Reviews related to : Laptops
Laptops have evolved over the years from a poor cousin of their more powerful desktop brethren to today, where for many manufacturers, laptops outsell desktops.
The focus has moved to laptops with huge investment in improving performance and reducing power consumption. You will still however find even those that claim to be 'desktop replacements' to be slower than a desktop product, and this is likely to remain the case for some time.
If it's raw power you want stick to a desktop computer!
So at long last I get to see for a few days one of the biggest talking points of this year. It came with no documentation a Linux operating system and apart from an initial problem with Wireless connectivity it worked flawlessly.
It is 22x17x4cm and weights 1140grams. The screen is 19.5x11.5cm giving the notional 8.9 inch diagonal measurement. The screen is 1024x600. The processor is a 1.6GHz Intel Atom. It has 1GB of RAM. 20GB of storage. A 1.3 mega pixel webcam. 3xUSB ports. 2 year warranty. External VGA and Ethernet ports. Headphone and microphone sockets. SD card port and a very easy to use copy of Linux. It also has wireless and Bluetooth.
Having recently joined the Acer family, Packard Bell took the opportunity of Acer’s Global Press Conference 2008 to demonstrate its new product line up. These products included a netbook plus various notebooks and desktop systems with a selection of LCD monitors and storage devices.
Whereas Acer has named its netbook the Aspire One, Packard Bell has opted for the “dot” designation. Based on the Intel Atom processor with 1GB of RAM, the “dot” has an 8.9-inch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600; 5-in-1 card reader; three USB ports; built-in Wi-Fi (b/g); and a 160GB hard drive. This netbook comes with Windows XP operating system and has a 6-cell battery as standard.
Michael Fereday joined up with Acer in Budapest to bring us this report on the company’s latest batch of desktop and notebook models.
Never the one to sit back and contemplate past achievements, Acer took the opportunity, offered by its Global Press Conference, to announce several new products to help consolidate its position as third in the total PC market and second with regards to worldwide notebook sales.
Oh how circumstances have charged with more resources and an improved enlightened attitude towards the presence of IT within the school curriculum.
During my time working at the chalk-face, admittedly several years ago, the prospect of one computer per child was considered little more than a pipe-dream. The allocation of a school's computing resources, especially in a multi-storey building, was one computer per floor.
What is it with fast car references, Acer have their Ferrari high end offerings and ASUS have this Lamborghini offering, the Acer starts up with the sound of car moving past while this starts with a very throaty Lamborghini revving up.
Asus Lamborghini VX3 laptop computer measures 29.5x22.5x3cm and quality really shines through, it has a fingerprint reader and the area either side and around the touchpad is leather. The screen is 26x16.5cm giving the notional 12.1inch diagonal measurement. It runs natively at 1280x800 and is very clear and easy to read.
I notice that there are five models in this range and on reading the specifications the differences seem very much the same –see the last link- luckily I was sent the entry level version.
The Toshiba Portégé M700-110 is a 12.1 inch notebook with an XGA display 1280x800. It is also a Tablet PC however I was quiet surprised to see it is supplied with Vista Business and not Vista Ultimate. When the screen is open you can see in the centre of the back of the body an arrow telling you which way to twist the screen, likewise when lifted up the arrow tells you which way to return it to closed to save any possible damage to the screen.
Asus were the leaders in the new generation of ultra Mobile PCs but with more brands entering this market is the EeePC 900 worht the money?
This review is a little late, you might think, since Asus has just launched the EeePC 1000 and you would be absolutely right. I have been trying to review this machine since April and, unable to borrow a machine from Asus I actually put my money where my mouth is and bought one through a wonderful company called TCR Direct ( ). Having never used a Linux machine I decided to go for the 20 GB version and it arrived quick as a flash.
The recent launch of six new Intel Centrino 2 processors, with a further eight to follow over the coming months, has provided the impetus for notebook manufacturers to refresh their range of offerings.
click image to enlarge Acer Aspire 2930 One of the first companies to take advantage of the new technology behind the Centrino 2 processors is Acer. The company has launched various business and consumer models in the TravelMate and Aspire ranges. Several enhancements have been made to the TravelMate range of business notebooks.
Toshiba Fights Back
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on June 21, 2008
From the lofty heights of London’s Millbank Tower, Toshiba revealed a new processor and some notebook models.
When one door closes, another opens or perhaps not keeping all your eggs in one basket might be a more appropriate slant on circumstances. Whichever view you opt for, the result is probably the same. With the death knell of HD DVD still echoing through the retail and consumer areas, Toshiba has announced the Toshiba Quad Core HD processor.
A central London location was the setting for the UK launch of Acer’s latest mobile product. Michael Fereday was there.
How small is small? Some would think that an atom is small enough to satisfy even the most demanding when it comes to the lack of size classification. I mention this because the Atom is the name that Intel has bestowed on its new purpose built lower power mobile processor. An Intel Atom processor N270 (1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB and 512KB L2 cache) sits at the heart of Acer's new Aspire One product which is described as being the company's first Internet device.
A small notebook with a great number of extras. If you want a full featured small notebook then providing you are not on a small budget then you should certainly give this a look.
click to enlarge The Acer Ferrari 1100-704G25Mn weights a tad over 2 kilos, it is 30x22.5x3cm and totally matt black apart from the silver Acer name and of course the yellow Ferrari logo on the lid. The screen is 26.5x16.5cm giving the diagonal 12.1 inch screen measurement. A quick tour round the unit finds two USB ports, Express Card slot and an Ethernet port on the left side. The rear has AC adapter input, VGA output and a PS/2 port.
A tablet PC that weights 800grams and has a true 8 hours of battery life, it has a keyboard – of sorts – as well as the touchscreen one. Anyone who needs a lightweight PC it’s here.
click to enlarge
First the all important dimensions it is 22.5x12x3cm. The screen is 15.5x9cm and this displays at 1024x600 and should you not be a fan of the stylus then there are mouse controls either side of the screen. It has a full copy of Windows XP (Tablet PC Edition) service pack 2 installed. I found around 30cm away was the ideal viewing distance away. It works just as well with a finger as the stylus.
For reasons best known to Acer they launched these new notebooks on Maundy Thursday in the UK when I am told the same presentation was done seven days ago in New York.
click to enlarge
A total of eight new notebooks aimed at the home market and for the first timer from Acer there are fingerprint readers on consumer products. Two entirely new screen sizes 16inch and 18.4inch, these are so the 16:10 ratio on earlier offerings can be changed to suit the current DVD's and TV that want 16:9. All have variety of NVIDIA graphics cards with 512MB of RAM plus extra shared RAM.
HP Pavilion 1260EA Notebook/Tablet PC
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by paul_smart
on Jan 11, 2008
This is a true two in one product, a full featured notebook including all you might require in the way of external connections, flip the screen and it becomes a tablet PC.
It comes in a black case with a rather nice discrete pattern on the lid. It is 30x24.5x4cm with the larger battery attached. The biggest drawback for anyone wanting a tablet PC is the weight it's 2.25kilos and as far as I'm concerned that's quite a lot to carry around all day. The front has the on/off slider, twin ear bud sockets (so you can watch DVD's as you travel with a companion) and a microphone socket. Also on the front is a wireless network slider.
Combining natural shapes with technological innovation, Acer’s latest Aspire notebook offers itself for review.
Assigned the role of the Aspire flagship product is the Acer Aspire 5920 laptop. This model features the new design concept produced by BMW Designworks, entitled Gemstone, aimed at adding more than a touch of style to Acer's normal combination of power, usability, performance, with an aggressive price point. Lets consider first the various aspects of the Gemstone approach.
If you are looking for a notebook to travel around with you – unless someone else carries it for you – then you certainly do not want one with a 15inch or 17inch display.
This is one with a 12.1 inch display and it comes in a variety of colours something that may bring favour with the ladies. I believe there is a pink one - luckily I was not sent it - I also remember green and blue. Mine was a sky blue offering. I am afraid I have to be a little vague as I have a pre production sample and certain drivers were missing as I assume was some of the software.
Evesham is one of the more popular makes of notebook. Here I am looking at what probably qualifies as a mid range offering but it still manages to support Windows Vista Premium.
First the all important dimensions it is 35x25x4cm and weights around 2.7kilos. It is traditional black apart from the silver-grey lid. It has surprisingly few ports, the rear has 2xUSB2 ports and the power brick input. The right side has 2xUSB2 ports and the DVD multi recorder. The front has microphone, earbud and SPDIF sockets and a card port (SD and MS). The left side has PCMCIA slot, Ethernet and modem ports as well as external monitor port.
The age of luggable notebooks has long since passed. Now such devices can be held in one hand while typing with the other.
The arrival of Intel's Santa Rosa Centrino Pro technology has provided manufacturers with the ideal opportunity to refresh their current range of notebooks with some new attractive models. Not surprisingly, with its position as a leading notebook manufacturer, Acer has taken the lead with some new products that include the .
The Bayswater, Queensway and Lancaster Gate area of London used to be my old stamping ground and was also the location for a product launch from Acer.
Acer has been rather quiet of late. But, as I was to discover, this lack of news did not mean that the company had been resting on its laurels. Instead it had been busy designing and developing new models to enhance its range of notebook products. Details of these new offerings were revealed in what the company described as a "Design Launch".
For all those that remember IBM’s think pads and other great notebooks they are now in the hands of Lenovo. This offering I should have seen in May still eight months late it’s here.
I am told what I have not been sent is a totally new version. It is 30x22x3.5cm and weights close to 1.9kilos. The screen is 26x16.5cm giving the notional screen size of 12.1 inches. There is an 83key keyboard with all but the function and arrow keys being full size. Behind the keyboard are six buttons for on/off and various sound controls together with a range of LED's.
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