Handy Computer Guide

A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T410 notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'To the naked eye very little has changed with the overall design of the ThinkPad T410 compared to past models. It still carries the black rubberized screen lid with ThinkPad logo, still offers the shiny matte-black chassis and palmrest, and still uses the strong and highly visible stainless steel screen hinges. Those are the areas where the similarities stop. The port layout has significantly changed to allow an increase in available ports and even a few new types of connections. Once opened, ThinkPad fans will notice that Lenovo finally centered the screen, so no more thick bezel on one side and a thin bezel on the other. Another change is the shift from a two-piece palmrest and keyboard bezel on older models to one-piece design that is stronger and has fewer gaps to squeak.'

Reg Hardware have published their review of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE netbook. 'The 1005PE isn't inherently unattractive, but it lacks the MacBook Air-like appeal of the 1008HA. And it's one of the more chubby netbooks we've seen of late, a fact that the tapering front exaggerates rather than plays down. You might think that that's just the price you pay for a removable battery, but other netbook vendors - hello, Toshiba - have done a better job at integrating long-life power packs without fattening up their machines. Around the sides are all the usual netbook ports - three USB 2.0, 10/100Mb/s Ethernet, VGA, SD card, analogue audio - so no surprises there. Not so the sound system, which is capable of very loud yet distortion free output. The 1005PE has very impressive audio for a netbook.'

A review of the Acer Aspire One 532h notebook has been posted over at Pocket-lint. 'The 532 measures 258 x 180 x 22mm at the fattest point, excluding the protruding battery underneath. As on previous models from Acer, the battery fits into the space between the screen hinges, and the bump on the bottom lifts the rear of the netbook nicely, setting the keyboard at an angle when sitting on a desk. The netbook runs fairly quietly, but does get noticeably hot on the left-hand edge where the limited ventilation is. The keyboard fills the entire width of the device something we are always pleased to see. The keyboard is free from any critical levels of flex, which is often a problem with smaller notebooks.'.

PC World have published a review of the Micro Express KHL9070 laptop. 'On the sides of the KHL9070 are four USB ports (three on the front right and one on the left rear). They bear the little lightning-bolt symbol that typically means they can be powered during the system's sleep mode, so you can charge your USB devices (phones, music players) without having to turn the laptop on. You'll even find a physical button on right side of the keyboard to enable this feature. The only problem is, we couldn't get the function to work, and we couldn't find a software or BIOS setting for it.'

Laptop Magazine have published their review of the Toshiba Satellite P505-S8010 notebook. 'Measuring 17.4 x 11.6 x 1.6 inches and weighing a hefty 8.6 pounds, the P505 isn't a notebook designed for the coffee shop. However, this attractive machine will look great sitting on a desktop or entertainment center thanks to the Fusion Finish in Sonic Black design. The system features an eye-catching glossy coating that extends from the lid to the bezel, keyboard, and base (the latter incorporates subtle arcing white lines that cut through the black).'

A review of the Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008P notebook has been posted over at Notebook Check. 'The new 1008P has one big display hinge in the center instead of two single hinges on the left and right. This solution is a bit more stable but not yet perfect because the central hinge has turned out comparatively small. Positioning the display isn't a problem. The netbook only weighs 1.14 kilograms (incl. 3 cell battery) at a size of 262 x 180 x 26.2 millimeters (w x d x h). The low weight has one disadvantage, though: the display lid can't be opened without holding the base unit'.'

PC Perspective have published a comprehensive review of the Asus G51J gaming notebook. 'Unlike majority of laptops (including gaming ones) that have a single hard point for an internal HDD, the Asus G51J supports up to two HDDs internally and more via eSata. The G51J comes with your choice of 500GB or 320GB in 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM flavors, or a 250GB available only in 5400 RPM. This gives you some freedom to add another HDD later, perhaps a fast SSD drive for loading the OS and games, and another to host your user data and other apps. Though the G51J can support two internal drives, there is no RAID option.'

A review of the Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05 laptop has been posted over at Dev Hardware. 'Other than its base features, the Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05 comes with some extras, too. You get 802.11n Wi-Fi so you can connect to the fastest wireless networks while on the run. You also get a DVD burner so you can watch your favorite movies. Including an optical drive on a thin-and-light is definitely a plus, since many sacrifice that luxury to maintain their slim profiles. The DVD burner is also a welcome addition since the UL50AG has a larger screen that is more viewer-friendly than others with smaller displays.'

CrunchGear have published a review of the Gateway SX2840 desktop PC. 'The Gateway SX2840 is the ideal computer for most people. Sure, it's not going to play Crysis at 100FPS, but who cares? Most people don't want to spend that kind of money. The SX2840 hits that sweet spot of being a fast enough that it's not annoying, but slow enough that you're not paying supercomputer prices. It's hard to quantify this because frame rates and seek times don't really apply to a computer in this situation. It's great for browsing the web, writing email, running a word processing program, looking at pictures - all those basic things that most people who use a computer spend the majority of their time doing.'

CNET have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite T135D-S1324 ultraportable. 'At a glance, the T135D and the rest of the T135 series share several design similarities to the rest of the Toshiba Satellite lineup, although they are markedly different from the Satellite NB line of Netbooks. Covered inside and out in a glossy checkerboard-esque Fusion Finish in black, red, or white, the T135D is accented with slick chrome highlights along the edge of its palm rest and on its touch pad buttons. Aside from a large "Toshiba" logo across the back, the design is understated from a distance and presents a trim profile with a battery that's well integrated into the bottom, with minimal bulge.'