Mobiles and Laptops

Satellite® U500 — Discover a whole new dimension of mobility

2009-09-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Satellite® U500 — Discover a whole new dimension of mobility

* Lightweight design making it easy to carry
* Full-range of multimedia features
* Excellent battery life

some models include:

A Beautiful Textured Finish

The Satellite® U500 laptop is designed with a compact and lightweight case. The stylish textured finish with Matrix pattern comes in different color options – Luxe Brown, Luxe White and Luxe Pink.
Matrix Texture in Luxe Brown
Simplified DVD Play

The slot-loading DVD drive on the Satellite® U500 Series not only simplifies playing your music, movie and gaming discs. It also works great in cramped quarters, and adds to the clean, streamlined looks of this notebook. CDs and DVDs? Just pop them in, sit back and enjoy!
Satellite® U500 Slot-loading Drive
Satellite® U500 Open View
Dazzling Energy-Efficient Viewing

The ideally sized 13.3” TruBrite® HD diagonal display on this laptop is very compact. Yet it brings out color and detail you never thought existed—in movies, photos, websites and more. Plus, its LED design (select models) uses less battery power. So start looking at life in brilliant high definition.

Whether you're a student, traveler or one who wants to stay connected and entertained on the move, look at our lightweight 13.3” Satellite® U500 series. Starting at only 4.5lbs; these laptops offer exceptional style, solid performance and excellent battery life.
Seamless Home Theater Connectivity

Want to go big with your entertainment? Offering support for full 1080p high-definition video* and sound, the HDMI-CEC connection on select models lets you scale up your movies, music and games by tapping into a home theater—and run the show with just a single remote control.
Extra Protection for Your Data

Accidents do happen. So, the Satellite® U500 comes with a hard drive impact sensor that helps safeguard your files and multimedia by “parking” the hard drive heads in the event of drops, jolts or sudden movement.
Additional Features

DVD SuperMulti Optical Drive with Labelflash™
Play your music and watch movies, plus keep your disc collection looking smart and organized with designs and IDs you create.
DVD SuperMulti Optical Drive with Labelflash™

USB Sleep-and-Charge
Power your smart phone and other portables — even when your laptop is off.
learn more »
USB Sleep-and-Charge

Backlit Keyboard
The unique LED backlit keyboard allows you to keep typing when the lights go down.
Backlit Keyboard

Wireless With 802.11a/g/n
Wi-Fi® on this laptop, you’ll enjoy more solid connections at wireless hotspots, and faster downloads too.
Wireless With 802.11a/g/n

HP Pavilion Touchsmart : A Tablet completed

2009-09-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Weighing just 4.65 lb. 1 our TouchSmart tx2z is ultraportable. A simple finger stroke on the 12.1" diagonal screen delivers quick and easy access to information, entertainment, and social networks. This tablet PC is also "multitouch" : you can use more than one finger (e.g., index and thumb) at the same time. In addition, this model lets you view and edit photos with MediaSmart, which supplies an awesome digital media experience.
Genuine Windows Vista
Get things done, stay connected, and enjoy a variety of entertainment in a protected environment with genuine Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. This series comes with genuine Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes Windows Aero, Windows Media Center, and instant search functionality. For enhanced play and productivity features, choose genuine Windows Vista Ultimate.
» Compare operating system choices

» Buy now and upgrade to Windows 7 free.
Striking design
This sleek, multi-touch laptop has a 12.1" diagonal twist screen. The unique, dual-mode display accepts input from either a finger or a pen. You get:

* Quick and easy selection, organization, and manipulation of digital files via finger swipe
* A digital pen that turns the tx2z into a tablet so you can draw or take notes and then automatically convert to text (the pen stores in the PC's base)
* A convertible design with a twisting hinge that lets you choose from three modes: PC, display, or slate

# A streamlined, glossy, titanium finish and our cool "Reaction" imprint pattern
# Three on-display launch buttons: one for MediaSmart software, another for Windows Vista Mobility Center—to get battery, volume, wireless or display data—and one for "rotating" the screen into slate mode
# A color-matched keyboard and touchpad
# AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core Mobile processors for intense multimedia2
# ATI Radeon HD graphics for speedy processing on the go
» tx2z demo
Extreme entertainment
Enhance your digital media adventures with the tx2z's MediaSmart features, which include:

* An integrated low-light VGA webcam with digital microphone for videoconferencing and VoIP3
* Watching, recording, and playing of live, streamed, or mobile Internet TV in hi-def using HP MediaSmart
* SRS premium sound for amazing, immersive audio
* An S/PDIF jack so two users can listen to movies and music via headphones (sold separately); you can also use this jack to connect to your home entertainment system and enjoy DVDs in 5.1 Surround Sound

The power of touch
Put your digital lifestyle at your fingertips with these cool features:

* A multitouch display with gestures (sets of finger movements that can be understood by the PC) optimized for HP MediaSmart
* The ability to touch your way through your PC to enjoy photos, music, movies, and more
* The ability to take notes on a tablet with the included digital pen—your notes are automatically converted into typed text
* Simplified password management via integrated fingerprint reader (optional)
* An optional stand for mounting the notebook upright, so it's easier to touch (vs. when it's flat)
* A PC that's ENERGY STAR® qualified

Reputable warranty, software, and support
We test and qualify all software sold with our PCs to help ensure a trouble-free experience with software on your new computer. You get:

* Peace of mind with the one-year limited hardware and software warranty
* Help 24 x 7 toll-free or online: our North America call center provides one year of HP Priority Service and Support for tx2 customers
* The option of additional coverage: an extended service plan with Accidental Damage Protection and House Call

Top 10 Laptops 2009

2009-08-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Laptops

1. Compaq Presario CQ60Z Customizable Notebook PC

2. VAIO CR Series Notebook PC VGNCR590ELR
3. HP TouchSmart tx2z Customizable Notebook PC
4. Apple MacBook Pro, 17-inch, 2.8GHz - MC226LL/A
5. Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Laptop Computer - 42312BU (Black)
6. Acer Aspire AS6930-6073 Intel Core 2 Duo 16" Wide XGA NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS No..
7. HP HDX 18-1180us Entertainment Notebook
8. Acer Aspire AS6930-6942 Intel Core 2 Duo 16" Wide XGA NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS No..
9. HP HDX18t Premium Series Customizable Notebook PC
10. HP G60t Customizable Notebook PC

Top 10 Laptops 2009

2009-08-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10
HP Compaq 8510P	Dell XPS M1530	Gateway MC7803u	HP Pavilion DV4-1120US	Macbook Pro	Dell XPS M1330	Sony VAIO VGN-NS140	Fujitsu Lifebook a6220	Sony VAIO VGN FW290	Lenovo Thinkpad X300




Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 / 2.2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 / 2.4 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 / 2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 / 2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 / 2.5 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 / 2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 / 2.26 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 / 2.20 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo L7100 - 1.2 GHz
2 GB	4 GB	4 GB	4 GB	2 GB	4 GB	3 GB	4 GB	2 GB	2 GB
160 GB	500 GB	320 GB	250 GB	160 GB	500 GB	250 GB	320 GB	160 GB	64 GB
1680 x 1050	1440 x 900	1366 x 768	1280 x 800	1680 x 1050	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	1280 x 800	1440 x 900
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600	NVIDIA GeForce 8600	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650	Intel GMA 4500MHD	NVIDIA GeForce 8600	NVIDIA GeForce 8400M	Intel GMA 4500MHD	ATI MOBILITY Radeon HD 3470	Integrated	Integrated
256 MB	256 MB	512 MB	shared	256 MB	128 MB	shared	128 MB	256 MB	384 MB
5 hour(s)	3.5 hour(s)	3.5 hour(s)	3.5 hour(s)	5.75 hour(s)	4 hour(s)	3 hour(s)	2.25 hour(s)	3.5 hour(s)	3.5 hour(s)
DVD-RW	DVD-RW	DVD-RW	DVD-RW	DVD-RW	DVD-RW	DVD-RW	Blu-ray/DVD reader/CD+-R	BD-RE	DVD-RW
None	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated
Card reader	Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, XD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro	5 in 1 card reader	5 in 1 card reader	CompactFlash	8 in 1 card reader	4 in 1 card reader	Card reader	Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo	Card reader
Sound Blaster Pro	Integrated	Sound card, Hight Definition Audio, Microphone	Sound Blaster Pro	Integrated	Integrated	Sound card, Hight Definition Audio, Microphone	Integrated	Integrated	Integrated
10.2 in	10.3 in	10.04 in.	9.4 in	10.4 in	9.4 in	10.6 in	10.4 in	10.3 in	9.1 in
4.0		4.0	4.0	3.0			4.0	4.0	4.0
1.1 in	1.2 in	1.7 in	1.6 in	1 in	1.3 in	1.5 in	1.5 in	1.5 in	0.7 in
Windows Vista	Windows Vista	Windows Vista	Windows Vista	MacOS X 10.5	Windows Vista	Windows Vista	Windows Vista	Windows Vista	Windows XP
15.4	15.4	16	14.1	17	13.3	15.4	15.4	16.1	13.3
6.2 lbs	5.9 lbs	7.7 lbs	5.1 lbs	6.8 lbs	4 lbs	6.4 lbs	6.6 lbs	6.4 lbs	3.4 lbs
14.1 in	14.1 in	15.4 in	13.1 in	15.4 in	12.5 in	14.2 in	14.2 in	15.16 in.	12.5 in

Apple Tablet PC

2009-08-02T05:30:00.001-07:00

Apple Tablet PC

Its been a rumors that Apple will rolled-out their latest touchscreen Apple Tablet PC this coming October 2009 for $800. The Apple Tablet may powered with full version of OS X. If the rumors is true, it looks like the Apple tablet will have a 10 inches capacitive touchscreen display with part

Nokia N97 Review

2009-08-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Nokia N97 Review

The Nokia N97 is the tip of the spear in Nokia's smartphone lineup. It is the most powerful, smartest and fully featured phone of the company. It is also the first Nokia phone to make use of a large touch-display and that alone has raised the expectations from die hard Nokia fans that have refused to switch over to the iPhone. And Nokia has put quite a lot of work and thought in the N97. I had a first look when Nokia was still developing the N97 and I was looking forward to get my hands on the final product. In this review, I will tell you how I used it, and how well it did. Does the Nokia N97 live up to the hype?

Context

Rushing a review is great to get links, but not the best way to get a good feel for something, so I used the Nokia N97 for a few weeks, mainly as a smartphone with Exchange support. Web browsing was tested regularly to read news and check various sites. Facebook was accessed via the Facebook application included in the phone.

Phone Highlights

3.5" Touch Display
32GB internal storage + 16GB optional storage vis flash card
5 Megapixel Carl Zeiss Lens
GPS
WIFI, Bluetooth
3.5G
FM Radio
Complete specifications (pdf)

Phone Basics (Very Good)

As with any phone, the first thing that I check is how good the sound quality is, and how easy it is to dial a number or a contact. The good news is that the sound quality is good, although the volume is not very loud. It would be nice to have a more powerful sound output.

Dialing a number is quick and relatively efficient. There's no need to use the physical keyboard as the virtual numeric pad works great and there was no typo whatsoever while dialing numbers.

Dialing a contact is a bit more complex, if you have a bunch of them. From the contact list, you can scroll and click, or type a name and click. Typing a name requires the use of the physical keyboard, which is not very practical if you phone was closed. The T-Mobile G1 suffered from the same lack of virtual keyboard. Every qwerty slider phone should have one.

As you try to dial, the phone will ask you if you want to place a video call, each time! I've not seen anyone use video calls (ever), so I think that Nokia should have the option to skip that question. After a week, it was getting on my nerves.

Answering calls is easy, so is placing people on hold, or hang up. Good job Nokia. Locking and unlocking the phone is also easy and foolproof, thanks to the side button.

Physical Design (Good)

The Nokia N97 is a nicely designed phone. The design is agreeable to look at, and the build quality is good, except maybe for the battery cover which has a plastic feel - but it needs to be flexible because it's *removable*. The display is a mixed bag: it has a resolution of 640x360 but the colors seem a little faded and the clarity seems inferior to other touch phones. I suspect that one of the display layers has something to do with this. Two people that I've shown the phone to immediately made the same remark as well.

Next to the speaker, you will notice a front-facing camera and a proximity sensor. The 5 Megapixel camera is in the back, protected by a sliding lens cover. There's a "camera" button that makes taking picture more natural than taping on the screen (which often induces a last minute shake that could makes photos blurry). The keyboard sliding mechanism feels solid.

The Nokia N97 is a little thick (15.9mm). The bottom part is basically as thick as my Blackberry curve or an iPhone, and the display is 3mm (or so) thick on top of it. These 3mm represent what it takes to add a physical keyboard to a phone like that. The T-Mobile G1 is even thicker at 16.35mm. If you want a big display and a full keyboard that's the price to pay right now.

In the past, I have criticized Nokia for their use of proprietary power connectors, but here they use a standard micro-B USB connector and a standard voltage, which makes it compatible with my BlackBerry chargers or any USB micro-B cable. Cool move, Nokia.

Touch Phone (Just OK)

For many things (but not all), the Nokia N97 can be used as a pure touch phone. The company has done an "ok job" on the tactile user interface. It's mostly intuitive, except for the setup menus (I question their logic). Nokia uses a double-tap system to avoid accidental clicks vs. drag interpretations (see video). For example, in the menu, if I want to go to my contacts, I need to click once to select "contacts", then click a second time to actually launch the application. Depending on your tastes this can be great or annoying. We're not fans of it, but I got over it.

The switch to Landscape Mode is just not hapenning here…
…but opening the keyboard does force it change.

The portrait/landscape switch works most of the time, but it sometimes won't switch from portrait to landscape and you will have to open the keyboard to force it to do so.

The display of the N97 provides a tactile feedback upon clicking. It's interesting, but it won't help with typing speed, if you wonder. It might be something that we want to disable to expand the battery life a bit.

Some functions like "Unlock" or "Menu" are accessible only by the hardware buttons, which is weird, considering that most people would expect everything to be accessible via the touch display. It's not a roadblock, but it's not completely intuitive.

Responsiveness (Average)

Switch to fullscreen to see all the details

There's nothing as frustrating as a slow phone, right? The Nokia N97 is a mixed bag when it comes to responsiveness. Most of the time, it is responsive and does what I want, but if there are a few applications running it will get slow. I understand that it's better to have less apps opened, but it's "only" a few apps. Secondly, it's too much work to go and close them one by one, so I suspect that most people will do exactly what I did: nothing. All phones should have a "close all apps" icon on the homepage.

Homepage Widget (Well Implemented)

Widgets are popular these days. Samsung and Sony Ericsson (Xperia) are big believers of Widgets, but the N97 has the best homepage widgets implementation that I have seen so far. On many phones, widgets are messy (like the OMNIA), but Nokia has done a good job at maximizing the use of screen space. I like the default homepage that includes Facebook, but I noticed that the widget was often out of sync with the real-time content (this is true for Exchange as well). That should be fixed. It would also be nice if we could interact with the widgets directly from the homepage, like updating a Facebook status or a Tweet from the homepage.

Keyboard (Average)

Having a physical keyboard is just great for heavy texters. The N97 keyboard suffers from the same issue than all sliders have: the buttons are very thin, which reduces the typing speed - at least, for me. To be fair, this is one of the better slider keyboard that I have played with recently. Also, the keys are spaced just a little too far apart, making the finger travel much and that makes the typing slower too. The space key is oddly placed too. As an alternative, I would propose having an Sym, Shift and Func (to get the blue characters) on both side of the keyboard and place a recessed trackball, instead of using directional "joystick".

For those who text in the dark, the keyboard has a beautiful backlighting and the two-tone (white and blue) characters make it very readable. Other phone makers should definitely take notice.

Text/Email (Good)

The N97 has a lot of email options and the one that I prefer for work is Exchange: it is well implemented and works flawlessly. Emails arrive instantly and the only thing that I noticed is that upon a soft reset (battery removal), the phone does not cache the Exchange email and spends time doing a "sync" from scratch (that can take a couple of minutes).

I also setup a GMail account. From the @gmail.com address, the N97 was able to preset all the mail server settings. All that I had to provide is my email and password. By default, that email was setup to use the 3.5G connection, so you might want to set it up with the "default" connection, to make it work over WIFI as well. All in all, the setup couldn't be much easier.

Mapping (Great)

The N97 comes loaded with Nokia Maps, and I can say that it is my best "out of the box" experience with a default navigation app. Unlike Google maps, the Nokia maps are cached on the device itself, so once they are onboard, they are not downloaded (over the air) again. Better yet: you can pre-load an entire city, country or the whole world (4GB) so that Nokia maps doesn't load the maps while you're traveling. That cuts down on roaming charges, waiting time and frustration.

Nokia Maps is fast and lets you scroll the map smoothly. Upon a zoom in/out it will take a second readjust the level of details (see video). I found the compass be not very useful in pedestrian mode. Using it makes the map rotate left and right -all the time- which doesn't help the overall map readability. Nokia should also improve the search and use a single text field like Google Maps does. It is also not possible to select an origin/destination directly on the map. That would be easy to add.

Nokia Maps can send .lmx files that contains a geo-position, but unfortunately, there are no popular applications out there that read them, so you're stuck with sending it to your Nokia-wielding friends.

Overall, Nokia Maps is a great mapping software and one of Nokia's finest application. I only wish that Nokia would make it available to other platforms like Google does.

GAming PC: on Toshiba

2008-03-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

Gaming With Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9742
At this time of year most folks looking for a new laptop are probably going to sit tight until the new year. That's when some retailers, their minds perhaps clouded by sherry and bellies bloated with turkey, slash prices and bargains abound. But for those eager for a notebook to play games on during the holiday season, the New Toshiba Satellite P100-ST9742 should appease all but the most hardened of gamers.
Sporting an attractive golden lid which Toshiba describes as "Sunlight Copper", this Toshiba Satelite notebook boasts an Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics processing unit. However though cutting edge. this isn't Nvidia's best GPU on the market. The latest GeForce Go 7950 GTX takes that accolade, offering a memory bandwidth of 44.9 GB per second as opposed to the 7900 which only offers 38.4. You can find the 7950 in the latest, more expensive XPS M1710 laptop from Dell.Moving swiftly on, the solid but slimline 7.1 pound chassis of the Toshiba P100 is packed with a 2 GHz core 2 duo processor (T7200), 100GB SATA hard drive, 2GB of RAM and 512MB GDDR3 of dedicated graphics memory. The display is a nice size for gaming, a 17-inch TFT wide-screen offering a 1680x1050 resolution. The screens on these Toshiba Satellite notebooks are often praised because of the TRUBRITE tech which seems to make images more precise. If you want to head over to a coffee shop and email between gaming and sipping expressos, wireless connectivity is included in the form of an Intel PRO/Wireless (802.11a/b/g) connection.This Toshiba Satellite is also bundled with Harman Kardon stereo speakers, extra laptop security in the form of a fingerprint reader, and Bluetooth tech allows you to connect wirelessly with gaming controls. Ports and slots include a 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter, 4 USB ports, Memory Stick slot and a PCMCIA-Type II slot.My opinion? This isn't the most expensive gaming laptop on the market, nor is it a gold medal winner tech wise. But it does offer silver medal specs, stylish design, a competitive price, and if you're ecologically minded, the Satellite P100-ST9742 is RoHS compliant, meaning it has less nasties inside like lead, cadmium and mercury. Time will tell if this model will prove as popular as Toshiba's best selling budget sibling, the Satellite A105. This notebook is available at Toshibadirect.com

TOP 10 Laptops 2008.

2008-02-23T04:18:00.000-08:00

Most tricked-out multimedia laptopToshiba Qosmio G35 with video This third-generation Qosmio delivers a best-in-class multimedia experience that's built on a state-of-the-art set of components, including Intel's new Core Duo chipset. It also boasts virtually every feature under the sun, including an HD-DVD drive. As with past models, the Qosmio G35 offers one of the best 17-inch wide-screen displays around and an integrated TV tuner, as well as a full complement of ports and connections, a rocking set of stereo speakers, and an unparalleled set of multimedia controls.
Read Toshiba Qosmio G35 review Check prices

Best balance between portability and usabilitySony VAIO SZ with video The 3.8-pound Sony VAIO SZ isn't the lightest laptop available--even within Sony's lineup--but it manages to be eminently portable without sacrificing a readable screen or a usable keyboard. Even better, the VAIO SZ has all of the features a business user will need, from an integrated microphone and Webcam for videoconferencing to a fingerprint scanner for security, not to mention a solid array of components, such as an Intel Core Duo processor and an Nvidia graphics card.
Read Sony VAIO SZ review Check prices

Best ultraportable notebook for businessLenovo ThinkPad X60s with video The latest model in the ThinkPad X series, the ultraportable X60s improves upon the previous generation by adding a few more features, including built-in WWAN connectivity and the latest Intel Core Duo processors. It still lacks a built-in optical drive, but the X60s does include that fabulous ThinkPad keyboard, making it the better choice if comfortable typing is more valuable to you than viewing CDs and DVDs. And if you can do without a built-in optical drive, we think the ThinkPad X60s delivers a best-in-class balance of comfort, performance, battery life, and portability.
Read Lenovo ThinkPad X60s review Check prices

Best budget ultraportable designGateway NX100X with video With a sleek black case, brushed-aluminum details, and dark blue status lights, the NX100X looks like a minimalist's dream laptop. The impact on your bottom line will also be minimal: the NX100X costs significantly less than competitive models. Though that minimalism extends to features as well (among other omissions, the NX100X lacks a built-in optical drive), if you're looking for an extremely portable and stylish laptop and can do without a built-in optical drive, the Gateway NX100X is a solid, economical choice.
Read Gateway NX100X review Check prices

Most affordable laptopHP Compaq Presario V5000Z with video The Presario V5000Z is a solid all-around notebook for a student or a home user who needs good--not great--performance and a fairly complete set of basic features, including a LightScribe double-layer optical drive and a multiformat media-card reader. Best of all, its starting price of just $549 makes the V5000Z one of the least expensive base models on the market.
Read HP Compaq Presario V5000Z review Check prices

Best gaming laptopDell XPS M1710 with video With the XPS M1710, the company adds just a few aesthetic curlicues to the same basic form factor found on Dell's other 17-inch wide-screen models, upgrades it to Intel's Core Duo platform, and drops in Nvidia's new top-shelf GeForce Go 7900 GTX GPU. The unsurprising result: an extremely pricey system that extends the company's dominance of our gaming benchmark tests and solidifies Dell's reputation as the vendor to beat in the gaming laptop market. If you're a hard-core gamer who's looking to play the newest games (Oblivion, F.E.A.R.) at the highest settings, this is the best system that (a lot of) money can buy.
Read Dell XPS M170 review Check prices

Best laptop for the extremely accident-pronePanasonic ToughBook 74 with video It's expensive and bulky, but the Panasonic ToughBook 74 incorporates some of the design principles used for its military-grade laptops into a more consumer-friendly "business rugged" model that's designed to withstand everyday abuses. We tossed this thing around, dropped it on cement, and spilled a total of five cups of coffee on its keyboard--still running. Given the ToughBook 74's $2,999 starting price, though, we recommend it for users who are likely to do most of their computing beyond the office, airplane, or hotel room and whose laptop will need to withstand extreme abuse.
Read Panasonic ToughBook 74 review Check prices

Best microtabletSony VAIO UX with video The tiny Sony VAIO UX has a 4.5-inch (diagonal) wide-screen display that slides up to reveal a QWERTY keypad. Despite its small size, the UX runs on a full-fledged laptop CPU, a full version of Windows XP, and a touch-screen interface. Weighing 1.2 pounds, the VAIO UX has 1,024x600 native resolution display, is equipped with some pretty modest components, and has tons of networking connections. And--remarkable for such a small device--the Sony VAIO UX makes room for two cameras as well as a biometric fingerprint scanner, headphone and mic jacks, a USB port, and a Memory Stick slot. Unfortunately, the small form factor comes at a steep price: $1,799.
Read Sony VAIO UX review Check prices

Best laptop designMacBook Pro with video With the MacBook Pro, Apple hasn't radically redesigned the PowerBook form factor--and that's a good thing. The sleek, aluminum MacBook Pro is slightly wider, thinner, and lighter than the 15-inch PowerBook, striking a successful compromise between portability and usability. What's more, the MacBook Pro delivers unparalleled style and a solid set of features and software, though a few transitional performance issues keep it from rivaling the most powerful PC laptops.
Read MacBook Pro review Check prices

Best laptop that's not a laptopDell XPS M2010 with video Something between an all-in-one desktop PC and a proper laptop, the XPS M2010 accommodates a foldout 20-inch display, a detachable Bluetooth keyboard, a premium set of components, and most of the trappings of a modern Media Center PC, including an impressive sound system; a pop-up, slot-loading DVD player; and an integrated video camera and microphone for videoconferencing. It's a striking feat of engineering that's sure to garner attention in a stylish home or on a multimedia-intensive sales call, although at $3,500, the target market here is clearly those for whom money is no object.

The Stylish Ultraportable Sony Vaio G1

2008-02-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

Stylish Ultraportable - Sony VAIO G1

Sony must not have listened when it was designing its new model ultraportable notebook, the Sony VAIO G1. And they shouldn't. In the world of ultraportables, less is more.

Powered by Intel's ultra low voltage Core Solo processor, this new Sony notebook weighs in at a dainty 2.1 pounds. I've eaten hamburgers that have weighed more. In any event, you won't be asking "where's the beef?" with this laptop. Though it's petite, it is still loaded with enough features to make it a functional companion on any business trip. There's the 12.1 inch display, which works just fine for word processing and spreadsheeting with its matte finish.
(No Xbrite technology, though, so Web sites and DVDs may look flat.)
Speaking of which, the ultraportable VAIO G1 manages to contain a DVD burner too-with enough room to spare for a VGA port, two USBs, Ethernet, a PC Card slot, and two Wi-Fi antennae for respectable wireless capabilities. Don't forget a battery. Sony estimates put battery life at 6 hours, though smart money is four hours being more likely.
So how can the new Sony manage all of these features and still weigh less than my favorite hamburger?
The beauty is in the carbon fiber body. Most laptops contain aluminum or magnesium of some alloy or another, but the carbon body of this ultraportable Sony makes it lighter and stronger, and better at not burning your lap.One downside of this little guy-it only comes with 512MB of RAM for starters.
It's upgradeable to 1.5GB, which you might consider if you're going to switch to Vista when it eventually comes out. Another downside: no cutting edge gaming capabilities with only an Intel Graphic Media Accelerator card. The price tag hurts too: $2,599, partly explained by the fact this Vaio notebook has to be shipped to the United States by importer Dynamism. It is not sold on the shelves here in the U.S.

Laptop Buying Tips

2008-02-03T02:15:00.001-08:00

What is a Laptop Computer?
Laptop PCs have now become faster, slimmer, and cheaper. With powerful processors and accesories, laptops now offer almost everything a desktop PC can offer
Laptops can be divided into two weight categories :Ultralite and Regular. Ultralites are thin, small and weigh under 5 pounds but the drawback is their limited built-in features. Regular laptops, on the other hand, are bigger and heavier but they include such nice features as large bright screen; long-life battery; CD-ROM and floppy drive. Many portables also make room for optional DVD or Zip drives with USB and other interfaces for external devices.
Before buying a Laptop computer the following features will help you decide which is the right one for you:

CPU: Although there are many factors that influence the performance of a computer, the most important one is its microprocessor, also known as its CPU (central processing unit). The microprocessor is a silicon chip (with millions of circuits) that is the brain of a computer. Its speed is measured in MHz (megahertz).

Memory:RAM or Random Access Memory is the computer's work space. More of it lets the computer work faster and lets you run more programs at the same time. Of course given the same processor, more memory will make the computer perform faster. You will be able to start programs more quickly, scroll through long documents quickly, or switch more quickly between two tasks, such as typing a letter and opening email.

Cache: Cache memory, is another form of work space for the processor. Memory (RAM) and video memory are other types of work space. A processor can access items stored in cache very quickly, more quickly than in any other form of work space. The processor uses the cache to store the most frequently requested instructions and data. The larger the cache, the more likely it is that a specific action you want to perform is in the cache, and the faster the notebook will run as a whole.

Hard Disk: The "hard disk" or "hard drive" is where the operating system, all other software programs, and all your own information get stored. Its size is measured in GB (gigabytes).

Make sure the weight, size, feel and power of the machine are right for you. You'll be carrying your laptop around a lot. Also, try out the keyboard and pointing device to make sure they're comfortable.

Screen: The screen or display, or Liquid Crystal Display, or LCD, of a notebook, is an important element of the notebook. The size of the screen, the type, and the resolution, can all be important. Most people focus on the size of the screen, since that is the most obvious element. If you are a graphic designer or an avid game-player, you might want to carefully check out the type and resolution as well. Screen SIZE is measured diagonally, just like for TVs. While you can get screens as small as 7", full-size notebook screens measure at least 12" diagonally, and can go up to 15" or more. A 14.1" notebook screen will give you almost the same viewing area as a 15" monitor on a desktop computer. The smaller screens (10"and less) can be great for traveling as they are very light. A notebook screen displays an image as a pattern of many small dots.
Resolution: measures the number of dots on the screen; a higher resolution means more dots. Every notebook screen supports at least a resolution of 640x480. Newer notebooks can also support higher resolutions, such as 800x600 (also called VGA) or 1024x768 (also called SuperVGA or SVGA).

Batteries: Notebook batteries are either Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) or Nickel Metal Hydride (NIMH). Lithium batteries are lighter in weight, and have a longer life, than NIMH batteries, but they also cost more. However, if you expect to run your notebook off the battery a lot, the convenience of lithium will be worth the investment. Battery life is usually expressed as a wide range, because it is highly dependent on how you use your notebook. If you are going to be away from a power supply for a long time , you might invest in a second battery and make sure to charge that battery before you need it. The expected length of time it will take to recharge a fully discharged battery can vary widely because people don't always begin with fully-discharged batteries. NIMH batteries should initially be charged for 16 hours; lithium batteries need only 6-8 hours at first. Thereafter, charge the batteries according to the notebook manufacturer's recommendation. This may be as short as 6 hours, or as long as 12 hours. Remember that a battery, after lying on the shelf for some time, usually takes 2-4 full charges and discharges before it achieves its full potential again.

TV means a Television connection, allowing the notebook to be connected to a TV screen.
Port replicators and dock stations are like power strips for a notebook where you plug in monitors, keyboards, printers, etc. You push one button to attach or detach the notebook, and all the devices stay connected to the replicator or station. Besides being convenient, this lets you neatly arrange your cabling, and helps avoid breaking a notebook connector. One should get a notebook that can accept a port replicator or dock station, even if you don't need it right away you have the option in the future.

HP Pavilion dv2600 Verve Edition Laptop

2008-02-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Processor: Intel Centrino Duo (Core 2 Duo) up to 2.20GHz
Memory: Up to 4GB Ram
Graphics: Intel X3100 or NVIDIA 8400M
OS: Windows Vista
Optical Drive: 24X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive OR, Super Multi 8X DVD +- R/RW with Double Layer
Support (s) OR, LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD +- R/RW with double layer support
Wireless: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection OR, Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network
Connection & Bluetooth TM, Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection & Bluetooth
Ports: 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, 2 Headphone out, 1 microphone-in, 1 VGA (15-pin), 1 TV-Out (S-video), 1 RJ-11 (modem), 1 RJ -45 (LAN), 1 notebook expansion port 3, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin), 1 Consumer IR
Built-in web camera
"Verve" Imprint finish
Weight: 5.8lbs
Dimensions: 13.15" (L) x 9.33" (W) x 1.02" (min H)/1.54" (max H)

Motorola Z8

2007-11-23T05:07:00.000-08:00

Motorola Z8 Review

Phone rating:
In a nutshell: The MOTORIZR Z8 is Motorola's most advanced phone yet. It's a 3G smartphone in a slimline slider format. It offers high quality video calling, an excellent media player, high-speed HSPDA data access and the power of Symbian applications. Whether it's for entertainment or business the Z8 has plenty to offer, and it makes a refreshing change from the brick-like smartphones we've seen in the past.
The Motorola RIZR Z8 is an ambitious product. It takes the ultra-slim RAZR phone into the high-end world of the 3G smartphone. This is a phone that has the same kind of features as the brick-like Nokia N73, yet it's hardly any thicker than the original RAZR phone. It's Motorola's first Symbian phone since 2005, and the most highly powered of its current range of phones.
Physically, the Z8 is a development of the RIZR Z3, being a slimline slide phone. It's slightly thinner than the Z3, at just 15mm, but is wider and longer. The shape of the phone is unusual, as the rear edge of the phone is angled slightly when opened, giving it the appearance of a clamshell. It's an interesting design twist, making the phone easier to grip and more comfortable to hold to the ear than a conventional slider. The screen is excellent, being a bright TFT display with an amazing 16 million colours and one of the highest resolutions around. At 2.2 inches across, it's a very good size too - significantly larger than that of the RIZR Z3. The keypad is slightly cramped, but gives good positive feedback and isn't a problem to use unless you have very large fingers.
Technically the Z8 is far more advanced than the older generations of RAZR phones. It's a 3G phone with a high-speed HSPDA data speed of 3.6 Mbps, making it possible to download video, music and emails at broadband speeds. It also enables high quality video calling, using a full VGA-resolution second camera running at 30 frames per second for a flicker-free video calling experience. A 2 megapixel camera is provided for high resolution still photography, and this is equipped with a flash for low-light photography. The camera is fixed focus though, so cannot compete with the camera of the Nokia N73 or Sony Ericsson K810i, which both have autofocus cameras.
Musically, the Z8 is very well equipped. The media player supports music in MP3, AAC, AAC+ & AAC Enhanced formats in high quality stereo. The music player handles playlists and shuffles, and can synchronise with your PC via high-speed Bluetooth or USB 2.0. There is support for a wireless Bluetooth stereo headset (not supplied) or a conventional stereo headset. The media player also supports video playback of course, and in fact the phone is supplied with a MicroSD memory card containing The Bourne Identity (one of our favourite films!). The Z8 supports memory cards with up to 4 Gbytes capacity - sufficient for around 1,000 songs. On top of that the onboard user memory is a very generous 80 Mbytes.
We've already mentioned the high-speed HSPDA data access (3.6 Mbps), available in 3G regions. With 2G, EDGE is supported with download speeds of up to 236.8 kbps. An Opera web browser is supplied, with full mobile HTML support and the phone can handle email too. The phone is quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) so is usable worldwide.
As a Symbian phone, there is potentially a wealth of third party applications available, making the Z8 more like a mini-laptop than a phone. One word of warning though - Symbian systems lack the simplicity, speed and robustness of a simple phone interface. Fortunately the Z8 is equipped with plenty of RAM, but even so the Z8 does have a tendency to freeze or shut down.
The most similar competing phone is possibly the Nokia E65, which is also a 3G Symbian slide phone, but with more of a business focus. The Motorola RIZR Z3 is a budget version of the Z8, lacking the 3G and smartphone capabilities. The Motorola MAXX V6 is a 3G clamshell phone that shares many of the features of the Z8, but isn't a smartphone. If you want the best Motorola currently available, then the Z8 is probably the phone for you, but be aware that a 3G Symbian phone demands more from its owner than a normal phone! Be prepared to spend time learning how to use the phone, and we aware that the operating system isn't 100% robust.
Features of the Motorola RIZR Z8 / MOTORIZR Z8 include:
3G Symbian smartphone
2 megapixel camera with LED flash and 8x digital zoom
Video camera (30 frames/second)
3G video calling (using second VGA camera)
Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 320 x 240 pixels (2.2 inches)
Music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC Enhanced formats)
Hands-Free Speaker Phone
Speaker independent name dialling / voice commands
Speed dialling
Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
Pre-loaded games
Caller ID with image
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 2.0
Memory: 80 Mbytes plus MicroSD card (expandable to 4 Gbytes)
Opera HTML web browser
Data: GPRS Class 10, EDGE, HSPDA (3.6 Mbps)
Quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) plus 3G (WCDMA 2100)
Size: 51 x 110 x 15 mm
Weight: 112g
Talktime: up to 5 hours (3G)
Battery standby: up to 16 days
Music Playback: up to 12 hours

Sony Ericsson w800

2007-09-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

W800i - 900/1800/1900 MHz for International W800c - 900/1800/1900 MHz for China market
General
Network
GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Announced
2005, 1Q
Status
Available
Size
Dimensions
100 x 46 x 20.5 mm
Weight
99 g
Display
Type
TFT, 256K colors
Size
176 x 220 pixels, 28 x 35 mm

- Wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones
Type
Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Customization
Composer, download, order now
Vibration
Yes
Memory
Phonebook
500 x 20 fields, Photo call
Call records
30 received, dialed and missed calls
Card slot
Memory Stick Duo Pro, 512 MB card included, buy memory

- 34 MB shared memory
Data
GPRS
Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD
No
EDGE
No
3G
No
WLAN
No
Bluetooth
Yes, v2.0
Infrared port
Yes
USB
Yes
Features
Messaging
SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML
Games
Yes + downloadable, order now
Colors
Smooth White
Camera
2 MP, 1632x1224 pixels, autofocus, video, flash

- MP3/AAC player, up to 30h playback if the phone is switched off- Video player- Java- T9- FM radio with RDS- Image viewer- Picture editor- Organiser- Voice memo- SyncML- Built-in handsfree
Battery

Standard battery, Li-Po 900 mAh (BST-36)
Stand-by
Up to 400 h
Talk time
Up to 9 h

Sony Ericsson W950i

2007-09-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

W950i UMTS/900/1800/1900 MHz-

W958c 900/1800/1900 MHz with EDGE for ChinaMainland

General Network UMTS / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

Size Dimensions 106 x 54 x 15 mm

Weight 112 g

Display Type TFT touchscreen, 256K colors

Size 240 x 320 pixels, 39 x 53 mm Handwriting recognitionWallpapers, screensavers

Ringtones Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3, AAC

Customization Composer, download, order now

Vibration Yes

Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall Call records Practically unlimited Card slot No - 4 GB internal memory Data

GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

HSCSD No

EDGE W958c only 3G Yes, 384 kbps

WLAN No

Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP

Infrared port Yes

USB Yes, v2.0

Features OS Symbian OS v9.1, UIQ 3.0

Messaging SMS, MMS, Email Browser

WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML(Opera 8.0), RSS reader Games Yes + downloadable, order now

Colors Mystic purple

Camera No

Others - Java MIDP 2.0 - RDS FM radio - MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player - T9 - Image viewer - Picture editor - Organiser - Voice memo - Built-in handsfree Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 900 mAh (BST-33) Stand-by Up to 340 h Talk time Up to 7h 30 min
VotesDesign 7.8 Features 7.7 Performance 7.9

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Context

Phone Highlights

Phone Basics (Very Good)

Physical Design (Good)

Touch Phone (Just OK)

Responsiveness (Average)

Homepage Widget (Well Implemented)

Keyboard (Average)

Text/Email (Good)

Mapping (Great)

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Sony Ericsson W950i