Laptop Reviews

8 Tips For Better Notebook Battery Life

2006-05-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

1. Power down all nonessential functions. Switch it off if you're not using it. Many business travelers already know that you don't want to take the DVD player for a spin on the plane, and that every time you hit "save" it can set the hard-drive whirring, which devours even more power. "But users often also forget to turn off their wireless card when they are no longer using it but are still using their computer," notes Mike Fuller, executive vice president of PC Laptops, a Sandy, Utah, laptop manufacturer. "When the wireless card is on, it still continually searches for networks." In Windows XP, click on "Power Options" in your control panel. It allows you to reduce the power consumption of any number of your computer devices or of your entire system.

2. Stay out of extreme temperatures. The technology that powers you battery isn't terribly complicated. But it's important to understand a little bit about the chemistry behind batteries, and how that can affect your work. Specifically, temperatures can affect the performance of your battery. It's best to use (and especially charge) your batteries at room temperatures. Extreme conditions can drain your battery quickly. Also, avoid partial charges and use the battery until it is dead. Battery experts liken partial charges — and discharges — to eating a cup of lard every day. It significantly shortens your battery's life. Considering that a lithium-ion battery can explode if it's improperly used, it could also shorten your life.

3. Let your laptop do the saving. Not every computing device handles a power source in the same way. Some of the more sophisticated laptops, which are designed with business travelers in mind, are misers when it comes to using power. And that's a good thing — if you can remember to take advantage of it. "Most users make the mistake of simply not choosing to use a product's built-in ability to conserve battery life," says Dan Coffman, a senior product manager for PC manufacturer ViewSonic. How do you harness your PC's built-in ability to save? Consult your user manual. Often, calibrating your laptop is as easy as double-clicking on the battery icon in the toolbar.

4. Always, always carry a spare device that uses batteries. How obvious is that? Well, if you're trying to keep under the onerous new airline weight-limits, it isn't. But as Rick Thompson, director of engineering at Valence Technology in Austin, Texas, observes, "the availability of 'free' power outside of your hotel room is not predictable." That's a nice way of saying it. In fact, I sometimes think airport terminals, car-rental facilities and hotels try to hide the power outlets from us to keep us from accessing their free power. Thompson recommends a system that can simultaneously charge a second portable device such as a cell phone or PDA, allowing you to multitask your battery operations.

5. Rechargeable batteries will give you their longest charge when you've fully discharged and recharged them several times in a row. It may be a pain, but a day or so before your trip, let your laptop run until the system shuts down. Then recharge it and, if you have time, discharge and recharge it a second time, preferably overnight. This is easier to do at home before a trip, but remember to do it at the hotel before your return flight as well.

6. Windows XP and Macintosh OS X both have accurate battery-monitoring software. Each operating system can display how many minutes of remaining battery life you have. Do some experimenting with the screen settings and watch how your battery life increases. Other tips to save power include turning off wireless networking, removing PC cards and not using floppy or CD drives.

7. The best advice I can give is to buy a second battery for your laptop. Paying $75 or $125 for another battery will instantly double your movie enjoyment.

8. Add more RAM! Shhh. This one is a secret of the pros! If you have only 256MB of RAM, your machine is sure to write temporary information to the hard drive constantly. Boost that up to 512MB or even better 768MB+ and you will be sure to minimize this issue, thereby keeping hard drive access to a minimum. No matter what kind of "power saving technology" your processor has, your hard drive is a leech on your battery.

Sources

4 tips to extend the life of your laptop battery
Tips that can stretch your laptop's battery life
Getting More Laptop Battery Life - "Good to the Last Drop"

Apple Introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro

2006-05-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Apple has launched a new 17-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer featuring the Intel Core Duo processor and an all-new system architecture that delivers up to five times the performance of the PowerBook G4.

The new MacBook Pro features an aluminium enclosure just one inch thin, weighs only 6.8 pounds, includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on the go, and the breakthrough Front Row media experience with Apple Remote.

It also features a MagSafe Power Adapter, invented by Apple especially for mobile users.

"The 17-inch MacBook Pro delivers the speed and screen area of a professional desktop system in the world's best notebook design," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said.

"With Intel's state-of-the-art dual-core processor, the new MacBook Pro delivers unrivalled performance in an innovative, sleek, one-inch thin design."

The MacBook Pro includes a 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo processor that delivers dual-core performance in a breakthrough power-efficient design, making it ideal for use in MacBook Pro's thin and lightweight design.

It is up to five times faster than the PowerBook G4, running industry standard benchmarks and offers an all new system architecture including a 667 MHz front-side bus that is four times as fast as the PowerBook G4 and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable to 2 GB that is twice as fast as the PowerBook G4.

Every new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes the same Apple innovations as the 15-inch MacBook Pro, including a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go using Apple's award-winning iChat AV, or recording a video Podcast or iMovie using iLife '06.

Every MacBook Pro also includes Photo Booth, Apple's fun-to-use application that lets users take quick snapshots with the built-in iSight video camera, add entertaining visual effects and share their pictures with the touch of a button.

Featuring Apple's breakthrough Front Row media experience, MacBook Pro gives users a simple way to enjoy their digital lifestyle content, including music, photos and videos from across the room using the Apple Remote.

With Front Row, MacBook Pro customers can effortlessly access shared iTunes playlists, iPhoto libraries and video via Bonjour, Apple's zero configuration wireless networking built into Mac OS X.

Every MacBook Pro comes with Apple's MagSafe Power Adapter, designed especially for mobile users that makes charging the notebook's battery easier than ever by magnetically coupling the power cord to the MacBook Pro.

The MagSafe Power Adapter safely disconnects from the notebook when there is strain on the power cord, preventing the notebook from falling off its work surface. Every MacBook Pro also includes Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor that is designed to protect the hard drive in case of a fall.

Designed for business and creative professionals, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a 36 per cent brighter display to make reading text and viewing images even easier and an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 PCI Express graphics with 256 MB of dedicated GDDR3 graphics memory for demanding professional applications, and a Scrolling TrackPad to easily scroll through long web pages or pan across large photographs.

Providing industry-leading connectivity and high-performance I/O, every new 17-inch MacBook Pro also includes a FireWire 800 port, a FireWire 400 port, three USB 2.0 ports, optical and digital audio input and output, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (enhanced data rate), and integrated AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g WiFi wireless networking.

Every MacBook Pro includes iLife '06, the next generation of Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing Websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click.

Source

Samsung To Launch First NAND Flash-Based Solid State Disk PCs

2006-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Contributor

Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - Samsung is all set to release the world's first PCs embedded with a 32-gigabyte (GB) NAND flash-based solid state disk (SSD).

The new feature will mark the first time that the NAND flash has moved into a commercial mobile computing application, says DM Asia.com.

The merits of SSD involve its ability to read 300 times faster and write 150 percent quicker than regular hard drives, making it quicker to process large volumes of data.

SSD can withstand about twice the impact that would otherwise cripple a regular hard disk drive.

Flash memory helps easy retrieval of stored data than traditional hard drives when PCs are dropped or liquid is spilled on the device.

The PCs are expected to hit the market from early June.

Source

10 Reviews of Apple's New Macbook Laptop

2006-05-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Better bang-to-buck ratio

Now the Intel Core Duo is as affordable as it is powerful. With MacBook, you get the world’s fastest mobile architecture in a beautifully designed notebook that costs less than slower, clunkier models. That’s like getting a sports car for the price of a scooter. Of course, MacBook holds more than your average two-seater: up to 80GB hard drive, an optional DVD-burning SuperDrive, built-in Bluetooth, wireless-ready (802.11g) AirPort, and up to 2GB of RAM. And for the first time ever, choose bright white or sleek black.

Friends for iLife

Every MacBook comes with iLife ’06 — an amazing suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who’s got an email address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie HD and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb.(2) Just turn on your MacBook and you’re halfway there.

Take it on tour

MacBook features Front Row, so you can navigate your movies, music, photos, and more at the touch of the included Apple Remote — no matter where you roam. Give an impromptu vacation photo slideshow in your favorite café. Screen your latest iMovie on the train. Watch a DVD in bed. MacBook and Front Row give you the best seat in the house (or out of it).

All smiles

Look closely. See that little lens in the display bezel? That’s the MacBook’s built-in iSight camera. Use it to video chat simply by opening iChat AV and clicking on a buddy icon (or three). Or fire up Photo Booth and take a few snapshots with the iSight, play around with sixteen fun effects, then admire your handiwork. That little camera lets you create Web-ready videos, too. Just open up iMovie and start the action. From there, iWeb makes it one-click easy to get your talking head on the Web.(2) Looks like fun.

Positively brilliant

Thanks to a 13.3-inch glossy widescreen display that’s 79% brighter with 30% more viewing area than the iBook before it, MacBook provides the perfect combination of pixels and portability. Photos feel crisper. Movies play vividly. Even daily tasks like surfing the Web and checking email take on a whole new sheen.

Hit the hotspots

The built-in wireless capability of MacBook puts the “world” back in “world wide web.” If there’s a wireless hotspot nearby, you can get online. No need to burn valuable surfing time configuring your computer. Just open it up. MacBook automatically detects wireless networks within range and asks nicely if you’d like to join any of them. That’s it. Catch up on your blog, share this weekend’s trip as a photocast, or just chat with your friends. Anytime, anywhere.

CNet Review
Arstechnika review
www.johnwaller.org Review
Macworld Review
Notebookreview.com Review
Spyemac
Pocket-Lint Review
Alaric S. Review
MacNight Review
The Apple Blog Review

Dell XPS M170

2006-01-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

Cnet Review

With the new XPS M170, Dell continues its dominance in the gaming laptop category. Replacing the company's high-octane XPS Gen 2 model, the extremely powerful XPS M170 gets some new components, most notably Nvidia's latest mobile GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256 3D graphics chip, though the case design and features have not changed. In addition to the new GPU, our fully loaded $3,642 test configuration was equipped with an Intel 2.26GHz Pentium M processor and 1GB of RAM--all of which resulted in a nice performance gain over the previous model.

At $3,642, our Dell XPS M170 test unit was quite expensive, even for a gaming machine. Still, our machine came richly configured with Intel's top-of-the line 2.26GHz Pentium M 780 processor, 1GB of fast PC 4200 DDR RAM, and a big 100GB hard drive spinning at a speedy 5,400rpm. The laptop's 3D graphics were handled by the new, top-shelf Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX 256 chip, which boasted its own 256MB of discrete memory. Though this chip will soon become widely available, it's currently exclusive to the XPS M170.

CNET Labs gave the XPS M170 a full workout, and it burned our benchmarks to ash. Its SysMark 2004 performance was on a par with high-end mobile gaming rigs equipped with desktop CPUs, such as the VooDoo M790 and the HP zd8000. Further, the XPS M170 dominated in our gaming tests, thanks to its state-of-the-art graphics chip. It turned in a jaw-dropping 87.5 frames per second on our demanding Doom 3 3D benchmark test--significantly ahead of any other laptop we've seen so far, including the previous XPS Gen 2 model. In our battery drain test, the XPS M170 lasted for 145 minutes, about the same as the XPS Gen 2 and not bad for a desktop replacement.

Though Dell has moved to a 90-day warranty on its less expensive models, the company covers the XPS M170 with an industry-standard one-year warranty, which provides free parts and labor with mail-in service. For a $3,642 notebook, we believe that Dell should offer a longer support contract; and the upgrades are fairly pricey: a four-year warranty with at-home service, which Dell recommends, costs about $340. You can get help through Dell's 24/7, toll-free telephone line for as long as you own the laptop. Dell offers a special tech-support number exclusively for XPS owners, staffed by reps who can provide help with the latest games and technologies. The company also has a support Web site with downloads, FAQs, and hardware-specific user forums.

PcMag Review

Dell wants to make something clear with its latest XPS notebook: "XPS" stands for more than just gaming. The XPS M170 ($2,899 direct; E-Value code: 1111-M170PC) is the next generation of the Inspiron XPS Gen 2, though it drops the Inspiron moniker. It's also part of a new campaign and line from Dell that focuses on high-end, luxury entertainment products and services.

Customers will pay a slight premium for the new XPS experience, but in addition to getting top-of-the-line products, they'll also get specialized customer service. This means that the same salesperson will be assigned to you throughout the life of the system's warranty, and you'll receive access to MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) support staff. Even if you just have trouble connecting your router to your laptop, your personal support staffer will help. You get a laminated membership card as part of the fellowship. Also, when you sign onto Dell's Web site, you'll be shuttled to the site for XPS members only.

The XPS M170 is one of Dell's best-designed notebooks, identical to the Inspiron XPS Gen 2. The arctic silver cover is customizable with snap-on lids. The surrounding black areas are equipped with six grills illuminated with LED lights. You can change the lights (up to 16 colors) to suit your mood using Dell's Quickset interface.

The M170 weighs 8.6 pounds, which is about a pound more than the Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513. Both have a sharp 17-inch widescreen display that is great for movie watching. But Dell's TruLife display doesn't quite match up to Toshiba's TruBrite screen, and the mouse buttons are a little too loud for our tastes. The volume and DVD playback controls located on the front panel come in handy with the Media Center OS.

The M170's performance highlights the inherent gaming nature of the system, and gamers will not be disappointed. Thanks, in part, to the hot new nVidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX (256MB) graphics, 3DMark 2005 scores tore off the roof, surpassing the 6,500 mark. Doom 3 scores broke 100 frames, a first for notebooks. SYSmark 2004 SE scores were very good. nVidia effectively manages the power consumption of the 7800 GTX, thereby helping to increase MobileMark battery scores to 2 hours 34 minutes, which isn't too bad for a 17-inch powerhouse.

Our review unit came with an external USB TV tuner, you can choose a Hauppauge Tuner for $134 upgrade. It works nicely with MCE, but we would prefer having it integrated into the system, as with the Qosmio. Luckily, there are five other USB ports to accommodate all your USB peripherals. A DVD±RW can burn DVDs, and a DVI-D port lets you connect to digital displays. The Dell has exceptional speakers, with a subwoofer in the base.

The XPS M170 did well across our Photo, Music, and Video ratings and obviously scored high in Gaming. Our security ratings got a significant boost from the 15-month subscription to McAfee Security Center, which is now standard on XPS systems and significantly better than the paltry 30- to 90-day trial periods consumers are used to getting. The $3,000 price tag doesn't help the Value rating, but this is part of a luxury brand.

Membership has its privileges, and you get a lot with the Dell XPS M170, including a new, specialized, customer-centric support system, better security, and top-of-the-line components. While the XPS is the winner when it comes to gaming performance, the Qosmio remains our favorite in the high-end Media Center laptop market.

Positives

good design
gaming performance
Specialized customer service
6-USB 2.0

Negatives

short battery life
Pricey

HP Pavilion dv4000

2006-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

CNET editors' review

We particularly like the Pavilion dv4000's large keyboard and found it exceptionally comfortable to type on. The roomy, wide-aspect touch pad has a scrolling strip, but the mouse buttons don't give much, and we're disappointed that HP omitted a touch pad on/off switch, as found on the Pavilion zd8000.

Also onboard the dv4000 is a double-layer DVD burner with HP's LightScribe technology, which etches labels directly onto the surface of CDs and DVDs. The only big-ticket entertainment item the Pavilion dv4000 lacks is a TV tuner.

On top of its multimedia capabilities, the Pavilion dv4000 delivers high-performance computing. Our updated test unit featured a 2.13GHz Pentium M processor, 1GB of RAM, and a nice 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive. One of the most notable differences from the previous version is the new dv4000's ATI Mobility Radeon X700 GPU, which adds about $150 to the price.

Notebookreview.com

The screen was one of the main reasons I bought the dv4000...it is stunning. When I play DVD's on it, my friends can't believe how clear and bright it is. Similar to the DV1000, the DV4000 LCD has a limited vertical viewing angle. You have to tilt it just right to get the best contrast and brightness. This is mostly an issue when playing DVDs and less of a problem when running typical applications for web surfing and word processing.

Besides the nice screen I picked the dv4000 for its audio. Those front firing speakers are very impressive for a laptop. Few other notebooks are as loud and clear. The fit and finish seems first rate. Build quality also seems pretty good too for a unit in this price range. Let's be clear, it's no bullet proof IBM ThinkPad, but it isn't bad. The keyboard has very little flex and the keyboard travel is good.

I was concerned that the 60GB 5400RPM (Hitachi) hard drive would be noisy. It is not. You can hear some little ticking sounds if you are in a quiet room. In a normal room with TV or music you won't hear the drive. Another thing you won't hear is the fan. It rarely comes on- almost never when just web surfing.

HP has hyped the QuickPlay feature, but it is well deserved. This feature allows you to play a movie without having to boot up the operating system. So pop in a DVD, hit the DVD button and in about 20 seconds you are watching a movie. Considering the fact that this computer boots windows up in 40 seconds, the speed is not that much of an issue. What is nice with QuickPlay is that it immediately fills the screen with the movie. At first I thought this was not the case in Windows, but under the WinDVD configuration you can configure it to start in full screen mode. I can not tell any difference in video quality between the QuickPlay and the WinDVD applications. The credit card sized remote works with both applications.

Positives

* Big beautiful display
* Quickplay feature
* Battery life
* Has S-video out
* Loud and clear audio
* Good wireless range
* Quiet drives and fan

Negatives:

* Weak LCD cover
* No CompactFlash card reader
* No dedicated graphics card
* Limited documenation
* The DVD/CD burner vibrates a little when installing programs from it but when playing DVD's it is silent.

Buying Options

Amazon Store

Froogle Shopping

HP Web Site

Dell Inspiron 9300 Review

2005-12-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

PCmag Review:

As with offerings from HP, Toshiba, and others, the Dell Inspiron 9300 takes the multimedia portable to the next level by incorporating the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (MCE 2005) OS. That means you get a complete entertainment hub in a to-go package. The gorgeous 17-inch widescreen display will leave you in awe, and performance-seekers will love Intel's next-generation Centrino components, including the nVidia GeForce Go 6800 graphics accelerator. Just be sure to order the optional TV tuner, to take advantage of the OS's DVR features.

The arctic-silver design should fit nicely in your den, kitchen, bedroom, or home office. And given the unit's weight (8.1 pounds), it'll likely stay within those perimeters. Blame the heft on the high-res 17-inch widescreen (1,920-by-1,200), which delivers superb picture quality for watching HD content or even your regular DVD movies. The full-size keyboard is fine for typing, but we found the touchpad a bit unresponsive.

You can manage all your home videos or record your TV content using MCE 2005. Our only gripe is that the tuner is external (it connects via USB) and is a $149 option. We're all for configure-to-order, but competing Media Center notebooks like the Toshiba Qosmio and the Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 have integrated tuners. The 9300 also introduces Dell Media Direct, a "Quick On" DVD/CD feature that lets you resume quickly from hibernate/suspend, but not when the system is completely shut down. A set of DVD-player controls (rewind, fast forward, play/pause, and stop) sit on the front panel for easy access and the speakers get an extra boost with the built-in subwoofer.

Performance is a strong point. The system is loaded with the 2.0-GHz Intel Pentium M 760, 1GB DDR2 RAM, and blistering graphics from the nVidia GeForce Go6800. Its 3DMark 2005 scores were impressive: 2,916 (at 1,024-by-768) and 1, 282 (at 1,920-by-1,200). Its Doom 3 score was a very good 77 frames per second (at 1,024-by-768). The 9300 outlasted all of its peers, passing the 3-hour mark on our battery-life tests (3:15).

You get six USB ports, a FireWire port, and an S-Video port. You'll also find a DVI-D port in the back. The system is configured with a DVD+/-RW drive to burn all your multimedia content. The 80GB hard drive is good for starters, but we recommend the 100GB option ($199) if you plan to record high-quality TV content. Dell also offers different "snap-on" covers to change the look of your system. The colors include Mediterranean blue, cherry burlwood, charcoal leather, and carbon fiber, which is dark black and tough-looking.

All told, the Dell Inspiron 9300 is a very good system if you're a multimedia fanatic, a DVR junkie, or a part-time gamer. Just be sure to opt for the TV tuner.

Laptop Mag:

Brilliant. That's the word that best describes the new Dell Inspiron 9300, a top performer that won't break your back or the bank. This powerful 7.9-pound notebook sports a bright 17-inch 1440 x 900-pixel widescreen display, lasts for more than 4 hours on a charge, and runs games and graphics applications faster than you'd expect for a 2.0-GHz system. Throw in a sleek white and silver design, near-instant access to media files, and a manageable $2,216 price and you have one of our most highly recommended desktop replacements.

The 9300's keyboard fits perfectly just below the massive 17-inch screen, with a row of function keys situated next to the large, easy to find power button. The key layout is logical and intuitive. Dell placed multimedia keys on the front of the notebook, where you can easily access the volume and track-advance buttons.

We also appreciate the DVI connection on the back of the notebook, which lets you use the laptop with a high-definition display. Oddly, Dell did not include a switch for enabling wireless capability, so we had to use Windows XP to turn off wireless when we plugged in with an Ethernet cable. The 9300 supports 802.11g networking and provided predictable wireless performance results of about 9 Mbps.

As a multimedia machine, the 9300 amazed us with excellent performance. The exceptionally clear display, which dims automatically when you disconnect AC power, looked just as good while we watched our Spider-Man 2 DVD as when we played Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The difference is that, unlike other desktop replacements that weight 10 to 12 pounds, this system is light enough to grab off your desk and lounge on a sofa watching downloaded movies.

The ATI Mobility RADEON X300 is a PCI Express video adapter that's more than capable of delivering the digital entertainment goods. The only slowdown we noticed came when we tried Half-Life 2, a game that stresses even the most super-powered desktop system. In Adobe PhotoShop CS, a Liquify test on a 15MB file took about 20 seconds, making the laptop about twice as fast as previous Inspiron models. The system felt snappy in both word processing and contact management applications, never lagging or stuttering as we loaded multiple programs into the 512MB of RAM.

The multimedia and productivity power wouldn't have been as impressive if the 9300 required constant recharging. One of the primary reasons the system lasts more than four hours is Intel's Sonoma technology, which automatically disables hardware devices such as the Ethernet port when it is not in use, and dims the display. In fact, you'll know you are using a Sonoma system because of the pop-up messages about battery management, which occur without any user interaction and function separate from Windows XP. We loved being able to check our e-mail one last time at an AC-outlet-deprived coffee shop before heading back to the office.

Another highlight is that the 9300 is the first laptop to provide Dell Media Direct functionality, which lets you access a media browser by pressing the Play button for about five seconds. On the 9300 that uses Windows XP, Dell Media Experience loads so you can browse photos, play movies, and listen to music without kicking up the operating system. If Windows XP is running, the program loads on top of the operating system. You can also copy files from external drives. If you opt for Windows Media Center on the Dell 9300 (an extra $39), that component will load when you press Play.

Dell includes Sony MyDVD 5 and Sonic RecordNow, plus Dell-branded audio warehousing and playback programs, photo browsers, and Dell PC Restore by Symantec, a hard-disk recovery system that lets you reinstall Windows XP in about ten minutes (but, unfortunately, won't recover lost files).

Overall, The Dell 9300 provides an ideal balance between performance and battery life, without making compromises when it comes to multimedia. It's a reasonably priced notebook for untethered power users.

Cnet Review:

Packing just about everything you'd want in a desktop-replacement laptop, the Dell Inspiron 9300 has an expansive 17-inch wide-aspect display, plenty of handy connections and drives, and a bevy of top-notch components, including Nvidia's robust GeForce Go 6800 graphics chip. Delivering nominally lower productivity performance than the prior Inspiron 9200 model, the Inspiron 9300 provides a slightly improved gaming performance and a number of refinements, including Microsoft XP Media Center 2005, an optional TV tuner, and two additional USB 2.0 ports, for a total of six. It's not cheap--our loaded configuration costs $2,858--but we recommend it to home and business users who want power and features in a relatively portable rig.

The body of the Inspiron 9300 is crafted out of sturdy and stylish magnesium alloy and measures 15.5 inches wide, 11.3 inches deep, and 1.6 inches thick; it has an attractive silver hue with white trim. At 8.2 pounds, the Inspiron 9300 is on the lighter side of robust desktop replacements, weighing more than a pound less than the HP Pavilion zd8000. Still, it's far too heavy for regular travel. With such a big case, the Inspiron 9300 can afford to include a big keyboard, though it lacks a separate number pad, which the HP Pavilion zd8000 has. The mouse buttons are downright huge, and the touch pad is adequately sized. The latter features arrows running along its right and bottom edges, outlining where to place your finger when using the software-enhanced pad to scroll through documents or Web pages. The Inspiron 9300's two speakers and internal subwoofer deliver crisp and rich sound, unlike the weak, flat strains that trickle out of most laptops. Better yet, because the speakers sit in the corners of the laptop's front edge, your hands won't muffle them while you're typing. Sandwiched between the speakers, a row of seven buttons lets you control disc playback and adjust or mute the volume. The buttons are handy, but we wish they let us play discs without booting up the system--a feature standard on other laptops. Though the Inspiron 9300 runs Media Center, the bundled TV-tuner box is rather bulky and probably too big to bring on the road.

Our test unit had a bright, vast 17-inch wide-screen display with a WUXGA 1,900x1,200 native resolution. It made newer games such as Half-Life 2 really shine, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching a DVD movie. We must note, however, that the antiglare coating on the Inspiron 9300's WUXGA screen creates a somewhat sparkly effect that's most noticeable against white backgrounds; we've heard from a number of irate users who have found this intolerable, so beware.

There's no dearth of ports, jacks, or slots: the Inspiron 9300 offers FireWire, S-Video-out, VGA, and six USB 2.0 ports; 56Kbps modem, Ethernet, headphone, and microphone jacks; one each of Type II PC Card and Secure Digital slots; and a swank DVI port, should you want to connect the laptop to an even bigger digital LCD. Last, but definitely not least, the Inspiron 9300 includes a cutting-edge multiformat, double-layer DVD drive, which is fixed and cannot be swapped out for another drive.

Like all of Dell's laptops, the Inspiron 9300 is extremely configurable; our Inspiron 9300 series review includes more details about the available components. At $2,858 (as of May 2005), the configuration CNET tested was quite expensive. Our test model had a blazing Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 graphics chip with an ample 256MB of dedicated video RAM; a power-saving 2.0GHz Pentium M processor; 1GB of speedy 533MHz system memory; a moderately fast 5,400rpm 80GB hard drive; and a giant 17-inch wide-screen display. Our Inspiron 9300 test unit flew through CNET Labs' benchmarks, so if you're low on dough, consider getting a unit with a slower, less expensive processor and less memory; if you're looking for a significantly less expensive, lower-octane desktop replacement, check out the Toshiba Satellite P35-S611.

Our test model featured a 2.0GHz Pentium M 760 CPU with a 2MB L2 cache--an extremely robust mobile rig which outscored many comparably clocked systems we've tested. It held its own in 2D application performance and edged out other powerful laptops on our latest 3D graphics tests; the Inspiron 9300 will undoubtedly deliver strong performance for office and content-creation apps. The Inspiron 9300 even bested the mighty Voodoo Envy m760 on our Half-Life 2 gaming benchmark, revving up to a speedy 64.60 frames per second, though it proved no match for our top gaming machine, the Dell XPS Gen 2. The Inspiron 9300's performance is more proof that a fast Pentium M coupled with Nvidia's latest and greatest graphics solution is a worthy competitor to a heavier, more unwieldy Pentium 4-based machine.

The Inspiron 9300 delivers exceptional design, features, and performance, but its warranty maintains the status quo. Dell backs the Inspiron 9300 with an industry-standard one-year warranty on parts and labor, available by mailing your laptop back to Dell; upgrading to three years of warranty protection costs $269. Toll-free telephone support also lasts for just a year. However, Dell offers a long list of warranty-extension options, including onsite repair, night and weekend service, and accidental-damage coverage, for up to $389. Since you'll be shelling out a pretty penny to get the Inspiron 9300, protecting your investment with at least a two-year warranty is a good idea. The best part of Dell's support Web site is the customer forum, where users can go to get help from other Inspiron owners and Dell reps who moderate the discussions. Otherwise, the site offers the typical knowledge base and downloads sections.

Inspiron 9300 Specs :

* Intel Pentium M Dothan 730 (1.6GHz, 533MHz FSB)
* 512MB (256MBx2) DDR2 ram at 533MHz
* Nvidia Go 6800 256MB
* 40GB hard drive 5400RPM -> Upgraded to 60GB 7200 7K60
* WXGA+ (1440x900) Ultrasharp 17" widescreen LCD (non-glossy, non TrueLife)
* Intel 2200 802.11 b/g wireless card
* DVD-ROM/CD-RWx24
* Windows XP Home
* 6-cell 53 watt/hour battery
* 2 X 90W ac power supply

Froogle Link

Ebay Link

Amazon.com Link

How to Buy Laptop

2005-11-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

eBay Article:

Prioritize Laptop Price, Performance, & Portability

Before looking at system specs, decide whether features or portability matter more to you. Many students and frequent travelers consider portability a deciding factor when buying a laptop. On the other hand, lighter and smaller laptops are generally less powerful than their heavier counterparts.

More expensive laptops either offer more features or greater portability than lower-priced models. For example, "desktop replacements" have all the features you'd want from a full-sized desktop PC, but they weigh a lot, and you wouldn't want to carry one around for long. Similarly, thin-and-light notebooks and bargain notebooks have a lot of the same features, but the thin-and-light models weigh less and often cost more. If your priority is budget and features, more than portability, consider buying a bargain notebook. If you'd rather have less weight to carry, it might make sense to step up to a thin-and-light or ultraportable.

When deciding how much laptop you can carry, consider the laptop's weight as well as the additional weight of a carrying case, an extra battery, any swappable drives you feel like bringing with you, a power cord, and networking cables.

Find a Laptop to Fit Your Lifestyle
Consider how you plan to use your laptop before you start shopping. It should meet your personal needs as well as the system requirements set by your Internet service provider.

Laptops for home Users
You want a second computer for the house that you can take with you from room to room. You want to email, surf the Internet, and do some basic photo editing. Look for a bargain laptop or desktop replacement with at least 800 MHz processor and 256MB RAM. If you have a wireless home network, make sure it includes built-in Wi-Fi.

Laptops for students
You want a lightweight computer that you can carry from the classroom to the library. As a starting point, find out which platform your school prefers and supports. Some universities don't care what kind of computer you have while others will provide you with a very specific list of system requirements. If your school doesn't have specific recommendations, look for an ultraportable or thin-and-light laptop with a processor in the Pentium-M family, with built-in Wi-Fi, at least 256MB RAM, a burner (either a CD-R, CD-RW, or DVD+RW/-RW drive), and a productivity software package such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works.

Laptops for frequent travelers
You want a lightweight computer to use at the airport and in meetings. Look at thin-and-light or ultraportable laptops with processors in the Pentium-M family, built-in Wi-Fi, at least 256MB RAM, and a suite of productivity applications such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Works.

Laptops for business users
You need to travel, create presentations and spreadsheets, and hook up to a network. Depending on your need for portability, look at thin-and-light and desktop replacement laptops with the productivity software such as Microsoft Office, Wi-Fi (or an included Wi-Fi card), an Ethernet card, at least 256MB RAM, and at least 40GB hard drive space. Frequent business travelers will probably prefer thin-and-lights to desktop replacements. But, if you spend most of your time at a desk, the desktop replacement's superior power and features may be the way to go.

Laptops for multimedia enthusiasts
You want to edit video, audio, or photos with processor-intensive applications such as Photoshop. Look for a desktop replacement with at least 512MB RAM, a 2GHz or faster processor, and at least 80GB hard drive space.

A FireWire (also called IEEE 1394) or USB 2.0 port can also come in handy to transfer data from devices such as your video camera, digital camera, and MP3 player. If you want to burn DVD movies, buy a DVD+R/RW drive. You can also purchase these components separately in the Laptop Parts & Accessories category.

Laptops for gamers
Gamers want speed and amazing graphics. Gaming laptops have fast processors, high-end graphics cards, and slick displays, but you'll usually pay a premium for all the latest goodies. Look for a desktop replacement with a Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 processor in the 2.8 to 3.4 GHz range (or AMD equivalent), at least 1GB RAM, and a 256MB 3D graphics card.

About.com Article:

Notebook systems have grown in popularity due to their increasing performance and portability. Many systems are even now being marketed as replacements for desktop systems, but few can perform at the same level as a desktop system particularly when it comes to graphics. This guide will help you to look at some of the key items you want to look at before you purchase your next PC notebook system.

Size and Weight
Obviously the size and weight of a notebook is important. Ultraportables offer light weight and sizes, but sacrifice items such as optical drives. Desktop replacements have equivalent power to desktop systems, but they are heavy and bulky making them difficult to carry around. When shopping for a laptop, make sure to pick up the systems and verify its something you are willing to carry. Don't forget to also consider the weight of accessories such as AC adapter when carrying around the notebook.

Processors (CPU)
Notebook processors still lag behind desktop CPUs but they make up for that with their energy efficiency. To determine the right CPU to get, look at the purpose of the system. If it is meant to be a mobile web browser, email, word processing or even DVD player, any CPU above 1GHz should be sufficient. A desktop replacement should have a high-end processor rated at least 1.6GHz or higher for mobile specific processors or 2.8GHz for desktop processors.

Memory (RAM)
Laptop computers are generally more restricted in the amount of memory they can have compared to desktop systems. When looking at computers you want to make sure to check out the maximum memory the system can handle as well as the amount that is installed in the computer. It's also useful to find out if a memory upgrade can be done yourself or if it has to be done by a technician.

Displays
When purchasing a notebook, look at the native resolution of the screen as the size. A large size screen is generally preferred but some large screens have such high resolutions that it can make standard fonts unbearably hard to read. The size of the screen also impacts the size of the laptop. Newer systems with 17" screens tend to be very large and more difficult to carry.

Drives
Hard drive size is straight forward in laptops, but the choice of optical drives is important. One of the great abilities of laptops now is their ability to turn into portable DVD players. With a DVD-ROM or CD-RW/DVD combo drive, one can watch DVD movies through the computer or even plug it into a home theater system. Many ultraportable laptops often lack an internal optical drive to save on space.

Networking
The ability to connect to the net is integral to most laptops today. Look for systems that include a built in 56Kbps modem and Fast Ethernet. This allows one to get logged in for most situations. If you want ultimate portability, look at getting a laptop computer with an integrated 802.11b/g wireless adapter. More and more locations are available with wireless hotspots for connectivity.

Battery Life
How good is a portable computer going to be if you are only able to get 30 minutes of computing time on a single charge? Try to find the manufacturer’s listed battery life for the standard battery. Look to get a system with at least 2 hours of battery life under normal conditions. If you need extended time unplugged, look for laptops with media bays that can double as extra battery slots.

Warranty Plans
Laptops take a lot of abuse and are more prone to breakdowns due to their portability. When buying a system, make sure to get at least a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. If you will be using the system heavily, a system that comes with a 3 year warranty might be a better choice but it will cost more. Third party extended plans are not a good choice unless service is done through the manufacturer.

PowerBook G4s boost screen resolution, battery life

2005-11-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

In announcing the latest changes to its PowerBook family, Apple highlighted the new models’ higher-resolution screens and longer battery life but made no mention of their lower prices. Indeed, base prices for each of the three models haven’t changed. But because the company has amplified the base configurations—with brand-new features and others previously available only at extra cost—the machines are now better values than ever.

Squeeze those pixels

The most noticeable advance in both the flagship 17-inch PowerBook G4 (Best Current Price: $2360.00) and the popular 15-inch version (Best Current Price: $1839.95) is higher screen resolution. The 17-inch model ($2,499) now displays 1,680 by 1,050 pixels, up from 1,440 by 900 pixels—a 36 percent increase in the amount of information the screen can show. Put another way, the number of pixels per inch (ppi) has jumped from 101 to 117—a record high for an Apple display.

In the 15-inch model, which now has only one standard configuration priced at $1,999, the default, native resolution has increased to 1,440 by 960 pixels, up from 1,280 by 854 pixels —a 26.4 percent increase. That comes out to a pixel density of 114 ppi, up from 101 ppi.

All those numbers translate into more room to work and play. It’s now easier to keep your palettes alongside the image you’re retouching in Photoshop, or your calendar next to your spreadsheet.

There’s a downside, though: the only way to add more pixels without increasing the screen’s physical size is to make each pixel smaller, and because of the way the Mac currently draws to the screen, all text, graphics, icons, menus, and everything else are correspondingly smaller. As a result, the screen’s desktop looks more compressed than on any previous Mac. (For comparison, the original Mac had 72 ppi. Today, the 12-inch PowerBooks and iBooks have 106 ppi; the 14-inch iBook has 91 ppi; and Apple’s current Cinema Displays range between 98 and 100 ppi.)

To help with readability, Apple has boosted the new models’ screen brightness—by a noticeable 46 percent in the 17-inch PowerBook and by 13 to 15 percent in the 15-inch model, according to the company. And if you’re having any problems, you can always switch to a lower resolution, but you’ll end up with a smaller or slightly less crisp screen display. For a more comfortable view, a better solution would be to zoom your documents in applications that offer that option.

Altogether, I don’t think the new default resolutions will present problems for most users in most situations. (The only time I found them uncomfortable was when I tried to read the hand-drawn text accompanying some cartoons on the Web.) But if your eyesight is subpar, or if you have any concerns about the new screens, be sure to visit a local retailer to try before you buy.

15-inch: numerous enhancements

In the previous PowerBook generation, Apple offered two standard 15-inch configurations, one at $1,999 and the other at $2,299. The latter had a 1.67GHz G4 processor and a SuperDrive, while the less expensive configuration had only a 1.5GHz G4 processor and a Combo (CD-RW/DVD-ROM) drive. Now there’s only one standard 15-inch configuration, priced at $1,999, and it has a 1.67GHz G4 processor and a SuperDrive. In effect, that’s a substantial price cut, at least for people who want the option of burning DVDs.

(That’s also true of the new 12-inch PowerBook. The old base configuration, priced at $1,499, had a Combo drive and a 60GB hard drive; you had to spend another $200 to get the version with a SuperDrive and an 80GB drive. In the new lineup, the single 12-inch configuration includes the SuperDrive and the 80GB hard drive.)

The latest 15-inch model also sports several additional improvements. Although it uses the same graphics chip as its predecessor (the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700), Apple has doubled the video RAM to 128MB and added dual-link DVI support, so the standard configuration now can drive the 30-inch Cinema Display. Previously, that capability was available only as a $100 build-to-order upgrade from the $2,299 configuration.

The updated 15-inch model also incorporates many enhancements that weren’t available at all in the previous generation. The 8x SuperDrive, for example, now supports double-layer burning, making it possible to store up to 8.5GB per disc. Standard system memory remains at 512MB, expandable to 2GB, but it’s a newer, faster flavor: DDR2 (double data rate 2), in place of plain DDR.

The audio-in port can now handle optical digital audio input, as well as line-in connections, while the headphone jack doubles as an optical digital audio-out port. And battery life has improved to a maximum of 5.5 hours per charge, compared with 4.5 hours previously, according to Apple. (Remember, though, that if you’re actually using the PowerBook, a charge won’t last nearly that long. Apple claims that the battery life is 3 hours and 45 minutes for a combination of wireless Web browsing and editing a text document, but only 2 hours and 15 minutes for DVD playback.)

17-inch: Less room for improvement

Even before this update, the one standard configuration of the 17-inch PowerBook already had a 1.67GHz G4 processor, a SuperDrive, 128MB of video RAM, dual-link DVI, and optical/digital audio-in and -out ports. That doesn’t leave a lot of possibilities for upgrading, especially since the 1.67GHz remains the fastest G4 available. But Apple did add three improvements it also made to the 15-inch model: DDR2 memory, double-layer support in the SuperDrive, and an increase in battery life to a maximum of 5.5 hours. Finally, hard-drive capacity has increased from 100GB to 120GB, as high as you can currently get in a notebook.

Macworld’s buying advice

The latest improvements to the PowerBook line are hardly revolutionary, but they’re all welcome. With a SuperDrive now standard at $1,499, the 12-inch model stacks up better against the competition—even against Apple’s own iBooks. The 15-inch PowerBook is still a little pricey compared with Windows alternatives, but it’s a superb system, and with a faster processor and SuperDrive now standard at $1,999, it’s a better value than it used to be. If you can afford it and don’t mind its size, the 17-inch model remains the best portable computer money can buy.

Source

Shopping for a Laptop? Choose Agility or Endurance

2005-11-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

I am planning to purchase a laptop, but I don't know which processor type to get. Should I go with the Pentium 4 chip or Centrino technology?

A. Base your purchasing decision on the types of tasks you want to do with your laptop, because these processors were designed for different styles of computing.

The Pentium 4 processor is the latest in Intel's long line of Pentium family products that started when the first Pentiums replaced the old 486 line of computer processors back in the early 1990's. The latest Pentium 4 chips, both for desktop and laptop computers, are built for heavy duty, whether for multitasking through several programs at once or doing processor-intensive tasks like video editing.

Pentium 4 chips are often found inside beefier laptops designed as desktop replacement computers, which often have features like 17-inch screens and high-quality stereo speakers for multimedia fun and games. These processors can handle most programs out there, from Web browsing to war games.

The Centrino technology used by many laptops was designed for a different style of computing. The term Centrino refers not just to the processor, but to a collection of features designed to make mobile computing more productive. Centrino systems typically include an Intel Pentium M processor and built-in wireless connectivity. The Pentium M is just fine for running standard business applications like word-processing, Internet and spreadsheet programs. The Centrino system itself is designed to use its power more efficiently than other processors so the laptop can last longer between battery charges, which might be an important factor to consider if you plan to use the new laptop for business travel. (The next generation of Centrino laptops, code-named Sonoma, will arrive later this year and will have faster processors and other improvements.)

Intel has an interactive guide to help you decide which processor is best for you at www.intel.com/personal/resources/configure/decision_tool.htm. The company is not the only one to make processors for PC laptops, however. Many major manufacturers, including Fujitsu, Sharp and Hewlett-Packard, offer laptops with processors made by Advanced Micro Devices. Information on A.M.D.'s Athlon and Sempron processors for mobile computers is at www.amd.com.

Do a Password Sidestep

Q. I never set up a password when I installed Windows XP Professional, but I regularly get a message from the computer telling me my password is about to expire, and requesting that I change it. I can still use the computer by clicking on O.K. in the password box, but is there any way I can remove this message?

A. Microsoft has acknowledged this annoyance for XP Pro users, and has offered a fix. The default password is typically set to nothing, which is why you can bypass the password box by clicking on O.K.

To change that, go to the Start menu to Control Panel and double-click on the User Accounts icon. Select your account name and then click on Create a Password. You'll see a set of boxes for a personal password for the system. Fill both of those in with the same password, then click on the Create a Password button.

If you later decide you don't want a password after all, restart the PC and log on with your new password. Go back to the Control Panel to User Accounts, and click on your account name, then on Remove the Password.

Contacts, Refreshed

Q. Do you have to have a Bluetooth-equipped Mac to synchronize a Mac OS X address book to a wireless phone with Apple's iSync?

A. Apple's free iSync synchronization program for Mac OS X makes keeping the computer's address book updated across your phone, personal organizer and iPod a breeze, providing you have the right kind of phone, personal organizer and iPod. Having Bluetooth, (the short-range wireless technology designed to replace some types of cable connections), on both the Mac and phone simplifies the use of iSync, but you can also use a regular U.S.B. connection between the Mac and certain Motorola phones.

A list of iSync-compatible devices is at www.apple.com/isync/devices.html. Buying a Bluetooth adapter for the Mac is another option, one that will set you back less than $50.

Source

Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P

2005-10-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

Less than a year after debuting its VAIO T series ultraportable laptop (and several iterations later), Sony gives its thinnest and lightest model a new look, some new features, and a new name. At $2,300, the VAIO VGN-TX670P costs about as much as the previous VAIO VGN-T350 model but adds a slightly wider screen and subtracts a few ounces from an already lightweight profile.

This is an eminently ultraportable laptop: the VAIO VGN-TX670P's carbon-fiber body measures 10.75 inches wide, 7.65 inches deep, and less than an inch thick. At 2.8 pounds (3.5 pounds with its small, ice cream sandwich-size AC adapter), it's one of the smallest and lightest machines around, especially for having an optical drive onboard. The Sharp Actius MP30, which also weighs 2.8 pounds and has an optical drive, costs about $700 less than the Sony, though it has a significantly smaller, 10.4-inch standard aspect display and lacks many of the Sony's multimedia and connectivity niceties. The Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D weighs less than a pound more, offers a comparable set of features and specs, and costs several hundred dollars less; the $1,379 Averatec 1000, weighing a pound more, is another low-price option. Other laptops in the Sony's weight class, including the $2,000, 2.7-pound Toshiba Portege R200 and the $2,000, 2.5-pound Dell Latitude X1, lack the optical drive.

The VAIO VGN-TX670P requires the cardinal compromise of every other ultraportable laptop on the market: the keyboard is cramped and has small keys. Still, it's relatively sturdy and responsive and not as small as others--particularly the Averatec; in fact, we comfortably typed out this review on it. Likewise, the touch pad and the mouse buttons are small but usable. The superslim, 11.1-inch wide-screen display, with its 1,364x768 native resolution, isn't the dazzling gem we've seen on recent Sony laptops, such as the VAIO VGN-S470P, but it's good enough. The stereo speakers, which sit above the keyboard, are what you'd expect from a laptop this size: weak and tinny.

This notebook has all of the ports that a business user will need (two USB 2.0 ports, four-pin FireWire, VGA, PCI Express card slot) and a handful that cater to the entertainment-minded. Most significantly, along with the VAIO BX series (announced in August), the VAIO VGN-TX670P marks the first time Sony has incorporated an SD card reader in one of its laptops--a belated and inevitable concession from a company that until now has supported only its own proprietary Memory Stick flash format. In addition to a multiformat, double-layer DVD burner, featuring the smallest eject button we have ever seen, and external volume and mute buttons--always a nice touch--the VAIO VGN-TX670P has a row of disc controls that sit above the keyboard, including one configurable quick-launch A/V mode button that lets you play a DVD or a CD without booting Windows. On top of Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Sony includes a nice array of its own software, including media, connectivity, and support utilities, as well as the standard apps for burning and playing discs.

In terms of connectivity, the VAIO VGN-TX670P offers the most complete set of features available today in a laptop of any size. In addition to LAN, modem, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth, this notebook offers built-in cellular networking (you can read more about the details in our review of the VAIO VGN-T350P, where this feature first appeared). We found that the cellular antenna was unobtrusive but came loose easily and wouldn't be hard to lose.

Our prototype test unit included a number of modest components that didn't stand in the way of the VAIO VGN-TX670P's performance. The unit included an ultra-low-voltage, 1.2GHz Intel Pentium M 753 processor; 1GB of slow 266MHz memory; Intel's 915PM/GM/GMS chipset with an integrated graphics subsystem that borrows up to 128MB of RAM from main memory; and a 60GB hard drive spinning at a sluggish 4,200rpm. In CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, our unit ran neck and neck with the older-generation VAIO T-series machines, as well as with the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D and the Dell Latitude X1, each of which was outfitted with a 1.1GHz Pentium M processor. Though we don't recommend it for heavy-duty computing or gaming, the VAIO VGN-TX670P can easily handle the standard productivity tasks of the typical business traveler, including in-flight DVD viewings. The VAIO VGN-TX670P's battery lasted for a fantastic 6.6 hours in our Labs' drain tests--excellent performance by any standard.

Depending on where you buy it, Sony backs the VAIO VGN-TX670P with either its new business-focused VAIO Care program (read about details here) or its industry-standard consumer warranty: one year of free service (including free shipping both ways) and 24/7 toll-free telephone tech support; after the year expires, support calls cost $20 per incident. Sony offers an array of warranty extensions; a three-year plan with onsite service costs $250. The company's Web site provides a good knowledge base and e-mail support from Sony technicians.

Source

Toshiba Tecra M4

2005-10-31T01:11:00.000-08:00

CNet Reviews Toshiba Tecra M4 and Says:

With a silver lid and a black base, the Toshiba Tecra M4 convertible tablet looks right at home in the boardroom. It is solidly designed and loaded with features, but its 2.9 kilogram weight is a killer if you want to hold your tablet like a clipboard for any length of time. If you want a decent laptop with tablet functionality, the Tecra M4 provides top-notch performance, a comfortable keyboard, and a large 14-inch screen. If you're looking for something to use primarily as a tablet, you're better off with smaller devices such as the ThinkPad X41.

Design
Measuring 328mm wide, 289.7mm deep, and approximately 38.4mm thick, the Toshiba Tecra M4 has the same dimensions as the Toshiba Satellite R15; both are significantly larger than the other convertible tablets we've seen, such as the HP Compaq tc4200. Again, the Tecra M4 is one of the heaviest tablets around and really appropriate only for carrying down the hall and on occasional trips.

The large dimensions do allow for some creature comforts, including a spacious keyboard and two pointing options: an eraser-head pointing stick (similar to the TrackPoint on ThinkPads) and a touch pad. As on the HP Compaq tc4200, the pointing stick and the touch pad each has its own mouse button, and the touch pad features horizontal and vertical scroll zones. With the Tecra M4 in tablet mode, you can navigate and write on the screen with a stylus that has the bulk of a ballpoint pen and offers a good pen-on-paper feel. We do wish the Tecra M4's pen had a tether to keep us from losing it, though.

Features
If you want to see life on the big screen, the Toshiba Tecra M4 is the tablet for you. While others may feature 14-inch screens, none can touch the Tecra M4's superfine 1,400x1,050 SXGA+ native resolution, which lets you view multiple windows while in landscape mode. Unfortunately, the screen is prone to glare and doesn't have as wide a viewing angle as we've seen elsewhere. With the Tecra M4 in tablet mode or laid flat beneath overhead lights, we had problems viewing the screen at a 45-degree angle.

Another advantage of the Toshiba Tecra M4's size is that it can accommodate a decent mix of ports and connections. In addition to the headphone and microphone jacks, you'll find VGA, S-Video, four-pin FireWire, infrared, and three USB 2.0 ports. There are also SecureDigital and Type II PC Card slots, and you can connect to the Internet via modem, Ethernet, or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. We like that the headphone and microphone jacks, the volume control, and a button to kill the wireless are easily accessible on the front of the machine. Small stereo speakers offer decent sound, but the lid covers them in tablet mode. The Tecra M4 lacks a fingerprint scanner, which would both provide security and make it easier to log on in tablet mode; however, it does have a Trusted Platform Module to help protect you from data theft. Like other Toshiba laptops, to keep data safe in the event that it's dropped, the Tecra M4 stops the hard drive from spinning whenever the tablet moves too fast. For tablets, which are often held on a wobbly arm and are more likely to be dropped, this feature is a necessity.

The Tecra M4 runs Windows XP Tablet Edition, and our test unit came with a good selection of software, including Microsoft Office OneNote, Microsoft Works 8.0, and Zinio Reader for reading digital magazines. It also came with Toshiba's very cool ConfigFree utility, which has a neat NORAD-like radar graphic that plots the signal strength (but not the location) of nearby wireless networks.

Performance and battery life
Toshiba has always been competitive with features and has put more power under the hood of the Tecra M4 than you will find in any other tablet. Our test unit included a very fast 2GHz Pentium M processor, 512MB of quick 533MHz SDRAM, and a smoking Nvidia GeForce Go graphics card with 64MB of dedicated video memory (rare for a tablet). In CNET Labs' performance benchmarks, the Tecra M4 performed 24 percent faster than the similar-size Toshiba Satellite R15, which has a slower 1.6GHz processor. The Tecra M4 also handily beat the 1.8GHz Pentium M-based HP Compaq tc4200 and the Averatec C3500, which has a 1.67GHz processor. Only the new Acer TravelMate C310, with its 2.2GHz processor and 14.1-inch screen, looks poised to give the Tecra M4 a run for its money.

On the downside, the Toshiba Tecra M4's battery lasted for a mediocre 2 hours, 47 minutes. By contrast, the Toshiba Satellite R15's lasted 4 hours, 42 minutes, and the HP Compaq tc4200's lasted 4 hours, 56 minutes. If you don't need the DVD drive, you might want to consider swapping it out for an additional slim SelectBay battery, which Toshiba claims will give you a total of 6 hours of battery life (CNET did not test this battery).

Notebook Review Reviews Toshiba Tecra M4 and Says:

The Toshiba Tecra M4 is a very unique computer which I would describe as a jack of all trades. It's thin, fairly light, pretty powerful, and moderately priced. It basically falls into the category of thin and light desktop replacements. However what sets it apart from the competition is a turnable screen and a stylus. That's right, the Tecra M4 is also a Tablet PC which allows you to input notes and information through the stylus or even through speech with an integrated microphone array.

Tecra M4 specs as reviewed:
# Intel Pentium M 750 (1.86 Ghz)
# 256 MB (upgraded to 2 GB by buying memory through newegg.com)
# 40 GB Hard drive
# SXGA+ (1400 x 1050)
# Intel 802.11 b/g wireless
# DVD/Cdrw combo drive
# Windows XP Tablet Edition
# 6 cell battery
# nVidia Go 6600 TE
# free accesories after mail in rebate (ballistic case, epson printer, netgear wireless router)

Reasons for Buying
I'm going to graduate school soon so I began looking for a new computer. My old laptop was outdated and could barely keep up with web browsing, and I was tired of lugging its weight (about 7.5 pounds). However since this was going to be my only computer I wanted something with a decent screen size, and good power for directx programming or an occasional game. Thus I began looking at thin and light desktop replacement notebooks. These were some of the notebooks I considered:

# Toshiba Tecra M3
# IBM Thinkpad T43
# Asus z71v
# Asus w3v
# Dell Inspiron 6000
# HP L2000

During my search however I stumbled upon the M4 which was a tablet. It had everything I wanted in the thin and lights, and was within the same price range. After doing some research on tablets and checking them out in person at the local CompUSA, I realized that this was just what I was looking for. It would allow me to take notes easily in class eliminating the clutter of papers I have trouble organizing, and it would allow me to draw my own pictures for organizing my thoughts or create graphics for my programs. So I went ahead and ordered one from Toshiba Direct for about $2200 - 200(mail in rebate for the accesories)= about $2000.

Buying experience
The laptop took 10 days to build, and then another 4 days to arrive from China. The free accessories arrived earlier since there was no building time. During this time I called customer service twice to inquire about my order status, and each time within 5 minutes I was able to talk to a customer service representative. Both times they seemed quite competent in helping me with my order and both spoke perfect english. Thus I feel quite comfortable in being able to contact customer support should I need it.

Design and build quality
This laptop sports a simple sleek look with a black base and silver screen. I find the designe quite elegant. It won't draw too much attention at first, but when you twist back the screen it will probably turn a few heads. The chassis feels quite solid, and the only place I can find any flex is near the lower right corner of the keyboard near the arrow keys. There is absolutely no flex on the screen as I have been pushing on the back and have noticed no ripples whatsoever. Additionally there is a vibration sensor in the device that senses movement and stops the hard drive from spinning in order to prevent damage to the hard drive. My only concern with the design is with the rotation hinge since it has to support the screen. It seem solid enough, but I'm still somewhat worried about how well it can support the display as I'm used to conventional notebooks which support multiple hinges.

Buttons and Ports

I love the layout of the ports on this model as well. There are three usb ports, 2 of which are on the left side, and one of which is on the bottom right. This port is quite useful for plugging in a mouse, while the 2 on the left are perfect for me to plug in my dvdrw, and an external HD. There is also a firewire port on the left side as well so I have the option of using that for my dvdrw too. This notebook only has a SD card reader unlike others which I've seen which support 4-6 different kinds of flash cards. For me this is fine since my camera uses SD, but for others this could be a possible issue. There is also only one pcmcia slot, but since there is a gigabit ethernet built into the back it's not really missed. On the front is an on/off switch for the wireless as well as the volume control along with headphone and microphone jack. The microphone jack isn't really needed though since there are microphones built into the system of which I've located 2 (one in the front and one on the left side).

Sony S Series VAIO

2005-10-27T02:39:00.000-07:00

Incredibly slim and lightweight with a generous workspace, built-in wireless LAN(1) and a sleek, durable magnesium case, the VAIO® S Notebook is designed to be highly mobile. Robust features, including a 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive, DDR2 memory, 553 MHz front-size bus and Intel® 915 chipset, enable optimal productivity on the road.

VAIO® S Series notebooks are packed with unique and powerful features designed to enhance your productivity on the road and beyond. Generous screen and keyboard won't cramp your style whether you’re on a plane or at a hotspot. Essential performance and productivity tools keep you working on the way to your meeting. Integrated multimedia features let you unwind after a hard day -- enjoy movies and music on your way home. Slim, light and just the right size for frequent travelers who won’t sacrifice function for performance or convenience.

Key Messages

Remarkably slim and lightweight tool for the mobile user. : The VAIO® S Series Notebook PC employs cutting-edge notebook technologies and a highly mobile design. It offers integrated wireless LAN³, an exceptional 13.3 widescreen display with XBRITE™ LCD technology, and a generous keyboard in a 4.3 lb. form factor. The VAIO® S Notebook is the portrait of sleek, contemporary style.

Exceptional display technologies. : The VAIO® S Notebook features a 13.3 widescreen display with Sonys original XBRITE™ LCD technology for higher brightness levels than standard displays. The result: deeper blacks, brighter whites, true-to-life color and razor-sharp detail. Smart Display Sensor makes connecting to a compatible external projector or display easy and worry-free. It automatically senses and selects the appropriate input for your external device and adjusts optimized resolution.

Utilize cutting-edge notebook technologies.. : The VAIO® S Notebook has a 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive, advanced DDR2 memory, 533MHz Front Side Bus, Intel® Pentium M processor and 915 chipset work together to provide impressive application performance and processor speed. The nVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6400 graphics chip with Turbo Cache™ technology delivers turbo-charged graphics performance, excptional DVD viewing and optimized use of the latest multimedia applications.

Enjoy mobile multimedia entertainment. : The VAIO® S Notebook allows you to create dynamic presentations, view movies with stunning clarity and create and manage your multimedia files with ease. With DVD+R Double Layer/ DVD±RW⁴ drive and Click to DVD™ software you can easily create high-quality, customized DVDs. Manage your music files and make audio CDs using SonicStage® software. And with MagicGate™ functionality, easily transfer secure data files to your PSP.

Hardware

Processor	:	Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz¹, 2MB L2 cache)
Front Side Bus Speed	:	533MHz
Chipset	:	Intel® 915GM
LCD	:	13.3" WXGA with XBRITE™ Technology (1280x800)
Integrated Wireless LAN	:	Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection (802.11b/g)³
Hard Drive	:	80GB² 5400rpm Serial ATA
Memory	:	512MB PC2-4200 533MHz DDR2 (512MB x 1) (Expandable to 2GB)
Graphics	:	Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 128MB dynamically allocated video graphics
Graphics Interface	:	VGA out w/ Smart Display Sensor
Optical Drive	:	DVD+R Double Layer/DVD±RW Drive⁴ DVD+R DL Write (2.4x MAX) DVD+R Write (4x MAX), DVD+RW Write (2.4x MAX) DVD-R Write (4x MAX), DVD-RW Write (2x MAX) CD-R Write (24x MAX); CD-RW Write (10x MAX) DVD Read (8x MAX); CD Read (24x MAX)
Modem	:	Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem with RJ-11 interface
Ethernet	:	10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet with RJ-45 interface
Audio	:	Windows® sound system compatible, Built-in stereo speakers
Audio Interface	:	Stereo mini microphone jack, Stereo mini headphone jack
Memory Stick® Media Slot	:	Supports optional Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO™ ⁵ with MagicGate™ functionality
PC Card Slots	:	One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support
Other Interfaces	:	One 4pin i.LINK®⁶ connector(IEEE 1394), 2 USB 2.0 ports, port replicator connector
Optional Port Replicator	:	3 USB 2.0, Ethernet, VGA, printer, DC in
Pointing Device	:	Electro-Static touch pad
Keyboard	:	QWERTY, 82 keys with 2mm stroke and 18.05mm pitch
Action Buttons	:	S1, S2 (programmable), WLAN on/off
Power Requirements	:	105W+10%
Battery	:	Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS2)
Estimated Battery Life	:	Standard Battery: 1.5 - 3.0 hours⁷

Software

Operating System	:	Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Sony Original Software	:	Click to DVD™ - DVD Creation DVGate Plus™ - Digital Video SonicStage® - Digital Music VAIO Media™ - Network File Sharing Image Converter - PSP Transfer
Other Software Applications	:	Adobe® Photoshop® Elements Starter Edition InterVideo® WinDVD® Intuit Quicken® 2005 New User Edition (Previous Quicken users may require upgrade.) Microsoft® Works 8.0 Microsoft® Office® 2003 60-Day Trial Small Business Edition Roxio® DigitalMedia SE
Anti-Virus and Recovery Software	:	Norton® Internet Security™ 90-Day Subscription Intermute™ SpySubtract™ 30-Day Trial VAIO® Update software VAIO® Recovery Wizard software VAIO® Support Central
Internet Services	:	AOL Online™ 180-Day Trial - New Users Only

Source

How to buy cheap or discount laptops

2005-10-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

So you want to buy cheap or discount laptops and don't know where to look. You are very lucky because we searched the web and write this summary to help you find your way to your new mobile pc/laptop. Here is some tips:

Help Wtih Pcs Says:

What to look for in a cheap laptop or notebook. The main thing to consider is what you are going to be using it for. Most people use laptops for light work, ie, word processing, accounts, surfing the internet, etc. Most modern machines will cope easily with this sort of use, in fact, nowadays most laptops boast features that would have been considered top of the range for PCs just over 12 months ago!

If you want cheap laptops that are up-to-date your best choice is... to buy the cheapest laptop that is the lowest-end model in its brand... Buy laptop cheap and save money on high-speed internet. Don't believe in hype that you should look for laptop deals among the higher-end models. I hope our laptop reviews and comparison will help you to choose the best cheap laptops.

New low-end laptops will save you hundreds of dollars and still provide all features most people really need for their basic computing needs.

Save not just money but your frustration by buying low-end cheap laptops that can easily handle emailing and web browsing ... Or watch your brand new high-end laptop from Dell, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, HP or Gateway going on sale as an outdated model only three months after you bought it.

These laptops let me do my day to day computing tasks (and more) with ease. And I disagree with those guru wannabes who advise to get the most memory and CPU a laptop can handle.

I suggest that you save on your laptop now - you can always upgrade later, and only if you need it. Check this laptop reviews page. It covers the lowest-end cheap laptops from Dell, IBM, Sony, Gateway and Toshiba that will save you money.

i just searched froogle for keywords discount laptop and cheap laptop. The results are very good and affordible. For example Dell Latitude C610 ,Intel Pentium 3,1.2 GHz!, 512MB of memory. This laptop is enoug for surfing net and some of older games. So use froogle to find cheap or discount laptops, you will be pleased.

Apple Powerbook G4

2005-10-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

NoteBook Review, Reviews Apple G4 and says:

The Powerbook is Apple's desktop replacement notebook, but unlike most PC notebooks in this category, the Powerbook is not bulky, nor is it thick and heavy. In fact, the Powerbook is about as thin as mainstream notebooks get, and as light as I could imagine any laptop with this size screen. As far as configuration goes, I opted for the 15.2 inch widescreen version with a 1.67 GHz G4 processor, 512 megs of ram, a 64 mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 video card, and a super drive.

Reasons for Buying:

I was very apprehensive about buying the Powerbook because I had used PC's for my whole life. In fact, I was comfortable enough with PC's that I had become the sort-of neighborhood mechanic. When it came time to choose a computer for college, I had in the back of my mind the aesthetic appeal of the Apple line of computers and hoped that I could find a windows laptop with a similar look and feel. After what seemed like endless searching, I came upon the Asus W3v, which hadn't even begun to ship to the US yet. So, I put most of my eggs into one basket and decided upon the Asus. But, when they started shipping, I heard nasty things about palm rest heat that scared me away enough to go to my local Apple store and test-drive a Powerbook in the flesh. In a matter of minutes, I was sold.