Posts for 'Computers' Category

Folks living Stateside can pick up the 11.6" ultraportable laptop which was known as the Aspire Timeline 1810T. Taking on the Aspire 1410 moniker, this model will be powered by an Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 1.4GHz ultra-low voltage processor, accompanied by Intel's GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics chipset, a 1,366 x 768 resolution LED-backlight display, 2GB RAM that maxes out at 4GB, a 250GB hard drive and a 6-cell battery that offers a maximum of half dozen hours of computing on-the-go.

Unlike other notebooks, this model lacks an optical drive, but will be equipped with a 5-in-1 memory card reader, an integrated webcam, Wi-Fi connectivity, stereo speakers, HDMI output, VGA and SPDIF outputs. Expect the Aspire 1410 to come in ruby red and diamond black colors, retailing from $460 upwards.

HP’s latest series – HP Touchsmart TX2, having 12” touchscreen, is aimed to lend you a mobile-like usability, that gives you a sense of ease of bothersome use of mouse or touchpad, now you enjoy the delight of touchscreen – three in one; screen, mouse and touchpad. Well done HP!

Touchsmart tx2’s façade finish seems similar to its series HP Pavilion tx2500z, yet what is added new in it - a multi-touch screen and a newer Imprint quality. This new series has few other additional features – you can swivel the screen 180 degrees, to use it at your own comfort, and can convert the screen into a tablet to type on the display employing its digital pen.

If you appear badly exasperated from the mouse and touchpad and look for any other alternative, don’t worry, the solution of your problem has been sorted out and you must get TX2, from the open house without any delay.

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Late last week, Sony dropped news of its "affordable" entertainment notebooks ($880 isn't too shabby for a notebook sporting a Blu-Ray drive, but still . . .). Of course, it didn't take Acer long to fire back with bargain deal of its own. Acer's new line of budget-friendly Aspires promise full-size performance, but in a netbook's price range. And a $749 all-purpose all-star that offers a Blu-ray drive.

But let's start with the The 15.6-inch Aspire AS5536 and 17.3-inch Aspire AS7735Z ($479 and $599, respectively). Both boast LED backlit technology, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and low-end graphics to give you a subtle multimedia kick.

Both notebooks here feature a nifty multi-gesture touchpad (which will let users scroll, zoom, and flip through photos and spreadsheets with just the flick of a finger) and "Acer Backup Manager," a one-touch way to back-up files and information. The Aspire AS7735Z also has a "PowerSave" key, which is a one-button way to activate advanced power saving settings.$home$

So what does the $120 difference buy you between these two models (besides the larger screen)? The AS5536 packs AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-64 CPU, 3GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics and a 320GB hard drive. The AS7735Z trades a discrete GPU for lousy integrated performance and a 250GB hard drive, but opts for 4GB of RAM and an Intel Pentium T4200 Processor.

The Aspire AS5536 and Aspire AS7735Z also feature an 8X DVD double-layer drive. Other hardware includes a built-in Webcam and 250GB hard drive.If you're looking for a step up in performance (and price), the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire AS5739G starts at $749.99 and offers users an Intel Core2 Duo T6500 processor and Nvidia's GeForce GT130M graphics card -- so you might actually be able to play games on this thing as well as HD movies. Touted as a "mobile multimedia powerhouse," the Aspire AS5739G also features built-in stereo speakers, a bass booster, a 5.1-channel output for surround sound (we'll believe it when we see/hear it), and a Blu-ray/DVD drive. Yep, they just went there -- and undercut Sony's announcement from last week. How will it perform in comparison? That's a question best left for the PC World Labs. Check back and we'll give you the full scoop once a review unit shows up.

The Aspire AS5536 and Aspire AS7736Z should be in stores now, and the Aspire AS5739G will be available at the end of June.

If you purchased an HP or Compaq-brand laptop between August 2007 and March 2008, we advise you to stop, drop and roll.  Or, that’s what we would advise you to do if you were on fire - which is a real possibility thanks to the battery inside your laptop.

HP has kicked of a voluntary recall of over 70,000 laptop batteries from a variety of models.  The decision was made to do so after two machines overheated and caught fire thanks to the faulty batteries.

We imagine the laptop fires weren’t really that cool looking, so we found a better picture (above) to illustrate what a flaming laptop looks like.

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Verizon and HP’s netbook collaboration - the EVDO Rev.A equipped HP Mini 1151NR - is set to drop in stores from May 17th, according to the latest tipsters.  Stock is already believed to be arriving with retailers, with a retail price expected to be around $199 with a 2-year contract and following a mail-in rebate.The Mini 1151NR itself is expected to be a pretty basic model, with an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.  Connectivity is likely to include WiFi and possibly Bluetooth, plus there are two USB ports and a 2-in-1 memory card reader.

As with all of these bundled-3G netbook deals, the value depends on just how much you want to avoid a USB dongle sticking out of the side of your netbook.  With monthly fees of $40 or $60 per month, you’re paying between $960 and $1,440 over the course of your contract, and have 3G that’s tricky if not unwieldy to use with other laptops.

Clearwire's WiMax deployment is still in its early stages, but Dell has formally unveiled WiMax 4G connectivity options for its Studio 17 and Studio XPS 16 notebooks. Clearwire is still in the early stages of lighting up its promised nationwide WiMax network—currently Portland and Baltimore are online, with the company promising eight additional markets will come online during 2009.

Computer maker Dell seems to believe WiMax will have some momentum: the company has announced WiMax connectivity options for two of its notebooks—the Studio 17 and Studio XPS 16—as a $60 upgrade. The add-on combines 802.11n and WiMax networking, so buyers don't have to sacrifice Wi-Fi connectivity for WiMax.

Dell also says it is looking at offering Long Term Evolution (LTE) connectivity in notebooks. LTE is a technology that will eventually compete with WiMax for 4G wireless broadband connectivity; the United States' digital television shutoff (currently scheduled for June 12 will free up frequencies that Verizon, AT&T, and other operators plan to eventually use to roll out nationwide LTE service.

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Averatec is currently working on a new Android-powered netbook that is claimed to be “a merger of cellphone and PC technology” - at least that's what most people think since it would make perfect sense to take that route.

This won't be Averatec's first netbook though as they released the Buddy last year, although the Buddy was but a rebadged MSI Wind.

This new netbook will be built and designed from scratch, so we hope they do a good job at it. After all, their recently released N2700 notebook wasn't exactly a looker despite offering good value for money.

Dell's much awaited new notebook called Adamo is out. The company has launched the ultra-portable sleek notebook for road warriors that like a fashionable yet powerful machine. "We wanted something that is thin, elegant and offers quality that beat competitors," John New, Dell's executive for consumer marketing told.

The Adamo is a beautifully designed notebook computer that in its basic model comes with a 1.2 GHz Intel Core2Duo processor, 2 GB memory and 128GB solid state drive. It also offers two USB ports, one USB/eSATA port and a display port. But all of that carries a stiff price tag. The basic version of the Adamo will cost $2000, while a more expensive model costs $2700.

The Adamo has brought more buzz to Dell recently than any of its other products. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January Dell showed a prototype of the machine. The company hired a model to show off the notebook, but did not turn it on, offer any specifications or allow anyone to touch it.

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The General Dynamics Itronix GD8000 is a small laptop that deserves its fully rugged classification, having withstood a brutal regimen of tests designed to simulate exposure to the elements. The GD8000 is targeted at the military and markets such as the military, EMS, law enforcement, construction, oil and mineral exploration, and transportation.

This 13.3-inch laptop meets the U.S. military's MIL-STE 810F ruggedness standard, surviving multiple 42-inch drops (26 in all for a single unit!); a simulated rainstorm (30 gallons of water blown at 40mph over 4 hours while the laptop was in operation); a shivering-cold (-22 degrees F) cold boot as well as a boot in scorching temperatures; plus dust and vibration testing.

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With most of the laptops in our Winter 2009 Retail Review Roundup sporting a fairly uniform set of components and features, any entries that break the mold in a significant way have a good chance of standing out from the crowd.

In the crowded Budget category of retail laptops, ranging from $600 to $899, we were pleased to discover the $679 Asus X83VB-X2, a 14-inch system notable for its discrete Nvidia GeForce 9300 graphics.

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