Handy Computer Guide

A review of the Dell XPS M1730 gaming notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'From the moment you slide the notebook out of the box, you realize just how massive this notebook is. Clocking in at over 10lbs for the notebook alone (add on almost 3lbs for the ac adapter), you realize this is more of a portable desktop in terms of weight and gaming power. The body is extremely well built, on par with many rugged business notebooks, in some cases could probably destroy the business notebook in a fight. The display cover is a mix between a glossy painted plastic finish, and a semi-transparent plastic shell that LED's illuminate to show off the Dell "XPS" logo. The materials used are fairly scratch resistant, and should hold up well with minimal scuffs over time. For a gaming rig the design is pretty tame, and not too flashy, but with the lights going full blaze it will stand out in a classroom.'

Read: Dell XPS M1730 First Look Review - Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pocket Lint have published a review of the HP Pavilion HDX9095EA media center Notebook. 'With an overall weight of 7.3kg, this isn’t a machine for carrying around, this is a machine for using about the home as a home entertainment unit. As such, you’ll find plenty of features onboard, such as Altec Lansing speakers and subwoofer and a row of touch-sensitive media buttons allow you to access the standard applications but it's the slide control volume, bass and treble controls that really set it apart. There is a remote control unit sitting alongside the keyboard, which seems only to be placed there to fill up space as it copies many of the features found on the access buttons. Obviously, the intention is to use this remote when you’re sat up to 10 metres away from the machine.'

Read: HP Pavilion HDX9095EA laptop Review - Pocket Lint

Posted by HCG Admin at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC Magazine have published a review of the Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra gaming laptop. 'The C90's feature set is impressive: It includes three USB ports, a FireWire port, and a large (200GB) hard drive. Media buffs will be pleased with the eSATA port but disappointed to find neither a Blu-ray nor an HD DVD drive included. Instead, a dual-layer, multiformat DVD burner occupies the bay—a particular letdown since several sub-$2,000 laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv9500t, house such a drive for high-def movie playback. On a positive note, the C90 can display to an external monitor using S-Video, VGA, and even HDMI. The latter is fine for those using high-definition sets, but its inclusion made me wish even more for a high-definition optical drive. A four-in-one card reader for MMC, SD, and Memory Stick Pro/Duo formats and a port for an external TV tuner (included) round out these components.'

Read: Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra - PC Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the budget-priced Asus Eee PC 701 Notebook has been posted over at Laptop Magazine. ‘We found the small seven-inch, 800 x 480-pixel display pretty easy on the eyes, especially when compared with Ultra-Mobile PCs like the OQO model 02 (5 inches) and FlipStart 1.0 (5.6 inches), but most users don't have that point of reference. A three-year-old accustomed to a 14-inch LCD didn't mind the screen while she was having fun with Mickey and friends on Playhousedisney.com. On the other hand, we don't see many people above the age of 50 using this device as their primary computer unless they hook it up to a bigger external LCD, which start at about $170.’

Read: Asus Eee PC 701 – Laptop Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Samsung X22 Notebook. 'A mid-sized notebook for corporate and business users, the X22 features a 14.1in display and weighs just a fraction over 2.2kg with the standard four-cell battery. This is quite a pleasant form factor for many, balancing the needs for mobility against the practicalities of everyday use. However, a quick look at this particular sector shows the X22 has a formidable opponent in the shape of Dell's Latitude D630. How does the X22 compare against this big hitter? n price, one would have to say very well. Our sample model (NP-X22A001/SUK) is available for the reasonable sum of £850 and for this you get a well specified notebook with a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 2GB 667MHz RAM and a 160GB SATA HDD. It also features an ATI Mobility Radeon HD2400 graphics chipset, as well as Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and Draft-N Wi-Fi. An 8x LightScribe DVD+/-RW optical drive rounds off the package and, on this evidence, the X22 is a well balanced machine for the price.'

Read: Samsung X22 - Trusted Reviews

Posted by HCG Admin at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET Asia have published a review of Dell's new XPS 420 (Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM) configuration. 'The XPS 420 features a chassis update to Dell's 400 series in the US. This new model comes with a glossy black front panel that seems to be required of any current mainstream desktop. Beyond just the cosmetics, the XPS 420 also comes with a small Windows SideShow LCD (or Dell MiniView, if you prefer) on the top edge. SideShow was announced early this year at CES. It's essentially an extension of Windows Vista's SideBar pane, and it runs all of the same free Gadget mini applications (similar to Apple's Widgets). The default Gadgets that come with the XPS 420 include system information screens, a music playlist and shortcuts. Right now Microsoft offers about 1,500 others available for download. The chief benefit is you can run use SideShow to play media or find sports scores, stock prices, weather, or other quick hit information without sitting down at your desk, and while the system is in sleep mode. We've seen SideShow on a laptop or two, as well as on a few high-end home theater PCs, but this is the first time we've seen it on a traditional desktop, and it's a definite boon you won't find from other vendors.'

Read: Dell XPS 420 (Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM) - CNET Asia

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Mesh Elite Quad Q6600CA desktop configuration has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The computer uses an Intel quad-core processor (a Q6600 running at 2.4GHz), which means it has, effectively, four separate processors. It's the next step up from the dual-core computers we've been reviewing for a year or so, and it means a good performance boost for Windows Vista and programs that are capable of using the four processors (more and more programs are being written in this way). It also includes 2GB of memory, which together with the processor provides a good computer that should be capable of dealing with most applications with ease. The case, a small tower model, doesn't look particularly impressive from the outside, but this certainly is a powerful computer. That fact was borne out in our lab testing, the results of which pitched it at the level of computers that, a few months ago, cost nearly twice as much. In fact, it posted a higher score than the similarly specified Advent T9509, with the same processor and amount of memory.'

Read: Review: Mesh Elite Quad Q6600CA desktop computer - Computeractive

Posted by HCG Admin at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digital Trends have published a review of the HP Compaq 2510p ultra-portable business notebook. 'The 2510p is a highly-anticipated ultra-portable notebook from HP Compaq (seriously, can’t they just pick one name and stick with it?) that is aimed squarely at business users who demand portability over all-out performance. It’s been completely redesigned and packs all the latest in portable technology. An ultra-portable notebook lives, and dies, by two metrics alone: battery life and weight. On the battery side of things, HP has packed an Ultra Low Voltage Core 2 Duo Processor, which should do its part to boost battery life since it merely sips CPU juice rather than guzzle it like its standard-voltage counterparts. The only downside is the unit we tested came with a 1.2GHz U7600, which is a bit slower than what we’re used to in a PC. On the scale, the 2510p weighs in at a claimed 2.9lbs. which is incredibly light and a sweet nothing to road warriors everywhere.'

Read: HP Compaq 2510p - Digital Trends

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET have published a review of the Velocity Micro ProMagix A50 gaming desktop. 'The ProMagix A50 comes in a new, all-black case that retains the clean design we've come to expect from Velocity Micro. The only fundamentally different feature is that the front panel USB 2.0 and microphone and headphone jacks now line the outer right edge of the front panel. Before, they hid behind the small front side door. Noticeably (and thankfully) missing is any kind of front-accessible bay for a removable, optional proprietary hard drive a la recent desktops from HP and Gateway. Also absent from the ProMagix A50 is any significant attempt to dress this system up as a digital media hub. Among other features, HP's newer Pavilion Elite m9040n offers an HDMI output, a TV tuner card, front panel video inputs and wireless networking capability. For better or for worse, the ProMagix A50 has none of those things. It's certainly capable from a raw encoding and decoding perspective (as our performance charts show), but aside from the dual-layer LightScribe DVD burner, the ProMagix almost feels like a throwback system for its simplicity. Once you look at its specs, you'll realize that what you might miss in features, this system makes up for in performance and upgradeability.'

Read: Velocity Micro ProMagix A50 - CNET

Posted by HCG Admin at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini Tablet PC has been posted over at Brighthand.com. 'The U810 is a solid little tablet. The chassis is sturdy and I didn't notice any flex. The mini-keyboard has a little flex, which reminded me of the LifeBook T2010. After a while, though, you wouldn't want to type on this keyboard because it really is too small. Fujitsu planned out every inch of this design. There is a pointing stick on the right corner and the mouse buttons on the left, just in case you don't want to use the pen or touchscreen. The U810 converts into tablet mode easily thanks to its solid hinge and the screen automatically changes orientation.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini Tablet PC Review - Brighthand

Posted by HCG Admin at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Notebook Reviews have published a review of the Lenovo T61 14.1" (4:3) business notebook. ‘Comparing the outside of the 14.1" T61 to the older T60, it's hard to figure out what all has changed. One clue that may stand out depending on how familiar you are with the hinge setup, is the left hinge is wider than the right hinge. Another subtle change that many diehard Thinkpad users will notice is the sticker has changed from being the older multi-color IBM logo, to just "ThinkPad Tseries". Other than that no visible changes have been made. Internally the 14" T-Series has gained a new LCD roll cage, which helps significantly to reduce screen lid flex, and ripples from pressing hard behind the screen. Opening up the T61 another subtle but slightly odd change is the LCD is off center. If you are really picky about that sort of thing it may drive you insane, but I didn't even notice it after using the notebook for more than five minutes.’

Read: Lenovo T61 14.1" (4:3) Review – Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Acer TravelMate 5520C business notebook has been posted over at IT Reviews. 'Build quality throughout is, as always with a TravelMate, first rate and although the lid is quite thin there isn't much flex to it. The keyboard features the now famous 5-degree curved TravelMate layout, which may look a bit odd but is a joy to type on. The keys themselves are nice and responsive as is the 4-way scroll trackpad. Under the trackpad sit three mouse buttons; left, right and scrolling.To the left of the keyboard is panel that holds four Easy-launch buttons and three productivity buttons. The four Easy-launch buttons control access to Acer's Empowering Technology (a whole host of useful Acer utilities that come pre-installed), the Internet, e-mail and one that is user programmable. The three remaining productivity keys launch the Windows Lock function, get the 5520C ready for presentations and automatically sync to an external storage device; very handy for running back-ups.'

Read: Acer - TravelMate 5520C review - IT Reviews

Posted by HCG Admin at 1:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Personal Computer World have published a review of the HP Compaq 6910p notebook PC. ‘There’s certainly no doubting the portability of the 6910p. It’s not the smallest you can buy, but that’s not a bad thing as the end result is rugged, yet still relatively light (2kg), and a handy size for carrying around. It can also last a long time between charging sessions with a six-cell Li-Ion battery which, according to HP, should last for more than five hours. We didn’t manage quite that, but did achieve around four hours of portable use in our tests. Dual-core processors are pretty much a must-have these days, and the processor on this model is a decent 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. You also get 2GB of DDR2 memory, upgradeable to 4GB using industry-standard Sodimm modules, plus plenty of local storage options with a 120GB Sata hard disk accompanied by a DVD multi-recorder, plus slots to take a variety of Flash memory cards.’

Read: Review: HP Compaq 6910p notebook PC – Personal Computer World

Posted by HCG Admin at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Toshiba Satellite X200-20s gaming Notebook has been posted over at Pocket Lint. 'The Toshiba Satellite X200-20s may be the company’s first gaming machine but it takes its styling more from it’s Qosmio line than the likes of rival gamers, such as Dell or Alienware. For instance, while the unit is rather boxy with plenty of depth for the cooling fans to handle the high-end components inside, the look is more sophisticated than the average game machine. The lacquered lid and the placement of the stereo speakers above the keyboard makes this look more like a multimedia machine for the home rather than a gamer in the bedroom.'

Read: Toshiba Satellite X200-20s Laptop Review - Pocket Lint

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Rock Xtreme X770-T7800 Notebook. 'The X770 is a stylish, well-built notebook. The black chassis - made by Clevo, a M57RU model - is highlighted by a narrow orange trim strip, although silver is available for those not so daring. The keyboard and trackpad/mouse buttons are surrounded by a panel finished off to look like carbon fibre. Dominating the lid is a large brushed-aluminum panel bearing a large X, neatly bordered above and below by gloss piano black strips. The keyboard is full size with a separate numeric pad and a full size Enter key, which in itself makes a nice change from the cut-down norm. The keypad is well built and placed far enough along the chassis to make for comfortable typing, aided by the keys themselves, which have just the right amount of flex to them.'

Read: Rock Xtreme X770-T7800 notebook - Register Hardware

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET Asia have published a review of the affordable Sony VAIO VGN-NR17G Notebook. 'Sony VAIO VGN-NR17G (Core 2 Duo T7300 Processor 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM) 'Like the rest of the Sony VAIO laptop family, the VGN-NR17G has a large VAIO logo embossed on the back of the lid, clearly advertising your brand preference to anyone sitting nearby. The biggest difference between this and other VAIOs is the textured plastic that covers everything except the screen bezel and bottom surface. It's not the worst look in the world, but it feels cheap compared to the design-oriented mix of metal and plastic materials found on other VAIO laptops. At only 33mm thick, it's slightly slimmer than Sony's 15-inch home theater laptop, the VAIO VGN-FZ18G, but heavier, by nearly 220g.'

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-NR17G (Core 2 Duo T7300 Processor 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM) - CNET Asia

Posted by HCG Admin at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Kohjinsha SH6WP10A ultraportable has been posted over at Notebook Review. ‘This little computer can either be bought in white or black, both of them look really nice. In my case, it's white. When you hold the laptop, you can kind of feel that this thing is really built quite nicely. It's definitely light. In fact, if you put it on your lap, you might even forget that it's there! This computer is so small, it fits really nicely in just one hand. The screen LCD is pretty thick so no ripples can be seen if you push on the lid. If you touch the screen in the up position, it doesn't wobble at all. Twisting the frame turns it into a Tablet PC, so go ahead and twist away, that's what it's designed for. The laptop is mostly made of plastic except for the metal hinge part that allows you to turn your screen into a Tablet PC. Though it's made of plastic, it feels extremely solid.’

Read: Kohjinsha SH6WP10A User Review – Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trusted Reviews have published their review of the sleek Dell XPS M1330 multimedia Notebook. 'For raw performance testing the XPS M1330 was put through our usual set of benchmarks, including PCMark 05 and our in-house Photoshop Elements and Virtual Dub tests. Overall performance was in line with expectations, with a solid 4,573 Overall PCMark score and a CPU score just under 5,000 -- both of which are very creditable. Results from our in-house tests were also good showing that, were it needed, the M1330 is up to some more intensive tasks. In general use though, the M1330 with the Core 2 Duo T7300 is snappy and brisk. A fact that will change little if you spec the T7250, which given the pricing would be sensible.'

Read: Dell XPS M1330 - Trusted Reviews

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 Tablet PC. 'The T2010 weighs a very portable 3.5 pounds, slipping easily in our portfolio. That’s because, unlike the T4220, this unit doesn’t have an optical drive. The keyboard is spacious for this small format and makes full use of the unit’s width to accommodate a comfortable finger span. The full-sized Shift and Enter keys and offset cluster of directionals do compromise to size, and we liked the large, bright key labels that helped us type in low-light conditions. In an odd design choice, the top part of the system battery forms the wrist rest beneath the keyboard, so users have to do without a touchpad. The action of the keys was firm and bouncy, and the pointing stick is sensitive enough, although the stick is kept so flush to the keys that it can be difficult to locate by touch.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 Tablet PC - Laptop Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the feature-rich Rock Xtreme 770 Notebook has been posted over at Personal Computer World. 'With an orange rim, the black chassis leans forward and sends out a clear message to onlookers that it hides some top-notch components. Its prize possession is Intel’s new T7800 processor, which succeeds the short-lived X7800, a strictly mobile gaming chip with a guzzling 44W thermal design point (TDP). The T7800 has the same 35W TDP as regular Core 2 Duo chips. Despite the lower power consumption, the notebook’s fan produced a considerable amount of noise, even when idle and running off battery power. The T7800 runs at 2.6GHz with Santa Rosa’s 800MHz front-side bus and has 4MB L2 cache.'

Read: Review: Rock Xtreme 770 notebook computer - Personal Computer World

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC Authority have published a review of the Megaware Value Power desktop PC. 'Megaware, a newcomer to PC Authority, uses Intel’s new 2.66GHz E6750 Core 2 Duo processor – essentially an E6700 with a front side bus speed upped from 1066MHz to 1333MHz. Alongside 2GB of PC2-5300 RAM and a 320GB hard disk it, managed 1.15 in our benchmarks – disappointing considering that TI’s competitor was 15% faster with an E6700. But the TI does have two 320GB hard disks running in RAID0 for speed. Also, as of this month, it will also come with an E6750 – the Megaware in comparison is not as fast.'

Read: Megaware Value Power - PC Authority

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC Magazine have published a review of the Dell Inspiron 531s desktop configuration. 'The "s" in 531s stands for small or slim. This means that the system is a lot thinner than the average mini tower desktop, at about 14 by 4 by 17 inches (HWD). Does this mean there is less expansion room in the system? Whereas that may have been true for older systems, the motherboard in the 531s has all the usual internal connectors, including two PCI card slots, a PCIe x1 and a PCIe x16 graphics card slot (occupied by an ATI Radeon HD 2400 card). The card slots are only half-height because of the slim desktop form factor, which limits some choices—but if you're buying a $500 PC, you're not likely to be looking to equip it with a $700 full-size graphics card, anyway. There's space for two additional system memory DIMMs, though most people will find the 2GB the system comes with to be plenty. (Many systems in the sub-$500 price range have only 1GB). The 531s includes a 160GB hard drive, which is average for systems at this price. But it comes with eight USB ports, which is exemplary for any system and exceptional in the category of small-form-factor PCs.'

Read: Dell Inspiron 531s - PC Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Velocity Micro NoteMagix x25 laptop has been posted over at CNET. 'The 15.4-inch widescreen display on the Velocity Micro NoteMagix X25's features a sharp 1,680x1,250 resolution that renders lovely video and images but can make text and icons appear small. Unfortunately, the display's glossy finish produced distracting reflections when we were working under fluorescent lighting; there is no option for a matte finish. Above the display sits a 2.0-megapixel Webcam that rotates nearly 360 degrees, letting you snap shots in front of, above, or behind the laptop. Two microphones (one on each side of the camera) create a dual-mic array. We like that the keyboard on the NoteMagix X25 feels solid, though key travel seems a bit shallow. Nevertheless, we were able to type this review on the laptop without any great discomfort.'

Read: Velocity Micro NoteMagix x25 - CNET

Posted by HCG Admin at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)