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Archive for May, 2011

31 05/11

Samsung RF710 17-Inch Laptop: Capable, Attractive, and Unexciting

The Samsung RF710 desktop alternative laptop computer can be a able notebook with a sturdy mix of components, but ultimately it would seem to underperform relative to other systems in its class. Then again, it’s a reasonably attractive laptop, all muted dark gray and silver, and it can be relatively light at seven.5 pounds together with the power brick.

The keyboard layout is rather normal, with the only damaging becoming the more compact size in the function-key row. Acquiring smaller perform keys isn’t all that bad, but the compactness extends to the Home/PgDn cluster, which tends to make making use of individuals keys a little awkward. The overall feel with the keyboard while typing is superb, but I located my fingers occasionally slipping off keys when touch typing. I wish the Chiclet-style keyboards had only a tiny indentation inside the middle, as most desktop keyboards do.

The touchpad, in contrast, proved for being among the higher ones I’ve utilised. Samsung received the sensitivity proper out of the box–not also twitchy, not as well sluggish. Furthermore, it avoids the situation that some touchpads have of reacting to fingers that hover only a minor previously mentioned the pad surface area.

The RF710 ships with the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M GPU. The 330M will not win gaming functionality awards, nonetheless it is capable sufficient. In Far Cry 2 checks the RF710 could not hit thirty frames per 2nd in complete resolution, and in Just Result in 2 it fell brief of 20 fps. If you’re taking part in a current-generation Pc game, you may want to dial down the graphics settings and resolution to acquire sufficient frame rates throughout gameplay.

This specific Samsung laptop computer ships with 4GB of DDR3 memory and an Intel Core i7 720QM quad-core CPU driving Windows Residence Premium 64-bit. Its efficiency in Windows, however, appears to be lacking relative to laptops with equivalent processors. The overall WorldBench six score of 103 is equivalent to that of similarly outfitted systems, but game overall performance appears a little reduced, probably as a result of GPU greater than towards the CPU. Throughout real utilize the RF710 appeared responsive, and additionally, it prevented the substantial warmth output I’ve encountered when using other 720QM-based methods (that’s surely a good). Battery existence is about regular for the large and effective laptop computer, at just shy of two.5 hrs.

The RF710 pumped out audio quantity considerably louder than that of equivalent laptops. Samsung includes SRS TruSurround, which adds a bit spaciousness towards the all round sound at the cost of some audio accuracy. It can be a good attribute to permit when observing movies–but in case you like your new music far more accurately rendered, you may wish to flip SRS audio off. Alternatively, when SRS is disabled, optimum volume amounts look to decrease, as well as the speakers consider on a thin sound that lacks punch.

With this era of 1080p displays, it’s a bit odd to see a laptop computer priced at $1049 (as of November 19, 2010) shipping which has a 1600-by-900-pixel display. The color rendition and saturation seemed very good in regular desktop use, but just a touch muted once the method played Blu-ray video. Total picture top quality was mostly very good, other than for that occasional bit of movement smearing in quickly action sequences. I looked at key scenes in the Band of Brothers and Serenity Blu-ray sets, along with the all round impact appeared a touch soft. Shifting viewing angles resulted in sharp falloffs in brightness, and obvious color shifting.

The RF710 comes with a robust set of ports, which includes four USB ports–two of that are USB 3.0. Equally USB three.0 ports are mounted about the correct, with a single about the aspect as well as the other on the rear appropriate corner. Two USB two.0 ports, as well as VGA, HDMI, ethernet, and audio connectors, are developed in to the left facet from the chassis. A four-in-one flash memory reader sits while in the front. Also incorporated really are a Webcam as well as a built-in microphone, that are rather considerably required as of late.

A Samsung 640GB tough generate handles the storage chores. Samsung divides the drive right into a relatively tiny boot partition (150GB) along with a bigger data partition (354GB). However, the company failed to do the hefty lifting of moving each of the user-data storage–documents, pictures, as well as the like–to the info drive, so you’ll desire to manually configure Windows to maneuver these information folders towards the secondary partition to be able to get complete advantage in the substantial potential. You are going to locate a Blu-ray reader/DVD rewriter within the laptop, as well; the bundled Cyberlink PowerDVD computer software can take care of Blu-ray playback.

As for connectivity, you are able to use both the Broadcom 802.11n Wi-Fi chip or even the Marvell gigabit ethernet controller. Samsung also consists of Bluetooth, although not wireless broadband 3G/4G.

The digital manual is well worth mentioning briefly. Although fairly generic, it is quite effectively organized and very usable–I’d wish to see it being a design for built-in manuals on all methods.

All round, the Samsung RF710 presents an understated, nice-looking package deal. It’s got a good keyboard, plenty of storage, and a Blu-ray drive. Gaming benefits are lackluster, but efficiency in desktop apps is fine, in spite of the truth that the present era of Intel quad-core cell CPUs has never impressed. It is regrettable, nonetheless, that a 1080p display isn’t really aspect with the blend in a laptop costing above $1000.

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30 05/11

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 Laptop Review

Fujitsu’s 1st 3D laptop, the LifeBook AH572, isn’t created for gamers. This $999 15-inch notebook is for multimedia mavens who desire to add an further dimension to viewing videos, regardless of whether it’s Blu-ray blockbusters or online material. The AH572 can be the first U.S. notebook to report 3D video, making use of dual cameras above the display. But just how good will be the 3D experience, and is the AH572 effectively rounded sufficient to justify investing a grand?

Design

The LifeBook AH572 sports a glossy black plastic chassis using a delicate fleck treatment that lends somewhat of flair whilst minimizing smudges (at the very least fairly). The chrome strip around the front lip of the notebook can be a stylish touch, but our eyes ended up initial drawn for the odd touchpad configuration; alongside a rectangular touchpad is actually a smaller sized circular touchpad employed just for scrolling, equivalent to that around the LifeBook S760. You’ll also locate two webcam lenses above the exhibit for recording 3D video clip.

At 1.eight inches thick and 6.6 pounds, the LifeBook AH572 isn’t really a device you will need to carry all around. In fact, it can be over a pound heavier than the 15-inch Toshiba Satellite L655, even though it can be surely lighter than 15-inch gaming rigs these because the MSI GT680 (seven.6 lbs).

Keyboard and Touchpad

As opposed to a lot of other client notebooks, the LifeBook AH572 employs a traditional-style layout (with all the keys shut collectively), as opposed to a chiclet-style keyboard where there’s much more space involving the keys. The search can be a small dated, but we’ve got no grievances about the typing encounter. Although producing this assessment, we noted excellent return and tactile feedback, and ended up in a position to acquire as much as our standard typing velocity immediately with couple of problems. Plus, the keyboard is spill-resistant so you get a committed range pad.

We’re not supporters of Fujitsu’s twin touchpads on this laptop computer. The key Synaptics touchpad measures only three x one.5 inches, which can be rather short to get a mainstream notebook. Even now, multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom worked smoothly.

The secondary touchpad is about an inch in diameter (best for a finger), and its sole function is scrolling. You happen to be meant to work with a circular motion–clockwise to scroll down, counterclockwise to scroll up. Once we got utilised to this, the scrollpad worked just great, but we’d prefer a two-finger scroll gesture on the larger, single touchpad. The 2 large devoted touchpad buttons have been easy to use.

Display and Audio

The fifteen.6-inch glossy display around the AH572 (400 nits) produced an incredibly vivid photo with wealthy colours and deep blacks. When we watched 2D content, including Glee on Hulu, horizontal viewing angles have been vast adequate for 2 people to determine the on-screen action.

The narrow speaker bar about the LifeBook AH572′s hinge pumped adequate quantity at seventy five percent to fill a medium-size room. Although listening to a assortment of rock, pop, rap, and classical audio, we mentioned flat audio high quality. The place with the speakers assists with clarity, and bass is existing, however the sound wasn’t well rounded and layers appeared squeezed jointly.

3D Video clip Playback

The 3D LCD around the AH572 uses the Xpol Circular Polarizer filter enabled by TriDef computer software, as well as the notebook includes a set of passive 3D eyeglasses similar to what you’d get inside a movie theater. This 3D technological innovation is what Lenovo offers on its IdeaPad Y560d. In contrast to 3D offered from ATI or Nvidia, which entails energetic shutter glasses that talk with the laptop remotely, passive shutter technology relies on computer software to create the 3D image on screen. The incorporated eyeglasses are a lot less expensive (about $19) than those who arrive with all the ASUS G51J 3D or the HP Envy 17 3D, which may expense $99 or even more.

CyberLink’s PowerDVD 9 plays 3D Blu-ray discs and can upconvert 2D DVDs into 3D. Making use of the Tri-Def 3D Media Player, we have been also ready to see 2D photos and Hd video clip clips in 3D. The 2D to 3D translation was fun but not as immersive as the Area Station 3D Blu-ray we set in the optical generate. The astronauts genuinely popped off the display, and there was a satisfying volume of depth.

Overall, the 3D only worked effectively once we sat from the sweet spot (for us, about three to four feet from the notebook, but this could fluctuate). Or else, edges blurred. And in some cases once we have been capable to stay in this spot, objects with the bottom edge with the display screen nonetheless tended to appear fuzzy or indistinct. The 3D playback right here is good, but Nvidia’s 3D Vision engineering (with energetic shutter eyeglasses) supplies a better expertise.

3D Camera

Because of the dual-lens webcam previously mentioned the display, LifeBook AH572 entrepreneurs can report their very own 3D movies. Nonetheless, the even now photographs and 3D video we took with the one.3-MP cameras didn’t appear excellent, particularly in very low light. Among the muted hues, pixelation, and slight blur, the movies and stills had been much less than enjoyable–in 3D or not. However, for individuals who wish to dabble in 3D creation, it can be a enjoyable feature to play all around with.

Before we could use Cyberlink YouCam 3D Digital camera Viewer, we had to calibrate the lenses. The method was basic, but the 3D was only powerful when we sat at a really distinct distance from the notebook.

Ports

The LifeBook AH572 is effectively packed with ports. About the left: Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, two USB 2.0, and two USB three.0. On the correct: ability, Blu-ray generate, 1 USB two.0, headphone and mic. The 3-in-1 memory card reader sits beneath the front lip.

Tags: L09S6Y11, 909-2420, FPCBP119, PA3009UR, 08K8194, BT.T2306.001, 346970-001

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28 05/11

Asus U33Jc: An Elegant, Eco-Friendly Blend of Form and Function

We’ve lengthy identified the inconvenient real truth in regards to the unfavorable toll our tech-obsessed society takes around the atmosphere, but Asus tends to make being green easy with its new U Sequence Bamboo Assortment of laptops featuring hybrid bamboo/aluminum chassis. The wood-paneled U33Jc critique unit I looked at is fifteen % bamboo (in accordance towards the manufacturer) and arrived in eco-friendly packaging that Asus statements is “made of 100% all-natural and recyclable bamboo pulp and non-woven packing cloth.” It is a pleasant gesture, but for $999 I need over a warm fuzzy feeling. Asus delivers having a 13-inch display screen, an Intel Core i3 370M clocked at two.4GHz, 4GB of RAM, as well as a 500GB tough generate spinning bytes at 5400 rpm. The U33Jc rolled by way of our WorldBench six benchmark test suite with a score of 103–impressive for an ultraportable. With the ultraportable laptops we’ve tested lately, only the Toshiba Portege R700-S1330 earned a increased score.

Connectivity options abound with 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth, and Intel Wi-Di wireless show support. The chrome siding sports an extraordinary array of ports with HDMI, VGA, and USB 3.0 ports on the left edge complementing two more USB 2.0 ports, microphone and headphone jacks, a gigabit ethernet jack, plus a five-in-one card reader within the appropriate. The U33Jc lacks an optical media generate, an odd omission provided the large drive-size space dedicated to heat exhaust about the left edge. Relying in your cell wants, this could be a deal breaker or possibly a minor velocity bump; together with the advent of high-capacity USB storage and DropBox, I did not skip the DVD generate, and the lighter bodyweight and added cooling were a godsend during marathon motion picture viewing periods.

Asus did not skimp on GPU tech either, with equally an integrated Intel Hd graphics card plus a beefier 1GB nVidia GeForce 310M; the nVidia Optimus software program dynamically swaps one for the other, depending on the application you are working. In my exams the Optimus computer software handled this job commendably, and finicky consumers can relaxation straightforward realizing that nVidia offers numerous ways to choose your preferred GPU manually.

With the 310M firing on all cylinders, the graphics glimpse great–better than some budget desktops we have reviewed. The only caveat: The U33Jc’s screen has a narrow array for best viewing, roughly forty degrees to possibly aspect of middle. The LCD can also be very glossy, which seems great on the retail shelf but helps make doing work in bright daylight tough at greatest. Glare concerns aside, the display is an unremarkable 1366 by 768 show that’s simple around the eyes, and viewing High definition motion pictures on Hulu or direct from your tough drive is a snap. A dinky 2-megapixel Webcam keeps a watchful eye from the top rated of the case, and Asus has implemented the ultimate low-tech privacy measure with a small sliding display screen that physically blocks the digital camera lens from canny hackers hoping to snoop on you unawares.

The situation by itself is all eye candy, with dark bamboo paneling atop a brushed aluminum chassis that conceals a recessed Chiclet-style keyboard, yielding a notebook that seems to be far more like an eco-conscious style prototype than a multitalented ultraportable. At 4.5 lbs (5+ with all the energy brick), the unit was light and comfy to carry for prolonged intervals;one particular analyst inside the Pc World Labs, nonetheless, opined the light weight and wooden paneling manufactured the U33Jc feel cheap and flimsy.

Typing about the keyboard felt wooden. For the duration of prolonged typing periods I desire a satisfying click to accompany each and every keystroke, however the Asus keys left my body fat fingers cold with shallow travel and mushy feedback. The upshot of this design and style can be a near-silent typing encounter, best for operating in peaceful settings or late during the night without having disturbing other individuals. The keyboard can take complete advantage of the thirteen.3-inch footprint with well-spaced keys plus a tiny touchpad (also bedecked in bamboo trim) that in no way registered stray thumb swipes as I typed. I wrote and edited multiple paperwork (like this evaluation) extremely efficiently within the U33Jc, as well as the much-ballyhooed Asus Super Hybrid Engine energy management software in no way let me down, trying to keep the laptop running on battery electrical power for practically eight hours of searching and typing (with occasional breaks to game or goof all around online). During our lab assessments, the battery ran for exactly seven hours, which can be previously mentioned regular for an ultraportable.

If you’re inside the market place to get a light-weight ultraportable laptop computer that could handle a wide assortment of projects, you cannot do much greater compared to Asus U33Jc. It can be competitively priced, at ease to carry and handles spreadsheets and streaming motion pictures with equal aplomb. The bamboo design selection is really a love-it-or-hate-it affair, but because Asus’s Web site does not provide considerably inside the method of customization choices, I inspire potential consumers to play close to using a U33Jc in a very retail environment to get a experience for it. I’ve been contemplating a laptop computer upgrade for months now, however the U33Jc will be the first ultraportable I’ve seriously thought to be getting. With these kinds of an elegant mix of type and purpose, the eco-conscious bamboo exterior is simply icing around the cake.

See more like this: PA3399U-1BAS, 281668-B25, 08K8194, K450N, ASM 42T4545

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27 05/11

Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Thin, Sturdy, and Fast…Until the Battery Dies

The engineering press has lumped Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 right into a increasing category of Macbook Air opponents, but now that I’ve utilised one particular for awhile, I can let you know it does not actually belong there. Although the X1 is the thinnest ThinkPad at any time, it really is even now substantially thicker and heavier than Apple’s razor-thin laptop. This is not to say that it can be thick or large (it isn’t) or that it really is inferior for the Air or other superslim laptops like the Samsung Series 9. It’s only a distinct merchandise to get a distinct industry: business vacationers who like to journey light.

Lenovo says that the ThinkPad X1 is 0.65 inches thick and three.eight kilos. Our measurements demonstrate it’s somewhat thicker than that at its thickest. Compare these numbers to your 2.three pounds and tapered design with the Air which is 0.68 inches thick at its thickest along with a mere 0.11 inches at the front edge. Just select up the X1 and you will instantly understand the main difference. Lenovo’s laptop computer is skinny and fairly light (for any ThinkPad), but let’s not get carried away.

Lenovo packs a whole lot of good things into this compact bundle. The whole method is extremely rugged, resisting our attempts to flex or bend it. The backlit island-style keyboard is just not only a joy to sort on, it is spill-proof also. In an fascinating twist, Lenovo has outfitted the X1 with a clickpad as an alternative of the trackpad with discrete buttons. It can be a good compromise to get a larger touch location, and also the texture and tracking with the pad is top-notch. For all those that won’t be able to give it up, you are going to nevertheless uncover the small eraser-nub pointer management between the G and H keys as well as a set of bodily buttons among the clickpad and also the spacebar. The base configuration features a Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, as well as a 320GB, 7200-rpm hard disk for $1199. Our test product came using a Core i5-2520M CPU, raising the value to $1304. This configuration earned a respectable score of 124 on WorldBench 6, putting it close to the best with the ultraportables category. SSD generate options will also be accessible, though high priced.

In the beginning look, the ThinkPad X1 looks for being lacking a great deal of connectivity alternatives, as you will only locate a headset jack and a USB port below a small cover around the left edge and a card reader to the appropriate edge. Which is because the majority of the ports are tucked away around the back again with the laptop computer. There you may discover a combo eSATA/USB port, a DisplayPort, an HDMI one.4a port, a port for USB 3.0, as well as a covered SIM card slot for 3G connectivity. The 1366 by 768 exhibit is brilliant and does not shift also significantly when you change your viewing angle, but it can be a little disappointing to determine Lenovo choose to get a glossy glass cover as a substitute with the anti-reflective matte complete discovered on most ThinkPads. The built-in high-def Webcam functions remarkably well in low light, and also the audio is really a whole lot louder and clearer than you’d anticipate from a laptop this modest. Credit score that to Lenovo’s licensing of Dolby House Theater technology.

The Achilles’ heel of this slick business ultraportable is its anemic battery lifestyle. Apparently, the a single point Lenovo couldn’t really cram into this appealing black slab is actually a big enough battery. The nonremovable lithium polymer battery lasted only three hrs, 41 minutes within our checks. You can double that with an external slice battery, but that is a significant compromise. It adds virtually a pound, makes the method very somewhat thicker (covering the back half with the bottom from the program), and raises the value by $150. What is the stage of a thin and light laptop if you have to generate it decidedly not thin and not light to have in excess of four hours of use out of it? At the very least it does not consider lengthy to cost. Lenovo is proud of how quickly its battery fees, and rightly so. You are able to go from drained to eighty percent of complete charge in all around 50 percent an hour, as well as the system is intelligent ample to charge up the internal battery initial, and to drain the slice battery very first.

There is a good deal to love in regards to the ThinkPad X1, even when it is not quite thin or light sufficient to rightly be part of the ranks of Macbook Air competitors. It seems and feels wonderful, is actually a joy to operate on, boots fast, stays responsive even when multitasking, and has a genuinely great display. The audio top quality along with the Webcam really are a minimize above common, also. In case you will not want all-day battery existence, it is a very good selection. It can be specifically the sort of thing a frequent-flyer businessman would need to things into his carry-on bag, provided he’ll use it for significantly less than four hours at a time. For end users that demand all-day battery lifestyle, the exterior battery slice effectively eliminates the sleek size and bodyweight which makes the program such a lovely prospect while in the first area.

Tags: A32-U1, L08S4X03, AA-PB0UC3B, SSB-Q20LS/E, FMVNBP146

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26 05/11

Toshiba Mini NB505-508GN: Your Garden Variety Netbook

Toshiba’s Mini NB505-508GN has two issues that separate it from the netbook pack, albeit only slightly: a somewhat better-than-average keyboard and longer-than-average battery daily life. Okay, make that 3 things–it’s also better-looking than the majority of its competition with its smooth styling and lime-green lid. Or else, the unit could be the epitome of the cookie-cutter netbook.

The NB505-508GN scored 33 on PCWorld’s WorldBench six test suite–a few of factors under regular for the class. Component in the difficulty is that Toshiba saddles the Intel Atom N455 CPU and 1GB of method memory with an excessive amount of software program. Atom CPUs, especially single-core types just like the N455, simply do not possess the horsepower to deal with scores of track record applications and processes. Disabling the needless ones–19 of them–in the startup configuration resulted in a very much livelier subjective expertise. But we benchmark laptops in their out-of-the-box state to better simulate the common buyer experience.

Although the Mini NB505 is not a stellar performer, it does operate for quite a while unplugged: 7 hrs, 32 minutes in our battery exams, to become exact. That’ll get you across the Atlantic carrying out company duties, but almost certainly not taking part in video clip (our battery checks cycle among simulated typing in a document and light-weight video clip playback).

One other main components really are a ten.1-inch, 1024 by 600 exhibit, plus a 250GB, 5400-rpm difficult drive. The exhibit has a lot of usable brightness, and renders video clip very properly. The Mini NB505 managed properly with lower to medium bit-rate 720p video clip, but began choking at higher bit rates–typical for Atom netbooks. The Webcam offers one of the smoother, nicer-looking photographs you’ll find inside a netbook, but audio will be the typical tinny-through-the-speakers, decent-through-the-headphones laptop computer sound.

The model’s ports and connectivity alternatives are the common netbook fare: A few USB two.0 ports, a VGA port, an SD card slot, microphone and headphone jacks, as well as a 10/100 ethernet port. The wireless is g/b/n. The keyboard layout is only a bit compressed, so finger-scrunching is minimal. The keys themselves offer a fair amount of journey for any netbook, and, whilst peaceful, still let you set up a decent typing rhythm. The touchpad is flush-mounted, along with the buttons are mounted even with all the front edge with the keyboard deck–by far the very best scheme netbook vendors have come up with for really feel and ease of use.

As for your application which is piled on top rated from the Windows 7 Starter operating method, that bundle incorporates Toshiba’s ReelTime–a wonderful document organizer (that does not should run at startup), a trial of Norton Internet Security, Toshiba’s Message Middle for update notifications, a extensive and hugely adjustable Webcam utility, Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, and also the ever-useful (not) Google toolbar. The aforementioned track record utilities contain individuals for online backup, challenging drive standing, etc. Retain that which you like and disable the rest utilizing msconfig.exe–you’ll like the NB505-508GN a great deal greater.

Indeed, this evaluation is overloaded together with the adjectives standard, common, and cookie-cutter. Will not shoot the messenger–or the vendor; it can be the species that has settled right into a mind-numbingly program and somewhat underpowered configuration. If you intend to work with the NB505-508GN for what it really is tasked for–Web surfing, light e-mail, the occasional short word document–it’s as good as you’ll find in its price array (all around $310, as of 3/29/11). If you need to complete far more, examine something like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X120e, which represents the future with the netbook breed.

See more like this: PA3248, 70-N8V1B1100, A22-P701, FPCBP186, PA3537U-1BRS, TravelMate 527TXV

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25 05/11

Toshiba Satellite C655D (S5130) Review

For that very last couple of decades, the sub-$400 notebook realm has mainly been the unique province of netbooks. Finances mainstream notebooks often dip beneath the $500 mark, but it can be typically a clearance merchandise or perhaps a Black Friday deal. So the 15-inch Toshiba Satellite C655D may well shock several buyers whenever they see it using a $398 value tag at Walmart (exactly where it really is currently being offered exclusively). This machine delivers a basic design and style, an AMD Fusion processor that guarantees slightly much better performance than a netbook, and lengthy battery lifestyle. Was Toshiba capable of bring the mainstream finances price array down without having sacrificing too much? Go through on.

Layout

Weighing in at 5 kilos, the Satellite C655D is quite light for any 15-incher. The matte black lid and deck have a very dimpled texture that gives the notebook a pleasant grip. Above the keyboard are two oval speaker grilles, which can be also plastic, but possess a good glossy trim. We’re followers with the simple all-black coloration scheme, which just isn’t marred by several ostentatious LEDs (although there are two that indicate once the Amount and Caps Lock is on).
Warmth

In the course of testing, the Satellite C655D notebook remained quite awesome. Soon after taking part in a Hulu clip at complete screen for 15 minutes, the space in between the G & H keys was only 83 degrees, the touchpad only 82 degrees, and the middle from the underside only 84 degrees. Those temps are all well within our acceptable array. The hottest area on the notebook was near the vent, naturally, but even then it only reached 95 degrees–also within the acceptable threshold.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The full-size keyboard and quantity pad on the Satellite C655D have responsive, terraced keys that offer good spring and return. However, we kept hitting the Alt keys by accident; for some reason, Toshiba made them, and the left Ctrl key large, at the expense from the spacebar, which is shorter than normal.

The 3.2 x 1.6-inch touchpad is good and wide, and we like that the surface has just enough matte covering to reduce friction. While the Elan touchpad is capable of multitouch gestures, such as pinch-to-zoom, they weren’t easy to execute. In addition, the scrolling area on the right wasn’t very sensitive. Once we turned the two-finger scrolling on, the experience was better. The two discrete mouse buttons are wider than the touchpad and were responsive.

Display and Audio

We appreciated the crisp, popping colors and deep blacks offered by the Satellite C655D, as well as the wide horizontal viewing angles while watching Lady Gaga’s Grammy efficiency. Vertical viewing angles are narrower than we’d like, and at times the reflections in the glossy panel were distracting.

At 75-percent volume, the two oval speaker wells over the keyboard produced enough volume to fill a medium-sized room. With the audio at 100 percent, we didn’t notice considerably distortion. When listening to instrumental music, such as Zoe Keating’s “Into The Trees,” we didn’t get the full, resonant tones from the cello. Adam Lambert’s brash, pop/rock blend had all the treble but not as significantly in the bass. Plus, the tenor sounded on the tinny side. Still, for a spending budget system, the sound is fairly wonderful.

Ports and Webcam

For the system this size, the Satellite C655D provides a skimpy range of ports: two USB, Ethernet, VGA, a card reader, DVD+/-R, headphone and mic. It’s not a surprise to find no HDMI port given the price, but we generally expect even spending budget systems to come through with three or four USB ports. There’s also no Bluetooth included.

The webcam captured somewhat blocky and pixelated images, but the quality was not terrible. We were impressed that the Satellite C655D was capable to handle low light situations, but even in the best light the colors were off.

Tags: LC.BTP00.007, PCG-V505 Series, IdeaPad S10-2, Inspiron 1370, ThinkPad 1720

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24 05/11

MSI GT680R-008US Review

Last year’s MSI GT660 impressed with its quad-core energy, fun and customizable lighting results, and loud speakers. However, that program lacked a total Hd display and price a rather penny ($1,849). With the GT680R-008US, MSI has additional a 1080p display screen, a more rapidly Sandy Bridge Core i7 CPU, and beefier Nvidia Geforce GTX 460M graphics fully capable of delivering DirectX eleven eye candy. Additionally you get a complete terabyte of storage. Asking price? Just $1,499. So just what amount more notebook have you been acquiring for your money?

Design

The GT680 has precisely the same chassis and design because the GT660, which we reviewed very last yr. Aesthetically, there’s a whole lot going on–almost excessive. The lid has some funky angles cut along the edges plus a glossy, beveled lid comprehensive using a glowing MSI logo. Beneath the hood there is a blend of matte and glossy textures–though the latter dominates–and the piano black from the exhibit bezel and leading of the deck fades right into a glossy slate shade, which then turns into a textured honeycomb pattern on the palm relaxation.

Two speakers ringed in red sit around the left and correct with the upper deck, and between them is really a manage deck outlined in red and chrome with touch-sensitive LEDs. A light tap activates every single purpose, including enabling or disabling Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the Windows key and switching among energy modes. There is even a programmable shortcut button, although we wish committed media controls have been right here at the same time. A shield-shaped energy button sits while in the middle. Though we found this strip quite valuable, it picked up fingerprints.

The 15.6 x ten.5 x 2.2-inch GT680R is portable enough to get to a LAN get together, but its 7.6-pound excess weight will most likely preserve it sitting in your desk almost all of the time. Nonetheless, this notebook is 2 lbs lighter than the 17-inch Alienware M17x.

Customizable LED Lights

No gaming notebook would be comprehensive devoid of glowing LED accents. The GT680 sports thin bands of orange LEDs along the lower edges in the lid and across the edge corners in the bottom from the deck. We do not like the color doesn’t really match the red accents splashed across the keyboard as well as the top rated edge, nevertheless it was awesome that we could flip the LED accents completely on or off by tapping the icon on the far proper in the control deck.

With all the MSI LED Manager utility, you can turn every single area on and off individually or all of them on or off totally. Consumers also can set the LEDs to “breathe,” which ends in a gentle fade in and out, or to pulse as well as the audio coming from the speakers. This latter feature was a great deal of fun when we started taking part in loud, drum-driven songs. Overall, it’s not as complete as the LEDs on Alienware systems, but it is a nice touch.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Since the keys around the GT680R are not backlit, you will not be able to game as quickly with all the lights dimmed. Still, we appreciated the red accents around the keys most games default to for movement–WASD, 8462, and arrows–making them less complicated to discover.

The keyboard is (mostly) full-size, but the deck is springy and keys never have a lot depth, so we found ourselves creating much more typing mistakes than typical. Oddly, the correct Shift essential is shrunken. As well as, there’s an additional backslash essential in between the tiny Alt important around the left and the area bar. This manufactured executing keyboard shortcuts difficult since the Alt essential isn’t really where our fingers assume it.

The GT680R’s touchpad is large adequate (3.2 x 2 inches) and capabilities a somewhat rough-touch surface for simple navigation. However the mouse buttons are technically just one bar, a divot within the center will help separate the left and proper sides, and we had no concerns making use of them.

Warmth

To measure the GT680R’s heat underneath normal usage, we played a Hulu video clip at full display screen for 15 minutes. The room between the G and H keys only attained 82 degrees Fahrenheit, along with the touchpad got as much as 81 degrees. The middle from the underside stayed a awesome 89 degrees. Close to the vent we measured 101 degrees, which can be above our comfy zone. Right after gaming for thirty minutes, temperatures near the vent and on bottom from the notebook in that corner ranged from 110 to 122 degrees.

Thankfully, MSI features a Cooler Boost function. Just press the icon on the strip with the leading of the deck as well as the fan inside the notebook will go from regular to high pace. In a lot less than 10 minutes, the same location cooled to among 89 and 94 degrees. The fan is pretty noisy, but at least MSI provides users this cooling option.

Ports and Webcam

On the left in the GT680R you get two USB 3.0 ports, a USB two.0 port, along with a memory card slot. To help keep costs down, this product ditches the Blu-ray generate for any DVD SuperMulti Drive, which will take up most of the correct edge, but there’s still place for your other USB port, headphone, mic, audio in, and audio out ports. Ultimately, the eSATA, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet and energy ports sit inside the center of the notebook’s back again edge.

The webcam on the GT680R is a high-end unit that may capture video clip in Hd: 1280 x 720, thirty fps. Video top quality at this dimension was not stunning, but once we adjusted the configurations (brightness, hue, saturation, and so on.), the resulting photographs had been decent.

Exhibit & Audio

We’re glad that the GT680R’s 15.6-inch display offers a complete High definition, 1920 x 1080 resolution, something the earlier GT660 lacked. The glossy display screen still offers deep blacks and popping colors, but the reflections and glare are somewhat distracting while watching video or surfing the web.

As with the GT660, the GT680R has speakers designed by Dynaudio, a high-end audio company from Denmark. The two speakers around the upper left and proper in the GT680R’s deck produce powerful volume and better sound than you’ll locate on a typical notebook, but their placement has some drawbacks. We appreciated the true stereo output; while enjoying games it helped us hear which direction enemy fire came from. Even so, locating the speakers so close to the display caused sound to reflect off the show, producing audio mush together.

Though the audio was definitely strong (at 70 percent we could fill a medium-sized area), the GT680R lacked clarity while in the midrange. Thanks to the sub-woofer on the bottom, there is decent bass response, however the booms of grenades exploding while gaming had been far more muted than we’d like.

Tags: 312-0831, 139627-001, PA3399U-1BAS, PA2452, IM-M150262-GB

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23 05/11

Asus Eee PC 1215B Laptop Review

To squeeze the most overall performance from its very last 12-inch laptop, ASUS paired a desktop Atom processor with Nvidia Ion graphics. The outcome was an ultraportable that had great game for its dimension but not the snappiest total effectiveness. Now right here arrives the Eee Computer 1215B ($439), which shares the same seem because the older 1215N but swaps out these elements for AMD’s 1.6-GHz Fusion E-350 APU. This ultra-efficient chip pairs a faster processor with graphics that will simply deal with full Hd video. ASUS also added a USB 3.0 port for super high-speed transfers. And nevertheless the 1215B is $30 cheaper than its Intel-powered counterpart. Take a look at the total assessment under to find out how the 1215B stacks up to its predecessor, in addition to other Fusion-powered ultraportables.

Layout

Related to its predecessor, the Eee Pc 1215B includes a plain matte-black exterior, which extends towards the inside, conserve for that glossy keyboard deck. Equally the HP Pavilion dm1z (glossy black with grid design) and Sony VAIO YB (metallic fuschia lid) have more panache, however you can spice this ASUS up by ordering it in red for just $10 far more.

Weighing three.four lbs, the 1215B could be the very same excess weight since the 1215N as well as the Pavilion dm1z, making it easy to carry. The VAIO YB weighs slightly a lot less at three.2 pounds. At 11.six x 7.9 x 0.9-1.4 inches, the Eee Computer 1215B can be identical in dimension to its predecessor, which can be approximately the same size as the VAIO YB (eleven.four x 8 x 1.3 inches) as well as the dm1z (11.4 x eight.4 x 0.8-1.two inches).

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Eee Personal computer 1215B’s chiclet keyboard is identical to the 1 around the 1215N, which meant we have been in a position to type at a brisk tempo with handful of problems. However, the 1215N’s undersized proper Shift key and worrisome flexing while in the base are right here too. Between similar-sized notebooks, we prefer the keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, however the 1215B’s greater palm relaxation made it easier to type for longer durations, as our wrists weren’t left hanging off the edge.

We like the 1215B’s three.2 x one.eight touchpad. It was smooth and responsive, along with the more substantial property made carrying out multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling less complicated than on other ultraportables. Selecting text was also a cinch.

Given that we favor discrete mouse buttons, we’re not followers with the single silver bar beneath the touchpad. We identified it somewhat stiff in the beginning, however it became less complicated to press the much more we utilized it.

Screen and Audio

The glossy twelve.1-inch, 1366 x 768-pixel display on the Eee Pc 1215B is sharp and bright. The Green Lantern trailer streamed from YouTube looked excellent in the two 720 and 1080p. The emerald green of Ryan Reynolds’ suit was vibrant, and blacks have been deep and abundant without signal of pixelation. Viewing angles have been narrow, with hues washing out at approximately 45 degrees. We needed to tilt the screen as far back again because it would go–about 40 degrees previous vertical–to achieve the best vertical viewing angle.

The Speakers situated around the front underside from the 1215B created distinct audio with very good volume. The synthesized instrumentals in Lady Gaga’s “Judas” and her haunting refrain came via loud and obvious without any distortion. As expected on the budget technique these as this, bass was barely existing. We suggest trying to keep the notebook on a desk or challenging surface area, as we discovered the sound grew to become muffled when we placed it within our lap.
Ports and Webcam

A enjoyable surprise for the notebook within this price array, the Eee Pc 1215B includes a high-speed USB 3.0 port. Becoming a member of it on the appropriate aspect are a USB two.0 port, Ethernet, mic and headphone jacks, along with a Kensington lock slot. The left side houses yet another USB 2.0 port, HDMI, a VGA port, along with a 2-in-1 card reader.

Photographs and video clip taken together with the 0.3-megapixel integrated webcam employing ASUS’ e-Cam app ended up vivid, but they appeared grainy with washed-out colour even soon after we adjusted the digital camera settings. Like around the 1215N, the webcam sliding cover is located over the webcam to guarantee privacy.

Warmth

The ASUS Eee Pc 1215B taken care of comparatively awesome temperatures during our testing. Right after streaming a Hulu video at complete display for 15 minutes, we measured the touchpad and keyboard at 86 degrees, and also the center of the underside at 90 degrees. Nonetheless, the HP Pavilion dm1z was even cooler, remaining beneath 80 degrees while in the exact same spots.

Tags: VGP-BPS2C/S/E, 464059-121, M9338J/B, PA3307U-1BAS

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22 05/11

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Laptop Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad X120e ($580 immediate) is really a great deal like its predecessor, the ThinkPad X100e ($550 direct, four stars), in that they’re both super-charged business netbooks. And by super-charged, I indicate that they are able to handle any provided job more rapidly than an Intel Atom-based netbook, because of AMD’s latest Fusion APU (wherein the processor and discrete graphics reside around the same die). But most impressively, it does so even though yielding outstanding battery life, about an hour a lot more than the X100e. Aspect in a very exceptional keyboard and dual pointing products; the X120e is arguably the very best netbook for enterprise. Which is, if you are ready to pay out the considerable top quality.

Layout

The layout is amazingly drab-looking, but when you might be an IT manager who finds vibrant colours, designs, and glossy finishes distracting, the X120e is the symbol of corporate banality. The HP Pavilion dm1z ($449 direct, 4.5 stars) utilizes a similar matte black end, but trims the edges with silver (you’ll discover a front-to-back slope also). Meanwhile, the Asus EeePC 1215N ($500 road, 4 stars) and Samsung NF310-A01 ($399.99 road, four.5 stars) have shinier finishes and ornamental designs. The X120e is actually a black rectangular box, using a battery protruding from its back. It’s extremely road-friendly, tipping the scales at 3.3 pounds?aabout as light because the HP dm1z (3.four lbs) and Asus 1215N (3.three lbs).

The common display screen dimension of the netbook is ten inches; the X120e really sports a larger 11.6-inch display. Its 1,366-by-768 resolution (and display screen dimension) will be the identical as that in the HP dm1z, minus the glare (the X120e’s matte display is excellent for those who function under a fluorescent light).

A heavenly sculpted keyboard and twin pointing gadgets are two standout functions on the X120e. Though the keyboard’s fashionable chiclet layout may go against the corporate grain, the typing experience?adepth with the keys along with the way they curve about your fingers?ais as gratifying like a conventional ThinkPad keyboard. And even with area constraints, Lenovo discovered place for its signature pointing stick, touchpad, and 4 with the softest mouse buttons in the enterprise. The person knowledge dwarfs all of the other ones in its class.

Capabilities

The X120e adds an HDMI port, that’s a feature the X100e lacked. It enables businesses to simultaneously stream video and audio material to your newest flat-panel displays, which you cannot do with VGA. The HP dm1z and Asus 1215N also have HDMI, although not 10-inch netbooks like the HP Mini 5103 ($650 road, 4 stars) and Samsung NF310-A01. The a few USB ports, a media card slot, Ethernet, and VGA are normal netbook fare. A Webcam, which is a useful device for video clip chats, could be found in its typical spot above the display. The 320GB, seven,200rpm hard generate is as speedy and spacious as that with the HP dm1z. As an additional bonus, professionals can configure the X120e with cellular broadband or 3G wireless.

Performance

The one.six GHz AMD E-350 CPU is basically the purpose why the X120e is a super-charged company netbook. It really is a wicked one-two punch, combining CPU and graphics cores within a single die. Paired with 4GB of DDR3 memory, the X120e scored 599 in SYSMark 2007 and 0.6056 on CineBench R11.five, which simply outpaced the Asus 1215N with its one.8GHz Intel Atom D525 desktop-class CPU ( the Asus scored 539 and 0.5660, respectively). It can be a a lot faster machine than 10-inch netbooks such as the Samsung NF310-A01 and HP 5103, which garnered identical scores of 32 on SYSMark 2007 and 0.48 on CineBench R11.5. The X120e is about as fast because the HP dm1z, since they use similar AMD elements. There’s also a graphics benefit above the Atom platform, even though I would not qualify he X120e as gaming-ready.

Had this been previous year, the ThinkPad X120e would have succumbed to the exact same battery woes as every other AMD-based netbook that arrived by way of Personal computer Labs. The X100e was one of the handful of that done respectably in this department, tallying 5 hours 34 minutes having a 63WH battery; the X120e lasted virtually an hour lengthier (six:30) having a smaller sized battery (57WH). However it isn’t as battery efficient as the Atom-based HP 5103 (8:40) and Samsung NF310-A01 (seven:05), foregoing the extra hour or two is within purpose if it means you are able to zip by way of several jobs at as soon as.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X120e can be a whole lot pricier than your regular $400 netbook. Then once more, you’d be difficult pressed to seek out a much better consumer knowledge, a matte screen, and better-than-Atom speeds at that price array. It is a netbook IT managers can a acquire entire fleet of, without having to worry concerning the restrictions typically associated with a single. For non-business-oriented consumers, the HP Pavilion dm1z is a minimum of a $100 less costly and it is as fast and battery efficient.

Tags: 51J0497, FMVNBP108, 70-NDQ1B2000, 02K6485

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21 05/11

Chem USA ChemBook 2333 laptop review

This rebranded Asus Z33Ae is a lot mild and compact enough to toss in a very backpack or briefcase and go. As together with the Asus Z33Ae, even so, the ChemBook 2333 could have far better battery lifestyle as well as a much better keyboard.

The ChemBook 2333′s three.4-pound fat consists of an integrated DVD+RW drive along with a twelve.1-inch display screen. The tri-tone black, silver and gray case mirrors that with the Asus Z33Ae, and its battery existence examination outcomes ended up much like these in the Asus notebook: The 2333′s battery lasted just 2.two hours on 1 cost. As for your keyboard, the correct <Shift> key–no greater than a regular alphanumeric key–is way also modest. I also had difficulty hitting the crowded arrow keys, which might be 50 percent the size of those on a common laptop computer. The twelve.1-inch display screen is a lot vibrant.

The 2333 is speedy, thanks to a one.86-GHz Pentium M 750 processor and the generous 768MB of RAM that arrived with our $1479 check unit. The blend served our unit generate a WorldBench score of 82.

Over and above fundamental connections, the 2333 incorporates a FireWire port but no other extras including an S-Video port or Bluetooth. You do obtain the exact same basic video-editing and slide-show-creation apps as you do with the Asus Z33Ae. A card slot that accepts Memory Sticks and SD Cards is yet another wonderful added. Our examination unit did not consist of productivity programs, but Chem USA says you can obtain the notebook with Microsoft Office 2003 Small Enterprise Edition ($230) or Professional Edition ($300).

As together with the Z33Ae, the 2333 has some upgrade difficulties. The difficult-to-remove memory module requires you to remove two protection screws (very carefully, so that they don’t drop in to the scenario). Upgrading storage, though, is much less complicated, thanks to a modular, user-accessible compartment for your 60GB challenging generate.

Upshot: I loved this tri-tone portable’s mild bodyweight and respectable little display although not the cramped keyboard or short battery life

Tags: LC.BTP01.019, 23-UD4000-3A, FRU 92P1184, UD267

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Archive for May, 2011

Samsung RF710 17-Inch Laptop: Capable, Attractive, and Unexciting

Fujitsu LifeBook AH572 Laptop Review

Asus U33Jc: An Elegant, Eco-Friendly Blend of Form and Function

Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Thin, Sturdy, and Fast…Until the Battery Dies

Toshiba Mini NB505-508GN: Your Garden Variety Netbook

Toshiba Satellite C655D (S5130) Review

MSI GT680R-008US Review

Asus Eee PC 1215B Laptop Review

Lenovo ThinkPad X120e Laptop Review

Chem USA ChemBook 2333 laptop review