March 2010 Archives

A review of the ASUS Eee PC 1001P SeaShell netbook has beeen posted over at Notebook Review. 'The Eee PC 1001P SeaShell is ASUS's new entry-level netbook offering the Intel Atom N450 processor and Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics. Designed closely after its higher-class brother, the 1005PE, the 1001P offers many of the same features, minus the Chiclet-style keyboard, larger battery, and larger hard drive. In this review, we see how the 1001P stacks up against other netbooks and if it holds a candle to the more expensive 1005PE.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Samsung N210 netbook. 'The Samsung N210 ($380 street) is not the flashiest netbook, nor does it pile on the most features in its category. Nailing down basic fundamentals is what makes it a viable contender in this cutthroat market. It maintains an excellent user experience, which includes a comfy keyboard, a big-enough touchpad and mouse buttons. Its decent performance scores and attractive pricing are surefire ways to build a strong fan base.'

Reg Hardware have published a review of the Toshiba Satellite T130 notebook. 'Like the Air, the T130 dispenses with an optical drive and makes use of ultra-low voltage processors, ranging from the feeble Pentium SU2700 and Core 2 Solo SU3500 - single-core stuck-in-the-muds both - to the more sprightly, dual-core Pentium SU4100 and Core 2 Duo SU7300, which is the one we have here. Integrated graphics are standard across the line: Intel's GMA 4500MHD doing the honours - if you can use that word with a graphics core that delivers a 3DMark06 score of just 590. So no serious gaming on this boy, but it plays 1080p HD video with no difficulty.'

A review of the Samsung R530 laptop has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The Samsung R530 offers good performance and has an eye-catching, 15.6in widescreen display. The screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio (the ratio of the screen's width to its height), which means that widescreen video such as a film can be played without extra black bars appearing at the top and bottom of the screen. It also gives plenty of desktop space when working, although it's not as good as narrower screens for browsing the web, among other things.'

PC World have published their review of the Gateway LT2120u laptop. 'At 2.76 pounds, the LT2120u is hardly a featherweight, though it's about average for this category of netbook with a battery capable of this kind of run time. You can access the hard drive and memory module via screw-secured access panels on the bottom of the unit. Since the netbook has only one accessible memory slot, upgrading to 2GB to improve multitasking will require replacing the existing 1GB module. You'll also find a vacant miniPCI Express slot underneath the hard drive panel; if you have the need to add a Bluetooth or other card later on, you should be able to do so easily.'

Trusted Reviews have published their review of the Dell Inspiron 1764 17.3in laptop. 'As is increasingly the case now, the Inspiron 1764 comes equipped with processors from Intel's new Core ix range. In this instance it's a Core i5-430M, a dual-core processor that defaults to 2.26GHz but can be 'turbo clocked' to 2.53GHz where the need arises. This is effectively the mid-range option on the 1764, since you can also get a Core i3-330M, if you're willing to sacrifice raw performance to save money, or a slightly faster Core i5. In our test system the CPU is backed up by 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel's GMA HD graphics and a 320GB hard drive.'

The ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1201N-PU17-BK 12.1-Inch Black Netbook (5 hours of battery life) is on offer for $520.69 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'Pushing the envelope of conventional netbook performance, the Eee PC 1201N Seashell breaks from traditional standards to deliver premium HD entertainment on-the-go. With an ASUS Dedicated Graphics Engine (DGE) powered by revolutionary NVIDIA ION graphics and a dual-core Intel Atom processor never before seen in an Eee PC, this multimedia netbook delivers standout HD quality and multitasking efficiency with Windows 7 Home Premium.'

The HP Pavilion DV6-2162NR 15.6-Inch Black Laptop (Up to 4.25 hours of battery life) has been reduced from $1,007.00 to $679.99 over at Amazon.com.
Tech Details:
• Intel Core i3-350M processor (2.26 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 DIMM) (expandable to 8 GB)
• 500GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, * Up to 4.25 Hours of Battery Life
• 15.6" Diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Display (1366x768), Intel HD Graphics with up to 1696MB Total Available Graphics Memory

The Toshiba Satellite L505-GS5037 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) is on offer for $599.99 with free standard shipping over at Amazon.com. 'Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the Acer Aspire 5942G-524G64Bn notebook. 'The Acer Aspire 5942G is a 15.6-inch notebook that you'd put in the "desktop replacement" category. Although some 15-inch notebooks are portable enough to carry around, the Aspire 5942G weighs in at 3kg and measures 382 x 274 x 39.5mm (at the largest point), a hefty notebook by any measure. These dimensions restrict the 5942G to the desk less than the battery life, which we found would give us around 2 hours when watching a Blu-ray; a power saving mode can be toggled with its own button, but it only gives you an extra hour or so of battery life.'

IT Reviews have published their review of the Samsung N210 netbook. 'Size-wise the N120 is no surprise. Its 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 pixel screen means it sits in quite a small chassis, and it is fairly light and easily portable. It comes in both black and white variants, each with a patterning on the lid section which adds a little something distinctive to the N210's overall appearance. The keyboard is a chiclet style variety with keys that are physically separated from each other. They feel great under the fingers and we found we were able to touch type at a perfectly acceptable speed, considering the small overall size of the keyboard.'

A review of the Dell Studio XPS sx8100-1986NBC desktop PC has been posted over at CNET. 'Dell offers a Studio XPS 8100 on its Web site as well as in retail stores. You can customize the online version, but with the same parts ordered directly from Dell as our retail review unit you'd pay about $1,360, not including shipping. You can add a few other features on Dell's Web site, including a TV tuner, more RAM, different hard drives, and a faster CPU, but the retail model covers the basics for a performance-oriented midrange system. While some of its components aren't the best available from Dell for this product line, they're only below by a tick or two.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the MSI Wind U160 netbook. 'At 2.6 pounds, the U160 is lighter than other 10-inch netbooks, such as the 2.8-pound Samsung N210 and the 3-pound Dell Inspiron Mini 10. And yet, it feels bulkier, thanks to its protruding butt of a battery. The Toshiba NB305 and other systems more discreetly integrate their 6-cell batteries, so we're surprised that MSI didn't make a similar effort. Otherwise, the U160's design is simple: a glossy black lid with matching interior, both of which pick up fingerprints easily. We like the glowing MSI logo on the lid and the bumpy trackpad (which looks similar to those used on recent ASUS Eee PCs), but some may be turned off by the large metallic hinge, which gives the screen a higher-than-usual profile.'

PC Magazine have published a review of the Gateway FX6831-03 gaming desktop. 'The design of the new version of the FX6800 chassis is a clear-cut improvement over the previous model, yet cues like the red accents and FX logo remind you that Gateway is continuing an existing brand. The FX6831-03's chassis is made up primarily of black metal and plastic, but there are backlit red vents on the sides of the top panel that give this PC some gaming flair. Twisting a ring around the power button turns the accent lights off and on. The ring's twisting action feels a little flimsy, as does the plastic on the front panel of the system. Tap the plastic with your fingers and it just echoes the word "cheap." It takes away from the overall image of the system, but you will likely overlook these details when you find out the system is so well equipped.'

Reg Hardware have published a review of the new Acer Aspire One 532 'Pine Trail' netbook. 'Like the 1005PE, Acer's 532h is powered by Intel's 1.66GHz Atom N450 processor. This is joined by 1GB of DDR 2 memory and integrated GMA3150 graphics - as with all Pine Trail netbooks, the graphics and memory controllers are both housed on the CPU. Intel claims this results in enhanced battery life and improved performance. The 532h is an attractive piece of kit. Its glossy lid - silver, blue and red are the colour options - might be a prone to a few smudge marks, but it looks striking and features smooth, curved edges.'

MobileTechReview have published a review of the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge notebook. 'The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge has a clean and modern design with pronounced straight lines and a shiny flat cover. The dot on the ThinkPad logo is also an LED that flashes red when the notebook is in hibernation. Open the lid to unveil the 13.3" display that has 1366 x 768 max native resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The backlit LED display glares but it does have decent viewing angles and good brightness. Above the display, the Lenovo has a 1.3 megapixel webcam that's low-light sensitive.'

PC Advisor have published their review of the Asus Eee PC 1201n netbook. 'The Asus Eee PC 1201n's port configuration is pretty typical for a netbook: three USB ports (two on the right, one on the left), an HDMI digital video port, and a VGA analogue graphics connector on the left. An ethernet jack is built into the right side, as are analogue audio in/out and a multiformat flash memory reader. The Asus Eee PC 1201n ships with SRS audio, plus the full Realtek HD audio suite, allowing you to set specific equalization settings and to spread out the sound field a bit. However, we found that enabling these features also muddied the sound quality, so we usually left the settings on standard stereo. Audio quality in general won't make you cringe, but you'll have a better sound experience with headphones.'

A review of the Samsung N150 netbook has been posted over at Computeractive. 'The NC10, Samsung's first netbook computer, impressed us because it had a longer battery life and better keyboard than others on the market at the time of its release. The N150 is one of many follow-ups, with a new Intel Atom processor that uses less power than the older version, so its battery should last even longer between charges. This is the only major advantage of the updated processor. It has the same performance as the older model and so it does not make any noticeable difference in use. But it increases the N150's battery life beyond what Samsung achieved with the NC10.'

Reg Hardware have published their review of the Dell Vostro V13 laptop. 'The thrill of the V13's exterior palls somewhat when you open it, as the interior is standard Vostro fodder. The shiny metallic finish of the shell gives way to a sea of matte black - it isn't ugly per se but it hardly quickens the pulse. The keyboard is good rather than spectacular. The base doesn't feel incredibly solid but it's not spongy, and the keys feel a little on the flimsy side. The 13.3in screen is left un-glossed, which means no distracting reflections while you work. It's bright and sharp, and the 1366 x 768 resolution is fine for the kind of jobs the V13 will be doing. Vertical viewing angles appeared a little tighter than normal, but colour reproduction was top-notch and our gradient tests revealed no stepping between shades.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the ViewSonic ViewBook Pro VNB131 - 13.3in laptop. 'It's a 13.3in portable laptop which, despite weighing just 1.65kg and measuring 17-25mm thick, features an integrated optical drive. Clearly ViewSonic has taken some liberal inspiration from several quarters in creating the ViewBook Pro. Its name, of course, is somewhat reminiscent of Apple's MacBook Pro and even the packaging and the ViewBook's promotional website (US version) have more than a little bit of Cupertino about them. Subtle it is not.'

A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad W510 notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'Build quality is very good on the Lenovo ThinkPad W510. Out of the box, this model has a stronger feel to it than most of the smaller ThinkPad models and is fairly hefty. Our model weighed in at just about 7 pounds and is built like a tank. The newer palmrest and keyboard design is solid as a rock with a strong support structure underneath the plastic. Even with a strong grip or a lot of downward force, we saw minimal flex around the palmrest and keyboard. Following with its "overbuilt" (in a good way) trend, the screen hinges are strong enough that it required two hands to open the notebook and even to tilt back the screen once the lid was opened.'

PC Magazine have published their review of the Sony VAIO VPC-F1190X gaming notebook. 'The F1190X is the first laptop to debut with Transfer Jet, a short-range wireless technology developed by Sony and works in tandem with Sony devices such as digital cameras. So far, this technology is limited to the CyberShot TX7 and the HX5 digital cameras; a USB solution will also be available and plugs into supported Sony HDTVs. So what does Transfer Jet have to do with the F1190X? Well, on the left palm rest makes up the other half of TransferJet, where you can place a compatible camera and instantly transfer all your content to your laptop and visa versa, wirelessly.'

CNET have published a review of the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-112y dektop PC. 'On the outside, the Pavilion Elite HPE-112Y and its glossy black plastic chassis looks like most of the other retail desktops out there. We're glad to report that the inside has improved, however, from older models in the Elite series. Previous Elites had a clunky metal sleeve jammed inside to accommodate one of HP's proprietary removable hard drives, which the company sold as optional extras. The new model has no such sleeve, but the interior cage for the fixed hard drives is still an inconvenient remnant from that old design. You need to remove the entire assembly to add a drive or remove the current one. At least that and other upgrades should be easier with the up-sell drive sleeve removed.'

A review of the Samsung NP-R780-JS03DE notebook has been posted over at Notebook Check. 'The R780-Hero's chassis teases with its looks, just like its 15 inch sister model. A red-black stripe pattern gleams at us from the lid. This finish changes its color depending on the light incident. There is also a fine gradation. However, there is a difference to the 15.6 incher, where the 3D effect has been omitted in the stripe pattern. Short: The pattern has been made one dimensionally. Samsung continues the look on the wrist-rest and on the work surface. Unfortunately, the high-gloss surfaces attract fingerprints and join these to an ugly greasy film. The keys are embedded in a high-gloss grid that seems to be for cleaning reasons. When the keys are pressed, a cleaning cloth (included) can reach the black grid.'

A review of the Asus Eee 1201N netbook has been posted over PC Perspective. 'The design of the 1201N is very clean and elegant with curved lines and rounded edges throughout. The lid is a glossy plastic with an attractive appearance that combines different colours to look like silver seashell. When closed, the Eee 1201N has a very slim profile that occupies very little space (11 3/4" width x 8 1/4" depth x 1" thick). While the lid looks beautiful, it flexes a bit too much when pressed near the hinge edge - this causes the lid and the console surfaces to rub together causing scratches to the unit. In everyday handling, there's a good chance you'll grab the Eee 1201N by the hinge side (imagine just picking it up off a desk) and damage your computer, albeit cosmetic.'

Laptop Magazine have published a review of the Dell Vostro V13 notebook. 'Measuring a thin 13 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches and weighing a mere 3.4 pounds, this ultraportable practically disappears into a messenger bag. Not that you'd want to hide it. For a small business notebook, the V13 is quite stylish. The lid and underside are made of brushed aluminum, and the inside is a matte black plastic; neither surface shows fingerprints, and the entire look is quite classy. Combined with reinforced zinc hinges, the V13 feels like it can survive the rigors of business travel. Similar to the Inspiron Mini 10 and the Adamo, the V13's lid is hinged about half an inch forward of the back edge of the notebook.'

Digital Trends have published a review of the Asus G51J 3D gaming laptop. '3D viewing is the G51J 3D's main event, and it impresses. It took mere moments to plug in Nvidia's 3D Vision transmitter and begin watching some of the 3-D shorts that come stored on the hard disk, including a music concert and a spot for a Nürburgring race documentary. No hardware installations, software downloads, or technical issues. It's pure plug and play, which is the way stereoscopic technology needs to work if it has any hope of being adopted by the mainstream.'

TweakTown have published their review of the ViewSonic ViewBook Pro VNB131S 13.3-inch notebook.' 'The 13.3-inch screen is glossy and has its share of glare. It performs well, though, and after working on smaller machines for a while, the 13.3-inch screen seems gargantuan. The little notebook works well for watching online video and DVDs thanks to the optical drive with good color and smooth playback. The keyboard is a strange looking job that ViewSonic calls "floating island". What that means is that it's the standard chicklet keyboard with keys that are wider on the bottom than the top. It looks a bit odd, but the keys are still well sized and typing feedback is just what you expect. The keyboard is of normal size for a notebook.'

A review of the Toshiba Satellite U500 Ducati Edition laptop has been posted over at Reg Hardware. 'Back to the real world, and what we have here is a rather chunky 13.3in laptop sporting a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo P8700 processor - 3MB of cache, 1066MHz frontside bus - 4GB of 800MHz DDR 2 memory, a 400GB Sata hard drive, multi-format DVD writer, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Nvidia GeForce G210M graphics. Lesser U500s are also available, minus the Ducati branding and de luxe styling, but both with 2.13GHz Core i3-330M processors and 4GB of 1066MHz DDR 3. Faster memory, yes, but weaker, integrated graphics built into the i3.'

PC World have published their review of the Gateway NV7915u laptop. 'The Gateway NV7915u has a massive chassis, and weighs a beefy 6.8 pounds. Still, the classy design offers a few nice touches. In contrast to the smudge-prone glossy finish on the outside, the keyboard and wrist rest have a subtle matte finish to minimize fingerprints. Above the keyboard is a sleek row of status lights (Bluetooth, hard-drive access, and the like), as well as touch-sensitive LEDs that let you instantly activate data backup, Wi-Fi toggle, touchpad disable, mute, and volume control. The NV7915u also comes with a good but not spectacular set of interface and media features: a DVD drive, four USB ports, HDMI- and VGA-out, an SD Card reader, and network and modem ports. Overall, the machine exhibits good craftsmanship, but it's nothing dazzling.'

A review of the Toshiba Satellite E205-S1904 WiDi (Intel Wireless Display) laptop has been posted over at HotHardware. 'The E205 measures 1.22 x 13.7 x 9.57-inches (HWD), weighs 5.1 pounds, and comes in a sleek and stylish chassis with softly rounded corners. The top of the lid has what Toshiba refers to as a "fusion finish in metallic blue," which is another way of saying it is very shiny, dark blue, has a cool diamond pattern, and attracts fingerprints like a squirrel collects nuts in the autumn. Unless you handle the E205 with white cotton gloves or you lack sweat glands in your hands, expect to leave difficult-to-buff-out smudges and streaks on the lid. The E205 comes with a microfiber cleaning cloth--but we're not sure if the cloth is meant for cleaning the display or the lid.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the Acer Aspire 5942G-524G64Bn 15.6in laptop. 'Looking around the system reveals all the connectivity you could ever want from a multimedia laptop. Naturally an HDMI port is present, as is VGA, and they are joined by a trio of audio jacks: one headphone jack; one microphone jack, and one line-out/SPDIF output. There's also an infrared (CIR) receiver on the front edge, though its positioning is far from optimal for easy line of sight and Acer doesn't provide a remote itself. Other sundries include a 54mm ExpressCard slot, a mini-FireWire port, memory card reader and the ever present Ethernet port. You get four USB ports in total: three standalone ports and one that doubles as an eSATA connection for faster data transfer from compatible external hard drives/memory keys.'

CNET have published a review of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible Netbook tablet. 'At a starting price of $549, the IdeaPad S10-3t could also be seen as competition for Apple's iPad, which has a similar size screen and comparable pricing. It's tempting to make the comparison, especially since the S10-3t has more ports than the iPad does, plays Flash, uses a PC operating system, and has a full keyboard. On the other hand, the S10-3t has laggy performance at times and a thickness that could keep it from being a definitive iPad killer. Our review unit, which costs $649, also bears interest because it's one of the first Netbooks to include the new Atom N470, a slightly faster version of the N450 we've seen in 2010 Atom Netbooks.'

MobileTechReview have published their review of the Gateway LT2118u netbook. 'The Gateway LT Series has an elegant design with a shiny cover decorated by a chrome logo band on the left side, which has become a signature look for the Gateway notebooks (except the P Series). Whether it's good branding or cost saving to use the same design for most models, this cover design works for the LT Series very well and makes it stand out in a sea of many plain-looking netbooks. The multi-gesture touchpad integrates into the gunmetal grey palm rest, and the touchpad has a slightly different texture than the palm rest. A thin silver edge line lives below the palm rest and houses the LED lights and the mouse buttons.'

Computeractive have published their review of the Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ-4955 notebook PC. 'The 1810TZ has an 11.6in screen that produced a bright, sharp picture that made reading websites and editing documents much easier than on most netbooks. It has a 250GB hard disk and 3GB of memory - netbooks tend to only have 1GB of memory. The processor is also much better. It's a dual-core low-voltage model that helps when running multiple applications at once. It comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, rather than the Windows 7 Starter edition sometimes found on similar computers.'

A review of the Review: Fujitsu LifeBook UH900 (LOOX U/G90) has been posted over at Pocketables.net. 'The newest model in the Fujitsu LifeBook U series of mini notebooks is the UH900, a lightweight clamshell device with a high-resolution 5.6" multitouch display, Windows 7, Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, and very fast SSD. While decently configured in the US with a 1.6GHz CPU and integrated GPS, the Japanese versions of the UH900--the LOOX U/G90--are offered with user-selected options like a 2.0GHz Atom processor and also come with built-in WiMAX.'

The HP Mini 210-1070NR 10.1-inch black netbook (9.75 Hours of battery life) has been reduced from $491.00 to $359.99 over at Amazon.com.
Tech Details
• Intel Atom Processor N450 (1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache)
• 1GB DDR2 System Memory (1 DIMM)
• 250GB (7200RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)(
• Genuine Windows 7 Starter, * Up to 9.75 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 ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook (10.5 Hour Battery Life) has been reduced from $389.99 to $349.00 over at Amazon Marketplace. 'The Eee PC 1005HA-P offers great user comfort and convenience with its 92% scaled keyboard, multi-touch touchpad and instant key (for quick access to touchpad-lock). The 10.1-inch (Color-Shine) LED-backlit display and sleek chassis will allow you to work or travel in absolute comfort for hours on end. The generous 170GB ASUS Hybrid Storage will enable you to store, share and access your important data anytime, anywhere. Miles ahead of its competition, the Eee PC 1005HA-P provides leading-class performance and superior portability, liberating you from wall chargers and bringing you into the future of mobility.'

The Apple iMac MB950LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop has been reduced from $1,199.00 to $1,138.99 over at Amazon.com. 'The iMac's display offers a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution (for native 1080p high-definition viewing), and it uses IPS technology to deliver consistent color across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle. This 21.5-inch model also features improved graphics with the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor. It's powered by a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking, video, and gaming performance.'

TweakTown have published a review of the Gateway EC14D07u 11.6-inch ultraportable. 'The Gateway EC14D07u is a rarity in the ultraportable world today in that Gateway crams an optical drive into the machine. The drive is a DVD player and can burn both CDs and DVDs if needed as well. Typically, you don't get an optical drive in this class and this is what makes the Gateway EC14D07u really stand out in a crowded market.The design of the Gateway EC14D07u is attractive, but it's getting old after seeing so many Gateway machines that look just like the EC14D07u. The glossy black lid of my test unit will be prone to scratches and smudges. Under the lid is a glossy LCD with HD resolution that works very well for playing movies and online video.'

A review of the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13.3in laptop has been posted over at Reg Hardware. 'At 322 x 228 x 25mm the Edge is one of the smaller laptops in its class and at 1.7kg with a 6-cell battery, its amongst the lightest too. Lugging it around for a week in place of our usual on-the-go Dell Mini 10v proved no hardship and, for a machine with a 13.3in screen, you really can't expect much less in the way of a physical footprint. Even though the design is not what we would call sleek, the battery pack is well integrated into the rear of the chassis with the inevitable bulge only protruding enough to cant the Edge forward by the required degree for comfortable desk use.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the MSI Wind U135 notebook. 'The U135 falls firmly into the former category, offering up a typical spec for a notebook. Internally it is running an Intel Atom N450 processor at 1.6GHz with 1GB RAM (expandable up to 2GB) and a 250GB hard drive. The Atom N450 is Intel's latest processor to make its way into netbooks, offering greater efficiency over the chips we saw last year. It doesn't bring with it any really noticeable gains in processing power, but is much more efficient, so you get longer battery life. The U135 has a 10-inch LED backlit display, with a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, which is typical for this type of netbook. Some will always complain about the resolution however, accepting the limitations of a small format notebook, we think it is good enough for most daily tasks on the move.'

A review of the MALIBAL VEDA Series (Clevo X8100) notebook has been posted over at Notebook Review. 'The Clevo X8100 has a stunning mirror finish covering the back of the display and area surrounding the keyboard. The surfaces are completely flat, with a scratch resistant sheet of plastic covering the tinted layer. The screen cover is metallic grey with a centered backlit tribal logo and black trim on the top edge. The logo lights up blue by default, but can be changed by pressing the backlight color switch on the touch-sensitive multimedia panel. Inside the mirror finish has a black base color, playing in with the multimedia buttons and touchpad. Compared to other gaming systems we have seen, the Clevo X8100 really stands out with its elegant design.'

A review of the Toshiba Satellite T110-10R subnotebook has been posted over at NoteBook Check. 'The Satellite is equipped with plenty of software ex-factory. Windows 7 Home Premium as the 64 bit alternative is used as the operating system. Aside from Windows, Microsoft Home and Student 2007 (60 day trial version), Microsoft Works, McAfee Internet Security (free updates for 30 days), a game collection, the Google Pack, Connectivity Doctor, Chicony Camera Software and a row of Toshiba Software are pre-installed. It's recommendable to uninstall the unnecessary programs because the booting time is affected by them.'

PC Magazine have published areview of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10s (HD) netbook. 'The Mini 10s's design is a departure from the original Mini 10v ($334 direct, ), which is a good thing. The white-clad bottom gracefully complements the red shiny top, but if red isn't your cup of tea, Dell has over 200 customizable lid designs on its website. In between the two halves is a black interior, which extends past the closed cover to form a lip in the back of the unit. It's similar to how the back of the Dell Adamo ($1,000 direct, ) was designed, except the 10s (HD) uses this extra space to conceal the 56WH (6-cell) battery so that it doesn't stick out awkwardly from the back. Naturally, the back of the unit is a lot thicker than the front, creating a tapered look that doesn't make it look as boxy as the Mini 10v.'