Laptops Technology & Review

Movie Supporting Software

2010-12-28T15:23:00.002Z

Watch the new movie is really interesting hobby because we can follow the update movie in theater or at least in our own home theater. If we prefer to watch the movie using computer, we will get some benefits than using home theater system. The most benefit is easy to get update software when needed to play the new movie. This is really important to make sure that our player software can always play the update format of the movie.
May be we ever hear about rip DVD movie which give an easier way to play it with out existing player software. Actually this format was created by special software and its function is not just to a small area because we can found some function as converter. We can call some example like “Rip DVD to AVI or Rip DVD to mp4” with purpose to downgrade the size of movie and off course there is an effect on the movie quality.
That’s all is just an example that everyday there is an update of software following the update demand of movie and I am sure this will always running as long as the movie technology rise up also. Make a better movie means need something new technology and it will request update software to play it further. So the best way is always update our movie player software.

The Laptop Position

2009-03-02T16:41:00.001Z

The function of laptop already slightly pushes the Pc position. If around five years ago people prefer to have PC than laptop (maybe because of laptop price is very expensive) but right now people turn 180 degrees and they would like to have a laptop than a PC in the home.
Here are some reasons why they prefer to laptop:
•Laptop is simple. It can support the active person because they still can work any time and any where with their laptop.
•The present price of laptop become lower and lower. Especially there is some offers from the shop or financial provider to use business loans or personal loans with the fix monthly payment.
•The power of laptop similar with PC and we can found some series that it more powerful than our PC in the home.
• From the prestige side, have a laptop is more valuable than have a PC because we can go with laptop in our side or in our bag pack.
Right now the publication and promotion of laptops can be found in every where, start from newspaper until in the television. All people talk about laptop series. We can do more tasks with laptop because it can be used to calculate our profit until as reminder to pay our business credit. As long as need computer, the laptop can replace the PC position.

Meet Parent

2008-11-08T05:39:00.001Z

This holiday our family visits my parents. They seen very happy when we arrived. Soon they hug us, especially to their grandson because almost 2 years they didn't see us. After take rest for a while and telling many stories, then my father and my son plays ball on backyard. When playing, it's not intended my father's eyeglasses falls and breaks. I said sorry and promised that tomorrow I would buy him new eyeglasses. My father said, "It's OK" then we tea break together in the terrace. My mother said, why we didn't go to Zenni Optical, Zenni Optical was on FOX news!

The day after it, we went to the Zenni. On this city, Zenni was famous as place of Great Eyeglasses For Less. They show me Variable Dimension Frames From Zenni. My father looks satisfied with his new eyeglasses. After left from Zenni, my father said that he wanted to buy toys as gift to my son so we went to toys store.

Laptop, Internet, Phone Cell & Marketing

2008-04-28T16:27:00.000Z

When your laptop is connecting with internet, you can go to every cyber place wherever you want, no matter how far that place is. Even you come from America you can watch the beautiful beach in Asia and feel the sunset. All you can do just by one click from your laptop / PC. Internet makes everything become easy for information searching, no need informer, one small fee for all information, minimize wasting time & high speed to get result.

There is a great combination between internet & phone cell, because both of the have great growth in the technology and when combined it can be great technology jumping. We can see now new technology that we can call PC to phone cell, pass over PC to PC calling technology. From that we can get big benefit for cost saving because there is no fee for phone cell, only pay the monthly internet fee. For active person this technology really helps them for example for a marketing team this benefit will help them to communicate to each member or to their customer with minimum expenses. We know that one of big weapon for marketing is phone cell, because with phone they can arrange their business with costumer.

Quick information is a key for big deal in business with costumer; they always hope get update information as soon as possible so they can take quick decision for their business as well. If we play for example as property marketing, we can use popular system called cellit mobile marketing which mobile technology really maximized to support marketing system. With this system we can give important information to customer related with a property that costumer needed. If one day we have a property as costumer order, we can use send short massage to costumer’s phone cell and hope can get quick feedback from them. In property business, this way is called real estate text messaging solution. Not just massage that delivered, but we can send photos or pictures of property so our customer can see a preview of property and can make further decision.

Actually there are so many way how to give best service to customer from give surprise, give accurate information, give quick feedback or another action that make customer become loyal to our business. If you want to build your business using high technology with lower fee, may be you can explore service from house4cell first. You can find another supporting way from internet and choose which one will be your best way for your business.

Before You Play Online Casino

2008-04-24T15:42:00.002Z

It’s easy now to play online casinos for everyone, just need laptop or PC and connected with internet then has fun. But don’t you know that is not simple to choose which casino that has good reputation, so what you need before you start play online casino is find as much as possible about some online casinos. If you don’t want to spend more times to check every site, may be you can find a site that have detail information about some online game. Usually they have information about rating, comment and some benefit if you play on its site, that all will help you to avoid a disappointed feeling after you play it. So don’t forget carefully before you play online casino. Good Luck !

Quick PowerPoint Tips With Your Laptop

2008-04-20T15:00:00.002Z

Font size:

Try this: Look at this screen from
12 feet away, and then from 6 feet.

Sign painter's rule of thumb:
1" letter is readable from 10 ft.
2" letter from 20 ft.
3" letter from 30 ft.
Assume 72 point fonts are 1" high
You can do the math.

Tip
Before you start to prepare your presentation, determine (guess) how far your audience will be from your screen, then choose the best font size. Choosing the right font size is 90% of the job.

note:
point size is actually measured from ascender to descender

Font Selection:

These fonts may look fine when you're close to the screen but look at this screen from 6 ft.

From a distance, you'll notice that the serif (Times) font and the 'narrow' or condensed font are more difficult to read.

There's always that struggle to squeeze more words into limited space so using a narrow font may sometimes be necessary.

Tip
Don't sacrifice readability for style.
Keep your eye on the ball, your job is
to communicate.

Color

Yellow with black lettering is considered the most readable. (school buses and traffic signs)

. . . however,

On a sign, color is paint.
On screen, color is light.
What may work on a sign or in print
may not work well on an LCD

Tip
re: Reds and greens.
Ambient light affects contrast by turning rich, deep burgundys and hunter greens into pastels. There's also the colorblindness issue, about 10% have difficulty with reds and greens.

Control the seating

1. If you can control the seating, be mindful that sunlight streaming directly on your laptop's screen will 'wash it out', make it less visable. Seat your audience in the most favorable lighting. If you're in a restaurant, try to seat your audience with their backs to the wall.

2. A wireless mouse or even a mouse with a long cord could be useful in a boardroom setting, you could run a powerpoint presenation from a distance.

3. When presenting to a very small group (1 to 4 people), put your laptop in the middle of the table and encourage them move it around. It's always better to have your audience participate.

4. Store the CoolPad(tm) in your carrying case, you'll never know when you'll want to share your powerpoint stuff

Prepare Your Cool Pad

2008-04-19T14:03:00.000Z

This little piece of plastic and rubber is a great value. Of course, you are probably asking just what is it that makes this product so useful.

First, the CoolPad can improve the cooling efficiency of your laptop by raising the back edge and increasing the airflow around the computer. This can be extremely helpful for laptops that run hot or are overclocked.

Secondly, the CoolPad makes it easy to share the display with someone next to you (for a small presentation for example). The pad consists of an upper and lower surface. The upper surface can swivel independently of the lower surface. Finally, by elevating the computer, you can more easily reach peripherals (PCMCIA slots, video, parallel, & serial ports).

For airplane tray tables...
It really grabs on those slick tray tables.

Heat dissipation
Most laptops dissipate heat through the bottom. If you put a running laptop on a bed, it will probably overheat because no air will circulate under the bottom. The converse of this is also true... the more air thatís allowed to circulate under the bottom, the better chance the heat will dissipate.

However, results will vary. Your laptop will probably run cooler outdoors in 100 degree heat in a gentle breeze than in your breezeless air conditioned office. The difference is air movement, (air is considered a fluid in the world of thermodynamics ) and moving that fluid hot air away from the laptop's bottom will allow better heat dissipation.

10 tips for traveling with your laptop

2008-04-18T15:15:00.000Z

Here are 10 tips from Luke M. Ford, founder of My Computer Works, a provider of help desk and computer support services for businesses and consumers.

1. Use a well-made, well-padded case to carry your laptop in. Never check it as checked baggage during air travel.

2. Make sure security applications and software updates are current — anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware.

3. Limit confidential information transmission, such as any credit purchases and reservations or anything with a Social Security number. Unfamiliar networks are always potentially dangerous.

4. Set up a remote Web mail account to enable e-mail access from any browser, such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or MSN Hotmail.

5. Bring an Ethernet (Cat5) cable with you on your trip, in case there is no wireless connection available and you have to hook up to that little box next to the phone that you'll find in most hotel rooms.

6. Use a system password on your laptop to help slow down the novice thief.

7. Use file passwords when available on confidential files.

8. Do not set your computer down and leave it out of sight (especially in the airport bathroom).

9. If you must leave your laptop unattended in a car, put it in the trunk where it can't be seen. But remember that extreme temperatures are not good for electronic devices.

10. Don't send your laptop through the airport X-ray conveyor belt until it's your turn to walk through the metal detector. That way you'll be able to pick it up promptly when it comes out the other end and prevent anyone else from walking away with it.

When You Buy Laptop

2008-04-17T15:06:00.000Z

1. Always try to fork out the extra dough for an extended warrantee.

Many people (probably most) that build PCs, mod them, and even many that go the extra mile to pin mod and water cool still do not like to open up laptops to work on them. It’s easy to mess something up, mix up the screws, or damage the case when opening it up.

Many laptops are designed with inefficient cooling methods and many are just barely enough to do the job. You don’t want to be the person that found this out by having the magical blue smoke that makes electronics work come out of the laptop and have to pay to have the interior parts replaced because the processor cooked, baking into the motherboard and the hard drive died as a heat related side effect.

You also don’t want to be the person that has a paperweight down the road because a bad design:

Has allowed the motherboard to jar loose and short on the case;
Has caused the weak power input to snap;
Has allowed the LCD screen to flex beyond its limits and crack, or allowed the ribbon cable to shortout or tear.
2. Buy a laptop cooler (This is especially true for those with the desktop replacement types.)
Just look at this as a cheap insurance policy. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive one out there - even the $20 ones will do. This will help to keep the bottom of the laptop cool which is where, in many cases, the hard drive will get rid of the majority of its heat. Besides this, a cooler will insure your laptop’s heatsinks get the air they were designed to work with and as an added bonus, it’ll keep you cool if you use it on your lap.

Remember - if you feel too warm, the laptop very well maybe too. If a person gets hot, they’ll usually try to do something about it. If a laptop gets hot, the best it can do is make its little fans scream, and even this can be pointless if the areas for getting air are blocked.

3. Get some sort of padded carrying pack for the laptop.

This will serve as protection for it in many ways:

The packs usually have handles or come in backpack form to help to keep them in your grasp when in transit, whether to a friend’s place or while navigating through a busy hall.

Laptops have to be touched. For whatever reason, it’s a genetic human instinct to want to touch a laptop if no one is around or even if the owner is there. This is almost a law from those just old enough to crawl and slobber up to the age where they fear or loath computers.

A carrying pack for a laptop can act as camouflage or as a place to hide in plain sight. Although the urge to see what’s in a bag is great, it’s not nearly as great as the urge to touch a laptop. If nothing else, it may buy you a few seconds to get back to it before someone gets the laptop out of the bag, and offers some padding if the curious offender drops it.

This will also provide at the very least mild protection from liquids. This is nice for unexpected rain, or unexpected alcohol abuse.

Just some thoughts. Yes, it does mean throwing a couple extra bucks down for the laptop, but just look at it as insurance. Insurance that may help to keep you from ending up with an expensive paper weight that eats at your nerves when you look at it.

Laptop Tips for You

2008-04-14T01:19:00.000Z

by David Lubar

It seems that there are almost as many laptop computers as there are laptops. Everyone has one, and the world is filled with the tappity-tap sound of typing on planes and buses, in waiting rooms, and even in restaurants. But, unlike the extremely easy-to-use plug-and-play computer on every desktop, there are some tricks and subtleties involved in getting the most out of these portable machines. As a service to our readers, here's a list of laptop tips:

When you are almost done for the day, pretend that you have an hour or two of work left. This might trick the battery into letting you finish.

Put your name in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so thieves will know who's machine they aren't returning.

If the screen seems dim and hard to read, you may have had a stroke. See your doctor immediately.

If the screen seems bright and clear, you may be hallucinating. See your doctor immediately.

Be sure any model you purchase is capable of handling future versions of Windows, OS/2 and Tetris.

If you're having trouble controlling the pointing device, try tipping the whole computer. The cursor has a tendency to float, and you can get it to the spot you want just be tilting the screen and tapping gently on the opposite side. Honest.

Some folks have a bit of trouble adjusting to the smaller keyboard. To make typing easier, give each fingertip a quick touch-up in an electric pencil sharpener.

Tests have shown that the typical display is clearest when viewed in the light cast by a 73-watt incandescent bulb. If this wattage isn't available in your area, you can get the same illumination with two dozen candles.

Battery life can be severely shortened by misuse. This includes leaving the computer unplugged for too long a period of time, leaving the computer plugged in for too long a period of time, plugging and unplugging the computer too frequently, or not plugging and unplugging the computer frequently enough.

Don't call it a laptop. It's a notebook. Or a sub-notebook. Or a sub-mini-micro notebook. If you refer to it as a laptop, people will know you are hopelessly out of touch and probably don't have anything important to do, let alone any need to do it while in a plane or bus or waiting room or restaurant.

Check these tips before you buy laptop!

2008-04-11T13:52:00.001Z

3 questions to ask before you buy a computer

1. Opt for an Intel Pentium 4 or an Intel Centrino processor. The processor forms the computing core of your laptop and is one area where you must not compromise.

Invest wisely here. The processor is the first component likely to get outdated and it is not possible to upgrade it.

2. Opt for a 256 MB DDR SDRAM. A RAM of lower memory capacity will make it difficult to run certain applications and software.

Upgrading from 256 to 512 MB DDR SDRAM could cost you between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000.

3. Choose an Active-matrix (TFT) display, preferably an LCD. The display is an active matrix if you can see the arrow while it traverses the screen. Most displays nowadays are TFTs as the Passive-matrix (dual scan) is now outdated.

TFTs are highly preferred because of their sharper images, better resolution and smoother images of motion on the screen.

Wide screen laptops are a visual treat and recommended for those interested in the movie experience. But they cost 8% to 10% more than the conventional laptops, are obviously bulkier to carry and slightly low on battery life.

4. If you travel extensively, take care that your laptop weighs under 5 pounds. If your laptop will be confined to your room, you could go in for a slightly heavier one. It will be cheaper. It will also have a few more features.

5. Check the battery life on the laptop. Insist that it is a Lithium-ion (Li+) battery (nearly all laptops will have this one). Choose batteries with a high voltage and a high mAh. Do not go for NiMH batteries, as you will have to keep charging them frequently.

6. If you have no intention of using a CD frequently, an external DVD and CDRW drives may be preferred to inbuilt ones. The main convenience being that they reduce the weight of the base piece and provide lesser complications later on.

If they are an integral part of your work, you might as well opt for an inbuilt version.

Incidentally, the prices of DVD drives are expected to fall considerably over the next one year.

Don't stress on your laptop having a floppy drive. Floppies are getting obsolete by the minute and will soon be terminated.

7. If you are on the move, buy a laptop with a spill-resistant keyboard and shock-resistant hard drives. This will ensure your hard disk does not crash and you don't lose data in the event of a minor crash or fall.

8. Ensure the laptop has two or more USB ports, as you will need them to attach your peripheral devices like printers and scanners.

You could even consider buying a pen drive to act as a reliable data transfer mode.

Choose a laptop with wireless connectivity in the form of Bluetooth and Infrared. These make data transfer very convenient and reliable and you can send data to multiple recipients at one go.

These facilities on your laptop would cost you around Rs 1,000 more and are independent of any service providers.

9. Windows XP Professional is an ideal system for a laptop meant for office use. In laptops, it is very inconvenient to upgrade your operating system, so choose the latest one.

Windows is the most popular operating system, with XP Professional being the latest that supports all the software available today.

10. Some people prefer a touchpad mouse as the navigating option while others prefer the rubberised button situated between the keys G, H and B. Try working with both and pick the one you are most comfortable with.

Some laptops come equipped with both. You could also consider a cordless mouse, which is half the size of the regular one.

11. Insist on an inbuilt LAN card and modem.

There are basically two types of modems on offer -- internal modems and PC card-based modems. Make sure the internal modem is fast enough for your needs. Else, opt for the PC card-based one that sticks out of your computer, but is slightly better performance wise.

12. While budgeting for your laptop, bear in mind that a cheaper machine might prove expensive if you plan to upgrade it.

Do not compromise on the processor, the RAM and the operating system.

The memory capacity (GB) can be upgraded later on, so can the CD/DVD drives.

When you are buying your laptop check on upgradation. You can upgrade your machine with or without discarding it. If you plan to change your machine within two years, don't invest too heavily on it.

What to look for in an assembled PC
Where brands are concerned, do note that the IBM laptop division has been taken over by the Chinese company, Lenova.

HP and Compaq are the same brand when it comes to laptops. The good thing about this brand is that it is in a position to provide good service simply because of an established network of service centres.

Despite all the advice you get, make it a point to test your laptop before purchasing it. Don't just take someone's word for it.

Check if you are comfortable with the interface, the keyboard, the touch pad and the display. After all, it is you who are going to be using it and paying for it.

Tips for Your Laptop

2008-04-10T13:42:00.004Z

Extend your battery life
Laptop productivity on the cold, cruel and often electrical outletless road often depends entirely on how much juice you've got left. The screen draws the most power from your battery. When you don't have access to an outlet, dim your screen to the lowest setting to make your battery last as long as possible.

Also, disable unnecessary CPU-cycle-eating processes - like auto Bluetooth device and wifi network detection - to save juice and make your battery last longer.

Save your keyboard and screen
At the beach house there is sand, at the coffee shop there are crumbs, and right now your fingers are covered in Dorito dust. Protect your keyboard from stray crumbage getting into the cracks with a protective cover. At a reader's recommendation, I invested in the iSkin which does double duty: it keeps crumbs out from between the keys and also protects the screen from keyboard scratches.
Another way to prevent screen scrapes is a piece of rubberized shelf liner cut to fit inside your lappie like the bologna in a sandwich when you shut it. I've also seen people use a thin piece of cloth.

If your laptop keys are already sticky and furry, give it a good cleaning with some compressed air, cotton swabs and elbow grease.

Keep it cool
After an hour or so, a computer can burn one's thighs and wrists (like my super-heat conducting titanium Powerbook). If this is a problem for you, get material that doesn't conduct heat well between your skin and your lappie, like a lap desk or your laptop sleeve. Long-sleeved shirts with big cuffs help on wrists when the top of your keyboard gets hot to the touch.

Work offline
Web-based email's great, but the dream of always-on Internet connectivity hasn't yet come true. Get yourself set up to work offline on your laptop on the plane and other wifi-less locations.

For example, Mozilla Thunderbird is a must-have install on your laptop. In addition to downloading all your mail locally for working with offline, Thunderbird 1.5 has excellent SMTP management so you can switch which server you send your mail through when you get online very quickly. Using a NetZero dialup account that requires you use smtp.netzero.net? Need to use the secure SMTP server at the office for work mail? No problem. You can set up multiple SMTP servers and associate them with different email accounts with Thunderbird.

For more on working offline or with a super-slow connection, check out previously-posted feature How to survive a slow internet connection.

Secure your data
While you're out and about and on open wireless networks, make sure you've got a secure firewall installed on your laptop and that its settings are extremely restrictive. Turn off folder sharing and any local servers you have running (like a web, FTP or VNC) to keep others from peeking in on your data. Make sure your laptop's logins have strong passwords assigned.

Also, consider encrypting the data on your disk in case of theft, using a utility like Mac OS X's FileVault. If you're really concerned about someone grabbing your laptop and running, check out "Lojack for Laptops" software which helps you trace and recover your stolen computer.

Carry it well
Your laptop spends a lot of time swinging over your shoulder, banging around on your back, bumping into the guy next to you on the subway, and sliding around on your car's back seat. Wrapping it up in that spare Linux tee-shirt and shoving it into your messenger bag full of gadgets probably isn't a good idea. Make sure that sucker's snug as a bug in a rug. Invest in a padded sleeve or bag made to carry laptops that'll protect it when your bag falls over or gets kicked. I really dig the spendy but stylish Booq bags and sleeves; a little research will turn up the right one for your budget and style.

Back up when you get home
Portable computers deal with a lot more wear and tear than desktops, and this increases the risk of hard drive failure. So most importantly, make sure you back up the data on your laptop.

A few months ago, a panicked Lifehacker reader wrote in saying the laptop from which she runs her business was stolen and that she had no recent backup. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. Create a lappie docking station space at home where you can plug in to recharge the battery and hook up an external drive to backup your data. See more on how to automatically back up your Windows data here.

Pack some helpful extras
If you've got a CD-R or DVD-R drive in your lappie, keep a few spare blanks or a USB drive for easy backup on the road. A 2 to 3 prong electrical plug adaptor might help in places where your 3 prong plug needs to go into a 2 prong outlet. And of course, an extra charged-up battery, an ethernet cable or phone cord or an extra mouse might be a helpful addition to your portable arsenal.

Check Screws to Prevent Future Laptop Problems

2008-04-08T01:53:00.000Z

No laptop lasts forever, but many live long lives through upgrades or replacements. Those life-extenders can easily fall apart, however, if there's a stuck or jammed screw that will make hardware replacement a tricky, or even damaging, proposition. CNET blogger Michael Horowitz recommends pulling out a tiny screwdriver and testing out the screws on any new laptop, especially on the oft-upgraded memory trays, hard drive holders and other devices. While obviously not a tip for those uncomfortable with DIY hardware replacement, experienced laptop owners might be within their rights to request a replacement or repair on a new unit if they find jammed screws, as the useful life of their new system would be effectively shortened. Got any new laptop maintenance routines you've discovered (or discovered too late)? Share your tips in the comments

One Laptop Per Child Program

2008-04-07T12:49:00.001Z

Wayan Vota made a good point today in OLPC America Needed in Birmingham Pilot and Illinois Debate. I had almost forgotten about OLPC America.

I'm inclined to doubt that OLPC America exists, on the evidence I have seen. Of the 21,300 hits on Google for it, the top item is my Wiki entry quoting the announcement. Nobody at OLPC has added anything to it, not even the names of the director and chairman whose existence was announced. I would be happy to be proved wrong, of course.

OLPC USA

Even if OLPC America exists, it is doing precisely nothing. So why don't we start our own OLPC USA and get things moving?

My father had to organize 50-state licensing for his company, for insurance policies, so I have some idea of what's needed. Getting XOs into 50 state education systems, or into numerous local systems while we work on the states, is a bit more complicated.

We have to track the legislatures, the administrations, and the education system state by state. We also need a way to explain the XO properly to the prospects. Kids get it immediately, but parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, and other stakeholders who may have forgotten how it was when they were children will need our help to rediscover discovery. Then we have to get their attention.

Its up to us

So my question to you is, rather than wait for Somebody Else to do it, are you willing to take some time to assure your children's future? Wait, what am I saying? What else do parents do? Let's try that again.

Are you willing to work to get XOs into schools instead of something else you are currently doing, on the theory that it will have a bigger effect on your children's future? Don't answer right away unless you have already showed some children an XO, and then asked them how XOs in school would affect their lives.

Use Your Laptop as a free Xbox Wi-Fi Adapter

2008-04-06T21:54:00.000Z

So your router and Xbox 360 are on completely opposite sides of your home, running a long, ugly wire along the floor is out of the question, and you don't feel like dropping $100 on an Xbox Wi-Fi adapter? If you've got a laptop with Wi-Fi, Instructables details how to use it as an Xbox 360 wireless adapter. In all it's a really simple process involving sharing your laptop's wireless internet connection with your Xbox through an ethernet cable. It's not as good as a wired connection, but if you don't regularly rely on the connection, it's a good workaround. If you want a slightly more permanent solution, you can also build an Xbox Wi-Fi adapter on the cheap.

Tips on Saving Battery Power in Linux

2008-04-03T13:52:00.000Z

Tired of having the Linux side of your dual-boot system eat up more battery power? Want to simply do the right thing and stop sucking power for unnecessary power cycles? Linux power-saving site LessWatts.org has a wealth of tips and tricks for reducing the power needs of desktop and laptop systems. Among the intuitive power-savers:
Stepping Ethernet ports from gigabit to standard 100/10 speeds when not at the office
Disabling unnecessary Bluetooth radios
Turning off Wi-Fi "auto-associate" behaviors that draw power when wireless is shut off
Check out the site for more power-conscious tips, helpfully organized by device type. How do you conserve battery (or just outlet) power on your Linux system? Share some hacks in the comments.

Touch The Technology Earlier

2008-04-01T13:57:00.000Z

Today my friend will back to Hongkong and I have idea to ask my friend buy a Asus white laptop priced on $199. I feel happy because for along time I dream I can have my own laptop so when Asus launch the mini laptop with cheaper price, there are so many people happy and perhap they can borrow one for them self or their family. When I talk to my friend about this laptop he says that He can't found it in Hongkong because the original manufacturing industry located in Taiwan and he says that laptop actually launched for children of third world countries. This program has target that children have the same chance to feel and touch the technology like another chilren in others countries.

Actually the asus laptop can be bought by every people who have money because with its price now, it's easy to buy it at least for people in growing countries and we can found there are so many shop sell it free without clear rule. But anyway with this laptop program we can have big expectation that at least our next generation can touch our current technology earlier than our generation before

3 Methods of Putting Your Laptop into Standby mode

2008-03-28T15:23:00.000Z

When using Standby mode it is important to remember that you must save your work before using Standby. Standby mode does not save work to the hard drive.
There are three options to use for setting Standby on your laptop. Your decision on which method to use will be based on how often you plan to use Standby. Closing the Lid and Using the Power Button are both methods that stay until you change the settings again. Selecting Standby from the ShutDown menu is a when you need it option.

Closing the Lid

Start Control Panel
Dobule-click Power Options
Select the Advanced Tab in the Power Options Properties
Select Standby in the When I close the lid of my portable computer.
Click OK or Apply and then close the lid of your laptop.
Using the Power Button

Start Control Panel
Double-click Power Options
Select the Advanced tab
Select Standby in the When I press the power button on my computer.
Click OK or Apply and then press the Power button.
Note: Clicking OK will save new settings and closes the dialog box. Clicking Apply will save new settings but not close the dialog box

Humidity and Laptops

2008-03-25T15:21:00.000Z

The Effect of Humidity on Your Laptop
Humidity is a weather condition that can effect many mobile professioanls, especially those who travel worldwide. Humidity, as we all know is the amount of water vapour in the air. It is moisture that can get into a laptop and damage the internal components if you aren't careful.

In order to work safely in a variety of conditions you can take steps to protect your laptop from humid conditions.

Always keep your laptop in a moisture proof case when not in use.
If you were using your laptop in a humid environmenet, wipe it down to remove any moisture or "sweat" before putting it into a case. Moisture left on the casing will seep into the laptop and cause damage.
Try to avoid working outdoors and stay indoors, whenever possible.
Never work directly in front of a de-humidifier or humidifier.

While it may be more comfortable for your personally, it's not good for your laptop.

Standard, commercial grade laptops have not been designed to be used in extreme weather conditions and this includes areas of high humidity. If you will be working in this type of environment, your best bet is to consider purchasing a rugged laptops.

Rugged laptops are designed for use in extreme conditions and most have specifications that meet or exceed MIL-STD 810F standards which includes humidity

Laptop Warranties - What Coverage Will Your Laptop Warranty Provide?

2008-03-22T07:24:00.000Z

You’ve found the shiny, new laptop of your dreams and you’re ready to hand over the money or credit card. STOP! Have you read, and read every word of the warranty for your dream laptop? If you haven’t read the warranty (find them online at the laptop manufacturer’s web site or the retail outlet should have copies available) you could be buying yourself a big headache.

The first step to buying a laptop should be to read and compare warranties. Understand and know before you buy your laptop what kind of repair service you are entitled to.

Laptop Warranty: Coverage
Do you know what problems your laptop will be covered against? The majority of laptop warranties will cover hardware problems that were not caused by the owner, such as defective keyboards, monitor problems, modem or other issues with internal components.

The laptop warranty generally covers the parts and labor for repairs.
A laptop warranty will also spell out what actions on your part will void the warranty. Something as simple as opening the case and breaking a seal can be enough to void a warranty – even if you just wanted to take a peek inside. If you have no worries about opening the laptop casing, will removing, changing or adding new internal components void your warranty? You have to know this kind of information before you buy your laptop; this is not what you want to learn after the fact.

What Isn't Covered:
Damage to or loss of data is another item which is not covered by a laptop warranty. A laptop warranty will state quite clearly that any problems associated with software – whether bundled or installed by you, it will not be covered under the laptop warranty.

You won’t find coverage for theft, damage or breakage caused by the owner in a laptop warranty. Those would be covered by an insurance policy.

The coverage section will also include information on how a damaged laptop is to be returned, who is responsible for charges to return a unit, what type of telephone support is available and how long it is available. You want free telephone support for a minimum of 90 days and 24/7 access.

Laptop Warranty: Term
While comparing laptop warranties, investigate the term of the laptop warranty. Is it for 1 year or more? Going with a laptop warranty that is for more than a year (as long as it does not involve additional costs) makes the most sense.

**Note** Extended Warranties & Retail Service Plans
An extended warranty is a way to continue/extend the original term of the warranty and most often adds more to the purchase price of your new laptop. Some laptop manufacturers do offer extended warranties.
retail service plans are normally offered by the retail outlet that you will be purchasing your new laptop from. They differ from warranties in that they may cover additional exposures and can be purchased for different periods of time (1, 2 or 3 years). A retail service plan offers the best value in most circumstances.

Laptop Warranty: International Warranty Coverage
Mobile professionals who travel frequently are well advised to read carefully any mention of international warranty coverage. International warranty coverage is also normally referred to as “limited” coverage. This section may explicitly list which items are covered and in what countries you will have coverage in. Many laptop manufacturers will list by component (modem or power adapter) and where it is certified to operate in.

Another item worth investigating with an international laptop warranty is how repairs will be carried out. While traveling can you take your laptop to a certified repair service where you currently are or do you have to return to the country of origin. Really good international laptop warranties will have provision for repairing or servicing at the location you are currently.

Laptop Warranty: Repair and Service
In the laptop warranty the manufacturer will state how repairs will be completed and whether they will use new, used or refurbished parts. Choosing a new laptop that will be repaired with new parts is always preferable. The warranty will also provide details on where servicing will take place.

Laptop Warranty: Used or Refurbished Laptops
If you happen to buying a used or refurbished laptop there still should be some form of warranty in place. Normally this warranty will not be a period exceeding a year, unless you purchase an extended warranty or retail service plan. Most laptop warranties for used or refurbished laptops are for 90 day periods.

So before you put any money on a new or not so new laptop, be sure to check the warranties, you can also review the opinions and experiences of other laptop users. Search for reliability and service ratings which can give you a good indication of what you can expect with your laptop warranty coverage.

How Can I Remove Odors from a Laptop?

2008-03-20T17:18:00.000Z

"I bought a used notebook on ebay. The previous owner must have worn perfume as the notebook smells like that still although I've had it over a month. Is there a cleaning solution I can use on the case and carefully around the keyboard that might remove that? - Karen"
A. The most likely areas that are holding the odors on a laptop are the keyboard and mousing surface. The casing of laptops are generally made from non-porous materials and they aren't likely to hold an odor.
With that being said it is possible that if someone were a little over-indulgent with perfume, cologne, body sprays or other bodily odor enhancements they may have transferred the odor over time to the casing.

The first step I would take to remove the odor is to use canned air on the keyboard and any ports including the vents to remove any particles that may be inside. Bits of dust can hold odors and removing this debris can help.

The next method I would try is to spray straight white vinegar on a lint-free clothe and then gently wipe down the casing, keyboard and mouse pad. Don't wipe the display with this clothe.

Use a proper screen cleaning wipe or solution to wipe down the display.
Another option to try if the vinegar doesn't work is to use one of the room freshener products and spray directly onto a lint-free clothe and wipe down in the same manner as the vinegar clothe.

If these methods don't work, the last option is one that will take at least 24 hours and is often used successfully with clothing.

Open the laptop
Place in a large plastic bag that can be sealed
Place a well soaked clothe (vinegar or room freshener) in the bag
Baking soda in an open type container can also be used
Seal up the bag and leave for at least 24 hours
Make sure you place the laptop in the bag somewhere where it won't be bounced or jostled.

After 24 hours, remove the laptop to see if the odor remains. You can spray the laptop with the canned air again to remove any last bits of debris.

Further Steps to Prepare Your New Laptop

2008-03-14T19:16:00.000Z

You've completed the first 5 steps to setting up your new laptop and while you might think you are good to go, there are a few details to take care of.

Transfer files and emails that you saved from your old laptop. These should have been saved to CD, DVD or a portable hard drive.

Install software and then connect any peripherals you will be using with your laptop. When you are on the road, it's not the time to discover that your mouse or external keyboard don't work properly.

Order a 2nd battery for your laptop if you did not purchase an additional one with your laptop.

Consider adding additional security options to your laptop. Items such as an external fingerprint reader, cable locking systems, audible alarm systems or tracking software can all be used together to protect your laptop.

You have a variety of options at this point.
Check out trials of new programs you want to learn more about.
Buy a new laptop bag for your new laptop.
Take care of your old laptop:
Pass on to a friend or family member.
Donate to a charity.
Take advantage of the recycling program offered by laptop manufacturer.
Set aside for future use in case of any problems with your new laptop.

Remember to remove the battery after charging the laptop and before packing it safely.

Two New Models for Mobile Professionals

2008-03-12T15:11:00.000Z

The Gateway E-475M is a desktop replacement model and the Gateway E-265M is a thin and light model which both have Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family, Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N and Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection.

Both have new features designed to make life on the road much easier and more productive for mobile professionals. These are professional grade laptops which offer more for those who demand a higher caliber notebook for working in mobile environments.

The E-745M has a 15.4" widescreen display and the E-265M has a 14.1" widescreen display and happens to be 1.3" thick (or should that be thin?).

Gateway includes Absolute Software's Computrace(R) Complete for tracing "misplaced" notebooks and both models include Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 hardware.

Both models can be customized to suit a mobile professional's or company's specific needs and by using a 12 cell battery and optional modular battery, users may be able to get over 10.5 hours of battery time from these laptops.

Advanced Port Replicator II:
This replicator has a built-in battery charger which supports the 6-cell, 8-cell and 12-cell batteries. You don't have to worry about making sure you have a fully charged battery before leaving on a trip.

Designed for Life on the Road
The E-475M and E-265M both have new designs which are very different from existing consumer models. The magnesium frame has a matte black textured plastic cover for more durability. This plastic surface also provides more resiliency than paint against marking and scratches. This magnesium case has been designed to fit tightly so that small items (we're all guilty of this happening) can't get caught between the keyboard and display.

The keyboard hasn't been ignored and includes UV protection so that your keys maintain their texture and don't become shiny from exposure and use while traveling.
How Much & Where Can You Find Them?
Both notebooks start at $1299.00 (US) and will include three year warranties. They can be ordered now from directly through Gateway.com

Now you can prepare your shopping list

2008-03-07T16:20:00.010Z

Shopping is one of interesting activity for some people. They can spend hours in the shop just to buy their need stuff. Basically there are two types of shopper, shopper with shopping list and shopper without shopping list. We can not say anything for the shopper without shopping list because they commonly they buy without a plan before or they found something, like and then buy it. As long they still have enough money or their credit card still can cover they will do it.

It’s very contrast with some people that have better planning even they like shopping as well, I am sure they have some notes with needed stuffs detail and may be plus some regular moments that they can get cheaper or discount for some item, for example The Christmas day that we can see everyone busy to give their lovely person with some special gift as Christmas gift. To support this kind of shopper there is a site that provide so many information for famous brands in the world examples: Old navy, Ace, Timberland, Walmart, Calvin Klein, adidas, HP etc. These brands will always give information about their current promo and some the next promo including time limit.

To get all of information you can join as a member in www.blackfriday.info, just put your email and you will start to collective promo data from blackfriday. You can get the discount coupon also from some branded, just explore the web and you will easier to decide when you can get cheapest price and off course you can make better plan for your financial for the next months. The blackfriday is not online shop, it’s just give shopping information for all member so they can get clear information when they need especially on their special moment, So if you are a shopper but still want to maintain the cash flow, may be you can try to join the blackfriday and start shopping plus some additional benefit….Happy shopping and don't forget please check the site on blackfriday before you start your shopping season

Tablet PC - Laptop & NoteBook

2008-02-26T17:08:00.003Z

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Auction New Cheap Laptop

2008-02-26T17:05:00.003Z

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Laptop review

2008-02-26T16:53:00.001Z

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PC World - Laptop and Notebook Computers,Reviews, Ratings Pricing ...Ever wonder how we review laptops? PC World explains process and WorldBench benchmarking tests. Laptop Forum. Laptop Forum Get help with laptop problems. ...
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Laptop Advisor - PC AdvisorSony Vaio VGN-NR21M laptop review · Belinea o.book 4 laptop review · Packard Bell Easynote XS ultra portable laptop · Toshiba Portege R500-126 ultraportable ...
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Top Rated Notebook Laptop Computers| Nu NomadNuNo Laptop/Notebook Review. Updated 20 January 2008 by Ricardo. Choosing a laptop to travel with can be a daunting ordeal. That's why we’ve assembled ...
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Asus C90S Laptop: The first user upgradable desktop replacement ...Neoseekers review of the Asus C90S user upgradable desktop replacement laptop. ... The Asus C90S laptop is a distinctive new breed of portable computing ...
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The OLPC XO laptop | Reg HardwareReview Originally known as the '$100 laptop' from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, the XO laptop is now available through retail. ...
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Dell XPS M1730 Gaming Laptop ReviewPenryn and dual GeForce 8800 M GTX running in SLI configuration make for a killer gaming rig. You can even carry this one around, but don't expect much ...
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Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 Review and User Opinions. Intel Core 2 Duo ...Digital Trends' detailed Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 analysis: unbiased review, video footage, prices, user reviews, specs and more.
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Apple MacBook Air laptop quick reviewApple MacBook Air laptop review - Can Apple impress with its ultraportable laptop?
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Linux.com :: Review: System 76 Darter laptopWhile users are pleading with Dell to sell systems with Linux pre-installed, smaller vendors have been offering Linux on OEM hardware for some time.
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Acer Aspire 5315-2142 Laptop Computer: A Review | TigerDirect NewsLooking for a business partner to simplify your workload? Want to replace that old Desktop PC with something more mobile? Or possibly you’re a student ...
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Is SuSE Ready for the Laptop? Review of SuSE 9.2 ProIs SuSE Ready for the Laptop? Review of SuSE 9.2 Pro. posted by Jimmy Oliver on Tue 16th Nov 2004 22:09 UTC. Icon Linux laptop support has been in my ...
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Belinea o.book 4 laptop review - PC AdvisorBelinea is pitching the Belinea o.book 4 as a stylish, slimline laptop for those on a budget - something that it largely satisfies.
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IAFL TRANSLATION & INTERPRETATION SERVICES: THE WAY TO SPEED UP YOUR BUSSINESS

2008-02-23T06:44:00.006Z

India as growing country already known as source of people who have skill on IT & they are working on several countries around the world. India has so many economy activities with others countries especially export-import transactions. During export-import transaction between 2 countries or 2 companies, there is always a need to prepare supporting documents that should be understood each other. They need a universal language to make everything clear. They have to translate their own language to be one language that known every side. From this, we can grab new opportunity to get jobs or to build a new carrier as interpretation services.

We easily found there are so many interpretation services in the real world, but we may be just hear few of them try to work using online system to promote & services their customers. I found there is company who try to grow up their business using internet and the name is IAFL. You can found them in iaflindia. They come from India to worldwide company.

After I visit their web, I interest with their slogan that they will give respond less than 1 hour via email. I don’t know are they keep their commitment but I think that’s great magnet to make everyone who visit their web become trust to their professional service.
IAFL service covering almost all of South Asia language, Kannada, Malayalam, Arabic & English. Looks like they have several branch in South Asia. If you have business with some company of south Asia, may be you can contact them.

PayPerPost, New Way For Better Live

2008-02-22T16:32:00.003Z

I was surprised when my friend told me about paid to review, the new way to get online. He told me that we can get minimum $5 just for one review in our blog. So I started to search some web that have related topic until I have recommendation to join into PayPerPost. After sign up I tried to submit my blog and finally accepted. Wow that’s great because it’s so simple to join payperpost and we can start to grab opportunity of task and of course get some paid, that’s what I love for this way. Even I am still new member but I have big dream someday I can get a lot of money from this way. I can save the money so someday I can buy a house and the other dream is I can work from home and be a boss for my self, yes no other boss except me. I already read so many success story of persons that they have better live from making online money and I have real sample one of my friend already be a boss for him self. I want to follow my friend to improve my fund income.

Now I still to study how to rise up my blog rank, so I can get better rank on the payperpost. When I have better rank, I can get better task with better paid. I am trying to get back link from my friend’s web or another blogs so my blog page rank will rise up as well. I have a target for the next month I can get tasks with $20 value. Keep spirit always with payperpost

Headline = LG stops sales of laptop over battery (AP)

2008-02-22T15:23:00.001Z

SEOUL, South Korea - LG Electronics Inc. halted sales of one of its laptop computer models after a report of a battery meltdown, the company said Friday.

LG affiliate LG Chem Ltd., the manufacturer of the battery, was investigating what happened, said Jik Soo Kim, a spokesman for LG Electronics. Kim said the batteries are designed to dissolve as a safety feature to avoid a potential explosion.

The laptop is no longer produced and was sold only in South Korea, he said.

Kim said a graduate student was using the computer Thursday when the battery melted.

In January another battery produced by LG Chem and used in an LG Electronics laptop exploded. Earlier this month, LG Electronics said an independent investigation into that explosion showed the incident was caused by "an external shock under an extremely high temperature."

The investigation, which was conducted by the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, suggested that the explosion would not have been possible during normal usage. The test did not reveal what initially caused the high temperature, it said.

LG Electronics' personal computer business, which includes laptops, accounted for 2.5 percent of sales last year.

Special review for Gateway's 2008 Gaming Notebook

2008-02-22T15:07:00.003Z

I see a lot of laptops, and many of them claim to be record-breakers in the speed department. Only one, of course, can genuinely hold the crown at any time. And for now, the machine that has earned the title of fastest gaming laptop on the planet comes from an unlikely creator: Gateway.

With its P-series FX (I reviewed the P-171XL FX if you're looking for specifics), being launched this week at CES, Gateway has radically revamped its traditionally conservative look and given itself a makeover. Clad in glossy black with rust-orange accents, this is a machine straight out of Half-Life.

As with most serious gamer notebooks, the P-series features a big, 17-inch screen, a numeric keypad, and a rock-solid keyboard. And of course, the under-the-hood specs are what will really thrill the FPS lovers: 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme CPU, 3GB of RAM, dual 200GB hard drives, and—a first among laptops, as far as I can tell—an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTS graphics card. Even the 8700 series has been rare in laptops up to now, and the 8800 is even faster than that model.

Specs are meaningless if the machine can't put up, and the P-series puts its money where its mouth is. I got my mitts on the first machine off the production line in order to put it through its paces, and on my Doom 3 benchmark test, the P-series pumped out frame rates of just over 200 frames per second, dramatically besting the previous all-time champ, as well as 80 other notebooks I've reviewed in the last two years. General application performance using PCMark was also top-notch. Though the P-series didn't break that record, it came within 0.32 percent of doing so (or statistically tying it). Using the P-series is a dream if you're used to the long delays that typically come with doing anything under Windows. HDMI and eSATA ports are available as outputs (as well as the usual USB and FireWire.) As a bonus, it's quiet as a mouse, even when the fans are running.

Naturally, you can't have everything, and the P-series isn't going to work for everyone. At $3,000, it's exceptionally expensive, even for a high-end machine, though I've seen $4,000 notebooks that were far less capable than this one. At 9.3 pounds, it's hefty, even for a 17-inch laptop (most come in around 8 pounds). And despite the monstrous battery, I eked out only 67 minutes of running time. One final concern: The screen is too dim even at maximum brightness, though that's a common problem with 17-inch laptops.

Still, next to its performance and nice design, those are minor quibbles. On the whole, I wouldn't hesitate recommending the P-series FX to anyone looking for a new gaming laptop... provided they aren't planning to do any traveling with it.

A strange of hard drive failure symptoms

2008-02-21T11:14:00.001Z

A few days ago I had to repair a notebook with symptoms that didn’t look like a hard drive failure at all. But the problem was fixed after I replace the hard drive.

It was Toshiba Satellite A70-S249 notebook with the following problem.
When I press on the power button, the laptop starts up as usual and a red Toshiba logo appears on the screen. After a moment the logo disappears and the screen turns black without any faint image and flashing cursor. The blue light around the power button stays on and fans continue to spin normal but nothing appears on the screen. I noticed that the hard drive LED blinks green on the startup and after that shows no activity at all. After a closer inspection I noticed that the screen is not completely black (like dead black), it didn’t have any image on it but it had a very faint backlight (I would say about 3-5% of normal brightness). I was able to see that there is some backlight after I pressed on the lid close switch and the screen turned to completely black.

Here are my troubleshooting steps that I went through to find the problem.
First of all, I replaced the memory module and didn’t get any changes. Removed the wireless card, still had the same problem.
After that I removed the hard drive and started the computer. This time I got something. The notebook successfully passed the Toshiba screen and started looking for a boot device. I got some activity on the screen. To make sure that the notebook itself works fine, I booted it from Knoppix (live Linux CD) and successfully loaded the Linux operating system to the desktop. So, that’s the hard drive problem!
I installed the hard drive back in the laptop and tried to boot it again. The same failure occurred again; I got a black screen with a very faint backlight and no hard drive activity at all. I tested the hard drive with Hitachi DFT test and failed an advanced test. The problem is detected!
Finally I installed a new hard drive, reimaged the drive with a recovery DVD and got the laptop back up and running.

By the way, even though the customer’s hard drive failed the DFT test, I still was able to access it from another computer. The customer had important personal files on the failed drive. I connected it to our recovery desktop computer using IDE adapter. The “failed” hard drive was detected without any problem and I was able to recover the data.

Some Laptop Tips

2008-02-21T11:02:00.001Z

It seems that there are almost as many laptop computers as there are laptops. Everyone has one, and the world is filled with the tappity-tap sound of typing on planes and buses, in waiting rooms, and even in restaurants. But, unlike the extremely easy-to-use plug-and-play computer on every desktop, there are some tricks and subtleties involved in getting the most out of these portable machines. As a service to our readers, here's a list of laptop tips:

When you are almost done for the day, pretend that you have an hour or two of work left. This might trick the battery into letting you finish.

Put your name in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so thieves will know who's machine they aren't returning.

If the screen seems dim and hard to read, you may have had a stroke. See your doctor immediately.

If the screen seems bright and clear, you may be hallucinating. See your doctor immediately.

Be sure any model you purchase is capable of handling future versions of Windows, OS/2 and Tetris.

If you're having trouble controlling the pointing device, try tipping the whole computer. The cursor has a tendency to float, and you can get it to the spot you want just be tilting the screen and tapping gently on the opposite side. Honest.

Some folks have a bit of trouble adjusting to the smaller keyboard. To make typing easier, give each fingertip a quick touch-up in an electric pencil sharpener.

Tests have shown that the typical display is clearest when viewed in the light cast by a 73-watt incandescent bulb. If this wattage isn't available in your area, you can get the same illumination with two dozen candles.

Battery life can be severely shortened by misuse. This includes leaving the computer unplugged for too long a period of time, leaving the computer plugged in for too long a period of time, plugging and unplugging the computer too frequently, or not plugging and unplugging the computer frequently enough.

Don't call it a laptop. It's a notebook. Or a sub-notebook. Or a sub-mini-micro notebook. If you refer to it as a laptop, people will know you are hopelessly out of touch and probably don't have anything important to do, let alone any need to do it while in a plane or bus or waiting room or restaurant.

SAFEGUARD YOUR LAPTOP - LAPTOP SECURITY

2008-02-20T16:34:00.000Z

Although the laptop is a powerful tool in today's flexible working environment, it is also a magnet for thieves and crooks. Securing proprietary information when traveling or working away from the office is an important issue, which is often not given the priority it deserves. During 1999, Fortune 1000 companies experienced total losses of over $45 billion following the theft of proprietary information, according to the American Society for Industrial Security. A sizable percentage of this actually resulted from laptop exposure!

Although various security devices and products are available to protect laptops, the best defense against theft is still the use of common sense. The following guidelines should be considered:

In public places, keep your laptop close at hand, and be particularly vigilant when passing through airport security
Strictly confidential data should be encrypted using a strong recognized algorithm.
Carry your laptop in a non-descript case, rather than a purpose-made case
Change access passwords on a regular basis, and never use the default "save password" options
Engrave a suitable identification reference on a conspicuous place on the laptop
Ensure that important data is backed up on to suitable storage media, and always carry floppy-disks/CDs/media separately from your laptop
Disconnect any Internet connection when not in use, and ensure a firewall is used when connecting from a home DSL or other broadband connection

Update for Vista leaves little changed

2008-02-20T16:33:00.001Z

Microsoft plans next month to roll out the first major update to its Windows Vista operating system, which was introduced in January 2007. via Daily Herald

10 Ways to Find A Hot Spot

2008-02-20T16:20:00.000Z

Do you know where to find a hot spot while on the road? Preparing for working on the road involves not only packing the right mobile gear but knowing where you can find a hot spot. Here are locators and service providers that will help ensure you stay connected no matter where you need to work from. Use these tools to find a hot spot for wherever you may be working from.

1. Find a Hot Spot in the U.S.
Find free public Wi-Fi locations in the U.S. You can find a hot spot using the State by State search.

AirMagnet Free-Trial
Test/Audit/Fix your WLAN with Industry-leading Wi-Fi analyzer
www.airmagnet.com

2. Find a Hot Spot in Canada
Find a hot spot in these Canadian locations. If you know of other free locations that aren't listed yet, don't hesitate to let them know so the information can be updated.

3. Find a Hot Spot Offline
Download this program to your laptop and find a hot spot any around the world. Search by Country, State, Zip Code, type of location or even Wi-Fi Service provider. This Locator will also provide maps and driving instructions to the Wi-Fi location selected. It runs on WinXP, 2000 or ME, Mac OS X V 10.3+ and Redhat Linux 9.0+.

4. Find a Hot Spot in Libraries
Libraries can provide a private and quiet location to work. While many academic libraries do restrict access to the general public, they may have in place programs for professionals on the road. This directory listing from jiwire.com lets you select a country then drill down to more specific locations to see where the libraries are that offer Wi-Fi access.

5. Find T-Mobile Hot Spots
T-Mobile subscribers can find hot spot locations around the United States or Internationally.

6. Find Boingo Hot Spots
Find hot spots provided by Boingo Wireless internationally and around the United States. Search by City, State, Country or by type of Wi-Fi location. You can also download a location list in PDF.

7. Find a Hot Spot - BT Openzone
Find Wi-Fi locations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. BT Openzone provides four different ways of searching for locations. Online search, download lists in Excel and PDF, by phone and SMS.

8. Find a Hot Spot - Wayport Locations
Wayport provides Wi-Fi locations in the United States, Canada and Internationally. Wayport also have Laptop Lane Locations at airports in the United States. The map gives a quick snapshot of locations including the number of hot spots in a given location. Click on the map for more details.

9. Find a Hot Spot - Boldstreet
View hot spot locations provided by BoldStreet in Canada. Selecting a particular location provides details including maps about the hot spot. They also provide information on configuring your network card if the hot spot is not automatically detected.

10. Find a Hot Spot - Flying J
When driving on highways, mobile workers can still find hot spots through the Flying J chain of truck stops. They have hot spots in their Plazas and extended area hot spots as well.

Top 12 Essential Laptop Accessories

2008-02-20T16:12:00.000Z

Having the right laptop accessories available can make life much easier while traveling. It means you don't have to rely on outside sources for gear and you stay productive.
Security gear is the most important laptop accessory you can get and you should be sure to have one if not two security cables available to use at all times. What laptop accessories do you have and which are you still needing?

1. Notebook Security Cables
Using a notebook security cable just may be one of the easiest methods of protecting your notebook against theft. Notebook security cables can be and should be used in any location where you may have to leave your laptop such as your hotel room or co-worker's office. Never leave a laptop, even when secured, in an unlocked room.

2. UPS for Mobile Workers
UPS devices are quite often overlooked by mobile workers which can be very costly both for replacement of their mobile gear and the data they lose. Mobile professionals often work in less than ideal conditions and the electrical connections may not always be perfect quality.

3. Travel Size Surge Protectors
Surge protectors are a wise idea even if the weather is perfect. You don't know the quality or age of the power lines that you are accessing and having your laptop get zapped is not the way to discover there are flaws in the power line. Make sure you are always prepared and keep a portable surge protector in your laptop bag at all times.

4. External Storage
External storage can be as small as a pen-knife or the size of your fist. Whichever style of external storage you choose, look for external storage solutions which are durable and easy to use. Storage devices which are cross-compatible with Mac and Windows systems can be very beneficial to mobile professionals.

5. Portable Laptop Desks
Portable laptop desks are an invaluable laptop accessory for mobile professionals. Not only do they prevent laptop burn but they enable you to work in more comfortable positions and some also enable you to use an external mouse to help you work more productively.

6. Laptop Power Adapters
A universal laptop power adapter enables you to charge your laptop battery and keep working whether you are in the air or on the road. Make sure that the laptop power adapter you have chosen will have the right tip for your laptop. Try to get a laptop power adapter that will work with a variety of laptop models.

7. Portable Projectors Under 5lbs.
There are portable projectors which weigh less than 5lbs. and are easy to travel with and use. You can't always count on having a projector available while traveling. In addition you may have thought you were only presenting to 3 people but that has now become 30. Traveling with your own portable projector means that you are prepared for any possibility and improves your professionalism.

8. Presentation Devices
Nothing can be worse when trying to show a presentation is the fact that you are seen more than the slideshow. Avoid the limelight and stay out of the way by using a remote control presentation device.

9. Mobile Printers
One of the frustrations that working on the road can be trying to find a printer when you absolutely need one. Rather than worrying about finding a printer or setting up new printer profiles and installing printer drivers on the run - consider purchasing your own mobile printer.

10. Wireless Laptop Mice
When you want a truly compact mouse when traveling, a wireless laptop mouse is a great accessory. Always keep spare batteries on hand and remember that shiny or reflective surfaces can interfere with optical mice.

11. Laptop Speakers
While the internal speakers on your laptop may be great for listening to music, using external speakers is important when doing presentations. This way the entire room can hear the presentation. External laptop speakers are also handy when you are participating in a web conference and it's important to hear every participant clearly.

12. Headset Microphones
Headset microphones allow you the ability to control your output. You can adjust the microphone for optimum usage while having the mic in a comfortable position. If you are tight on desk space, this could be your solution. Many headset microphones also have speakers combined with them.

Buying a Laptop Bag

2008-02-20T16:09:00.000Z

This laptop bag buyer's guide will give you what you need to know before buying a laptop bag. Mobile professionals should understand what important considerations and features must be kept in mind when buying a laptop bag. Use this Buyer's Guide to help you make your decision and buy the best laptop bag.

Buying A Laptop Bag

Buying a laptop bag is not just about finding a way to protect your laptop and other mobile gear while traveling. Your laptop bag may expose some of your personality and make traveling with your mobile gear easier to cope with. Buy the right laptop bag based on your needs and planned use - not just by price or what other's may have. Every mobile worker will have different needs and must buy a laptop bag that best fits those needs.

Laptop Bag Styles:

Learn what laptop bag styles available and what features each different style of laptop bag has to offer mobile professionals.

Understanding what each style of laptop bag has to offer can make your decision regarding which laptop bag to purchase easier. See what each style has to offer and how they differ from each other. Whether you want to project a professional image or go for the casual look - there are laptop bags which fit your needs.
Once you know what style suits your workstyle and personal preferences, you can review these selections to help you find the perfect laptop bag for you.

Briefbag Laptop Bags
With briefbag style laptop bags mobile workers should look for well-padded and adjustable shoulder straps, plenty of storage space for small accessories, thick padding in the interior and a secure means of strapping the notebook in place. Other nice features to have include: quick access pockets on the exterior for cell phones and paperwork. Weight is another consideration to be kept in mind when looking at laptop bags.

Top Loading Laptop bags
A top loading laptop bag can be your best friend when traveling. This style provides quick and easy access to documents or your laptop. Important items to watch for include the size of notebook which the notebook bag can carry, the number of accessory pockets, exterior construction and actual weight of the notebook bag. You'll find that a top loading laptop bag is very convenient especially if you deal with Customs or Security and have to remove your notebook from it's bag often.

Backpack Laptop bags
Backpacks are a casual looking and easy way to carry your laptop and other mobile gear hands-free. They provide plenty of storage space and using the adjustable shoulder straps will ensure a secure and bounce free way to carry your laptop. Backpack style laptop bags with an included laptop sleeve are especially good to have and increase the security and safety of your laptop.

Messenger Style Laptop bags
Look through a selection of messenger style laptop bags which offer mobile professionals an alternative way to carry their mobile gear. Messenger style laptop bags have a more casual appearance and can be a great way to carry your laptop without broadcasting to everyone what you may have inside.

Rolling Laptop bags
Rolling laptop bags provide mobile professionals with a great deal of flexibility and ease of use, especially in airports or rail stations. When you have to move quickly and don't want to risk having your mobile gear bumped and jostled, a rolling laptop bag is a great solution.

Ladies Laptop bags
Whether you are buying a new laptop bag for yourself, or need a gift for someone else - why not go with a laptop bag that reflects their personality and uniqueness? Laptop bags specifically designed for women provide more than a just a secure place to store a laptop, they have added functionality and a feminine touch. Here is a selection of women's laptop bags to review and get ideas for yourself or for gifts.

Men's Laptop bags
Mobile guys want a laptop bag that is definitely masculine and provides storage and protection features to keep their mobile gear safe while on the road. This selection of laptop bags for men provides a variety of options and features.
Laptop bags by size:

15" Notebooks
Not only is it important to find a laptop bag which suits your style but one that fits your notebook properly. Ensuring that your notebook is secured in a well-fitting bag will increase your odds of keeping your notebook safe. View some of the 15" laptop bags, they make a great gift for any mobile professional, including yourself.

17" Notebooks
Mobile professionals who require a larger display look to notebooks with 17" screens, in turn they require a larger laptop bag and here are some selections for you to review. Just a word of caution - don't try to make your 17" notebook fit into a smaller bag. Purchase or add to your wishlist a laptop bag specifically designed for 17" notebooks. Comfort and ensuring there is proper protection for your 17" notebook should be key considerations.

10 Cold Weather Tips for Your Laptops

2008-02-20T16:07:00.001Z

Regular laptops have been designed to work within a safe temperature range - normally 50 to 95 degrees F (10 - 35 degrees C). This range refers both to optimal usage temperature of the outside environment and the temperature the laptop should be warmed to before using. Protecting your laptop from cold weather is important and you should know how to protect your laptop from cold weather. Protect yourself and your laptop from the damage cold weather can cause.
1. Ruggedized Laptops
If your budget allows, purchase or lease a ruggedized laptop if you will be outside in cold temperatures for extended periods of time. Ruggedized laptops have been designed to work under extreme weather conditions. When you rely on your laptop and can't count on the weather to co-operate - a ruggedized laptop is worth considering. Most ruggedized laptops have been tested according to MIL-STD-810F standards.

2. Careful Storage
Never leave a laptop, even in a well-padded and insulated laptop case in the trunk of vehicle in cold weather. The laptop could freeze and you lose all data contained in it.

3. Let It Warm Up
Once you bring a laptop in from the cold - allow it to warm up to room temperature before booting. The same is true when you go outdoors - allow the laptop to acclimatize to the outside temperature before booting up.

4. Incorrect Warming Methods
Do not use devices such as mug warmers or pocket warmers to heat or keep a laptop warm. They are not designed for this purpose and can create problems as they will not heat or keep a laptop warm in the right way. They could heat the wrong parts of a laptop or cause it to generate too much heat and melt internal components.

5. Laptop Warmers
There are laptop warmers designed specifically for the purpose of keeping a laptop warm and these are what you should use. Laptop warmers have been tested to ensure they will safely protect your laptop and are a wise investment.

6. Excessive Heat Build-Up
Do not use your laptop while it is still inside a laptop bag. There is no room for air to circulate and you will get heat build-up. You can create your own "box" for your laptop which will allow air to circulate and provide an enclosed area for you to use your laptop. Having the laptop on a raised platform for your laptop within the box will aid in airflow. This laptop box will help keep the laptop warmer as cold air is blocked and the heat generated from the laptop is kept in the box.

7. Protecting Your Display
Don't use heating pads or other external sources of heat to warm up or thaw a laptop display. Allow the display to warm on its own and do not boot up a laptop if you suspect the display is frozen.
8. Stay Out of the Cold
Whenever possible stay out of direct exposure to cold weather conditions by staying in a vehicle, inside a building or other type of shelter. Protecting your laptop from excessive dampness or wet from snow will keep your keyboard from freezing and other problems from developing.

9. Change Power Settings
By changing the power settings from power save mode will help keep the laptop warm as it continues to run. Instead of having the hard drive shut down, keep it spinning. The longer the laptop can be kept left running, the warmer it will stay as it generates its own heat.

10. Don't Get Creative
Last but by no means least - do not create your own devices to keep your laptop warm! This is especially important if you are using a company owned or leased laptop. You will be responsible for any damage caused and will have to have it repaired or replaced at your own expense.

Geek to Live

2008-02-20T16:00:00.002Z

by Gina Trapani

You just got a shiny new laptop to use on your commute to the office, on business trips, vacations and at the coffee shop down the street. Congratulations! You'll be a productivity powerhouse! But hold your horses for a minute there, bucko.

Any road warrior will tell you life with a lappie isn't always easy. As a freelancer with a keyboard permanently propped up on my thighs (like right now on an airplane bound for Seattle), I've got a few hints and tips for extending the life of your laptop and easing the pain of the never-ending outlet and hotspot hunt.

Extend your battery life.
Laptop productivity on the cold, cruel and often electrical outletless road often depends entirely on how much juice you've got left. The screen draws the most power from your battery. When you don't have access to an outlet, dim your screen to the lowest setting to make your battery last as long as possible.

Also, disable unnecessary CPU-cycle-eating processes - like auto Bluetooth device and wifi network detection - to save juice and make your battery last longer.

Save your keyboard and screen.
At the beach house there is sand, at the coffee shop there are crumbs, and right now your fingers are covered in Dorito dust. Protect your keyboard from stray crumbage getting into the cracks with a protective cover. At a reader's recommendation, I invested in the iSkin which does double duty: it keeps crumbs out from between the keys and also protects the screen from keyboard scratches.

Another way to prevent screen scrapes is a piece of rubberized shelf liner cut to fit inside your lappie like the bologna in a sandwich when you shut it. I've also seen people use a thin piece of cloth.

If your laptop keys are already sticky and furry, give it a good cleaning with some compressed air, cotton swabs and elbow grease.

Keep it cool.
After an hour or so, a computer can burn one's thighs and wrists (like my super-heat conducting titanium Powerbook). If this is a problem for you, get material that doesn't conduct heat well between your skin and your lappie, like a lap desk or your laptop sleeve. Long-sleeved shirts with big cuffs help on wrists when the top of your keyboard gets hot to the touch.

Work offline.
Web-based email's great, but the dream of always-on Internet connectivity hasn't yet come true. Get yourself set up to work offline on your laptop on the plane and other wifi-less locations.

For example, Mozilla Thunderbird is a must-have install on your laptop. In addition to downloading all your mail locally for working with offline, Thunderbird 1.5 has excellent SMTP management so you can switch which server you send your mail through when you get online very quickly. Using a NetZero dialup account that requires you use smtp.netzero.net? Need to use the secure SMTP server at the office for work mail? No problem. You can set up multiple SMTP servers and associate them with different email accounts with Thunderbird.

For more on working offline or with a super-slow connection, check out previously-posted feature How to survive a slow internet connection.

Secure your data.
While you're out and about and on open wireless networks, make sure you've got a secure firewall installed on your laptop and that its settings are extremely restrictive. Turn off folder sharing and any local servers you have running (like a web, FTP or VNC) to keep others from peeking in on your data. Make sure your laptop's logins have strong passwords assigned.

Also, consider encrypting the data on your disk in case of theft, using a utility like Mac OS X's FileVault. If you're really concerned about someone grabbing your laptop and running, check out "Lojack for Laptops" software which helps you trace and recover your stolen computer.

Carry it well.
Your laptop spends a lot of time swinging over your shoulder, banging around on your back, bumping into the guy next to you on the subway, and sliding around on your car's back seat. Wrapping it up in that spare Linux tee-shirt and shoving it into your messenger bag full of gadgets probably isn't a good idea. Make sure that sucker's snug as a bug in a rug. Invest in a padded sleeve or bag made to carry laptops that'll protect it when your bag falls over or gets kicked. I really dig the spendy but stylish Booq bags and sleeves; a little research will turn up the right one for your budget and style.

Back up when you get home.
Portable computers deal with a lot more wear and tear than desktops, and this increases the risk of hard drive failure. So most importantly, make sure you back up the data on your laptop.

A few months ago, a panicked Lifehacker reader wrote in saying the laptop from which she runs her business was stolen and that she had no recent backup. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. Create a lappie docking station space at home where you can plug in to recharge the battery and hook up an external drive to backup your data. See more on how to automatically back up your Windows data here.

Pack some helpful extras.
If you've got a CD-R or DVD-R drive in your lappie, keep a few spare blanks or a USB drive for easy backup on the road. A 2 to 3 prong electrical plug adaptor might help in places where your 3 prong plug needs to go into a 2 prong outlet. And of course, an extra charged-up battery, an ethernet cable or phone cord or an extra mouse might be a helpful addition to your portable arsenal.

Next up: how to find a wifi hotspot when you're out and about with your laptop.

Got any portable computing strategies to share? Let us know in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, sure wishes she'd packed an extra mouse. Her semi-weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Wednesday and Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

HP tx1000 Convertible Notebook Review

2008-02-20T15:30:00.006Z

by Tiffany Boggs and Andrew Baxter

HP tx1000 Convertible Notebook Review

If you have been searching the market for an entertainment notebook with Tablet PC features, your search may be over. Thanks to HP's tx1000 convertible notebook that starts at $1,299. Though the tx1000 is targeted toward the average consumer, business professionals are still welcome. This portable notebook packs a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 5-in-1 digital media reader, a mini remote control for movies, music and photos and it comes with Windows Vista installed.

The HP Pavilion tx1000 specs as reviewed (tested price $1,849)

CPU AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 / 2.0 GHz processor
OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
RAM 2 GB DDR II SDRAM
Display 12.1" WXGA High Definition BrightView Widescreen with Touchscreen (1280 x 800)
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics
Audio Altec Lansing speakers and integrated microphone
Hard Drive 160GB (5400 RPM)
Optical Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8x DVD/RW
I/O ports 3 x USB
1 x VGA - 15 pin
1 x TV-Out (S-video)
1 x Microphone-in
2 x Headphone (one offering S/PDIF output)
2 x Infrared - IrDA
1 x Modem - RJ-11
1 x RJ-45 LAN
1 x Express Card
1 x notebook expansion port 3

Communications 10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11a/b/g/n (draft 802.11n)
WLAN
Bluetooth

Dimensions/Weight 12"(width) x 8.8"(depth) x 1.5"(height)
4.2 lbs.

Battery/power 6 cell, 4-5 hours
4 cell, 3 hours

Design and Build

The tx1000 has a sharp appearance. Its unique inlaid wave design extends from the glossy black lid onto the silver inside surrounding the keyboard. HP went for a modern, portable design. Weighing in at 4.2 lbs., the tx1000 can go wherever you go. If you want to save even more weight the optical bay is removable and can be replaced by the included weight saver.

The chassis has some flex in parts due to the fact the tx1000 uses a plastic housing, though it can't be called flmsy, it's not the sturdiest notebook on the market either. The advantage of a plastic casing is in keeping weight and price down. When you tap on the left palmrest area the sound is hollow and you'll get some flex there. The keyboard itself has a solid design with minimal flex.

The screen swivels in a clockwise manner with ease to turn the notebook into a Tablet. The hinge has some flex, but works great. The Tablet or swivel mode is nice for watching movies or giving presentations. There is also a mini remote control that can be stashed in the ExpressCard slot, this comes in handy for those lazy days when you want to stay in bed and control a movie as the tx1000 sits on your nightstand!

Display

The 12.1” screen is the perfect size for a portable notebook used to travel and for working on the go. There are even media QuickPlay buttons on the right side of the screen for your entertainment convenience. The screen is slightly grainy, but you will get this with any Tablet PC due to the extra layer needed for tablet funtionality. The glossy screen is good for presenting bold colors and watching movies, but bad when doing a lot of reading in strongly lit areas as it is quite reflective. One small annoyance is the fact it is difficult to see what level brightness you've got the screen adjusted to because there is no on screen feedback when you toggle brightness -- same goes for volume.

The fact that the tx1000 has a touchscreen is nice. You can use your fingertip to close applications, move them around or, if your fingers are small enough, to poke around in menus. I actually liked using my finger more than the stylus, you might as well take this approach since the stylus is a passive pen design and offers no real advantage other than being smaller and more accurate when necessary.

Processor and System Performance

HP chose to go with the AMD Turion X2 TL-60 dual core processor and Nvidia Go 6150 graphics for the brains of this system. It’s good that they didn’t choose a low voltage underpowered processor, commonly found in 12.1” screen laptops. Though in our opinion, a low-end Intel Core 2 Duo processor might have been preferred as it would offer slightly better performance. Nevertheless, thanks to 2GB of RAM combined with the Turion X2, performance was more than acceptable for general tasks such as Office, web and multimedia use. It’s a little slower when it comes to such things as image processing within Adobe Photoshop or even Apple iTunes encoding – we found a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500 machine to be faster time wise with such tasks. But in general usage you won’t notice any lag with the tx1000.

The tx1000 ships with a base 1GB of RAM as this is required for Windows Vista to run. You should seriously consider going with the 2GB of RAM for better performance though. Windows Aero, the 3D windows display rotation feature, worked flawlessly given the tx1000 specs we had and the 2GB of RAM probably helps there.

The Windows Vista Aero feature runs just fine on the tx1000 (view large image)

As far as gaming, the Nvidia 6150 card that shares system memory isn’t going to cut it for much. Obviously this notebook convertible is not intended for playing Half Life 2 or Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but rather for just say – doing work.

Some Games That Are Good for You

2008-02-19T15:54:00.002Z

No offense, gamers. But the likes of Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and Assassin's Creed are doing nobody any good but you. And even that last bit is highly debatable. But we won't get into personal views about how big a waste of time and money video games are or are not. To each his or her own, the politically correct, Good Samaritan would say.

But then again, the Good Samaritan is probably only playing so-called "serious games"-that is, games that are dedicated toward personal or societal enrichment. If you don't believe me, just check out SocialImpactGames.com, the Web site dedicated to such serious games. As the motto on the site's banner says, "Entertaining Games with Non-Entertainment Goals (a.k.a. Serious Games)." So far, Social Impact Games is cataloging and/or linking to more than 200 games. They claim to know of as many as 500 serious games in the universe, and are in the process of tracking all of them down.

There are games, for instance, to inspire health and wellness in their players, to train business people in the way of the office, to teach soldiers how to respond in foreign settings, and to educate the young on such complex topics as public policy.

There's a game called Food Force, in which players are the U.N. World Food Programme sent in to help during a humanitarian crisis in the Indian Ocean. The goal-teach young people about food issues around the world.

Another game is called Waste of Space. It vaguely resembles Asteroids, and generally teaches students the same thing: how bodies act in the vacuum of space. Or there's one called Free Dive, where players "swim" in a 3D simulated underwater world with the fish and the turtles. This game has been proven to distract children who have chronic pain or are undergoing painful procedures.

My favorite is BT Better Business Game-where the player is a virtual CEO of a company and must learn to manage social interactions and their company's business environment. It's good to be the king.

Some games are there to be downloaded to your laptop. Others merely have information provided on them. The site hopes to help folks interested in socially responsible games to find them, as well as to create a forum of inspiration for those interested in creating new serious games. The phenomenon, the site says, is growing.

Forget all that touchy-feely stuff, though. Real gamers are only interested in one thing-how games play. The Good Samaritan in me says, "Judge for yourself."

But the gamer in me says, "If I want a serious game, I'll set the computer to the Colts in my next Madden game."

Smart-Pens not Laptops Now Student's Best Pals?

2008-02-19T15:48:00.000Z

Why didn't they have these when I was in school. If I fell asleep in class, my pen couldn't take notes for me. And what about those days I didn't go to class at all? Nowadays, I could have stayed in bed and just simply sent my pen to class for me. Not any pen, of course. The new Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe. It is a computer within a pen, and a digital recorder within a computer. So it's basically a freak pen, but a freak pen with a purpose.
Its job is to record what you are writing down on page (via a slow-motion camera) and also record what you are listening to (via a mike system). That way, come crunch time, you can easily go back and check your notes for accuracy. So, college co-eds, if your professor talks to fast, no worries. You can simply go back and fill in the holes in your notes by listening to the broadcast of the lecture.

When replaying, you can slow down, rewind, fast forward and even speed up the recording via the Smartpen Paper Replay function. Your freak, I mean smart, pen comes with special note paper, on the bottom of which are special Paper Replay "dot" controls. Touch your pen one of these dots to slow the recording down, for instance, or to increase the volume.

To hold all this data, the Smartpen has 1 to 2GB of storage. The 1GB model holds as many as 100 hours of recorded audio to be kept, or more than 16,000 pages of notes. Not only does the 2GB version double that space; it also leaves room for downloading any additional programs that will be designed down the road for platform.

And these apps will be coming. Livescribe has also launched a Developer Program so that programmers can develop and share new paper-based applications for this magical pen. Even users themselves could get into the mix, creating customized programs from the open codes and partaking of user community forums. Already in the works are Spanish translation systems, digital organizing systems, and an interactive Bible. Simply fantastic!

Other apps will serve to transcribe your written words into digital text, or to turn your handwriting into printed words that are legible. Some other future uses could be apps that help the visually impaired use the pen, or for using the pen with Braille.

But the wondrous Smartpens have plenty to offer already. Not only do they have the audio and visual storage capacity, they also come with dual microphones, an embedded speaker, a "3D recording headset," and software that allow you to do keyword searches through your notes and to store your notes and audio recordings on your laptop. They then appear just as they did on your paper but in digital form that you can post, along with the audio recording, online so all your friends can access them. Indeed, why take a notebook into the classroom at all when you can save your virtual class notes onto your Pulse Smartpen and upload them via usb when you get home? Did I call this pen a freak pen before? No, it's a magic pen.

And all this goes for just $149 for the 1GB pen, and $199 for the 2GB version.

Oops, what was that noise, you ask? I must have fallen asleep and started snoring ... my Smartpen must have kept writing this piece for me.

UBuntu-Powered XPS M1330 Laptop Will Soon Be Available....

2008-02-19T15:40:00.002Z

Do you remember Dell’s compact 13.3-inch XPS M1330 laptop? Well, the company will soon make the UBuntu version of this notebook PC available in U.S market. Previously, UBuntu 7.10-powered M1330 has been released in Europe, packed with Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor, 1GB of main memory, 120GB of HDD, DVD burner, Intel GMA X3100 graphics engine, and built-in 2 megapixel webcam. This kind of configuration is retailed for 848 EUR in Germany. No words how much it will be priced in States store.

Additionally, customers can subscribe for either a 30-day UBuntu beginners support (55 EUR), a 1 year basic support (60 EUR), or a 1 year standard support (90 EUR).

New Toshiba Dynabook will be launced soon

2008-02-19T15:35:00.002Z

New Toshiba Dynabook SS RX1 seris laptop features an Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 (1.06GHz) processor, a 1GB of main memory, an Intel 945GMS chipset, a 12.1-inch display with WXGA (1280×800) resolution, wifi connectivity, biometric fingerprint reader, and SD media card slot. Three configurations are currently available, with the differences lay on the hard drive and optical drive: 64GB SSD-HDD/DVD burner, 80GB HDD/DVD burner, 80GB HDD/HD-DVD. The price is respectively set at 380,000 Yen (around $3,125), 220,000 Yen (around $1,800), and 250,000 Yen (around $2,054). Expect them in Japan market on late June this year. So just wait the laucing... [via]

Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 Penryn Review

2008-02-17T11:20:00.006Z

Submitted by JerryJ on Friday, February 15, 2008

Fujitsu has officially joined the Penryn party with multiple LifeBook models now available with Intel's newest generation of Core 2 Duo processors. We took a closer look at the LifeBook E8410 to show you exactly how much a new processor can improve overall system performance.

Our review notebook features the following specifications:
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Processor (Penryn, 2.1GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business
15.4" Crystal View (Glossy) WXGA Display (1280x800)
Integrated 1.3MP Webcam
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
2GB of DDR2 667MHz RAM
Fujitsu 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Modular Dual-Layer Multi-format DVD Writer
Modem, Intel 4965AGN (802.11a/b/g/n) WiFi, 10/100/1000 GigE LAN, Bluetooth
6-cell, 10.8V, 5200 mAh, 56.2 Whr Battery
One year international warranty
Price as configured: $1,589
Build and Design

At first glance the E8410's exterior looks rather plain with black matte plastic with some glossy highlights in the front edge. Granted, this business-oriented notebook isn't designed to attract consumers who are looking for the latest "eye candy" but the design isn't too professional looking either.

The interior of this laptop is mostly light-silver/gray with a white keyboard. The keyboard, palmrests and most of the other surfaces are all plastic. The speaker grills on either side of the keyboard are the only parts that stand out as having metal construction. Unlike most consumer laptops there are no LED status lights. Instead, Fujitsu uses a black/white LCD display that provides a range of information about the current status of the notebook without any annoying bright lights.

As shown in the picture below, the LCD "status display" shows symbols for power status, if the battery is charging or discharging, the remaining charge in the battery, optical or storage drive activity, wireless activity, and more. Overall, the status display is a great feature ... particularly since it doesn't have those annoying blue LEDs. However, it might not have been a bad idea for Fujitsu to have included an LED warning light for the low battery indicator.

Despite the fact that the E8410 is designed for business users the build quality isn't quite what we expected for a business laptop in this price range. Fujitsu has built some genuinely sturdy (almost rugged) business laptops in the past. While most of the notebook chassis has a solid feel the areas around the optical drive and RAM bay cover have some pretty obvious flex. Granted some amount of the flex is due to the modular optical drive bay ... which has to be built in a way that makes it removable. We were just a little surprised by the flex in the plastic.

The screen housing also suffers from similar plastic flex. I can twist the screen a little bit more than I should, but the screen does not distort when being flexed. Additionally, I can only produce ripples on the screen by pressing quite hard on the back surface. It would be very difficult to damage the LCD under normal usage and the notebook should survive regular travels in a backpack or shoulder bag.

As mentioned above, the optical drive is modular, meaning that any type of optical drive supported by Fujitsu can be placed in the E8410. Or, one could put the included weight saver plastic insert in the slot to reduce the weight of the laptop. Users can also insert a secondary battery instead of an optical drive to get a longer battery life ... a serious advantage for road warriors.

The one negative aspect of the modular optical drive is the position of the release. I accidentally ejected the drive several times while transporting it to and from the office. Yes, the modular drive is a great feature, but I would have liked to see a lock switch or button to prevent accidental release of the drive.

Screen and Speakers

The Fujitsu E8410 features a 15.4" wide-screen WXGA display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. This resolution is "acceptable" but still pretty low for a 15-inch notebook. Luckily, you can configure the E8410 with a display resolution as high as WSXGA+ (1680x1050 pixels), and the better screen only costs an additional $75 at the time of this writing.

The low-resolution screen in our review unit is bright enough for office and home use. In fact, it's bright enough that you can easily set the display at 50% screen brightness in average office lighting (which is great for battery life).

Unfortunately, the screen in our review unit has poor vertical and horizontal viewing angles. When you view the screen head-on it looks fabulous, but move a few degrees above and the color washes out. Move a few degrees below center and the colors become inverted. Move a few degrees left or right and colors will again appear distorted.

Keep in mind that these type of viewing angle issues might not be common to all versions of this notebook. The older version of the E8410 that we reviewed last year was praised for having excellent horizontal viewing angles.

There are two speakers located on each side of the keyboard when you open up the laptop. The speakers produce distortion-free sound at even the highest volumes. However, like most laptop speakers they do suffer from a little of the "tin can" speaker effect and lack bass. For business purposes the speakers are fine.

Processor and Performance

The E8410 features the latest in processor technology with the newest Intel Penryn CPU. Our review unit of the E8410is equipped with integrated Intel X3100 graphics but Fujitsu offers the Nvidia GeForce 8400M G dedicated graphics card as an option in other configurations. The benefit os integrated graphics is lower cost and slightly lower power consumption, and most business professionals don't need dedicated graphics.

All of the following synthetic benchmarks were performed with the laptop set into 'Performance' mode.

At 2.1GHz, the T8100 (Penryn) processor found in the review laptop does quite well in PCMark05 benchmarks. As shown below, it managed to pull a score of 4,211 PCMark points. That said, a previous version of the E8410 equipped with the older 2.2GHz T7500 (Merom) processor produced a score of 4,618 PCMark points.

Blog disclose

2008-01-01T16:39:00.001Z

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.

State of the Art

2007-11-06T14:01:00.000Z

By DAVID POGUE
Published: October 4, 2007

Correction Appended

In November, you’ll be able to buy a new laptop that’s spillproof, rainproof, dustproof and drop-proof. It’s fanless, it’s silent and it weighs 3.2 pounds. One battery charge will power six hours of heavy activity, or 24 hours of reading. The laptop has a built-in video camera, microphone, memory-card slot, graphics tablet, game-pad controllers and a screen that rotates into a tablet configuration.

A laptop for third-world children has a camera, communications ability and a high-resolution screen. Buy two: keep one and the other goes to a child overseas.
VideoMore Video » And this laptop will cost $200.

The computer, if you hadn’t already guessed, is the fabled “$100 laptop” that’s been igniting hype and controversy for three years. It’s an effort by One Laptop Per Child (laptop.org) to develop a very low-cost, high-potential, extremely rugged computer for the two billion educationally underserved children in poor countries.

The concept: if a machine is designed smartly enough, without the bloat of standard laptops, and sold in large enough quantities, the price can be brought way, way down. Maybe not down to $100, as O.L.P.C. originally hoped, but low enough for developing countries to afford millions of them — one per child.

The laptop is now called the XO, because if you turn the logo 90 degrees, it looks like a child.

O.L.P.C. slightly turned its strategy when it decided to offer the machine for sale to the public in the industrialized world — for a period of two weeks, in November. The program is called “Give 1, Get 1,” and it works like this. You pay $400 (www.xogiving.org). One XO laptop (and a tax deduction) comes to you by Christmas, and a second is sent to a student in a poor country.

The group does worry that people might compare the XO with $1,000 Windows or Mac laptops. They might blog about their disappointment, thereby imperiling O.L.P.C.’s continuing talks with third world governments.

It’s easy to see how that might happen. There’s no CD/DVD drive at all, no hard drive and only a 7.5-inch screen. The Linux operating system doesn’t run Microsoft Office, Photoshop or any other standard Mac or Windows programs. The membrane-sealed, spillproof keyboard is too small for touch-typing by an adult.

And then there’s the look of this thing. It’s made of shiny green and white plastic, like a Fisher-Price toy, complete with a handle. With its two earlike antennas raised, it could be Shrek’s little robot friend.

And sure enough, the bloggers and the ignorant have already begun to spit on the XO laptop. “Dude, for $400, I can buy a real Windows laptop,” they say.

Clearly, the XO’s mission has sailed over these people’s heads like a 747.

The truth is, the XO laptop, now in final testing, is absolutely amazing, and in my limited tests, a total kid magnet. Both the hardware and the software exhibit breakthrough after breakthrough — some of them not available on any other laptop, for $400 or $4,000.

In the places where the XO will be used, power is often scarce. So the laptop uses a new battery chemistry, called lithium ferro-phosphate. It runs at one-tenth the temperature of a standard laptop battery, costs $10 to replace, and is good for 2,000 charges — versus 500 on a regular laptop battery.

The laptop consumes an average of 2 watts, compared with 60 or more on a typical business laptop. That’s one reason it gets such great battery life. A small yo-yo-like pull-cord charger is available (one minute of pulling provides 10 minutes of power); so is a $12 solar panel that, although only one foot square, provides enough power to recharge or power the machine.

Speaking of bright sunshine: the XO’s color screen is bright and, at 200 dots an inch, razor sharp (1,200 by 900 pixels). But it has a secret identity: in bright sun, you can turn off the backlight altogether. The resulting display, black on light gray, is so clear and readable, it’s almost like paper. Then, of course, the battery lasts even longer.

The XO offers both regular wireless Internet connections and something called mesh networking, which means that all the laptops see each other, instantly, without any setup — even when there’s no Internet connection.

With one press of a button, you see a map. Individual XO logos — color-coded to differentiate them — represent other laptops in the area; you connect with one click. (You never double-click in the XO’s visual, super-simple operating system. You either point with the mouse or click once.)

This feature has some astonishing utility. If only one laptop has an Internet connection, for example, the others can get online, too, thanks to the mesh network. And when O.L.P.C. releases software upgrades, one laptop can broadcast them to other nearby laptops.

Power users will snort at the specs of this machine. It has only one gigabyte of storage — all flash memory — with 20 percent of that occupied by the XO’s system software. And the processor is feeble by conventional standards. Starting up takes two minutes, and switching between programs is poky.

Laptop - Finding Takers From All Quarters!

2007-11-06T14:00:00.000Z

By Carly Charu

While the first quarter of this century promised for a wake in of technological innovations, detail R&Ds have made sure that advancements in the field would continue for far more years to come. Today's world is bearing fruits in the form of many such endeavours. Inventions of automated systems is one such phenomenal step towards equipping world with more rapid gains in every productive purposes.

The automation process, however, to a large extent is guided by the computers of this modern world. In the case of any business process the effective participation of computer in upgrading overall production is not a hidden fact any more.And while we talk of computers, a laptop in its portable avatar is more equipped to be consulted during any decision making process. It is one mobile technological marvel of this century that by virtue of its portability regulates many an important functioning. Impacting decisions and effectively influencing the fates of many a processes across the world.

Thanks to the population of features that these devices nowadays come with. With multi-purpose roles, they are more able to meet your requirements now. Dell, Apple, Compaq, Toshiba, IBM, Acer and many other laptops manufacturers, today, come ahead to offer you with products that speak of many a performances. Aided with advancements in micro-technology there are processors to fulfill each needs.All the laptops, today, comes stuffed with more than enough system memory and PCI slots to accommodate future enhancement necessities. Resultantly, laptops with 128MB or 256MB memory possibilities are coming equipped with 1GB and above of system memory. These statistics stand true for hard disk drives too. From 10GB specialities laptops, today, come equipped with 100GB of hard drive. Enough space to accommodate many of your data. To equip you with space for more movies and music, optical drives in laptops offer supports for files in CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM and DVD-RW formats. Any type of disks are just ready to be played now.

Not to forget the vast range of connectivity options. They come with internal modems, WLAN (WiFi) and Ethernet support. While all these options maximise functions of a Cheap laptops, they are finding more acceptance from the crowd that was once more inclined towards desk tops only.

Tablet PC - Small, Cute And Power-Packed

2007-11-06T13:47:00.000Z

A tablet PC is a portable, smart looking computer. Though much smaller in size, it is fully equipped with the functionalities that a laptop or a PC contains. But unlike the other type of computers, it does not have any keyboard or mouse. Rather, it has a touch screen that enables computer operation with a special type of digital pen. You give commands to your computer through this digital pen.
Thus, the digital pen of a tablet PC functions almost alike the mouse or the keyboard. The only difference is that instead of the keyboard, you use your own handwriting to type words. The screen receives information through this special pen. The digitizing tablet technology also allows you to input data using your fingers as the touch screen of the device is sensitive to fingertip as well.
Typically, this device runs on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows Vista operating systems. The power-packed device literally looks and feels like a real notebook and allows you to take notes the old-fashion way. With it you can perform a lot of fascinating functions like personalizing an email, power point presentation, designs and illustration with your own handwritten markings or drawings.
A tablet PC is also able to transform your chicken scratch penmanship into a coherent digital text for a more professional and organized presentation. This is due to the handwriting recognition function included in it. Basically, these computers are available in three models – convertible model, slate model and rugged model. Convertible model looks almost like traditional laptop having a keyboard attached to it. They are able to rotate 180°. Slate models are slim and ultra-light as they do not have any keyboard attached to them.
When buying this device, it is important to take note of functionality and security. You might be tricked by given wrong configuration. Keep in mind that an ideal tablet PC has a gesture recognition functionality that enables you to program your computer according to your specifications. So, it is advisable do some deep online research so that you can learn about the latest products available in store.
Darlene Kaitlene is a renowned business writer who has years of experience in writing technical reviews, product descriptions and product feature analysis of technical gadgets and gizmos. He has won appreciation especially for enlightening people about the latest communication gizmos...

Laptop Screens - How To Choose The Right One

2007-11-06T13:38:00.000Z

By Steven P. Ross

One of the most important factors in purchasing the right laptop comes down to choosing the right screen. In this article, I will give you some specific tips you can use to purchase a laptop with a right kind of screen that works for your situation. We'll discuss the issues of budget and practical uses which determine what kind of screen will be most beneficial for you. After reading this article, you should have all the information required to make the right purchase on your next laptop.
Not all screens are created equal. Their are standard aspect ratio screens, and then there are widescreens. There are 17 inch screens, there are 15 inch screens, and sizes even smaller than that. Some screens boast antireflective technology. But what does this have to do with you?
Before we can determine what screen is right for you, we have to know your situation. What are you going to use your laptop for? If you're going to use it for games, multimedia purposes, photo editing, music production, etc. then there are specific types of screens that will help you get the best out of these experiences. On the other hand, if you're going to be using your laptop more for research, work, or to check your e-mail then less may be more.
To start with the differences between a widescreen is standard aspect ratio screen. A widescreen is beneficial mostly for DVD watching. This is because the horizontal or vertical proportions closely mimic a home theater. Although widescreens can be beneficial for gamers, it hasn't quite reached the mass market yet. Most games are still made for a standard aspect ratio screen, although the future trends point to widescreens.
Widescreens are not as easy for the user who reads a lot of text on the computer. This is because a widescreen doesn't have as high a vertical display. This means there is going to be more scrolling when you're reading text documents. How will this affect you? You must consider how often you read information on the Internet and your computer, versus how often you use it to watch movies, play games, and run programs with complex interfaces.
Another thing to consider is your lifestyle. Are you going to be taking your laptop with you everywhere you go? Or is it mainly going to be commuted to and from work, and that's it? Believe it or not, a large portion of the weight on your laptop is from your screen. Try this -- go to the store and pick up a laptop with a 17 inch screen, and then pick up a laptop with a 14.1 inch screen. Are you surprised at the difference in weight? Many people who have a big-screen complain about the weight of carrying it around.
There are currently many innovations being worked on, regarding laptop LCD screens. If a dealer tries to woo you into purchasing a certain brand, because it has special anti-reflective technology which reduces glare, don't be tricked. Almost every manufacturer has this technology, and has it specifically under their own name. The best test is the eye test -- compare one display to another, and choose the one they'll express to you. That's the one is going to have a better display, for your purposes.
One thing to consider is how often you plan on using the laptop while it is running on battery power. There are specific kinds of laptop screens which utilize different amounts of backlight, to power the screen. The backlight is the most intensive on the laptop battery. There are new innovations in this area, including a white LED light which is being developed, and other options to help give the battery more power, and last longer. If this is something that's a major concern with you, talk to a dealer about what options are available for you, regarding backlight efficient laptop screens.
In conclusion, I have given you some options to consider when purchasing your next laptop. Obviously, there are other factors that are involved besides the screen, however the screen is a big source of grief for people who purchase a laptop and are unhappy with it. Follow the advice given in this article, and use it appropriately the next time you are shopping for a laptop, and are considering the screen size.

New Laptop Technology You Need To Know (Before Buying Your Next Laptop)

2007-11-06T13:24:00.000Z

Laptop or notebook computer technology is advancing at a blistering speed. Ferrari fast. So fast that by the time you purchase your new laptop, it's probably already obsolete or out of date. A sobering thought considering the hefty prices you have to pay for a high-end laptop.
But laptop technology is changing so fast new innovations are coming on stream as you read this article. There is a whole new generation of notebook technology every two years or less. Therefore, unless you buy or upgrade your laptop each year you're falling behind what these sleek little powerhouses can now deliver.
And unless you're already in Geek Heaven, keeping track of all these new technologies and innovations can be quite a chore. Figuring out the right Graphics chipset that works best with the right CPU and the best Data buses is a major feat. And now that everything is being Doubled -- dual core, dual graphics -- it's entering the realm where Einstein would be amused, even on a bad hair day!
What's the ordinary laptop buyer to do?
What you really have to keep in mind are the outcomes of all this new technology. Basically, these new technologies have made laptops smaller, faster and more powerful. With every new improvement the laptop is closing the gap between its main rival -- the desktop computer.
Notebook computers are now out-selling desktops for the first time in history. Laptops are replacing the old desktop computer, whose days may just be numbered. It won't be long before laptops are also out-performing them as well.
Some major computer makers are taking note of this trend towards more powerful, smaller computers. Even the desktop computer is morphing! Just look at the sleek design of the new Apple iMac G5, gone is the bulky tower, in its place is a well designed desktop computer that's almost a laptop!
For the ordinary computer user keeping abreast of all these new technologies and inventions can be a major chore if you're considering buying a laptop in the next little while. As you approach the smiling salesperson in your favorite tech store, here's a few bits of new notebook technology you might want to have in your possession so you won't look like a complete neophyte. Hey, where technology is concerned, we have all been there, done that.
In order for you to tech-proof your next laptop purchase, here's a quick run down of some recent Notebook Developments:
Sonoma Chipset
The new Sonoma Platform, Intel's next-generation Centrino Chipset is already on the market. Members of the Sonoma club are growing daily - Sony, IBM/Lenovo, BenQ, Dell, Samsung, Acer, and Toshiba... another 80 or 90 'Sonoma-endowed' products will be released very shortly.
No doubt, it will become the Platform standard for many high-end notebooks. Actually, it won't make or mean that much difference to the ordinary Joe/Jane who just want a notebook or laptop for web surfing, word processing and e-mail. Notebooks with the Sonoma Platform will be just a little bit faster and have a little better battery life.
But for Mobile Professionals and Notebook Fanatics (they do exist)... there's a lot of good things delivered or capable of being delivered with this new Centrino Chipset. First, wireless connections will be easier with the integrated tri-mode 802.11a/b/g, already dubbed by some as the 'wireless trinity'! This will make it easier to stay connected no matter where you are.
Improved performance will be experienced because the new Pentium M's have a 533MHz frontside bus, supported with up to 2GB of DDR2 DRAM, Serial ATA Hard Drive, and PCI Express, plus improved integrated graphics, including Intel's Hi-Def Audio. All are possible with the Sonoma Platform.
PCI Express
PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express is a new standard for expansion cards that comes in different versions. Presently, we have the x16 and x1 lanes, which will be followed by x4 and x8 versions. It offers increased bandwidth for example, x1 lane offers 500MB/sec instead of just 133MB/sec for PCI.
All computers, including laptops have different buses, (collection of wires) that transmit data from one component to another.
Of course, in an ideal world, all the data in your computer should move thru just one BUS - however, most experts agree it's not likely to happen unless we start over and build a computer system from scratch. For now we have to rely on different internal buses to move the data around, the PCI Express is a great improvement and will make your laptop faster.
Graphics Card
These are always improving. A Graphics Card handles the graphics or visuals on your notebook. If 3D graphics and games is a pastime, you will want to buy the highest quality system. Some of the higher end products are: ATi Mobility Radeon 9800, X800, and FireGL V3200 or Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator 900.
If you can, go with a NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 graphics card or for the real game diehards - wait for the debut of NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 that features NVIDIA's TurboCache technology.
Gamers will be aware of NVIDIA SLI technology, ATI's CrossFire and Hyperthreading. All new stuff that's bringing the gaming experience up to a higher level of perfection that would even be worthy of a Spielberg or a Lucas Production. Not really, but it's getting there.
64 Bit Laptops
Most systems today run on the 32 Bit System. Keep in mind, the major difference between a 32-bit and a 64-bit system is the amount of memory that they support. Around 4 GB for 32-bit and 8 GB and up for the 64-bit. Right now -- Intel, Apple, and AMD all offer 64-bit systems.
Do you need all this memory? No, for the average laptop user it amounts to overkill. However, if you're interested in gaming, desktop publishing, or the graphic arts you will benefit from 64-bit technology.
Dual Core Notebooks
Two is better than one!
Dual core laptops are now on the market. The gaming industry is the starting point for many of these advanced systems. For example, the British Laptop maker Rockdirect now produces Xtreme 64, a gaming laptop with AMD’s new dual core Athlon 64 X2 processor. This same laptop also sports the ATI Mobility Radeon X800 XT graphics card that features 16 pixel pipelines, an industry first for notebooks.
The major producers of dual-core chips are Intel and AMD. The Intel dual-core processor has hyperthreading (HT), the two cores are divided into four virtual CPU units. Is all this needed? Again, if you're into heavy graphics or gaming, it's something you should consider and explore further.
Built-in Cellular Modem
Most high-end laptops now come with an integrated tri-mode 802.11a/b/g for wireless WI-FI connections.
Some recent models, like the Sony's New Ultra-Portable VAIO VGN-T350P, are raising the bar; it has the world's first 'Built-in Cellular Modem'. You can use your cell phone to connect to the Internet. This may be a great advantage since finding a 'Hot Spot' in some parts of the world can still be difficult.
The Avant-Garde: LumiLED Display
Be on the look-out for LED monitors in the near future. The brightness, colors and backlighting technology in LED monitors will be quite different from LCD displays.
The Forerunner in this field is NEC's SpectraView LumiLED, and will offer a much better image and color. Keep your eyes peeled.
On the Horizon:
19 or 20 Inch Laptop Screens
There is a rumor, only a rumor, that Dell is coming out with a 19-inch laptop in early 2006. There is also buzz that LG-Philips has a 20-inch LCD panel which could easily be used by laptop makers if they want to explore this market area. Andre the giant will be pleased!
Conclusion
Of course, there are many more laptop innovations in the pipeline but they're beyond the scope of this article. Just keep all these new technological notebook changes in mind when you're checking out your next laptop. Maybe, just maybe, most of these won't already have been replaced by something new by the time you buy your next laptop. But don't bet your Google Stocks on it!
The author has a modest website on Bizware Products for eMarketers. As part of that site he runs an Online Notebook Guide for Laptop Enthusiasts. Notebook Buyer's Guide Copyright © 2005 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

My New Laptop (Acer Aspire 4710)

2007-11-05T23:17:00.000Z

Operating System
Linux BE (Basic Edition)
Platform
Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile processor technology, featuring:• Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor T2450 (2MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 533MHz FSB)• Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset• Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
Memory
512MB DDR2 Memory, upgradeable to 4GB
Display
14.1″ WXGA Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
Graphics
Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset with integrated 3D graphics, featuring Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 with up to 224 MB of shared system memory, supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 9, PCI Express®
Audio
Dolby®-certified surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakersIntel® High Definition Audio supportS/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakersMS-Sound compatibleBuilt-in microphone
Storage
120GB HDD
Optical Media Drive
DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Communication
• Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technologyWLAN: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g) Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connectionLAN: Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN readyModem: 56K ITU V.92 with PTT approval, Wake-on-Ring ready
Size & Weight
344 (W) x 246 (D) x 37/42 (H) mm2.6 kg
Power
ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and Hibernation power-saving modes44.4 W 4000 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack:• 2.8-hour battery life*3-pin 65 W AC adapter*may vary depend on setting & usage
Special Keys & Controls
88-/89-/93-key, inverted “T” cursor layout, 2.5 mm (minimum) key travelSeamless touchpad with 4-way scroll button12 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey controls, embedded numeric keypad , international language support, independent US and Euro dollar sign keysEmpowering KeyEasy-launch buttons: WLAN, Bluetooth®, email, Internet
I/O Ports
ExpressCard™/54 slot5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)Four USB 2.0 portsIEEE 1394 portExternal display (VGA) portS-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) portHeadphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF supportMicrophone-in jackLine-in jackEthernet (RJ-45) portModem (RJ-11) portDC-in jack for AC adapter
Software
-
Optional Items
-
Warranty
1 (one) year International Traveller’s warranty (ITW)
Notes :- RAM upgrade to 1GB- OS Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty-fawn) & Windows Vista Ultimate

Packard Bell EasyNote XS ultra-mobile PC laptop

2007-10-31T10:25:00.000Z

The super-small Packard Bell EasyNote XS ultra-mobile PC laptop has made a big splash in the world of laptop computers. The seven-inch EasyNote XS laptop is just over an inch think and weighs only two pounds, providing the small size and light weight qualities you want in a PDA, combined with the higher functionality you get in a full-sized laptop. The EasyNote XS laptop brings you the best of both worlds. Fumble no more - the EasyNote XS mini laptop is easy to use, featuring a full-sized keyboard, a convenient touch pad and buttons. The built-in Wi-Fi and VGA webcam are perfect for chatting with friends, and the integrated four-in-one memory card lets you download images or share music in a snap. Two USB 2.0 connectors mean you can easily add peripherals, bringing you versatility on the go. This ultra-mobile mini laptop runs Windows XP Home Edition, and features 1,024 MB of RAM and 30 GB hard drive. Finally, the EasyNote XS laptop delivers more than three hours of battery life with Wi-Fi on. The ultra-mobile, ultra-mini EasyNote XS PC laptop retails for only $719. Packard Bell.

Toshiba Qosmio G45 AV680 Review

2007-10-31T10:24:00.001Z

Taking the laptop from work to play, the new Toshiba Qosmio G45 AV680 laptop is the ultimate high-definition showcase for your digital entertainment. As far as HD goes, you can scrutinize the Qosmio G45 AV680 in two ways: by audio and by visual. Slip your favorite HD DVD into the laptop and you won’t be able to take your eyes off the picture displayed on the 17-inch diagonal widescreen with Ultimate TruBrite display - that’s 1,920 by 1,200 native resolution and a picture that’s six times clearer than offered by the standard 15.4-inch laptop. The second mode of attack is the sound - the 5.1 surround-sound Dolby Home Theater with four built-in, high-fidelity Harman Kardon Bass Reflex speakers and an integrated 1-bit digital amplifier. A built-in HD DVD-R3, HD TV tuner and HDMI connector, embedded webcam and microphone, and a remote bring variety to your fingertips. All the technical trimmings include Intel Centrino Duo processor technology with the Intel GM965 chipset, new Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN, and 1GB Intel Turbo Memory for enhanced system performance, application responsiveness and power use. Advanced video processing with NVIDIA’s new GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of VRAM graphics and dual 160GB HDDs deliver dependable performance. The Qosmio G45 AV680 laptop starts from $2,999.99. Toshiba.

Lenovo 3000 Y410 Laptop - Lenovo's First Consumer Laptop

2007-10-31T10:20:00.002Z

Lenovo has made headlines lately with a couple of big “firsts” sparked by the release of their Lenovo 3000 Y410 Laptop: the Y410 laptop is the company’s first consumer laptop, and it’s available at a Big Box retailer near you. The Y410 laptop features a fast, dual-core Intel processor, a 14.1-inch widescreen LCD display offering 1,280 by 800 resolution and integrated Intel graphics chipset, a 160GB hard drive and up to 4GB of memory, a dual-layer DVD writer, a 6-in-1 media card reader, and integrated 1.3 megapixel camera and Dolby Home Theater speakers with sub-woofers running on Vista Home Premium OS. Connectivity includes three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, VGA, S-Video and ExpressCard. The Y410 is about 1.5 inches thick, weighs 5.2 lbs., and retails starting from approximately $700. Lenovo.

Laptop Accessories by ProductDose

2007-10-31T10:20:00.001Z

Laptop backpacks no longer resemble those bulky camping packs. The Booq Boa Laptop Backpack is clean in looks and in function with four main compartments, reinforced backing and a tapered design for a more streamlined style.

The Earthtech Solar Laptop Charger uses 12-watt solar panels to reach its 150-watt capacity in approximately nine hours, providing three hours of power for a 25-watt laptop. In fact, this charger lets you juice up almost any electronic device - even jump start your car with its built-in jumper cables.

Made for the butterfingered bunch, the Working Class Heroes Laptop Wallet helps you get a grip on your gear. The handle straps around your arm to keep your laptop secure when you’re on the go.

When your laptop is too hot to handle, cool it with the Targus Laptop Chill Mat. Two fans pull heat away from the laptop to prevent overheating. And when it's time to go, the Laptop Chill Mat can go with you – it’s powered by the laptop via USB.

NEC LaVie G Type J X-Trail laptop

2007-10-31T10:18:00.000Z

If the thought of a Nissan X-Trail sets your heart aflutter, the NEC Lavie G Type J X-Trail laptop is the one for you. Inspired by the popular rugged Japanese SUV, the Lavie G Type J X-Trail laptop features an exterior clad in the same fire-engine-red colored panels that grace the vehicle, a waterproof nylon case fashioned from the same material as the Nissan X-Trail’s seats, and it’s dotted with X-Trail logos. The 12.1-inch laptop features a U7500 Core 2 Duo, Vista Home Premium, and a dual-layer burner. This limited-edition laptop retails for approximately $2,115.

Lightest Laptop - Sony Vaio G laptop

2007-10-31T10:17:00.002Z

What’s bright, fits in your lap and weighs just 898 grams? It’s the Sony Vaio G laptop. Touted as the world’s lightest laptop PC, the Vaio G has everything you want on the go - it's compact, light, and it'll go for hours. The Vaio G laptop comes with a 12.1-inch LCD screen. Add a little more substance without much more weight to this lightweight laptop – pack it with an optical drive for a weight of 984 grams, still pretty impressive. And the cherry on the sundae is a battery life of 12.5 hours. The Vaio G laptop computer retails for approximately $1,881.

Best Gaming Laptop - new Dell XPS M1730 laptop

2007-10-31T10:17:00.001Z

Touted as the best gaming laptop out there, the new Dell XPS M1730 laptop is the only gaming laptop with AGEIA PhysX processor, which enhances the quality of real-time physics on PhysX-enabled games. To put it simply, when you’ve got the M1730 laptop, games don’t just hint at “real” – they’re bigger, faster, and wickedly real. Dual NVIDIA SLI graphics capability with DirectX 10 allows for the simultaneous operation of two graphics processing units, delivering twice the performance of a single card. Other extras include 512 MB of dedicated video RAM for fast graphics, two x16 graphics channels creating a 3D experience, and Logitech’s GamePanel LCD, which lets gamers track and view stats without ever leaving the game. The M1730 laptop is affectionately dubbed “The Beast” by Dell, and one crack at this baby and you’ll know why. The M1730 is priced from $2,999 up to $4,499 for the best you can get. Dell.

World’s First Turbobook – new MSI GX600 gaming laptop

2007-10-31T10:15:00.000Z

MSI has announced the arrival of the world’s first Turbobook - the MSI GX600 gaming laptop. The GX600 gaming laptop is the only gaming portable to feature MSI’s exclusive Turbo Drive Engine technology. One look at the GX600 gaming laptop and the first thing you’ll notice is the Turbo button taunting you from above the keyboard. You can’t resist pushing it, increasing the speed of the Core 2 Duo from 2.0 GHz to 2.4 GHz, adding short-term performance enhancement to your game. Boot time is just 40 seconds. Additional highlights of the GX600 gaming laptop include the racer-class 3D speaker, digital/analog 5.1-channel headphone output, colorful W/A/S/D buttons, MSI VIVID technology, HDMI connector and the latest wireless N-standard, topped off with a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, DVD Super Multi and integrated Bluetooth. The laptop comes bundled with Windows Vista Home Premium, and features a 15.4-inch non-glare LCD display, and the latest 250GB SATA hard drive. The GX600 gaming laptop retails for $1,499. MSI.

LG E300-AP75K laptop with 160-GB Hybrid HDD

2007-10-31T10:13:00.001Z

The new 13-inch LG E300-AP75K laptop has much more to it than meets the eye. Hidden within the compact, lightweight exterior of the E300-AP75K laptop is a hybrid hard drive with 160 GB of HDD. This laptop features a WXGA panel, 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo T7500 processor, 2GB of RAM, a DVD burner, a 1.3-megapixel camera, HDMI output, WiFi and ATI's Radeon X1250 for graphics handling, all packed in this 13.3-inch, 2.86-pound package. The E300-AP75K laptop is retailing in Korea for approximately $1,700. LG

Fujitsu-Siemens - Amilo Pro V3515 review

2007-10-31T10:08:00.000Z

Fujitsu Siemens claims that its Amilo Pro V3515 is “designed to deliver breath-taking performance.” Sad to report that our review model fell well short of that claim, due to the choice of processor. Although it costs just £333 (including VAT), shopping around you will find other laptops in the same price bracket but with faster processors and better specifications.

It's a big old beast weighing in at 3.15kg (including AC adapter) so it's not one you'll want to carry around all day. Overall the build quality of the chassis is good, though the screen has quite a lot of flex to it, and it looks quite stylish in its silver and black finish.

For some reason Fujitsu Siemens declined to go down the Dual Core or even the Core Solo route with our review Pro V3515, although both processor types are available as options. Instead the company plumped for a Celeron M 520 to provide the processing power.

Although the Celeron M 520 is clocked at 1.6GHz, it's only a single core CPU with 1MB of L2 cache and a 533MHz FSB. You don't even get the benefits of Intel's latest chipset, or any Intel chipset for that matter, as the Pro V3515 uses a VIA chipset combination; P4M900 NorthBridge, VT8237A Southbridge. Backing this lot up is a mere 512MB of PC2-533 memory, which really is poor for a laptop these days.

So what of the overall performance? Well, all you can say really is that it's adequate to let you perform most office applications and that's about it, as confirmed by the PCMark05 score of just 1,659. Sadly, it's not as if the choice of processor gives you improved battery life; we could only squeeze 120 minutes out of it while watching a DVD.

However, if you think the overall performance is poor then the graphics performance is even worse. True, for £300-odd maybe you shouldn't expect much in the way of graphics performance, as at that price point its bound to be an integrated graphics solution, but because of the choice of the VIA chipset, the integrated solution here is the VIA Chrome 9HC chipset. It won't even run 3DMark06 at a 1024 x 768 resolution, let alone its native one, while 3DMark05 gives a score of just 300 and an average frame rate score of just 5fps in F.E.A.R.

So are there any good points? Yes, the 15.4-inch WXGA screen is clear and sharp and has a 1,280 x 800 pixel native resolution and the hard drive supplied is a Western Digital 5,400rpm, 80GB unit; maybe not the fastest notebook drive around but good and reliable. There's a dual layer DVD burner to back up data onto and you also get a PC Card slot. There's no Express card slot, but this is no great loss. To connect to the outside world there is 802.11a/b WiFi, 10/100Mbps wired Ethernet and a 56kbps modem.

There aren't many ports housed in the chassis, but what are there are all useful; four USB 2 ports, two audio ports, LAN and modem ports and a VGA port to connect to an external monitor.

Interestingly, both Windows XP and Vista are offered as operating systems, so if like a lot of people you are not convinced by Vista, you can go down the XP route. Fujitsu supports the Amilo Pro V3515 with a year's RTB warranty.

It's hard to recommend the Amilo Pro V3515 as we received it. A much better idea would be to go for one of the others in the range, many of which are around the £400 mark.

Comparing prices of 'Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro V3515'

Fujitsu-Siemens Fujitsu Siemens AMILO Pro V3515...: £388.70 (PC World Business)

Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro V3515 Laptop Intel Core...: £384.99 (ebuyer)

Fujitsu-Siemens Fujitsu Siemens AMILO Pro V3515...: £388.70 (Microwarehouse)

view more price comparison results

Fujitsu-Siemens - Amilo Pro V3515 features - Verdict

The Amilo family of notebooks has some very impressive members in it, but unfortunately our review system isn't one of them. If you want an Amilo Pro V3515 then we'd suggest picking one of the faster models which offer better value for money.

Fujitsu-Siemens - Amilo Pro V3515 price

Buy Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro V3515 securely online at a bargain price

£333 inc. VAT

Fujitsu-Siemens: 01344 475 666

www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk

Buying Advice on Dell Laptops

2007-10-31T10:07:00.000Z

What Dell Inspiron Laptop is Best For You?

Now more than ever Dell laptops appear to every person with mobile computing needs. In the following Dell laptop computers related article, you could see how basic the product line was but fast forward a year and you can see why this company has come a long way to the consumer's benefit.

The expansion of the product line is surely one of the reasons why Dell laptops are the most popular notebooks in the Windows environment. People may disagree with me but check out all research companies and their findings are the more or less same.

Which one of the Dell laptops line is best for you?

Briefly, I will discuss the current line of Dell laptop computers and provide you with some personal advice on what kind of user the mobile computing device it is designed for. You will surely fall into one of the classes and hence you can check out the notebook in question and see if it really fits your needs and budget.

Before I go on, here's a nice page that side to side compares the different consumer Dell laptops as well as their latest prices.

Dell Inspiron XPS

The Dell Inspiron XPS laptop computer is for serious gamers or other kind of mobile computing users who require power hungry processors to run graphics intense and other demanding applications. If you really fancy laptop gaming on the move, this is the perfect beast.

Dell Inspiron XPS base model includes: Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz processor with Hyper Threading and 800MHz Front Side Bus, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 15.4" UltraSharp WUXGA Wide Display, 128MB ATI Radeon 9700, 512MB 400MHz DDR Dual Channel Memory, 24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive and starts at 9.06lbs

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron XPS laptops

Dell Inspiron 9200

Dell Inspiron 9200 notebooks are the finest compromise between a laptop and a desktop. These kind of laptops are called desktop replacement for a good reason: they do what a normal desktop can do with the advantage of being mobile. But they are not really portable. An occasional move is fine but if you require a highly portable notebook, its size and weight might be a nuisance.

Dell Inspiron 9200 laptop computers base models include: Intel Pentium M 725, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 17" UltraSharpTM Wide Screen Display, 128 MB ATI's Mobility Radeon 9700, 256MB at 333MHz (2x256MB), 8x DVD-ROM Drive and start at 7.71lbs

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 9200 laptops

Dell Inspiron 8600

Dell Inspiron 8600 laptop computers are desktop replacements that have a considerable advantage for mobile computing users who require power, mobility and portability in one handy and inexpensive combo. If you carry your laptop more often than not and need to connect to the Internet or other networks, this Dell Centrino laptop will be the ultimate choice for you as it allows you to access wireless networks and are designed to be powerful yet have no major power consumption allowing you to work longer without running to the closest electrical outlet. A true revolution!

Dell Inspiron 8600 notebook base models include: Pentium M Processor (Centrino) 1.4GHz and 400MHz Front Side Bus, 15.4" WXGA Wide Display, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 32MB NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 Go Graphics, 256MB DDR Memory, 24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive and starts at 6.9lbs

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 8600 Centrino laptops

Dell Inspiron 700m

Aka, the Wide Screen Traveler. The title says it all really. Check out the great features such as Intel Pentium 725 (1.6GHz) Processor, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 12.1" Wide Screen Crystal-Clear WXGA Display, 256MB Shared DDR Memory, 8X DVD-ROM Drive and starting at 4.1lbs with DVD Drive. OK... now who's going to travel without a DVD drive, I wonder?

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 700m travellers' laptops

Dell Inspiron 600m

Dell Inspiron 600m are the laptops of choice for consumers who are very mobile and need a fuss-free portable laptop that can do what a computer is supposed to do without giving headaches. Using the now famous Centrino technology, these laptops can access networks such as the Internet wirelessly, perform as better as any other computer with the distinction advantage of being easy on the battery consumption and the best of it all is that you will never have back problems as you did with other bricks (huge laptops) because they are pretty light.

Dell Inspiron 600m Centrino notebook computers base models include: Intel Pentium M Processor 1.4GHz and 400MHz Front Side Bus, 14.1" XGA TFT Display, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 32MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 Graphics, 256MB DDR Memory, 8X DVD-ROM Drive and start at 4.98lbs

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 600m Centrino wireless laptops

Dell Inspiron 6000

The perfect desktop replacement for those with minimal computing needs who also do not want to spend a fortune on a quality notebook. The Dell Inspiron 6000 will be our top choice for home or non-mobile portable computer shoppers.

A glance at the most relevant specifications reveals that the Inspiron 6000 notebooks are available with features such as: Intel Celeron M 350 Processor (1.30GHz, 1MB Cache, 400MHz FSB), Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 256MB Shared5 DDR2 Memory, 15.4" Wide Screen XGA Display, 30GB6 Ultra/ATA 100 Hard Drive, Integrated Intel Media Accelerator 900TM, 8x DVD-ROM Drive and weight starting at 6.65 lbs which is pretty heavy for a laptop.

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 6000 notebooks

Dell Inspiron 1150

I am always the first to say that if you don't have money to buy a laptop computer, rather wait and save up than buy a useless machine. The Dell Inspiron 1150 are very well priced notebooks that you will find anywhere. And I am amazed how they can do the most basic computing things (which is what most people do anyway). This is the ideal computer for students, kids and those who need a computer on a limited basis. I cannot still believe that such a good laptop computer can be this cheap... check it out for yourself, you will not believe it!

Dell Inspiron 1150 base models include: Intel Celeron Processor at 2.4GHz and 400MHz Front Side Bus, 14.1" XGA TFT Display, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics, 256MB Shared DDR Memory, 8X DVD-ROM Drive and start at 7.22lbs

Learn more, customize or see the latest deals on the Dell Inspiron 1100 laptops

Phewwww! There you have it. It has been a long article but well worth the effort. I hope that you find it useful in your Dell Inspiron laptop computer buying process. As you probably know, Dell's prices are good and their customer service appreciated by most which is why they are the leaders in notebook systems sales. Happy shopping!

The Best Gaming Laptops

2007-10-31T10:04:00.001Z

This page showcases some of the best gaming laptops on the market at the moment (October 2003). The reason behind this article in the first place is that many visitors have been asking me what the best laptop computers for games were. And since, I have only played games with 4 models only, I decided to first compile a list of notebooks that are known to be the ultimate for gamers.

The second way I compiled the gaming laptops list was by going through each of the main laptop computers manufacturers products and selecting (according to the unit's specifications) a notebook that is suitable for laptop gaming. You will notice that the gaming notebooks featured here are displayed in alphabetical order. This is to keep things as unbiased as I possibly can although if you really read between the lines, you will be able to see which one are my favourites :o)

PS - Apologies for the lack of gaming laptops pictures, the article is long enough already so images will make it heavier.

So without any further ado, here are..

The Top Ten Gaming Laptops

Acer TravelMate 430
The Acer TravelMate 430 is ideal for laptop gaming because it is purposefully optimised for graphics-hungry game as well as video. It has a powerful and fast processor, Intel Pentium 4 Processor at 3.06 GHz. It features the amazing Ati Mobility Radeon 7500 card which will make displaying those graphics an amazing visual experience.

Sample essential features of the Acer TravelMate 430 gaming laptop PC are: a thermal design that allows more heat dissipation, Audio DJ buttons to help you control the notebook without turning it on, a 3-in-1 card reader that supports Secure Digital , MultiMediaCard and Memory Stick formats and a light and thin design which is really handy if you are a true mobile computer user.
Alienware Area-51m
I will not even waste time here. Everybody is calling the Alienware Area-51m the best gaming laptop computer on the market in the Windows world. Reviewers chant its praises and above all gamers who have put the notebook to the test.

The Alienware Area-51m is custom made exclusively for laptop gaming so you can imagine that the people behind it have made sure that you get only the best features and components to maximize your gaming experience. Features such as: user-upgradeable video modules which is very self-explanatory, a fast Pentium 4 processor. a huge display area thanks to the 16.1" LCD screen, dual hard drive support to allow you to switch hard drives back and forth depending on your needs, a performance 19.05mm pitch 88-key keyboard that you will be thankful for if you know how annoying conventional laptop keyboards can be and the 3-in-1 memory card reader.
Apple 17-inch PowerBook G4
What can I say about the Apple 17-inch PowerBook G4 without coming across as a fanatic? Well, this notebook is one that you should examine if you not only are a Mac user but also a true "computer gaming head". It was the first 17" laptop ever and was an instant hit among game fans.

The Apple 17-inch PowerBook G4 is very fast and powerful for a laptop. It features a 1.33GHz G4 processor, an ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR SDRAM to help you break the speed of visual experience. You can also burn DVDs with it and can be optimised to hold up to 2GB of RAM which in anyone books will be more than enough to handle. Another handy feature that will make you the envy of many is the cool backlit keyboard that will help you see those keys when there isn't enough light for you to see properly.
Compaq Presario 3050us
The Compaq Presario 3050us is a true monster notebook. I don't know if HP (the new owners of Compaq) wanted to prove a point that are still strong in the mobile computer game by unleashing such powerful and fast laptop computer. Anyway, when I went over to their site looking for what they had to offer, I immediately added this to this list as the Compaq Presario 3050us truly deserves the attention of laptop gamers.

Here's an overview of this Compaq Presario 3050 notebook: a SiS 650 UMA Graphics 4X AGPand 64MB shared video memory, a rather large 16" SXGA display screen and the ultra powerful and fast 3.06GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor which is a big deal for a laptop at the time of writing. Sadly, it does not feature a DVD writer but you can now very cheap external ones from almost every computer accessories dealers.
Dell Inspiron 8500 and 8600 models
I have a friend who owns a Dell Inspiron 8500 and I have seen first hand how perfect it is for laptop gaming purposes. Believe me, with the very nice price, this is one laptop that you should get right away. I don't really want to come across as pushy but this thing is the bomb!

Enough ranting, here's why I rate the Dell Inspiron 8500 as the best among gaming laptops. A mobile Intel Pentium 4-M processor that can be customized to a speed of up to 2.6GHz, 32MB Ati Mobility Radeon 9000, and NVIDIA GeForce4 4200 for video graphics, a hard drive as huge as 80GB and just like the featured Apple 17" (above), up to 2GB of RAM! The only caveat is the weight which at around 6.9 lbs can have an effect on your shoulders if you plan to be on the move a lot.
Fujitsu Celsius Mobile H
I hope this does not go down as plagiarism but I feel that the Fujitsu people describe their potential gaming laptop better than I ever could. Here's the quote: "If you run power-hungry 3D business applications that require workstation graphics performance, you'll appreciate the CELSIUS Mobile H mobile workstation. Equipped with the power of NVIDIA's Quadro4 Go GL GPU for real-time rendering of 3D OpenGL graphics, complex simulations, and multimedia animations, the CELSIUS Mobile H mobile workstation offers powerful mobility encased in an elegant and functional design. The system delivers the workstation-level performance required by your most demanding applications with every powerful component - from the fast Intel® Pentium® 4 processor to the ultra-high resolution LCD display"

The other features that characterize gaming laptops that they have left out of the above well written paragraph, are: 15" UXGA display area, a 5400RPM 60Gb hard drive, and a three-year international limited warranty which is god sent for those who travel regularly overseas.
Gateway M350XL
What so unique about the Gateway® M350XL to make it part of this gaming laptops list? Well, for one I have to feature a Gateway laptop and secondly this laptop has all the specifications that the best gaming laptops should have: a large display screen, a huge hard drive, a quality video card and a powerful processor to work on those intense graphics as fast and furiously as possible.
HP Pavilion ZD7001us
This HP Pavilion ZD7001us features a huge 17" WXGA+ TFT display screen so rest assured that you will have the best visual laptop gaming experience if you choose to take one home with you. The graphics will be more than crisp clear thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5600. The HP Ppavilion ZD7001 comes full featured with a DVD writer which is a feature that gaming laptops should all have in my opinion. Oh... did I even mention how it will devour other gaming laptops with a Intel Pentium 4 processor 3.06GHz with Hyper-Threading?
Sony VAIO GRT 250/270 Series
The Sony GRT series (especially the 250 and the 270) are ideal gaming laptops thanks to their powerful processors of course but also because generally Sony laptops seem to be optimised for multi-media application according to industry professionals. I don't know if it's really true of it is just a perception but I would not be surprised given that Sony's other electronic products do include video and music.

With the GRT series, you can get display screen of up to 16.1” UXGA and NVIDIA® GeForce4™ FX Go 5600 64 MB video DDR SGRAM for graphics perfection, a large hard drive... Basically, all the essential specs that are found on gaming laptops.
Toshiba P25 Series
I don't know if I am right in saying this but I think (and I am not sure at all) that the Toshiba P25 series were the second laptops to feature 17.0" diagonal Wide-Screen XGA display after the 17" PowerBook from Apple.

The features that make them ideal gaming laptops are: Intel Pentium 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading technology, DVD multi drive , NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5200 GPU w/64MB DDR SDRAM, and rather fast and huge 80GB 5,400rpm hard drives.

Remote Control of Your Laptop or Desktop Computer Via the Web

2007-10-31T10:03:00.001Z

You'll never have to go back to work just to get a forgotten file!

You’re out of town on business; your meeting starts in fifteen minutes, and you realize you’ve forgotten a critical file. No need to panic. You’ve got Internet access in your hotel and you installed GoToMyPC on your office desktop or laptop computer before you left.

GoToMyPC is a secure and easy way to access your laptop computer from any browser-equipped computer anywhere in the world. Once your notebook pc is enabled, you can access it at any time from anywhere by logging in to the GoToMyPC Web site. You have full control of the computer and all files, programs and network resources available on the machine. You simply work on your PC as if you were sitting in front of it, even though you may be thousands of miles away.

This makes telecommuting, working from home and keeping up while traveling much easier than its ever been before. You can work on your computer remotely or transfer files between the computer you’re using and the one you’re accessing. Unlike conventional remote control software or VPN solutions (virtual private networks), GoToMyPC doesn’t require you to fiddle with port settings, IP addresses or complicated software and hardware installations. Setup takes only 2 minutes. And it even works behind corporate firewalls.

The only requirement is that your laptop computer must be left on and connected to the Internet in order to access it remotely. GoToMyPC can only be used with Windows PCs for now, but MAC and Linux versions are expected in the future. GoToMyPC uses 128-bit end-to-end encryption plus multiple password challenges to ensure security.

You can get a free trial by: Clicking Here.

How to buy the best laptop computer

2007-10-31T10:01:00.000Z

Best laptops shopping secrets

Let's face it, everyone is shopping for the best laptop computer in the whole wide world. I certainly ask myself on a daily basis what the best laptops on the market are and how I can get my hands on one at a given time. In this article, I will explain to you how to spot the best notebook PC ever that will suit your needs.

One thing, I need to tell you upfront is that there is no best laptop in the world. "What?", I hear you ask, "I thought that he was going to reveal to me what the best laptops are!". Dear reader, who is the most beautiful (wo)man in the world? What is the best car on the whole planet? What is the most beautiful country? What's the best movie ever? I hope that you see where I am getting at...

The best laptop computer is the notebook PC that will fulfill all your computing needs without any hassles, glitches and other nightmares that coming with owning computers. If you were expecting me to name the best laptops by giving out specific brands, I am sorry but I will not get into this controversial debate. Bill Gates has his favorite laptop, so does Michael Dell (it better be a Dell laptop :), so do your friends and so do I. If I told you what the best notebook is, I would be merely stating my opinion. And believe me, buying anything especially computers based on someone's sole personal most liked brand can be dangerous to your wallet and overall mobile computing experience.

Fortunately, I have what I call the "best laptop formula". This is a set of characteristics that you should be looking out for to determine what the best laptops are. From this list, one portable PC will make itself stand out and you'll then realize that it's the one. At the risk of sounding dramatic, it's almost like choosing a lifetime companion. Not so dramatic really -- if you think about it... After all, you will have to entrust your precious data into this notebook. It will be with you on the road. In good times and in bad times. So you might as well find and choose the perfect one.

Ten steps to the best laptop computers

Below, I have listed ten qualities that should be present in the best laptops. Read them carefully, think about them for a minute or two and keep them in mind every single time you come across any given laptop and you need to figure out if it is the best one for you.

1)Built around your needs: The best laptop has to have been manufactured with your (mobile) computing needs in mind and not the other way round, i.e.: a computer for which you have to change your habits to get the best experience from it. Yes, it's all about you!

2) Reliability: the best laptops will never let you down. OK maybe sometimes but not 90% of your journey together. If you hear via the grapevine (from expert sources) that the computer you're considering is no good, run before you get too attached.

3) Performance: the best notebook computer will do what you want it to do at any given time and even more. That is its function and that is why you bought it in the first place. Wether you are a heavy gamer, a multi-media pro or just love multi-tasking, your wish and commands will have to be executed fast and without a glitch.

4) Perfect price: the best laptop PCs are well priced. Well priced does not necessarily mean, ridiculously cheap. Sometimes, this can be your very first clue to start being suspicious. The best notebooks are worth what they are and what they can do. The trick is to shop for the merchant with the best price!

5) Maintenance: the best laptops are not a nightmare to maintain. Their after sales service are fast, well done and as painless as possible. You do not want to deal with a dealer or manufacturer who will try and find reasons why the warranty is void or why they need 6 months to repair and return your defective portable computer.

6) Portability: the best notebook will be as thin and light as you need it to be. That's unless you want to use it as a weight training tool too. Of course, if you are looking for a desktop replacement, size and weight are no big deals.

7) Up gradable: the best laptop should be up gradable to a certain extent. Why? Well, as your needs change, you don't want your current portable PC to be useless. Unless, it's well worth the expense.

8)...

I have to interrupt this article. This is because, it's getting long and I don't have space for more points (OK... no more come at this stage :). But, you have more that enough guidelines to help you on your quest in searching for the best laptops. Get clicking and good luck! I hope this article helped. Please send me an e-mail with your experiences: mail [at] laptopadvisor.com. Thanks!

Tips on choosing the right laptop specifications

2007-10-31T10:00:00.001Z

The Laptop Buyer's Guide.

Now that you know why exactly you need a laptop and have determined what you are going to use it for, now is the time to identify the features that your notebook computer must have.

I am not a computer hardware guru and even though I know what the essential components of a laptop are I can't really explain them. I guess it's one of those things... ("Hey! I don't know everything you know" :).

But fear not, I have identified three articles to learn all about notebook specs. (These links will open new browser windows. Read all the articles and then come back here...)

By the time, you finish reading the above articles, you'll be equipped with the right information to make the best purchase but not before we tackle this one question.

What is the best notebook computer brand?

This is one of those questions that will never have a right or wrong answer. Let me explain... Everyone will answer this question based on his/ her experience or those to the people this person knows.

When I asked an IT manager, he said "HP" (Hewlett-Packard). "Why?", said I. "I have bought five for the company and they have never let us down. On the other hand, a friend of mine got a Dell the other day and two weeks later the darn thing overheated and ceased to function!", he replied.

When asked the same question, one of my friends who owns a multimedia design business assured me that Dell was the best bet because, their post-purchase service is excellent and Dell computers are good and reasonably priced.

From the above anecdotes, you'll notice that each of the respondents base their answers from what they have experienced or heard.

What notebook brand should you purchase?

My answer is deceptively simple. Go for the well known global brands whose other products you already own. Let's say that you already own a Sony digital camera and a Sony MP3 player. One of your family members also happens to own a Vaio (Sony's notebooks).

What's your obvious choice? Sony of course :)

An obvious tip: if you're a Mac user, you're obviously going to go for a Mac laptop right? Right of course! It's in your best interests!

Another example. Let's say that you travel a lot.

It would be in your best interests to opt for a brand that is present in all the countries that you plan to visit. Why? Because, you want that peace of mind when you know that should something go wrong with your laptop PC, you can get local help instead of nightmare international calls.

Another reason why you should go for well known brands...

The laptop industry is *very* competitive. What would happen if you ever bought a machine from a little company that later goes bankrupt because of the tough competition? Stick with the biggies and stay on the safe side.

Here's an interesting point. I have never come across any claim that stated that a certain laptop brand was far better than an other (among the "big guys"). What I know is that certain manufactures might make a good component but another one would fail to be top-notch.

Don't be fooled by pricing either. It costs more or less the same amount of resources to manufacture a laptop wether your are company A or B. The end price is a marketing tool that is used to either attract those who are budget conscious or those who believe that high pricing equals to better quality.

This is where I am going to leave you on your own and let you choose your specific notebook brand. If I gave you my advice, it would be based on my own experiences and would be completely subjective.

As you finish reading this article, you now know the exact features that your ideal laptop should have and you also settled on a specific brand.

What you need to do now is determine where to buy your notebook at the best possible price without shooting yourself in the foot either, buying from a merchant with poor support for example.

We're going to find out where to buy your laptop computer.

What Laptop Is Best For You? How is a laptop different from a desktop?

2007-10-31T09:57:00.000Z

Part 2 of The Laptop Buyer's Guide.

Possibly, the greatest mistake that unhappy notebook owners made was to buy their mobile computer without determining its use. In other words, they knew that they wanted a laptop but never got around to asking themselves what they wanted their portable computer to do. I certainly hope that this article will help you avoid unnecessary frustrations

This time, ask yourself...

What will I be using notebook computer for?

(Btw: you'll notice that I emphasize on asking yourself questions. I have found that being curious before I spend my precious money usually saves me from making decisions that might be fatal to my bank account. Besides when someone asks himself or herself "why?", it forces them to come up with logical reasoning instead of acting on emotional impulses)

Why do I say "for the next three years?"

Because this is the usual maximum lengthy of a laptop warranty. Believe me, owning a computer that is not covered by some sort of warranty is almost the same as living without medical aid. You simply have to be extra careful or lucky and able to afford to have your laptop repaired when something goes nasty. For instance, did you know that the cost to buy a new laptop screen is so high that it's much better to consider purchasing a new unit?

Where were we?

Ah yes, "What will I be using notebook computer for?"

Nowadays, it is hard to determine where life will take you in three years time (for me at least) so jotting down the exact purpose of your laptop can be quite a task. This is why I suggest determining your overall notebook use. Now, things are going to get a little bit technical but please fear not, it's not that hard.

When I was new to the world of notebooks or laptops, everyone I approached for advice (mistake number one: asking too many people for advice which is usually a mere opinion) usually asked me: "What are the specs you need?". On my silence, they usually proceeded in bombarding me with terms such as processor, resolution, speed, swappable drive that almost made me believe that I was a freaking idiot!

It wasn't until a colleague in the IT department at the company I work for asked me what exactly I wanted to do with a laptop. As I spoke, he wrote down all my answers and at the end of the conversation, he told me that a Pentium III with at least a 1GHz processor, 256 Kb of RAM, 30 Gb of hard drive space and with a CD writer would be the best choice for me.

To help you come up with the purpose of your laptop computer, I have put together a hotlist of features that are found on notebooks. All the features will be listed with their meaning and it's up to you to determine if you need them.

So, get a piece of paper and a pen and do this easy exercise. Write down what you plan to use your notebook computer for. Don't be shy, jot down as much detail as you can, yes even the most mundane tasks like receiving email. Spend a full day at it if you must.

What are we going to do with the end results?

Good question. We'll use them to track down the best machine for you... How? Click below to find out!

The Most Important Question You Must Ask Before Buying A Laptop!

2007-10-31T09:55:00.000Z

Part 1 of The Laptop Buyer's Guide.

If you're a complete beginner to buying a laptop computer, this is without a doubt the simplest, yet most important piece of advice that you'll ever read. I know that this is a very powerful claim but failing to heed this tip can cause you unnecessary frustration and a serious waste of your time and money. With that said, the first and most important step you must take before you even start any sort of shopping around, price comparing or product review reading is (drums please!)...

"Why?"

Yup! Ask yourself "why". That is more than enough. Asking yourself why you want to buy a notebook will determine wether you get the best possible machine for the best possible price or if you'll just make a decision that will cost you in weeks and months to come. Let me explain... for some reasons still unknown to me, when people decide to buy a thing, they usually turn to individuals whose advice is actually better to avoid. By the way: Just for your information "laptop" and "notebook" are the two common words used to describe these type of portable computers. Quite frankly, I have no idea which of the two terms is the proper one but I know that technology savvy people and manufacturers tend to use the latter and consumers settle for the former.

If you venture into the laptop department at your local computer store and ask one of those friendly salespeople, pardon me, 'customer assistants' for advice you will invariably be asked one question: "How much money do you have to spend?". This, my friend, is your cue to secure your wallet and run. The salesperson wants to determine your budget and then 'advise' you on how to spend every penny of it, thereby maximizing his or her commission or meeting a quota. A few months down the line you may realize that you don't even use many of the bells and whistles for which you paid dearly.

On the other hand, if you ever ask a technophile -- someone who's in love with technology and who lives for the latest, fastest or most powerful gismos -- for some laptop buying help, he'll recommend to you the latest, fastest and most powerful notebook computer.

This causes a problem for two main reasons: 1) any thing that is "latest" is most of the times also "more expensive" besides being unnecessary. 2) you can never win at the "latest craze" game as faster and more powerful portable computers enter the market on a weekly basis. You will never have the most powerful laptop on the block, period.

There's also a third group of people who will try to give you advice regarding a notebook purchase: Those whose money is at stake.... Some of such people are called bosses, financial managers, parents :), husbands or wives, banks, basically anyone whose money you might use to finance your laptop computer (except for loan sharks of course...).

I know of an accounting firm that provides its auditors with laptops to use on the move. I kid you not, these notebooks spend more than two thirds of their life cycle being serviced because they are such cheap and useless piece of... garbage -- I almost swore! :)

And there are more people who will try to give you advice. They do it because they want to help out or show off but ultimately, only YOU know what is the best laptop computer for you. There isn't any shortage of advice in this world but most of the times, it will throw you off track by confusing you.

Again, ask yourself:

Why do I really need a laptop?

Then write down your *exact* motives.

Enough preaching, here's a quick practical example before I finish off...

Suppose that you're a working mother with two wonderful children with so many different hobbies and after school activities that you spend half your days driving them back and forth. You feel that you need to purchase a laptop because you could be writing more of your book that's in the pipeline but also polish all the columns you write as a freelance writer for extreme combats related publications, while you sit and wait for your daughter to finish her kick boxing classes and your son to finish the wrestling practice (pretty rough family, you mob are :)

That is a pretty good reason why and a smart one if you may allow me to give you a compliment. With that in mind, when you decide to buy the notebook, you'll know that the latest Pentium IV 2.8 GHz with 40 Gb is a very nice laptop but not for you thanks...

Ask yourself "Exactly why do I need a laptop computer?" and your answer will be your ultimate guide in your shopping journey.

Sony Vaio Laptops Guide:

2007-10-31T09:48:00.000Z

Reviews and Comparisons of the FRV, GRT, TR, V505 and Z1 Sony laptop computers

Updated Sony Laptops Guide

A few months ago I wrote:"The reason I am so impressed with Sony laptops is that they have such a big variety of Vaio notebooks (10) that any man, woman or child that needs a mobile computer will find one to suit his or her computing needs." (Please note that this page is an update of the previous Sony laptops reviews page which happens to be a little bit stale today)

The wide and ever changing Sony Vaio laptops range can be problematic too. If there's a new Sony laptop on the market every so often, how is the consumer supposed to keep up? I admit that things change so fast in the world of Vaio notebooks that it's hard to keep this page updated. But the info that you'll find on this page regarding Sony laptops is valid as from September 2003.

Yes, even this article became a little bit stale and was replaced with a much current Sony laptop computers guide and mini-directory.

With all that said, let's get to it, shall we?

Sony Vaio Laptops Reviews, Comparisons and Buying Guide
Sony Vaio laptops compared: FRV - GRT - TR - V505 - Z1
Where to shop for Sony Vaio laptop computers

Sony Vaio laptops: FRV series reviews & comparisons

The FRV series Sony laptops are the ideal notebooks for the more than average computer user (gamers, multimedia professionals) who needs a powerful system that performs all the applications in fast and effective manner. At the time of writing this, they are fairly priced and I would recommend such laptops to you if you find yourself needing a mobile computer to replace your current desktop

The essential features of the FRV series Vaio laptops are: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.80 GHz • DVD-RW/CD-RW drive available • 15" XGA TFT display • 512 MB DDR SDRAM • 40 GB hard drive which can be upgraded of course if you need to store more data. Available models include the PCG-FRV28 and the PCG-FRV26 laptops.

Sony Vaio laptops: GRT series reviews & comparisons

The Sony Vaio GRT laptop computers are probably the most customisable notebooks offered by the manufacturer. For instance, you can opt for a 16" screen if you would like a large visual area. Or, if you have fairly average computing needs, you can settle for a Celeron processor whereas if you demand absolute performance you could configure your system with a Pentium 4 processor with speeds up to 2.8GHz. I would recommend GRT Sony laptops to you if you happen to have rather unique mobile computing habits.

The essential configurable features of the GRT series Sony Vaio laptops are: Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, or Mobile Intel ® Celeron® • DVD-RW/CD-RW drive available • 14,15 or 16" XGA TFT display • up to 512 MB DDR SDRAM • up to 80 GB hard drive. Available models include: PCG-GRT230 series (configurable); PCG-GRT250/270 series (configurable), PCG-GRT170 and the PCG-GRT160 .

Sony Vaio laptops: TR series reviews & comparisons

The Sony Vaio VAIO® TR Series laptops are the ultimate notebooks for highly mobile computer users. They are ultra slim and very light which is a dream come true for you if currently find yourself lugging around a heavy laptop that causes problems in the airplane and that gives you uneven shoulders :-). But are such small and light notebook computers able to perform as best as you want them too? Of course! All this is mainly due to the revolutionary Intel Centrino technology that allows much more to be done on a computer using less battery life which directly impacts your productivity and the size and weight of your laptop.

The other amazing feature of these Sony Vaio laptops is the built-in digital cameras... In my humble opinion it's a very good idea but what if while sitting in your favourite restaurant, you see something worth showing your friends that is going on in the middle of the street? You might look slightly silly running around with your laptop trying to get that snapshot ;-) OK... that's not the real of the digital camera, I know..

Anyway, if you spend most times on the move than behind a desk and absolutely need a computer, The Vaio TR series Sony laptops should be your absolute choice. Here are the main features: Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology • 10.6” Wide XBRITE™ TFT display (1280 x 768) • built-in digital camera • Weight: 3.11 lbs light. Available models include the PCG-TR2AP3, PCG-TR2AP1 and the PCG-TR2A notebooks.

Sony Vaio laptops: V505 series reviews & comparisons

Sony laptops Vaio V505 Series are pretty light and small mobile computers but that are equipped with some serious power to allow you to perform any computing fast and effortlessly. One thing I have to add is that the Vaio V505 Series are pretty sleek notebooks that will sure turn more than one head when you casual whip it out at a business presentation or at your neighbourhood Starbucks. So, if you live in that world where image can be everything, do yourself a favour and do check out the V505.

The Sony Vaio V505 laptops are available as "ready to order" (PCG-V505BX) or you can customize your own if you feel that the standard ones do not meet your specifications of choice. Here are the essential features: 12.1" XGA TFT display • Mobile Intel® Celeron® processor or Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor available • optional double capacity battery • integrated 802.11b/g wireless LAN • integrated CD-RW/DVD combo drive • ultra lightweight and compact design. Available models include: V505DC2 series (configurable) and the ready to order PCG-V505BX laptop.

Sony Vaio laptops: Z1 series reviews & comparisons

In my opinion, the Sony Z1 Series laptops represent the future of mobile computing. These were the first Vaio models to feature the increasingly popular and useful Intel Centrino technology that makes it possible to design powerful notebooks that do not consume a lot of energy which directly impacts the design of these laptop computers by making them light and slim hence highly mobile and portable.

These Sony laptops are not for the budget minded shopper though. But, if you live by the "you get what you pay for" mantra, you not be disappointed as the Vaio Z1 notebooks will certainly enrich your computing experience. You will find such essential features as: Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology, Microsoft® Windows® Operating Systems, 14.1” SXGA+ TFT display (1400 x 1050), elegant & light design and a long battery life. Available models include: PCG-Z1RAP1 and the PCG-Z1RA.

Dell XPS M1730 First Look Review

2007-10-30T16:43:00.000Z

Submitted by Kevin on Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The Dell XPS M1730 is the latest high-end gaming notebook from Dell, replacing the aging M1710. Dell has improved both the outside appearance of this gaming rig and the components inside its glossy shell. One item added to this notebook, a first for any notebook, is the AGEIA PhysX Processing Unit. Packed inside you also get dual 256MB NVIDIA 8700M GTs running in SLI alongside the Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor making this notebook a force to be reckoned with.
This Dell XPS M1730 has the following configuration:
System: Dell XPS M1730 (Smoke Color)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8 GHz)
Memory: 2GB @ 667MHz - 2 DIMM Slots (2 x 1GB) (Max Ram 4GB)
Hard Drive: 2x200GB 7200 RPM running RAID 0
Graphics Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT with 512MB total memory
Physics Card: AGEIA PhysX 100M
Screen: 17" WUXGA Truelife (1920 x 1200)
Optical Drive: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW/+R) with Dual-Layer
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
Wireless Card: Intel 4965 (802.11b/g/n)
Battery: 9-cell lithium ion recharegable battery
Ports / Slots: 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader, DVI-D, VGA video output, S-Video, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), 6 USB 2.0, Express Card slot, Modem, Ethernet/LAN, Microphone in, Headphone out
Price of this configuration: $4,499 (base model starts at $2,999)

Build and Design
From the moment you slide the notebook out of the box, you realize just how massive this notebook is. Clocking in at over 10lbs for the notebook alone (add on almost 3lbs for the ac adapter), you realize this is more of a portable desktop in terms of weight and gaming power. The body is extremely well built, on par with many rugged business notebooks, in some cases could probably destroy the business notebook in a fight.

The display cover is a mix between a glossy painted plastic finish, and a semi-transparent plastic shell that LED's illuminate to show off the Dell "XPS" logo. The materials used are fairly scratch resistant, and should hold up well with minimal scuffs over time. For a gaming rig the design is pretty tame, and not too flashy, but with the lights going full blaze it will stand out in a classroom. The color for our review model was the "Smoke Grey" design, but Bone White, Crimson Red, and Sapphire Blue are also available.

Screen
The Dell WUXGA screen included on the M1730 is gorgeous. Colors are rich and vibrant, and the backlight is fairly powerful. Black levels are very deep, and backlight bleed is minimal. Unless you are extremely picky you would consider the screen to the perfect. Viewing angles while not perfect are much better than average, meaning colors stay fairly accurate at steeper vertical viewing angles.Another screen exclusive to the M1730 is the inclusion of a LCD gaming screen, similar to those found on many gaming keyboards. This provides information such as processor and ram usage, media controls, stop watch, timers, and other capabilities.
Below is a video highlighting some of the features of this notebook and it gives you a look at the quality of the screen.

Speakers
The speakers on the exceptional, and what you would expect from a gaming rig. Volume levels are more than adequate for intense gaming, and frequencies from all but the lower range come through clearly. Although no subwoofer was present on this model, bass reproduction seemed to be within the same range as models equipped with them.

Gaming and Performance
So what exactly did you buy a 10lb notebook for anyways? I am betting it was for the insane performance that can usually only be seen with much larger desktop gaming setups. Since this is a first look we wont go too in depth on its performance, but will give you a few hints.
wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi.

Notebook / CPU
wPrime 32M time
Dell XPS M1730 (Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 @ 2.8GHz)
29.345s
Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 @ 1.6GHz)
53.827s
HP Pavilion dv6500z (AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)
40.759s
Systemax Assault Ruggedized (Core 2 Duo T7200 @2.0GHz)
41.982s
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @2.2GHz)
37.299s
HP Compaq 6910p (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)
40.965s
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz)
76.240s
Zepto 6024W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2GHz)
42.385s
Lenovo T61 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
37.705s
Alienware M5750 (Core 2 Duo T7600 @ 2.33GHz)
38.327s
Hewlett Packard DV6000z (Turion X2 TL-60 @ 2.0GHz)
38.720s
Samsung Q70 (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)
42.218s
Acer Travelmate 8204WLMi (Core Duo T2500 @ 2.0GHz)
42.947s
Samsung X60plus (Core 2 Duo T7200 @ 2.0GHz)
44.922s
Zepto Znote 6224W (Core 2 Duo T7300 @ 2.0GHz)
45.788s
Samsung Q35 (Core 2 Duo T5600 @ 1.83GHz)
46.274s

PCMark05 comparison results:
Notebook
PCMark05 Score
Dell XPS M1730 (2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X7900, Dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT 512MB)
7,006 PCMarks (7,953 PCMarks overclocked to 3.4GHz)
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)
3,585 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)
4,925 PCMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)
3,377 PCMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)
4,591 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)
4,153 PCMarks
Lenovo 3000 V200 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)
3,987 PCMarks
Lenovo T60 Widescreen (2.0GHz Intel T7200, ATI X1400 128MB)
4,189 PCMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)
4,234 PCMarks
Fujitsu N6410 (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400)
3,487 PCMarks
Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX)
5,597 PCMarks
Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)
3,637 PCMarks
Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400, Nvidia Go 7400)
3,646 PCMarks
3DMark06 comparison results:
Notebook
3DMark06 Score
Dell XPS M1730 (2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X7900, Dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT 512MB)
8,369 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS)
1,269 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1420 (2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)
1,329 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)
532 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)
1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)
1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)
2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB
2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66 Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)
2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)
1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)
1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)
827 3DMarks
Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400)
794 3DMarks

Heat and Noise
For a gaming notebook the XPS M1730 is incredibly tame in terms of heat and noise output. Fan noise is less than my Lenovo T60, although the M1730 is pushing more air. Heat output is higher from its vents, but it is also twice the size and 8x as powerful. Keyboard and palmrest temperatures were very low, barely above room temperature even after the notebook had been on for a while. For a notebook that you might spend hours in front of, this was pleasantly surprised with.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The XPS M1730 sports a full-size keyboard with 10-key number pad. Key spacing is just about perfect, and key action is excellent. Support beneath the keyboard is good, although some flex can be felt when you press firmly onto the sides of the keyboard.

A full array of media controls are also present on this notebook, located on the front edge of the notebook. They were far enough out of the way that you wouldn't accidentally hit them by accident, but they were also close enough to easily access.

Input and Output Ports:
Front: Infrared Port and media controls.

Left Side: DVI, Svideo, USB, Firewire, 5-in-1 Card Reader, Fixed Optical bay, microphone and 2 headphone jacks.
Right Side: Expresscard/54, Wireless On/Off, Wifi Catcher button, 2 USB, and Kensington lock slot.

Rear: Power Input, USB, and LAN.

The touchpad on the XPS M1730 is very nice, with quick and accurate finger tracking. Dell touchpads I have found to be finicky in the past with lag, and this had none of it. Another element to this touchpad is the white XPS logo is illuminated from behind, allowing you to set it to a rainbow of colors.
A full array of media controls are also present on this notebook, located on the front edge of the notebook. They were far enough out of the way that you wouldn't accidentally hit them by accident, but they were also close enough to easily access.

Battery and Power
Battery life is not one of the key shopping points on many gaming notebooks. Fully charged, when unplugged from the wall the XPS M1730 reported 1 hour and 27 minutes of battery life remaining sitting idle on the desktop. In this type of setting it acts more like a UPS, protecting against power outages or brownouts.

The power adapter is equally as amusing for a portable device, being as large as some ultra portable notebooks themselves. This of course is needed to feed the power demands that a notebook with dual video cards, dual hard drives, and a super fast processor require.
Software and Operating System

Not unlike many of the standard consumer Dell notebooks, you still get a ton of added junk fresh out of the box. From antivirus software to various toolbars, you can figure at least 15 to 20 minutes just uninstalling it all to get a clean gaming platform. With all the unneeded bloatware removed, the included Vista Home Premium operating system really speeds up. My only surprise was our review system had Home Premium, and not Ultimate.

Editor's Note: Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for the full review of the Dell XPS M1730, coming soonBattery life is not one of the key shopping points on many gaming notebooks. Fully charged, when unplugged from the wall the XPS M1730 reported 1 hour and 27 minutes of battery life remaining sitting idle on the desktop. In this type of setting it acts more like a UPS, protecting against power outages or brownouts.

The power adapter is equally as amusing for a portable device, being as large as some ultra portable notebooks themselves. This of course is needed to feed the power demands that a notebook with dual video cards, dual hard drives, and a super fast processor require.

Software and Operating System
Not unlike many of the standard consumer Dell notebooks, you still get a ton of added junk fresh out of the box. From antivirus software to various toolbars, you can figure at least 15 to 20 minutes just uninstalling it all to get a clean gaming platform. With all the unneeded bloatware removed, the included Vista Home Premium operating system really speeds up. My only surprise was our review system had Home Premium, and not Ultimate.
Editor's Note: Stay tuned to NotebookReview.com for the full review of the Dell XPS M1730, coming soon

pire USA intros 3 new widescreen laptop bags

2007-10-30T16:34:00.000Z

October 18, 2007 - 11:38 EDT Spire USA has introduced three new laptop courier bags, designed to offer outstanding protection, convenience and versatility to widescreen laptop owners. Spire’s new laptop bags are known as the Viro, Endo and Mojo and have a suggested retail price of US$80, $90 and $100, respectively. “These bags don’t just protect your laptop – they do it with style, simplicity and attention to detail,” says Cory Barnes, owner of Spire. “And like all Spire bags, they are designed to hold up to a lifetime of use.” The Viro will hold a 13” MacBook, while the mid-sized Endo is designed for the 15” MacBook Pro, and the largest bag, the Mojo, is for the 17” MacBook Pro. A complete list of features is available from the site.

Asus Eee PC 701

2007-10-30T16:29:00.000Z

This past weekend a circular advertised a Vista-powered laptop equipped with a Celeron processor, 14.1-inch display, an 80GB hard drive, and a DVD drive for only $399. For the same price, the Asus Eee PC (see the photo gallery) offers the same amount of RAM and Celeron processor but a smaller seven-inch display, a measly 4GB of storage space, and no DVD drive. And yet there's no way we would give up this two-pound wonder for a "regular" notebook. The Eee PC may be designed to appeal to children and older customers, but it should also tempt anyone looking for a lightweight budget PC that weighs next to nothing and connects to the Internet easily. It's ten times simpler to use than any Windows machine, starts up twice as fast (no crapware!), and is only about a fifth of the cost of other systems in its weight class. It's a little rough around the edges, but the Eee PC is a remarkably versatile machine for the price.
Refreshing InterfaceThe reason why the Eee PC should appeal to kids and grandparents alike is the streamlined, tab-based interface that offers only six easy-to-understand options: Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, and Favorites. In some cases the Asus-designed menu (which runs on top of Linux) merely offers links to sites that Web-savvy users have already bookmarked, like Yahoo e-mail or Google Docs, but these choices are welcome for a target audience that may not be able to find these resources easily. We also appreciated the option of using these quick shortcuts, as opposed to opening the browser first. Users will love having a clutter-free desktop for day-to-day use and will likely find navigating the various options refreshingly simple compared with XP or Vista, as well as with Mac OS X.
Small, But Not Too SmallWe found the small seven-inch, 800 x 480-pixel display pretty easy on the eyes, especially when compared with Ultra-Mobile PCs like the OQO model 02 (5 inches) and FlipStart 1.0 (5.6 inches), but most users don't have that point of reference. A three-year-old accustomed to a 14-inch LCD didn't mind the screen while she was having fun with Mickey and friends on Playhousedisney.com. On the other hand, we don't see many people above the age of 50 using this device as their primary computer unless they hook it up to a bigger external LCD, which start at about $170.
Overall, the Eee PC's design is fairly solid and incredibly travel-friendly for the price. Our white model (black and other colors will come later) features an SD Card slot, two USB ports, and a VGA port on the right. An extra USB port, Ethernet and modem connections, and headphone and mic jacks line the left side. The keyboard is cramped but is just big enough to touch-type on; the biggest annoyance is the proximity of the Up arrow key and right Shift key; we accidentally moved up a line on several occasions while trying to capitalize a letter. And although we didn't mind the unified, slightly chintzy-feeling touchpad button that you can left- or right-click on, our kid tester found it confusing at first.
Chock-full of Useful AppsSo what can you do with this mini notebook? Practically anything you would do with a Windows-powered one. Teens and adults will likely spend the most time in the Internet area, where you can launch the Firefox browser, Wikipedia, Skype (for making cheap calls), and the instant messaging program (which includes clients for AOL, Google Talk, MSN, and Yahoo).
In fact, the Eee PC is the perfect device for households that fight over the primary PC (and its Internet connection). Why waste money on a two-trick pony like the ZipIt 2 Communicator (which offers only IMing and MP3 playback) when you can get a featherlight PC that does those things and surfs the whole Web, too? And that's not all the Eee PC can do. Under Learn, for example, you can launch word games like Hangman and math games like Tux of Math Command (starring the Linux penguin), which gives flash-card-style math questions the space-shooter treatment.
Under the Work menu you'll find quick links to OpenOffice.org 2.0's various Microsoft Office-compatible apps, including Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations. These programs took more than ten seconds to load the first time but only eight seconds after that, and we had no problem composing a Word document on the Eee PC, saving our work to a memory key and then continuing to work on that file on a Windows laptop. Asus also includes a file-manager utility, a PDF reader, the Thunderbird e-mail client, and a Notes app.
No, the Eee PC doesn't do iTunes, but the preloaded Media Player and decent-sounding speakers get the job done. The device played MP3s and WMAs stored on a memory card while we surfed the Web, and the built-in mic performed admirably when making Skype calls. The Eee PC also did a nice job handling MPEG-4 videos captured by a 720p Sanyo Xacti camcorder and stored on an SD Card; the video looked surprisingly smooth on the seven-inch display. The Photo Manager took its sweet time loading large image files, however. Overall, the Media Player app looks positively crude compared to Windows Media Center and Apple's Front Row, so a makeover is certainly in order.
Good Performance and Peripheral SupportGetting online with the Eee PC 701 via Wi-Fi was pretty painless; once you set up a profile and enter the encryption key, the notebook will automatically connect to that network the next time you boot up. Although surfing wasn't quite as zippy as it is on our ThinkPad, it was still plenty fast. The device had no problems handling Web 2.0 sites powered by Ajax technology (like Netvibes) or Flash (YouTube). We encountered a screen-resolution issue with the new Yahoo Mail, but we still got it to work.
Overall performance was pretty snappy, even though this machine uses a Celeron processor. Most apps loaded quickly, and the 512MB of RAM is more than sufficient for an operating system with such little overhead. A mere 4GB of storage space tells you that the Eee PC isn't going to be your primary digital media vault out of the box, but you can easily augment that capacity with an external drive. Plus, that 4GB solid state drive can withstand being dropped by Junior.
Speaking of external devices, the Eee PC did an excellent job recognizing all sorts of peripherals, from a Kingston USB drive to a USB dongle for a Logitech wireless mouse. When we plugged in a Casio Exilim camera, the Eee PC asked us if we wanted to open the images in the File Manager or Photo Manager. Not surprisingly, the device wouldn't load music from our iPhone, but the Eee PC did charge it.
Eee PC owners will be pleasantly surprised with how well this tiny machine can double as a desktop replacement. We connected the device to a 20-inch ViewSonic monitor and used the built-in utility to scale the resolution up to 1024 x 768 pixels, and the resulting picture was nice and sharp. The Eee PC also instantly recognized a full-sized Dell USB keyboard and a wired Logitech USB mouse.
This notebook lasted the rated 3.5 hours of battery life on our tests. That's not nearly as good as the five-plus hours of endurance offered by the best ultraportable notebooks. Those machines tend to cost $2,000, however. Bonus: The Eee PC's power adapter is even smaller than what most notebooks in this weight class ship with; it's not much bigger than a cell phone charger. Room for ImprovementAlthough there's a lot to like about the Eee PC, there are some telltale signs here that the device may have been rushed to market. Take the webcam, which is launched under the Play menu. We were able to record footage from within the webcam app, but couldn't get it to work with either the preloaded Skype program or Pidgin instant messaging program, and with good reason: Asus is still working on drivers for the webcam, which it says will be released early next year.
Finding and adding applications could also be more intuitive. When we attempted to update Skype after being asked if we wanted to do just that from within the app, the Skype icon ceased to work from the main menu. Turns out you're supposed to update software from within the dedicated Add/Remove Software utility, located under Settings. Also, we didn't see any new applications we could add, although Asus promises to certify applications as they become available and make them available to users via software updates. The intrepid can install applications themselves, but you'll have to dig into the File Manager and launch them manually each time.
We have one other major complaint. Menu screens dipped below the taskbar occasionally, making it difficult to click Next or OK. This happened when we were attempting to set up an e-mail account from within the PIM application. We couldn't move the window in question up high enough or shrink it down enough to move to the next screen, which was quite frustrating. You're supposed to click the Alt button while moving the window with the mouse.
We'd also like to see Asus make the Eee PC mobile-broadband friendly--so you can surf beyond hotspot range--either by adding Bluetooth support (using a 3G cell phone as a modem) or by adding support for USB-powered modems.
Is the Eee PC for You?Asus is forging a new class of device with the Eee PC. Yes, you can get a laptop with a bigger screen and better specs for the same amount of money, but this machine wasn't designed to go toe-to-toe with bargain-basement Windows laptops. It's an excellent secondary computer for households with children, and it's a very good primary computer for novice PC users who never had the time or patience to master an operating system.
In many ways, too, the Eee PC is a new-and-improved version of the Internet appliance concept, as its easy-to-tote, easy-to-use design makes it simple for anyone to get online.
When it comes to road warriors, the Eee PC runs circles around UMPCs powered by Vista and XP in terms of performance, price, and ease of use, but not application support. Despite a few issues, such as a webcam not yet optimized for online video chats, the Eee PC is also a worthy alternative to devices like the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. The Nokia is more pocket-friendly, is Bluetooth-enabled for using a cell phone as a modem, and has a built-in GPS receiver, but the Asus sports a better keyboard, can be connected to a big-screen monitor, and is $80 cheaper.
As for that other famous low-cost notebook: The $188 OLPC XO laptop is a far more ambitious product in that its purpose is to educate children in developing nations. But that doesn't mean the Eee PC isn't a breakthrough in its own right. It brings affordable computing to everyone else, and without a learning curve.

MacBook Pro

2007-10-30T15:51:00.000Z

A 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Next-generation 802.11n wireless. Gorgeous upgraded displays. Wickedly fast NVIDIA graphics. Now available in 15- and 17-inch models starting at just $1999. Start your engines.
The latest and greatest
MacBook Pro is built on the revolutionary Intel Core 2 Duo — which packs the power of two processor cores (up to 2.4GHz) inside a single chip. It provides 4MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared between the cores as needed. It delivers higher performance in 2D and 3D graphics, video editing, and music encoding. But the faster engine is only part of the story. MacBook Pro delivers up to 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 memory with a faster, 800MHz frontside bus and support for hard drives up to 250GB. Ultimate speed, performance, and connectivity. To go. That’s MacBook Pro.
Graphically speaking
Whether you’re creating 3D animation, editing photos from the day’s shoot, or playing your favorite video game, MacBook Pro delivers serious processing power with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics controller.
Display’s the thing
A great video processor powers a great display. The new MacBook Pro is available in 15-inch models with a new mercury-free, power-efficient LED-backlit display and a 17-inch model with an optional 1920-by-1200 pixel display.
Packs power, not pounds
What makes MacBook Pro so mobile? Performance in a portable package. Only one inch thin and 5.4 and 6.8 pounds, respectively, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models are among the thinnest, lightest notebooks in their display class.
Hit the road
Your life isn’t confined to an office, so why should your computer be? AirPort Extreme’s 802.11n Wi-Fi delivers up to five times the performance and two times the range compared to the previous 802.11g standard.1 No wires. No extra phone lines. Just you being freed from those four walls.
On the go.
MagSafe Airline Adapter
Out of power in flight? Plug your MacBook Pro into the optional MagSafe Airline Adapter and get back to work (or play).
AirPort Express
MacBook Pro offers built-in wireless capability, and you can create your own wireless network with an AirPort Express.
Built-in Bluetooth
Connect wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled peripherals or connect to the Internet via your mobile phone.
On display
Connect your MacBook Pro to a larger display or an HDTV via the DVI port or the optional DVI to video adapter.

Bought a new Mac that doesn’t have the latest version of iLife or Mac OS X? Upgrade now for $9.95 each.

Apple Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

2007-10-30T15:36:00.000Z

Part useful, part flash, all beautifully easy. Leopard delivers several exciting innovations that make using a Mac both more productive and more fun.

Price: $129 (single license); $199 (family pack)

Part useful, part flash, all beautifully easy: Apple's Mac OS X 10 Leopard bounded into stores Friday, thrilling the Mac faithful with a solid and extremely useful upgrade. By maintaining a swift upgrade timeline (Apple generally updates its OS every 18 months, though Leopard had a four-month delay due to the iPhone development) and offering a low single-license price of $129, Apple continues to stand in favorable contrast to its much larger and more entrenched competition. Plus, Leopard delivers several exciting innovations that make using it both more productive and more fun. Windows users, are you considering switching yet?

Time MachineBacking up is the chore everyone knows they should do, yet few do. That's why Leopard will be remembered as the OS that debuted Time Machine, the backup tool that changes everything.

Leave it to Apple to design a backup tool that's not only a complete no-brainer but that also offers a clever graphical way of viewing your saved data. To use Time Machine on a Mac notebook, you'll need a dedicated external drive. With 500GB drives going for as low at $119, there's no excuse not to have one. Plug in the drive; your Mac will ask if you want to use Time Machine to back up your data. Click Yes and you'll be told that the drive needs to be erased first. That's it. Time Machine handles the rest. First, it creates a full backup of your entire Mac, then incremental backups every hour afterward. The external drive saves hourly backups for 24 hours, daily backups for 30 days, and weekly backups until your drive is full.

When you need to recall a deleted or altered file, Time Machine provides displays the old data as a series of windows that regress into time. View the contents of a Finder window until you find your missing file, or run a search and compare the search results for different backups. You can even use it to delete an incriminating file from all of your backups. Naturally, Time Machine also lets you restore your entire computer following a catastrophic crash. While it's a remarkably useful and powerful tool, Time Machine can't back up to a shared network storage drive unless you enable AFP (Apple Filing Protocol)]; it can back up over a network but only to a dedicated drive. We have a hunch that that will change soon, however.

FinderMany of Leopard's most useful improvements have to do with the Finder, which simply helps you find your own data more quickly.

iTunes users already know Cover Flow as a visually pleasing way of flipping through your music collection, letting you scan covers to find what you want. Now, Cover Flow joins the Finder (oddly, without changing its name), letting users flip through all of their stored documents, photos, presentations, videos, and more with the same ease. Because looking at program icons wouldn't be informative, the Finder offers an image of the first page of that file. That Cover Flow worked quickly on a 933-MHz G4 test machine (a desktop that barely met the minimum requirements) is a testament to how powerful the software is.

Our next favorite Finder improvement is Quick Look, which lets you preview a document without loading the application that's associated with it. Select a file in the Finder and tap the space bar: You'll instantly get a larger image of the file contents. If it's a multi-page document, you can turn through the pages. If it's a video, you can play it. This all happens with no waiting for most files.

Stacks, a modest but flashy change to the Dock, is the kind of improvement that Apple loves to show-off in ads. A Stack is just a docked folder; click on it and the contents spray out in a curved arch, springing from the Dock or in a grid. The Dock could already hold folder previously, but in Tiger, opening one showed a simple text interface. While not as sexy, we found this text-based approach to be both more useful than Stacks. If the arch becomes distracting, you can always default to the more intuitive grid view.

Spaces, another visually nifty inclusion, lets you break your workspace into multiple spaces, each holding different apps; then it lets you move between them. It's impressive to watch, and it will greatly benefit people who love to have many apps open at once and need a way to compartmentalize their work. We do like that it allows for some consistency in where to look for your most-used applications, such as e-mail or the browser. And we love how easy it is to move windows from one stack to the other.

Mail, Address Book, and iCalApple's default e-mail client, Mail, works in tandem with Address Book and iCal, but we'd like to see Apple take its improvements even further.

Mail now includes more than 30 HTML stationery templates for creating professionally designed e-mail that looks like a newsletter. Templates are grouped into the categories Birthday, Announcements, Photos, Stationery, and Sentiments. (We especially like the one that looks like a giant yellow sticky note.)

Mail now uses data detectors to find important data in messages, letting you create an Address Book contact with one click, add an appointment to iCal, or display a phone number in jumbo type for easy dialing. This worked fairly well in testing, although it rarely included all of a contact's information when creating an Address Book entry. It could get the names, phone numbers, and addresses okay, but it sometimes left off titles and companies. We like that its data detectors can decipher in an invite that "this Tuesday" means the Tuesday following the date the invite was sent. Unfortunately, this works with only standard e-mail and HTML--not embedded PDFs. You can also make a Note or a To-Do in Mail. To-Do's are synched with iCal.

iCal has long been the OS' weak link, and, sadly, that continues with Leopard. iCal offers strong collaboration features and gains a tool called Event Dropbox, which makes sharing information easier for teams. But it still lacks basic functionality, such as being able to create recurring To-Do entries or attach To-Do's to a particular date.

Something for EveryoneBoot Camp is solid insurance for uneasy switchers, and business users will find more to like with iChat.

If you can't decide between a Windows and Mac machine, Apple has ensured that you don't have to: Boot Camp is now a part of the OS, letting Intel-based Mac users install Windows (not included) and boot up into either OS.

Apple's videoconferencing tool, iChat, has also made big strides with Leopard. You can now add fun backgrounds to your chats or use Photo Booth effects to distort your face in odd ways. You can also now share your screen with iChat or even remotely control the screen of whomever you're chatting with. It's a fantastic way to offer tech support from a distance.

Leopard offers too many features to go into depth on all of them in one review, but we should add that we love the improved parental controls (which let parents control access, set usage times, and monitor activity-all from a remote machine), the improvements to Safari (which let users create widgets from any Web clipping and surf anonymously from shared computers), and the improved Spotlight search (which can now provide dictionary definitions and perform calculations).

If you're a Mac user, Leopard is worth the price for Time Machine alone, but the sheer variety of improvements and innovation inside this OS give you much more than your money's worth. While some enhancements are just for fun, and others could have gone further, there's plenty here to keep Apple users productive and happy-and make Windows users jealous.