptop, games don’t just hint at “real” – they’re bigger, faster, and wickedly real. Dual NVIDIA SLI graphics capability with DirectX 10 allows for the simultaneous operation of two graphics processing units, delivering twice the performance of a single card. Other extras include 512 MB of dedicated video RAM for fast graphics, two x16 graphics channels creating a 3D experience, and Logitech’s GamePanel LCD, which lets gamers track and view stats without ever leaving the game. The M1730 laptop is affectionately dubbed “The Beast” by Dell, and one crack at this baby and you’ll know why. The M1730 is priced from $2,999 up to $4,499 for the best you can get. Dell.
What’s bright, fits in your lap and weighs just 898 grams? It’s the Sony Vaio G laptop. Touted as the world’s lightest laptop PC, the Vaio G has everything you want on the go - it's compact, light, and it'll go for hours. The Vaio G laptop comes with a 12.1-inch LCD screen. Add a little more substance without much more weight to this lightweight laptop – pack it with an optical drive for a weight of 984 grams, still pretty impressive. And the cherry on the sundae is a battery life of 12.5 hours. The Vaio G laptop computer retails for approximately $1,881.
If the thought of a Nissan X-Trail sets your heart aflutter, the NEC Lavie G Type J X-Trail laptop is the one for you. Inspired by the popular rugged Japanese SUV, the Lavie G Type J X-Trail laptop features an exterior clad in the same fire-engine-red colored panels that grace the vehicle, a waterproof nylon case fashioned from the same material as the Nissan X-Trail’s seats, and it’s dotted with X-Trail logos. The 12.1-inch laptop features a U7500 Core 2 Duo, Vista Home Premium, and a dual-layer burner. This limited-edition laptop retails for approximately $2,115.
Lenovo has made headlines lately with a couple of big “firsts” sparked by the release of their Lenovo 3000 Y410 Laptop: the Y410 laptop is the company’s first consumer laptop, and it’s available at a Big Box retailer near you. The Y410 laptop features a fast, dual-core Intel processor, a 14.1-inch widescreen LCD display offering 1,280 by 800 resolution and integrated Intel graphics chipset, a 160GB hard drive and up to 4GB of memory, a dual-layer DVD writer, a 6-in-1 media card reader, and integrated 1.3 megapixel camera and Dolby Home Theater speakers with sub-woofers running on Vista Home Premium OS. Connectivity includes three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, VGA, S-Video and ExpressCard. The Y410 is about 1.5 inches thick, weighs 5.2 lbs., and retails starting from approximately $700. Lenovo.
Taking the laptop from work to play, the new Toshiba Qosmio G45 AV680 laptop is the ultimate high-definition showcase for your digital entertainment. As far as HD goes, you can scrutinize the Qosmio G45 AV680 in two ways: by audio and by visual. Slip your favorite HD DVD into the laptop and you won’t be able to take your eyes off the picture displayed on the 17-inch diagonal widescreen with Ultimate TruBrite display - that’s 1,920 by 1,200 native resolution and a picture that’s six times clearer than offered by the standard 15.4-inch laptop. The second mode of attack is the sound - the 5.1 surround-sound Dolby Home Theater with four built-in, high-fidelity Harman Kardon Bass Reflex speakers and an integrated 1-bit digital amplifier. A built-in HD DVD-R3, HD TV tuner and HDMI connector, embedded webcam and microphone, and a remote bring variety to your fingertips. All the technical trimmings include Intel Centrino Duo processor technology with the Intel GM965 chipset, new Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN, and 1GB Intel Turbo Memory for enhanced system performance, application responsiveness and power use. Advanced video processing with NVIDIA’s new GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of VRAM graphics and dual 160GB HDDs deliver dependable performance. The Qosmio G45 AV680 laptop starts from $2,999.99. Toshiba.
The super-small Packard Bell EasyNote XS ultra-mobile PC laptop has made a big splash in the world of laptop computers. The seven-inch EasyNote XS laptop is just over an inch think and weighs only two pounds, providing the small size and light weight qualities you want in a PDA, combined with the higher functionality you get in a full-sized laptop. The EasyNote XS laptop brings you the best of both worlds. Fumble no more - the EasyNote XS mini laptop is easy to use, featuring a full-sized keyboard, a convenient touch pad and buttons. The built-in Wi-Fi and VGA webcam are perfect for chatting with friends, and the integrated four-in-one memory card lets you download images or share music in a snap. Two USB 2.0 connectors mean you can easily add peripherals, bringing you versatility on the go. This ultra-mobile mini laptop runs Windows XP Home Edition, and features 1,024 MB of RAM and 30 GB hard drive. Finally, the EasyNote XS laptop delivers more than three hours of battery life with Wi-Fi on. The ultra-mobile, ultra-mini EasyNote XS PC laptop retails for only $719. Packard Bell.
Operating System
Linux BE (Basic Edition)
Platform
Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile processor technology, featuring:• Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T2450 (2MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 533MHz FSB)• Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset• Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
Memory
512MB DDR2 Memory, upgradeable to 4GB
Display
14.1″ WXGA Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
Graphics
Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset with integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 with up to 224 MB of shared system memory, supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 9, PCI Express®
Audio
Dolby®-certified surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakersIntel® High Definition Audio supportS/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakersMS-Sound compatibleBuilt-in microphone
Storage
120GB HDD
Optical Media Drive
DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Communication
• Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technologyWLAN: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connectionLAN: Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN readyModem: 56K ITU V.92 with PTT approval, Wake-on-Ring ready
Size & Weight
344 (W) x 246 (D) x 37/42 (H) mm2.6 kg
Power
ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and Hibernation power-saving modes44.4 W 4000 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack:• 2.8-hour battery life*3-pin 65 W AC adapter*may vary depend on setting & usage
Special Keys & Controls
88-/89-/93-key, inverted “T” cursor layout, 2.5 mm (minimum) key travelSeamless touchpad with 4-way scroll button12 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey controls, embedded numeric keypad , international language support, independent US and Euro dollar sign keysEmpowering KeyEasy-launch buttons: WLAN, Bluetooth®, email, Internet
I/O Ports
ExpressCard™/54 slot5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)Four USB 2.0 portsIEEE 1394 portExternal display (VGA) portS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) portHeadphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF supportMicrophone-in jackLine-in jackEthernet (RJ-45) portModem (RJ-11) portDC-in jack for AC adapter
Software
-
Optional Items
-
Warranty
1 (one) year International Traveller’s warranty (ITW)
Notes :- RAM upgrade to 1GB- OS Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty-fawn) & Windows Vista Ultimate
Fujitsu has officially joined the Penryn party with multiple LifeBook models now available with Intel's newest generation of Core 2 Duo processors. We took a closer look at the LifeBook E8410 to show you exactly how much a new processor can improve overall system performance.
Our review notebook features the following specifications:
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Processor (Penryn, 2.1GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business
15.4" Crystal View (Glossy) WXGA Display (1280x800)
Integrated 1.3MP Webcam
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
2GB of DDR2 667MHz RAM
Fujitsu 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Modular Dual-Layer Multi-format DVD Writer
Modem, Intel 4965AGN (802.11a/b/g/n) WiFi, 10/100/1000 GigE LAN, Bluetooth
6-cell, 10.8V, 5200 mAh, 56.2 Whr Battery
One year international warranty
Price as configured: $1,589
Build and Design
At first glance the E8410's exterior looks rather plain with black matte plastic with some glossy highlights in the front edge. Granted, this business-oriented notebook isn't designed to attract consumers who are looking for the latest "eye candy" but the design isn't too professional looking either.
The interior of this laptop is mostly light-silver/gray with a white keyboard. The keyboard, palmrests and most of the other surfaces are all plastic. The speaker grills on either side of the keyboard are the only parts that stand out as having metal construction. Unlike most consumer laptops there are no LED status lights. Instead, Fujitsu uses a black/white LCD display that provides a range of information about the current status of the notebook without any annoying bright lights.
As shown in the picture below, the LCD "status display" shows symbols for power status, if the battery is charging or discharging, the remaining charge in the battery, optical or storage drive activity, wireless activity, and more. Overall, the status display is a great feature ... particularly since it doesn't have those annoying blue LEDs. However, it might not have been a bad idea for Fujitsu to have included an LED warning light for the low battery indicator.
Despite the fact that the E8410 is designed for business users the build quality isn't quite what we expected for a business laptop in this price range. Fujitsu has built some genuinely sturdy (almost rugged) business laptops in the past. While most of the notebook chassis has a solid feel the areas around the optical drive and RAM bay cover have some pretty obvious flex. Granted some amount of the flex is due to the modular optical drive bay ... which has to be built in a way that makes it removable. We were just a little surprised by the flex in the plastic.
The screen housing also suffers from similar plastic flex. I can twist the screen a little bit more than I should, but the screen does not distort when being flexed. Additionally, I can only produce ripples on the screen by pressing quite hard on the back surface. It would be very difficult to damage the LCD under normal usage and the notebook should survive regular travels in a backpack or shoulder bag.
As mentioned above, the optical drive is modular, meaning that any type of optical drive supported by Fujitsu can be placed in the E8410. Or, one could put the included weight saver plastic insert in the slot to reduce the weight of the laptop. Users can also insert a secondary battery instead of an optical drive to get a longer battery life ... a serious advantage for road warriors.
The one negative aspect of the modular optical drive is the position of the release. I accidentally ejected the drive several times while transporting it to and from the office. Yes, the modular drive is a great feature, but I would have liked to see a lock switch or button to prevent accidental release of the drive.
Screen and Speakers
The Fujitsu E8410 features a 15.4" wide-screen WXGA display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. This resolution is "acceptable" but still pretty low for a 15-inch notebook. Luckily, you can configure the E8410 with a display resolution as high as WSXGA+ (1680x1050 pixels), and the better screen only costs an additional $75 at the time of this writing.
The low-resolution screen in our review unit is bright enough for office and home use. In fact, it's bright enough that you can easily set the display at 50% screen brightness in average office lighting (which is great for battery life).
Unfortunately, the screen in our review unit has poor vertical and horizontal viewing angles. When you view the screen head-on it looks fabulous, but move a few degrees above and the color washes out. Move a few degrees below center and the colors become inverted. Move a few degrees left or right and colors will again appear distorted.
Keep in mind that these type of viewing angle issues might not be common to all versions of this notebook. The older version of the E8410 that we reviewed last year was praised for having excellent horizontal viewing angles.
There are two speakers located on each side of the keyboard when you open up the laptop. The speakers produce distortion-free sound at even the highest volumes. However, like most laptop speakers they do suffer from a little of the "tin can" speaker effect and lack bass. For business purposes the speakers are fine.
Processor and Performance
The E8410 features the latest in processor technology with the newest Intel Penryn CPU. Our review unit of the E8410is equipped with integrated Intel X3100 graphics but Fujitsu offers the Nvidia GeForce 8400M G dedicated graphics card as an option in other configurations. The benefit os integrated graphics is lower cost and slightly lower power consumption, and most business professionals don't need dedicated graphics.
All of the following synthetic benchmarks were performed with the laptop set into 'Performance' mode.
At 2.1GHz, the T8100 (Penryn) processor found in the review laptop does quite well in PCMark05 benchmarks. As shown below, it managed to pull a score of 4,211 PCMark points. That said, a previous version of the E8410 equipped with the older 2.2GHz T7500 (Merom) processor produced a score of 4,618 PCMark points
Do you remember Dell’s compact 13.3-inch XPS M1330 laptop? Well, the company will soon make the UBuntu version of this notebook PC available in U.S market. Previously, UBuntu 7.10-powered M1330 has been released in Europe, packed with Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor, 1GB of main memory, 120GB of HDD, DVD burner, Intel GMA X3100 graphics engine, and built-in 2 megapixel webcam. This kind of configuration is retailed for 848 EUR in Germany. No words how much it will be priced in States store.
Additionally, customers can subscribe for either a 30-day UBuntu beginners support (55 EUR), a 1 year basic support (60 EUR), or a 1 year standard support (90 EUR).
HP tx1000 Convertible Notebook Review
If you have been searching the market for an entertainment notebook with Tablet PC features, your search may be over. Thanks to HP's tx1000 convertible notebook that starts at $1,299. Though the tx1000 is targeted toward the average consumer, business professionals are still welcome. This portable notebook packs a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 5-in-1 digital media reader, a mini remote control for movies, music and photos and it comes with Windows Vista installed.
The HP Pavilion tx1000 specs as reviewed (tested price $1,849)
CPU AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 / 2.0 GHz processor
OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
RAM 2 GB DDR II SDRAM
Display 12.1" WXGA High Definition BrightView Widescreen with Touchscreen (1280 x 800)
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics
Audio Altec Lansing speakers and integrated microphone
Hard Drive 160GB (5400 RPM)
Optical Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8x DVD/RW
I/O ports 3 x USB
1 x VGA - 15 pin
1 x TV-Out (S-video)
1 x Microphone-in
2 x Headphone (one offering S/PDIF output)
2 x Infrared - IrDA
1 x Modem - RJ-11
1 x RJ-45 LAN
1 x Express Card
1 x notebook expansion port 3
Communications 10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n (draft 802.11n)
WLAN
Bluetooth
Dimensions/Weight 12"(width) x 8.8"(depth) x 1.5"(height)
4.2 lbs.
Battery/power 6 cell, 4-5 hours
4 cell, 3 hours
Design and Build
The tx1000 has a sharp appearance. Its unique inlaid wave design extends from the glossy black lid onto the silver inside surrounding the keyboard. HP went for a modern, portable design. Weighing in at 4.2 lbs., the tx1000 can go wherever you go. If you want to save even more weight the optical bay is removable and can be replaced by the included weight saver.
The chassis has some flex in parts due to the fact the tx1000 uses a plastic housing, though it can't be called flmsy, it's not the sturdiest notebook on the market either. The advantage of a plastic casing is in keeping weight and price down. When you tap on the left palmrest area the sound is hollow and you'll get some flex there. The keyboard itself has a solid design with minimal flex.
The screen swivels in a clockwise manner with ease to turn the notebook into a Tablet. The hinge has some flex, but works great. The Tablet or swivel mode is nice for watching movies or giving presentations. There is also a mini remote control that can be stashed in the ExpressCard slot, this comes in handy for those lazy days when you want to stay in bed and control a movie as the tx1000 sits on your nightstand!
Display
The 12.1” screen is the perfect size for a portable notebook used to travel and for working on the go. There are even media QuickPlay buttons on the right side of the screen for your entertainment convenience. The screen is slightly grainy, but you will get this with any Tablet PC due to the extra layer needed for tablet funtionality. The glossy screen is good for presenting bold colors and watching movies, but bad when doing a lot of reading in strongly lit areas as it is quite reflective. One small annoyance is the fact it is difficult to see what level brightness you've got the screen adjusted to because there is no on screen feedback when you toggle brightness -- same goes for volume.
The fact that the tx1000 has a touchscreen is nice. You can use your fingertip to close applications, move them around or, if your fingers are small enough, to poke around in menus. I actually liked using my finger more than the stylus, you might as well take this approach since the stylus is a passive pen design and offers no real advantage other than being smaller and more accurate when necessary.
Processor and System Performance
HP chose to go with the AMD Turion X2 TL-60 dual core processor and Nvidia Go 6150 graphics for the brains of this system. It’s good that they didn’t choose a low voltage underpowered processor, commonly found in 12.1” screen laptops. Though in our opinion, a low-end Intel Core 2 Duo processor might have been preferred as it would offer slightly better performance. Nevertheless, thanks to 2GB of RAM combined with the Turion X2, performance was more than acceptable for general tasks such as Office, web and multimedia use. It’s a little slower when it comes to such things as image processing within Adobe Photoshop or even Apple iTunes encoding – we found a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500 machine to be faster time wise with such tasks. But in general usage you won’t notice any lag with the tx1000.
The tx1000 ships with a base 1GB of RAM as this is required for Windows Vista to run. You should seriously consider going with the 2GB of RAM for better performance though. Windows Aero, the 3D windows display rotation feature, worked flawlessly given the tx1000 specs we had and the 2GB of RAM probably helps there.
The Windows Vista Aero feature runs just fine on the tx1000 (view large image)
As far as gaming, the Nvidia 6150 card that shares system memory isn’t going to cut it for much. Obviously this notebook convertible is not intended for playing Half Life 2 or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but rather for just say – doing work.
posted from : laptopcenter.blogspot.com
I see a lot of laptops, and many of them claim to be record-breakers in the speed department. Only one, of course, can genuinely hold the crown at any time. And for now, the machine that has earned the title of fastest gaming laptop on the planet comes from an unlikely creator: Gateway.
With its P-series FX (I reviewed the P-171XL FX if you're looking for specifics), being launched this week at CES, Gateway has radically revamped its traditionally conservative look and given itself a makeover. Clad in glossy black with rust-orange accents, this is a machine straight out of Half-Life.
As with most serious gamer notebooks, the P-series features a big, 17-inch screen, a numeric keypad, and a rock-solid keyboard. And of course, the under-the-hood specs are what will really thrill the FPS lovers: 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme CPU, 3GB of RAM, dual 200GB hard drives, and—a first among laptops, as far as I can tell—an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTS graphics card. Even the 8700 series has been rare in laptops up to now, and the 8800 is even faster than that model.
Specs are meaningless if the machine can't put up, and the P-series puts its money where its mouth is. I got my mitts on the first machine off the production line in order to put it through its paces, and on my Doom 3 benchmark test, the P-series pumped out frame rates of just over 200 frames per second, dramatically besting the previous all-time champ, as well as 80 other notebooks I've reviewed in the last two years. General application performance using PCMark was also top-notch. Though the P-series didn't break that record, it came within 0.32 percent of doing so (or statistically tying it). Using the P-series is a dream if you're used to the long delays that typically come with doing anything under Windows. HDMI and eSATA ports are available as outputs (as well as the usual USB and FireWire.) As a bonus, it's quiet as a mouse, even when the fans are running.
Naturally, you can't have everything, and the P-series isn't going to work for everyone. At $3,000, it's exceptionally expensive, even for a high-end machine, though I've seen $4,000 notebooks that were far less capable than this one. At 9.3 pounds, it's hefty, even for a 17-inch laptop (most come in around 8 pounds). And despite the monstrous battery, I eked out only 67 minutes of running time. One final concern: The screen is too dim even at maximum brightness, though that's a common problem with 17-inch laptops.
Still, next to its performance and nice design, those are minor quibbles. On the whole, I wouldn't hesitate recommending the P-series FX to anyone looking for a new gaming laptop... provided they aren't planning to do any traveling with it.
posted from : laptopcenter.blogspot.com
Eee PC 904HD | |
Daya Tahan Baterai Hingga 5.4 jam*
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Spesifikasi | ||||||||||||||||||||||
*Estimasi daya tahan baterai maksimal pada sistem operasi Windows XP diukur dengan BatteryMark 4.0.1 (pada mode Super Hybrid Engine Power-Saving, brightness LCD 40%, Wi-Fi tidak diaktifkan, BT tidak diaktifkan (jika tersedia), dan kamera di non-aktifkan). Daya tahan baterai tergantung pada pengaturan di produk, pola penggunaan dan kondisi lingkungan. Oleh : Asadullohil Ghalib |
• Ukuran layar 8.9" yang lebar akan menambah area pandang sehingga membuat mata Anda terasa lebih nyaman saat menggunakannya.
