Handy Computer Guide

Digital Trends have published a review of the HP Pavilion Elite m9200t desktop PC. 'The m9200t we received for evaluation is mildly configured. It has an Intel quad-core Q6600 processor clocked at 2.4GHz 2GB of RAM, an NVIDIA 8400 video card and a single 320GB hard drive. You can upgrade all these parts while configuring the system during the purchase process, and that will obviously increase the price significantly. Since this is a multimedia computer, HP has included a Blu-ray and HD DVD combo drive that reads HD discs, but doesn’t write to them. The drive reads and writes to DVDs and CDs, and includes Lightscribe functionality. You can upgrade to a BD-R drive during ordering, but it costs an extra $300 USD. HP also threw in a TV Tuner card complete with PVR functionality, an FM tuner and a remote control.'

Read: HP Pavilion Elite m9200t - Digital Trends

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

InfoSync World have published a review of the Asus U2E business laptop. ‘The Asus U2E we reviewed was the "Asus Leather Collection" edition, and it was a gorgeous machine. The lid of the display and the wrist-rest along the keyboard were both trimmed in a stiff but tactile leather, with lots of bright, polished, chrome-looking accents. The lid closed without a latch, a classy touch, and, with the exception of the bottom of the machine, the entire effect is very classic with a touch of executive class. The look is spoiled a bit when the 9-cell battery protrudes from the back, but with the smaller 3-cell battery in place, it is easily the most elegant little machine we've gotten our hands on.’

Read: Review: Asus U2E business laptop - InfoSync World

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

A review of the Averatec AV2575 ultraportable notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. ‘Build quality is excellent, having a very rigid chassis with minimal flex. The screen frame is very strong, although it doesn't keep away all the ripples on the screen when you try to flex it or press on the back of the cover. The screen hinges gave a good amount of tension and usually required the use of two hands to open up the notebook. The screen latching design was one element that stuck out for me, where it was the simple design that I loved. It is a latchless system that uses magnets and the hinge tension to keep the notebook lid closed. Unlike hinge tension only setups, the magnets keep the lid firmly closed, and give a satisfying click when "latched".'

Read: Averatec AV2575 Review – Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MobileTechReview have published a review of the lightweight ASUS U6E Notebook. 'The ASUS U6E has a rich cream-colored aluminum alloy cover with subtle metallic accents, while the ASUS U6S has a mocha brown metallic finish. ASUS claims that the LCD cover’s finish takes 13 steps to complete. The brushed metal look with slim silver accent lines compliments the creamy leather bound wrist rest on the inside. As a whole package, the notebook looks classy, clean and high quality. The ASUS has standard 83-key notebook keyboard (no separate number pad on the right) as well as a touch pad and fingerprint scanner. The keyboard doesn’t have huge travel but is easy to type on. The touch pad is smooth and easy to use, but the left and right mouse keys below the touch pad have almost no travel and are hard to use. The fingerprint scanner works with the notebook’s Trusted Platform Module v1.2 and the U6 comes with the Infineon security platform for creating digital certificates and security policies. In addition to fingerprint scanner, the ASUS also has cool facial recognition software called SmartLogon. It uses the webcam to take a photo of your face (actually several images in burst mode), and then use these images to match your face at login. SmartLogon wasn’t very reliable and only recognized the “assigned” face about half of the time.'

Read: ASUS U6E - MobileTechReview.com

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC World have published a review of the Sony VAIO VGN-TZ295N ultraportable laptop. 'Roughly the size of a hardcover book and weighing about 2.6 pounds (3.2 pounds with an AC adapter), Sony's tight little package comes with some solid business features. Among the work-specific highlights: a fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth connectivity, and integrated wireless WAN through Sprint Mobile Broadband. These features are increasingly commonplace, but supporting EvDO Revision A wireless data transfers makes this an instant win for Sprint customers--but a tease for Verizon and AT&T loyalists. Sony doesn't allow you to configure the VGN-TZ295N to your preferences, so if you buy it, you're paying for the Sprint-specific hardware whether you like it or not.'

Read: Sony VAIO VGN-TZ295N Ultraportable Laptop - PC World

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the DRS ARMOR C12 rugged tablet PC has been posted over at Tablet PC Review. ‘The design of the DRS ARMOR notebook is very boxy, with no thought put into making it have soft rounded edges. The notebook is almost twice as thick as a standard 12” notebook, has rubber tabs sticking out at every angle from the edges, and has its own built-in carrying handle. Every part of the notebook that could hit an object if dropped is padded with rubber strips, and all vital components have thick metal panels protecting the body from sharp impacts. At first glance many people might ask where the ports are located, but when you take a closer look you see that every external port has its own water proof cap. This keeps dirt and moisture out when not in use, and also protects the fragile connectors in the event something might hit that area of the notebook. The only downside I found with these caps is some don’t fit that tight in place, and feel as if they could pop out if they are snagged on a rough surface.’

Read: DRS ARMOR C12 Rugged Tablet PC Review – Tablet PC Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 gaming Notebook. ‘Toshiba’s latest rig is powered by Intel’s 2.1-GHz T8100 Penryn CPU, and it’s complemented by a relatively generous 3GB of RAM. The Nvidia SLI Dual GeForce 8600M GT graphics card alone boasts 512MB of dedicated video memory, but newer and faster graphics cards like the 8800M GTS are avaialable on lower-priced systems. The Satellite X205-SLi4’s two speedy, 160GB, 7,200-rpm hard drives are satisfactory for storing movies and games. Too bad you can’t opt out of the HD-DVD drive, which means you’re forced to pay a couple hundred dollars extra for obsolete technology.’

Read: Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 – Laptop Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET have published a review of the HP Pavilion Elite m9100t desktop PC. 'As the Pavilion Elite m9100t is a customizable PC, you don't need to spend more than $2,000 to get one. For a modest $850 online, you can get a minimum specs with a dual-core Intel CPU and 2GB of RAM, which is not a bad way to start. HP envisions this system as its mainstream flagship PC, though, making our dialed-up review config an example of this system's full potential. That potential includes an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 CPU, an upper-midrange 3D graphics card, a Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive, and two TV tuners. That configuration essentially means with the Pavilion Elite m9100t you can watch any HD disc, play all but the most demanding 3D games at high resolutions, and not only record live TV to the HP's hard drive, but also watch on one channel while you record another. Neither Dell's media-minded XPS 420, nor its more recent XPS 630 gaming desktop can perform all of those tasks and stay within the same price range as this HP.'

Read: HP Pavilion Elite m9100t - CNET

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the MacBook Air computer has been posted over at PaulStamatiou.com. 'I’ve had my MacBook Air for 15 days now. It has been serving as my primary computer and I have used it to do everything I usually do with my MacBook Pro. I’ll cover how it has stacked up to the MBP in this review in addition to how the MacBook Air’s smaller size has changed the way I do things.As a reminder, I picked up the lower model MacBook Air with the 1.6GHz dual-core processor and the 80GB 1.8-inch 4200RPM hard drive. The MacBook Air has finally allowed me to use it how laptops should be used - on the go.'

Read: Review: MacBook Air - PaulStamatiou.com

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IT Reviews have published a review of the Mesh - GX700 gaming Notebook. ‘The GX700 uses a high-end MSI chassis, attractively finished in a gloss piano black, and comes with a feature set that helps explains the price tag. With a 17-inch screen it's always going to have a fairly hefty footprint (405 x 314 x 38.2mm) but surprisingly it weighs just 2.6kg even with the battery, so it is portable up to a point. But adding the power adapter sends the weight up to 3.95kg, so this is one notebook destined to spend most of its life plugged into the mains. At the heart of the GX700 lies an Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 CPU backed by Intel's i965M chipset and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory (expandable up to 4GB for an additional £99). The T7250 is clocked at 2.0GHz with a 800MHz FSB and 2MB of L2 cache, all of which gives the GX700 some impressive if not Earth-shattering performance: a score of 5,090 in PCMark05 means the GX700 is pretty much able to do anything you ask of it.’

Read: Mesh - GX700 review – IT Reviews

Posted by HCG Admin at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Acer TravelMate 5720 Notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'The touchpad is nice. I have always been a fan of Acer's multi-directional button for scrolling documents or web pages that sits between the left and right click buttons, and the button sizes are nice for someone with stubby fingers like me. The keyboard itself is very responsive and not too soft or too hard, but the keyboard layout is absolutely awful. It is a curved keyboard, and I am having extreme problems adjusting from a regular, non-ergonomic keyboard. Also, the enter key is the larger style, which would be fine, normally, but it is so far to the left that after three weeks of owing the machine I am still making a plethora of spelling errors and missing the enter key when typing quickly. On the other hand, the keyboard includes some really neat keys, like the dollar and euro sign next to the arrows, and the left side of the keyboard includes functionality keys for Acer's E-Management software, so that everything can be accessed within seconds, without removing your focus from what you are working on.'

Read: Acer TravelMate 5720 User Review - Notebook Review

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pocket-Lint have published a review of the Samsung P200 ultraportable. ‘Weighing in at a mere 2kg, the casing is made from plastic and has a simple but solid feel to it. The matt black is rather understated but we liked the look of the machine. With portability in mind, we got close to 4 hours from the battery, which is impressive for a notebook of this size. The lid has plenty of protection, which is always a bonus in a mobile machine, and while the use of a 12.1-inch screen helps to keep the weight down you don’t feel as though it’s too small. There is a theory that business users prefer a standard TFT screen for use on the road, as it casts less reflection. So you won’t find a Super-TFT display on the P200 but we feel it would look better if it did.’

Read: Samsung P200 laptop review – Pocket-Lint

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC Authority have published a review of the Asus M50SV-AS016G laptop. ‘Asus’ brand-new entertainment laptop, the M50SV, is notable for debuting not one, but two cutting-edge technologies. Not content with being powered by one of Intel’s first 45nm Penryn processors, it also has the first Nvidia GeForce 9000 series gaming chip we’ve seen at PC Authority. And all this is housed in a very stylish and desirable chassis. The processor in question is a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo T9300, one of the new family recently announced by Intel. The move to a 45nm fabrication process gives more scope for squeezing extra performance from the CPU without raising the power consumption (35W TDP). It also has a larger 6MB shared L2 cache and an 800MHz front side bus – a combination promising extremely quick performance.’

Read: Asus M50SV-AS016G – PC Authority

Posted by HCG Admin at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET have published a review of the 13-inch Axiotron ModBook 13-inch tablet PC. 'The ModBook is an impressive feat of engineering and it looks and feels well-constructed. But unlike convertible tablet PCs, it lacks a keyboard and even the most basic of tablet functions, a rotating screen orientation, so you're stuck in landscape mode--which is somewhat awkward when cradling it in your arm. For the very small minority who need a slate-style tablet and the Mac OS, Axiotron certainly fits the bill. For the rest of us, however, it's an expensive oddity. Despite having the same dimensions as a standard MacBook, the ModBook weighs about half a pound more, and feels somewhat heavy and unwieldy when carrying it in your arms. The silver-finished magnesium top shell looks more like a MacBook Pro, but from the sides and bottom, you can clearly see the system's origins as a stock white MacBook. The original system's slot-loading optical drive is there, as are the original ports and connections along the opposite side. The bottom is the original MacBook shell, with a standard MacBook battery.'

Read: Axiotron ModBook with built-in WAAS-enabled GPS (Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD) - CNET

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A review of the Panasonic Toughbook R7 notebook PC has been posted over at Digital Trends. ‘The R7 is a sub-notebook, and as such it’s designed solely to offer amazing battery life while still being useable for day-to-day tasks, unlike a handheld PC or similar. It comes in 11 different colors and numerous configurations are available. It might seem like an oxymoron, but just because a notebook is small doesn’t mean it can’t handle the rigors of daily life. Though Panasonic doesn’t make any guarantees regarding the R7’s ability to withstand specific punishment, it does claim that an R7 in its test lab was able to withstand 110lbs. and an 11.8” drop. The hard drive is also shock-mounted to help prevent a head crash in case the notebook is dropped.’

Read: Panasonic Toughbook R7 – Digital Trends

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Zepto Znote 3415W Notebook. ‘As is typical of Zepto, the Znote 3415W is best described as functional. On the outside there's a simple two-tone black and dark grey gloss finish, while the rest of the system is wrapped largely in non-descript matt black plastic. Weighing 2.8kg it is relatively light for its size and the actual dimensions, 355 x 257 x 35.2mm (WxDxH), make for quite a pleasant form factor that's free of unnecessary bulk and feels a little slimmer and more svelte than you might imagine. Nonetheless, this is no style icon and though it's well put together, if you're after something with a little more character you're better off looking elsewhere.’

Read: Zepto Znote 3415W – Trusted Reviews

Posted by HCG Admin at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

David Rasnake writng over at Notebook Review has posted a review of the Fujitsu LifeBook N6470 desktop replacement notebook. 'While there's nothing inherently wrong with plastic as a notebook shell material, the N6470 serves as a reminder of everything that can make plastic unappealing for large, heavy notebooks: the lid flexes, the palm rest flexes, the keyboard flexes, the bottom flexes. Picking up the LifeBook one-handed (if you can), it feels like the entire computer is bending precariously under its own weight. Thin plastics also find their way to the lid latch and button, which are especially unpleasing and look to be in imminent danger of snapping off if forced. Likewise for the retaining tabs on the LifeBook's tiny battery. So long as it rarely leaves the open position on your desk, you might not find the N6470's lack of solidity concerning, but how well the LifeBook would hold up to even light travel given its apparent lack of ruggedness is worth asking.'

Read: Fujitsu LifeBook N6470 Review - Notebook Review

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

A review of the Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 laptop has been posted over at PC Magazine. 'Toshiba doesn't take it slow when it comes to updating the Satellite brand. Ever since the company launched its first gaming laptop—the Satellite P105-S921—in early 2006, the torrential downpour of beastly laptops equipped with powerful graphics cards hasn't ceased. As of this review, Toshiba has a total of nine laptops that target gamers, four of them legitimate contenders against big names like Alienware, Dell, Gateway, and Voodoo. The Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 ($2,499 direct) is the latest gaming laptop to emerge with SLI graphics and an Intel Penryn processor. These parts aren't as powerful as the screaming ones on the Dell XPS M1730 or the Gateway P-171XL FX, but the low cost of ownership relative to other gaming laptops should grab the attention of part-time gamers and college-bound students.'

Read: Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 - PC Mag

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

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Alienware Area-51 m15x gaming Notebook. ‘The m15x features a full and comfortable keyboard with backlighting and a large, smooth, mylar touchpad that sits flush with the palm surface and is discernable only by a backlit square outlining it. Above the keyboard are touch-responsive keys for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Alienware’s AlienFX Command Center, Stealth Mode, power, and volume. On the sides are three USB ports, FireWire, HDMI, Ethernet, two auto-sensing headphone and mic jacks, a 2X Blu-ray burner, and a 7-in-1 card reader. The unit’s crisp display feels larger than its 15.4 inches would suggest. The matte finish still collects glare, so plan on gaming in the dark (as if you didn’t already). The 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution looked beautiful while watching Black Rain on Blu-ray. Viewing angles were very good vertically and horizontally, and we appreciated the deep blacks during dark scenes but noticed a small amount of noise on bright objects.’

Read: Alienware Area-51 m15x – Laptop Mag

Posted by HCG Admin at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET have published their review of Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV690 multimedia notebook PC. 'The Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV690 is physically identical to its predecessor, sticking with the current Qosmio two-tone look, with a black lid offset against a white interior. The glossy plastic finish is attractive, even if we generally prefer the matte look, but it can be fingerprint-prone. A huge silver Qosmio logo sits on the back of the lid, broadcasting your brand preference to anyone nearby. The Qosmio G45 moves the optical drive bay to the front, something we've only seen on a handful of laptops, such as the Alienware m9750. Conversely, the HDMI output, important if you want to use the built-in HD DVD drive with a plasma or other big-screen external display, is on the rear panel, which can be hard to access. Most laptops have both the optical drives and video outputs on the side panels.'

Read: Toshiba Qosmio G45-AV690 - CNET

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Mesh Ultimate Q8 Tri-SLI gaming PC . 'Tri-SLI is a finicky beast and requires precise levels of Volts and Amps to ensure it works correctly. The OCZ has a single 80mm fan at the rear of the unit which has to draw air through the length of the PSU. It’s a long time since we saw a power supply that had any pretension to greatness that didn’t have some sort of venting or cooling on the large inner surface of its casing, the bit that faces the motherboard. During our testing the power supply remained reasonably cool. However, it was monumentally noisy. Indeed it was so loud that we rigged up a CoolerMaster 850W PSU externally to see what difference it made and found that while the noise level dropped by half, it couldn’t provide enough juice to run any benchmark tests.'

Read: Mesh Ultimate Q8 Tri-SLI gaming PC - Register Hardware

Posted by HCG Admin at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The privacy of our visitors to HandyComputerGuide.com is important to us. At HandyComputerGuide.com we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use visit MediaPlayerReviews.com and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties. .

Log Files
As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocal) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

Cookies and Web Beacons
We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.

We also use third party advertisements on HandyComputerGuide.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able