Handy Computer Guide

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the thin and light Toshiba Portégé R500 Notebook. ‘At its thinnest point, the R500 measures 0.8 inches thick, widening to one inch on the backside. The subtle wedge design makes the notebook easy to slide into a tote bag. And with its relatively long battery life, you can skip the AC adapter for general commuting or day trips, which saves 0.4 pounds in overall travel weight. The advanced magnesium-alloy case contributes to the R500's light weight, but what's most interesting is its flexibility. While some manufacturers tout their cases' rigidity, the R500's lid flexes and bends--seemingly with the glass in the display--to make for a uniquely durable case.’

Read: Toshiba Portégé R500 - Laptop Magazine

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Greg Ross writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 business-oriented Notebook. 'Cosmetically, the E8410's exterior consists largely of medium grade black matte plastic with some glossy highlights in the front for good looks. This business-oriented notebook would look goodl in just about any public appearance. It is not too flashy, nor is it too professional looking. The plastic is smooth to the touch without being slippery. However the glossy front "bumper" is definitely a fingerprint magnet. Opening up the interior, one sees the mostly light-silver interior. The keyboard deck is again all plastic. One of the more unique features on this laptop is that there are no LED status lights. Instead, Fujitsu uses a black/white LCD display in all their laptops that convey a large amount of information about the current status of the laptop without bright and obtrusive lights like those bright-blue LEDs found on most consumer laptops.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 Review - Notebook Review

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IT Reviews have published a review of the Gateway MT6839b Notebook. ‘The MT6839b is a well featured notebook with Microsoft's latest Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed, and carries a quite reasonable price tag of £599. At the heart of the MT6839b lies an Intel Core 2 Duo T5300 processor clocked at 1.73GHz and backed by a generous 2GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory, so while it may not be a speed demon there's plenty of grunt to do all of your home and home office jobs. And that's pretty much all you'll be doing, as the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics (sharing up to 224MB of system memory) limits any games-playing potential.’

Read: Gateway - MT6839b review – IT Review

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Mobile Tech Review have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite P205-S6267 desktop replacement PC. 'The Toshiba Satellite P205 is sleek in its Onyx Blue Metallic cover, which looks more like piano black under indoor lighting. We like the look, but the giant white TOSHIBA logo on the lid in 1” high letters (5.5” across) made us feel like a walking Toshiba ad. The keyboard and touch pad controls in silver contrast nicely with the shiny black plastic frame housing the dual speaker grills, AV controls and LED indicator lights in the front. The keyboard keys are flat across the top, creating the illusion of less travel (key travel is indeed normal for a full-sized notebook). The key locations are standard and we like the full-size right Shift key, unlike the small right Shift key found on the HP Pavilion. Since it’s a desktop replacement notebook, the keyboard feels roomy and there’s space for a number pad.'

Read: Toshiba Satellite P205-S6267 - Mobile Tech Review

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A review of the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ11XN ultraportable notebook has been posted over at Pocket-Lint. 'This machine won’t satisfy the everyman looking for a bargain because at £1799 (inc. VAT) it’s out of most people’s price expectations. However, if you’re looking for something a little different this has to be it. Weighing in at 1.2kg, it’s small and compact enough to slip in your typical briefcase, so you don’t need to be seen to be walking around with a laptop bag, which cuts down on the theft factor. The reason for it’s low weight is the miniaturisation of the motherboard that still allows you to get all the normal features of a computer but in a reduced size. What makes this compact size equally impressive is that you’ll find a DVD rewriter built-in.'

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-TZ11XN - Pocket-Lint

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ12VN Notebook. ‘Sitting in the driving seat of the TZ12VN is an Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage chip running at 1.2GHz. This is the first dual core ULV chip that Intel has produced and despite the fact that it still runs on the older 533MHz bus, it will still provide significantly improved performance over the previous TX machines. As already mentioned, there’s 2GB of RAM supporting the CPU and Vista nips along quite nicely with this configuration. Connectivity is very well catered for with an Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG card providing 802.11a, b and g support, as well as integrated Bluetooth. You also get Gigabit Ethernet, so you’ll have lightning fast connectivity to your office network, as long as your office has a Gigabit switch of course. If there’s one thing I’d really like to see in a TZ machine, it’s an integrated HSDPA module – hopefully Sony has something like that up its sleeve.’

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-TZ12VN – Trusted Reviews

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A review of the ultraportable Averatec 1579 Notebook has been posted over at ZDNet. 'The Averatec 1579 has the same subtle, sophisticated look as the slightly larger Averatec 2371, thanks in part to its dark-brown chassis. The slightly glossy finish is a bit too prone to fingerprints for our tastes, but we liked the monochromatic look of the lid, keyboard tray, and screen bezel. At 3.4 pounds, it's very light, but newer systems such as the Toshiba R400 manage to shave off even more weight. Our only real gripe with the overall design is that it's a little chunky. A mere 1.5 inches may not sound thick, but considering the 13-inch Dell XPS m1330 manages to get down below one inch (on its front edge), it's certainly possible to do better.'

Read: Averatec 1579 - ZDNet

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Kevin Giberson writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook. ‘This Inspiron 1520 weighs about six and a half pounds and is considered a mainstream consumer notebook. Though Dell allows customization of the lid in up to eight different colors, our model has a conservative looking black lid. Because of that our machine lacks some of the consumer flair a “Flamingo Pink” lid would have offered. Nonetheless, my first impressions had to do with a couple of things that distinguish the 1520 from its predecessors:’

Read: Dell Inspiron 1520 Review – Notebook Review

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A review of the feature-rich Dell XPS M1330 Notebook has been posted over at Laptop Magazine. ‘The M1330's soft-touch, crimson exterior is a new look for Dell, but the round logo on the lid is reminiscent of the one on the XPS M1210, this system's predecessor. Only 4.8 pounds (or as light as 4 pounds, depending on the battery), our configuration came with a built-in webcam, nine-cell battery, and travel remote. Although the VGA webcam no longer swivels as it did on the M1210, this one comes with tons of capabilities via software, including pan and zoom, face tracking, and special effects. All the webcam features worked reasonably well, and the picture was bright and clear, albeit washed out.’

Read: Dell XPS M1330 – Laptop Mag

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Tablet PC Review have published a review of the HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC. ‘The 2710p weighs in around 3.7 pounds, which is quite impressive considering it has such a solid chassis. It has a silver finish, but as I mentioned before the brushed aluminum trim around the keyboard is a nice touch, especially for those of you who like to show off during business meetings or class presentations. The hinge is sturdy and doesn't allow much wobble. It converts into tablet mode in seconds and the screen automatically changes orientation for your convenience. There isn't any dedicated tablet function buttons on the screen, but this thin and light tablet is still easy to use and it does have a unique volume pad above the keyboard, which you can adjust with your finger.’

Read: HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC First Look Review – Tablet PC Review

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Commodore XX gaming desktop. 'The case itself has the Commodore logo all over it in a ‘we own it, and darned we’re going to use it’ kind of way. It’s embossed into the front door that covers the drive bays and when you open that up, you'll find the full logo on the inside of the door and on each of the blanking plates. It could easily have been naff, but the slighty raised embossed logo is subtle. The hinge on the front door is effectively double-jointed so can fold all the way back, which is good - normally these doors don't open all the way, which is a pain. Another stand out feature is the large Commodore shaped logo in the side of the case, behind which sits a 200mm cooling fan, which is the largest I've ever seen on a system. There's a large circular grille at the front too, behind which sits a 120mm fan with another 120mm fan at the rear. This flashes in an array of disco lights too, but patently, with the door closed you won’t be able to see it.'

Read: Commodore XX - Gaming PC - Trusted Reviews

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CNET have published their review of the Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD) Windows XP Tablet PC configuration. The LifeBook T4220's 12.1-inch display offers a native resolution of 1,024x768. That resolution and its standard (4:3) aspect ratio are rather ho-hum compared to the wide-screen displays found on most thin-and-light laptops, but we appreciated the T4220's larger type and icons while we were navigating with the stylus. Our review unit's price includes an indoor/outdoor display that provides excellent off-angle viewing and is readable in a variety of different lighting conditions, including summer afternoon sun.

(If you're likely to only use your tablet in typical work environments, you can save $150 by opting for a standard display finish.) While most tablets include a small slot in the base so you can tuck the stylus out of sight, the LifeBook T4220's stylus sits in full view on the left side of the display bezel--a somewhat unattractive design that nevertheless keeps the stylus within easy reach. A number of other features around the bezel help you navigate when the computer is in tablet mode: a fingerprint reader for quick and keyboard-free log-ons, plus buttons for Alt, Fn, page up, and page down.

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HDD, Windows XP Tablet Edition) - CNET

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PC Authority have published a review of the Fujitsu Lifebook Q2010 ultraportable. 'Fujitsu’s stunning ultraportables always bring a smile in our office and the Q2010 is arguably the best we’ve seen. It’s just under 2cm in thickness and weighs only a kilogram. Its magnesium alloy chassis and titanium hinges make it sturdy and look gorgeous (although the lid does flex a fair amount and will struggle to protect it from a full-force direct blow). Ergonomically, there are compromises though. At only 12.1 inches it means all of the keys are reduced in size and some non-lettered variants will be a struggle for those with podgy fingers. The mouse buttons are also a little small, though after getting used to it we were happy to work on it for extended periods of time. The 1280 x 800 LCD is bright, sharp and well lit, though viewing angles are poor. The stereo speakers are surprisingly good, offering decent volume and distinctness albeit with a total lack of bass. There’s also a dual digital array microphone to enhance VoIP calls.'

Read: Fujitsu Lifebook Q2010 - PC Authority

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A review of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M55e enterprise PC has been posted over at PC Magazine. 'The ThinkCentre M55e is available in several case sizes. From largest to smallest, they are the Tower, Desktop, Small Form Factor, and Ultra-Small Form Factor. (The ultra-small model uses a notebook-style optical drive.) The model I tested comes in the Small Form Factor case, and it looks all business. All four chassis designs share the same internal component choices (processors, motherboard chipsets, and to an extent, graphics), so you can use the same drive image on all M55e desktop PCs. (You can have Lenovo services create a build for you and distribute it on PCs before the PCs are shipped to you.) This is a big deal when you're outfitting an office with more than ten PCs, and especially when your rollout is in the thousands. Another plus is image stability. Lenovo promises that you will still be able to buy desktops that work with the same disk image over at least a 12-month lifespan. (If you buy an M55e PC in June 2007, the new one you buy in May 2008 will be able to use the same operating system build, drivers, and programs as the first one). Again, all this means a lot to medium-sized and large businesses, but also helps growing small.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkCentre M55e - PC Mag

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Pocket-Lint have published a review of the Toshiba Portege M400 Tablet PC. 'Aimed at business users instead of home consumers, this is a semi-lightweight machine, weighing in at 2.3kg, which has a fairly businesslike tool. The casing is made from plastic with magnesium-alloy only used on the lid, protecting the 12.1-inch digitised screen. This size of machine isn’t exactly ideal for carrying around all day but for use in and around the office, we found it quite portable. The tablet remained cool to the touch, even after being switched on for long periods of the day. The only problem we found was the battery life, which at a little over 2 hours, on average, wasn’t ideal for taking out and about without the charger, which adds to the overall weight.'

Read: Toshiba Portege M400 Tablet PC Review

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Dustin Sklavos writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the HP Pavilion dv6560us Notebook. ‘The dv6560us is based on the HP dv6500t series, which is in turn a refresh of their existing dv6000t series. The lid has HP's gorgeous, fingerprint-loving imprint design, emblazoned with a silver HP logo. It feels fairly sturdy, with no wobble and minimal flex. Though the unit as a whole is a bit bulky for a 15.4" mainstream notebook, that bulk serves a purpose. The lid itself does not close using conventional latches, but instead simply snaps shut, then snaps open, like a clamshell. Some people might worry about this, but honestly, you really do need both hands to open the unit - it's not going to open by itself.’

Read: HP Pavilion dv6560us Review – Notebook Review

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Reg Hardware have published their review of the HP TouchSmart IQ770 PC. 'The guts of the IQ770 are laptop components that have been shoehorned into a compact desktop unit that doesn't look much like a desktop PC. The base unit houses an Asus motherboard built around and Nvidia GeForce Go 6100 chipset, a dual-core AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 processor running at 1.6GHz, 2GB of dual-channel DDR 2 memory (PC2-4300) and GeForce Go 7600 graphics with 256MB of dedicated Ram. On the front, there's a slot-loading DVD writer, playback control buttons and two card-reader slots. Behind a flap that's rather grandly labelled as a "Connectivity Center", there are stereo RCA, s-video, four-pin mini Firewire and a pair of USB 2.0 ports. Moving to the rear, we have the mains power plug, vents for the cooling fan, Gigabit Ethernet, three more USB ports, a six-pin Firewire connector, co-axial digital audio and three 3.5mm audio jacks.'

Read: HP TouchSmart IQ770 PC - Reg Hardware

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Sony VAIO VGN-AR590E feature-rich Notebook. ‘At 8.4 pounds, this system is a bit heavy but easy to move from room to room. We recommend you place this VAIO where it can be seen when guests drop by. The VGN-AR590E is a model of minimalist elegance, sporting a glossy, piano-black finish highlighted by silver trim. Just be sure a polishing cloth is handy; the notebook lid picks up fingerprints in a hurry. The machine's wide base offers ample space for comfortably positioning your hands when typing on the roomy keyboard. We like that the keys are low to the base, similar to the Apple MacBook, and that they offer solid, responsive tactile feedback.’

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-AR590E – Laptop Mag

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CNET have published a review of the Samsung Q1 Ultra (Q1U-V) UMPC. 'The Samsung Q1 Ultra (Q1U-V) improves on Samsung's original and much maligned UMPC effort, but it still finds itself caught between two worlds. It can't replace your laptop as an everyday productivity tool because it's still too underpowered, and, despite the addition of a small keyboard split across the screen, text input becomes a chore for anything more than typing a URL or the briefest of e-mail responses. So, let's view it as a portable media player. The Q1 Ultra's 7-inch screen is far larger than anything you'd find on a smart phone or other handheld device, but its meager specs struggle to power Windows Vista and even simple tasks such as smoothly playing video. At $1,199, it's cheaper than other UMPCs we've seen, but that price is harder to justify when you see everything the iPhone can do for half that amount. Given its flaws, we found ourselves enjoying the Q1 Ultra when used only as an on-the-go Web-surfing machine. If browsing Web sites and playing media files when out and about is your main priority, the Apple iPhone (or a Wi-Fi enabled PMP) is a better way to go.'

Read: Samsung Q1 Ultra (Q1U-V) - CNET

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A review of the sleek HP Pavilion dv2600ea Notebook has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'The dv2650ea is the top-of-range model from HP's consumer range and as such is billed as an entertainment notebook, rather than a business notebook. This accounts for the glossy finish on the lid, the screen and throughout. It's also why you get a subtle pattern effect on the lid, on the inside and even on the default desktop wallpaper. You also get blue backlit shortcut buttons above the keyboard that take you straight into HP's QuickPlay application. Finally, in case you were in any doubt, the words 'HP Pavilion Entertainment PC' are written on the palm rest of the notebook.'

Read: HP Pavilion dv2600ea - Trusted Reviews

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PC Perspective have published an updated review of the Dell XPS M1710 gaming Notebook. 'Overall, the Dell XPS M1710 is a real fast performer with the top-end T7600G CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPU. The price of the XPS M1710 is surprisingly competitive if you go with a more basic configuration (i.e. no Blu-Ray drive, and the T7600 CPU), but this doesn't mean you have compromised on performance. The XPS M1710 is a great gaming notebook for those of you who can't afford something as expensive as a notebook with SLI yet still want something that's fun to own and play with.'

Read: Dell XPS M1710 Notebook Review - Overclocked T7600G - PC Perspective

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CNET have published a review of the rugged Twinhead Durabook D13RY Notebook. ‘If the Twinhead Durabook D13RY looks familiar, that's because it is: the rugged laptop uses the same case as the Polywell Ruffbook M410ic. However, the Ruffbook has a 14.1-inch standard-aspect dsiplay, while the Durabook D13RY includes a 13.3-inch wide-aspect screen and a Webcam. Also, Twinhead has constructed the Durabook D13RY to meet military specifications for durability, a claim which Polywell never made. We actually like the Durabook a bit more than its doppelganger. The Durabook's wide-aspect display is better suited to today's work and play, and when it comes to performance the Durabook does a better job of keeping up with competing systems. That said, the Durabook D13RY is more expensive than similarly configured traditional laptops--our configuration cost $1,945--so we can really only recommend it for buyers who need a laptop to withstand heavy abuses in environments beyond the home, office, or coffee shop.’

Read: Twinhead Durabook D13RY - CNET

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A review of the Asus Z99SC Notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'Everything about the Z99SC looks well built. The case feels very sturdy and the port locations are well thought out. You can feel that the chassis is made of a plastic but it also feels like it will last a good while. Back on the subject of ports, one of the reasons that I chose this model is that the display and LAN ports are in the correct location; at the back of the laptop. I can’t remember how many laptops I discounted solely on the fact that these ports were placed on the side of the laptop. I can’t understand why this is done, a VGA/DVI port should go on the back, and not protrude into the mouse or DVD area. The same goes for LAN, I don’t want a network cable sticking out the side of a laptop, these connections all belong on the rear!'

Read: Asus Z99SC Review - Notebook Review

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