Handy Computer Guide

A review of the new Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 tablet PC has been posted over at Tablet PC Review. 'Although the design is still the same, the P1620 draws attention from all users. Who can resist an ultraportable, lightweight notebook that can also be used as a tablet for taking notes or drawing. The 8.9" WXGA display is perfect for road warriors and the touchscreen comes in handy when browsing the Web. I do prefer the pen though because it is more accurate then your finger tip. The P1620 weighs in at 2.8 lbs and has a solid chassis. There isn't anything that feels cheap about it. It is the perfect travel companion, I took it every where with me. It also has the famous Fujitsu bi-directional hinge, which is great for presentations. The colors are the same, black lid and silver inside. It isn't shiny and it doesn't have creative designs, just your basic looking tablet. In my opinion though function is more important then design and the P1620 is packed full of features for it's tiny stature.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 Tablet PC Review - Tablet PC Review

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the new Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV690 Notebook. 'Like the G45-AV680 that came before it, the 10.6-pound G45-AV690 features a beautiful 17-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution Ultimate TruBrite widescreen display, which brilliantly showcased our U2: Rattle and Hum HD DVD in full 1080p. We were equally wowed by the powerful Harman Kardon Bass Reflex speakers (with subwoofer), 1-bit digital amplifier, and Dolby Home Theater audio technology, which produced crisp audio. Embedded in the bezel above the display is a 2-megapixel webcam that takes typical notebook-quality video and stills. The glossy, white keyboard is spacious and we liked the inclusion of illuminated multimedia buttons and a chrome-plated volume wheel. The fingerprint reader is nestled between two large mouse buttons. The wide-aspect touchpad is small, but we adjusted to it quickly.'

Read: Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV690 - Laptop Mag

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HotHardware have published a review of the Dell XPS 630 gaming desktop system. 'Our evaluation system came stocked with an NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT and 2GB of Samung DDR2-667 memory. Although the base unit ships with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 processor, we opted to test the XPS 630 with a Core 2 Quad Q6600 running at 2.4GHz. For added benefit, we also took Dell up on an offer to test not only some faster RAM in the form of Hynix DDR2-800 sticks, but also doubling up the number of GPUs by throwing in an extra 8800GT in SLI. The keyboard, mouse, and mousepad look capable enough for most users, although the mouse is a simple two-button scrollwheel variety. As with everything else, these two component can be exchanged for higher-end peripherals such as Razer's Tarantula Gaming Keyboard or a Microsoft Sidewinder USB Laser Mouse, for an additional cost.'

Read: Dell XPS 630 Gaming Desktop System - HotHardware.com

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A review of the Dell XPS 420 multimedia desktop has been posted over at PC Magazine. ‘The XPS 420 has a BTX-style case with a black faceplate and aluminum-silver colored sides. It looks like an evolution of the white silver and black XPS 410 and the Dimension 9100 boxes. Two changes are especially notable: the new XPS MiniView (a 3-by-2-inch, 320-by-240 interactive color display set in the top panel, along with a keypad to control its functions); and doors added to the front panel to hide the optical drives. All in all, it's an attractive makeover, but the unit is still undoubtedly a large tower PC. The case pops open as easily as previous high-end Dell BTX cases. The system has 802.11n wireless networking occupying one slot in the case, and the RAM DIMM slots are full. As configured, you're limited to installing three PCI cards. The XPS 420 is not really a tinkerer's case (not much room to move around in), but it's fully equipped anyway. The cables are (mostly) neatly routed for airflow, and the system is reasonably quiet when compared with other systems in our labs.’

Read: Dell XPS 420 – PC Mag

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CNET have published their review of the new Lenovo ThinkPad X300 ultraportable. 'The ThinkPad X300 is an interesting exercise in minimalism. The laptop lacks some features that would be considered standard on an ultraportable, such as an expansion card slot or multiformat memory card reader, both of which are found on the Toshiba Portege R500. But it adds features that will likely be of higher value to mobile workers, such as WWAN, wireless USB, and even GPS. More notably, it incorporates many features that the MacBook Air does not, including two more USB ports, an Ethernet connection, and a built-in DVD burner. These additions make the ThinkPad X300 a realistic choice for use as a primary computer, which is a major advantage over its Apple competitor, especially given the price.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X300 - CNET

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Digital Trends have published a review of the Uberclok Reactor gaming desktop. 'Uberclok has chosen the Antec 900 as its chassis of choice for both of the PC configurations it sells, and it’s easy to see why. This is a long-time favorite among gamers due to its tremendous airflow, good looks and spacious interior. Since everything in this PC is overclocked, airflow is supremely important, and the Antec 900 delivers with two 120mm intake fans in the front, one 120mm exhaust fan on the back, and a giant 200mm fan on top of the case. Three drives are included with the Reactor: two optical and one magnetic. The optical drives are Lite-On models, and include a DVD writer with LightScribe as well as a DVD reader. The lone hard drive is a gigantic 1TB Hitachi 7K1000 with 32MB of cache. If you don’t want this much storage (what’s wrong with you?) you can opt for a 500GB drive or a 150GB WD Raptor. RAID options are included in the configuration step on the website if you are looking for a mirrored or striped array.'

Read: Uberclok Reactor - Digital Trends

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A review of the powerful Alienware m9750 gaming notebook has been posted over at PC Perspective. ‘On the inside, the Alienware m9750 is built on the Intel 945PM chipset paired with the ICH7M south bridge – an aging but potent chipset for notebook computers. It runs on DDR2 memory, speeds of 667 MHz only, but it does have two accessible memory slots. Both the DX9-based GeForce 7950 and the DX10-based GeForce 8700M GPUs are available in SLI configurations. Two SATA bays allow for a single or dual hard drive configuration and even the faster 7200 RPM 2.5” drives are an option for an upgraded price. Networking is powered by an Intel PRO Wireless 802.11 a/b/g card, includes Bluetooth support and has an integrated Gigabit networking connection.’

Read: Alienware m9750 Notebook Review - SLI, RAID and Gaming on the Go – PC Perspective

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Andrew Baxter writing over at Notebook Review has posted a "First thoughts" review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 ultra thin-and-light notebook. 'The ThinkPad X300 is as solid as you get in terms of build quality. The internal chassis and roll cage uses an advanced carbon-fiber / glass-fiber material that provides both strength and light weight. The case material is made of magnesium, you can press as hard as you want anywhere on the body of the notebook and it simply will not flex. Like any ThinkPad, the X300 is designed for (accidental) abuse and drops, and we're guessing the X300 might be even more able than previous ThinkPads to take a beating and keep going. As with any ThinkPad, you of course get a double latch mechanism with button release to make sure the screen is held down when it is closed and being carried.'

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X300 First Thoughts Review - Notebook Review

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Pocket-Lint have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite U300-13V Notebook. ‘The Toshiba Satellite U300-13V fits in the middle of this notion, as the 2.1kg chassis is aimed at those who need to work while on the move but the inclusion of Windows Vista Home Premium means it lacks connectivity and security features found in Vista Business. Helping to keep weight down is the 13.3-inch Super-TFT screen that comes with a widescreen aspect ratio, so viewing files side-by-side is easy. Graphics are an integrated solution, so you won't be able to run anything but standard tasks. The widescreen panel allows for a good-sized keyboard, which spans the width of the main body. The keys are firmly mounted and we found it a comfortable keyboard to use. It’s not the best keyboard Toshiba produces, as some of the secondary keys felt a little on the loose side but it is still good value for money. A panel of quick launch buttons also allows easy control of multimedia files and instant access to your favourite applications.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite U300-13V laptop review – Pocket-Lint

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Jerry Jackson writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120 Notebook. 'The 15.4" widescreen category of notebooks is by far the most popular size for people buying laptops for the home. Most consumers want a PC in the house that can be moved around easily and used in either the kitchen or the living area, but also that has a large enough screen to easily do work at a desk ... essentially replacing the bulky desktop PC. There's a lot of competition in this size range and the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120 isn't the cheapest notebook in this class. The Dell Inspiron 1525, HP dv6700 series, and Sony VAIO NR are just a few of the other popular offerings that start at a lower price. What sets the A6120 apart from the competition is a strong build, appealing conservative look, and a better selection of ports than you'll find on most 15-inch notebooks.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook A6120 Review - Notebook Review

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The Register Hardware have published a review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 business laptop. ‘Let’s start with the important stuff. The T61 looks and feels like every other ThinkPad you’ve ever seen with build quality that appears immaculate. It has a fabulous keyboard and provides both a TrackPoint mid-keyboard joystick and a touchpad. The result is a laptop that is slightly chunky - its dimensions are 335.5 x 237 x 27.6mm - that weighs 2.34kg ready to travel. The T61 family is extensive and covers a range of laptops that start at £1000 and head up to £2000 depending on your choice of screen, processor, graphics and memory. Our review model was dubbed the ND219UK, and it comes with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 processor on an 800MHz frontside bus with a GM965 chipset and 1GB of 667MHz DDR 2 memory in a single module. Instead of the integrated Intel GMA graphics core Lenovo has chosen an Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M chip to power the 14.1in screen with its 1440 x 900 (WXGA) resolution.’

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad T61 – Register Hardware

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A review of the Vye mini-v S37B ultra portable has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. ‘The S37 comes with an extra-life battery, which does stick out a little awkwardly at the back and takes the weight to over a kilo - but it also gives the Vye impressive on-the-move credentials. I managed to extract five to five-and-a-half hours away from a power source, using it for general word processing, browsing the Internet over the wireless connection and performing other non-processor intensive tasks. Elsewhere it's surprisingly well appointed. Unlike the skinny, fashion-victim's accessory that is the MacBook Air, the Vye manages to squeeze in an Ethernet port as well as an impressive selection of other ports. There's no room for optical drive in such a small case, but you do get two USB ports, a VGA output for powering an external monitor plus SD and (oddly) CompactFlash memory card slots. On the front is a pair of 3.5mm audio sockets (headphones and mic), plus a switch for the wireless and Bluetooth adapters. It's slightly disappointing on a device this portable that there's no HSDPA, especially given the high price, but that's really the only area in which this little laptop falls short.’

Read: Vye mini-v S37B - Trusted Reviews

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Acer Ferrari 1100 12-inch Notebook. 'Unlike Acer’s Aspire series, whose dated beige color scheme is supposed to resemble the interior of a BMW, the Ferrari 1100 looks and feels as sleek as its namesake. The lid has a fine black-and-gray racing check pattern with Ferrari’s small yellow insignia stamped in the center. Otherwise, the carbon fiber chassis is matte-black with glossy gray accents, except for the glossy bezel and area above the keyboard, which houses launch points for Outlook 2007, Internet Explorer, and Acer’s Launch Manager. Flanking the stiff touch buttons are tapered speakers. In a clever touch, the power button looks like an ignition, and the touchpad has the same checkered design as the lid. The 1100 falls between the ultraportable and thin-and-light categories because it has a small 12-inch screen, but weighs a relatively hefty 4.4 pounds.'

Read: Acer Ferrari 1100 - Laptop Mag

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CNET have published a review of the new Gateway P-6831FX 17-inch laptop. 'The interior is cast in black and gray, with the exception of a metallic copper border around the keyboard itself. The keyboard and separate number pad are generous with large, flat keys, but they're made of an especially glossy plastic, which picks up plenty of glare. Non-touch-typists may have a hard time seeing what key they're hitting. A standard touchpad sits below the keyboard, while above is Gateway's now-standard media control bar, with buttons cut right into the brushed metal border. These backlit media control and quick-launch buttons look cool, but it's sometimes hard to tell if you've pressed them hard enough. A touch-sensitive volume control bar is located to the left of these buttons--it looks cool but didn't provide quick-enough response for our tastes.'

Read: Gateway P-6831FX - CNET

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PC Magazine have published a review of the Everex Zonbu Notebook. ‘Unlike the Zonbu PC and the ASUS Eee PC 4G, the Zonbu Notebook comes with a decent amount of local storage, rather than the 4GB flash drives that leave little room for anything else besides the operating system. The 60GB spinning hard drive is enough to store a good-size music collection, as well as handle a lot of your online downloads. Despite loading Skype, the Zonbu Notebook doesn't come with an integrated webcam, as the ASUS Eee PC does, although it does have both built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port to help you get online. Additionally, you have three USB ports, VGA-out, headphone and microphone ports, and an integrated DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. The single speaker that sits above the keyboard is pretty bad if you decide to watch a Netflix DVD on this laptop, but at least you have sound support in the form of an internal speaker.’

Read: Everex Zonbu Notebook – PC Mag

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A review of the Gateway P-171S gaming laptop has been posted over at ZDNet. ' The Gateway P-171XL FX lacks the glowing alien heads, flashing lights, and other "Hey, look at me!" flare of flashy 17-inch gaming rigs from Alienware or Dell,. It opts instead for a more subdued black finish that won't look out of place in your den or living room. The back of the lid has the system's most obvious branding, with a big FX logo splayed across it, similar to the one across the front of the desktop FX models. While it's a bit smaller and lighter than, say, the Dell XPS M1730, this is still a massive 17-inch desktop replacement, weighing almost 10 pounds, so don't expect to lug it around too often. The interior is almost all black and gray, with the exception of a copper boarder around the keyboard itself. It's an unusual choice, but one that aesthetically works. The keyboard and separate number pad are generous, with large, flat keys. However, they're made of an especially glossy plastic, which picks up plenty of glare. The upshot: Non touch-typists can sometimes have a hard time seeing what key they're hitting. A standard touch pad with a fingerprint sensor sits below the keyboard, while above is Gateway's now-standard media controls, with buttons cut right into the brushed metal border. These backlit media control and quick-launch buttons look cool, but it's sometimes hard to tell if you've pressed them hard enough. A touch-sensitive volume control next to these buttons seemed like a good idea, but froze up on us a few times, requiring a restart to fix.'

Read: Gateway P-171S - ZDNet

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IT Reviews have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite U300-134 laptop. ‘Our Satellite U300-134 came with what appears to be the standard amount of memory for a notebook these days, namely 2GB of PC2-5300, 667MHz, DDR2 memory. If you want to upgrade then the U300-134 motherboard will support a maximum of 4GB through two SO-SIMM slots. Performance-wise the U300-134 provides few shocks. PCMark05 produces a score of 4,032, which is about average for this combination of processor and memory, although holding the score down is the graphics performance of the integrated Intel X3100 chipset. The 13.3-inch widescreen display comes with Toshiba's TruBrite coating to improve the screen's brightness and has a native resolution of 1,280 x 800; perfectly set up for office work and watching films on, but beware of the viewing angles as they aren't the best.’

Read: Toshiba - Satellite U300-134 review – IT Reviews

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InfoSync World have published a review of the ASUS U6E business ultraportable. 'ASUS has never been afraid to break out its paint brush for its notebooks, and the U6E immediately stands out from other 12.1-inch business notebooks with its shiny white exterior. It‘s a glossy shade of pearly white that surprisingly does not collect fingerprint smudges. The U6E is on the upper end of its weight class at 3.8 pounds, but with a 12.1-inch screen it still deserves to be categorized as an ultraportable. If there’s a flaw in the design of the U6E, it’s the battery. From front to back the U6E measures 11.7 inches, but the 6-cell battery awkwardly extends backward another 1 inch. Not only does that interrupt the U6E’s rectangular shape, but makes the back of the laptop a target for cable snags and other problems. While we appreciate the effort to shrink the physical size of the U6E as much as possible, the exposed battery partially undermines that design.'

Read: Review: ASUS U6E business ultraportable - InfoSyncWorld.com

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Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Acer Aspire 7520-5115 Notebook. 'At 7.4 pounds, the 7520 is light for a desktop replacement. It sports the same love-it-or-hate-it Gemstone design as other Aspire notebooks, including the 4710-2013: a smudge-proof black lid with a gray keyboard underneath, plus black and blue characters that are meant to resemble the leather interior of a BMW. To us the beige plastic, with its shiny green accents, looks retro--and not in a good way. The keyboard is spacious, but was noisy, as were the touch buttons. Worse, the cursor regularly jumped around the screen to parts of documents we weren’t working on. The notebook’s 1440 x 900-pixel screen looked bright and colorful when we watched Knocked Up, and the viewing angles were versatile, too, except for when we tilted the screen far backward. For a machine this big, the volume was weak; watching a movie with the notebook three feet away from us, we had to set the volume close to the maximum.'

Read: Acer Aspire 7520-5115 - Laptop Mag

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The Gadgeteer have published a review of the Sony Vaio PCG-U3 UMPC. 'The Sony U1 is the first in the line of U series and was followed by the Sony U3, and later the U101. The U3 is a compact laptop with many ports and a fantastic screen. It's small enough to fit in a briefcase or large purse and is only 1.8 lbs. with the standard battery. If you take 2 DVD cases and stack them together, that about how big the U3 is. The screen is 6.4 inches in size and is viewable from many angles. The unit has 1 Type II PCMCIA slot, 1 Magicgate memory stick slot, 2 usb ports, a firewire port, and external monitor port for VGA output. The unit is too small like most UMPC devices to have a Optical drive, but there are many examples of external optical drives that will work with this unit.'

Read: Sony Vaio PCG-U3 UMPC - The Gadgeteer

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A review of the Toshiba Satellite Pro A200HD-1U4 Notebook has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The computer uses Intel’s Core2 Duo T7500 processor and has 2GB of memory, making it a fairly powerful notebook. It also has a separate graphics card, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD2600. A 200GB hard disk should be enough to store lots of music and video, and a memory card reader, internal webcam and s-video output ensure it’s nicely up to speed in terms of handling media. Bluetooth and wireless network access are built in, although there’s no support for the latest 802.11n wireless technology. Weighing in at under 3kg it's nicely designed and is light enough to lug around. We liked the black finish but the inside is bland with few customisable function keys, although the keyboard is nicely responsive keyboard. The open lid folds back over the rear panel so all of the sockets are on the front and sides.'

Read: Review: Toshiba Satellite Pro A200HD-1U4 notebook computer - Computeractive

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Charles P.Jefferies writing over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Sager NP5793 gaming Notebook. 'The Sager NP5793 does not follow the glossy plastic trend of the mainstream notebook market. Instead, it has a more understated look, encased in smooth matte black plastic. Around the base of the unit is a thin border of orange, giving the NP5793 a sophisticated look. The keyboard and touchpad area are surrounded by a carbon fiber-like border, which appears to blend in from a distance but up close is quite detailed. The back of the NP5793's lid is covered almost entirely in black brushed aluminum, which adds a degree of protection and durability. At the very top of the lid is a thin strip of glossy plastic, yet another design detail. A thin border surrounding the screen is of the same material. The NP5793 has a squared-off shape unlike the soft corners that have become prominent in the mainstream notebook market. It gives the machine an aggressive, bold stance. The base of the notebook is chiseled inward, making the NP5793 look and feel slimmer than it really is.'

Read: Sager NP5793 Review - Notebook Review

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Pocket-Lint have published a review of the Maxdata Belinea s.book 1 Notebook. 'The s.book 1 is an ultraportable designed for those who need to write while on the move. If it looks distinctly like the Packard Bell EasyNote XS that is because they both use the same VIA design reference, which means they can quickly build and release a machine as the hard work of the main board design has already been designed by VIA. The notebook has a matt black finish and the plastic used is thick and solid and while it has the same basic look of the EasyNote, it isn't without it's own flourishes. Like the EasyNote, the 7-inch screen sits on extended arms, so there i