Laptops/PCs/Apple

The arrival of a battered box is not always bad news, the arrival of a box with space in it probably is. This unit had been doing the rounds and when it got to me all I got was the system box, not even a power lead or any instructions.

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary a “tab” is a small flap, strip, tag or tongue; an account, tally; and keep an account of. However in more recent parlance, a tab is also the abbreviated form used to describe the latest hot topics with regards to computer hardware. In this particular case it is the Liberty Tab from Packard Bell.

Adding to its already impressive range of laptops is the Aspire Timeline X from Acer.

While I have had the opportunity to check out various Acer laptops, this is the first chance I have had to take a close look at a Packard Bell laptop.

This has a rather special extra, it is a four port router it is a modem and it has a USB port and while a lot of other modem routers also have a USB port few (if any) can not only print but also scan and do other MFU tasks.

Often having a Blu-ray drive in a notebook or PC makes it a high price purchase and buying an external unit can be cheaper. I recently purchased a new PC and it came just with a DVD multi drive, add this Plextor unit and it’s complete.

Finally I think some manufacturers are listening when people moan about the black surrounds showing fingermarks. The solution is to simply remove the black, on this only the base and the keyboard area are the dreaded black.

This is the smallest tablet I have reviewed and indeed it is running the earliest version of Android at only 2.1. However as they say ‘size is not everything’ it is still larger than the average smart phone and can well have a place.

The other Tablets I have looked at recently have had v2.2 of the Android system; the Acer Iconia TAB A500 has v3.1. So what can this unit offer that the others cannot, so what does this have that the other units do not have in them?

While HP may have decided that tablets were not an area worthy of its expertise, other companies have a different opinion. One such company is Binatone with products that include the HomeSurf 705 model that is being priced at under £100.

A number of companies have now brought out these near ‘PC’ devices. Good for surfing (using Wireless) Ok for collecting email, but perhaps most importantly is to have a decent Web Store for free (or low cost) apps.

Verbatim’s Go Mini Optical Travel Mouse is targeted at the traveller who is counting the grams and, at the same time, wants to keep things simple. It is a USB mouse with a spring-loaded ‘wind-up’ retractable cable that should suit the need of the busy person on the move.

It seems about 18 months ago when Google first showed their Chrome operating system, this notebook from Samsung is the first that I have seen that uses it. Can we get used to an operating system that relies on the Internet?

During my visit to the Gadget Show in Birmingham last April I saw one of these on the HP stand. There and then I requested to review this cross between a Netbook and a Notebook, the HP Notebook DM1, that has an extra front end feature to use.

This is probably the most powerful notebook that I have ever used. A look at the Windows Experience index will show that. If you are looking for a powerful notebook then this should certainly be on a very short list of items.

The orbit USB stereo speakers are a practical and robust way of improving a laptop or netbook’s sound quality. Directly powered from the machine’s USB port, without the need for external power, model iML247 from Altec Lancing will be a useful and simple extra for the traveller who wants to enhance the audio irrespective of whether it is for playing of CDs or for using Skype.

During a recent PC review for a product that came without keyboard, video, speakers and mouse I suggested that if you were planning a purchase to run along side another PC that a KVM switch would be a cost effective purchase.

Here I am looking at a 32GB external USB3 SSD drive from Verbatim and a more normal 32GB stick type flash USB drive from Kingston. While lots of people make stick drives in all sizes 32GB is certainly a serious size.

Sometimes you discover a little gem; I did earlier this year at a twice yearly press event. They are a PC manufacturer who return your calls and even deliver exactly what you ask for, something certainly worth considering.

If like me you can remember the early floppy disc – long before hard discs – then a MB was a great deal of space, early hard drives were a few MB, now we talk is hundreds of GB and so on till we arrive at the TB an even larger measure.

A novel design for this hard drive has it sitting up in a cradle, it can be removed if you wish, however this unit has a decent front end of software that offers more than just a hard drive and even then there is a little something extra.

Here a four port Gigabit router and then for those who need more a second ‘switch’ that gives you another eight connections. Both these items are the latest high specification offerings from the Cisco’s Linksys branding.

My first disk-based computer stored its operating system and additional software on a single 360K floppy (yes it was bendable) 5.25-inch disk. Oh how things have changed.

This is the size of a Netbook but it is an Android tablet, as far as I know this is the first non screen type device produced by Hanns.G although of course it has a screen, a rather nice touch screen at that, but its all about what’s inside.

The first device for all those who have important data on IDE drives, the second for those with more modern kit who simply want to copy – or clone – the data onto another drive. The first needs USB and second can work independently.

The 500GB Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile is an external 2.5inch hard drive does not require external power. It is in an attractive light blue and grey shell and comes supplied with desk cradle complete with a double-headed cable about 1 metre long plus a separate USB cable about 50cm long. Thus, together, the user is provided with the cradle for desktop use and the short cable for use while on the move.

No shiny black, is the first thing most will notice about this latest Notebook from Samsung, if only there was not a reflective screen nothing would be shiny at all. So what does the RC510 have to offer once you start it up?

It is amazing the difference viewing a video or photo using a decent flat panel makes even if the source is a decent laptop. Most videos today are shot in HD and viewing at less – whatever the size of the panel – is a determent.

While I personally am quite happy using a Trackpad I know a lot of people do not like them but in certain situations such as using a laptop on your lap there is nowhere to put the mouse not so here. Having a mouse platform then this is the ideal mouse to use with it.

The first item is from Iomega and is the first 1TB drive that I have seen that does not need external power even on a Netbook. The second is a device around the size of a credit card and as such will probably be kept in a wallet.