Reviews related to : Computers
A very broad subject these days - home computers now come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but in each case the basic architecture is the same. Even the distinctive Apple MAC range now adheres to an Intel architecture under the hood and Apple hardware is capable of running the Microsoft Windows operating systems (but why would you want to having bought a MAC?)
Browse the reviews below of not only a variety of desktop and laptop computers, but also the peripherals that will help you get the most from your machine.
Many months after the launch I finally get my hands on one, and yes it was worth the wait. Nice small machine that does not cost the earth and if you only want word processing, email and Internet then why look elsewhere.
It weights under a kilo (984 grams) and is 24.5x17x3cm. Mine was cream with the inside of the lid black. It has an 84 key keyboard with alpha and numeric keys being near full size at 1.5cm square, I say near full size as the space between is of course far less than a standard keyboard. The left side has power adapter input, VGA out, Ethernet, USB and SD card slot. The front has only the slider switch to turn wireless connection on/off.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
Certainly this tower case is tiny, however it does not mean that there is a lack of connectivity within.
It is 33x26x10cm however to insert various leads in the back you will need to add another 5cm to the 33cm depth. No monitor or panel is supplied as standard but it is supplied with a DVI to Analog converter should you use an Analog monitor/panel. It has an Intel Viiv Core 2 Duo processor E4300. This seemed to handle everything I asked it to do without problem.
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 .
This must be considered to be a cross between a desktop and a tablet PC with the built in touch screen being the part like a tablet. However overall it is certainly not a mobile offering. The Vista speed rating is 4.6
HP are often at the forefront of design and innovation and while this features several features new to me I am not sure the format is quite right. The comes with lots of memory and a large hard disc but it also is slow to shutdown and very slow to boot up. Graphics are good and watching a DVD is a nice experience.
This PC has taken longer to review than normal simply because not only did I have a PC to review but also the operating system it was installed with. Yes Vista is supplied with Evesham’s Solar MX100.
Having recently now with thanks to Evesham for their patience lets look at this rather nice PC. Firstly mine came with some quite meaty Creative speakers, a wireless keyboard and mouse set from Logitech, and a 19inch panel that gives a rather good image all within a small total screen surround size of 44x30cm the name on it was new to me Cibox. It is however only an Analogue offering but you can pay extra for a digital model. The maximum screen display is 1440x900.
This is small and can be used as a standard PC or with the supplied remote control as a Media Centre PC. If space is at a premium then this offering from Evesham could be the answer.
It is 16x16x5cm but once normal leads such as for a monitor and USB are added the depth increases by around another 5cm. It can be used in Media Centre mode but then I found that the back of the unit needs to face you as the remote control sensor is on the rear of the unit. If used in PC mode moving the mouse brings up the ability to get to the standard XP desktop.
You tend to remember a product that was very good or very bad, my last Fujitsu Siemens notebook was definitely the former, so when another arrives it is met with much enthusiasm.
The previous notebook was in fact an excellent dual product being both notebook and tablet PC (Lifebook 1510 tablet notebook 5 April 2006) it was perfect in four out of the five smiley category's. th I tend to think of a notebook as something to travel with, travel to me does not mean lugging everything into a car. To me it means public transport and walking.
Yes the title is right, as some may know HP now own Compaq and whilst new models come out they are badged HP even though the identity says Compaq NX6325.
First the size, it is 32.5x26x4cm and weights 2.8kilos. The screen is 30.5x23cm giving the notional 15inch screen size. The left side has LAN port, VGA outlet, 2xUSB2 ports, microphone and headset outputs and PCMCIA and PC Express slots. The front has four small LED's and a single card slot that accepts probably the five most popular card types, SD/MMC/XD/SmartMedia and Memory Stick. The main one missing is Compact Flash/Micro Drive.
Novatech Maxfire Laptop
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by petew
on Aug 13, 2006
An alternative to the 'big name' PC manufacturers, we've been very impressed with this laptop from UK supplier Novatech.
My wife has been using my hand-me-down Toshiba notebook for a couple of years now. I tend to give notebooks a pretty hard time so it wasn't in the best of states when she got it. It is now 6 years old, and the kids have managed to break the key-top from the letter 'I'. I really had little choice but to find a replacement! Having had a less than happy experience with my last purchase of a laptop from Dell I wanted to try out someone else.
Dell Inspiron 640m
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by paul_smart
on Aug 7, 2006
This is a very powerful notebook with a reasonable sized screen, put the two together and the weight is not gigantic. Add the ability to work in Media Centre mode and it should suit most.
The biggest task with machines is to match the sent configuration with what is available on their site. I was sent a Intel 2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM and Windows Media Centre Edition of the laptop. The hard disc was shown as 93GB and I assume that was the 100GB option. Dell 640m Sorry to be so vague but I all I get sent is a total insurance value, it would be so nice to have a sheet detailing the parts that make the whole. This is a 14.
If the idea of a desktop replacement machine that truly has five hours of battery life watching DVD’s interests you then this could well be for you. Yes 3 DVD’s in a row.
While watching three DVD's in a row may not be what everyone wants - or needs - running a DVD tends to put a fair amount of stress on a laptop battery and often it's a struggle to get one DVD watched but I managed to watch three on this laptop one Sunday afternoon, I had only intended two as that would surely drain the battery but it still had 38% left after the second and while it was down to single digits by the time the third was finished it did it and the total ru
This really is small, imagine the desk space taken by an average notebook and now divide that in four and that is the desk space taken by this PC.
The unit is notionally 16x16x5cm. However it has a digital output and while a digital to VGA (analogue) converter is provided once you have plugged your VGA lead in that adds 8cm to the depth. However should you own a digital TV there is another way. The lead for this fits into a PS/2 type connector on the unit and this is around half the length of the Digital to VGA converter. The weight of the unit is around 1.2kilos.
This is both a small and light notebook, however it has a more than acceptable 1280x768 screen resolution and it is probably small enough to fit in a ‘poachers pocket’
Sometimes it is hard to equate the product advertised with the one looked at. This is certainly the case here and while the differences are often small, working out 'what or why' is somewhat harder. After several requests something I saw last year arrived securely packed and well presented. All the extras in a box within a box and the notebook well protected in the bottom of the outer box.
Apple with the Intel Factor
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by mfereday
on Jan 26, 2006
Steve Jobs reveals the new products developed following the recent Apple / Intel agreement.
The recent announcement of the tie-up between Apple and Intel has certainly caused several ripples that have quickly formed into new products in both the software and hardware categories. Steve Jobs took the opportunity offered by his keynote address at Macworld, San Francisco to reveal the initial product offerings to benefit from this new co-operation between two of the major forces in the field of computing.
Compaq Presario SR1519
Published in Laptops/PCs/Apple
by paul_smart
on Sep 21, 2005
Some people maybe surprised that the Compaq range was not quietly dropped after the merger with HP. However what are produced look very different from the HP offerings and certainly have there own identity.
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