Laptops/PCs/Apple

A few days ago I was sent a link and passcode to download Windows 8. So with fingers crossed I embarked on making a two year old notebook that has become slower and slower become a more useful member of society.

The buzzword around today is Ultrabook not simply because they are small and light but they also boot exceedingly fast. So what exactly does this Acer unit have to offer that will make you reach into your wallet to buy.

A large desktop monitor that can – should you wish - be split into up to four windows, so four displays on a single screen. While the basic resolution is still 1920x1080 with a decent video card then DVD watching can be a new experience.

What’s in a name? Do we call this next product the iPad 3 or the New iPad? As long as we regard it as the latest addition to Apple’s iconic tablet range, I don’t think it matters all that much. You can call it what you like (personally I tend to use “Oi you” or “Thingy” if I am in a particularly good mood at the time) as long as it does what you want when you want (I will not mention the words I use if this does not happen).

Normally to boot a PC you need a DVI or VGA monitor connected. Recently I reviewed a unit that could be a second unit for notebook that had only a USB lead, so this unit was a new thing for me as it has neither DVI nor VGA.

This is the larger sibling to the offering reviewed on the 13th August, that was 8inches this that bit larger at 9.7inches. So apart from the larger screen what else has this to offer both are running the latest version of Android.

After recently reviewing a couple of light offerings that had SSD to give rapid booting, its back to a larger business notebook but as its high end you lose that horrible shiny black screen surround that shows all the fingermarks.

Its not often the weight on something is the first thing I mention, this notebook is 1155grams and is also extremely thin. But it still has a 13.3inch screen and good connectivity. The only thing missing is an optical drive.

Not just another thin notebook - it is very thin – but this has a far bigger selling point. Simple figures, initial boot time 70 seconds, initial shutdown time 25 seconds, once the 16GB SSD second drive gets to work boot is 20 seconds and shutdown 10 seconds

This 22inch LED backlite unit has a circular base and support arm that allows much more adjustment than with other such units. It also has a range of multiple video modes for those who like the colour set to go with changes.

Due to a rearrangement in the way Acer contact their press relations it has meant an extended period with no new products being available for review. Here the first to emerge an Intel i5 2450m bearing the Acer Aspire V3 571 name.

Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and cable now offer faster broadband speeds even though they are still lower than can be achieved over the LAN. Despite this users are demanding higher wired and wireless LAN data rates. TRENDnet’s TEW-692GR 802.11n router has Gigabit wired ports as well as 450Mbps concurrent dual band wireless and so is targeted at those who want the highest possible level of performance for gaming and video streaming around the house.

Just that little bit smaller than most current Android Tablets. This has the advantage of the latest version of Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) 4. Being that bit smaller can increase battery life and is that bit easier to handle.

A fully USB monitor meaning it has a single lead only. So no power lead all the power comes down the USB lead. This does have one drawback it can only be a second monitor or be used as a monitor for your laptop or notebook.

This LED display is light and easy to move something you could not have said for the CRT displays of much smaller size not that many years ago. It is also brighter has better contrast and all in all a very nice item on the desk.

A major challenge faced by all travellers is how to keep all the electronic devices working that are now considered so important. The iGo Green Laptop Travel Charger offers a simple solution to enable the busy traveller to keep his laptop and USB devices charged irrespective of whether it is at the hotel or in a car or, increasingly, in the passenger compartment of a plane.

While various versions of the Apple iPad have been around for a while their PR in the UK is less than happy to let journalists review their kit, so it falls upon others to loan out their kit, in this case it was T-Mobile who loaned the unit.

Here I am looking at a Bluetooth mouse from a company that makes PC’s, Cameras, Phones and Audio Systems Sony. Second a Wireless offering that looks like a UFO and this one from Brando in Hong Kong is Wireless.

The Seagate Backup Plus is a quick and easy back-up system. Available in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB versions it supplied with Dashboard software which is designed to be simple to use as well as supporting social networks. It supports USB3.0 for high speed data transfer but is also backwards-compatible and so can operate at the lower USB 2.0 speeds. Hence, it provides a useful degree of future proofing for those who only have USB 2.0 at present.

Towards the end of last year I attended the launch of a new product and then had to wait patiently for over six months before the promised review unit arrived.

For some, the Windows interface is not easy to understand. So Simplicity together with a mature person’s icon Valerie Singleton have made an interface with just the options you need, email, photos, documents and Skype.

SSD drives are more expensive than standard hard drives but they are faster. Here I am looking at an internal unit from Kingston and also the first USB3 external unit I have seen, this from OCT technology it is called ENYO.

I am not talking a printer, scanner, copier here, but a screen that has a computer and all the connections built into it, the screen is controlled either from the supplied Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or touch should you wish.

First a drive to let you easily stream files to an ‘i’ device and it has USB so getting them from the PC to wi-fi drive is easy too. Second a new generation of internal SSD drive small in size and above all very fast transfer rate.

The AOC Model E2251Fwu Portable 22inch LCD display can be configured to work as a duplicate monitor to that on the PC or to provide an extended display so that it is a versatile solution for those who need to be able to use large spreadsheets or give presentations when away from their home base.

A four letter acronym often heard with respect to computers is KISS -- Keep It Simple, Stupid. Homekey from Simplicity Computers follows this precept and actually provides a simple and easy-to-learn jargon-free approach to being able to send/receive emails, surf the web and doing other PC-related tasks. Furthermore, it does this without our needing to invest in the latest expensive technology.

Sometimes the appearance of letters in a certain configuration can lead you off into flights of fancy when really there is a more prosaic reason behind the letters.

Having recently reviewed the tiny Sony P Tablet. This offering is more the normal size; however the shape of a thin wedge is still totally different from anything from any other company. So with design and style does it perform?

Powerline communications where mains cabling is used for local data transmission is an extremely useful tool that has been around for quite a while. However, at the same time as other LAN speeds have increased so have those for powerline. Now TRENDnet is offering 500Mbps adapters that enable one to speedily assemble an Ethernet LAN to provide connectivity in different rooms around the house as a viable alternative to wireless -- especially in those buildings where wireless connectivity is

Internal SATA SSD drive v external USB3 drive. The second is four times the capacity of the first. The first is very fast, but the second is no slouch. The first is a bare drive but cased, the second shiny black and silver with lead.