February 2010 Archives

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Gateway EC14D07u ultraportable. 'Measuring 11.5 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches, the EC14D07u has a similar footprint to the EC1430u but tacks on a few ounces to accommodate the DVD drive. The earlier Gateway model weighed 3.2 pounds, compared to the newer machine's 3.6 pounds. Nevertheless, we found the EC14D07U easy to carry. Like its predecessor, this ultraportable sports a keyboard that's flat with a slight separation between the keys. The difference between the EC14D07u and Acer machines such as the Aspire 1410 and Aspire Timeline 1810T is that it uses a thinner font and that Gateway positions the letters in the middle of the keys instead of flush left. We found the keyboard to be plenty large for rapid and accurate typing, and appreciated the springy feedback.'

A review of the Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI laptop has been posted over at Geek.com. 'The Y series , specifically the VPCY115FX/BI that we tested, runs Intel's Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, has 4GB of RAM, and 320GB (5400RPM) of storage. It runs Intel's integrated graphics and the GS45 Express chipset. The 13.3-inch display runs at 1366×768 and is LED backlit in order to maximize battery life. The OS is Window 7 Home Premium. On the exterior the Y series has a Memory Stick reader, a multicard reader, a wireless on/off switch, an ExpressCard/23 slot, three USB slots, ethernet, a Kensington lock port, VGA, HDMI, Firewire, and mic/headphone jacks. At 12.80″(W) x 0.93-1.26″(H) x 8.92″(D) and 3.9 pounds the system may not be very large, but it isn't lacking anything (aside from the optical drive) that a typical user would be looking for.'

CNET have published a review of the HP Pavilion p6320y desktop PC. 'The $700 HP Pavilion p6320y is a solid midlevel PC that occupies an uncomfortable middle ground. The $550 Gateway DX4831-01e is a better budget choice if you spend most of your computing time managing a music library or manipulating digital photos. Or a $730 desktop from Asus gives you generally better all-around performance with equivalent features for a marginal cost increase. That makes us recommend the HP only for its strength in multicore-friendly programs. If you're using programs that take full advantage of a quad-core CPU, the HP could make sense for you. We suspect most of you shopping for a PC in this price range want something of a jack-of-all trades PC instead.'

PC Advisor have published a review of the new ASUS Lamborghini VX5 notebook. 'The first thing that stands out about the ASUS Lamborghini VX5 is its glossy new paintjob. The previous version we looked at - the ASUS Lamborghini VX5 - sported an eye-searing canary yellow finish. While a luxury sports car can just about get away with this look, we're not sure the same can be said of a luxury notebook. Thankfully, for this latest model, ASUS has opted for a more subdued white finish (or 'pearlescent', it says here). It might not be as iconic to the Lamborghini brand, but it definitely makes for a better looking notebook.'

A review of the Cyberpower Infinity i3 Apollo gaming desktop has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The processor in this computer is a new one - an Intel Core i3-530, which is at the low end of the processor maker's latest range. It's still quite powerful, though, and the 4GB of memory and ATI Radeon HD5750 graphics card (with 1GB of its own memory) mean that it's capable of dealing with all modern games at high detail levels, and tasks such as video editing won't be too taxing either.'

IT Reviews have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite Pro T130 notebook. 'For such a small notebook - 13.3-inch screen, 323 x 223 x 22.2-34.2mm - the Satellite Pro T130 is surprisingly heavy. Its 1.76kg mean you'll notice the weight. But a key reason for the weight of the Satellite Pro T130 is the very robust build. If you do decide to carry it, it should take a fair few knocks. The shiny black finish on the chassis won't appeal to all, but we found it quite aesthetically pleasing. The 13.3-inch screen delivers 1366 x 768 pixels. The shiny screen coating helps with clarity when viewing video, though as ever it is a bit reflective.'

Notebook Review have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite T135 13-inch notebook. 'The Toshiba Satellite T135-series notebooks are stylish ultraportables that look like previous 13-inch Toshiba notebooks, but in a much thinner and lighter chassis. Toshiba keeps the profile only a fraction of an inch thicker than the USB ports on the side of the notebook, though this is done in large part by cutting out things like an ExpressCard slot and optical drive. For the average user this notebook has all the advantages of a standard computer--a high resolution display, a full-size keyboard and a dual-core processor--but none of the bulk. The black color scheme on our T135D looks nice, although the red exterior of the Intel-based T135 was a nice change of pace.'

A review of the Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI notebook has been posted over at HotHardware. 'It's actually a touch thicker than the ThinkPad Edge, but the whole machine just feels more spacious despite the fact this it's just another 13.3" ultraportable. We do wish that Sony would have added a slot-loading optical drive (or any optical drive) in order to make this machine stand out above the competition, but if you need to insert a CD or DVD you'll have to spring for an external unit. The design is simple and subtle, yet well implemented. The charcoal color covers the machine inside and out, and the slight textures on the palm rest not only jazz things up a bit, but they actually feel great when you're typing on the machine.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Packard Bell Dot S2 - 10.1in netbook. 'On to the Dot S2 itself, when closed it looks much like any other netbook. The subtle silver wave pattern on our white model's glossy lid is attractive, though it fails to hide fingerprints, and the tapered edges make it look relatively slim. It will also be available in 'Cherry' Red and 'NightSky' Black. Unfortunately the interior is less appealing than the previous Dot S, thanks mainly to the battery bulge around the hinges and the silver finish that clashes somewhat with the otherwise white machine. On the other hand the netbook does have a few stylish touches, such as the power button to the left of the hinge which features a blue-backlit spiral pattern.'

A review of the Dell Latitude Z notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'The Dell Latitude Z is built almost as good as it looks. Some limits are pushed with the thin chassis which can be seen with some mild chassis flex when you try to carry the notebook by the corner of the palmrest. I think if the design was slimmed down to 13 or 14-inches this wouldn't be as much of a problem. With the notebook lying flat on a desk the body has almost no flex whatsoever, including key areas like the screen cover, palmrest, and keyboard tray. Two items that really made a good impression on me out of the box were the screen hinges. They were very solid and had absolutely no wobble to them when the screen fully opened. If Dell put the same attention to detail into their other notebooks as they did with the Latitude Z we would have far fewer complaints with most Dell notebooks.'

CNET have published a review of the Dell Inspiron i560-4000NBK desktop. 'The Inspiron i560-4000NBK comes in Dell's familiar all-black midtower case. You can customize the color of the front panel in the online version, although interestingly, the configurable Inspiron 560 available from Dell's Web site features slower processors, smaller hard drives, and lower prices than this retail-only model. We expect few people will find Dell's simple midtower design offensive in its monochrome incarnation. Our only question is whether a commodity desktop vendor like Dell, Gateway, or HP will ever find a way to seriously compete with Apple in terms of system aesthetics.'

PC Magazine have published a review of the Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GXS ultraportable. 'The Sony Z116GXS's 13.1-inch widescreen is smaller than the 14-inch one found in the Asus UL80Vt-A1 ($823 street, ), but its 1,600-by-900 resolution makes up for this difference. The higher resolution creates a larger workspace on the screen by packing in more pixels, allowing users to compare documents and Websites side-by-side with ease. By comparison, most of the Z116GXS's peers have screens with 1,366-by-768 or 1,280-by-800 resolutions.'

A review of the Alienware Aurora Gaming desktop computer (Intel Core i7 920 640GB/3GB) has been posted over at DesktopReview.com. 'One thing that sets Alienware apart, even from other high-end computer manufacturers, is the degree and polish they put into their branding and identity. Even the inside of the machine doesn't escape - in a good way - as faux-alien characters and artwork cover all of the plastic on the interior. There's an alien head printed on the motherboard. The inside of the case door is imprinted with more alien artwork. The heat shields covering the graphics cards have it, too. While you might not open the machine too often, it'll look good when you go. Alienware lights the inside of the case with a number of strategically-placed white LEDs. That's not that strange, given the company's penchant for drenching their desktops in every color of the rainbow.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the ASUS Eee PC 1001P netbook. 'Hailing from ASUS' Seashell line, the 1001P looks practically identical to the 1005PE-P. Though less svelte than the inch-thick 1008HA, the 1001P has similar curved panels and a sharp look. Instead of a glossy lid that attracts fingerprints, the 1001P has a white lid (also available in black) with a textured checkerboard pattern of tiny concentric squares. This matte lid keep smudges at bay, and it makes the 1001P look more expensive than its price suggests. The same pattern extends onto the keyboard deck, which is also white; however, the bezel is still a glossy black. The 1001P measures 10.3 x 7.0 x 1.4 inches-- nearly the same footprint as the 1005PE-P. The 1001P is also a bit thicker than the Toshiba mini NB305-N410 (1.2 inches).'

PC World have published their review of the Lenovo IdeaPad U150 laptop. 'This laptop, equipped with at least 3GB of memory, will run all of your programs quickly (paired with a high-end CPU, that much memory will make things especially speedy). You'll be able to multitask to your heart's content, too, so go ahead--you can back up the entire contents of your hard drive to a DVD while watching YouTube videos and experimenting with textures on the 2MB photo of your client's art gallery in Photoshop. The main drawback is the extra expense: Loading up with more than the standard amount of RAM (2GB, these days) can add hundreds of dollars to a laptop's price, though it boosts performance by only about 10 percent. Also bear in mind that if you hope to use more than 3GB of RAM effectively, your PC must have a 64-bit installation of Windows.'

A review of the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-180 home desktop PC has been posted over at Reg Hardware. 'The Pavilion Elite HPE-180 stands at the pinnacle of the HP's home PC line-up and sports spec to match. It has a 2.80GHz Intel Core i7-860 processor, 8GB of DDR 3 memory, a Blu-ray combo drive and, to make use of all that memory, 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium. There's a question mark hanging over the unbranded "special edition" Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 graphics card as it only supports DirectX 10. That's something of a shame as AMD has a range of DirectX 11 cards. So from the start, the HPE-180 isn't quite as elite as its branding - and more importantly, its price - might suggest.'

CNET Asia have published a review of the Toshiba Portege T110 (Pentium ULV SU2700 Processor 1.3GHz, 1GB RAM) notebook. 'The look and feel of the T110 is nearly identical to the T130 line of Toshiba Portege thin-and-lights we've already reviewed in several iterations: very glossy plastic surrounds the outer and inner surfaces, highlighted with chrome lines on the edges. From a short distance it's a great look, but up close the faint checkered pattern and fingerprint-showcasing design make it look a little cheap and plasticky. It is, however, a very comfortably sized laptop to pick up and hold in one hand, managing a size and shape very similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad S12.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the HP Pavilion dm3-1020ea - 13.3in laptop. 'While the dm3 is in fact larger than the dv2, based as it is on a 13.3in display vs. the 12.1in of the dv2, the shared lineage is clear to see. The dm3 has the same alluringly slim chassis and elegant lines that instantly drew us to the dv2; it's just a bit larger and, at 1.9kg, heavier. It's prettier, too. Gone is the ghastly reliance on glossy black plastic; in is a chic-looking brushed aluminium adorning both the lid and body of the machine. It combines with the still glossy black bezel and faux-chrome trim to great effect, making this a machine that looks and feels a good deal more expensive than the £540 it'll set you back. It's a class act.'

PC Advisor have published a review of the Dell Inspiron One 19 all-in-one PC. 'Though the name implies a 19in screen, the Dell Inspiron One 19's display actually measures 18.5 inches diagonally. It has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio, which means you'll be able to place two windows next to each other. It can display 720p content, though the small screen is hardly the best for watching high-definition media. The Dell Inspiron One 19 has integrated stereo speakers situated at the back. Producing a total 2 Watts of power, they sound tinny and have a low maximum volume. You'll want to pick up a set of dedicated speakers for listening to music or watching movies.'

A review of the Nokia Booklet 3G netbook has been posted over at Computeractive. 'Despite its slimness (its height is less than an inch when closed) the Nokia Booklet 3G is heavy. It's not hard to carry but heavier than we had expected from a laptop of this size. Its Intel Atom Z530 processor provides the same level of power as the average netbook processor and it has 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard disk. While netbooks sell for £300, though, the Booklet costs over twice as much. The build quality is very high.'

CNET have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904 laptop. 'The new E205 changes the look of the E105 considerably. Gone is the boxy but clean look, replaced with a sleek curved blue design. A new Intel Core i5 processor replaces the previous Core 2 Duo, offering some performance upgrades and power-management advantages. A slot-loading DVD/CD drive is also included. The keyboard is still backlit, and speaker volume is improved over the E105. At a price of $899, it's only $50 more than last year's E105 Blue Label offering. For the improved CPU and wireless display functionality alone, however, it's arguably worth it.'

The HP Mini 210-1010NR 10.1-Inch Black Netbook (4.25 Hours of battery life) is on offer for $298.00 over at Amazon.com.
Tech Details:
• Intel Atom Processor N450 (1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
•1GB DDR2 System Memory (1 DIMM)
•160GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
•Genuine Windows 7 Starter, * Up to 4.25 Hours of Battery Life
•10.1¿ Diagonal WSVGA LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display (1024 x 600), Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 (shared) with up to 256MB Total Available Graphics Memory

The Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home) is on offer for $199.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'The Portable AspireRevo is the perfect mini PC providing everywhere connectivity to surf the web, view/edit photos, watch HD movies, listen to music and more. Compact Design: Its compact 1L size makes it easy to stand discreetly on a desk or mount (mount sold separately) to the back of a monitor to save space. Grab it to go for remote entertainment with friends or for travel. Optimum Performance: Designed for low energy consumption, the Intel Atom Processor combines performance and efficiency to let you explore the Internet and enjoy entertainment and games.'

The Averatec N3400 Series - P T3400 laptop is on offer for 799.99 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Equipped with an Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400 Mobile Processor running at 2.16GHz, youll never have to worry about any kind of slow performance. All your documents and files can be easily stored on the 250GB SATA hard drive, and 3GB of DDR2 800 memory keeps your programs running at full speed. The vivid 13.3-inch Widescreen LCD Display is perfect for watching movies.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE 10.1in netbook. 'At 1.3kg, the 1005PE is a couple of hundred grams heavier as well, but that's about what you'd expect from a 10in netbook with a six-cell battery. Being thicker also negates the need for flaps covering the ports, which is arguably more convenient anyway. Even with all these changes, however, the 1005PE still retains the same look and feel, including the glossy, high-maintenance finish. This probably works best on the white version we have, where its black bezel contrasts dramatically with the white body. It doesn't reveal fingerprints and grease as readily as the black version might, either.'

A review of the Hercules eCAFE EC-1000W 10.1-inch netbook has been posted over at TweakTown. 'Most netbooks in the 10.1-inch screen range are able to cram in keyboards over 90% of full size. For some reason Hercules decided to go with a keyboard that looks better than the average netbook keyboard, but has tiny keys. The small keys make typing on the netbook much less comfortable than any other netbook in the size range I have tested. Keys this small are typically reserved for netbooks in the 7 to 8-inch screen range. The part that seems so strange about the keyboard is that there is plenty of space to make the keys larger, Hercules just didn't.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook. 'Weighing 3.0 pounds and measuring 1.9 inches thick, the MH380 is one of the heaviest and chunkiest netbooks. The fact that the six-cell battery juts out from the bottom of the system doesn't help matters, either. Still, this is one of the more attractive netbooks we've laid eyes on, thanks to the glossy ruby red lid and deck. This chassis also has modern rounded edges and a classy chrome treatment on the inner hinge. Unlike the earlier M2010, Fujitsu wisely minimized its infinity symbol logo. Too bad there aren't other color options.'

A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T410 notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'To the naked eye very little has changed with the overall design of the ThinkPad T410 compared to past models. It still carries the black rubberized screen lid with ThinkPad logo, still offers the shiny matte-black chassis and palmrest, and still uses the strong and highly visible stainless steel screen hinges. Those are the areas where the similarities stop. The port layout has significantly changed to allow an increase in available ports and even a few new types of connections. Once opened, ThinkPad fans will notice that Lenovo finally centered the screen, so no more thick bezel on one side and a thin bezel on the other. Another change is the shift from a two-piece palmrest and keyboard bezel on older models to one-piece design that is stronger and has fewer gaps to squeak.'

Reg Hardware have published their review of the Asus Eee PC 1005PE netbook. 'The 1005PE isn't inherently unattractive, but it lacks the MacBook Air-like appeal of the 1008HA. And it's one of the more chubby netbooks we've seen of late, a fact that the tapering front exaggerates rather than plays down. You might think that that's just the price you pay for a removable battery, but other netbook vendors - hello, Toshiba - have done a better job at integrating long-life power packs without fattening up their machines. Around the sides are all the usual netbook ports - three USB 2.0, 10/100Mb/s Ethernet, VGA, SD card, analogue audio - so no surprises there. Not so the sound system, which is capable of very loud yet distortion free output. The 1005PE has very impressive audio for a netbook.'

A review of the Acer Aspire One 532h notebook has been posted over at Pocket-lint. 'The 532 measures 258 x 180 x 22mm at the fattest point, excluding the protruding battery underneath. As on previous models from Acer, the battery fits into the space between the screen hinges, and the bump on the bottom lifts the rear of the netbook nicely, setting the keyboard at an angle when sitting on a desk. The netbook runs fairly quietly, but does get noticeably hot on the left-hand edge where the limited ventilation is. The keyboard fills the entire width of the device something we are always pleased to see. The keyboard is free from any critical levels of flex, which is often a problem with smaller notebooks.'.

PC World have published a review of the Micro Express KHL9070 laptop. 'On the sides of the KHL9070 are four USB ports (three on the front right and one on the left rear). They bear the little lightning-bolt symbol that typically means they can be powered during the system's sleep mode, so you can charge your USB devices (phones, music players) without having to turn the laptop on. You'll even find a physical button on right side of the keyboard to enable this feature. The only problem is, we couldn't get the function to work, and we couldn't find a software or BIOS setting for it.'

Laptop Magazine have published their review of the Toshiba Satellite P505-S8010 notebook. 'Measuring 17.4 x 11.6 x 1.6 inches and weighing a hefty 8.6 pounds, the P505 isn't a notebook designed for the coffee shop. However, this attractive machine will look great sitting on a desktop or entertainment center thanks to the Fusion Finish in Sonic Black design. The system features an eye-catching glossy coating that extends from the lid to the bezel, keyboard, and base (the latter incorporates subtle arcing white lines that cut through the black).'

A review of the Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008P notebook has been posted over at Notebook Check. 'The new 1008P has one big display hinge in the center instead of two single hinges on the left and right. This solution is a bit more stable but not yet perfect because the central hinge has turned out comparatively small. Positioning the display isn't a problem. The netbook only weighs 1.14 kilograms (incl. 3 cell battery) at a size of 262 x 180 x 26.2 millimeters (w x d x h). The low weight has one disadvantage, though: the display lid can't be opened without holding the base unit'.'

PC Perspective have published a comprehensive review of the Asus G51J gaming notebook. 'Unlike majority of laptops (including gaming ones) that have a single hard point for an internal HDD, the Asus G51J supports up to two HDDs internally and more via eSata. The G51J comes with your choice of 500GB or 320GB in 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM flavors, or a 250GB available only in 5400 RPM. This gives you some freedom to add another HDD later, perhaps a fast SSD drive for loading the OS and games, and another to host your user data and other apps. Though the G51J can support two internal drives, there is no RAID option.'

A review of the Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05 laptop has been posted over at Dev Hardware. 'Other than its base features, the Asus UL50AG-RBBBK05 comes with some extras, too. You get 802.11n Wi-Fi so you can connect to the fastest wireless networks while on the run. You also get a DVD burner so you can watch your favorite movies. Including an optical drive on a thin-and-light is definitely a plus, since many sacrifice that luxury to maintain their slim profiles. The DVD burner is also a welcome addition since the UL50AG has a larger screen that is more viewer-friendly than others with smaller displays.'

CrunchGear have published a review of the Gateway SX2840 desktop PC. 'The Gateway SX2840 is the ideal computer for most people. Sure, it's not going to play Crysis at 100FPS, but who cares? Most people don't want to spend that kind of money. The SX2840 hits that sweet spot of being a fast enough that it's not annoying, but slow enough that you're not paying supercomputer prices. It's hard to quantify this because frame rates and seek times don't really apply to a computer in this situation. It's great for browsing the web, writing email, running a word processing program, looking at pictures - all those basic things that most people who use a computer spend the majority of their time doing.'

CNET have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite T135D-S1324 ultraportable. 'At a glance, the T135D and the rest of the T135 series share several design similarities to the rest of the Toshiba Satellite lineup, although they are markedly different from the Satellite NB line of Netbooks. Covered inside and out in a glossy checkerboard-esque Fusion Finish in black, red, or white, the T135D is accented with slick chrome highlights along the edge of its palm rest and on its touch pad buttons. Aside from a large "Toshiba" logo across the back, the design is understated from a distance and presents a trim profile with a battery that's well integrated into the bottom, with minimal bulge.'

A review of the MSI Wind U135 netbook has been posted over at NotebookReview.com. 'The Wind U135 is the one of the newest netbooks from MSI in the 10-inch form-factor. Packed with the Intel Pine Trail platform this netbook promises increased battery life and performance compared to models still using the previous Intel Atom chipset. Our longest lasting notebook to date is the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE, clocking in at over 12 hours with average use. In this review we put the MSI Wind U135 through its paces and see how well it stacks up against the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE which offers a nearly identical hardware configuration.'

PC Magazine have published a review of the Polywell Giada Ion-100 nettop. 'The Giada ION-100 takes a page from the HP school of design: it has metal side panels, painted white, with a somewhat feminine tribal tattoo-themed line drawing on both sides. The one-inch-wide edge of the bezel (the slim portion) holds all the system's I/O ports: five USN 2.0 ports, a VGA port, HDMI, power button and power adapter port, Ethernet, 4-in-1 media card reader, and the audio connectors. It either sits flat on your desk or you can place it in the included stand. I suppose you could stick it to the bottom of your desk or behind your monitor with double-stick tape, but as far as I can tell there's no VESA mount for it.'