Boom! Bang! Ruff! Those are the sounds your laptop hears when its being shuffled, thrown, and shaken around in its little air-tight bag. You will never know what happened until you power it on to only discover a blank screen.

Frequent travelers face the possibility of their laptop malfunctioning, so it's vital that it can withstand the bumps & grinds inherent in everyday travel. Panasonic introduced a solution with their Toughbook laptop series, designed to handle the rugged lifestyle that seems to be more prevalent than ever for busy travelers. The ToughBook W4 is Panasonic's newest model in the Toughbook series, incorporating a 12.1-inch XGA LCD, a battery efficient Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, and 512MB on board memory (upgradeable to 1GB) to sufficiently handle most office applications.



Built for road warriors, the ultra-portable Toughtbook W4 weighs a mere 2.8 pounds, is wrapped around a magnesium alloy case for added durability, and a battery life advertised to last over 6 hours. Unlike the Lenovo X60/X41 which excludes a built-in optical drive, the Toughbook W4 has a built-in DVD/CD-RW optical drive yet still retains a thin-and-light profile, much like the Sony TX. While the W4 lacks some of the features that the Sony TX and Lenovo X-Series posess, this machine still has everything needed to be productive.

Of course, a laptop built for people on the go has to also look good too, right? The Toughbook W4 is available in a variety of colors, including Galaxy Black, Merlot, Glacier White, or Steel Gray to add style for the road.


Design

Portability
Mobility is in, especially for people who travel frequently where every ounce matters. Classified as an ultra-portable, the Panasonic Toughbook W4 is small, lightweight, and compact just like the Sony VAIO TX we reviewed earlier. The only notable difference is the Toughbook has an obviously thicker LCD lid crafted of magnesium alloy, but when toting it around you will not notice a difference in weight between the two laptops.

Measuring 10.6-inches wide, 8.3-inches long and only 1-inch thick at the front section extending to 1.8-inches thick towards the back, the ultra compact notebook is made to slip inside virtually any carry case or backpack. For a perfect fit, it's recommended to use a carrying case made to compliment its size, such as the Samsonite L25 Ultra Portabl e case. At 2.8 pounds with the standard battery, the Toughbook W4 is intended to accompany you everywhere you go, best suited for heavy travelers such as students and business professionals.


The Toughbook W4 compared to the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 15-inch laptop.


Case and Design
As the Toughbook name implies, the W4 is made to withstand the bumps & grinds that are inherent in everyday travel. The W4's casing is composed of magnesium alloy, which is more durable and stronger than the more standard ABS plastic found in the majority of laptops. Characterized as semi-rugged, it combines durability in a light weight form factor. This is not to be confused with the full-rugged Toughbook laptops that are designed to withstand extreme amounts of abuse, but are more bulky.

The outer top lid has a very rugged look, as the Panasonic emblem sits between two bulging blocks extending outwards. This adds a thick layer on the LCD panel for added stiffness. Compare that to the razor thin panel found on the Sony VAIO TX, which is comprised of carbon fiber and feel more flimsy than the Toughbook.


Don't mess with me!

Besides appearing very heavy-duty the Toughbook W4 is aesthetically pleasing, as it maintains a very simple color scheme of mostly gray with the keyboard coated in white. Panasonic does offer a variety of colors for the top external lid, including white, black, and red if you want to spice up the W4.


Magnesium Alloy chassis adds endurance and good looks.

On the front section of the W4 you will find the power switch that illuminates green when the computer is powered on, the wireless LAN switch & indicator, Economy Mode, and the battery indicators.




Keyboard
The white 83-key keyboard contains all the essential keys, notably the Windows and Ctrl keys at the bottom left of the keyboard; compared to the ThinkPad X41 which does not have the Windows key. The PgDn, PgUp cursor keys are also present but require users to press the function (Fn) key, similar to the embedded numeric keypad on most laptops. Panasonic managed squeeze in a Home/End standalone key, using the Fn key for End. The Caps Lock, Shift, Alt, Tab, Backspace, and Enter keys are small compared to the VAIO TX, so there is a greater likelihood that you might miss them. Despite this difference, the Toughbook W4's keyboard appears quite similar to the VAIO TX, especially having the majority of the keys similar in size. Unlike the Fujitsu P7010 where most of the keys are very tiny measuring about .5-inch wide, making it difficult to hit at times, the majority of the keys on the Toughbook W4 are close in size (.75-inch wide) to the keys found in a full-sized keyboard (Logitech diNovo keys measures .80-inches wide). Only the top row keys (ESC, function keys) are slightly smaller than the rest.

Like most laptop keyboards, there are function (Fn) keys used in conjunction with the F keys to alter the screen brightness, toggle audio volume, put the computer to sleep and switch to an external monitor when connected. When toggling one of these function keys, such as the screen brightness for example, it will activate an on-screen brightness indicator. This helps you identify exactly which brightness settings you want to select. The on-screen indicator applies to other function access buttons as well, including the volume adjustment and battery status. With plenty of room above the keyboard, we would like to see Panasonic incorporate more hot keys for quicker access.


Compact notebook, compact keyboard (Enlarge Image)

Due to the notebook's diminutive size, the 10-inch compact keyboard takes a little practice getting accustomed to (compare this to the Acer TravelMate 8104 keyboard, which is 11-inches wide), as its only 90% of a full-sized keyboard. As I've mentioned earlier, most of the keys are similar in size to the keys of a typical full-sized keyboards which is quite impressive. After typing on this keyboard for some time now, I can type fairly quickly and accurately; and somewhat more comfortable than the keyboard on the VAIO TX. This layout is still rather cramped, making it uncomfortable at times to type, especially for long periods of time. Keep in mind this is normal for an ultraportable machine.

The keys feel moderately stiff when depressing them, but not as stiff as Fujitsu's LifeBook P7010 or the Sony VAIO TX. Key travel length is actually quite comfortable, similar to the LifeBook's 2mm travel distance. Noise generation is minimal when typing, but more audible than the key stroke exhibited from the VAIO TX. Below the palm rest is where the optical drive is stationed.




Touch pad
One of the many unique design elements on this laptop is its touchpad, which is round opposed to the default horizontal shape on most laptops. The touchpad measures 1.8-inches wide and 1.8-inches in length and forms a circle, offering sufficient surface area to allow comfortably gliding of one's finger. The grey flush surface is clean and smooth, sensitive to touch and responds accurately to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons.



Since the touchpad is a rounded form, the edge of the surface area has a function to scroll vertically. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. Surrounding the touchpad's surface area is a chrome ring that contains status indicators (i.e. hard drive access, num-lock) and two click-buttons that exhibit minimal noise when clicking.


Design Continued

Connectivity Options
For such a compact laptop, the ToughBook W4 is equipped with a vast array of connectivity options, but still falls behind the robust connectivity options found on the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010 (i.e. S-Video and FireWire). For users who prefer to connect their laptop to an external monitor, television or projector, the W4 supplies VGA output but omits DVI and S-Video.

Front
On the front panel, you will find the power switch & indicator, wireless LAN switch & indicator, ECO (Economy Mode) indicator and battery indicator. The integrated wireless LAN can be activated or deactivated by toggling the Wireless On/Off switch. The headphone/microphone jacks are stationed on front of the computer, allowing for quick and easy access. To the far right is the switch to turn off the optical drive and open the drive's lid.



The LCD panel includes a latch mechanism to secure the display when shut. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by two rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.

Rear
Nothing to report on the rear side of the computer, just the battery stationed here.


The battery pack doesn't protrude from the rear.

Left Side
On the left-side: power-in, VGA out, port replicator connector, Secure Digital (SD) Memory Card slot, and the PC Card slot.






Right Side
On the right side: two (2) USB 2.0 ports, security lock, LAN and modem port that are protected by plastic covers to prevent dust or debris from filtering through while the notebook is in transit - which is strange since the USB 2.0 port (along with the other ports) are left out in the open.



Heat and Noise
Silent, dead silent. This ultraportable operates at near silent level. Why? The Toughbook incorporates a passive cooling system, meaning there are no internal fans! In fact, there isn't a single air vent on this machine, yet it manages to operate a cool temps. Heat build up on this laptop is minimal. The system becomes slightly warm during heavy loads, but never comes close to reaching uncomfortable levels. Only the bottom section becomes lukewarm. In fact, this notebook is comparable to the Fujitsu LifeBook P7000 and the Sony VAIO TX as being one of the coolest running laptops I've tested. On top of that, the W4 is by far the quietest notebook we've tested to date!

Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading components of the Toughbook W4 is simple, thanks to the easily accessible memory compartment located on the bottom side of the machine, only requiring a standard Philips screwdriver. Fortunately you can upgrade the memory and hard drive in the W4, where as the VAIO TX only allows you to access the memory. The Wi-Fi mini-PCI adapter is more of a challenge, as it does not offer an easily accessible compartment. Like the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010 laptop, the ToughBook uses the rare and more expensive micro-DIMM (172-pin) memory sticks; compared to the Sony VAIO TX which uses a standard SO-DIMM memory module. Inside the ToughBook W4 came a pre-soldered (non-removable) 512MB PC-3200 DDR2 SO-DIMM module, leaving one empty slot to upgrade.



There is an optional port replicator available to add more functionality and connectivity options for $199.00.

Features

Processor/Chipset/RAM
Using the fundamental components of a modern Centrino notebook, the VAIO TX is powered by the battery efficient Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) 753 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz and the Intel 915GMS chipset. The Intel 915GMS Express chipset is part of the 'Sonoma' platform. This platform supports a number of features including DDR2 memory and an integrated graphics solution (GMA 900). The Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage processor uses a front side bus of 400 MHz and has a thermal design power (TDP) of just 5 watts, one can expect this to be a highly battery efficient processor.



As with all Pentium M processors, the 753 supports Enhanced Intel Speedstep where the CPU adjusts its speed dynamically based on system usage. Unlike the processors that run on 533 MHz front side bus, the Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage 753 clocks down to 600 MHz, instead of 800 MHz due to the lower front side bus speed. Even with the processor clocked at 600 MHz, it is still fast enough to watch DVDs or do general-purpose computing (Web browsing, Word processing) with respectable performance; although it does struggle when I tried to edit photos with Adobe Photoshop.

Intel's Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M processors are identical in architecture, features, and overall performance to that of Low Voltage and regular Pentium M chips. They have the same amount of cache memory, run on a 400MHz FSB, and all in all offer the same performance as other Pentium M's. The difference comes when the chips are manufactured and tested by Intel. When a processor rolls off the line, it is tested and labeled using a method known as 'speed binning.' In this process a chip is tested as to how fast it can operate and under what voltages. Chips that can run at lower voltages are binned for Low Voltage and Ultra Low Voltage applications, just like chips that can run at 1.6GHz but not 2.0GHz are binned for their maximum stable speed. The Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Pentium M 753 runs at a mere 0.94 V at 1.2GHz. This is less voltage than a 400MHz FSB Dothan uses at full speed! And low power doesn't mean low performance: if you were to clock a regular Pentium M at 1.2GHz it would perform the same as our ULV Pentium M.

As stated in the preceding section, our Toughbook W4 comes with one 512MB DDR2 PC3200 (400MHz) micro-DIMM RAM already soldered onto the motherboard, leaving only 1 slot for you to upgrade for a maximum of 1GB. The reason for this is to minimize power consumption and maximize space.

GPU
As part of the Intel 915GMS chipset package, it includes an integrated graphics accelerator to power the video of the Toughbook W4 computer. Key features include DirectX 9 hardware acceleration support, Pixel Shader 2.0, 133-320MHz core clock, 4 pixels pipes and 128MB dynamically shared memory (8MB minimum, 128 maximum).

The Intel GMA 900 graphics utilizes shared memory architecture, meaning the system memory (RAM) is shared with the graphics card. Since shared memory is dynamic, it will be allocated for graphics usage based on application demand. Once the application is closed, the memory that was allocated for graphics usage is then released and made available for system use. During general use, the graphics memory uses 8MB of system memory and can barrow up to 128MB during graphic intensive demand. As a result, the system may slow down when heavy graphics from an application are in demand. These limitations will make it difficult if not impossible to play most modern games. But the W4 was not intended for 3D intensive tasks or gaming in the first place.

Users purchasing a notebook now should consider compatibility for Windows Vista. Any GPU will work with Windows Vista, but to take full advantage of all the eye candy offered in Vista you need a minimum level of graphics performance. Those looking for the full Vista experience should choose ATI's Radeon Xpress200 integrated GPU, Intel's GMA950, ATI's Mobility Radeon X-series, NVIDIA's GeForce Go 6-series, or higher level GPU's. Graphics cards like ATI's Mobility Radeon 9000 series or NVIDIA's GeForce Go 5-series probably won't offer full Vista support, and Intel's GMA900 and Extreme2 IGP's definitely won't. Just keep this in mind for current and future purchases!

Display
Panasonic omitted the use of a glossy-type display in lieu of a matte 12.1-inch anti-glare XGA LCD panel. While it's not as impressive as Sony's XBRITE technology, the W4's screen is still sufficiently bright and colorful. In addition, Panasonic uses a standard aspect ration screen opposed to a widescreen panel like found in the VAIO TX and LifeBook P7000 series.


Enlarge Image

In 2D desktop use, it provides sufficient brightness and contrast, with colors appearing a bit faded and not nearly as vibrant as displays with a glossy screen. Text is sharp and legible, thanks to the native resolution of 1024 x 768. The response rate is fast enough to keep up with movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit much motion blur.

However viewing angles are below average; viewing the screen from a slight side angle (horizontally or vertically) causes little distortion of the colors and brightness, but viewing the screen from above causes noticeable distortion. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth and color rendering was fine. If you prefer, the W4 can be connected to an external monitor at up to 2048 x 1536!

Sound
The on-board stereo speaker is positioned above the keyboard. That's speaker as in singular. That's right, there is only one speaker making it a monaural speaker sound system!


One speaker stationed on the right side above the keyboard

The single-handed speaker produces loud sounds, but lack bass and the clarity that you will find in stereo speakers. Dialogue in movies sounded clear, but overall audio quality is poor compared to standard stereo speakers. Sounds and vocal volume were below average during music listening. I'd recommend you connect a pair of headphones when listening to audio files as it sounds substantially better than the speaker.

Features Continued

WiFi
As part of the 'Sonoma' trio, the W4 is equipped with the Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG card, which can connect to 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the W4 includes a switch to turn on or off the Wireless LAN located on the front panel, which helps conserve battery when WiFi is not needed. The only wireless format missing here is Bluetooth, which is becoming overwhelmingly popular.

In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall. Our tests mainly consisted of connecting to a home and office 802.11b/g wireless network with no difficulty to speak of. Signal strength was reported between 'very good' to 'excellent' while using the laptop in my home and business network, even when being about 30 to 40 feet away from the wireless base station.

Optical Drive - Pop Up
One of the major striking designs found on this computer is the optical drive's unique pop-up lid design. As I mentioned in the preceding section, the drive is built below the palm rest area. Slide the open switch located on the front panel of the laptop to eject the lid. The Matshita DVD/CDRW optical drive gives this ultra-portable even more functionality. It's capable of burning CD-R/RW discs only. The drive operates rather loud in comparison to other drives, but manages to load discs fairly quickly. As with all laptops we review, I burned an audio disc with no problems to report.



To conserve battery life, the optical drive can be shut off with the on/off switch located on the front panel of the computer.

The supported disc formats and burning capabilities of the optical drive are as follow:

Write/Read: CD-R Write (24x MAX); CD-RW Write (10x MAX); DVD Read (8x MAX); CD Read (24x MAX)

Hard Drive
Our model came installed with a Toshiba 40GB (MK4025GASL) 2.5-inch hard disk drive with a low 2MB data buffer cache and a slow 4200RPM rotational speed. Unlike the VAIO TX and the Fujitsu LifeBook P7010, the hard drive is user-upgradeable so you can opt for a faster performing hard drive. Incorporating a rugged magnesium alloy shell wouldn't be complete without a shock-mounted hard drive. The drive comes with a nice cushion material to hold the drive in place to prevent shifting when the laptop is in transit.



The drive is virtually silent when operating, more so in idle mode but seeking is noticeable as it makes a crunching-like noise. The 40GB of storage space is contiguous and comes formatted with NTFS.

Battery - Long Lasting
Evidently, this ultra-portable contains several low power consuming components, which equals to highly efficient battery life. The capacity of the standard lithium ion battery is rated at a reasonable 58 Wh (7800 mAh), making the Fujitsu P7010's standard battery rated at 49.6 Whr (4800 mAh) seem puny. This is equal to the battery capacity included in the Sony VAIO TX. To further prolong battery life, Panasonic loaded its trademark Economy Mode (ECO) utility.



If you need more battery life, you can purchase an additional battery from Panasonic for $189.

AC Adapter
The AC Adapter is a commonly overlooked part of a notebook's features, even though it is the most important part! The included AC adapter measures 3.6-inches long, 1.8-inches wide, and 1.1' thick, making it one the smallest AC adapter we've used on a laptop. The AC adapter is extremely light and can easily slip in a carrying case or backpack pocket. Fortunately, it comes with a Velcro strap to organize the lengthy power cables.


Compact, lightweight and extremely portable.

Software
Panasonic included a vast array of software applications to streamline your computing experience and more importantly, omitting any unnecessary software that basically clutters your operating system. The Panasonic original software is comprised of: Touch pad utility, WinDVD, B's Recorder, Optical Disc Drive Power Saving Utility, Economy Mode (ECO), and battery recalibration utility.

Setup Method

The Panasonic ToughBook W4 was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates SpeedStep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi was turned on while Bluetooth was turned off. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Setup Method

The Panasonic ToughBook W4 was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates SpeedStep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi was turned on while Bluetooth was turned off. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.
3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.

PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.

Configurations

Specifications Panasonic ToughBook W4
Sony VAIO TX650P Fujitsu P7010
Processor Intel Pentium M 753 ULV (1.2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
Intel Pentium M 753 ULV (1.2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
Intel Pentium M 753 ULV (1.2 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)

Front Side Bus 400 MHz 400 MHz 400 MHz
Chipset Intel 915GMS
Intel 915GMS
Intel 855GME

Wireless LAN Intel PRO/Wireless 2915 ABG (802.11a/b/g)
Intel PRO/Wireless 220BG (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth
WWAN
Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG
(802.11 a/b/g)

Hard Drive 40GB Toshiba 2.5"
4200RPM
2MB Cache 60GB Toshiba 1.8"
4200RPM
2MB Cache 100GB Fujitsu
4200RPM
8MB Cache

Memory 512MB (1) DDR2 PC3200 400 SO-DIMM Single Channel Mode
512MB (1) DDR2 PC3200 400 SO-DIMM Single Channel Mode
512MB DDR333 PC2700
micro-DIMM
(2 x 512MB) on
Single Channel Mode
CL 2.5
Graphics Intel GMA 915GMS integrated video controller
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 128MB Dynamically Shared
Intel 855GME

Operating System Windows XP Professional w/SP2 Windows XP Professional w/SP2 Windows XP Home w/SP2
Battery 7,800 mAh
7,800 mAh
4,800 mAh



Performance

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

Internet Content Creation



Office Productivity



Total Score




PCMark05 Advanced
Here are the associated scores (numbers in bold highlights the higher score):

PCMark05 Advanced ToughBook W4 VAIO TX LifeBook P7010
CPU 1933 1864
N/A
Memory 1891 1829
Graphics 569 550

HDD 2013 2247


and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:




3D Performance

3DMark 2001 SE




The Intel GMA900 surpasses the integrated 855GME graphics in the Fujitsu.

3DMark03





The Intel 855GME Graphics just cannot keep up with the Intel GMA 900.

3DMark05



It's neck in neck here.


Battery Performance



Thanks to the massive 7,800 mAh rated battery, the VAIO TX and theToughbook W4surpasses the once battery king Fujitsu LifeBook 7010.







Conclusion



Pros:

Rugged magnesium-alloy chassis
Very lightweight and compact
Sleek and durable design
Built-in DVD/CDRW optical drive (Some ultraportables have an external optical)
Decent sized keys
Runs dead silent and extremely cool
Long lasting battery life
Upgradeable hard drive
Cons:

Slow system performance
Slow hard drive
Only 40GB storage capacity available
No DVD burner option
No Bluetooth option
Missing S-Video
Poor sound quality
Cramped keyboard
Missing finger print security
Expensive
Recommendation

With a magnesium alloy chassis and shock-mounted hard drive, the Panasonic Toughbook represents the ultimate portable computer made to withstand the inevitable rigors of travel and everyday abuse. Every user will appreciate the integrated DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive with its unique top-open design, and of course the passive cooling so it operates completely silent. Despite the slow-performing stock 2.5-inch hard drive, this laptop has a user-friendly replaceable hard drive compartment so you can opt for a faster and larger capacity hard drive; check out our latest 2.5 hard drive tests for more information. While it does support all available WiFi formats, Bluetooth is the missing wireless link that appears to be growing in popularity, especially with more Bluetooth enabled mobile phones becoming widely available

Similar to Sonys VAIO TX, this is one of the most energy efficient laptops weve ever tested and perhaps one of the best. Panasonic clearly had battery life in mind with the on/off switch to disable the optical drive when not in use, the Ultra-Low Voltage processor, and the Economy (ECO) mode software. Lasting almost 6 hours and 20 minutes in our productivity battery test, one can expect to use this machine out and about for an overly sufficient amount of time.

With a rugged magnesium alloy casing and with three lid colors to choose from, the Toughbook W4 gives the impression of a tough, yet modern system to accompany your extensive mobile lifestyle. The instant appeal of this laptop is the rugged factor, combined with unique features such as passive cooling for a completely silent operation and built-in optical drive that will appeal to most travelers.

If you need portability that can handle business tasks, durability to handle bumps & grinds, silent computing, long-lasting battery life, and a built-in optical drive, then the Toughbook W4 might be right for you. For users seeking more security features, Bluetooth, and widescreen display can opt for the Fujitsu or Sony. Lenovos Thinkpad X41 is also another top notch option, although it lacks the widescreen format and integrated optical drive.



Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:45 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 Tablet PC



Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 Tablet PC

Today in LaptopLogic’s lab we have Fujitsu’s LifeBook T5010. The T5010 is a tablet notebook sporting some pretty useful features, not least among them enough size and power to use the computer like a regular notebook. The Lifebook T5010 sports a modern Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 at 2.40GHz, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a 160GB HDD. This muscle, in concert with the 13.3” LED backlit display, gives the computer enough firepower to make it more than “just” a tablet. On the flipside, the weight and the battery life aren’t quite up to snuff for ultraportables, and you’re paying a premium price for a tablet that tries to do it all.

Case look and feel
Fujitsu has designed this tablet with the business professional in mind, so the overarching design theme is your traditional black and boxy. The lid is black with a relatively muted Fujitsu logo at its center and a glossy black stripe at the top. The frame around the active digitizer display is dark grey, although on the sides the glassy black display is almost flush with the edges. On the top of the display is a silver enclosure for the webcam and display latch, while on the bottom you will find a few dull grey buttons and a small blue power switch. The bidirectional swivel hinge shines metallically at you from beneath a white Fujistu logo, and is surrounded by the last bit of dark grey before we hit the all white keyboard and wristrest. The touchpad is nestled just left of center and sports silver dots on the right denoting the scroll wheel. There are lusterless grey rubber strips on either side of the keyboard and a few blue status indicators at its base, which are the only things to mar the minimalistic white design aside from the handful of customary stickers. For some reason, the Bluetooth sticker is on its own on the left side – it would have been nice to have one side free of the unattractive advertisements.

Size & Weight
The LifeBook T5010 is a little large and heavy for an ultraportable and a little light and small for a standard laptop – which, in my opinion, puts it at the sweet spot for portability and usefulness. The display is 13.3-inches, and the overall laptop dimensions are 12.56 x 9.61 x 1.44-1.52 inches. The weight is between 4.5-4.9 lbs, depending on whether you are using the optical drive (we are) or the space saver. It was thick enough to feel sturdy and light enough to lift with one hand, although of course we always recommend handling laptops with two hands. We personally had no problem carrying it on our shoulder for over a mile as we walked around town on a summer day.

Keyboard & Mouse
The keyboard is full sized and surprisingly comfortable to type on for a laptop of this size, featuring a reasonably spacious 19mm pitch. There is no flex in the keyboard and the key stroke, while it’s no ThinkPad, is still decent. The standard keys are all full sized, although predictably the non standard keys such as Fn and pg up/pg dn are a little shrunken. The only annoying part in all of this was that home/end are now functions on the pg up/pg dn buttons, causing me much frustration as these are keys I use all the time and hitting that tiny Fn button isn’t easy while touch-typing. The touchpad was a decent size and the buttons and scroll wheel were easy to use and responsive. Both the keyboard and the touchpad buttons were a little loud, but nothing intolerable.

Display Quality
The 1280x800 resolution is nothing to write home about, but it’s not that bad for a tablet, and the roomy 13.3” screen keeps viewing easy on the eyes. Also helping that case is the excellent overall quality of the glossy display, which was bright and sharp, although there was still some glare when viewed outdoors (for those who really want to avoid that, Fujitsu offers an indoor/outdoor display upgrade for $50). As might be expected from a tablet, the viewing angles on the display are excellent all the way around, only dimming slightly at extremes.

Connectivity
The T5010 has enough ports to get you by, but nothing too exceptional. There is no HDMI and ours did not come with WWAN, though you can upgrade to that if you need to.

Making spacious use of the entire rear housing, the back of the laptop from left to right has a USB port, an Ethernet jack, a hidden VGA port beneath a protective casing, another USB port, the modem jack and a lock slot.

The left side features the power jack, the fan exhaust, audio in/out, the third and final USB port, and FireWire, followed by a card reader tucked beneath the slightly antiquated PC Card slot. There is also a slot for the stylus here.

The front features a place to grab the stylus from to get it out from the left side slot, but not much else.

The right side has another lock slot and the optical drive.

Upgrading
Fujistu gives you a few options if you’d like to upgrade your LifeBook. If a power saving P-series CPU isn’t powerful enough for you, the laptop can sport up to a 2.8GHz T9600. It can handle up to 4GB DDR3 RAM and the hard drive can be upgraded to as much as 250GB, or you can opt for the 64GB SSD. It comes standard with a dual layer multi-format DVD writer, but you can shave a few bucks as well as ounces by ordering one with no optical drive at all, or alternatively you can raise the price by simply replacing it with a modular 6-cell 3800mAh battery bay. There is also an option to go with an indoor/outdoor display for those who plan on using the tablet frequently while outside.

Features
The LifeBook T5010 is a tablet first and a laptop second, thus the most interesting features revolve around the tablet functionality. The touchscreen display has an active digitizer, ensuring that it will only respond to the Wacom stylus. The stylus comes with a right click button and an “eraser” on the back, allowing the user to simply flip the pen over and erase errant text. There are also programmable Pen Flicks, allowing one to flick the pen in any of eight directions to perform a shortcut function like forward/back or copy/paste. Handwriting recognition was good to start, and can be easily trained to your individual penmanship.

The hinge is sturdy and bidirectional, allowing swiveling 180 degrees in either direction, and the latch can be rotated to secure the display in tablet mode as well as laptop mode. There is a button to change from portrait to landscape mode in just 2 seconds as well as several other programmable function buttons on the tablet screen. A sensitive “Scroll Sensor” for scrolling and a fingerprint reader can be found along the base.

As for more standard laptop features, the LifeBook comes with dual microphones, an integrated webcam, 802.11n WiFi, and Bluetooth. There is also a dual layer DVD writer, which is something you don’t often see in a tablet notebook. The optical drive slot is modular, so you can also replace it with an extra battery or with a weight saver as described above.

Performance
The LifeBook T5010 is strong enough to be used as a standard notebook as well as a tablet, but it still sports a mere 2GB RAM and an integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card, so our expectations were tempered. We expected it to form adequately for normal tasks but to be nothing exceptional. For a full explanation of how we test our laptops, see here:http://www.laptoplogic.com/about/test/.

Windows Vista Experience Score

Overall 3.8
Processor 5.3
Memory 5.9
Graphics 4.1
Gaming Graphics 3.8
Primary Hard Disk 5.4

Surprisingly, the RAM gets a strong rating here – must be the DDR3 – as does the HDD. Unsurprisingly, the graphics drags the overall rating down to a 3.8 in the end.

PCMark Vantage Pro

Lenovo ThinkPad T400 3746
Toshiba Tecra R10 3546
Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 3329
HP Pavilion HDX16 3320
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 3308
Sony VAIO FW270j 3235

The T5010 posts a fairly strong PCMark rating overall, edging just ahead of the multimedia-centric HDX16 and business-oriented X301.

WorldBench 6

Toshiba Tecra R10 98
Lenovo ThinkPad T400 91
Toshiba Satellite E105 83
HP Pavilion HDX16 80
Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 77
Sony VAIO FW270j 74

The LifeBook fares slightly worse in relative Worldbench standings, although a score of 77 is still acceptable for day to day tasks.

Battery Performance – Regular Use
Runtime in minutes

Lenovo ThinkPad T400 334
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 235
Toshiba Tecra R10 230
Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 183
Sony VAIO FW270j 181
HP Pavilion HDX16 156

The T5010 just managed to sneak over 3 hours of regular use in our testing, which wouldn’t be bad if it were a multimedia clunker like the FW270j or the HDX16, but is a bit low for a portable unit.

Battery Performance – DVD Playback
Runtime in minutes

Dell Studio 1537 206
Fujitsu Lifebook T5010 152
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 117
Toshiba Tecra R10 113
Sony VAIO FW270j 101
HP Pavilion HDX16 80

Fujitsu’s tablet managed to notch a high percentage of its general use time for DVD playback, easily lasting through a whole film and then some.

Real-life usage
The notebook wasn’t especially quiet when the fan kicked in, but it didn’t bother us overly much. Heat managed a similar impression, with an average amount of heat being generated (focused on the left side of the keyboard), which was noticeable but not problematic. The laptop felt comfortable on our lap and was easy to carry around. We’re were also glad of the full sized keyboard in a portable machine, and in tablet mode were very impressed with the sturdy hinge, excellent stylus tracking and accurate handwriting recognition.

Conclusion
Overall, the Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 is an adequate notebook and an excellent tablet, all rolled up into one expensive package. The Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 2GB DDR3 RAM and 160GB HDD will serve well for everyday tasks and, despite the integrated GPU, probably some casual gaming as well. In tablet mode, the Wacom stylus is responsive and there are enough tablet-friendly features to make its use convenient. The overall size and weight strike a balance between portability and productivity, with a 13.3” display and a weight of 4.5-4.9lbs. Unfortunately, the battery life is nothing exceptional and the price is fairly high, but in return you are getting a tablet that can comfortably be your regular laptop as well. On the whole, the T5010 tries to meet a lot of different needs and, in our opinion, does a better job than most at playing a “jack of all trades.” If you’re in the market for a tablet, we heartily recommend this laptop.


Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:40 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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HP Mini 2140






HP Mini 2140
It also ditches Vista in favor of the more suitable XP Home and adds a larger screen to the mix. Altogether, this makes it a much more interesting netbook than its predecessor.

Design and Build
With an all-aluminum casing and a highly usable keyboard (92% of full size) HP’s Mini netbooks have been considered a premium alternative, although it's a bit heavier than the average netbook.

Thanks to the large keyboard, the trackpad buttons have been placed on either side of the trackpad instead of below it, which may take some time getting used to. The Mini 2140 feels very solid and durable in its metal casing, but the metal construction does add slightly to the weight – the 2140 weighs in at roughly 3 pounds.

Performance and Features
What made the previous 2133 iteration much less desirable than the competition was partly the choice of VIA CPUs, which are somewhat slower than the Intel Atom, but most of all it was the disastrous decision to sell the netbook with Windows Vista instead of a more lightweight Linux or XP. Due to Vista’s steep hardware requirements and the low-end hardware in the Mini, it felt very slow and dated. Even worse was that Vista actually inflated the cost of the 2133.

All of these issues have been remedied in this the new 10-inch Mini 2140. It’s faster and costs less while retaining the same excellent build quality. Vista has been replaced by an old fashioned but snappier Windows XP. In terms of performance, the 2140 can be compared with other similar netbooks – it’s enough for web browsing, office work and watching videos, which is more or less what netbooks are intended for.

The Mini 2140 has the usual ports plus one – in addition to the 2 USB, Ethernet, line-in/out, VGA, and a memory card reader it also comes with an Express Card slot. This might not be important for most consumers, but adds some versatility for professional users who may use it for 3G modems and other peripherals. Battery life was good with the 6-cell battery, almost 7 hours, which is below the specified 8 hours and 30 minutes but still acceptable.

Conclusion
On the whole, the 2140 is a big step up from the 2133 with no price premium – in other words it offers a lot of value while being one of the best netbooks currently on the market. Highly recommended.


Pros
Solid Build Quality
Good Battery Life
Excellent Keyboard
Source : laptoplogic.comCons
Non-standard screen resolution
A bit heavy

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:35 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition




Its 8-megapixel camera beefs up the photo firepower from the Tocco's 5-megapixel shooter, with a hefty bunch of shooting features for both stills and video imagingI review the Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Edition, a stylish touchscreen and sliderphone combination packing an 8-megapixel camera, A-GPS and much more
Taking its successful Tocco template and adding a novel twist, Samsung swerves away from the regular touchscreen formula with its new S8300 Tocco Ultra Edition, adding a slide-down numberpad to go with all the finger-swiping control gadgetry.

While boosting its crossover appeal to those undecided on pure touchscreen control, the Tocco Ultra Edition's sliderphone keypad offers a compromise that's designed to be more text messaging-friendly without being clunky.

Based around a 2.8-inch AMOLED display, and running on Samsung's latest TouchWiz v1.5 user interface, the Tocco Ultra Edition is still a compact touchscreen device, albeit with a little extra bodywork to accommodate the slider.

Its 8-megapixel camera beefs up the photo firepower from the Tocco's 5-megapixel shooter, with a hefty bunch of shooting features for both stills and video imaging. This year's model also packs in A-GPS satellite location finding technology, for geo-tagging pics and mapping with Google Maps software onboard.

The Tocco Ultra Edition supports an upgraded version of Widgets on the home screen - mini apps that can be used to open a bunch of onboard functions plus a selection of neat web-based applications.

HSDPA high-speed 3G connectivity is present (of the the 7.2Mbps variety), but alas Samsung hasn't included Wi-Fi - something that would have been more than welcome on this Tocco upgrade.

Other 3G staples are present - including video calling via a front-facing camera above the display - while DivX and Xvid video playback is also supported.

Design and handling
Unusually for a recent touchscreen phone, this isn't a run-of-the-mill iPhone-alike design. Blending its Ultra-series sliderphone look with the compact Tocco, Samsung has added eye-catching elements to the charcoal-look casing - including red or blue metallic piping around the display, and slabs of the same colour on the slider numberpad and camera housing (which sits under the back panel when closed).

It's a slightly longer design than the Tocco, at 110(h) x 51.5(w) x 12.7(d) mm, and just a smidge thicker, but its 119g bodyweight balances nicely in-hand with the slider open, and it's certainly no pocket-sagger.

The Tocco's Ultra Edition's updated display looks lovely, the 16-million colour, 240x400 pixels AMOLED providing lush graphics and imaging presentation. The 2.8-inch display is not the biggest touchscreen in town but its compact dimensions are generally ample for finger dabbing on the screen with a relatively error-free action, thanks to the sensibly engineered user interface.

Touch control
Although it doubles up on text-typing functions with the slider numberpad and virtual onscreen keypad, Samsung hasn't gone too far down the dual-control system. The central front panel button, between the Call and End keys, that looks very much like a regular diamond-shaped navigation D-pad, isn't - it's simply a Back button to go to your previous step in the menu system.

This can prove frustrating at first, particularly when the slider's open, as you find yourself automatically acting as if it is a proper D-pad - pressing centrally to select onscreen options (instead of tapping the screen) or squeezing down the edges to scroll (rather than finger-stroking to scroll). The result - exiting an app or option - is head-slappingly irritating.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the penny to drop, and you suppress those regular sliderphone urges.

The silder numberpad comes into its own when texting. It makes it more of a conventional phone experience, whereas for plenty of touchscreen phones messaging has been a problematic experience. This phone does require touchscreen interaction, for some actions such as selecting contacts, backspacing, and so on, which can be less intuitive - and much slower to use - than on regular phones.

But newcomers to touchscreens are likely to find it less fiddly than most touch-only set-ups. It's far from perfect however - the lack of physical buttons slows down and drags some actions, such as going back through T9 predictive text options or selecting symbols. Speedy texters may find this frustrating, and it's a shame Samsung hasn't got this part spot-on, as it's such an integral part of the mobile user experience.

As it happens, the alternative virtual touch keypad on this phone is well laid out and more usable than other larger-screened phones. There isn't, however, a virtual Qwerty keyboard text option to fall back on.

Overall though, the touchsreen control experience is good and very usable.Samsung has gradually been improving its touchscreen interface, and this version of TouchWiz works effectively in most cases, offering functional - and sensible - ways to do the business in the menu system. Options are clear and consistently laid out, so it's fairly easy to get comfortable with. The screen feels responsive to the touch, too, with commands carried out swiftly plus adjustable haptic feedback to confirm screen presses.

The user interface isn't up to the Apple iPhone's slick Multi-Touch smoothness, however; there's still some way to go to catch up. Scrolling through lists of options you can finger swipe or use onscreen scroll icons for quickly finding contact names. You can also search by typing in text using the virtual or slider numberpads.

Graphics have been improved from the austere ones we've seen before, but it's still recognisably Samsung, with numbered options on scroll-down lists selectable by pressing numbers on the numberpad as well as by screen pressing. It's not as whooshily eye-catching as the LG Arena's 3D S-Class UI, but it is serviceable and well thought out - fingers have enough room to do their job. There is an accelrometer for auto-flipping the screen between landscape and portrait, though it only works in certain functions.

The home screen offers three control buttons on the bottom to pull up a virtual keypad, the phonebook and to open up the main menus. You can also swipe crossways to pull up the menu and favourite contacts.

Widgets
The Widgets function for home screen apps is similar to that employed on the Samsung Pixon. A selection of icons representing widgets - mini applications - are hosted in a touch-to-open toolbar that appears vertically on the right of the display. Tapping the icons pulls the icons on to the main screen, where they remain until you drag them back into the toolbar.

You can choose as many widgets as you like for your home screen, and use the widget applications wihen the toolbar is closed to operate functions or access features - including several online services, such as Facebook, MySpace and AccuWeather.com. A wide range of functions are widget-ised - these include calendar, memo, world clock, an image upload Share pix app, image viewer, games shortcut, Google apps, music and radio players, and many more.

Others can be added from within the menus (or deselected from the toolbar if you prefer to unclutter it), while another More Widgets app enables you to find and download new ones online.

It's an attractive - and handy - way of getting feature shortcuts at your fingertips on the home screen. A tap of the widget opens up the app to use immediately onscreen, or takes you directly to appropriate menus or online sites. The concept is a breeze to operate and works effectively enough for users to experiment comfortably with it; changes can be made quickly and easily with a couple of finger taps in an intuitive, uncomplicated way.

Camera action
Packing a top of the range 8-megapixel camera, the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition is capable of capturing some outstanding images for a mobile phone. Slip out the slider to reveal the lens, press the camera button and in a couple of seconds the screen flips into camera viewfinder mode, with an easy to operate touchscreen user interface to select from a wide range of shooting settings, effects and adjustment options.

The autofocus system works swiftly and accurately, enabling you to get tightly focused images. Macro mode works great for extreme close-ups. In addition, the camera has a Face Detection setting which enables you to pick out and focus on a face in a busy shot. Engaging a Smile Shot option sets the camera to capture images only when a smile is detected, while Blink Detection option helps avoid shut eyes in snaps. All work effectively enough, even if you may not find them essential for snapping.

Samsung has equipped it with anti-shake software to reduce handling jitters, while there are plenty of shooting options to tweak the very good auto metering system settings - from ISO and white balance to exposure and WDR (wide dynamic range) light handling options. Panorama, multi-shot and timer options are available too, plus a selection of typical cameraphone effects. With onboard A-GPS, you can also geo-tag snaps, so you can view where they were taken on Google Maps on the handset, or on other suitable applications and online services.

Image quality is top-class for a mobile, with excellent detail and precision in shots, plus vibrant but natural colour rendition. The camera adjusts well to changing conditions, and can takes exceptional pictures in decent light. It shoots reasonably well indoors in natural or artificial light, too, though the powerful LED flash, while bright for an average cameraphone, doesn't quite match the power and clarity of some xenon flash-equipped phones when you're shooting in dark situations.

There are plenty of post-shot editing features too, while a Share Pix facility enables you to upload images quickly and easily to a variety of online servces, including Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket, Friendster and MySpace. An accelerometer-driven photo browser enables you to flow through pics by tilting the phone, which is smooth but can sometimes be awkward to control accurately.

Video facilities are pretty impressive too. It shoots at up to 30 frames per second in VGA (640x480 pixels) or WVGA (720x480 pixels) resolution, producing smooth-running, decent quality footage for a mobile. This can be easily uploaded too. An added bonus is slow-motion recording and a fast-action shooting option (shot in lower QVGA res), should you want to be a bit more creative - or just have a bit of fun. Basic movie editing software adds to the mix.

Watching video is a joy too. The 2.8-inch display may not be the biggest, but it is vivid and colourful for video playback. DivX and Xvid video is supported on the handset too.

Music player
Tune playing is another area where the Tocco Ultra Edition puts in a strong showing. Its 80MB of internal storage is supplemented by a 1GB MicroSD memory card in-box, with cards up to 16GB supported. Tunes are organised into familiar categories, and you can search through tracks using virtual or real keypads. The user interface is fine, not tricksy but attractive enough, and functional with touch controls and timeline dragging options. It handle well. But it also hits the mark with great sound quality.

The supplied in-ear earphones are a step up from your average phone headsets, and audio comes across with power, depth and good tonal balance. There's no standard 3.5mm headphone jack socket on the phone - it connects via a MicroUSB socket on the side - which is a shame, though the two-piece earphone set has a 3.5mm adapter mid-way, so you can easily plug in your own better quality ear-gear. We found our reference Sennheisers gave sound quality another boost.

Stereo Bluetooth is supported for wireless earphones or speakers, and there is the obligatory speakerphone playback, too, though the latter is a typically low-grade listening option.

Music IDing software is tucked inside the phone too, so you can search Shazam-like for details of tracks you hear around you or on the built-in FM radio. The radio is well implemented too, and unusually for a phone, you can record straight from it to play back later - a nice touch.

Online activity
With HSDPA, the Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition's browser offers a reasonably tidy way to get around web pages and download content over the air. The absence of Wi-Fi is disappointing on this flagship phone. We'd have liked to have seen this high-speed connectivity present, as is the case on other high-end touchscreen models, particularly as the Tocco Ultra Edition has a decent amount of connected apps and links to online services which could benefit from alternative connectivity.

The NetFront browser has touch-icon or volume controlled zooming and finger-dragging page scrolling, plus a few onscreen tools to dab. It's a different level though to the slick iPhone experience - there's no pinch-zooming and its controls aren't as immediately intuitive. it does the job adequately, however.

A folder of Google applications is pre-loaded too, giving fast access to Google Mail, Search and Google Maps. A-GPS provides exact positioning information if you're within satellite visibility (or cellsite approximation if you're indoors). The software is quite neatly configured for this handset, providing the usual Google Maps services - mapping, satellite imaging, route finding, address look up plus searching for businesses, places of interest, services, and so on.

This online service refreshed downloads quickly, and is accurate and fast to get a satellite fix. The controls are nicely tailored for touch use, with touch buttons for zooming, and pop up tappable menus, and to make navigation easier there are numbered buttons for keypad shortcuts. While Google Maps doesn't do turn-by-turn Sat Nav, it's a very useful tool to have in the mobile armoury.

Samsung doesn't provide any other Sat Nav software pre-loaded, however, so it's no TomTom substitute.

Still, there's a good spread of other features that work well on this device. Among the organiser applications and other tools is Samsung's novel Fake Call. Press and hold the volume in idle mode, and the phone rings as if there's an incoming call, so you can pretend to be taking a call (using a self-recorded fake call too, if you want). It may get you out of a conversational jam or dull meeting nightmare - provided you're not caught faking it.

Standard issue regulars that are re-tooled for TouchWiz include calendar, memo, task, world clock, calculator and convertor functions, plus a RSS reader, stopwatch, timer and voice recorder functions, along with a few games.

Performance
Voice calling performance is top class on this phone, with reliable, clear quality sound throughout our tests. Battery life is reasonable, if unexceptional from a handset like this - Samsung estimates it'll deliver up to four hours of talktime or 300 hours in standby mode. In reality with our typical usage we got a couple of days use with moderate feature playing. Crank that feature-playing up, and you may be reaching for the charger every day.

Summary
We can see the Tocco Ultra Edition being another big hit for Samsung. Adding a numberpad to touchscreen control will extend its appeal to more conventionally-minded mobile users, while the slimline design and lovely screen also have a stylish swagger about them.

Despite the slider numberpad, there are a few issues about texting controls we'd like to see improved, and we'd have liked to have seen Wi-Fi in this Tocco upgrade. Buyers looking for smartphone-style customisation may also prefer something with more application-upgrade flexibility.

Nonetheless, Samsung has produced a very attractive touchscreen phone that's high on tap-control usability and good on gadgetry - not least with its high quality camera. If its features hit the button for you, the Tocco Ultra Edition could be well worth gettiing your mitts on.


Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra Edition Info
Typical price: £389 SIM-free, from free to £200 with contract

Pros:
Touchscreen control
Sliderphone numberpad improves text input
8-megapixel camera
A-GPS
Widgets
HSDPA
Good quality music playback
In-ear earphones with 3.5mm headphone adapter included

Cons:
No Wi-Fi
No smartphone OS
Some parts of texting operation can still be fiddly
Striking contrast colours used may not suit every taste
Limited A-GPS-based features
LED flash rather than high-powered xenon flash

Verdict: Samsung reworks the Tocco template with a hybrid touchscreen and sliderphone design that also packs in a superb 8-megapixel camera and a decent range of easy to use features




Source: www.knowyourmobile.com

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P
Overview
Do you want power, good looks, and prestige? The Sony VAIO SZ laptop may be your answer. This thin and light machine comes packed with portable power, a stylish design, and loads of features, while maintaining a light and thin profile. These attributes should definitely appeal to most business users who demand power and portability in a sexy package. The fastest model available uses Intel's Core Duo T2500, clocked at 2.0GHz with other models available in 1.86GHz. It is also equipped with 1GB DDR2 (supporting up to 2GB) RAM, up to a 120GB 5400RPM hard drive, and a beautiful 13.3-inch widescreen LCD with XBRITE technology. Powering the sleek display is a Hybrid Graphics System, allowing you to switch between a discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 graphics chip and integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950.. It also doesn't fall short in the communication spectrum, with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth and even Wide Area Network (WWAN) so you can surf online anywhere with cellular coverage. With these specs, one may find this machine ideal for both travel and as a desktop replacement, but the SZ weighs less than 4 pounds! But of course, with so many great things going for it, there are a couple of drawbacks that we'll discuss in this review.



This sleek machine is available in two versions: The SZ Premium model, which sports a Carbon Fiber case weighing 3.7 pounds and a razor thin LCD panel, and the standard SZ model which is wrapped in a magnesium alloy case and weighs 4.1 pounds. Speaking from my personal preference, this laptop fits the profile both as a perfect work machine for home and on the go. Add the optional docking station for additional connectivity including more USB ports and DVI to turn it into a portable desktop replacement machine. Of course, for a premium laptop, expect to pay a premium price. The lowest model sells for around $1800 and the most expensive configurations can reach up to $2600.

Design
Portability
Mobility is in demand, especially for people who travel frequently where every ounce matters. Classified as thin-and-light, the VAIO SZ excels in portability. Measuring 12.5-inches wide, 9.3-inches long and only 0.9-inches thick at the front section and extending 1.3-inches thick towards the back, this slim notebook is made to slip easily inside most laptop carry cases or backpacks. At 3.72 pounds with the standard battery, the VAIO SZ (Premium) is intended to accompany you everywhere you go, best suited for heavy travelers such as students and business professionals. Even the 4.1 pound standard SZ model won't break your back.


VAIO SZ stacked on top of the Apple MacBook Pro

Case and Design
Like previous models, Sony assembled an aesthetically chic yet sleek modern business laptop. The two tone inverted color scheme keeps it sleek and refined, with black wrapping around the carbon-fiber top lid and bottom chassis.


Carbon fiber lid with VAIO moniker.

A brushed charcoal finish covers the surface around the keyboard and palm rest area extending around the hinge and the sides adding to its clean and smooth looks.



One of the striking design elements lies in the laptop's ultra-thin LCD panel measuring only 4.5mm (.18') thick. To accomplish this, Sony adopted LED (Light-emitting diode) backlight technology (more on this in the display section of the review). Even for such a thin LCD screen, the SZ manages to squeeze in a built-in web camera with microphone at the top-center of the panel.


So thin, yet so sexy.

For added durability similar to the VAIO TX, the VAIO SZ Premium model is encased in a multi-layered carbon-fiber casing, which is stronger yet lighter than other materials (i.e. magnesium-alloy) used in most notebooks today, including the SZ standard model. The top of the line VGN-SZ281P/X comes with the Premium Carbon Fiber. Go here for a comparison break down between the Premium and standard models.



Carbon Fiber Premium Carbon Fiber Magnesium

A status indicator panel is also built on the top edge of the keyboard area. In this set, you will find status for power, battery, hard drive, WLAN, WWAN, and Bluetooth which illuminates in blue, green and orange.



Between the indicator panel and keyboard is a set of hot keys, switches and the power button. The S1 & S2 are special-function buttons that are user-assigned to a particular function. At default, S1 button turns the volume on and off and the S2 button lowers the CPU speed to reduce fan noise. Of course, you can change these button assignments to your liking. Next is the Stamina/Speed switch, where you can select between the internal graphics (Intel GMA 950) for battery efficiency or external graphics (NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400) for robust graphics performance. And lastly, the wireless switch is to turn on Wi-Fi/Bluetooth or off to conserve battery.

Keyboard
In the past, I haven't been too fond of Sony's keyboard comfort level with the exception of the A series. However, the keyboard quality on the SZ has improved. The keyboard layout offers a spacious area for typing, with large-sized keys to prevent any type of cramping or even mistyping. I can type quickly, accurately, and quite comfortably. In fact, I'm typing this review on it right now. The keys aren't mushy or stiff by any means, but they don't offer the same type of 'soft' and 'quiet' comfort-level feel found on the keyboard from the Apple MacBook Pro. Thanks to the 3mm key level depth, it offers adequate depression levels to ensure a better typing experience. Noise generation is a bit loud when typing. Overall, this keyboard is sufficient for my level of typing, but doesn't match the quality levels of the MacBook Pro or ThinkPads.




Enlarge Image

VAIO VGN-SZ270P Keyboard
Number of keys 86 keys
Number of rows 6 rows
Key Pitch/Stroke 19.05mm / 3mm
Special/Function Keys Fn+F1: Wireless switching
Fn+F2: On/Off Speakers/Sound
Fn+F3/F4: Volume
Fn+F5/F6: Brightness Control
Fn+F7: Display output (external LCD)
Fn+F8: UltraNav Options
Fn+F10: Zoom on screen
Fn+F12: Hibernate


Touchpad
The touchpad measures 2.6-inches wide and 2.3-inches in length, offering sufficient surface area to allow comfortably gliding of one's finger. The silver flush surface is clean and smooth, sensitive to touch and responds accurately to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons. You can also drag objects on the screen using this touchpad.



To the right edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll vertically. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. At the bottom edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll horizontally. The two click buttons are appropriately sized and exhibit minimal noise when clicking. In between the left and right click buttons is the fingerprint reader, which could be used for vertical scrolling too. Everything here functions smoothly and accurately.

Design Continued
Connectivity Options

Front
The LCD panel does not come with any type of latch mechanism to secure the display when shut and while it appears the hinges are strong enough to securely shut the display, users might worry about any loose items in their bag slipping in between the display and keyboard. The display opens very easily and lightly, thanks in part to the ultra-thin LCD panel. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by six rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.



Rear
The rear panel contains air ventilation, power port, and security slot.



Left Side
On the left side, you will find the microphone jack, headphone jack, air vent, i.LINK (IEEE 1394) S400 FireWire port, VGA monitor output, PC Card slot, and Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo media slot.



Right Side
The optical drive, ExpressCard/34 slot, and two Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports are present; although three USB 2.0 ports would be ideal. The Ethernet and modem jacks are protected behind plastic covers - which is odd since every other port on this machine is left out in the open. Perhaps Sony figures these aren't used as often in our high speed, wireless world?



The WWAN antenna is also mounted on the right side.

Express Card
The new ExpressCard format is becoming more prevalent on modern laptops, including the VAIO SZ series. It offers a smaller, faster solution than PC cards, utilizing the bandwidth of the PCI Express bus. This format is perfect for the new high performance, high bandwidth mobile devices like TV tuners and WWAN cards. The VAIO SZ comes with an ExpressCard memory reader that supports Secure Data (SD) and Memory Stick Pro/Duo.



Heat and Noise
Similar to the VAIO TX I reviewed earlier, the SZ suffers from the same type of fan issue - it is very noticeable and it never stops! The cooling fan on this machine operates based on processor load, and the fan noise generated from the VAIO SZ is moderately loud and noticeable under most circumstances, and highly noticeable in a quiet environment. When the fan begins to spin, it never ceases. This is attributed to the type of fan/thermal solution used in this computer. Comparing the noise level from the Apple MacBook Pro or a ThinkPad T42, this machine is noticeably louder.
At a frequency of 1.0GHz and undertaking tasks such as word processing, the fan noise is still noticeable but spins at a constant rate. During general Internet/email usage and word processing with the AC power plugged in, the fan begins to spin more noticeably and creates a low-pitched whooshing sound as the air passes through the system's vents in the rear. When using the laptop for prolonged use or when the processor is set to run at full-speed, the fan operates faster, thus noise level becomes substantially more noticeable. The good news is you can control the CPU fan, but to a certain & minimal extent in the VAIO Power Management application [more on this in the battery section]. Despite this option, Sony needs to work on its cooling solution to minimize the sound levels exhibited from the CPU fan.

Heat build up on this laptop is minimal despite its thin profile. Temperatures reached 53 degrees after prolonged use. The system becomes slightly warm during heavy loads, but never comes close to reaching uncomfortable levels like the MacBook Pro. Only the bottom section exhibits most of the heat build up.

Upgrading and Expansion
The only easily accessible upgrade component is the memory. The optical drive, hard drive, and CPU require that the user to fully disassemble the entire laptop. Due to this very shortcoming, we posted a step-by-step user guide to upgrade the hard drive here . The memory compartment is accessible at the bottom using a standard Philips screwdriver.




Features
Technical Specifications
The Sony VAIO SZ series uses Intel's Core Duo processor, our specific model the VGN-S270P being equipped with the T2400 clocked at 1.83GHz. Higher end SZ models come with the faster T2500 2.0GHz CPU. Intel's Core Duo sports a 2MB shared L2 cache, runs on a 667MHz Front Side Bus, and is built on a 65nm manufacturing process. The maximum power dissipation (Thermal Design Power, TDP) of the Core Duo models is rated at 31W.

To conserve power, the SZ is one of the first laptops to come equipped with a Hybrid Graphics System. This means it comes with the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics using 128MB dynamically shared RAM and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 with 128MB memory. With a simple switch (labeled Stamina or Speed) located above the keyboard, you have the option to toggle between the integrated Intel chip to maximize power efficiency or select the discrete NVIDIA chip for enhanced graphics performance.

The SZ uses the Intel 945 chipset, which supports dual-channel memory. Depending on the SZ model, it comes with either a 512MB DDR2 PC4200 533MHz (expandable to 2GB), 1GB dual-channel (2x512MB DDR2 RAM modules) or 2GB dual-channel (2x1GB DDR2 RAM modules).

The hard drive included in our machine is a 2.5-inch 120GB from Toshiba, spinning at 5400RPM with 8MB cache using the Serial ATA interface. The hard drive operates silently, while both idle and seeking, and can rarely be heard even in a quiet room. Performance is excellent on this hard drive and the 120GB of storage space is extremely useful. Sony doesn't offer any of the SZ models with 7200RPM; but again, if you plan on equipping this machine with a faster 7200RPM hard drive, check out Laptop Logic SZ hard drive guide. To help protect your hard drive from loosing data or corruption, Sony employs their G-Sensor Shock Protection. The hard drive head will automatically park to protect the disc from damage when it detects sudden movement.

The SZ comes with a single speaker, placed above the keyboard along the hot key buttons. It's no surprise sound quality is nothing impressive, so I'd recommend using one of the external speaker solutions , a set of headphones, or the Creative Audigy 2 SZ PCMCIA for a better sound experience.


Display
One of the most striking features found on this thin-and-light laptop is its ultra-thin and wide-aspect 13.3-inch WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) TFT LCD screen. It also incorporates Sony's XBRITE technology (glossy screen) to enhance image clarity and optimized for outdoor viewing. An anti-reflective coating is applied to minimize reflections but glare is still noticeable in some cases.


Enlarge Image

Image quality is impressive, as it is bright and evenly lit across the entire screen, vibrant, and sharp; even surpassing the quality of the VAIO TX we reviewed earlier. In 2D desktop use, it provides more than enough brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and true. Text is very sharp, although some may be squinting as text is quite small; but to the rescue is a magnification button (F10) to switch the resolution from a high 1280x800 to 1064x600. The response rate is fast enough to keep up with movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit a lot of motion blur.

For a relatively small screen, the 13.3-inch widescreen offers a decent amount of desktop real estate. One can bring up two Word documents side by side and comfortably view both files. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth and color rendering is rich. Connecting the VAIO SZ laptop externally (capable up to 1920x1200) to mirror on my Dell 24-inch widescreen LCD was simple as connecting the VGA cable and pressing the F7 key. With the optional docking station, you can transform the VAIO SZ to use DVD-D!

LED Backlight
Like the VAIO TX, the VAIO SZ also incorporates a Light-emitting diode (LED) backlight technology and newly designed display circuitry. As mentioned earlier, the VAIO SZ sports an ultra-thin LCD panel measuring 4.5 mm (.18 inch) thin. LED backlighting allows for the LCD display to be slimmer and consumes less power compared to conventional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light (CCFL) backlighting found in most modern laptop displays. Even though white LEDs are built inside the bottom edges of the LCD panel, the entire screen is evenly lit. LED is also responsible in delivering more realistic red and green colors so images appear truer. Note: the thin LCD panel is only available in the VAIO SZ Premium models and not the standard SZ models.

Wi-Fi, WWAN and Bluetooth
As part of the 'Centrino Duo' trio (CPU, Chipset & Wi-Fi), the VAIO SZ comes with the Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network card, which can connect to 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the VAIO SZ includes a switch to turn on or off the Wireless LAN located above the keyboard, which helps conserve battery when WiFi is not needed. In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall with no issues to report.

Another form of wireless is also built-in the VAIO SZ that goes beyond the radius of 802.11a/b/g network. The VAIO SZ employs Wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) built-in, accessing the Cingular Wireless National EDGE Network. This allows you to wirelessly connect to the internet anywhere within Cingular's cellular coverage. The VAIO SZ has a SIM chip built-in, just like the SIM chip in most cellular phones (Cingular, T-Mobile) to identify the phone or in this case, the laptop you have.



According to Cingular, the EDGE 3G network has download speeds of 70 to 135 kilobits per second (kbps), which isn't close even to broadband speeds of 1 to 5 megabits per second (Mbps), but is still faster than dial-up. Certainly the EDGE networks gives mobile users flexibility in staying connected virtually anywhere, but for a cost. Check Cingular's business section for the latest pricing to subscribe to Cingular EDGE.


Cingular EDGE Manager

The VAIO SZ also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices like printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones at up to 33 feet (10 meters) in range. I connected the Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse and Logitech DiNovo Bluetooth keyboard with ease, thanks to the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard that detected the mouse and keyboard immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. The Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse and Logitech diNovo Bluetooth keyboard felt responsive and precise without ever loosing connection. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously.

With three different types of wireless technologies all integrated in the VAIO SZ, it comes with a simple wireless management application called SmartWi. The intuitive and ease application manages the EDGE connection, Bluetooth and Intel PRO 802.11a/b/g wireless. You can manually select the wireless format you want to enable - WWAN and WLAN cannot run simultaneously although Bluetooth can be used in conjunction with either WWAN or WLAN.

Features Continued
Motion Eye
Mounted in the bezel at the top-center of the LCD panel is a built-in web camera and microphone, ideal for video conferencing with popular instant messaging programs such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and SKYPE.



Video conferencing performed well, with image quality being decent when tested using SKYPE video under normal light conditions.

Optical Drive
The built-in dual-layer/dual-format optical drive is made by Matshita. This drive is capable of burning & reading DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW discs. Upon inserting a DVD movie, the drive loads the movie quickly; however it exhibits a fair level of noise. The drive burned a couple of audio CDs and a backup recovery DVD disc with no problems to report.




To conserve battery life, the optical drive can be shut off using the Sony Power Manager which we'll dive into a bit deeper in the next couple of sections.

The supported read and write capabilities are as follows:

Read: 24X CD-ROM/CD-R, 8X DVD, 2X DVD-RAM
Write: 2.4X DVD+R DL, 4X DVD+R, 2.4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-R, 2X DVD-RW
Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery are 5200 mAh and 11.4V, respectively. The 8-cell does not protrude from the back of the machine, however like most VAIO laptops, the battery tends to shift when moving the laptop around. Luckily, there is a lock switch at the bottom to hold the battery in place. There were a couple of occasions when I didn't switch the lock on and the laptop completely shut down as the battery shifted and disengaged from the laptop. Battery performance is satisfactory, lasting almost 3 hours and 17 minutes in our DVD test.


Remember to switch the battery lock in place to prevent the battery from disengaging from the laptop.

If you need additional battery time, you can purchase an additional large capacity battery for a pricey $299.

AC Adapter
The VAIO SZ AC adapter is on the small side, measuring 5.5-inches long, 2.5-inches wide and 1.5-inches thick, which is compact and easy to slip inside a carrying case or backpack pocket. Unfortunately, it does not come with a Velcro strap to organize the lengthy power cables.



Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
Safeguarding your critical files is instrumental for any business, so being a business notebook, the SZ Premium comes equipped with a biometric fingerprint sensor. After enrolling a Fingerprint, simply slide your finger on the sensor to logon to your computer, quick access to certain websites, and access to the encrypted 'My Safe' folder.



The 'My Safe' folder is a folder that can only be accessed once the fingerprint has been verified. You can store critical files, preventing any unauthorized access.



The Biometric feature works very well, as the initial enrollment stage ensures you swipe your finger consistently to capture your fingerprint accurately.



To further safeguard your VAIO laptop, the SZ has the embedded Trusted Platform Module (TPM) so you can encrypt and decrypt data. You can enable this feature by entering the BIOS menu (hitting F2 during boot).

Power Management
The VAIO Power Management Viewer, which is an application to allow you to change the power scheme that affects CPU performance, battery life, LCD brightness, and noise level. This is an excellent feature that allows you to adjust the performance level, maintain low fan noise, and ensure the battery will operate longer by changing further settings such as LCD brightness or shutting off the optical drive.



Adjusting the CPU fan noise can be accomplished with a total of five settings, with Level 1 being absolutely quiet and Level 5 optimized for performance. At the lowest setting, the laptop does appear to run a bit more quiet than usual. So does this actually minimize the fan noise? Slightly, but not enough to minimize the overall loud & constant noise.



Other available user-adjustable settings include enabling or disabling the i.LINK port, optical drive, and built-in modem.

Software

Sony included a vast array of software applications to streamline your computing experience. The Sony original software is comprised of:
SmartWi Connection Manager as explained earlier
Click to DVD - DVD Creation
DVgate Plus - Digital Video
SoncStage - Digital Music, SonicStage Mastering Studio software with MP3 encoder
VAIO Media Network File Sharing
Image Converter for PSP transferring.
Additional software includes:

Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition
Quicken 2006 New User Edition
InterVideo WinDVD
Roxio DigitalMedia SE
Microsoft Works 8.6 and Microsoft Office 2003 60-day trial Small Business Ed.
As for the utilities:

Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal FireWall, Norton Privacy Control
SpySubtract 30 day subscription
Sony VAIO update
Sony VAIO recovery wizard
Sony VAIO support central.
I should also note Sony did clutter the drive with several trial applications like AOL, Microsoft Office 2003, and Norton suite. It should be mentioned Sony did not include any recovery discs. Instead they supply the VAIO Recovery Wizard application for you to create your own recovery discs by burning them onto a recordable DVD or CD. The system-restore data is hidden on a hard drive partition, allowing you the option of restoring your computer directly from the hard drive.

Setup Method

The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50%, Bluetooth was disabled and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.


Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Setup Method

The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50%, Bluetooth was disabled and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.


Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.

Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.

Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.
3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.

PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.

Quake 4 (v1.0.4) using a custom timedemo.

Medium Test :

800x600 resolution
Quality Setting: Medium
0xAA
VSynch Disabled
High Test :

1024x768 resolution
Quality Settings: High
4xAA
VSynch Disabled


FEAR (Version 1.2) with the following tests and graphic settings:

Test1 (Low Graphics Quality):

800x600 resolution
Medium Computer Performance
Low Graphics
Test2 (Medium Graphics Quality):

1024x768 resolution
Medium Computer Performance
Medium Graphics


Configurations

Specifications Sony VAIO SZ270P Lenovo Thinkpad X60s MSI S271
Processor Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz
Intel Core Duo L2400 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core)
AMD Turion X2 TL-50 (1.60GHz, 512MB L2 Cache)

Front Side Bus 667 MHz 667MHz 2000 MHz
Chipset 945GM
Intel 945GM
ATI RS485M

LCD 13.3-inch Widescreen XBRITE
(1280x800) 12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768) 12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768)
Hard Drive 120GB Toshiba 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA 80GB Toshiba MK8032GSX 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA 80GB Toshiba 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA
Memory 1GB DDR2 PC2-4200 533MH
(2x512MB)
Dual Channel
512MB DDR2 667 PC5300 SDRAM
(1 x 512MB)
in Single-Channel Mode
512MB DDR2 667 PC5300 SDRAM (1 x 512MB) in
Single Channel

Graphics Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 128MB
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
ATI Xpress 200M

Graphics Interface VGA-out VGA-out VGA-out
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD burner CD-RW/DVD-ROM (Ultrabase X6) Dual Layer DVD Burner
Weight 3.7 lbs. with 8-cell battery 3.46 lbs. with 8-cell battery 4.5 lbs. with 8-cell battery
Operating System Windows XP Pro w/SP2 Windows XP Pro w/SP2 Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Battery 5,200 mAh
5,200 mAh
4400 mAh





Performance

Bapco SYSmark2004SE

Internet Content Creation




Office Productivity



Total Score




PCMark05 Advanced
TheSony VAIO SZdominates once again. Multimedia applications benefit greatly from L2 cache, and the VAIO SZ's Core Duo contains an ample 2MB of shared L2 cache.

Here are the associated scores:

PCMark05 SZ270P Thinkpad X60s MSI S271
CPU 4264
3867
3243

Memory 2898 2676 2870
Graphics 2218
887
859

HDD 3352
2984
2802

and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:




Multi-Tasking Performance

We added these tests for a better way to compare dual core systems. Looking at numerous testing methods and results, we found the existing SYSmark2004SE benchmarks to be an excellent choice. The tests are easily performed and repeatable, providing a consistent and simple way to test dual core systems. The three sub-tests below show a noticeable correlation in CPU and memory performance, the two most important aspects of a multi-CPU system.


Bapco SYSmark2004SE

3D Content Creation
"The user renders a 3D model to a bitmap using 3ds max 5.1, while preparing web pages in Dreamweaver MX. Then the user renders a 3D animation in a vector graphics format."




Again, as with the previous SYSmark benchmarks, the VAIO SZ's Core Duo hands the S271's Turion X2 andthe ThinkPad X60 a resounding defeat. However, both laptops show a very strong showing in this benchmark when compared with single core CPUs.

2D Content Creation
"The user uses Premiere 6.5 to create a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into Photoshop 7.01, modifies it and saves the results. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using After Effects 5.5."




Again, performance is as expected, with theVAIO SZdefeating the X60 andS271 by a long shot.

Web Publication
"The user extracts content from an archive using WinZip 8.1. Meanwhile, he uses Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed using Windows Media Encoder 9 series in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches in Dreamweaver MX and the system is scanned by VirusScan 7.0."





Gaming Performance

Since we didn't run gaming tests on the MSI S271 and Lenovo ThinkPad X60, we put up the T60 equipped with ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 with 128MB RAM.

Quake 4





The NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 put up a very competitive race.

FEAR





The Nvidia GeForce GO 7400 wins here in this test.


3D Performance

3DMark 2001 SE




3DMark 2003




3DMark 05



It's obvious here the discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 is substantially faster than the integrated solutions found in the X60 and S271.


Battery Performance



The VAIO SZ runs fairly decent here lasting 4 hours and 25 minutes however it doesn't come close to the extended ThinkPad X60's battery life.





The MSI S271 with Turion 64 X2 beats the Core Duo here.



Lasthing 3 hours and 17 minutes in the DVD test, it's able to pass throughmost DVD movies easily.


Conclusion



Pros:

Thin & light; Highly portable
Carbon Fiber chassis
Decent battery life
Great design
13.3-inch widescreen with XBRITE built on LED
Biometric security, and MySafe
Hybrid Graphics System
Cons:

Constant running fan
Exhibits noise: CPU fan, keyboard, optical drive
Expensive
No DVI
Recommendation

The Sony SZ is arguably one of the most versatile laptops on the market. This laptop is packed full of powerful features without compromising on weight, function, or style. The strikingly vibrant and sharp 13.3-inch widescreen with XBRITE is one of best displays Ive seen. Thanks to the relatively new LED backlight technology, colors appear richer and more evenly & brightly lit. The screen offers sufficient desktop real estate for a portable machine as well. Having a hybrid graphics system is great since users have can switch between graphics chips to conserver battery life, but I dont see it making a huge impact on giving you more battery juice. However, the discrete Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 offers much improved graphics performance.

The VAIO SZ is all about productivity. Its equipped with every single communication offering you would ever need. The Motion Eye webcamera with microphone is a nice touch to communicate with colleagues or friends via video & audio. If youre on the road and need wireless broadband, this machine also has WWAN to connect to Cingulars Wireless National EDGE service. And with Wi-Fi access nearby, the VAIO SZ can connect to either 802.11 a, b, or g networks. The Intel Core Duo dual mobile CPU is plenty powerful enough to handle your business tasks and more. To protect your sensitive data, the SZ is one of the more secure laptops, thanks to the biometric security offerings and embedded Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
Sony needs to work on its cooling solution to minimize the sound levels exhibited from the CPU fan. Not only does it never cease, but it doesnt really throttle down either. The keyboard and optical drive also exhibit a lot of noise too. Despite these shortcomings, the VAIO SZ comes on the top of my list as one of the most desirable thin-and-light business laptop currently available. The extremely lightweight, excellent design and strong features makes the VAIO SZ my ideal power-on-the-go laptop. Users who want a more quiet and more rugged business laptop should opt for the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 or X60 series.

Source: laptoplogic.com

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Acer TravelMate 8103 WLMi
Overview

Based in Taiwan, Acer ranks among the world's top five branded PC vendors selling a broad spectrum of products, including desktops, monitors, and notebooks. In Europe, Acer commands the notebook market, ranked as the number 1 brand in 2004. Brand recognition in the U.S. market has not reached such ranks, but Acer is certainly on track. As one of the first notebooks to utilize Intel's third-generation Centrino platform ' Sonoma ', the Acer Travelmate 8100 series is designed to impress. Business pros, home users, and even the average gamer will appreciate its sleek design, functionality, and cutting-edge technology. Composed of Acer's Folio design theme, the Travelmate 8100 series is aesthetically stunning, consisting of smooth curves around the edges and leather-like surface constructed of metallic gray graphite polycarbonate, exemplifying elegance and originality.



Inside, the Acer Travelmate 8103 is filled with a robust set of features, including the Pentium M 750 (1.86 GHz with 533 MHz bus) , that runs on the Intel 915PM chipset completed with an Intel dual-band tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN solution. Other prominent features include a widescreen 15.4-inch with 1680 x 1050 resolution, modular DVD + RW drive, 100GB storage capacity, 512MB DDR2 533 RAM, and Bluetooth wireless. Users can opt to the more faster but more expensive Acer Travelmate 8104 model, which offers a Pentium M 760 (2.0 GHz Dothan) and 1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM. Avid gamers will be satisfied with the performance from the mid-range ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 graphics with 128MB DDR VRAM. Although the Acer Travelmate 8103 possesses some desktop alternative characteristics, it measures only 1.2 inches thin and weighs 6.3 pounds with its 8-cell battery. While not the most ideal computer for intensive travel, it's still a well-balanced machine suited for moderate toting and actually more portable than other notebooks in the same class. Business professionals will like the smart card access, providing extra security from unauthorized access. For around $1900 the almost perfect Acer Travelmate 8103 is an attractive package: it's powerful, combines a myriad of functions, and is just darn sexy. The matte display could be better, because even the high resolution doesn't make up for the lack of a transreflective screen.

Design

Portability
Although the Acer Travelmate 8100 possesses some similar attributes to a desktop alternative notebook, this is a performance laptop that won't break your back. Measuring 14.3-inches wide, 10.5-inches long and only 1.2-inches thick at the front section and extending 1.4-inches thick towards the back, the Travelmate 8103 is ideal for large sized cases and backpacks. I had difficulty slipping this computer in most of the mid-sized carrying cases, but I found the lightweight Samsonite L35 carrying case to be the perfect companion. I even managed to squeeze the computer on my flight to Europe with just enough room to be used on the reclining table attached to the seat in front of me in economy coach. At 6.3 pounds with the 8-cell battery, the Travelmate 8103 is not intended to accompany you everywhere you go, but rather suited for occasional travel. Unlike the Fujitsu N3510, which weighs a pound more and is .4-inches thicker, the Travelmate 8103 is a well-balanced machine that is feasible for travel while offering a spacious viewing area. The thought of being able to watch a DVD movie on such a large display anywhere I go makes it more appealing to take out and about, where typically laptops with a screen of this caliber are made to be used on the desk and nowhere else.



Case and Design
Acer put together an aesthetically impressive notebook that illustrates originality and style. The instant appeal of the Travelmate 8100 lies in its Folio design theme, which is Acers name for its unique design found in a number of their laptops. The two tone inverted color scheme keeps it clean and simple, with metallic graphite gray constructed from polycarbonate plastic (which is the same material found in bullet-proof glass) wrapping around from the top lid and bottom chassis to the surface around the palm rest and keyboard area, while matte black trim covers around the screen and extends to the sides. The polycarbonate plastic chassis gives the computer extra durability and a more solid build than notebooks with basic plastic. The edges are curvaceous and the clean surface is smooth, resembling the leather-like texture found in a portfolio that gives off a touch of elegance and refines the Travelmate 8100.


Sleek and durable chassis gives it an original style.


Similar to the rest of the Folio series, the shiny metallic Acer logo is emblazoned on the top right of the lid.

Two stiff hinges hold the LCD panel together, located near each corner of the display. The LCD panel contains dual latches that assist in keeping the lid securely closed, preventing any type of movement when shuffling the laptop around. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area reinforced by eight rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.

There are two sets of status indicators found on the computer, the first is located on the upper-left corner above the keyboard (below the display screen) and the second set is on the front of the computer. The upper-left corner below the display contains indicators for power (power button), hard disk, caps lock, and num lock. All indicators emit a green glow when activated.



Conveniently located on the front panel are a set of highly useful indicator lights which provide a quick glance at the power, battery charge, Bluetooth, and Wireless LAN. Both the power and battery status indicators emit a green glow when active (or amber for the battery when it's charging) while the Bluetooth and Wireless LAN buttons light up a dazzling blue and amber glow, respectively. The Bluetooth and Wireless LAN are buttons used to enable or disable its associated function.


The line-out with SPDIF support emits a red glow.

Located on the upper right hand corner are four launch keys to instantly launch your frequently used applications. Each button has symbols designated for Email, web browser, Acer eManager, and a user programmable option. The Email button is used to launch your E-mail client, such as Microsoft's Outlook; however it is also user programmable to designate other applications. The web browser key is used to launch your favorite web browser, but is also user programmable. The Acer Empowering key ('e' symbol) is used to launch the Acer eManager application (more on this in the software section). Lastly the user programmable button is available for you to assign your favorite application via the Launch Manager software. Unfortunately there are no multimedia hot keys despite the available room around the top section of the keyboard.



Design Continued

Keyboard
The black, full-sized 88-key ergonomic keyboard contains all the essential keys, particularly the Windows and Ctrl keys at the bottom left of the keyboard, where normally some laptops contain only the Fn key. The PgDn, PgUp, Home and End cursor keys are also present and are placed vertically on the right side of the keyboard. The Caps Lock, Shift, Alt, Tab, Backspace, and Enter keys are of appropriate size. Like most laptop keyboards, the numeric keypad is embedded within the keys located near the center of the keyboard and is activated with the num lock key. In addition, there are function keys to adjust the audio volume, alter the screen brightness, put the system to sleep, disable or enable touchpad, and for switching to an external monitor when connected. When toggling one of these function keys, such as the audio for example, it will activate an on-screen volume indicator. This helps you identify exactly which volume settings you want to select. The on-screen indicator applies to other function access as well with the exception to the screen brightness, which is not available.



With respect to usage, the 'Acer FineTouch' keyboard offers decent key travel distance and excellent response. You will notice from the picture the keyboard employs a five-degree curve for a more ergonomic placement, which I find neither an advantage nor disadvantage compared to the straight-laced arrangement keyboards. Some users may need to be accustomed to this unusual layout while others will pick it up immediately. With that note, I can type quickly, accurately, and comfortably with this keyboard. The keys are soft and feel light when depressing them (not as stiff as the ThinkPad T42 but not as soft as the PowerBooks) with a minimal spring to it, allowing it to be quite responsive and exhibiting little noise. The keys depress at a comfortable 2.5mm of depth which feels good to type with. The keyboard is centered nicely with 1.2-inches of room on each side due to the laptop's wide design and there is sufficient room around the palm rest area to ensure a comfortable typing experience on your wrists. This is certainly a solid keyboard that comes close in comparison to the likes of the IBM ThinkPads and even Apple Powerbooks.



Touch pad
To match the laptop's overall wide-aspect design the touchpad is also wide, offering sufficient amount of surface area, measuring 3-inches wide and 1.5-inches in length to comfortably glide your finger. Like the palm rest area, the black flush surface is clean and smooth, accurately sensitive to touch and responds well to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons. To the right and bottom edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll vertically or horizontally. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. For added convenience, there is a useful center click button that serves as a four-way scroll button to scroll up or down and move left or right within a page. The left and right click buttons are also brushed in gray metallic to match the entire wrist area.



Connectivity Options
Thanks to its wide frame, the Travelmate 8103 is loaded with a multitude of connectivity options, surrounding all sides of the computer. Since the cables are spread out on all sides of the machine, there are no protruding parts that can accidentally break off during transit and helps reduce cable clutter. The computer offers a whopping four USB 2.0 ports instead of the common two ports found in most laptops. For users that prefer to connect their laptop to an external monitor, television or projector, the Travelmate 8103 supplies all available video outputs, including DVI-D, VGA, and S-Video. DVI is an option not commonly found in your average consumer notebooks. This is a must for anyone planning to use an LCD monitor or digital projector.


DVI-D & S-Video


VGA

On the front panel, you'll immediately notice the left and right speaker grilles made up of tiny hole-punches that gives the notebook a very distinctive look. The 5-in-1 card reader is capable of reading SD, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and xD-Picture cards, allowing to transfer files from a majority of digital cameras. Next to the 5-in-1 card reader slot is a built-in mono microphone that is stationed inside a tiny hole-punch. An Infrared port is available for short range wireless IR devices such as PDAs and printers. The Speaker/Line-out/Headphone jack connects to audio line-out devices such as speakers and headphones and has SPDIF support. Next to it is the Line-in/Mic-in port that accepts microphones, and line-in devices like an audio CD player. As mentioned in the preceding section, there are two backlit buttons for activating Bluetooth and Wireless LAN and to disable them when not in use to conserve battery.



On the rear, there is a DVI-D port that supports digital video connections like modern LCD flat panel monitors. There is also the requisite S-Video port to connect to a television or display device with S-Video input. Lastly we have the huge 124-pin Acer ezDock connector that connects to the Acer ezDocking station for expandability.


The battery pack fits nicely without protruding and is made to offer hand grip when carrying the notebook.

On the left-side: VGA port, ventilation slots, Ethernet 10/100/1000 jack, phone port, one of the four USB 2.0 port, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, Smart Card slot (more on this in the features section of this review) and PC Card slot. Although the Acer Travelmate 8100 is based on the new Intel Centrino ' Sonoma ' platform, it does not include the new ExpressCard format. The IEEE 1394 FireWire port is similar to Sony's S400, which is a six-pin port that provides power to the device.



On the right-side: the remaining three USB 2.0 ports are found positioned horizontally, the Super-Multi DVD+/-RW drive that is hot swappable, power connector and security keylock to connect a Kensington-compatible security lock.



Heat and Noise
Components such as the hard drive and the cooling fan are responsible for generating noise in a laptop. Fortunately, the cooling fan (located on the bottom section) operates quietly during moderate use; however it does remain spinning regardless if the processor throttles down. During general use, like web browsing, E-mail, word processing and with the AC power plugged in, the fan continuously spins but does not emit any pitching or whining noise. With the system plugged in the AC power and during heavier use, such as playing games or using it for extended periods, noise generated from the fan is substantially more noticeable since it spins faster but it is still tolerable. Thankfully, the cooling fan settles down for a bit when running the laptop off the battery for a virtually quiet operation. The fan re-activates again within 5-10 minutes depending on usage but it does not generate as loud as if the system was plugged in the AC power. Mobile meter reported the computer to run around 46-55 degrees Celsius varying on processor clock speed. With the ventilation slots located on the left-side, heat build up is minimal. The system becomes warm, but never reaching discomfort levels. In some areas, like the touchpad and palm rest can become lukewarm. The bottom of the case however can get quite warm during extensive use, but never reaching hot levels like the Fujitsu N3510.

Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading the Acer Travelmate 8100 is fairly simple, thanks to the accessible compartments located on the bottom side which include the Wi-Fi mini-PCI adapter, memory, and hard drive. There is one RAM module pre-installed in the computer, which is a 512MB stick of 533MHz (PC2-4200) DDR2 made by Micron. CAS latency is rated 4-4-4-12. Upgradeable to 2GB of DDR2, the Travelmate 8100 also has dual-channel memory support. Replacing the hard drive is also incredibly simple with the removal of the hard drive access panel. The AcerMedia Bay that currently houses the optical drive module , allows the option to swap another drive bay, such as secondary battery or hard disc drive. Simply release the latch located at the bottom to detach the optical drive. Although the Travelmate 8100 series contains a wide-array of connectivity options, the optional Acer ezDock is available to transform the notebook to a true desktop computer, with extra connectivity options.




The optical drive bay can be swapped out for another drive bay.

Features

Processor/Chipset/RAM
Using the fundamental components of a modern Centrino notebook, the Acer Travelmate 8103 is powered by the new mid-range Pentium M 750 processor clocked at 1.86 GHz and the Intel 915PM Express chipset (code-named Alviso). Compared to the previous generation Dothan models, the new CPU's front side bus, which controls the speed of data flow between memory and CPU, jumps from 400 MHz to 533 MHz; a 33% increase. This also raises the peak bandwidth of the CPU to 4.2 GB/second. The Sonoma platform supports 533MHz DDR2, but a lot of manufacturers choose to use 400MHz DDR2 to save money. It is good to see Acer joining Asus, IBM, and a few others in using the higher speed RAM. Systems in general perform better when the memory and FSB clock speeds are the same. As mentioned in the preceding section, the Travelmate 8103 comes with a single stick of DDR2-SDRAM modules rated at 533MHz (PC2-4200) with a max theoretical bandwidth of 4.2 GB per second. It should also be mentioned that DDR2 modules consumes less power, thus conserving battery life and minimizing heat since they're rated at 1.8 volts, which is about 30% lower than that of regular DDR.



Another major difference with Sonoma is the processor's new thermal design power (TDP), now rated at 27W, whereas the previous Dothan consumed only 21W. This means the new processors have the capacity to use more power, thus negatively affecting battery life. The CPU itself is identical to those used in the previous generation Centrino platform, but uses more power due to the faster front side bus. As with all previous Centrino platforms, Sonoma supports Enhanced Intel Speedstep where the CPU adjusts its speed dynamically based on system usage. However, unlike the previous generation processors that clock down to 600 MHz, the Dothan processors used in the Sonoma motherboards only go down to 800 MHz due to the higher front side bus speed. Even with the processor clocked down to 800 MHz, it is still fast enough to watch DVDs or do general-purpose computing (Web browsing, Word processing) with respectable performance. Clock speed can be adjusted in the Power Options or Acer's ePowerManagement software utility (more in the battery section).

GPU
Part of the Intel 915PM chipset package requires a discrete PCI-Express chip with dedicated video memory. PCI-Express GPUs demand more power compared to the AGP solutions, potentially affecting battery life. Aimed at performance thin notebooks, the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 powers the video of the Acer Travelmate 8100 series, which is ATI's first midrange native PCI Express based mobile GPU. The chip inherits the architecture of RADEON X800 and is similar to its desktop counterpart, the X700. Key features include DirectX 9 hardware acceleration support, 8 rendering pipelines, 7 vertex pipelines, and 128MB of dedicated video DDR RAM. The core clock is rated as 350MHz while the memory runs at 350MHz, or 700MHz effective. The chip includes a number of features made specifically for mobile computing such as new power-saving (POWERPLAY 5.0) and image quality (LCD-EE) technology. The POWERPLAY 5.0 technology monitors system activity and dynamically adjusts clock and voltage based on system usage. ATI's LCD Enhancement Engine (LCD-EE) technology compensates LCD response time and allows better image scaling, perfect for high-resolution widescreens like on the Acer Travelmate 8100 series.


Doom 3 1,024-by-768 and high image quality.

To test the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 GPU, I loaded one of the more graphically intensive games available, Half Life 2.With the resolution set to 1024-by-768 and recommended image settings (mostly all on high) set by the game, frame rates varied between 70-100 frames per second according to the in-game FPS display. Overall I was impressed with the detail and fluidity of gameplay. Moving on to Doom 3, running at 1,024-by-768 resolution on high image quality is very playable and varied between 40-60 frames rates per second. During scenes with heavy action, frame rates varied between 20-30 frames per second. Visually speaking, the graphic detail surrounding the creatures and the environment looked convincingly lifelike. Like in Half-Life 2, gameplay was smooth and purely playable. Stuttering is noticeable only when every graphical option set to the max but for the most part, both Half Life 2 and Doom 3 perform very well and better than I expected. Based on this analysis, the RADEON X700 GPU will certainly satisfy casual gamers, allowing games to run at modest resolution, particularly 1,024-by-768 with image quality features set in the middle. The only drawback I noticed was both games loaded notoriously slow. This was probably due to only 512MB RAM and the lack of a 7200RPM hard drive.

[Note: CPU speed was set to run full performance during game testing.]

Display
One of the great features on this power-thin-and-light notebook is its wide-aspect 15.4-inch WSXGA+ TFT LCD screen. Although it's a transmissive display (as opposed to a transreflective screen), its still bright and clear; but by no means as impressive as transreflective screens. In 2D desktop use, it does offer sufficient brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and true. Text is very sharp and perfectly legible despite the high-resolution. The response rate is certainly fast enough to keep up with games and movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit motion blur.



While the 15.4-inch widescreen offers large and wide viewing estate, thanks to the 1680-by-1050 resolution, the backlight seems to be slightly uneven but by no means would distract you from its overall viewing pleasure. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth; pictures and colors look bright but lack the 'true color' vibrancy you would get from a transreflective screen. In addition, an image rendered on screen does not seem to be as crisp as with transreflective screens. Compared to DVD playback on the Toshiba Satellite M45 (which uses a transreflective LCD screen), color rendering is more vibrant and brightness is more consistent. It also has better color accuracy and the viewing angle is slightly wider than what is offered from the Acer Travelmate 8103. But if you want to compare between matte screens, the screen on the Acer Travelmate outperforms the Asus V6V's display in all respects.

Sound
Replacing the standard AC'97 audio specification is RealTek's High Definition audio codec to handle more channels at higher qualities and supports the latest audio content. It has capabilities to enhance sound experience by offering a more simulated 3-dimensional sound effect through regular stereo such as headphones or the built-in two speakers (requires DVD application to support this feature). High Definition audio now supports new formats, such as Dolby Digital Surround EX (7.1) and DTS ES. In addition, high definition audio enables power savings during audio activity.


The RealTek HD audio utility to select various audio effects and settings.

The on-board stereo speakers are positioned in the front panel behind the distinctive hole-punched grills. Although the speakers produce loud and clear sounds, it lacks bass, a common trait among most laptop speakers. Like the Sony VAIO notebooks, the Travelmate 8103's on-board speakers can reach high volumes without becoming distorted. Dialogue in movies sounded clear and the surround sound effect was impressive but bass was non-existent. Sounds and vocals were crisp but once again, bass was lacking during MP3 playback. The gaming environment sounded impressive. I was immersed with the sounds from Doom 3 as the audio's 3D sounds amplified the atmosphere and feeling of isolation. Overall, the sound capabilities produced from this machine are above par compared to most notebooks with a non-branded set of speakers (ie. Harman Kardon). It should be noted that an optical cable with a mini-jack adapter on one end and a toshlink on the other is required if you want to connect the notebook to a receiver with Dolby Digital enabled.

Features Continued

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
As part of the Sonoma trio, the Acer Travelmate 8103 comes with the Intel Pro Wireless 2915ABG card, which can connect to 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a wireless networks. Acer employs its own SignalUp technology to enhance the wireless signal strength and range. According to Acer, their SignalUp feature can boost up to 25% in wireless signal strength compared to wireless notebooks from Dell, HP/Compaq, and Toshiba. For added security, it has support for Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the Travelmate 8103 includes the now common wireless hot key to turn on or off the Wireless LAN Card located on the front panel, which helps conserve battery when Wi-Fi is not needed.



In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall. My tests mainly consisted of connecting to a home 802.11b/g wireless network with no difficulty to speak of. Signal strength was reported between 'very good' to 'excellent' while using the laptop in my home network, even when being about 30 to 40 feet away from the wireless base station.



The Acer Travelmate 8100 series also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices such as printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones. I connected the Logitech MX900 Bluetooth mouse with ease, thanks to the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard that detected the mouse immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. The MX900 Bluetooth mouse felt responsive and precise without ever loosing connection. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously. If that wireless option is not enough, the Travelmate 8103 comes with infared (IrDA) communication that allows you to synchronize with PDAs or mobile phones.

Optical Drive
The Super-Multi DVD+/-RW Dual Layer drive is capable of burning DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW and reading DVD-ROM & DVD-RAM discs, compatible with virtually all disc formats allowing reading, burning and backing up an easy task. The drive loads incredibly fast, as soon as I insert a disc the movie or application loads almost instantly. Made by Panasonic, the drive is modular or 'hot-swappable', meaning it can be removed from its drive bay. This allows another module such as a second battery or hard disk drive to be placed inside the bay. The drive burned a system backup DVD and a couple of audio CDs with no problems to report.



The supported disc formats, read and maximum burning capabilities are as follow:

Read: 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD-ROM, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW, 3X DVD-RAM, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 24X CD-RW, 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R
Write: 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW, 4X CD-RW, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 2X DVD-RAM, 24X CD-R
Hard Drive
The Acer Travelmate 8100 series does not disappoint when it comes to storage capacity as it includes a massive 100GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 (ST9100823A) hard drive with 8MB data buffer and a reasonable 5,400 RPM rotational speed. Thanks to the SoftSonic FDB bearing motor, the drive is virtually silent when operating. When the drive seeks, it exhibits only a slight crunching noise that is just barely audible. Although the drive provides 100GB of storage space, it is not contiguous. The drive came formatted (FAT32) with two partitions: C and D drives. Acer included a hidden restore partition reserved on the C: drive so that users can restore the operating system, drivers, and utilities to original factory state using the eRecovery utility. In respect to performance, the drive outperforms the Hitachi with 60GB storage capacity spinning the same 5,400 RPM in our performance test. This has everything to do with the areal density of the platter. Areal density refers to the amount of data per square inch that can fit onto the disc platter. Since there is an arm that physically moves around the drive to read data at different points, the more data you can fit in a square inch means the less movement that arm has to do. The less 'seeking' the arm has to do, the more data it can read in a given period of time. The Seagate drive has a 21% greater areal density, allowing it greater performance despite the same spindle speed and cache.

Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery is 4,800 mAh and 14.8V, respectively. During general use like web browsing, word processing, and MP3 playback, the battery lasted approximately 3 hours with the power scheme set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This correlates with the results from the BatteryMark test (more in the performance section). With the brightness setting set to the middle and power scheme set to 'Portable/Laptop', the DVD movie 'The Notebook' played through the entire duration with 26% remaining (47 minutes remaining). On my trip across the Atlantic to Europe , the battery lasted about 3 hours and 25 minutes with the brightness dimmed down and all Wi-Fi, LAN, FireWire, Bluetooth functions disabled to maximize battery life even more. The physical shape of the battery makes for an excellent carrying handle when toting the notebook around by hand.


Designed to offer grip-support when carrying with your hands.

The bundled Acer ePowerManagement application utility allows for you to control all the computer's power schemes and battery efficiencies. You can toggle between various power saving modes designed for entertainment, presentation, word processing, or for travel. The software can control the CPU speed and the various functions to maximize battery performance. Selecting the mode to 'Maximum Battery Life' for example will underclock the processor down to 800MHz and shuts off Wireless LAN, Cardbus, and Firewire to maximize battery life even further. According to Acer, the ePowerManagementoffers 20% more battery life over the standard Windows power scheme profiles. The reason for that is Acer's ePowerManagement allows for you to fully-customize the power saving or performance setting you prefer, with choices to adjust the CPU speed, LCD brightness, standby, or disabling or enabling components (Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Cardbus, LAN, & FireWire).


You can adjust various settings based on the various power saving modes.

AC Adapter
The AC Adapter is a commonly overlooked part of a notebook's features, even though it is the most important part! The included AC adapter measures 4.2' long, 2' wide, and 1.2' thick, which is much more compact than most AC adapters compared to ones from Sony or Dell. The AC adapter is extremely light and can easily slip in a carrying case or backpack pocket. Unfortunately, it is missing a strap or some form of cable management around the adapter to organize the lengthy power cables.

This AC adapter is nearly identical to the adapter found on the Asus V6V.

Software
Acer included a wide array of software applications to streamline your computing experience. The Acer eManager is comprised of four software utilities to manage the system:

Acer eSetting to control and modify your device settings, passwords (SmartCard) and boot sequence.
Acer ePresentation software helps make connecting the notebook to a projector quicker and simpler.
Acer ePowerManagement allows for you to select and control a range of power schemes as mentioned earlier in the battery section of the review.
Acer eRecovery can backup and restore your system.


One of my favorite programs is Acer's GridVista that helps organize and manage the numerous open application windows so I can have two, three or four windows in plain view when I work, eliminating the need of minimizing and maximizing each application window and reducing screen clutter. Simply run the program and select the number of windows you want to view simultaneously: double, triple, and quad.


Simply drag and drop each window into the appropriate grid to view all of them simultaneously.

Smart Card
Security and sensitive data are critical concerns for not only business users but all users. Mobile computers are prone theft or unauthorized use. As mentioned in the preceding section, the Acer Travelmate 8100 series comes integrated with a SmartCard access feature (SmartCard and reader). This feature enhances data security, stores passwords and encryptions, and gives authorized access to an assigned user. The SmartCard uses a microprocessor embedded on the card to store & process data, manage files, and execute encryption algorithms. There are two SmartCards bundled with the computer: emergency card that acts as the 'master key' and the access control card. The emergency SmartCard has access to unlock the system, access secured information, and restore the system to normal use. After setting up the SmartCard access, I enabled the Supervisor Password setting which prevents unauthorized access to my laptop. Upon turning on my notebook where typically the bios boot screen would appear, a prompt requested for me to insert my SmartCard into the reader. After inserting the authorized SmartCard, it asked for my password. After verification, the system continues its normal boot process through the bios check and then Windows.


The SmartCard is controlled via the PlatinumKey software.

Setup Method

The Acer Travelmate 8103 was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates SpeedStep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi & Bluetooth were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Business Winstone 2004 runs business related applications through a series of scripted activities and uses the time a PC takes to complete those activities to produce its performance scores. Each application runs 5 tests through a series of demos and activities. Business applications include:

Microsoft Access 2002
Microsoft Excel 2002
Microsoft Frontpage 2002
Microsoft Outlook 2002
Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
Microsoft Project 2002
Microsoft Word 2002
Norton AntiVirus Professional Edition 2003
Winzip 8.1
Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004 is a single large test that runs multimedia applications through a series of scripted activities and returns a single score. Applications include:

Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1
Adobe Premiere 6.50
Macromedia Director MX 9.0
Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 6.1
Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 Version 9.00.00.2980
NewTek's LightWave 3D 7.5b
Steinberg WaveLab 4.0f
Business Winstone 2004 Batterymark measures a laptop computer's battery life by simulating real-world usage. The program measures the time it takes to drain the battery by running applications such as Microsoft Office XP, Norton AntiVirus, and WinZip through a series of scripted activities to drain the battery in a realistic way.

3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

PCMark 2004 build 1.3.0 uses real life application tests to generate a combined score by running specific tasks like application loading, game tests, 3D rendering, multimedia encoding, and more. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.

Doom 3 (Version 1.1) using the built-in time-demo, initiated with the console command 'timedemo demo1 precache'.

Test1:

800x600 resolution
Quality Setting: Medium
0xAA
VSynch Disabled
High quality special effects enabled
Shadows enabled
Specular enabled
Bump Maps enabled
Test2:

1024x768 resolution
Quality Settings: High
4xAA
VSynch Disabled
High quality special effects enabled
Shadows enabled
Specular enabled
Bump Maps enabled
Half Life 2 (Source Engine 7) timedemos Coast 05 and Canals 08 from Anandtech.com with the following tests and graphic settings:

Test1:

1024x768 resolution
Medium model detail
Medium texture detail
Blob shadows
Simple Reflection water detail
Low shadow detail
0xAA
Trilinear filtering
Low shader detail
V Sync disabled
Test2:

1024x768 resolution
Highest model detail
Highest texture detail
Reflect All water detail
High shadow detail
4xAA
Anisotropic 8X
High shader detail
V Sync disabled
Configurations


System
Acer TravelMate 8103
Asus V6V Sony VAIO FS550

OS
Windows XP Pro
w/SP2
Windows XP Pro w/SP2
Windows XP Home
w/SP2

CPU
Pentium M 750
1.86 GHz
Pentium M 750
1.86 GHz
Pentium M 730
1.60 GHz

Bus
533 MHz
533 MHz
533 MHz

RAM
512MB DDR2 533 CL=4 Single Channel
512MB DDR2 400 CL=3 Dual Channel
512MB DDR333 CL2.5

Hard Drive
Seagate 100GB
8MB Buffer
5400RPM
Hitachi 60GB
8MB Buffer 5400RPM
Hitachi 80GB
8MB Buffer
4200RPM

Video
ATI RADEON X700 128MB DDR
ATI RADEON X600 64MB DDR
Intel GMA 900
Shared Memory

Battery
4,800 mAh 4,800 mAh
4,400 mAh



Performance

General Usage (Business Winstone 2004)



Multimedia Content Creation (Business Winstone 2004)


The V6V falls slightly behind the Acer TravelMate 8103.

PCMark04
The V6V and 8103 were neck-in-neck in the PCMark04 tests but the 8103 edges the V6V by a slight margin, thanks in part to the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 and the fast Seagate hard drive.

Here are the associated scores:


System 8103 V6V FS550
CPU 3577 3587 3038
Memory 3186 3157 2852
Graphics 3282 2162 781
HDD 3163 2868 2439


and the PCMark04 Overall Score:



3D Performance

The following 3DMark 2001, 2003, and 2005 scores will show the X700's dominance.

3DMark 2001 SE




3DMark 2003



3DMark 05



Gaming Performance

Doom 3






Half Life 2
The Travelmate 8103 scored the following frames per second:


Level Coast 05 Canals 08
Test 1 - AA/AF OFF 93.22 fps 92.87 fps
Test 2 - 4X/8X 58.02 fps 36.02 fps


Now the comparison with AA/AF OFF:






...and with AA/AF ON:





Battery Performance

Lasting 2 hours and 50 minutes in the BatteryMark conditioning run scripted test, the Travelmate 8103 lasted 10 minutes longer than the V6V and over 20 minutes longer than the FS550.





Conclusion



Pros:

Sleek, robust and innovative design
Thin-and-light for a performance notebook
Excellent keyboard
Good-looking high resolution 15.4-inch WSXGA+ LCD display
Fast performance
Good wireless performance
Responsive touchpad with center four-way scroll button
Latest technology: PCI Express, High-Definition Audio, Dual-Channel DDR2
Handles the latest and greatest games
Good audio solution
Large storage capacity
Modular Dual-Layer DVD burner supporting most available disc formats
Wireless functions: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth, Infrared
Wide array of connectivity options: DVI, S-Video, SPDIF support, 4 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro Media Card slot
SmartCard access
Excellent software bundle: Acer ePowermanagement software and, Acer GridVista
Cons:

Lacks Express Card
Constant running fan
Limited hot keys; missing multimedia keys
Computer can become warm quickly
Recommendation
Acer put together an aesthetically impressive notebook that illustrates originality and style, thanks to its Folio design theme. Instead of incorporating magnesium or aluminum materials for the chassis, the polycarbonate plastic still gives the notebook a robust and solid build. The Travelmate 8103 comes in with a myriad of functions packed in a slim design. Business pros, home uses, and even the average gamer will be satisfied with the 8103's prominent offerings. It utilizes the latest technology, including DDR2 with dual-channel support, PCI Express, three wireless formats (802.11 a/b/g), Bluetooth, and a wide array of connectivity options that are normally found on desktop replacement notebooks. Casual gamers will appreciate the smooth frame rates provided by the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700. It outperformed practically all the notebooks we've tested to date. The SmartCard is a nice addition to prevent unauthorized access. While the 15.4-inch widescreen offers large and wide vie


Source: laptoplogic.com
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:53 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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BlackBerry 9500 Storm
Size, specifications and that “clickable” screen
The 5.5-ounce handset is physically larger and heavier than other BlackBerry phones. It has a brushed aluminium back with a rubber surround 3.25-inch transflective screen that dominates its front. By comparison, the iPhone weighs 4.7 ounces and its screen is 3.5 inches measured diagonally.

Unlike other phones, the Storm’s touchscreen is not just “touchable” but “clickable”, so to select an option or a specific area of a web page, you press down firmly - the entire screen clicks down a few millimeters. This means that the Storm has two levels of input (a touch and a click) which has been used to advanced the interface. Once you get used to pressing a bit harder than you would on other touchscreen devices, it becomes quite satisfying, but we did have to train ourselves to apply that extra pressure.

After using the BlackBerry Storm for a few days we are still unsure as to whether we actually prefer the click of the Storm to the touch of the iPhone. We are of the impression that it may well be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition.

The Storm’s onscreen icons are the large smart ones introduced on the BlackBerry Bold and are the ideal size for selecting with a thumb or finger. Typing on the Storm is wholly different experience than on previous BlackBerry smartphones, though - it’s also completely different to the iPhone.



The BlackBery Storm features large touch-screen buttons that glow when you touch, and are selected by pushing down on the clickable screen
Take a letter with the BlackBerry Storm’s keypad
When used in portrait or standard phone mode, you are presented with a two-character-per-keySureType layout. This is the same keyboard layout that was used on one of our all-time favorite mobile phones (pre-iPhone, of course), RIM’s BlackBerry Pearl. SureType is a very different approach to the one used on the iPhone. It has a two characters-per-key approach, but is pretty good at divining what you are attempting to input and suggesting words, but far too often we found it didn’t recognise which of the two keys we wanted—not so useful when entering names or other character strings that aren’t listed in a standard dictionary. However, you can backspace and press the button again, and it picks the other letter. SureType’s a love-or-loathe affair, but it’s served BlackBerry well over the years and we prefer to see this approach than a ham-fisted attempt to copy Apple’s smart predictive text functionality.

Although RIM assured us that the glowing blue halo that appears around your finger to confirm that you’ve pressed the intended button means users will be able to type confidently on the Storm, in practice, we found entering text using the SureType keypad a clunky process.

It’s far more effective to turn the Storm on its side and enter characters using the more familiar Qwerty layout. For some insanely odd reason the iPhone still won’t let you compose emails with the horizontal QWERTY keypad, instead that’s limited to entering Web URLs. You shouldn’t underestimate the advantage that a horizontal QWERTY keypad offered by the BlackBerry Storm has over the stubby vertical keypad offered on the iPhone.

As with the iPhone, the Storm contains an accelerometer that automatically reformats the onscreen display when you switch orientation, so you don’t need to invoke any special menu option to bring this up - just turn the Storm sideways whenever you want to compose an email or text message. Given that Dataviz’s Word To Go, Sheet To Go and Slideshow to Go come preloaded and can be used to open, edit and resave documents on the Storm, before sending them as attachments over email, it’s important that text entry is efficient and accurate.

Making calls and keeping contacts
The other area it’s vital that the Storm gets right is, of course, basic phone and contact features. Here, as ever, the BlackBerry really shines. You can import contacts, synchronize them, add them on the fly and associate ringtones and photos as well as email addresses and search for them. Four Web addresses, three locations with fax, page and phone numbers, plus notes on each contact can all be added.

The voice-dialer feature hooks into this too and can be initiated via the silver hardware button on the Storm’s lefthand side. There’s a large microphone above the BlackBerry branding at the top of the screen. Audio output from the speaker is pretty loud too. Calls we made were clear and remain central to the Storm’s setup: pressing the green phone handset icon takes you straight to a keypad, with the address book and call log listed as options above it.

The audio feature can also be used to record voice notes to yourself (if you prefer these to creating Task lists - both options on the main menu). SMS and MMS share an icon but, again, are default options on the Storm’s main screen. As with email, you can compose messages and send attachments - whenever you take a photo using the Storm’s 3.2-megapixel camera, you are given the option to send it as an MMS - something that Apple resolutely refuses to put on the iPhone 3G. Although we still maintain that sending pictures via email is a better option, the fact that MMS is widely used by the non-smartphone owning public makes it a welcome feature addition.



The BlackBerry Storm sports a regular earphone socket and a 3.2megapixel camera
And while we’re on the subject of welcome features that users are clamoring for, let’s not overlook (cue fanfare) cut-and-paste. BlackBerry has shown Apple how it’s done, by using the same multi-touch technology used in the iPhone 3G. Here’s how it works: you put one finger at the start of what you want to copy, and one finger at the end to highlight text; then press the Menu button to select ‘cut’ or ‘copy’. Now, this is a feature that we haven’t really felt the need for but the Macworld readership has being quite vocal about the lack of cut-and-paste on the iPhone. RIM’s solution doesn’t work well enough for us because it is fiddly beyond belief (“using this would drive you mad,” said one of our testers). But in the absence of anything better from Apple this is an area where RIM scores a point, just.

One thing we’d like to point out is that RIM is claiming multi-touch on the BlackBerry Storm because of this function, but don’t be fooled into thinking that the Storm has the same kind of pinch to zoom multi-touch feature from the iPhone. The multi-touch seems to only apply to the cut-and-paste.

Watching photos and video, and browsing the Web
The camera - a step up from previous BlackBerry handsets and the iPhone 3G - has both a zoom and a flash. The zoom is digital, though, so it’s not really zooming in (just making the picture smaller). We also like the fact that you can rename files on the fly and instantly send them to a contact. Again, this isn’t the first BlackBerry with this facility, but it’s worth having.

What’s different about using the camera is that the zoom must be operated using the hardware volume keys on the righthand edge of the handset. However, you can zoom in incrementally with quite a lot of control and the sensor is able to work out which is the main subject of your shot and optimise its operations around this. Taking a snap isn’t an instantaneous process, however.

Deep down neither the BlackBerry Storm or the iPhone 3G are good cameraphones. If you want a snapshot cameraphone, and pictures are more important than email or Web access, try a Sony Cyber-shot instead.



Like the iPhone 3G, the BlackBerry Storms large touch-screen makes it an effective video playerVideo is worth trying too. The excellent vibrant and detailed screen lends itself to video playback - the sample videos we were given to test this feature were glamorous film trailers, but we activated the YouTube application and imported some footage of our own to see how a more average video clip would look. The fairly ropey wildlife clip we tried was full of artifacts, but we ran the clip on the Storm alongside the T-Mobile Android G1 and was noticeably brighter on the Storm. Part of this may well be because the Storm has a glass screen rather than a plastic one (as on the G1), but we know which we’d sooner use to view video.

When it comes to Web access, the fact that the Storm is a 3G handset really comes into play. The browser offered us Mobile versions of major websites, but we had no trouble viewing content on the non-optimised Macworld UK Web site. To zoom in to items you can double-tap the area in question, or you can use the onscreen magnifier icons to zoom in and out (unlike the iPhone there is no pinch-to-zoom feature). You can also slide a finger across the screen to scroll around.

While not quite as accomplished or as accurate as the Web browser on the iPhone, it is easily the best BlackBerry web browsing experience so far and a huge leap forward for existing BB customers who have been frustrated about this key aspect. If you’ve got a non-3G BlackBerry phone and wondering whether to upgrade, the data connection and browsing experience alone should convince you to do so. Whether we’d move from an iPhone 3G to a BlackBerry though is another matter. We still think the iPhone 3G is the best way to access the Web from a mobile device.

Syncing a BlackBerry Storm to a Mac
Mac owners can rejoice because venerable syncing company, Mark/Space has already added support for the BlackBerry Storm. You will need to purchase Mark/Space’s Missing Sync for BlackBerry application, which at $40 is worth every single penny.

One of our key criticisms of the BlackBerrry Bold was that RIM hadn’t supported the Mac and hadn’t worked with other providers to enable Mac support on day one. Our guess is that because Mark/Space has now managed to add support for the BlackBerry Bold (a 9000 model) it has also been able to add support for the BlackBerry Storm (a 9500 model). Either way, this means that the Storm is a viable option for Mac owners.



Mark/Space’s Missing Sync for BlackBerry ensures that you can get all your Mac’s information and media onto the smartphoneThe Missing Sync for Blackberry enables you to sync Calendars, Contancts, Music, Notes, Photos and Tasks, plus specified Folders.

We wouldn’t recommend spending much money listening to songs on the BlackBerry Storm, however - at least not without dumping the nasty plastic earphones it comes with. We found these painful to wear even with their protective muffling. The Storm has the same 3.5mm standard headphone jack you get on the iPhone, so any earphones that are compatible with this will also fit into the Storm’s headphone socket.

Having made the switch, you’ll find the Storm’s media manager a pleasure to use. The quality of the two sample songs we downloaded was every bit as good as that of the album we had transferred from our PC. Had we built up a large collection of music, we could use the search to scoot through tracks, while a playlist manager allowed us to instantly add a song to an existing playlist or create a new one.

One thing of note is that like all non-Apple music players, the BlackBerry Storm won’t play music bought from the iTunes music store that is protected by FairPlay DRM (although iTunes Plus tracks are DRM-free format, and these will play just fine).

Downloading and installing applications
In addition to the features we’ve covered so far, the Storm comes with some fairly standard preinstalled applications include Tasks, Calculator, a Video Camera, a Password Keeper, a Clock and a Saved Messages folder. That’s far from all there is, however.

You might be forgiven for thinking that Apple’s App Store is a whole new way of tricking out your smartphone. In fact, PDAs, Palms and BlackBerry handsets have had their own, sizable ecosystem of software vendors and shareware creators for many moons. However, mindful of how well Apple’s add-ons have gone down, RIM has centralised this function and made it prominent in the application list, with its own brash icon.

The Application Center is where you head if you want to add extras to your BlackBerry Storm. Unsurprisingly (given their popularity) these include Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and so on. To install one, you need simply to click its icon, accept the terms and conditions about it being at your own risk if you knowing install third-party applications, and you’re all set.

Mind you, the range of applications currently available is a far cry from the breadth and depth of those on the Apple store. The Application Center only has a few apps approved by RIM and isn’t open to general developers in the same way that Apples App Store is, it will be around six months before the Application Center starts to open up in the same way.

A final point about reliability
One final point we’d like to make is with regards to reliability. It is fair to say that over the last year Apple’s hard-earned reputation for making reliable devices has diminished somewhat. Highly publicised troubles over MobileMe, the iPhone 3G reception and iPhone applications crashing (both third-party apps, which is understandable, and Apple’s own apps, which is less forgivable) have taken their toll on our patience.

We only had one problem with the BlackBerry Storm, and that was when we thought it had crashed after installing over 1,000 new contacts and launching the voice tool. It turns out it just made it think for a while (two or three minutes).

It may be that because we’ve had 18 months to test the iPhone, and only a few days to test the BlackBerry Storm that direct comparisons regarding reliability are unfair, a more long-term test will bring any issues to light. Although it’s equally fair to say that RIM didn’t beat Microsoft in the enterprise market by creating unreliable products. RIM’s earned its reputation for reliability in the business market, Apple has yet to get its stripes in this area.

Apple showed with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard that it is capable of quickly and quietly fixing problems, a trick that Microsoft would do well to learn, and it is possible that the next iPhone software update (due any day now) will help the iPhone become a more stable platform. And behind the scenes fixes to MobileMe will help this service improve to a level that lives up to Apple’s “enterprise for the rest of us” claim.

It was perhaps, therefore, just bad timing that the iPhone 3G we were testing against the BlackBerry Storm choose today of all days to lose all of its MobileMe contacts. This is the third time we’ve encountered this particular problem since MobileMe launched. It served as a reminder to us that despite being an amazing device to use, the iPhone has suffered fromtechnical problems that may be unforgivable in an enterprise environment.

Macworld’s buying advice
While the BlackBerry Storm is by no means the perfect smartphone, there are many aspects of it we admire. The clickable touchscreen works very well - we liked the fact you need to apply definite pressure to initiate a command or enter a character. It also helps distinguish this handset from the iPhone and the expanding pack of “iClone” touchscreen devices out there. The web browsing experience is vastly improved too; for the first time, you can confidently enter a web address and view it properly, as its designers intended, and can navigate its structure as you would if accessing it from a PC. The contact management and synchronisation tools are rock solid, as we’ve come to expect, and we can’t fault the BlackBerry Storm’s phone features either. In these two respects, it shows up the iPhone’s shortcomings as a straight communication handset. Even so, we think the iPhone has the edge when it comes to touch-sensitive text entry functions. In the end, which device you choose will probably come down to whether you want a business smartphone with some compelling entertainment features and a strong Web browser, or a consumer device that serves up an amazing Web and email experience alongside iTunes content.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:48 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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T Mobile Vario IV Black


Advantages: Features, Design, QWERTY keypad, Google Maps, Internet Usage, Build Quality Etc etc

Disadvantages: Cost, Headphones, Rebranded Colour Scheme

I have been due for upgrade since September 2008, but only one phone had caught my eye; this was the HTC Touch Pro. I saw it back in June 2008 and noticed that it would be released in August, so I started searching to see if T Mobile would be taking it onto their network as that could work out perfectly timed for my upgrade if they did.

I knew they usually rebranded HTC phones as T Mobile phones so I was hoping that they would do the same for this. I was pleased to find that T Mobile had taken on this phone and it would be rebranded as a Vario IV, to replace the (now) dated Vario III.

I couldn't find any information regarding the date for this phone so I rang up head office and spoke to somebody in the customer service directors' office who said it would be released at the beginning of October; not quite as perfect for me as such but not too bad. I then started a blog about it as I'd noticed a lot of people in the same position as me and I thought it would be good to keep them updated on what I found out.

To cut a long story short, T Mobile held the phone back for about 5 months before 'releasing' it, and even now it's still not on the website, or in T Mobile stores; only if you call the loyalty and retentions team and ask them to search for it. There was a lot of cloak and dagger behaviour regarding giving a definite date, and also a lot of changing of dates that I was being given by the helpful lady at head office.

I've since found out that this is due to them wanting to shift as many of the previous model, the Vario III. This was not great service on T Mobiles part in my opinion, and it is one that has lost T Mobile quite a few customers from what I've noticed on my blog and other mobile forums as a lot of them cancelled their T Mobile contracts in favour of going to Vodafone who had the HTC Touch Pro available on their website at the beginning of September. I really can't blame them to be honest, and I almost did myself but I held on as I didn't know what Vodafone were like as a network; a case of 'better the devil you know' I think.

I was so excited and couldn't wait to get hold of my phone, so when it arrived I opened it straight away and got stuck into finding my way around it. The phone comes in a pink outer box with photos of the phone, and of people using the phone. It then has an inner black box that sticks out of the outer box slightly and which very vaguely resembles the black HTC box that the original Touch Pro comes in. When you open the box, you find:

* The handset itself
* A Charger
* Battery
* A getting started manual
* Headphones with a mini USB connection (no 3.5mm jack grrr)
* USB lead to connect the phone to your PC.
* A spare stylus
* A CD with software you will need to sync phone with PC and more.
* A flimsy case - a nice thought but would have been nice to be given a case that is of a decent quality rather than putting in something that will be replaced as soon as I find a decent case for it.
* Clear screen protector - actually this is really good as I didn't get as many air bubbles with it as I've had with other types.
* A little safety information booklet
* 1 mobile recycling bag for any old phones you have (although I suggest going through a few sites from the money saving expert guide to recycling your old phone as you're more likely to get a better return for your phone)



On first start up you are greeted by a white background and T Mobile written in pink. This then turns to a green windows mobile screen that asks you to 'tap the screen to set up your windows mobile-based device'.

You then need to align the cursor for touch screen by tapping 5 points on the phone, those being the centre and 4 corners. You will see the cursor move so you know where to tap rather than having to guess. It will then ask you if you would like to put a password on the phone; I suggest that you do this as it's a mobile device so would be best for the safety of your data... just don't forget the password that you choose.

After doing this it vibrates and a little tune plays, it flicks back to the green windows screen and then back to a pink and white screen, with a green progress bar whilst it installs *something* of which I have never been sure what it was!

Setting up the phone was a breeze, my contacts were transferred from my pc with no effort at all; it was done in the whole synchronising process I think - which again was very easy and uncomplicated.

Installing the active sync was easy and fuss free, the phone was instantly recognised once it had installed and been plugged in. The full phone manual is also able to be put onto your pc once you have the CD in the drive, which is a more environmentally friendly way of providing you with a manual, as lets face it, it's not like it gets used a lot after the first few days or so.

The phone runs the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, which some people love and some people hate... I personally think that it is brilliant; and also because I also run Windows on my PC, I feel that the synchronisation between my phone and pc is as smooth as can be.

Although the phone runs on Windows as mentioned, it does have another user interface over the top to give an experience that is slightly more like the Iphone seems to be. This is called TouchFlo 3D and whilst it's a bit slow and takes some getting used to seems to be worth persevering with. If you really don't like it, I believe it can be turned off so you're just able to use the normal windows 6 interface.

On this operating system you are able to copy, cut and paste as you can on your normal pc or laptop. This is another thing that you wouldn't think was such an important feature but actually, you miss it if you've used it and then go to a phone that doesn't have it. It's invaluable to me.

The phone is only available in black, but I have no problem with that as it looks stylish with its glossy appearance and I feel could be a bit gimmicky to have it in other colours. It's much smaller than I thought it would be, although still not one of the smallest phones available; but it's certainly no brick as it is very, very pretty and can be forgiven for the thickness of it especially due to it having a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

This is something that you might not necessarily think would be such a useful addition to a phone, if you're already used to the usual text input methods on mobile phones; however once you have used it, you will wonder how you ever managed without it.

It makes emailing, texting and writing notes etc a million times easier than it ever was and stops you being fully dependant on software keypads that have no resistance (thus making it harder to feel if you have *pressed* it) and can be quite hard to type on, or get used to if you're only familiar with phones that have hardware keys.

Another couple of brilliant thing about this keyboard are that unlike other phones that have QWERTY keyboards, this has the proper shift, caps lock and ctrl buttons as opposed to hard to work out combinations or secret keys to push to get your secondary key functions and capital letters etc... PLUS it has a dedicated number row, which means you don't have to use shift or any obscure combination of keys just to type in a number.

Unlike the G1, the slide function works in a straight manner which makes it very smooth and I feel it's much sturdier and thus less likely to break easily. The buttons on the keyboard light up well and evenly, they feel of good quality and are very easy to type on.

The software keyboard on this phone is actually not too bad and I feel totally happy using both the hardware and the software keyboard at any given time.

The stylus is quite a stylish one as its metal with a glossy black top to it, and unlike the Omnia I tried has somewhere for it to store rather than it hanging free and getting in the way. As the stylus is metal it is attracted to the slightly magnetic stylus compartment for it to be stored, which means it's put in very easily and doesn't fall out. This doesn't mean it's difficult to get out, quite the opposite as it has a little raised bit that helps with getting it out; it seems that a lot of thought has been put into this phone.

The back is a silvery grey with a black rectangular (with rounded edges) area where the camera lens is... so they got rid of the touch pros black diamond like back. I'm not so fussed about them getting rid of the diamond effect but I would have much preferred a black back, to match the front of the phone. Removing the back wasn't too difficult and something that will probably get easier as you use the phone more too.

The phone has an expandable memory slot that takes Micro SD cards of up to 16GB - I'm not sure if at any point it will take larger ones but if I find out I shall be sure to update this with the information I find. It is also hot swappable, which means you can take it out and put a new one in etc without having to turn the phone off. This saves a lot of messing about if you have more than one Micro SD, or use your Micro SD for more than one device.

It includes GPS and Google maps software which is one of the features I liked on the overall rubbish G1 phone so this is very much a welcome addition to the handset. It's also very easy to use, and free which gets my vote, sinceNokia charge for their maps service.

Now, with previous versions of the Vario IV, MSN messenger is usually included, but this does not appear to be the case with this one... and was also the case with the Samsung Omnia that runs the same operating system. This can be downloaded from the internet if it's important to you, or I believe Microsoft do an 'online' version from what I can gather, which could be why it's not now included with windows based mobiles.

The browser it uses appears to be opera and is brilliant as it allows for up to 3 tabs open for different web pages. Since using Firefox many years ago, I've always been a big fan of tabbed browsing and to see this included on a mobile is brilliant. Again it's not something that you'd think would make such a big impact, but to me it really does.

The touch screen is really quite responsive; I was so pleased to find this was the case after the horrendous screen on the G1, I'm not sure if it's because a better screen was used, or if it's because the software is more advanced within the touch screen phone industry due to having been around longer, either way I only care that it does the job it's meant to.

Another important factor on this phone, and I can't believe it's taken me so long to mention is the quality of the handset for making calls. The calls I have made on it have been crystal clear and I am over the moon that there doesn't appear to be any problems with interference or other noise when listening to somebody talking and also I sound clear to the other person (yes I asked them haha).

The bottom of the phone is very sleek and is touch sensitive with 4 more tactile buttons too. The tactile buttons include call, hang up, home and back buttons; apparently these can be configured for other uses but I am keeping them as they are; for the time being at least.

The phone has many features and I think would take so long to write about each and every one that it would make for an even longer review (if that's even possible considering how much I have already written) but I have listed a few things below that I like and also a few that I'm not so fond of.


Some of the other things I like about this phone that are worth a mention are:



* The VGA resolution - This means it has a crystal clear display and beats any phone out now (including the IPhone 3G, which is HVGA.. the H standing for HALF) hands down. I thought the N95 had an amazing display from the moment I got it, until I saw this little beauty.

* HSPA/HSDPA Internet - High-Speed (Downlink) Packet Access is basically a 3G internet technology which allows users to browse the web at 'broadband speeds' of up to 7.2 Mb/s which is brilliant if you get annoyed when using internet on your phone at dial up speeds after being used to broadband on your home computer. This is generally network dependant, but luckily T Mobile do have HSDPA enabled on their network, and also is included as standard on their normal web and walk plans.

* Handwriting recognition, I find this is perfect for when you're writing notes in the notepad on this phone as it's just like writing yourself a little note, and takes much less time than it would take to type out in my opinion. It also means you can send an email and sign your name at the bottom... a nice little touch.




A couple of things I'm not so keen on, although don't cause any huge issues are:

* The Camera - At only 3.2mp, this camera isn't one of the best on the mobile market, it's not too bad but if you're used to using a decent camera, or camera phone then you may be disappointed with this. It's for this reason I bought myself a new compact point and shoot camera as I didn't want to be left with only a mediocre camera to capture all the precious moments that happen in life.


* The rebranded white and pink colour scheme that T Mobile have put on, thus getting rid of the lovely, sleek black and white scheme that the Touch Pro has. I wouldn't have minded if they'd made it black with pink but the white with the pink on is just a bit overpowering for me, and also probably not as suited to any men who want this phone!! I am sure there's *something* that will be available for it soon to cover it up? I will search and if I find anything, I will report back.

The headphones are as mentioned, a mini USB connection - this meaning you need to use the ones that came with the phone, or buy an adapter I guess. I'm not sure why they insist on making this the case; the only thing I can think of is that it's more aesthetically pleasing to see a phone without loads of holes in it to connect various things. Now I'm all for making things look as good as possible, but not at the expense of something that would benefit the phone in terms of usability. Again, as was the case with the G1, you cannot charge your phone and listen to music via headphones at the same time.

I have just thought that it might actually be possible to do this though, as if you had Bluetooth headphones, this would alleviate the problem but then that is at an extra cost. Talking of extra costs; I've noticed that they are selling accessories on T Mobile for this phone, as included with a leaflet in the box, maybe it's a bit of a money earner for them for people to buy the adapters as well as the phone? It has the address as t-mobile-accessories.co.uk/htc, but actually this doesn't work on its own and definitely needs the www to get to the correct location.

The battery is a 1340 mAh battery, which far surpasses that of my previous phone, the N95 and many other phones on the market right now. However I must admit I was expecting it to hold its charge for much longer than it does; it will cope with a day of heavy usage (GPS, internet, MP3 playback, calls and texts) but then you will need to charge it up at the night.

If you're like me though and are used to having to charge your N95 every day and STILL having it run out of battery after its been used a few times through the day then this is still a welcome addition as it minimizes the risk of running out of charge midway through an important call, and I don't mind charging my phone *too much* nightly anyway. If you use your phone less then you may get 2 days or so out of it, so it really does depend on your usage levels.

I think the phone is aimed at business users with some of the features included in it and the fact that it has the windows operating system on; however would also suit gadget loving people, and every day consumers who want their phone to sing and dance as well as make calls. I know personally I'd like to carry less around with me, so to have a device that does a few things in one is quite important to me. Granted I do have to carry a camera around with me now, but it's a small price to pay in my opinion, and a choice I made as I could get away with using the camera on the phone if I really wanted to.

It really is a nifty piece of kit for anybody who wants a top end phone with a whole host of capabilities alongside a quality build from a reliable brand. It's not without its problems, but the problems don't cause any massive problems for me in the time that I have been using this phone. I will update if I come across any but for the time being, I have no problem in recommending this phone to people.

Summary: Good if you like phones that do everything... ever.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Installation:
Noise:
Battery life:

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:44 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Motorola ROKR E8


The Motorola ROKR E8 is an unusual cell phone designed specifically with music in mind. It features a new virtual keypad that transforms with Motorola's ModeShift technology, giving users the controls they need, when they need them. Couple this with the device's unusual design and iPod-like scroll wheel and you've got a very intriguing device. We take a closer look to find out more.

Physical Aspects

The Motorola ROKR E8 is not a particularly small device, measuring in at 115mm x 53mm x 10.6mm. It isn't especially large for a handset these days, but considering that it's relatively light on features I'd have expected it to be smaller. Don't let that deter you though, because the device's size is offset by it's unusual, attractive design. When first gazing upon the ROKR E8, you'll notice that the keypad doesn't appear to have any numbers, or even any keys. Instead, you'll find three columns of raised dots where you'd usually expect to find the keys. This is probably the device's biggest talking point - its keypad.

rant mediaThe ROKR E8 uses Motorola's 'ModeShift' technology to allow the keypad to adapt to its current task. For example, the device will mostly show the usual numeric keypad, but pressing the music key will cause the keys to morph into their music guise. In music mode, the numeric keypad disappears, being replaced by traditional play/pause, skip forward/backward, shuffle, and repeat keys. It does this by using a membrane of sorts to display controls beneath the front panel of the device. Pressing any of the virtual keys gives the feeling that they are pushing in, but in reality, the front panel don't actually move at all. This illusion is created with use of small piezo devices under each key that vibrate when the key is depressed and released, to give the feeling that they are moving. Combine this with the 'squish' sound that the device makes when they are pressed and it's very difficult to believe that there's no movement.

The virtual keypad has several different sets of keys that it can display. The first are the regular numeric keys, displaying numbers and letters as you'd expect to find on most devices. The second are the music controls, as mentioned earlier. The third are the camera controls, which allow you to operate the camera/video camera, and look through the gallery. If you're in a menu where the numeric keypad is no longer required, the device will hide it, cleverly offering only the keys you need, when you need them. There are a few dedicated keys on the Motorola ROKR E8, such as the music key that takes you directly to the music player, and the clear/back key for moving backwards through menus or deleting text.

In the middle of the device there is a silver circular arc, known as the 'FastScroll' navigation wheel, which operates much like the scroll wheel on an iPod. However, the FastScroll navigation wheel isn't a full circle, instead being more of a horse-shoe shape. It is also speed sensitive, enabling users to select how quickly they scroll. Personally, I found it to be pretty tricky to use, often jumping past the option I wanted. More often I chose to use the E8's d-pad, which is the textured circle beneath the arc. The d-pad is slightly rough, whereas the rest of the fascia is made from a glossy plastic. Although the device appears to be black at a glance, closer inspection will reveal that it is in fact a very dark navy blue color.

In the centre of the ROKR E8's d-pad there is a small silver circle, which signifies the position of the d-pad's select button. Overall, the design looks very minimalist and attractive. Located just above the FastScroll wheel is the ROKR E8's display, which is positioned landscape on the device. Personally, I really like the display positioned like this, though it is a shame that it wasn't a bit larger. The display is a 2.0" QVGA 240 x 320 pixel item, capable of showing up to 262,000 colors. Its performance in bright environments was fairly average, being readable, but not with the greatest of ease. Just above the display is the device's earpiece, cleverly disguised as a metallic Motorola emblem. This same metallic looking plastic is used on the ROKR E8's volume and camera keys, located on the upper left side of the device. It is also used on the device's power/keypad lock switch that is located on the right side of the device. Above this switch, you'll find the E8's micro-USB/charging port, which is covered by a small plastic door. The bottom of the phone features only a small hole for the microphone, and the 'ROKR' logo engraved onto the casing. The top of the device features a lanyard fixing at the top left corner, and a headphone port in the middle that is covered by a rather poorly fitting flap.

The rear of the ROKR E8 is clad in a rubbery soft-touch paint, with another metallic Motorola emblem in the middle. Toward the bottom of the phone there is a slit in the case with a red mesh inside. This slit houses the device's loudspeaker, which performed very well in our tests. Overall the device weighs in at 106 grams (3.7oz), which is fairly average for a current handset.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:39 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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HTC Touch Diamond2



When HTC announced the refresh to the original Touch Diamond back in February it looked like a major update with some great new features especially the hardware. Well here we are a few months later with the device in hand and we have spent a few days testing it and trying the new features so sit back and read on for a full and detailed review with lots of pictures and screenshots.




What’s in the box
HTC Touch Diamond 2
Battery 3.7VDC 1100mAh
USB Cable
Additional Stylus
AC Adapter (UK)
Screen Protector
Quick Start Guide
Getting Started CD
User Manual CD
To start with we have recorded an unboxing video with a quick look around the hardware, see below:-





The external parts of the Touch Diamond2





The front of the phone has a beautiful high quality metal finish, at the bottom we have the phone end and send buttons, the end button also doubles up as the home button, a Windows key which is a requirement for future devices that will support Windows Mobile 6.5 and a back button. Above the keys you can see the zoom slider, this is a touch sensitive panel that you slide your finger along to zoom in and out of pictures and web pages.



The top part of the front you can see the ear piece grille and the front facing video camera. The screen is 3.2” and has a resolution of 800 x 480.



The right edge of the device you can see the external speaker grille and the stylus. The stylus is not magnetic like the original Diamond, it does not get sucked into the phone with a satisfying clunk, you have to physically push it home. One feature that does remain is the phone coming out of standby when you remove the stylus.



The left edge has the volume up and down rocker switch and the worlds HTC Innovation. There is no dedicated camera button on this device.



The bottom of the Diamond2 has the lanyard connector, the microphone and the damned annoying EXT USB which is the charging point and the headset connector. No 3.5mm headset jack to be found so it’s adaptor at the ready if you want to use your high quality wired headsets.



The top of the device has the on / off button and here you can see some similarities with the build quality of theSony Ericsson X1, the colour and material used are very similar and it does look and feel like a quality build.





Looking at the phone from the back, you can see that it no longer has the uneven backing with the diamond cut edges that the original was named around, this is a step in the right direction as the original phone never sat flush on the desk due to the uneven backing. The 5 Megapixel camera lense is at the top and there is no longer a plastic cover over the lense, this was another problem with the original Diamond so HTC are learning from previous mistakes which is good to see. The black plastic as you can see really, no I mean really attracts finger prints.



Under the battery cover you can see the SIM card slot and the slot to the left is the MicroSD card slot. The back cover has to be removed to swap the MicroSD card however there is no need to remove the battery so a hot swap would be possible.

TouchFlo3D Software
So lets take a detailed look at Touch Flo 3D and the screens that we can use and what they bring.



The main home screen is straight forward, indicators along the top for various things like battery, phone signal strength etc. Under that we have the network that the phone is currently connected too then the large clock which is styled like an old flip type analogue clock, its a very nice and clear home screen. The date and call history are also shown plus any upcoming appointments. If you swipe upwards on the clock a smaller clock appears that gives you more room on the home screen for information.





Clicking on the alarm icon on the home screen takes you to a finger friendly alarm clock setting page, much better than what we have seen before when the stylus was the only useful way of setting an alarm. Also there is a new world clock page.



Clicking the Windows key brings up the HTC program launcher, its a simple grid array of shortcuts to programs, you can add new programs as well as remove them but you cannot arrange them easily, the only way to arrange the icons is to remove them all and start adding them in the order that you want them, shame you cannot just drag them around. Clicking on all programs brings up a finger friendly list of all the installed programs that you can scroll through very smoothly. We could not find a way of just accessing the original Windows Mobile program menu without totally disabling TouchFlo 3D.



The contacts screen gives you a type of quick dial screen via pictures, you can flick through your contacts easily, click on a contact and a new screen opens up and you can easily see all correspondence with that contact, be it phone calls, text messages, emails etc.



Messaging and Mail tabs are pretty straight forward and give you the option of viewing your messages, or create new ones, nothing new to see here.



The web browser page is a launcher for Opera Mobile 9.5 with the added addition of the Push Page. You can set bookmarks here that will auto download / update web pages so that you don’t need to wait for them to load. For example you can set various pages to load up at 6am, you wake at 7am and can access those pages without having to wait for them to download as they already have at 6am. A nice feature but hardly a killer one.



The Calendar application is much nicer than the standard Windows Mobile offering, a nice use of colours make it stand out and now when you go to the day view your appointments are shown along with a graphical display of the current weather, this is a nice touch.



The stocks tab displays err stocks.



The camera application gives you a viewer for your pictures and launch buttons for the camera and video recording. The camera takes brilliant pictures. Its an autofocus 5 megapixel lense and below are some sample pictures that we have taken, very impressed with the colours and exposure. The camera is also very responsive, one negative is the shoot button, or lack of it as it is an on screen button and makes it a little difficult to prevent camera shake when you have to press the screen instead of a hardware button.





Video recording is done in VGA, 640 x 480 and is not that impressive, a little jerky but ok for spur of the moment videos.



The music tab is an ok application and hasn’t changed since the original TouchFlo 3D, it is usable but Kinoma is a far better media player than this.



The weather application is again the best weather application we have seen, it looks amazing and again hasn’t changed from the earlier TF3D, thats no bad thing as it still looks beautiful, and as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.



The final tab is the settings which is a finger friendly version of the standard Windows Mobile settings page, easy access to a lot of the set ups and configurations screens, click on all settings and there you are back in the standard settings screen.



Hey this is a phone after all, lets talk about that, the phone keypad is nice and large and easy to use, press a number and the phone beeps and gives a slight haptic buzz to register the key presses, an incoming call brings up a slide to answer / ignore screen and also displays the callers picture if you have one saved for that contact. You can also mute the ringer from this screen too.

Signal strength, seems pretty average fair, not as good as the iPhone on the same network in the same area, sometimes the Diamond2 completely dropped the signal where the iPhone never does, but compared to the Xperia X1 it is still a good performer. Voice quality was excellent.

You can also make video calls if your in a 3G area and know someone else with a video enabled 3G phone. To be honest it is not that popular and never has caught on.

Text Input


The standard QWERTY has been improved and now gives you haptic feedback and the letter pressed appears above your finger so you can see what letter you have selected, this makes typing a much better experience. Other input methods available are the phone keypad, the awful tiny Windows Mobile keyboard, Transcriber, Block Recogniser and Letter Recogniser.


Graphics Benchmarks
We tested the Diamond2 with the VSBenchmark program but to get it to run we have to switch the phone into VGA mode as it does not support WVGA (thanks to Me in the comments of the unboxing), we would have used SPB Benchmark but for some reason it would not complete the tests. Here are the results of those tests:-









Other Software of note
Internet Explorer Mobile 6

Well what can you say, this will be an earlier version to the version we will see with the release of Windows Mobile 6.5 and to be honest just as well. Its just not a good experience. It is slow, buggy and nearly unusable, pages are slow to open and sometimes flash works and most times it doesn’t. It totally bogs the device down to a standstill.

Below are two screen shots, one on the left is IE6 Mobile and the right is Opera Mobile 9.5, see the difference.



Added to the poor rendering, the accelerometer does not work with it and the zoom bar works a little but not very effective, both work perfectly with Opera Mobile 9.5, this is not a program you will want to use.

Google Maps

Other software to note is Google Maps and that works well with the AGPS, it acquires a satellite fix extremely quickly and works well without any noticeable lag. The actual screen of the device displays a really high amount of data due the the high resolution.



YouTube

The usual YouTube application that we have seen before on HTC devices is again present and it does work well so no complaints and it is certainly a better way to view videos than trying to use the IE web browser as mentioned above.



The rest of the software within the programs directory is pretty standard stuff like the RSS Reader, Office Mobile, FM Radio, Windows Live, Teeter, Messenger, Adobe Reader LE and Audio Booster.


So overall what do we think?
HTC have produced another excellent device, the handset oozes build quality with the exception of the plastic battery cover. The screen is simply stunning and the sensitivity of the resistive screen is the nearest thing to capacitive we have seen. Its a joy to use and its a powerful phone too.

TouchFlo3D is a great home screen / overlay to the operating system and this time it does go that bit deeper which makes the whole Windows Mobile experience so much better. The flow of the icons and flick responses are now instant without any of the lag we had seen previously. The camera produced some great results in good light conditions and was much more responsive than previous HTC cameras, but the lack of a flash will render it pretty useless in poorer light conditions.

As a phone it worked perfectly, great audio quality, hangs onto the signal with above average results, the integration of contacts, text messages, emails etc is also another great feature. Battery life while not fantastic would easily get through a day of heavy use with push email, web browsing and moderate phone use.

Not wanting to dwell on the point for too long, but no 3.5mm headset jack is a pain and one omission that we can never understand or forgive, its just plain annoying now, especially as there is no adaptor included.

For a high end phone the packaging is not very impressive either and a few people are complaining about the lack of a case in the box, not really a problem as lets be honest who ever uses the stock case anyway, for a phone of this price and style it deserves much more.

So should you buy it ?, if your a Windows Mobile lover and don’t input lots of text this is the crème de la crème of keyboardless Windows phones, if you do input lots of text it may be wiser to wait for the Touch Pro2 which should be here in a few months. Sure it has a few flaws, like the accelerometer only works in a few applications, a better music and video player should have been included and that 3.5mm headset jack, the biggest flaw though is Windows Mobile 6.1, its just not good enough for this top end hardware and this is the kicker, HTC have confirmed that this device will get an update to Windows Mobile 6.5 and because of that, this device should be very appealing.

It is currently on sale for £ 394.00 so is actually cheaper than the Touch HD by roughly £100.00 so based on that it is good value as the specs are similar with the exception of the screen size which makes the device more pocketable and a 3.5mm headset socket.

Be warned though if your in the USA, this model does not support your 3G bands so if you import one your looking at an Edge only device.

TSpecification of HTC Touch Diamond2

Operating System -
Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Processor -
Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz

Memory –
RAM - 288 MB
ROM - 512 MB

Display -
3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution

Operating Frequency -
HSDPA/WCDMA:
Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)

Connectivity –
Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)

GPS –
Internal GPS antenna

Expansion –
microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

Other-
FM Radio, G-Sensor

Camera -
Main camera: 5.0 megapixel colour camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS colour camera

Battery -
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery 1100 mAh

Dimensions -
107.85 X 53.1 X 13.7 mm (4.25 X 2.09 X 0.54 inches)

Weight -
117.5 grams (4.15 ounces) with battery

Warranty -
2 Years

Technorati Tags: htc diamond2,review,touch,windows mobile
Source: mobiletechaddicts.com
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:36 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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HTC Magic


While the world is once again going ga-ga over the possible latest iteration of the Apple iPhone, some of them have forgotten about the Android movement from Google and others, and the latest from this organisation has landed, the HTC Magic.

Having already brought out the world's first Android-powered phone with the T-Mobile G1, the Taiwanese company got its act together faster than the likes of Samsung, Motorola and LG to bring out another 3.2-inch touchscreen handset.

Significant upgrade

And this one manages to fix a huge amount of flaws found in the first iteration, and even sheds the physical keyboard in favour of an on-screen effort, thanks to the latestCupcake 1.5 update of Android.

It once again seamlessly integrates Android Market to take on the App Store with a whole host of bolt-on programs, and even pings in with pocket-friendly dimensions of 113 x 55 x 14mm, and as lighter than a 120g feather (as it only weighs 119g).



But it's all very well to say that you're going to get the best phone just because it's fixed a few bugs and shed a few pounds... what we want to know is whether the HTC Magic is the phone that's going to thrust Android into the psyche of the phone buying public as successfully as Apple has with its iPhone.

The main talking point about the HTC Magic is clearly the fact that it's the next in the Android lineage, and to that end, you can hardly say it's spectacular as it's sporting the same interface we've seen before on the G1, more or less.

In the box

First of all, let's have a look at what we get in the box. There's the phone itself, and it's accompanied by a Mini USB 2.0 charger, a similarly ported headset, a cover for the phone and USB lead as well, all in the same white, making them easier to spot on a cluttered desk.



But what's both different and interesting is the move to team up with Vodafone, resulting in a whole new chassis while retaining the same 3.2-inch screen.

Keyboard

The layout of the buttons is slightly different, with two key changes: the menu button, previously positioned at the base of the screen on the T-Mobile G1, has shifted to just above and to the left of the trackball, and there's now a new search button on the far right, which interacts with nearly every application on the phone to let you search for whatever your heart desires.



The lip that repulsed a few users on the G1 has been retained, but has shrunk in size somewhat and been moulded much more discreetly into the shell of the phone, while still being nice to hold in portrait mode.

But the startlingly different change between the HTC Magic and the G1 is the loss of the keyboard. In an interview with T-Mobile previously we were told that the keyboard was one of the real selling points of the G1, something the customers really looked for when picking up the device for easier messaging.



Well, either Vodafone thinks the pink network is lying or just wants to differentiate itself somehow, but its shed the QWERTY and now sits at a size zero-esque 14mm thickness, which means it's much more lightweight (and attractive) than its G1 sibling.

Hand feel

One interesting by-product of the weight loss is the way it feels in the hand. The plastic exterior doesn't quite stray into the realms of feeling cheap, but the overall feel is something you'll have to get used to, as the light feel of the phone feels odd initially.

However, it's just about the right size for one-handed operation in most cases, although you'll probably find yourself 'doing an iPhone', ie placing it in one palm and poking with the other hand on more than one occasion as you interact with the plethora of different screens on offer.

What's more, you have to remember from the off that this phone may be free, but will cost you £35 a month (albeit only £30 if you do it online) for the next two years. That's a very long time for the gadget-lover, especially when the next 12-18 months are likely to herald the arrival of a great many new Android phones for you to salivate over, so a nice deal could soon turn into a prison sentence if you're not sure this is the phone for you.

Source : www.techradar.com

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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 Specifications:

Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit)
Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8700 (2.53GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
16.0 " TFT Widescreen display with LED backlighting (1366x768)
4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz System Memory
NVIDIA GeForce G 105M graphics with 256MB discrete memory
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Dual Layer CD/DVD Recordable
1.3 megapixel integrated camera
JBL stereo speakers (Dolby Home Theater)
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5100 and Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR
Weight: 5.8 lb. including battery
Dimensions: 390 X 260 X 26.1 mm
Warranty: 1 year system and 1 year battery
6-cell 2000mAh 42Wh battery
Retail Price as configured: $1,399
Build and Design

The IdeaPad Y650 has an all-new look compared to previous IdeaPad notebooks. As part of the new IdeaPad refresh earlier this year, the Y650 distinguishes itself as being one of the thinnest and lightest laptops in its class. In fact, the Y650 weighs less than the old Y530 15-inch laptop (5.8 pounds vs. 6.65 pounds as tested). Making use of thin metal, solid plastics, and even carbon fiber, Lenovo engineered this 16-inch laptop to be as thin and light as possible. The matte black exterior looks extremely classy. Inside the notebook the black exterior changes to a glossy white surface that surrounds the keyboard and touchpad. The massive palmrests (more on that later) provide excellent support with minimal flex. Overall, the design is very clean and gives the Apple MacBook a run for the money at first glance.



Build quality is excellent with a very rugged feel for a consumer multimedia notebook. When closed the Y650 feels almost as sturdy as the business-class ThinkPad notebooks with very little flex in the screen cover under strong pressure. On closer inspection of the lid, the matte black surface has a honeycomb pattern for subtle styling and easy gripping thanks to the rubberized paint. The body gives the notebook a great deal of support and the combination of metal and plastics used feel rugged enough to withstand regular day-to-day abuse without showing much wear. The only area that could see some mild improvement is the keyboard which shows some flex under heavy typing pressure.



The bottom of the notebook features the battery and an all-in-one bottom plate that must be removed in order to upgrade the RAM, hard drive, or replace any additional components. On one hand, this makes it easy to access the entire motherboard to make upgrades or repairs, but it also means Y650 owners have to remove 20 screws if they want to upgrade their notebook.



Unlike most notebooks that feature an optical drive (DVD/CD drive) located on the side of the notebook, Lenovo decided to move the optical drive to the front of the Y650. On the bright side, this means right-handed mouse users won't have to worry about the drive getting in the way. However, if you often use your notebook as a "laptop" this means the drive pops out into your crotch.



Display

The 16-inch panel on the Lenovo Y650 rates above average with vibrant colors and excellent contrast. The LED backlighting in our review unit is slightly uneven in the upper right corner, but that's not entirely uncommon for larger notebook screens. Horizontal viewing angles are extremely good, so you won't have any trouble sharing a movie with a friend or two. Upper vertical viewing angles are above average since the colors don't wash out when viewed from above, but colors do begin to distort and invert as you move the screen back.





If there is any potential negative about this screen it's that the 16:9 ratio means you lose some vertical resolution. Most 15-inch laptop screens with a 16:10 ratio have a resolution of 1280x800 compared to the screen on the Y650 which has a resolution of 1366x768. This means you can fit more on the screen from left to right, but the screen is actually smaller from top to bottom.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the Y650 is quite unusual compared to the keyboards on most large multimedia notebooks. As notebooks get larger they usually end up using progressively larger keyboards, some that even include dedicated number pads like a traditional desktop keyboard. Lenovo decided to take a distinctly different approach and use a smaller keyboard in order to make more room available for a massive multi-touch touchpad.

As a result, the keyboard on the Y650 is roughly the same size as the keyboard you expect to find on a 14-inch or 13-inch laptop. This provides much more room for the touchpad, but it has the unfortunate side effect of turning the palmrests into armrests. The position of the keyboard is so far back that your forearms end up resting where your palms normally would. These "armrests" are so large I almost expected to find a built-in cup holder.

Despite the size of the keyboard relative to the rest of the notebook, the keyboard is quite comfortable to type on with reasonable key size and spacing. There is some flex when heavy typing pressure is applied, but overall this is a fine keyboard.



The touch sensitive media bar located above the keyboard gives quick access to EasyCapture (webcam controls), ReadyComm (wireless connectivity manager), VeriFace (facial recognition software), and OneKey (back up and recovery software).



The Synaptics-based touchpad is very large--much bigger than those found on previous IdeaPads--and very comfortable to use. Sensitivity is good, accurately tracking finger movement with little pressure on the surface. The matte white touchpad surface is easy to move your finger across while still providing a small amount of traction. The multi-touch gestures (such as zoom in and zoom out) are easy to use, but these multi-touch gesture controls have limited use until more software (including Windows) recognizes the gestures. The touchpad buttons have excellent feedback with a deep throw but they do produce a rather loud "click" when pressed.

Ports and Features

The port selection proved to be a little underwhelming with this laptop. Lenovo's engineers had to make some sacrifices in order to make the Y650 as thin and light as possible. This means the Y650 only has two USB ports, a smaller ExpressCard/34 slot rather than a larger ExpressCard/54 expansion slot, and no FireWire. Lenovo was kind enough to put an eSATA port on this notebook, but it would have been more impressive if they used an eSATA/USB combo port so that users could have a third USB port if they needed it.


Front: Wireless On/Off, optical drive


Rear: Screen hinge


Left: AC-Power, HDMI, VGA, and USB


Right: 6-in-1 card reader, USB, Headphone/Mic, eSATA, ExpressCard/34, Ethernet, Kensington lock slot

Speakers and Audio

The IdeaPad Y650 offers a pair of JBL-branded speakers that produce some extremely nice sound. The 2-watt stereo speakers have plenty of range and are free from any distortions until you increase the volume levels to near the maximum limit. The speaker don't have the chest thumping bass you expect from notebooks equipped with a subwoofer, but it's hard to complain about the quality of these speakers considering how light and thin this notebook is compared to most 16-inch and 17-inch notebooks.




Performance

The performance of the Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor and NVIDIA GeForce G 105M discrete graphics card was slightly less impressive than multimedia oriented notebooks like the Dell Studio XPS 16 which offered a better graphics card. On the other hand, the Y650 performed much better than the previous generation IdeaPad.

For day-to-day use or enjoying high definition video content the Y650 has more than enough power inside the chassis. For the average user this machine's performance will exceed expectations for web browsing, watching movies, typing documents, and fast startups or shutdowns. Gaming is where the Y650 falls behind the competition, delivering frame rates and producing benchmark scores that are only about half as good as some larger multimedia notebooks. Still, the key thing to keep in mind here is that the alternative notebooks in this class are heavier and thicker than the Y650.

WPrime is a benchmark similar to Super Pi in that it forces the processor to do intense mathematical calculations, but the difference is this application is multi-threaded and represents dual core processors better. Lower numbers indicate better performance.

Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 (Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHz) 30.126s
Dell Studio XPS 16 (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz) 31.827s
Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2.0GHz) 38.455s
Dell Studio 15 (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz)
41.246s
HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz)
39.745s

Dell Vostro 1510 (Core 2 Duo T5670 @ 1.8GHz)
51.875s

Dell Inspiron 1525 (Core 2 Duo T7250 @ 2.0GHz)
43.569s

Dell XPS M1530 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
37.485s


PCMark05 measures overall notebook performance based on processor, hard drive, operating system, RAM, and graphics (higher scores are better):

Notebook PCMark05 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 (2.53GHz Intel P8700, NVIDIA GeForce G 105M 256MB) 5,575 PCMarks
Dell Studio XPS 16 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 512MB) 6,303 PCMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M 256MB) 4,844 PCMarks

Dell Studio 15 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
3,998 PCMarks

HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200)
3,994 PCMarks

Dell Vostro 1510 (1.8GHz Intel T5670, Intel X3100)
3,568 PCMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100) 4,149 PCMarks

Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 5,412 PCMarks




3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores are better):

Notebook 3DMark06 Score
Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 (2.53GHz Intel P8700, NVIDIA GeForce G 105M 256MB) 2,472 3DMarks
Dell Studio XPS 16 (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3670 512MB) 4,855 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M 256MB) 1,833 3DMarks
Dell Studio 15 (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100)
493 3DMarks

HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200) 1,599 3DMarks

Dell Vostro 1510 (1.8GHz Intel T5670, Intel X3100) 519 3DMarks

Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)
545 3DMarks

Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 4,332 3DMarks


All of the 3DMark06 scores for all of the systems listed above were run at 1280 x 800 resolution. However, due to the screen resolution limit on the Y650 we benchmarked the Y650 at 1280x720 ... which was the closest resolution available in 3DMark06 for use with the built-in screen.

HDTune storage drive performance results:



Battery

With the screen brightness set to 50%, wireless active, and the Vista power profile set to "Balanced" the Y530 stayed on for 3 hours and 12 minutes. For use in the classroom or on your lap in front of the TV this amount of battery life was fine, but it may be cutting it close for traveling. The 6-cell 2000mAh 42Wh battery seems almost a little too small for this notebook, but that's a price you have to pay for such a thin 16-inch laptop.

Heat and Noise

The cooling system worked very well, keeping the outside temperatures of the Y650 down to the high 80s, even after extended periods of use. The left palmrest (or armrest) felt a little warmer due to the fact that the battery is located directly below this area, but all things considered the Y650 kept its cool.




Noise levels were kept to a minimum when running on battery, but when the laptop was set to the "high performance" power profile under Microsoft Vista and was plugged into the AC adapter the fan became quite loud. The fan noise was loud enough to be a minor distraction in a quite classroom or office, but this wasn't a problem when running on battery power. The hard drive in our review unit produced some moderate clicking noise while accessing data, but this was rarely loud enough to be distracting.

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Conclusion

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 has a durable chassis, good overall performance, great sounding speakers, and a nice design with a great multi-touch touchpad. The keyboard was a little disappointing and having only two USB ports might be a problem for some people, but overall the design is quite impressive. While we are glad to see the graphics performance of the Y650 exceeds the performance of the old Y530, the new NVIDIA GeForce G 105M dedicated graphics card just didn't perform as well in games compared to other 16-inch notebooks we've tested.

That said, the Y650 is thinner and lighter than any other 16-inch notebook we've seen ... and the discrete graphics card in this machine is perfectly capable of handling HD video decoding and digital audio out over HDMI for watching movies on your HDTV. If you're looking for an attractive entertainment notebook for your family the Y650 makes a great choice, but if you need a high-end gaming notebook this isn't it.

Pros:

Excellent build quality
Solid performance
Fantastic touchpad
Good speakers
Cons:

Limited selection of ports for a 16-inch multimedia notebook
Keyboard is a little small considering the size of the notebook
All-in-one bottom plate means you have to remove too many screws for upgrades
Who needs palmrests when you can have armrests?
Source: www.notebookreview.com
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Lenovo ThinkPad X200T
Tablet PCs have traditionally been a niche concern. With a few notable exceptions, like the HP Pavilion tx2050ea , they're made exclusively with business users in mind and particularly those who, in marketing parlance, work in "vertical environments" - otherwise known as people who stand up a lot! This could be a supervisor in a factory, warehouse or shipping depot, an architect on a building site or an executive moving from meeting to meeting, but whoever it might be, the needs and usage are very specific, often requiring bespoke software to get the job done. And, when it comes to Tablet PCs, Lenovo and the ThinkPad brand is oftentimes an obvious port of call.






Today we're looking at the ThinkPad X200t which is, believe it or not, the first widescreen Tablet PC ever to don the ThinkPad name. Based on a 12.1in, 1,280 x 800 resolution display it bears all the hallmarks of the ThinkPad brand: it's black, it's adorned in soft-touch plastic and it's built like a Roman road.


Indeed, outside of genuinely ruggedized notebooks, such as the ToughBooks from Panasonic, it's hard to think of a notebook brand that's as reassuringly rugged as a ThinkPad. Its magnesium alloy chassis and high quality plastics ensures every element of the machine is reassuringly sturdy and robust, while the 360 degree hinge for the screen has a smooth but secure action.





Nowhere is this quality more apparent, though, than in the keyboard. Though the X200t will obviously live or die on the quality of its tablet functionality, if being used as a conventional notebook its keyboard will serve it well. Keys have that firm and positive feel that defines the ThinkPad brand, setting the standard to which all other notebook keyboards are judged. There are desktop keyboards that can't even approach the level of comfort and feedback on offer here.


This is matched to a near flawless layout, the only blemish being the Fn key sitting outside the Ctrl key - an old tradition among ThinkPads. This keyboard is also spill-proof, so can deal with the occasional accident and won't be phased by the occasional spot of English rain or even snow, as has been the case recently.





One thing you will note, though, is the lack of a touchpad. This, in truth, seems an odd omission, but there still remains the traditional ThinkPad TrackPoint and accompanying buttons. These are hinged to provide the ideal tactile feedback, while the button in the middle enables you to scroll documents using the TrackPoint. As for the TrackPoint itself, it's ergonomically sized and more than accurate enough for regular use on the move, though most will probably want to use a mouse when deskbound.


Source: www.trustedreviews.com
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Lenovo Thinkpad T400


Overview:
Lenovo proudly presents the successor to the popular T61 series, the ThinkPad T400. Our model of this portable business laptop came with a Montevina Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53GHz processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a 160GB HDD. It was equipped with a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 dedicated GPU, but also had a switchable graphics feature which let us go between that and the Integrated Intel GMA 4500 graphics at will for the sake of battery life. The 14.1” display was a bright LED backlit WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD. With all the reputation (and looks) of the ThinkPad series behind it, ths T400 is another strong entry into the workhorse business notebook world.

Design:

Case look and feel:
If you’ve ever seen a ThinkPad before, you know what the T400 looks like for the most part. Although Lenovo has made slight changes in other lines, like making the hinges on the X301 black and the top glossy on the SL400, the T400 continues to sport the traditional silver hinges and black matte top we all know and 'love'. The chasis is all black as is the keyboard and palmrest/touchpad. You’ll find the bright red nub of the TrackPoint in the center of the keyboard and the silver ThinkPad logo emblazoned across the bottom right corner of the palmrest and lid. There are a few dull silver buttons for volume control/power next to the blue ThinkVantage button. Just above the keyboard there are a number of green status lights to tell you if your WiFi, BlueTooth, etc is on.

Size & Weight:
With dimensions of 13.2”x9.4”x1.1” and a weight of 5.3lbs with a 6-cell battery, the T400 will win no awards for portability but neither will it slow you down. We don’t advise picking it up with one hand if you’re going to move it further than across your desk, but you could if you needed to. The dimensions are small enough that it doesn’t feel awkward carrying it with one arm, and carrying it in a normal laptop case it will hardly feel heavier than you’d expect. To sum it up, “how you’d expect” is a good description of the size and weight of this notebook – unimpressive without being detrimental, it manages to feel “normal”.

Keyboard:
Ordinarily, we love typing on ThinkPads, and while the T400 still beats a lot of other laptops we’ve tested we got the feeling something just wasn’t quite the same. Nosing around online we found others had the same feeling, some going so far as to take apart the notebook and get a good look at the backplate. To his (and our) dismay, the new backplate is riddled with holes when compared with the old T61 backplate, which we suppose was done to reduce the weight. This had the negative effect of also increasing keyboard flex.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s still a good keyboard, with decent feedback and key travel. It wouldn’t be a ThinkPad if the keyboard wasn’t still at least good. We’ll be a little sad if Lenovo decides to bring the ThinkPad standard down to this level though, because keyboards such as the one located on the X301 are some of the best we’ve ever typed on.

Display Quality:
The LED backlit WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD offered an excellent display. The screen was extremely bright at full brightness, and even when reduced to 60% visibility was still respectable. On full brightness the LED backlit screen is visible even in sunlight. Horizontal viewing angles were strong, with little to no washout even when nearing perfectly horizontal viewing. Vertical angles were still good, and we were able to push the LCD back on its hinges almost 135 degrees before significant washout occurred.

Connectivity:
The connectivity on the T400 is fair, going back to the original theme of failing to either impress or disappoint. You get most everything you need, but nothing flashy like HDMI or a DisplayPort. Our particular model even lacked a card reader, but it’s available as a $10 option on Lenovo’s website.

The back features nothing but the jutting 6-cell battery and the AC power jack, as well as a lock slot.

The right side contains a USB port as well as the optical drive.

The front has a FireWire port, WiFi on/off switch, and audio in/out jacks.

Most of your wires will be hanging off the left side (even the power cord is in the left half of the rear). After an exhaust vent you get VGA, modem, LAN, 2 more USB ports, and an ExpressCard 54 slot.

Upgrading:
The T400 comes with a decent amount of upgrading options. Our T9400 processor was close to the high end, but you can go even higher with the T9600 2.8GHz if you want to. The HDD can grow to be as large as 320GB, or if SSD is your thing there is a 64GB option for that as well. RAM can even be upgraded to a whopping 8GB DDR3, although it’s important to note that you’ll need a 64 bit version of Windows if you want to utilize more than 3GB of it. If you’re a DIYer, the hard drive can be replaced from the outside by removing a single screw, and while other components are accessible it takes a bit more work to get at them.

Features:
The ThinkPad T400 comes with a number of useful features. From 802.11 a/b/g/n to integrated WWAN (our model didn’t have it, but it’s an easy upgrade), it’s easy to stay connected on the go with this notebook. Also useful for travel is the keyboard light, activated by pressing the bottom left button (fn) and top right button (PgUp) on your keyboard, making it easy to find in darkness. Other features include a fingerprint reader, integrated webcam, and as always on a ThinkPad the ThinkVantage button, offering easy access to wireless and multimedia management.

Some of the more unique features of this notebook revolve around switching on the fly. The UltraBay optical drive is hotswappable, allowing you to switch it for an additional battery or hard drive with the computer still on. The T400 also features Switchable Graphics, allowing you to switch between integrated and dedicated graphics and improve your battery life without interrupting what you’re doing. These are both useful features that are also extremely convenient, as neither requires the loading of any software, or a login/reboot.

Performance & Conclusion

The T400 is certainly a workhorse, capable of performing well even when multitasking. It’s not a high end unit but we predicted it would do pretty well in our testing. For a full explanation of our testing methodology, see here.

Windows Vista Experience Score

Processor 5.4
RAM 5.7
Graphics 4.6
Gaming Graphics 4.7
Primary Hard Disk 5.3
Overall 4.6

The 4.6 overall rating is actually fairly strong, comparing favorably to the 3.4 of the ThinkPad X301 ultraportable and approaching the 5.2 of the ASUS G50-X1 gaming laptop. It’s clear, however, that gaming is the weakness of this business oriented notebook.

PCVantage Pro

We ran the PCVantage test twice, once with the laptop plugged into the wall and the graphics set to dedicated, and then again after unplugging it and setting the graphics to integrated.

ASUS G50-X1 3935
Alienware M15x 3767
ThinkPad T400 (dedicated) 3764
HP HDX16 3320
Lenovo X301 3308
ThinkPad T400 (integrated) 3100


As you can see, thanks to a good processor, a solid 7200RPM HDD and DDR3 RAM, this laptop scored better than the ultraportable X301 and the multimedia focused HDX16, and was surprisingly close with the slightly older M15x. Predictably though, on integrated graphics, the laptop trailed everything, although not by as much as you might have thought.

3DmarkVantage

We were unable to run 3DmarkVantage on this laptop. Although it can run a 1440x900 resolution, it could not generate the 1280x1024 resolution the benchmark required.

WorldBench 6

Alienware M15x 104
ThinkPad T400: 91
Toshiba Satellite E-105 83
HP HDX16 80

The T400 (dedicated) compares well here to some of the other laptops we’ve tested. The versatile M15x still leads the pack, but 91 is a strong score and a testament to the capabilities of this computer.

Battery Performance

We tested the 6-cell battery with dedicated graphics and also with integrated graphics.

ThinkPad T400 (integrated) 334
ThinkPad T400 (dedicated) 291
Toshiba Satellite E-105 260
HDX 16 156
Lenovo X301 235
ASUS G50 X1 110

Here is where the T400 shines brightest. With the medium sized battery we were able to generate almost 5 hours of casual use battery life with the graphics set to dedicated, and over 5.5 hours doing the same with the graphics set to integrated. With the 4-cell option you should expect reduced time, but with the 9-cell you can expect as much as 10 hours if you play your cards right. Recharging our battery took approximately three hours.

Real-life usage:
We’ve described this computer as striking us as a sturdy workhorse, with features that are easily sufficient but not necessarily impressive. After extensive use and additional testing, we realize we may have sold it just a bit short. It’s not flashy, but it’s done pretty much everything we’ve asked it to and done it well, and that in and of itself is an impressive feat. It’s portable enough to move around but solid enough to know that it’s there. The keyboard may be half a notch down from some other ThinkPads, but we can’t complain after typing on it for several hours consecutively. It’s quiet and runs relatively cool, generating just enough heat that you notice it and no more. We feel like we would be extremely happy if this was a computer we had to work with on a regular basis, and take comfort in the fact that it seems every dollar that wasn’t spent on flash was spent on solid construction. Yes, it is indeed a ThinkPad.

Conclusion:
Lenovo has presented a worthy successor to the T61 series with the T400. Every piece of the hardware, from the processor to the RAM to the HDD, was a solid choice by Lenovo and performed well under our testing. The battery life was excellent, in part thanks to unique features like Switchable Graphics, which let you switch between integrated graphics and the dedicated 256MB GPU at will. The brightly lit WXGA+ display was easy on the eyes and there were just enough peripherals (fingerprint reader, webcam, keyboard light) to keep us interested. Further, it was portable enough that we didn’t think twice about carrying it all over the office. Overall the computer was a great worker and did everything we asked, even if it didn’t drop our jaw with anything too astounding.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 10:28 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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HP Mini 2140


It also ditches Vista in favor of the more suitable XP Home and adds a larger screen to the mix. Altogether, this makes it a much more interesting netbook than its predecessor.

Design and Build
With an all-aluminum casing and a highly usable keyboard (92% of full size) HP’s Mini netbooks have been considered a premium alternative, although it's a bit heavier than the average netbook.

Thanks to the large keyboard, the trackpad buttons have been placed on either side of the trackpad instead of below it, which may take some time getting used to. The Mini 2140 feels very solid and durable in its metal casing, but the metal construction does add slightly to the weight – the 2140 weighs in at roughly 3 pounds.

Performance and Features
What made the previous 2133 iteration much less desirable than the competition was partly the choice of VIA CPUs, which are somewhat slower than the Intel Atom, but most of all it was the disastrous decision to sell the netbook with Windows Vista instead of a more lightweight Linux or XP. Due to Vista’s steep hardware requirements and the low-end hardware in the Mini, it felt very slow and dated. Even worse was that Vista actually inflated the cost of the 2133.

All of these issues have been remedied in this the new 10-inch Mini 2140. It’s faster and costs less while retaining the same excellent build quality. Vista has been replaced by an old fashioned but snappier Windows XP. In terms of performance, the 2140 can be compared with other similar netbooks – it’s enough for web browsing, office work and watching videos, which is more or less what netbooks are intended for.

The Mini 2140 has the usual ports plus one – in addition to the 2 USB, Ethernet, line-in/out, VGA, and a memory card reader it also comes with an Express Card slot. This might not be important for most consumers, but adds some versatility for professional users who may use it for 3G modems and other peripherals. Battery life was good with the 6-cell battery, almost 7 hours, which is below the specified 8 hours and 30 minutes but still acceptable.

Conclusion
On the whole, the 2140 is a big step up from the 2133 with no price premium – in other words it offers a lot of value while being one of the best netbooks currently on the market. Highly recommended.

Source: laptoplogic.com

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Fujitsu Lifebook E8410
Design & Features

Overview
Today were taking a look at the Fujitsu Lifebook E8410 15.4 widescreen notebook through the Laptop Logic Labs this black metallic beauty has the new 45nm Intel chipset inside, and even though our particular model doesnt boast the NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G with 128 MB of dedicated memory (opting rather for the integrated x3100 Intel GMA) it does come featured with Bluetooth and Wireless N inside, along with some old school Parallel and Serial ports!

Design

Case look and feel



Upon removing the Lifebook E8410 out of its box, you will notice the very attractive, all aluminum LCD cover. Im used to seeing plastic or some other sort of weird composite for an LCD lid, making this a welcome change. The aluminum face is met by beefy LCD hinges at the rear almost 2 in width on either side. These give the E8410 a very robust feel not cheap at all. The brushed (or burned?) aluminum call sign of Fujitsu Lifebook graces the middle. Towards the top end of the LCD lid is a glossy black plastic. Im assuming this houses the wireless antennae location, as the aluminum might offer a decent amount of resistance to the signal.



The bottom of the chassis is also nearly all aluminum. Again not a bad thing, and certain areas of the chassis are covered in a felt like material, that also aides in the unit not slipping and sliding around.



There is also a dedicated docking slot that accepts a proprietary accessory dock.

Keyboard



Open the LCD lid and you are greeted with a slight off-white full keyboard, surrounded by speakers on either side of a silver plastic bezel trim. It is noted that this keyboard is spill resistant; at least it says so in the user manual - I didnt test it out. The base of the chassis did offer a little more flex than I was expecting Im assuming because of the hot-swap bay. The speakers, although given ample space on either side, are very tinny sounding normal I suppose, but I was expecting fuller sound, and was left very unimpressed (unfortunately).



The keyboard feels ok (yes, just ok, not the best, not the worst), typing distance is relatively smooth, but the layout isnt the most user friendly. The page up / page down are functioned together with home and end, and the delete key is in kind of a funky position. The touchpad is decently sized and offered great response after some tweaking it is surrounded by 2 sets of left/right click buttons.



You will also find the biometric fingerprint scanner below the touchpad, in between the lower set of mouse buttons. It worked well, and can be used to store passwords instead of typing them for entry.



On the upper portion of the keyboard area is a small LCD which offers battery status, wireless power state, HDD activity, cap, num and scroll lock, etc. Unfortunately, this area does not illuminate, making it near impossible to read in the dark. I really wish you could illuminate this, or have the option to at least. A simple LED wouldnt hurt, would it Fujitsu? Then again, there are no busy blaring hyper-LEDs scattering your normal vision, which is also welcomed.



To right hand upper portion, there is a set of four hot buttons 1-4 (and enter) that can be programmed as shortcut keys. But they also serve another function one that follows the Lifebook blood hard and true. These buttons can act as a 5 digit pass code before the computer can boot up. Highly effective in thwarting thieves! You can enter this information through a program in Windows Vista to engage when you first boot the laptop up. As default hot buttons, the 1 key launches Notepad, 2 is the calculator, 3 is Internet Explorer (or your default browser) and 5 launches your email application.

Connectivity
The E8410 houses a plentiful array of connections, even going old school with some Parallel and Serial port connections. Some might find the multi-pinned ports of yore archaic, but to others in the business world where they dont have the investments of newer equipment, this is a god send. Im torn between the two points of interest, seeing no point for myself, but know of many professionals that still faithfully use a serial port to upload maps to their GPS. And yes, some still rely on good old parallel ports to connect to a printer. Anyways, lets leave the judgment up to you and just showcase them.

Front



The front of the E8410 contains the wireless LAN on/off switch, IR port, media card reader, and hinge release. Nothing too fancy however, I have to note that the media reader did NOT work for me. I tried 2 different brands and sizes (2GB and 1GB) and neither registered. This is not a SDHC capable reader that Im aware of, but even so, it wouldnt register my media and there were no problems stating from the control panel / hardware settings. Other than that, Im glad to see there isnt an optical drive here! Making sure that if you DO use an alternative notebook riser (like the Logitech Alto I reviewed previously) it doesnt interfere with normal usage too much. Plus one, Fujitsu! Toshiba, take notice!

Left



Power jack, Audio out, Mic in, RJ-45, two USB 2.0 ports, four-pin Firewire, CPU exhaust and heres the real winner a PC Card AND ExpressCard AND Smart Card reader built-in!



Still got that old PCMCIA TV tuner card, but want 5.1 ExpressCard surround sound AND secure shopping with your Smart Card? You can do it! Hooray!

Right



Not to much shaking on the right side we have a lock slot, DVD-RW removable driveand thats it.

Rear



Normally, the rear of laptops arent too impressive yet with the E8410 we yet ANOTHER lock slot, exhaust location, two more USB 2.0 ports, a parallel port, serial port, VGA out, Ethernet and S-video out. Honestly, I would use 90% of those, maybe 100% if I dug out some cool old-school joysticksbut again, the use of the parallel and serial connections is strictly user preference. If it were up to me, I would ditch the PA and SA connections for DVI or HDMI especially the unit that houses the dedicated NVIDIA 8400 card.

Display
The display on this unit has a 1280x800 WXGA panel driven by Intel's GMA X3100 integrated graphics card featuring 358MB video RAM (128 dedicated, 230 shared). The display was evenly lit, and offered decent, flicker free output on the glossy LCD. However, the viewing angles left something to be desired. But then again, considering this is a business laptop its maybe a blessing in disguise. If on a plane, I wouldnt want to have all my fancy information or movie shared with the next personso it might pan out well.


Straight on, a wonderful Ms. Nat.




The bottom and top angle not so great looking Ms. Nat.


The side angle isnt too bad however. Ive seen worse, and it depends on what is being displayed.

The vertical viewing angles were not impressive, but the side to side viewing angles were not TOO bad as noted in the pictures.

Size & Weight



The E8410 isnt the thinnest around, but by no means as huge as some weve reviewed. The actual dimensions come in at 14.1 in x 10.1 in x 1.4 inches. Not too bad, but definitely could lose some thickness; it is almost surprising to note that the thickness doesnt help with the body flex. The LCD lid is very sturdy and should hold up to many bumps and bruises.

As far as weight is concerned, loaded up with a 6-cell battery, it ticks in at just over 6 pounds.



The power adapter isnt enormous, shown here along with the battery compared to a DVD.

Upgrading
There isnt much more you can boast from this laptop, as both DIMM sockets are filled (in our configured model) with each containing 1GB of DDR2 667 RAM. The hard drive is a SATA 5400rpm 120 GB hard drive, formatted into two partitions. For the performance and price the best thing to do would be opt for the NVIDIA 8400 dedicated card option, and even though its only 128MB of dedicated RAM, Vista will love you for it.

Features



Weve mentioned most of the features at least in passing so far, and as you can probably tell, this laptop is rather loaded on the whole. Wireless connectivity is abundant, featuring 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and IR - options you usually only find on more media centric laptops.



It does carry a 1.3mp webcam on the upper portion of the LCD lid, which, if this is geared towards the business user provides ample power for decent video conferencing, but not much more. Simple snapshots looked decent, although the color seemed muted and unnatural sometimes (as most small sensor webcams often produce). It does not swivel, something that isnt a make or break deal, but I wish it was able to do so.



The other great feature to make this a worthy road-warrior is the option to hot swap your DVD drive out, and insert another (sold separately) battery.



Just a flick of your fore-finger and the drive will pop right out, making it a snap to either ditch the weight and save some battery power, or add a different drive / battery to gain.


Performance & Conclusion

Every laptop we review goes through a standard set of tests, although we do opt to skip some tests with units that do no have dedicated GPUs (as in this laptops case). The gaming section has been omitted from this test and all remaining results are gathered. You can read more about our testing methodology here.

Windows Experience Score
Processor 5.3

Memory 4.9

Graphics 3.4

Gaming GFX 3.5

Primary HDD 5.0


PCMark Vantage Pro

PCMark Vantage Pro
Fujitsu Lifebook E8410 4296

Toshiba Qosmio F45 3730

Acer Ferrari 5005WLMi 3875


The PCMark tests were SPANKED by the efficient dual core Penryn CPU. It loves its duties thats for sure. It scored WAY above our Acer Ferrari, almost 500 points more!

3DMark 2006

3DMark 2006
Fujitsu Lifebook E8410 360

Toshiba Qosmio F45 544

Lenovo 3000 N200 535


Ugh, integrated graphics and Windows Vista are NEVER a good combination. Interesting to note that the F45 did do a lot better compared the Lifebook. However, this laptop is not geared at ALL for graphics or gaming, but on the road mobility workstation, which the following test provides a decent testament to that.

WorldBench

WorldBench
Fujitsu Lifebook E8410 80

Toshiba Qosmio F45 69

Lenovo 3000 N200 80


A great world bench score definitely loves to multi-task and do it efficiently. It is right up there with our Lenovo 3000.

Battery Performance

WorldBench
Fujitsu Lifebook E8410 157

Toshiba Qosmio F45 105

Lenovo 3000 N200 182


A great battery featured notebook for watching DVDs. It made it 4/5 of the way through the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King which was just over 2 and hours. Not to bad for a stock battery setup and volume at 50%!

Real-life usage
Using 50% brightness, volume, wireless on, and battery performance set to balanced, I got 3 hours and 42 minutes out of normal web browsing, typing, email, surfing, and listening to a few mp3 audio books here and there. Not bad at all. Imagine if you ditched the DVD drive and opted for yet another battery? One might argue they could work through a coast-to-coast flight, which is impressive by any laptops standards, especially in a 15.4 form factor.

The heat was minimal thanks to its efficient 45nm processor and well ventilated exhaust ports and the touchpad was great after a few customizations within Vista.

Conclusion



Pros:

Penryn CPU
Many connectivity options
Great battery life
Aesthetically pleasing
Cons:

Thick & heavy, no exotic materials to reduce weight
Im torn between the simple aesthetics, yet ample connections and battery performance. This laptop is by no means the beefiest configured road warrior, nor the flashiest. However it offers a lot of amenities and very usable computing power under the hood, coupled with great heat management, excellent battery life, and different configurations that can be ordered to fit the bill with a dedicated graphics cardI have to say Im mighty impressed. Not to mention coming in at a base price under $1,600 for a top of the line Penryn CPU and excellent features, I have to put this right up there with the Highly Recommended. It only falls short of Editors Choice because of the keyboard layout/feel, not able to upgrade the RAM further, and the speakers could definitely use a revamp. For a business user, you have to take a look at this form factor as 15.4 is a little on the larger side to lug around however, carrying a nearly 4 hour battery span definitely evens the playing field.

Source: laptoplogic.com

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 10:21 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Asus Eee PC 1008HA


Asus Eee PC 1008HA
With minilaptop competition heating up, even Asus--the company that practically invented the Netbook--has to step up its game. While the internal components will be familiar, the new Eee PC 1008HA (also known called the Seashell) represents a radical design change from the boxy Eee PCs we've seen before, with a slim, tapered design that makes it one of the best-looking Netbooks we've come across.

To get down to about 1 inch thick, some engineering slight-of-hand was required. The VGA output uses a dongle, the Ethernet jack is angled to fit into the thin body, there's a custom-molded (nonremovable) battery, and an LED display shaves a few millimeters off the lid.

One inescapable current Netbook trend is falling prices. With a perfectly serviceable $299 10-inch system coming from Dell and subsidized Netbooks from mobile phone companies, the current standard of $399 for a nicely equipped minilaptop is starting to look like the maximum the market will bear. At $429, the 1008HA slips just over the line, although the difference is more psychological than practical.


Price as reviewed $429
Processor 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
Memory 1GB, 533MHz DDR2
Hard drive 160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Mobile Intel 945GM Express
Graphics Mobile Intel GMA 950 (integrated)
Operating System Windows XP
Dimensions (WD) 10.3 x 7.1 inches
Height 0.6- 1.0 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 10.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 2.4/2.8 pounds
Category Netbook


The slim design of the 1008HA is a close cousin of the HP Mini 1000, but it feels even thinner, thanks to a tapered front lip. Helping shave a little size from the system are space-saving features including a pin-size power adapter plug, an angled Ethernet jack, and a mini-VGA port that requires a small dongle to use--cleverly hidden in the bottom of the chassis. Rather than a potentially smaller SSD drive, there's a standard 160GB HDD inside, augmented by a free 10GB online data storage subscription for backing up files to a remote server.

We've seen the 1008HA in white, but our review unit was glossy black, which was prone to picking up fingerprints at an alarming rate.

The flat, wide keyboard, similar to what we saw on the recent Eee PC 1000HE, is among the better Netbook keyboards we've used, and the full-size right shift key is one of those things you don't realize is very important until it goes missing. The touch pad is demarcated by a rectangle of raised dots on the wrist rest and works well, although we found ourselves going into the touch pad settings and jacking up the default pointer speed. Above the keyboard are two quick-access buttons for turning off the Wi-Fi antenna and disabling the touch pad (handy if you're using an external USB mouse).

The 10.1-inch LED screen offers a 1,024x600 native resolution, which is standard for a Netbook. The backlit LED allows the lid to be very thin, and also uses less power than a more traditional LCD screen. A system tray app cycles through some other resolutions (1,024x768, 800x600), but displays usually look best at their native resolution.


Asus Eee PC 1008HA Average for category [netbook]
Video VGA VGA
Audio Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks headphone/microphone jacks
Data 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion None None
Networking Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive None None


The 1008HA offers a fairly standard set of ports and connections, lacking only the ExpressCard slot we've seen on some high-end Netbooks. But bear in mind that all the ports are hidden behind hinged plastic doors, so to even plug in a USB key, you'll have to flip open one of them. The tiny, angled Ethernet jack is impressive--you should try plugging a cable in at least once to see how it works.

Using Intel's N280 Atom CPU, the system was minimally faster in our iTunes encoding test than Netbooks with the slightly slower N270 version of the ubiquitous Atom. Performance in other tests was in line with other Netbooks, and overall we have yet to meet an Atom-powered Netbook that vastly outperformed or underperformed the pack. The basic rule of thumb is that for basic tasks such as world processing, Web surfing, and e-mail, an Atom Netbook is more than adequate, as long as you keep your expectations modest.

Like the MacBook Air, the 1008HA has a nonremovable battery--something that rubs some users the wrong way, but we've never been particularly troubled by nonremovable batteries. The benefit is that a larger battery can be custom-molded to the chassis, instead of the standard three-cell battery typical in a thinner Netbook. While it can't match the six-plus hours we've gotten from Netbooks with massive six-cell batteries, such as Asus' own 1000HE, we got an impressive 4 hours and 1 minute from the 1008HA in our video playback battery drain test. Asus also includes its Super Hybrid Engine feature in the system, which is essentially a series of power-saving presets to further extend battery life. These are mostly power consumption tweaks one could perform individually, but it's handy to have them all in one place.

Asus covers its laptops with a standard, one-year parts-and-labor warranty, and it offers online Web-based help and a toll-free phone number. The company's support Web site has improved over the past few years, and includes easy to find driver downloads and FAQs. One nice extra is a 30-day warranty on dead or stuck pixels in the display, giving you some time to find pixel problems.


Multimedia multitasking test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Lenovo Ideapad S10 (Six-cell battery)
3,182
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
3,282
HP Mini 1151NR
3,298
Samsung N120
3,784
Asus Eee PC 1000HE
3,960
Fujitsu M2010
4,140


Jalbum photo conversion test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Asus Eee PC 1000HE
219
HP Mini 1151NR
235
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
248
Fujitsu M2010
260
Lenovo Ideapad S10 (Six-cell battery)
268
Samsung N120
329


Apple iTunes encoding test
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Asus Eee PC 1000HE
718
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
727
HP Mini 1151NR
753
Samsung N120
785
Lenovo Ideapad S10 (Six-cell battery)
797
Fujitsu M2010
799


Video playback battery drain test (in minutes)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Asus Eee PC 1000HE
381
Samsung N120
314
Lenovo Ideapad S10 (Six-cell battery)
241
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
201
HP Mini 1151NR
150
Fujitsu M2010
121

Source: reviews.cnet.com

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 3:53 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Nokia N97


The new Nokia N97 smart phone is one of the priciest mobile devices out there. It is so powerful that Nokia is not simply referring to it as a cell phone - or even a smart phone. No, they have deemed this new device to be a “mobile computer”. It’s packed with many advanced gadgets that James Bond himself would be happy to have, but despite the powerhouse of features, this phone isn’t marketed as an “amazing touchscreen device” (though the touchscreen does work just fine).

It seems that touchscreen smart phones are the current trend right now. Ever since Apple, the trend setters of technology, came out with the iPhone, almost every single mainstream phone has had a direct knock-off of Apple’s design. Well, Nokia most definitely isn’t jumping on this bandwagon. Though their phone does pack many of the same features as the iPhone, and does incorporate a touchscreen, it also has a full pull-out QWERTY keyboard, and is not taking on the same marketing method that its competitors are.

The Nokia N97 is simply the newest phone in their line of products based on the S60 platform. The 3.5 inch touchscreen display offers digital real estate never before seen on a cell phone. The resolution is 640 by 360 pixels, which is close to the resolution many full sized desktop computers were offering 10 years ago. This makes web browsing with its built-in, unrestricted web browser a breeze. Integrated social networking utilities update your MySpace and Facebook information right from the main page.

You’re not restricted to simply viewing mobile websites. The fully functional integrated web browser can view practically any website that a desktop computer could, since it IS the same type of browser used on full sized computers. The Nokia N97 has so much power that it can render sites and individual pages quicker than any other smart phone. Combine this with 3G connectivity, and you have pretty much died and gone to heaven.

A full web browser isn’t the only notable software the Nokia N97 comes with. Nokia Maps is included as well, which gives you access to national and local maps whenever you need them. The Nokia N97 also has a widgets system with many applications to choose from.

The Nokia N97 is not unusually large, small, or out of the ordinary in the way of dimensions. As a phone with a sliding keyboard, it is a little thicker than phones that do not have a physical keyboard - but it is directly comparable to the thickness of phones of the same type. It is just under 16 mm thick for the most part, to give you an idea of how this phone would feel in your pocket. In addition to this thickness, the camera area will jut out another 2 mm or so. In your hand, the phone feels very well balanced, and does not seem too large or small in any way. While it may not be the most comfortable phone to carry around in your pocket all day due to the thickness, that is about the only gripe one could come up with as far as size is concerned.

The target market for this phone is definitely the younger crowd who want a modern, powerful phone but prefer features and capability to trendiness and brand name wow-factor. Due to the unique powerful characteristics and the sky-high asking price, anyone who buys this phones has to be into gadgets, phones, or simply be someone who loves having the latest and greatest.


Now that we have covered some of the best details about the Nokia N97, it’s time to take a look at what you’ve all been waiting for. The Apple iPhone is the current undisputed king-of-the-hill when it comes to smart phones, and every phone of this kind has been compared to it at one point or another.

Let’s start off with first impressions. At first glance, the phones are physically pretty similar. The iPhone has a more recognizable design, but not necessarily a better looking one. The Nokia N97 looks sleek and powerful, and has that real “super-powerful gadget feel”.

Speaking of super powers, let’s discuss price that soars sky-high. This is where the iPhone will immediately take the lead. The Nokia N97 is perhaps the most expensive mainstream smart phone available, with a tag of around $700 without a contract discount. Even with a contract price, the total only drops a little bit, leaving it hundreds of dollars behind the iPhone’s reasonable rate.

The next category is where the Nokia N97 jumps ahead: Physical features. The iPhone comes in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models, and does not offer a slot for memory cards. The Nokia N97, on the other hand, does stay true to it’s name of a “mobile computer”. The internal memory is 32GB, and that comes standard on the phone - there is no sub-model that offers less storage. In addition to the internal space, expandable memory card slots can hold data cards of up to 16GB in size, to store music, photos, or videos. That’s a total storage limit of 48GB, which blows any other device clean out of the water.

Another technical advantage the Nokia N97 has over the iPhone is the ability to display Flash files and the Flash-based videos that power sites such as YouTube. This is one of the iPhone’s biggest weaknesses. While it can play YouTube videos using its integrated player, no other flash files can be used.

Internally, the Nokia N97 has build in Bluetooth connectivity, which the iPhone lacks. It also comes with a built in GPS system, which only newer versions of the iPhone are equipped with. They both have built in wi-fi for high-speed use at home or any hot-spot. Overall, the Nokia N97 is a more powerful than the iPhone - but the price tag is nearly three times as much when comparing post-service contract pricing.

It is hard to give a complete review without the phone being officially released yet. So far, it looks to be a promising alternative to many of the mainstream phones - just so long as you have a pocketbook thick enough to absorb all the dollar signs.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:29 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sony Ericsson C905 8GB


Wow! It's not often a mobile phone creates a stir but the latest Sony Ericsson C905 is set to do just that as it's the first ever 8.1 megapixel camera phone.

The Sony Ericsson C905 is a fantastic 8 megapixel camera phone and this package comes complete with an 8GB memory card.

The new "C" range replaces the old "K" series and stands for Cybershot - the definitive range for the camera enthusiast.

The Night Black C905 features much of the technology that would be on a premium stand-alone digital camera. Smart contrast ,autofocus, xenon flash, zoom, red eye reduction, face detection are all present & much more besides. The C905 has anti blur technology so when your hand moves as you press the button the image stabiliser compensates for those small movements, reducing the chance of your photo coming out blurred. It also has photo-fix that allows you to improve pictures that you think should be better. In a one-click operation, brightness, light and contrast are adjusted to give you the best possible picture.

With DLNA sharing technology, the Sony Ericsson C905 allows you to easily connect to other electronic devices via Wi-Fi. So for example you can watch your videos & photos on the TV, simply connect wirelessly, sit down & enjoy!

Theres more to this mobile phone though than just a funky camera. It's loaded with other great features too such as aGPS so you'll never get lost again! Location-based services like Google Maps and Wayfinder help you find the way to your destination.

It also has 3g video calling, HSDPA for the ultimate download speeds and a sophisticated media player for ultimate music enjoyment.

The latest Sony Ericsson C905 Night Black mobile phone is the ultimate music & camera combination.

Features:

8.1 megapixel camera
8GB memory card
Auto focus
Best pic
Image stabiliser
Xenon flash
Photofix
Red eye reduction
3G video calling
3D games
FM radio
Media player
aGPS
Bluetooth
e-mail
Source : www.theorder.co.uk
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Samsung F480 Tocco


The Samsung SGH-F480 Tocco mobile phone will dazzle you with a touch-screen design, amazing slim-line shape and superb features.

Aimed directly at the iPhone the Samsung Tocco "up's the bar" as the phone world goes "touch-screen-crazy". Haptic technology as seen on the Samsung U900 Soul is used on the F480 which gives you a vibrate feedback when you press the buttons. It also has a new UI which makes using and browsing the menu system with it's 2.8" display an absolute joy. It's also fully customisable too via Widgits, so you can just drag and drop applications with ease.

It's hard to imagine how a handset that measures just 98.4 x 55 x 11.6 mm can have a 5Mp camera hidden inside too ! With face detection, Smile Shot mode is able to identify when subject is smiling and automatically takes a picture, auto focus, image stabiliser and a front facing camera for 3G video conversations the Samsung F480 makes your life so simple when it comes to taking pictures or shooting video.

Entertainment is taken care of with full multimedia utilities for Mp3 files, FM radio and expandable memory upto 8Gb.

Supported Networks

GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 2100

Display & User Interface

256k colour display
240 x 320 pixel display
Touch-screen
Data & Connectivity

Bluetooth
USB
EDGE
GPRS
240MB of internal memory
MicroSD card facility
Camera

5.0-Megapixel camera
Auto focus
Video player and recorder
Secondary camera for video calling
Video flash
Entertainment

Music player
FM radio
Music recognition
Audio formats supported: MP3, AAC, ACC+
Games
Other Samsung F480 Features

WAP 2.0
Java
Document Viewer
Picture editing
Emailing
MMS, SMS & IM
Downloadable Ringtones
Polyphonic & MP3 Ringtones
Organiser
Phonebook
Handsfree
Vibrate alert
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:44 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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LG KC910 Renoir Pink


The LG KC910 Renoir is one of the first 8 megapixel camera phones to hit the UK market and will via for sales against theSamsung i8510 INNOV8 and the Nokia N96 - so it's certainly got it's work cut out !

Last year LG launched the Viewty which proved incredibly popular & the KC910 Pink just shows how quickly the pace of mobile phones moves on in just one year.

Absolutely loaded with great features, it's the camera that the LG KC910 will obviously be most noted for.

From the front, it looks just like any other touchscreen mobile phone, but flip it around and you have an enourmous Schnieder Kreuznach lens staring right back at you - Cool ! With 8 megapixels, automatic & manual focus, Xenon flash, face detection & image stabilisation amongst a raft of other features, the LG Pink Renoir will provide you quality photographs and video, first time, every time. The video alone is recorded at 120 frames per second, which just goes to show the quality of the device and its built-in GPS geotag's photos automatically - And, with a huge 3" display to watch it all on, you have the ultimate combination.

Other great features include WiFi, so you can hook up to the Web at any hotspot & download mail or listen to some cool tunes via the FM radio or the multimedia player.

The LG KC910 pink - Mobile phone & digital camera as one

LG KC910 Renoir Pink Key Features

8 Megapixel camera
3.5G handset
Touchscreen
Expandable memory upto 8Gb
GPRS
EDGE
WiFi
Bluetooth
aGPS
FM radio
Multimedia player
Organiser
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:40 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Acer DX900


The Acer DX900 is a complete pocket office with the versatility of being a dual sim mobile phone too.

The Acer DX900 allows you to have uninterrupted access to two separate phone services, for example; one for business and one personal, or one for calls and another for data, in a single device. Frequent business travelers can use local SIM card and home SIM card in the same device at the same time. International business and cross boarder travelling becomes so much easier with this device from Acer.

The DX900 is Wi-Fi enabled so you can connect without fuss to the internet at any convenient hot-spot & connection speeds are super fast thanks to 3G making for broadband like access.

With a powerful 500MHz processor, multiple task management is fast and simple. So whether you're using Microsoft Office applications or just listening to your music tracks, the Acer DX900 does it with ease.

Acer DX900 - A Complete Office Solution

Acer DX900 Key Features

Quad band 3G handset
Dual Sim
147g
Touchscreen 2.8" display
microSD
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
3.2Mp camera
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Pocket Office
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:38 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Nokia E75 Red

Nokia is about to release a new Phone E75
The Nokia E75 Red looks absolutely stunning & is a fully feature packed smartphone with a full slide out QWERTY keyboard.

The ideal companion for the hectic life of the business professional or the text-mad amongst us, the red E75 performs it's duties with ease. Setting up POP3 & IMAP e-mail accounts is quick and easy with the intuitive symbian operating system. You can set up several different accounts plus there is support for microsoft exchange, lotus notes and Nokia Messaging too.

When closed the red Nokia E75 is quite a svelte device at just 14.4mm thick, 111.8mm high and 50mm across and weighs 139g - not bad at all for a device of this nature & the battery life is good too at 262 hours standby.

Nokia maps are pre-loaded onto the E75 so you can use it as a satnav device should you wish although the screen is slightly on the small side for that kind of use.

There is a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash & a secondary camera for video calling. Memory is expandable upto 16Gb so there is plenty of room spare for music files, videos and photographs too. An FM radio is also included along with the multimedia player.

The latest Nokia E75 Red - Simply Stunning !

Nokia E75 Key Spec

Quad band 3G handset
Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard
2.4" TFT 16 million colour display
Expandable memory upto 16Gb
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPRS
Symbian OS
3.2 Mp camera
FM radio
MP3 player
Organiser
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:31 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Lenovo IdeaCentre K220
Lenovo announced a new desktop computer series : IdeaCentre k220, IdeaCentre k230 and H200.



The productive computer ideaCentre Of k220 is assembled on base of Intel core 2 Quad processors, which makes it 16 times faster than the model ideaCentre k210 .This computer is equipped with 4 GB DDR3 memory , 3d- accelerators and with API DX10 BD- drive support.



IdeaCentre k220 is supplied with the face recognition function .



The technology bright vision must help ideaCentre k220 users to avoid eyes fatigue . The essence of its action consists in the automatic brightness and image contrast optimization depending on the room illumination .

IdeaCentre k230 enlarges the computers number model high-end and gives user a 64-bit OS Windows vista, up to 8 GB memory.

Lenovo h200 relates to the budget classes, small price with a good performance . Lenovo h200 is the first desktop computer lenovo, made on base of Intel atom processor.

The prices Of ideaCentre k220 and K230 begin from $449 and $499 respectively, and Lenovo h200 supplied with ThinkVision l195 wide LCD, will cost $399,99.

Source : xtreview.com

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 3:11 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Monday, June 8, 2009
Nokia N86 8MP
Nokia recently announced the N86 8MP, the first Nokia phone to break the 8 megapixel camera mark. It features Carl Zeiss optics with triband 3G HSDPA/HSUPA, a 2.6-inch OLED display running at 240 x 320 QVGA resolution, and 8GB of onboard memory augmented with microSD cards. Nokia N86 runs S60 3rd Edition, FP2, has WiFi b/g, A-GPS, a digital compass and accelerometer. Nokia also preload the N86 8MP with their Ovi online services suite, including Nokia Maps 3.0 with voice-guided driving directions.
Dimensions
Form:2-way slider
Dimensions:103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5-18.5 mm
Weight (with battery):149 g
Volume:84 cc
Additional size and shape information:
2-way slider with spring assistance mechanism
Kick-stand

Keys and Input Method
Numeric keypad
Cover keys (S60 keys, Menu key, Send/End keys, Clear key)
Short slide keys (media control/zoom/gaming)
Dedicated media/zoom/game keys
Dedicated camera and volume keys
Keypad lock switch
Voice commands
Charging indicator LED, breathing menu key
Memory
microSD memory card slot, hot swappable, max. 16 GB
Internal memory 8GB:
ROM 77.0
RAM 74.7
Data Network
CSD
HSCSD, maximum speed 43.2 kbps
GPRS class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 107/64.2 kbps (DL/UL)
WCDMA 900/2100, maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (UL/DL)
HSDPA, maximum speed 3.6 Mbps (DL)
WLAN 802.11b, 802.11g
WLAN Security: WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal, WEP
WLAN Quality of Service: WMM, U-APSD
WLAN wizard
TCP/IP support
Capability to serve as data modem
Support for MS Outlook synchronisation of contacts, calendar and notes


Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 5:49 AM 0 comments Links to this post
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Sunday, June 7, 2009
Intel and AMD Guide
Intel® and AMD® processor guide — Choose the processor that's right for youIntel® mobile processors
Whether you’re a basic user sending email or an extreme gamer immersed in intense online action, great mobile computing starts with an Intel processor inside. From the reliability of Celeron® to the high performance, great battery life and advanced connectivity of Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology, Intel’s processors give you the freedom to do everything while you go almost anywhere.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme
Game on the edge with the ultimate mobile performance.
Conquer the world of extreme gaming and digital media with the untouchable multi-core speed and otherworldly graphics performance of the Intel® Core™2 Extreme mobile processor.

Perfect for:
Extreme gaming and 3D gaming
Video editing
Retouching photos
Handling multiple and highly-threaded applications at the same time
Multitasking
Intel® Centrino® 2
A new breakthrough in laptop performance.
Experience a new breakthrough in mobile performance with Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology, Intel’s best-performing laptop technology. Get blazing performance on-the-go with faster multitasking, the highest-available WiFi bandwidth and a design that enables the longest possible battery life.

Perfect for:
Synching and streaming music and video
Creating and watching HD videos
Recording TV or HDTV
Advanced photo editing
Casual and online gaming
Intel® Centrino®
Go mobile without limits.
Push the limits of mobile computing with the blazing performance, great battery life and go-anywhere wireless connectivity of Intel® Centrino® processor technology. Integrated wireless capabilities provide flexible connectivity options that let you use thousands of public Wi-Fi networks.

Perfect for:
Browsing the internet thanks to its Improved battery life
Downloading pictures and sharing them online
Downloading music and burning CDs
Connecting to the latest social media sites
Staying in touch with friends and family via email
Intel® Core™2 Quad
Experience the mobile quantum leap.
Get speed to burn through digital media, content creation, and 3D gaming on-the-go with the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor.

Perfect for:
Multitasking
HD video encoding
Photo editing
Online publishing
Downloading large files
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo
Laptop freedom starts here.
Take the next step toward true laptop freedom with the energy-efficient performance of the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor. Get the power to multitask demanding applications whether you’re at home, in the office, or on-the-go.

Perfect for:
Running multiple applications at the same time
Saving, sharing and editing your favorite photos
Editing movies or music
Browsing the internet on the go thanks to its improved battery life
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor with vPro™ technology
Proactive security for the active workforce.
Laptops with Intel® vPro™ technology combine high-end performance with industry-leading security and remote manageability features integrated right onto the chip. Reduce desk-side visits and get time back for more important IT challenges.

Perfect for:
Browsing the internet on the go thanks to its improved battery life
Running intense applications at the same time
Configuring, monitoring and diagnosing your PC remotely
Intel® Pentium®
Do more with everyday mobile computing.
Do extraordinary things with everyday computing when you enjoy your favorite music, photo and office applications with a laptop running the Intel® Pentium® processor.

Perfect for:
Staying in touch with friends an family via emails
Downloading music
Sharing pictures online
Intel® Celeron
Exceptional value, reliable Intel® performance.
Get more out of everyday computing with the value, reliability and proven functionality of a laptop running an Intel® Celeron® processor.

Perfect for:
Browsing the Internet
Creating documents
Doing homework
Emailing friends and family


AMD® mobile processors
AMD’s line of processors allow you to handle simple day to day activities such as sending and receiving emails or browsing the web. But they can also help you handle more intense applications such as HD video editing or extreme gaming. Which ever one you choose, AMD processors give you the freedom to do it all from virtually anywhere.

AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor with ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD
Premium Graphics
The ultimate Visual experience™ for digital media creation and 3D gaming.
Get the power you need while setting new standards for visual computing on-the-go. Redefine the way you play and take HD gaming to the extreme with best-in-class performance.

Perfect for:
Next-generation 3D gaming
Full HD 1080p playback of high-definition content
Crisp, vivid HD images
Transfer photos, videos and music faster
AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Ultra Dual-Core
Mobile Processor
Enhanced processing and memory capabilities for the power to do more, faster.
Do everything you want to do, for longer. Our laptops featuring this processor extend your entertainment experience and let you do more in less time.

Perfect for:
Serious multi-tasking performance for digital content creation
Exceptional battery life
Full 1080p HD playback capability for high-definition content
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor
The performance you need for multitasking while enjoying long battery life.
Our laptops with this processor deliver next-generation mobile performance for photos, music, and 1080p HD playback on the go with extended battery life.

Perfect for:
Next-generation performance and mobility
Long battery life
Life-like visual effects
AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core processor
The affordable dual-core processor that offers true multi-tasking performance.
Connect with leading-edge wireless compatibility and enjoy true multi-tasking (surf the web, check e-mail and edit digital photos) while on-the-go.

Perfect for:
True multi-tasking capabilities
Leading-edge wireless technologies for fast Internet downloads
To edit digital photos
Stay connected via emails or simply surfing the web
AMD Sempron™
Affordable performance for everyday computing.
Get to fun, faster, with a system that boots and loads applications quickly and easily. Enjoy reliable, responsive performance on thousands of software applications—including those that let you communicate with family and friends.

Perfect for:
Stay connected via emails
Surf the web while on the go
Upload pictures
Listen to your music

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Lenovo IdeaPad Y530


Lenovo IdeaPad Y530
he Y530 uses Intel processors from the Centrino 2 lineup; our model came with a P7350, 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 250GB hard drive, 2GB RAM, and last but not least a dedicated GeForce 9300M GPU.

Design and Features
For a 15.4-inch laptop, the IdeaPad Y530 is quite heavy at 6.6 lbs / 2.96 kg, but in return it feels very sturdy and solid. Being a Lenovo laptop, it has a characteristically low-key, elegant design. Although the IdeaPad consumer laptops are somewhat more exciting than Lenovo's ThinkPad business laptops.

The screen has a 'frameless' glossy-all-over finish that provides really vibrant colors, but also some inevitable reflections.

Like most Lenovo keyboards, the one on the Y530 is a pleasure to type on, and above it is a row of touch sensitive, orange-glowing buttons for media control; both are quite nice-looking and useful. The touchpad is slightly larger than average, and is very accurate and comfortable to the touch.

There is no shortage of connectivity on the Y530 - it comes with HDMI, 3 USB ports, Ethernet, modem, s-video and VGA out. Bluetooth is built in, and you can also get it with an optional remote.

Performance and Battery
The Intel P7350 is a fairly powerful processor with a 2.0GHz clock and the latest 1066MHz front side bus. Our review model came with a standard 5,400rpm hard drive, but it can also be configured with desktop-speed 7,200rpm drives, which should boost everyday performance somewhat.

The 9300M GS graphics card from Nvidia is a lower-end solution that is able to play some games, but newer games will only run smoothly at lower settings and resolutions.

PCMark Vantage Pro and WorldBench 6 delivered scores of 2872 and 70 respectively. We had also planned to run 3DMark Vantage, but alas, the IdeaPad Y530 only has a 1280x800 display, whereas Vantage requires a minimum 1280x1024 resolution for some reason.

You don't expect a whole lot of battery life from a 15-inch laptop with a 6-cell battery, but the IdeaPad was still able to deliver 2 hours and 45 minutes during average to heavy use that involved browsing and using Word while playing music and video files in the background. Watch a DVD and you can shave roughly half an hour off that total.

Bottom Line
At $1,000 or less, depending on configuration, the IdeaPad Y530 is nothing less than a bargain. So far, Lenovo has only delivered durable, quality laptops and continues to do so in its IdeaPad consumer series. If you're on the market for a 15.4-inch entertainment laptop, the Y530 is definitely worth considering.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 Technical Specifications
Processor 2GHz P7350 Core 2 Duo
Memory 2GB DDR2
Harddrive 250GB
OS Windows Vista Home Premium
Weight 6.6 lbs
Screen 15.4"
Screen resolution 1280x800
Graphic Card Nvidia 9300M GS
Battery Life 2:45
Pros
Excellent Price/Performance Ratio
Nice-Looking, Low Key Design
Good Keyboard and Touchpad
Touch Sensitive Media Buttons
Cons
Only 1280x800 Resolution
Heavier Than Average

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Dell Reveals 14" Studio 14z, Forgets Optical Drive
Posted by Daniel Shain
CommentsLikes Disl


Dell has introduced a new laptop into the Studio family - the Studio 14z. It's lightweight and has no optical drive, and yet has a full keyboard and large display. Is this an unholy combination of netbook and laptop, or the most perfect attempt at balance yet?

It weighs less than 2kgs. It is .79" thick at its thinnest point. It has no optical drive either. And yet it can have as much as 5GB RAM. It can feature a 500GB HDD. It sports an NVidia GeForce 9400M and a 14" HD display (either 720p or an unusual 900p resolution). Starting at $649, what exactly is this from Dell?

A good idea, I think. Dell is clearly gambling that the average user watches more media on YouTube and Hulu than on DVD/Blu-Ray, and that these internet-only media moguls might want a nice large display without paying top dollar for a change. It is a break from the traditional in that systems of this size are rarely packaged without some sort of optical setup, but it is likely to be part of a growing trend as computers rely more and more on the internet as opposed to physical pieces to get things done.


What do you think? Is this silliness from Dell, to release a computer large enough to watch HD movies and beefy enough to think about gaming with... without any way of sticking a CD in it? Or might this be just crazy enough to work?

If you like everything about the laptop but can't stand the lack of an optical drive, Dell will of course oblige you with an external drive upon purchase.




Source: www.laptopical.com
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Ultra-Portables Worth It..


Depending on what you’ll be using it for, may be the best question to ask. For browsing and access to the social net on the go, they may have enough juice to get you through. But if you expect usability comparable with their more traditional counterparts, you’re out of luck for they still suffer from limited battery power which powers them to around four hours (or five for some). Some of the lightest ones also do away with the hard drive, one of the biggest power users in traditional laptops, opting to use solid state memory of up to 60 or 100 gigabytes. They have access through the USB port for external drives but they better come with their own power source or battery or you subtract more form the dismal power situation.
They are fast and easy to use, and they are a lot lighter but they may have to grow up a bit more before they go into mainstream use. They are selling but many still question their overall reliability compared to our heavy laptops that still managing to perform.

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C902 Cyber-shot, Sony Ericsson



Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot
Image © Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson has a couple new gadgets that might do just the trick. We start with theSony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot, which rides on the increasing consumer craze to packhigher-quality cameras into traditional cell phones.

While cell phone cameras have been discussed even in the 10-megapixel range, that’s still down the road. The Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot delivers 5 megapixels, face detection, automatic focus, red-eye correction and FM radio.



HBH-IS800 stereo Bluetooth headset
Image © Sony Ericsson

Dad might also be satisfied coupling a new handset like the C902 with a Bluetooth stereo headset like the Sony Ericsoon HBH-IS800.

Its main sell for dad is doing away with dangling headset cords that often hang in the front. This one instead only has a short and lightweight cable that’s attached to its sleek earbuds.

As another option, the MOTOPURE H12 from Motorola is a particularly stylish Bluetooth headset dad might enjoy coupled with his cell phone.

For the mobile father who wants his hands free and his cell phone music piped into his car’s speakers, the MOTOROKR T505 in-car Bluetooth speakerphone will almost surely show him your ingenuity through this practical and unique gift.

Finally, the dad who wants to use his cell phone wherever he wants at home – even where his cell phone has a weak signal – might benefit from the Panasonic Link to Cell. Even in his man cave, he can use a standard cordless phone that wirelessly accesses his cell phone from a distance.
Source: cellphones.about.com
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BlackBerry 8700g


For me, home sweet home for email is my computer. It’s not my cell phone. But for those who want or need to email on the go, this BlackBerry 8700g cell phone review is for you.

Make sure you’re ready for the pros and cons associated with this way of life before you allow email to invade your pocket. It’s there with you at dinner, in the movies and everywhere else. You should ponder vigilantly and gravely if it’s the life for you.
Some everyday consumers choose to welcome it with open arms because they enjoy email coming to them everywhere. Others – such as realtors and on-call IT people – are forced into it because of the nature of their jobs. BlackBerry devices have the menacing nickname “CrackBerry” for this addictive reason.

In order to keep sane, I personally spend so much time emailing that I need it to wait for when I’m on my laptop (and that’s too much time as it is!). Amid the ever-confusing sea of email phones, the BlackBerry 8700g stands squarely in the middle of pack and gives you what you need.

It doesn’t get the job done perfectly, though, and does come with its fair share of quirks.

Design:

Pro: The BlackBerry 8700g fits comfortably in your hand. It’s not on oddball, awkward size.


Con: Con: At 4.3” by 2.7” by 0.77,” though, some newer models of email phones are thinner and smaller. Its weight is 4.7 ounces with the battery installed, which flirts with the ceiling of how heavy a phone should be.
Software:

Pro: Email and Web surfing are the sole reasons why you’d select this phone over other devices not designed for the serious, on-the-go emailer. You can theme it to your heart’s desire, which means you can customize its overall look and feel with the “skin” of your choosing.

Popular file formats attached to emails (i.e. Adobe’s PDF files) can be viewed by default. You can also combine text and images on a single message using multimedia messaging.
Con: In several trials during my review of the 8700g, the phone took about 45 seconds to power on. That’s too long. Also, you might find the default BlackBerry Web browser to be underwhelming with problematic Web scripting. This means what you get isn’t always like what you should see.

For my review, I upgraded to the default browser to Opera, which renders much better.

I experienced some disconcerting technical glitches in my trials. It randomly flickers and spontaneously reboots itself. There’s no Microsoft Office unless you use plug-ins to access Office applications through the Web. Also, reading certain file formats (i.e. PDF files) don’t render exactly as they should.
Hardware:

Pro: Its full, 35-key keyboard is a major perk that affords familiar typing. The keys are far enough apart that you can type easily and swiftly. It doesn’t have half keys like some other devices and the keys aren’t too close together.

Even when I Web surfed the phone like a madman and emailed and texted more than necessary, its rechargeable Lithium battery does the job. It’s rated at four hours of talk time and up to 16 days of standby time.

The dedicated “send,” “end” and “mute” keys are a nice addition and there are also user-definable convenience keys. Thank you for the bright, high-resolution screen and the speakerphone comes in handy, too. The thumb-operated “trackwheel” translates into easing scrolling and the MP3 ringtones are fun.

The phone also offers Bluetooth technology for short-range wireless communication with other devices.
Con: The 8700g only comes with 64 megabytes of on-board memory, which you may need to upgrade if you want more software applications. There’s no camera.
Data Speed:

The 8700g runs on an advanced data network that’s enhanced by a technology called EDGE, which allows for high-speed surfing. The phone also gives you international roaming.

Newer networks (i.e. 3G networks) are even faster than EDGE, though, which said simply is being used by T-Mobile to speed up its base data network. Superseding 2G, 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology.
Simplicity:

It’s sometimes stupidly simple – like for emailing – and at other times exceedingly complicated. You may need help setting up corporate email and navigating the sometimes perplexing realm of software applications and plug-ins.
The Bottom Line:

When buying the 8700g, you’re clearly not just purchasing a phone.
Most delve into the BlackBerry world for email just as much if not more so than its use as a phone. BlackBerry offers a wide array of models for the beginner all the way up to the tech guru. This one ranks in the middle and suffices happily for the layperson
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Saturday, June 6, 2009
Sony VAIO NR Series
Sony Vaio NR series comes with Core 2 Duo processor and 15.4 inches XBRITE-ECO technology LCD. If we see in the core of Sony Vaio, you can say that this laptop is one of the inexpensive laptops that has been offered by Sony in Vaio Series. This laptop has some styling issues like its not as stylish as sony is famous for; but yes, laptop is worth-buying as per its specifications and features are offered and especially Vaio written on the back of lid.



This laptop is developed for standard use. It is not for power users or for maximum gaming performance - but you can say that you can purchase this laptop if you want to use it for normal operations usage within your daily life. Then this could be the best purchasing in the Sonybrand you can make.

Most of the features have already been offered by other brands but Daigonal View LCD is always been a specific trait that has possesed by Sony from that start, Same is the case with NR series laptop ; you can get maximum bright daigonal view of your laptop LCD.

Keybaord and touchpads are specifically designed to enhance multimedia experience and especially with AV mode button that takes you direct to media player without booting windows. Somewhat similar feature that DELL has offered in inspiron series as “Media Direct”.

Features And Specifications:

Screen: 15.4-inch screen WXGA (1280 x 800) with XBRITE-ECO (glossy finish)
Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250
Hard Drive: 160 GB hard drive (SATA, 5400RPM)
Memory: 1GB RAM (PC5300, 667 MHz, DDR2 SDRAM, 2 x 512 MB) — 4GB max memory
Optical Drive: DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive
Ports and Slots: Four USB 2.0, one FireWire 400 port, one ExpressCard 34, one VGA, one MemoryStick Pro reader, one SD card reader, headphone / line-out, microphone-in, modem, 10/100 Ethernet
Wireless: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g)
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (965 Express chipset with up to 251MB of shared RAM)
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.6 x 1.5 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 6.2 pounds
Source: www.propakistani.com

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Friday, June 5, 2009
Mobile
Mobile
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Macbook Air


Macbook Air
Apple defined what a music player must be. It defined what a smartphone should do. And now the company could be setting the bar, very high again, for what an ultraportable laptop should be like with its MacBook Air. All within less than an inch of metal, 3 pounds of total mass, and the starting price tag of $1,799, Apple has managed to deliver what all consumers have come to expect from their laptops, and much more.

The 13.3-inch backlit LED display does not compromise on resolution (1280x800) or performance. The keyboard is full-sized. The battery doesn't weigh the Air down, yet still motors on for as long as five hours. And somehow in its narrow confines, the MacBook has room for an iSight camera as well.

And then there's the innovation that we've all come to expect from Apple. The trackpad features Apple's multi-touch input, made famous by iPhones, where you can pinch and spread your fingers to zoom in and out of your display. Then there's an innovation truly MacBook Air: the laptop has no optical drive and instead forces you to rely on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to backup files on Time Machine, download music and movies, and communicate with others.

Its environmental advances will become industry standard and are numerous enough to deserve their own article.

"No optical drive?!" you might be able to hear an old-timer choking in panic and disbelief, unable to get over the previous paragraph. "How can I upload a driver or a new app, huh, huh, huh!?"

MacBook Air has this covered. Say you need to install a driver via a CD. The laptop has what's called Remote Disc, a wireless process that allows your Air to "borrow" the optical drive of a nearby computer with a drive. It's so freaky it's almost parasitic.

But it's progress, right? Sort of like the advanced human life forms that will thousands of years from now whose brains will be five times as big as ours and whose bodies are lifeless, useless spleen-like appendages.

But I digress. Back to the MacBook Air. If there ever was a weakness, it could be its 80GB of hard drive. A quieter 64GB solid state drive is optional as well as an external USB SuperDrive. Or the built-in mono speaker. But am I being picky here?

Otherwise, the hardware in this 3-pound package is Apple up-to-snuff. A 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo is standard, with 1.8 optional. The RAM is a standard 2GB.

Perhaps you'll never look at your old ultraportable the same way again.

Macbook Air Technical Specifications
Processor 1.6-1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 800 MHz FSB
Memory 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz
Harddrive 80 GB 4,200 rpm P-ATA (Optional 64 GB SSD)
OS Mac OS X
Weight 3 pounds (1.36 kg)
Screen 13.3 inches
Screen resolution 1280x800
Source : laptopical.com
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Dell Vostro A860


An affordable option that will fit into any budget, the Dell Vostro A860 Laptop offers great mobility and connectivity for the individual who needs a little more versatility from a work computer. Recently offered at $399 through Dell as part of a late 2008 push, there's arguably no better computer for your buck.
The Vostro A860 offers three upgrade packages for more user customization. However, no unnecessary trial software is in the mix to clutter the hard drive or the desktop. The amply spaced 15.6-inch widescreen LCD display offers enough room to view multiple tasks and projects, with the ability to stream media or DVDs on the standard drive.

Dell Vostro A860 Tech Specs
The Vostro A860 comes with a lower-end Intel Celeron M processor at 2.16GHz and Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1. The optical drive offers a 24x CD Burner/DVD combo, with the option to upgrade to an 8x DVD+/-RW drive. The basic package offers users 1GB of memory, a 160GB SATA hard drive and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. Out of the box, the laptop is wireless capable, and includes the standard one-year basic limited warranty.

Features
Ultimately, the Vostro A860 is perfect for transitioning from a desktop to a capable laptop, catering to those in need of the technological mobility. Aesthetically, the computer offers a low-profile look, without the overly glossy finish found on many black laptops. The full keyboard allows for maximized user efficiency and comfort, and with the four-cell battery, the weight is just over 5 lbs.

The only real drawback, when considering the unbeatable price, is the size and the power-pull of a four-cell Li-Ion battery. Yet, when reviewing the pros and cons, an under $400 price tag far outweighs the drawbacks to this entry-level laptop.

Dell Vostro A860 Technical Specifications
Processor Celeron M 2.16GHz
Memory 1GB DDR2
Harddrive 160GB
OS Vista Basic
Weight 5.4lbs
Screen 15.4 inches
Screen resolution 1366x768
Graphic Card Intel GMA X3100
Battery Life 2.5 hourPros
Source: www.laptopical.com

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Asus Eee PC 1000HE


Asus started the netbook craze with its tiny, 7-inch Eee PC. Shortly thereafter, every notebook manufacturer except Apple produced at least one tiny and inexpensive laptop just like it. Nowadays, netbooks are not that tiny anymore - little by little they have increased in size from 7" via 9" and now the standard screen size of a netbook is 10 inches. Even a couple of 12-inch models have been released.

Hardware
What they all have in common is the hardware - with a few deviations it consists of an Intel Atom CPU at 1.6GHz, 1GB or RAM, a 160GB hard drive and integrated GMA950 graphics. The Eee PC, however, has been upgraded with an ever so slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom processor and a higher 667MHz FSB speed instead of earlier models which had 533MHz.

The speed increase is not big enough to be noticeable, but you might feel better purchasing an upgraded model. Asus' main selling point with the 1000HE is the battery life. According to the manufacturer, you should be able to keep it alive for 9.5 hours without resorting to an outlet. To achieve this formidable battery life, you need to use aggressive power-saving schemes, no Wi-Fi and turn the brightness all the way down. In our general usage test it still delivered more than 7 hours, which is still more than acceptable.

Design
As far as the design goes, the Eee PC 1000 HE stays with the concept we've seen in previous Eee netbooks. The keyboard is almost full size (92%) and the trackpad buttons are slightly tilted in the front. The entire casing of the netbook is glossy, which enhances the overall look but also attracts fingerprints easily.

On the whole, the design of the 1000HE focuses on usability; it's not spectacularly thin like some of its siblings, such as Asus S101 netbook, but it certainly gets the job done with flying colors. Besides, keeping the design simple also helps keep the price to a minimum, which is often the deciding factor for a netbook buyer.

Connectivity and Features
The ports have been placed on the left- and right-hand sides of the laptop - none at the back. On the right is a memory card reader, 2 USB and VGA and on the left is another USB port, Ethernet, and audio line in/out.

Summary
While there are better looking netbooks on the market, the Eee PC 1000HE comes at a very attractive price point and offers excellent battery life. It's also very easy to use thanks to the large keyboard, and has all the features that the competition offer plus a little extra. Combine these aspects and you have one of the best netbooks currently available.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE Technical Specifications
Processor Atom N280 1.66GHz
Memory 1GB DDR2
Harddrive 160GB
OS Windows XP Home
Weight 3lbs
Screen 10 inches
Screen resolution 1024x600
Graphic Card Intel GMA 950
Battery Life 7.5 hours
Pros
Slightly Faster
Very Affordable
Excellent Battery Life
Cons
Glossy Surface
Not much Faster than Previous Models
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Apple MacBook Air
Overview & Features

Apple’s much anticipated and much talked about ultra-portable notebook computer has arrived and it’s definitely a looker. This incredibly razor-thin computer is quite possibly the sexiest little laptop to come around. Ever. With a height of just 0.76 inches at its thickest (0.16” at the tip), the MacBook Air is the thinnest notebook on the market. And with looks that Paris Hilton will certainly love, the MBA is going to attract attention wherever you tote this 3 lb. aluminum beauty around…even inside a manila folder!



While this is Apple’s first ultraportable, it is still considerably larger sitting next to the sub notebooks from the likes of Sony and Fujitsu. The glossy 13.3” widescreen LCD, borrowed from the consumer MacBook line, displays bright and crisp visuals with plenty of real estate. At 12.8” wide by 8.94” deep, the MacBook Air even has dimensions that are near-identical to the “regular” MacBook’s. In fact, aside from the weight and depth factor, the MacBook Air is literally just a really, really thin MacBook. Moreover, it’s even 2” wider than the now-defunct PowerBook 12”, hardly “ultraportable” in comparison. Sorry, but once you go beyond 13 inches, the computer is no longer ultraportable to me.

Features & Technology



At $1799 starting, you don’t get a lot of features or performance compared to comparably priced notebooks, but it is amazing how much Apple was able to cram into such a thin frame. The base model comes with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Low Voltage processor with 2GB of DDR2 RAM (which is not user replaceable or upgradeable), 802.11b/g/n WiFi, iSight camera built-in, illuminated keyboard, and a 60GB 1.8" hard-drive running at 4200RPM. Unique to the MBA is the large multi-touch touchpad with technology borrowed from the iPhone for finger gesture commands within applications The three-finger scroll is particularly useful, allowing the user to scroll forward or back in-between web pages, and pinching allows for zooming functionality. Expect this technology to make its way across future Apple laptops.



Those with extra money to burn can option for the 1.8GHz processor and ridiculously expensive $1000 "upgrade" for the faster yet smaller 64GB solid state disk (SSD) drive, which we strongly urge against as the performance gains are minimal. Fully loaded, you're looking at a $3000 laptop that doesn't really do much for you other than lighten your wallet. But then again, value isn’t the name of the game here. The MacBook Air is a status symbol; kind of like a tiny, expensive purse. It isn’t practical, but damn does it look good under your arm out & about.



Intel went to great lengths to engineer a micro-sized version of the venerable Low Voltage Core 2 Duo processor exclusively for the MacBook Air. The CPU is 60% smaller than the standard C2D laptop processor which is no easy feat, and thus for the lucky MBA buyer, much of the development costs get passed down in the price tag. The re-engineering was necessary to meet the real estate demands of this diminutive system.

Connectivity, Performance, & Conclusion



Those looking to find a fully featured multimedia notebook will certainly have to look elsewhere. There's just ONE USB 2.0 port available to connect an external device and FYI: not all USB devices may fit into the port - a major design flaw. There is an audio out jack and a micro-DVI port, but that is all! No Ethernet jack, no 56K model, no media card reader or firewire ports. Nothing. Not even stereo sound! This is definitely a companion laptop for the fashion conscious mobile user, but that is about the limit of its practicality. Out of the box, you will have rely on WiFi only to access data without a USB cable. To install off a CD or DVD, a special utility allows the MacBook Air to remotely access a nearby computer’s optical drive and stream the data over WiFi. However, the utility cripples the drive’s capabilities, limiting the user to read/write capabilities only, meaning no remote video viewing, music playback or disc burning. Bummer. If you desperately need dedicated optical support, you'll have to shell out another $99 for the external SuperDrive, which of course only works with the MacBook Air. There is also a USB Ethernet adapter available for $29. At least these “optional” accessories are priced fairly reasonably.

Performance



Performance-wise, the MacBook Air is decent at best. It works wonderfully like any Mac would, with the excellent and swift Leopard OS X, but it lags behind the considerably cheaper MacBooks and upmarket MacBook Pros. 3D performance is a non-starter of course, with integrated graphics. Worse, the fixed battery only manages a disappointing 3-4 hours of juice under normal usage.

Specs MacBook Air iMac PowerBook 12"
Specs
Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 1.8" 4200rpm HDD, GMA X3100 graphics, OSX 10.5.2
Core Duo 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM, 3.5" 7200rpm HDD, ATi Radeon X1600 128MB, OSX 10.5.2
PowerPC 1.33GHz, 512MB RAM, 2.5" 5400rpm HDD, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 64MB, OSX 10.4.10

CPU Test 85.14
85.97
54.39

Memory Test 139.41
134.26
33.80

Quartz Graphics Test 97.63
137.66
65.97

OpenGL Graphics Test 17.15
145.39
67.33

Disk Test 26.29
78.73
20.28


As you can see from the table above, the Intel processor platform has a significant processing advantage over the old PowerPC days. Even more interesting is the fact that despite being higher clocked, the Core Duo is about as fast as the lower clocked Core 2 Duo.


Conclusion



Pros:

Incredibly thin and light
Incredibly sexy
Multi-touch trackpad
Multi-finger scrolling for web browsing
Illuminated keyboard
Gorgeous widescreen screen
Impeccable build quality
Cons:

Incredibly expensive
External optical drive is an optional purchase
Only 1 USB port - doesn't fit all devices
No additional ports nor expandiblility
So-so battery life
So-so performance - slower than MacBook
No stereo sound (mono speaker)
Large for a ultra-portable class laptop
Did I mention it's incredibly expensive?


So is the MacBook Air worth the hype? Sure, the super thin profile is very unique and eye catching, but once the eye candy wears off you aren’t left with much. If you are purely out on the go, perhaps with a desktop to handle connectivity and storage needs, the MacBook Air will fit anywhere, but will leave you wanting with no replaceable battery for additional runtime and no integrated mobile broadband; you would have to occupy your only USB port if you needed connectivity other than WiFi. For users who have a notebook as their primary computer, they will have to buy a plethora of accessories just to make the MacBook Air usable. The MBA-specific optical drive, USB Ethernet adapter, and a USB hub come to mind as the bare minimum one would need to run the MBA at a desk without feeling constrained. Did I mention you can’t add any more memory?

Now does all this mean it is a terrible notebook? Not at all. It does succeed in its goal: to be the ‘halo’ product for Apple, the uber-high end machine that isn’t incredibly practical – think of it as using a Lamborghini to get groceries. But true mobile computing users need to carefully consider their needs before making the plunge with the MacBook Air. When you consider that the MacBook Pro is 1.0” thin with far more practical features and a similar starting price, you might wonder if a 0.16-0.76” thickness is all it’s cracked up to be. Well, at least it brings a whole new meaning to the term, "I got an MBA."

Source: laptoplogic.com

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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
All-in-One PC: Inside a Keyboard

This new generation All-in-One PC in a keyboard not only takes up far less desktop space, but also puts an Intel® Core™ 2 Quad CPU with all its features and performance at your fingertips.
The new ZPC-GX31™ is a true innovation packing so much power, performance and compatibility inside a normal size keyboard. With features such as Dual Display capabilities, 4GB of DDR2/667MHz RAM, 1Gb LAN and DVI interface you now have a complete personal computer that takes up no more space than a typical keyboard. Simply place it on your desktop, plug in a monitor and you are done!

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:20 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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IdeaPad laptops
Another great idea from the makers of ThinkPad™.
Time for a new laptop? Need to set up a home office but cramped for space? Want to revel in the freedom only a portable, wireless laptop can provide? Tempted by those new netbooks everyone is talking about?


Turn your wishes into reality.
IdeaPad™ laptops showcase Lenovo's unique talent for masterfully blending design and world-class engineering for a new kind of computing experience.

IdeaPad. The smart choice.
It just makes sense to buy from the experts. Get trendsetting style, cutting-edge capabilities and peace-of-mind technology from the company that designs, builds and truly knows laptops.

IdeaPad laptops boast world-class engineering and high-quality features and options like:• Intel® Core™ processors.
• Genuine Windows Vista®.
• Lenovo OneKey™ Rescue System. The one-button solution for antivirus, repair and recovery.
• Lenovo VeriFace™ face recognition software. Make your face your password. It's the fun and easy way to access to your laptop.
• Lenovo OneKey™ Theater. Switch from "normal" mode to "movie" mode with a click of a button for enhanced video and audio playback.
• Lenovo Desktop Navigator. A new and quick way to access programs, shortcuts and more.
• Lenovo Energy Management. Advanced power and battery management software.
• Energy Star compliant models.

Y Series
Family entertainment
Looking for a new laptop for the family? Or, are you an avid gaming enthusiast? An entertainment buff? A technophile craving the latest technology?

These versatile laptops are well-designed to handle your multimedia, gaming and processing needs.• 14" to 17" inch widescreen displays.
• Available in many colors and styles.
• Special gaming models.
• Desktop replacement laptops.
• Mid-sized and mainstream PCs.
• Laptops engineered for HD entertainment.

U Series
Ultraportable style
Eyeing those cool, fashion-forward laptops? Always on the go? Demand the very best? The award-winning U Series is the perfect fit.

These laptops feature head-turning style, ahead-of-the-curve technology and redefine travel-ready with super-thin and light form factors and rugged build quality.• Premium 11" laptops starting at just 2.42 lbs.
• Powerful, feature-rich 13" laptops starting at 4.18 lbs.
• APS protection against accidental drops.
• High performance and switchable graphics options.
• Elite multimedia features and select HD models.

S Series
Technology to go
Looking for a value-priced, basic mini laptop that's easy to use? Shopping for a second computer for the family? Need a trusty, compact and super-light netbook for school?

Check out our S Series for all of the above plus anywhere, anytime internet access and ultraportable convenience. It's tiny technology that's accessible to all.
• Simple to use. Easy to carry. Difficult to pass up.
• Starting at just 2.2 lbs. and 0.7" thin.
• 10.1" LED backlit screen.
• Ideal for email, photos, web surfing and everyday computing.
• Available in assorted colors.
• Full-function keyboard.
• Very budget friendly.


Source: shop.lenovo.com



Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:08 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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ThinkStation workstations
Unleash your potential with ThinkStation
Lenovo's flagship performance machine, ThinkStation® is exceptionally engineered for professional users of graphically and computationally intensive applications who require a level of performance unattainable with a standard desktop computer. Powered by Intel® Xeon® processor technology, with graphics by NVIDIA Quadro® and ATI FirePro™, ThinkStation offers the professional-strength performance you need to do more, faster.
In developing the ultimate workstation, we took our legendary Think® product design and created two powerful, highly versatile models – the single-processor S Series workstations and the dual-processor D Series workstations. Both feature the latest technologies from Intel®, NVIDIA®, ATI™ and our own ThinkVantage® Technologies. Both are ISV Certified and optimized to run the world's most demanding workstation applications smoothly and worry-free. And, like all Think® brand products, ThinkStation models employ smart features and rock-solid reliability you can count on to make a day at the office like a walk in the park.

Discover professional-strength performance. Unleash your potential with ThinkStation.
Introducing ThinkStation 2.0
From the exceptional engineers of Lenovo comes the next generation of ThinkStation workstation. The new ThinkStation S20 and D20 offer the following enhancements:
Faster, more efficient architecture with the latest Intel® workstation technology
Addition of ATI FirePro™ support
Quieter user experience with optimized fan placement and speed control
Increased reliability with optimized thermal design
Improved cable management
Faster memory
More environmentally friendly: now EPEAT Gold qualified, with up to 26% post-consumer recycled plastics

A smarter workstation
ThinkStation offers a user-centric, environmentally conscious design that boosts productivity and ultimately results in increased productivity for your business. Enjoy the following smart design features:




Ergonomic removable top handle
Front-access media ports with illuminated icons and a recessed power button
Superior cable management
Premium side cover latch for easy access to internal components
Innovative thermal design with optimized fan placement, for a cooler, quieter, more reliable PC
All ThinkStation models are rack-mountable

Change the way you work with a smarter workstation: ThinkStation.
ISV certified
Lenovo works closely with leading software partners, and ThinkStation has hundreds of independent software vendor (ISV) certifications – ensuring you have the performance you need to run the world's most demanding workstation applications.





Stable, safe and secure
Enjoy peace of mind built into every ThinkStation thanks to ThinkVantage® Technologies. Advanced security features like the available fingerprint reader keyboard and built-in ThinkVantage® Client Security Solution help to secure your data while the optimized thermal design reduces the risk of hardware failure for unmatched reliability. The ThinkVantage® Productivity Center automates updates and maintenance tasks, and places system tools and services no more than a press or a click away.

All ThinkStation models undergo a series of rigorous voltage, shock, vibration, and drop tests before they ever reach your desk, ensuring the rock-solid reliability that is the hallmark of the Think brand. And every ThinkStation model is backed by our standard warranty and Lenovo's award-winning customer support.
Source: shop.lenovo.com

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 9:03 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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ThinkPad W700ds mobile workstation
Dual-screen productivity wherever you go
The ThinkPad W700ds offers you all the power and functionality of a stationary workstation, fitted inside a sleek mobile PC package. Slide out the supplementary 10.6” display for enhanced dual-screen productivity and an even more desktop-like experience, wherever you go. Take your W700ds with you and watch your ideas come to life – anytime, anywhere. Because with a ThinkPad W700ds at your side, the world is your workstation.
W700ds key features
Up to Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor
Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate
17” WSXGA+/WUXGA (1920x1200) display
Retractable 10.6” second display
NVIDIA® Quadro FX® based graphics solution
Integrated Wacom® palm-rest digitizer and pen
Integrated X-Rite® color calibration

Mobile multitasking made easy
The ThinkPad W700ds features a second, retractable 10.6® screen that expands the display area by 39 percent. Dual-screen functionality enables users to work in multiple applications simultaneously without switching views or compromising their workspace. Enhance your productivity and enjoy a more desktop-like computing experience with the dual-screen W700ds mobile workstation.
Ultimate graphics experience
NVIDIA® Quadro FX® based graphics solution for optimized visual computing application performance.
OpenGL with up to 1GB of dedicated video memory enables graphics-intensive applications.
High-resolution, premium WSXGA+ or WUXGA panels provide a superior viewing experience.
Dual-link DVI uses next-generation DisplayPort technology to provide clearer, crisper images and a larger viewing area.

Integrated color calibration
An industry exclusive, the ThinkPad W700ds offers a built-in X-Rite® color calibrator, providing you with greater image accuracy, precise PANTONE® color matching, and a consistently true display. Located on the keyboard just above the digitizer, the calibrator automatically adjusts the display’s color in half the time of many external calibrators, offering you the most accurate, true-to-life images in an integrated package.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 8:58 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Lenovo ThinkPad T400


Build and Design
The design of the T400 has changed a bit since previous generation ThinkPads। The changes are subtle to the untrained eye, but they are there. The right side is now gently sloped similar to what can be found on the older T4x series, where the sides angle inward instead of dropping off flat. The first clue about this is the optical drive bezel which sports a nice beveled edge. The rubber feet have also been slightly tweaked, now feeling softer, and you get an additional springy nub on the bottom of the notebook. Getting past the minor case design changes, the style of this ThinkPad is every bit as boring as all ThinkPads preceding it. We have the same paint, same rubbery texture, and we still have our ThinkPad logo.

Upgrade and expansion is a step harder than most notebooks, but still very simple. To gain access to all user-replaceable parts, you simply remove five screws and carefully remove the palmrest and keyboard. Here you gain access to an open WWAN slot, another for Turbo Memory or UWB, two DDR3 memory slots, and your wireless card. At this stage you can also see the processor and heatsink, but a few additional items must be removed before you can lift those items out. Although this setup does seem like Lenovo is trying discourage the user from upgrading parts, Lenovo fully allows owners to handle upgrading or adding components to their notebook without voiding the warranty. That said, advanced component replacement, such as removing the processor, might void a warranty. The hard drive is the only item accessible from the outside of the case (besides the battery) and is easily removed with a single screw.



Build quality is very similar to the previous generation थिन्क्पद, with all of its strengths and weaknesses। Fit and finish are great with most parts, but you still have a good amount of battery wiggle in the back, as well as the cheaper feeling plastic LCD lid. This configuration offered both PC Card and ExpressCard/54 slots, so it included the spring loaded dust flap. This is different from the T400 we reviewed last year that had a blank card instead of the flap since it was equipped with a SD card reader taking one of the slots. The flap adds support on the left side of the palmrest, so unlike the other T400 this model is rock solid on the left.


सोर्स :www.notebookreview.com
Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 4:11 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Monday, June 1, 2009
Acer Ferrari 5000 Driving Innovation
The Ferrari 5000 is a unique product of innovation; it is the result of
combining Acer’s ultra-modern design philosophy with ground-breaking
dual-core mobile technology to create the ultimate expression of
performance and style. Complete with the latest advances in integrated
wireless video connectivity and eye-catching multimedia capabilities, the
Ferrari 5000 is stunning symbol of cutting-edge mobility.

• A Commitment to Excellence…

Acer is committed to excellence through the constant development and application of cutting-edge technologies. With a carbon fiber chassis and driven by the latest AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology, the 64Bit Ferrari 5000 is a solution that is stylish, yet has a performance-packed edge.

• …Creates a Mobile Champion
Power, design and cutting-edge multimedia technologies combine with seamless wireless and wired connectivity to form one of the world’s most desirable mobile communication solutions. Featuring an Acer 1.3 megapixel OrbiCam™ video camera integrated into the top of the 15.4" WXGA display and an Acer VoIP
Bluetooth phone, the Ferrari 5000 delivers real-time mobile video conferencing, making it an all- round communication winner and the perfect companion for mobile champions.

Posted by Abdul Munim Durrani at 11:24 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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