Handy Computer Guide

Personal Computer World have published a review of the lightweight HP Compaq 2710p Notebook. 'The HP Compaq 2710p (reviewed from a consumer perspective in our recent group test) is a hard device to categorise, being something of a compromise between a conventional notebook and a tablet PC. Moreover, with a foot in both camps, it’s inevitably far from perfect, with a number of both good and bad points which need to be clearly understood before making a business buying decision. We’ll start with the good points, the most notable of which is portability. The 2710p weighs in at just over 1.6kg (2.12kg with the power supply), which is very light compared with most business notebooks. It’s also very compact, making it comfortable to carry around and use. Despite which, we got almost six hours of battery life in our Labs tests. It’s also solidly built with a brushed alloy outer casing, making for a robust as well as very businesslike product.

Read: Review: HP Compaq 2710p notebook computer - Personal Computer World

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PC World have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite P205D-S7479 desktop replacement PC. ‘Equipped with a 2.2-GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-64 processor, 2GB of RAM, 256MB of discrete graphics memory, and a 4200-rpm 250GB hard drive, the P205D-S7479 earned a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 68. That result is 16 percent behind the average score of 81 earned by 19 currently tested desktop replacement laptops, and 13 percent behind the average score of 78 earned by three notebooks with an Intel chip of the same speed (the Fujitsu LifeBook A6110, the HP Compaq 8710p, and the HP Pavilion dv9500t). Though neither gap is huge, the differences do show that the P205D will lag in some applications.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite P205D-S7479 Desktop Replacement Laptop – PC World

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A review of the Medion 6615 PC desktop computer has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The pace of change is continuous, and the Medion 6615 PC is just one example of that, having just been given a £100 price drop in the January sales compared with its price before Christmas. That pitches it at £579, which is a low price for a desktop computer featuring Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor running at 2.4GHz. Intel's rival AMD has recently started making similar, cheaper processors, but the Q6600 remains faster than any AMD chip we've tested. The 'quad' means it is effectively four processors in one, letting it do more things at once, while speeding up some individual programs and games.'

Read: Review: Medion 6615 PC desktop computer - Computeractive

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IT Reviews have published a review of the Toshiba Portégé R500-10U ultraportable. 'Looking for a laptop that you can carry around all day and not notice it? Then you might want to take a look at Toshiba's Portégé R500-10U. In fact, you could carry this one around all week and still not know it. Why? Because it weighs an almost unbelievably light 760g. However, having a notebook this light isn't without one or two problems. If you are one of those people who hold their notebooks by one corner, beware: if you do it with the Portégé R500-10U you might well hear a nasty cracking sound. As you might have guessed, to make a laptop this light means using a lot of plastic in its construction, and with most of the weight being at the rear of the chassis in the form of the battery, the chassis tends to bend towards the back, hence the potential cracking noise.'

Read: Toshiba - Portégé R500-10U review - IT Reviews

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Trusted Reviews have published a review of the sleek Dell XPS M1530 Notebook. 'Announced not long ago, it takes the same basic design and expands it to house a larger 15.4in display and updated hardware. This was always a logical move for Dell to make given the success of the 13in model, providing a far more attractive and exclusive tonic to the solid but rather utilitarian Inspiron 1520. Aesthetically then, it should go without saying that the XPS M1530 is everything one would hope it to be. Dell has done an excellent job of translating the already excellent styling to a larger chassis, losing none of the style or sharpness that made the XPS M1330 such a popular and in demand machine. Its combination of brushed metal interior, touch sensitive buttons and 'micro satin' exterior is eye catching and boast worthy - should that be a requirement.'

Read: Dell XPS M1530 - Trusted Reviews

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Nam Pham writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the lightweight Lenovo ThinkPad R61 Notebook. 'The overall design of all Thinkpads never goes far from a black, squarish box. You can still see many similarities from the very first Thinkpad model made by IBM in 1992 in this R61. It's black inside and out, though the outside is a bit more like dark gray. There are absolutely no shiny bells and whistles on this notebook: It's pure business. Depending on your taste, you might call it dull or extremely sexy. I'm with the latter. The only thing on the outside lid is the IBM Thinkpad logo. Yes, although many received their Thinkpads with the new Lenovo logo, I got mine with the old IBM logo. I would have preferred either one. On the inside, there is the classic Thinkpad keyboard, the touchpad and the red trackpoint. Then there is the fingerprint reader that did not exist when I got the notebook. How it got there, you will find out later on. Under the screen, there are the green status lights, showing you the status of wireless, numlock, caplock, accessing hard drive, power, battery indicator, external power, and sleep/hibernate. An interesting feature is that some of the lights shine through to the other side, so even when you close the lid, you can still tell if your notebook is on, sleeping, charging, etc.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad R61 User Review - Notebook Review

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A review of the upgraded 13-inch Apple MacBook has been posted over at ZDNet. ‘Inside, you'll find Apple's typically minimalist setup, including a power button, a full-size keyboard, a sizable touch pad with a single mouse button, and a built-in iSight camera that sits above the display. If you miss the scroll bar found on almost every Windows laptops, the two-finger scroll option works well (run two fingers down the touch pad, and it scrolls like a mouse wheel). We remain fans of Apple's flat-key keyboard, although Windows users will have to get used to a Delete key that functions like a PC Backspace key, and no standalone equivalent key for what PCs call Delete. Compared with previous MacBooks, the main visual difference is that a few of the alternate functions on the F keys have been juggled around.’

Read: Apple MacBook - white (Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) - ZDNet

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CNET have published their review of the sleek Dell XPS M1530 feature-rich Notebook. 'The M1530, like the M1330 before it, is slightly wedge-shaped, going from 1.2 inches in the front to 1.5 inches in the rear. At a hair under 6 pounds, it's a bit lighter than most 15-inch laptops we've seen, and the overall look is slim and attractive. A few color options are offered, although the only difference is in the back of the lid, which is available in black, white, or red. Our review unit had the matte-red finish (Dell calls it crimson red), which looks great and is the color seen in Dell's ads and promotional materials. More color options (as with the current Inspiron line of laptops) would have been welcome. The keyboard tray is brushed silver with black accents and includes touch-sensitive controls for volume and media playback and an eject button for the slot-loading DVD drive. We've never been crazy about the slightly tapered keys on Dell's laptop keyboards, which seem to leave you less typing surface area, because the individual keys are wider at the base than the top. On the plus side, a tiny credit-card remote control sits tucked into the Express Card slot and is a standard feature on XPS laptops.'

Read: Dell XPS M1530 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66GHz, 160GB HDD, 2GB RAM) - CNET

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the affordable Toshiba Satellite A215-S4757 laptop. ‘The 6.3-pound Satellite sports a shiny Onyx Blue lid, which is so dark that it actually looks more black than blue, and as is usually the case with high-gloss finishes, it's a real fingerprint magnet. The front edge of the lid is tapered, allowing access to a set of bright blue LED status lights mounted on the lower edge of the chassis, along with a 5-in-1 card reader, a Wi-Fi switch and amber indicator light, microphone and headphone jacks, and a volume dial. The keyboard deck provides plenty of wrist room, and the full-sized keyboard was comfortable and responsive, as was the wide-aspect touchpad. The two mouse buttons are a bit too small, however.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite A215-S4757 – Laptop Mag

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A review of the Acer Travelmate 6292-301G16MN business notebook has been posted over at IT Reviews. 'Our review Travelmate 6292 came powered by one of Intel's Core 2 Duo T7300 processors, which are clocked at 2.0GHz and have 4MB of L2 cache and 800MHz FSB speeds. Backing this up is Intel's 965M Express / ICH8-DO chipset combination and 2GB of PC2-5300, 667MHz DDR2 memory. The laptop can support up to a maximum of 4GB of memory through two SO-DIMM slots. Performance-wise the Travelmate 6292 won't set the world on fire but it's no slouch either, producing an overall result in PCMark05 of 4,200, which is respectable for this class of notebook.'

Read: Acer - Travelmate 6292-301G16MN review - IT Reviews

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PC Authority have published a review of the Sony VAIO VGN-CR13GW laptop. ‘In addition to its good looks, the CR13 exhibits the build quality we’ve come to expect from Sony. It feels solid, with no obvious weak points in the chassis. The shiny finish on the lid feels as though it should prevent the odd scratch, although you’ll still need to look after it to keep it looking its best. Complementing its good looks and sturdy construction, the CR13GR (the ‘R’ denotes the fiery red finish) is well specified. Its 100GB hard disk is decent and there’s fair news on the performance front. The 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 offers plenty of power, although the top-end T-series is now up to 2.4GHz. A healthy 1GB of 667MHz RAM is included, though. The overall application benchmark score of 1.00 shows the CR11 is certainly more than powerful enough for everyday tasks, with a little left over for more intensive jobs.’

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-CR13GW – PC Authority

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Pocket-Lint have published a review of the HP Compaq 2710p tablet PC. 'When it comes to performance, you won't find this the most powerful notebook on the market but you'll be impressed to see dual-core technology being used in such a lightweight machine. Powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo U7600, this low-voltage chip is sufficient for every day tasks. With only 1024MB of memory we found the Windows Vista Business Edition OS took a long time to boot and run. We'd suggest a memory upgrade to get the most from this machine. However, the use of a low-voltage processor does mean you won't have to sacrifice battery life for the sake of pure performance.'

Read: HP Compaq 2710p tablet PC Review - Pocket-Lint

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A review of the Dell XPS M1730 mobile gaming Notebook has been published over at HotHardware. 'As you would expect, just about every 17" laptop has roughly the same width and depth, with the main difference being thickness. The M1730 is no exception, but its styling gives the illusion that the chassis is larger than it really is. Many laptops (e.g. most ASUS and Toshiba models) feature a wedge-like design where the front is significantly thinner than the back to give the illusion of thinness. Another trick to further enhance the illusion is to make the edges of the laptop as thin as possible, either through rounding, tapering or cutting out areas. However, the M1730 forgoes any illusion of thinness by featuring a relatively uncompromising rectangular shape that is equally thick all the way around. This causes the M1730 to appear bulkier compared to other 17" laptops like the Toshiba X205 despite actually being similar in thickness (2.1" vs 2").'

Read: Dell XPS M1730 Mobile Gaming Notebook - HotHardware.com

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Dustin Sklavos writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the HP Pavilion dv2610us widescreen laptop. 'The 1280x800 resolution 14.1" screen on the dv2610us is surprisingly attractive. Viewing angles are less than impressive, but laptop viewing angles usually stink. This is nothing new. But the glossy finish renders colors crisp and bright. One nice thing to point out is how sturdy the hinges are. Most people are used to a little bit of give or wobble on the hinges, but these babies are solid. You'll find that with most laptops you can flick or tweak the screen half and it'll wobble a couple times, kind of like the shocks in your car. HP's lids don't really do that. In fact, I can barely even tweak it to start the nonexistent wobble.'

Read: HP dv2610us User Review - Notebook Review

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CNET have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 Notebook PC. ‘From the outside, the Satellite M205 is nearly identical to the other laptops in Toshiba's current lineup, such as the Satellite U305, with the same rounded edges, black accents, and silver interior. The dark-blue-speckled lid has a high-gloss coating--making it especially vulnerable to fingerprints and smudges, but it's attractive otherwise. One of our common complaints about the company's laptops remains the giant "Toshiba" emblazoned in large silver letters across the laptop's lid and the backlit Satellite logo on the front edge. It all adds up to branding overkill, making us feel like a walking billboard. Blue LED lights on the front edge give you updates about battery status and hard drive activity without causing distraction, and a row of media control buttons (play/pause, and so forth) sits above the keyboard, between the stereo speakers. These are not the Harman Kardon speakers found on more expensive Toshiba laptops such as the X205, but the sound quality is acceptable for casual listening, although still too thin and brittle for enjoying music. The keyboard has a little of that click-clack quality some find annoying, but it wasn't a deal-breaker.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite M205-S7452 - CNET

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A review of the Shuttle XPC SG31G2 desktop computer has been posted over at Computeractive. 'Shuttle specialises in small PCs, but even so, the SG31G2 is one of its smaller designs, standing just 18.5cm tall and 20cm wide. The size is achieved by only including space for one DVD writer, rather than two, and by having space for a single-width graphics card, ruling out high-powered double-width cards (but since these are only used by high-end gamers, it's no great loss).The silver-plastic DVD writer is the only thing that stands out from an otherwise attractive, all-aluminium case. The front face has a striking selection of buttons, some of which glow blue, and two easy-to-access USB ports and a Firewire connection. On the rear side of the rectangular cube there’s a larger Firewire socket, which carries power, needed by some external hard disks and camcorders, and a further four USB ports.'

Read: Review: Shuttle XPC SG31G2 desktop computer - Computeractive

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Vigor Artorius Pro gaming Notebook. 'The 8.4-pound, 15.6 x 11.5 x 1.8-inch notebook is black with a red-stripe trim; the cover sports a small Vigor winged icon but is otherwise devoid of flashy touches. We appreciate the minimalist design, which runs counter to the gaming notebook standard. Colored finishes (red, gray, blue, and yellow) are also available for a $139 premium. Below the LCD is a full keyboard and number pad with three small quick-launch buttons for mail, a Web browser, and one you program. The keyboard had a satisfying throw depth, and the trackpad was responsive with a slightly rough finish. We had little trouble acclimating to either keys or touchpad, and found the keyboard usable over stretches of use (4 hours or more).'

Read: Vigor Artorius Pro - Laptop Mag

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InfoSync World have published a review of the Toshiba Qosmio F45 multimedia laptop. 'The Qosmio F45 comes in a two-tone, black and white glossy finish that's more stylish than Toshiba's entry-level Satellite or business-branded Tecra lines, both of which are painted with a matte finish. The black-and-white design isn't the most imaginative color palette in the notebook market and almost seems to be going for a “police car” look. Still, considering most laptops stubbornly opt for the “gray/even more gray” color pattern, the Qosmio F45 still pleasingly stands out in a laptop lineup. At 6.6 pounds, the F45 is a full 4 pounds lighter than the Qosmio G45. That's a 40% weight reduction, and obviously makes the unit much easier to carry around. It's still probably too big for watching movies on an airplane in coach seating, but you can realistically take it from one place to another without crippling your shoulders.'

Read: Review: Toshiba Qosmio F45 multimedia laptop - infoSync World

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A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X61s (UK449UK) Notebook has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'Aside from embedded HSDPA our sample is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo L7500, a low-voltage chip that runs at 1.6GHz with an 800MHz front side bus and features 4MB L2 Cache. In terms of raw performance this should compare favourably to the U7600 found in the Latitude D430, which has a slower 1.2GHz clock speed, 2MB L2 Cache and a 533MHz front side bus. However, it will also consume more power, with the Ultra-Low Voltage U7600 having a maximum consumption of 10 Watts compared to the 17 Watts of the L7500. This is supported by 1GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM, configured as two 512MB modules. As you've probably heard from all quarters this is cutting it fine for running Vista, which given that this machine comes loaded with Vista Business is a bit of a problem. As such, I'd recommend either switching to Windows XP for investing in a RAM upgrade.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X61s (UK449UK) - Trusted Reviews

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PC Magazine have published a review of the Gateway P-170L QS media-center laptop. 'Although large by any standard, the P-170L QS still isn't as heavy as some of its 17-inch competitors, namely the Dell Inspiron 1720 (8.8 pounds) and the Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV680 (9.9 pounds). The P-170L QS is actually middle-of-the-pack when it comes to weight, so the real battle to stand out is being waged over looks and price. The chassis design uses a process called In-Mold Decoration—similar to what HP has for its Pavilion laptops—in which decorative art can be molded underneath a smooth, glossy finish. The end result is a more mainstream appeal in contrast to the boring government-targeted designs seen on the Gateway M685-E. This refreshing new look can also be found on the Gateway M-150X, a 15.4-inch version of the P-170L QS.'

Read: Gateway P-170L QS - PC Mag

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PC Authority have published their review of the Dell Latitude D430 Notebook. ‘While the D430 is available with standard mechanical 1.8in hard disks, our review model had a 32GB SanDisk SSD UATA 5000 solid-state disk. The capacity isn’t great, although it’s enough for the OS and all of your work documents, but the disk is fast and Windows started quickly. Since there are no moving parts, you won’t lose data if you drop the notebook when it’s turned on or off. The downside is that these disks are expensive. For most people, it makes more sense to switch to a mechanical hard disk – a 60GB model drops the price by $487! Although the D430 is available with Windows Vista, the model we reviewed had Windows XP Professional installed. With a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 inside, we weren’t expecting terrific speed – the U7600 is an ultra-low voltage processor designed for ultraportables, so its priority is power consumption rather than speed – and so it proved. Despite a hefty 2GB of RAM, the D430 managed only 0.70 in our benchmarks. That said, this is fine for everyday use; it’s only when you switch to intensive tasks such as video editing that it struggles.’

Read: Dell Latitude D430 – PC Authority

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PCStats have published a review of Shuttle's "glossy-black XPC SG33G50 small formfactor barebones PC”. ‘When it comes to Small Form Factor PCs, there are few brands able to keep up with Shuttle. Shuttle's toaster-sized barebones computers continue to be successful because the company delivers fresh technology in a quality package. On the inside, Shuttle SFF PCs are quiet in operation, have an amazing ease of assembly, other from a consumer perspective are aggressively priced. Shuttle shines in its support too. At the very least Shuttle has a phone number on its support website that you can call if you have problems. Other manufacturers often keep to email or forums correspondence which is useless when your computer is down. For users, the nicest aspect of a Shuttle SFF PC is its simplicity. I would almost go so far as to borrow a very famous slogan and say "It's a Shuttle", were it not for the army of lawyers at Sony who patrol for such infractions.’

Read: Shuttle XPC SG33G50 Intel G33 Express SFF PC Review - PCStats

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A review of the Xtreme Notebooks 917V Accelerator quad-core laptop has been posted over at CNET. 'The Xtreme Notebooks 917V Accelerator is built like a tank--an American tank, thanks to the optional photorealistic American flag design on the case of our review unit. (Opting for a simpler case immediately shaves $390 off the laptop's price.) The screen sits very securely on its hinges, and--while we wouldn't recommend testing this claim--the laptop feels like it could not only survive a significant drop, but would possibly cause some damage to whatever surface it drops onto. At 2.2 inches thick and weighing 12 pounds even without the power adapter, the massive system is a true desktop replacement. We honestly can't imagine roaming anywhere with this box, except LAN parties. The broad, 17.1-inch screen on our review unit included the optional 1,920x1,200 native resolution (sharper than the standard 1,680x1,050 resolution). It almost goes without saying that games and movies look great on the screen, which includes a glossy finish that adds richness to colors. Of course, the sheen of the finish also results in a slight glare when working in bright environments, such as near a window. The sharper resolution also means text and icons appear smaller on screen. However, we were impressed by the display, especially when watching movies. Above the display sits a 1.3-megapixel Webcam for video chats.'

Read: Xtreme Notebooks 917V Accelerator - CNET

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ZDNet have published a comprehensive review of the powerful Alienware m9750 Notebook. 'On the audio front the m9750 is equipped with 7.1 channel system and comes with all the connections jacks you’d expect, including surround sound speakers and a TOSlink optical port. The system comes with both A/B/G wireless and gigabit wired ne