Design:

Display: A 15.6 inches black screen with Led backlight adorns this laptop. The 720p HD resolution gives you a great experience with pictures and movies. G575 comes with a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:9.  Though not an eye-catcher or a head turner, G575 has sleek design and decent looks. The performance part however makes up for its less than pretty looks. Color spectrum isn’t impressive either. The display isn’t suitable for outdoor use as the glare type screen causes reflections.

Appearance: Lenovo Essential G575 Laptop Computer comes with a glossy screen which is quite prone to fingerprints and has a grey finish to the overall black body. Its dimensions are 14.8 x 9.8 x 1.3(width x depth x height) inches. A 0.3 MP Webcam is integrated on the top front of the laptop and allows you to make video calls. However the picture quality isn’t great and video editing is definitely not what this laptop should be used for. The lid has a matt surface and is made of smooth plastic and there are no silver shiny bars or Led lit buttons to cut down the cost. The lid can be tilted back to an angle of 135 degrees.The Lenovo logo is embedded into the lid in silver letters and that’s the only decorative element in this laptop. Weighing around 4.4 pounds (2.33 kgs) its light weight and easy to carry around with you.

Keyboard: The keyboard in G575 15.6 inch Laptop is also like the rest of the machine. It incorporates all the necessary features and keeps away from the costly ones. It’s an Accu type keyboard with concave keys and is suitable for productive typists. The stroke is firm with minimal key drop. Lenovo has installed a standard number pad on the right side of the keyboard, though the number keys are smaller than the letter keys. Also, certain keys are minimized like the Enter, Right Shift and Backspace keys but it can be compromised. The arrow keys are squeezed and are uncomfortable to use. G575 stays away from glowing power buttons due to cost reasons.  Function keys are colored red for identifying special functions.

Touchpad: The touchpad comes integrated on the arm-rest a little towards the left. It’s an industry standard touchpad and has a textured look and feel. The mouse keys are firm and have a low key drop. It’s easy to use and smooth. Two finger scroll control works fine. There is a marking for vertical scroll bar but the horizontal scroll has to be enabled.

Ports and Slots: A decent number of ports and slots are included in G575. On the left side of the chassis you find an RJ-45 Ethernet port for LAN connectivity. Three USB 2.0 ports are provided on the left of the Ethernet slot. A VGA port is given using which you can hook it up to an external monitor. There is no USB 3.0 port due to budget constraints. On the right you find two audio sockets; one for headphone and the other is the microphone jack. Next to it is the optical drive which is the basic DVD writer. Another USB 2.0 port is placed next to it and there’s a slot for AC adapter. The front features a 2 in 1 card reader which reads SD card format as well as Multimedia card format. The WLAN/switch is also put in the front and there are no interfaces on the rear side of the laptop. There is no Bluetooth connectivity in this model; however the 4PU model has one. There is neither a HDMI port nor any digital video port.

Features:

Processor:  Lenovo G575 comes loaded with an AMD dual core E350 processor. Clocking at the speed of 1.6 GHz, its performance is remarkably low when compared to an Intel i3 or i5 processor. Since it’s only a midrange processor, it provides a fairly decent performance for general tasks such as web browsing or working on Microsoft office. A 64 bit instruction set along with 1 MB of L2 cache make up the chipset. There is also an AMD A50M integrated memory controller for faster access to memory.

Memory: Lenovo has packed a 4GB DDR3 SD RAM which has a speed of 1333 MHz. The RAM can be extended up to 8 GB. A 500 GB of Serial-ATA 300 western digital hard disk lets you store a vast collection of multimedia files. It rotates at a speed of 5400 revolutions per minute (rpm). Its higher model; 4383-4PU comes with 6 GB of RAM and a generous 750 GB hard drive. The 4 GB of RAM lets you do multitasking and the transfer rates are decent.

Graphics: Like all entry-level budget conscious laptops, G575 doesn’t boast of amazing graphics. It comes with an integrated AMD RADEON HD 6310 Graphics Processing Unit. It gives good performance with the AMD E350 APU which efficiently exploits the graphic unit. Light gaming can be enjoyed on this laptop.

Speakers: A pair of 1.5 watt speakers is in-built in this laptop and is placed just above the keyboard. The codec for Audio is CX20671. The sound quality is below average and one cannot use it for entertainment purposes. Adjusting the audio settings a little however makes it suitable for office use.

Operating System: Surprisingly G575 does not come with any pre-installed operating system. Yes, that’s correct; there is no operating system installed on this laptop though there comes a free CD of DOS along with the package. One can load Windows 7 Home Premium as it works perfectly with the system’s configuration.

Software: Lenovo G575 comes with a load of pre-installed software. Lenovo ReadyComm, CyberLink Power 2Go, CyberLink YouCam, Adobe Reader, McAfee virus scan plan, Picasa 3, Windows Live Essentials 2011 and Microsoft office are to name a few. ReadyComm is utility software that lets you control your internet connection. There’s a free 60 day trial of McAfee virus protection plan. There’s a pre-loaded Microsoft Office suite present on G575 which can be activated by purchasing a product key card or disc. Two of the most impressive software included in this laptop are the VeriFace technology and Lenovo OneKey rescue technology. While OneKey lets you store and backup all your data by just a click, the VeriFace technology allows you to log-in using your face as password.  This is an amazing security feature and protects your system from unauthorized access.

Performance:

The two cores running at 1.6 GHz provide a decent system performance. The processor exploits maximum performance from the AMD graphics unit. It is suitable only for light gaming and is not the perfect system if you are looking forward to play heavy games on it. Its perfect for office use and web browsing or watching a movie. The CPU fan is quite noisy and is audible even when the system is idle. The laptop works quite slow and uninstalling McAfee helps. Using Photoshop is snappy since the screen doesn’t feature a variety of colors. For a reasonable price, this laptop gives appreciable performance.

Battery:

One of the striking features of this laptop is its long battery life. Six cell lithium-ion batteries give a powerful battery backup. G575 lasts up to five hours when connected to wireless internet. Its power consumption is low and lasts longer when compared to other laptops in this range.

Warranty:

Lenovo gives a standard one year warranty. There is also an option for additional cover available at extra cost.

Verdict:

This laptop is true to its series name; covering all Essential features. G575 is a budget laptop that can be used for basic office use. It might not be the best laptop considering sound and video quality and better laptops are available for the same price. The processor provides an average performance and graphics are plain okay. It combines good looks with clever designs for a reasonable price. It’s a recommendable laptop if you have a limited budget.

Lenovo Essential G575 15.6 inch Notebook – Technical Specification Table

Design:

This is a not a laptop that is built to capture everyone’s gaze; with a sleek and compact metal casing that evades finger prints and scratches, its user-friendly, stylish silver  hue design  provides an overall elegant picture effect. On the inner side we get to see some plastic works and the robust chassis of Samsung RV511 extends about 381.6mm in width and showcases a depth of 256.2mm. This Laptop measures about 31.9-34.9mm in height so that it sits comfortably upon your lap. This notebook is not too heavy with its 2.4 kg weight; but the width and the broad casing makes it a difficult luggage.

Display

It is a prominent segment of this laptop, where it really scores. The 15.6″ LED display of this Samsung RV511 Notebook  promises a really exciting visual experience. This laptop has got a LED backlight display with a glossy finish. The 15.6”Led HD display of this laptop makes sure that your gaming or a movie session is an enjoyable one with its screen resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The viewing angles are not perfect as the glossy finish renders black bands but the 16:9 aspect ratio guarantees you with a precise and perfect representation of colours and details, though compensating on the contrast.

Operating System

Samsung recommends Genuine Windows 7 Home premium (64bit) operating system for RV511 Laptop. Nowadays most of the applications are designed to be compatible with 64 bit system and therefore there won’t be any compatibility issues with this notebook’s OS.

Processor

Processor is the heart and soul of a computing device. The user has to be specific with the usage and the need to pick up the right one so that the device does not let the user down. This device is engaged with a macho Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor PS100. Samsung RV511 15.6″Laptop’s powerful internal components complement this dual core processor’s 2.00 GHz clockspeed to make it comfortably faster. The dual core processing of this notebook is also back upped by a second level cache of 3 MB. Overall, this device is clearly fast in computing.

Memory

The computing abilities of a laptop or a computer are also essentially influenced by another prime factor-memory. As to this area, Samsung RV511 Essential Laptop flaunts a RAM of 3GB capacity for faster computing. This laptop comes with an upgraded DDR3 system memory, which is a relatively better performer than its predecessor DDR2. This notebook also comes packed with 2 SODIMM memory slots that capacitate storage up to 4 GB. The S-ATA hard drive of this laptop is provisioned with a whopping memory of 500GB of 5400 rotations per minute.  This ample storage facility will allow you to save lots of movies, games and files etc. This laptop is also equipped with a Multi Dual Layer optical drive. Video editing and picture editing will no more be an ordeal as the powerful RAM and the high capacity storage options will perfectly ease the cause.

Graphics card

Samsung RV511 15.6 inch Laptop provides a decent gaming experience with its integrated Nvidia GeForce 315M graphics card. The 315M graphics chip comes allocated with a capacity of 1GB . Though this desktop replacement performs a good job with simple games and video editing it scores down with higher end graphics.

Software Package

This notebook houses a lot of software stuff under its hood and some of them include Samsung Update Plus, Easy Display Manager,  Easy Speed Up Manager, Easy Network Manager, Easy Battery Manager. Samsung RV511 DDR3 Laptop also comes packed with Adobe Acrobat Reader and Samsung Support Centre.

Security

Samsung offers some of the prominent security options for this lappie. This laptop comes with Norton Internet Security in a 60 day trial pack. Samsung RV511 15.6”Laptop also sports Kensington Lock port, BIOS Boost Up Password and the specific file protector-HDD Password to ensure that there is no data loss. This laptop features a special security protocol namely Samsung Recovery Solution that allows you to skip the manual data storing procedure by automatically backing up the data into the hard drive.

Communication

Go wireless and chat, text your friends and pals with the 802.11 bg/n wireless LAN that is seated inside the chassis of Samsung desktop replacement.  This notebook is also fitted with Gigabit Wired Ethernet LAN, therefore staying in tune with your loved ones is no more an ordeal. Transferring of music files and videos are made easy with the help of its V3.0 high speed Bluetooth facility.

Input

The keypad facility is one of the fabulous features of this laptop. The keys are designed with perfect intervals and respond excellently to the slightest touch. It is perfect for the business users as the number keys find their refuge at right side of the keypad pushing aside other keys. Samsung RV511 Essential Laptop displays a flat type Touchpad at the end of the keypad.

Multimedia

The high definition audio and the SRS 3D sound effect system of this Samsung RV511 laptop makes your movie times and gaming session filled with fun. The Auditory effect of Samsung RV511 3GB RAM Laptop’s 3 watts speakers is enhanced more with the help of its noise suppression feature. It is a bit disappointing that this laptop does not feature a multimedia player. This device enables live feed assisted by a 0.3 Mega Pixel web camera.

Interfaces

Samsung RV511 is fitted with various interfaces like VGA port, headphone out socket, 3 USB 2.0 slots, 4-in-1 multi card slot, RJ45 LAN port, and a power port.

Battery

Another important aspect that makes this laptop a worthy buy is its battery. The 6 cell battery of this Samsung RV511 Laptop endures multitasking and stands stable for a remarkably long time.

Verdict

This is not a neck turner or an eye catcher, but this is some real business machine. Powerful internal components and pretty number of features at an affordable price makes it a worthy buy.

Samsung RV511 Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Design:

Generous Size:
As we said earlier, the Samsung RC710 is a desktop replacement PC. At 420 x 276 x (29-36) mm, it is larger than most contemporary laptops. The RC710 weighs about 2.9 kilograms making it extremely unfit for mobile use. You would rather want to put it on your table and treat it like a desktop PC.

Sleek Finish:
The Samsung RC710 17.3″ Laptop is extremely sleek and good looking. Available in four colours, Matte Black, Silver, Red and Glossy black, the device has a tough metallic chassis that can resist a few falls.  Most of the device cover feels shiny and smooth. There is less smudging than what you see on Piano black finish surfaces. On the vicinity of the hinges are present patterned stripes that increase grip and make it easier to hold them. The only bit of colour in the grey and black device is the blue lights under the mouse pad and the ring around the power button.

Big Screen:
Most notebooks compromise in terms of screen size to increase portability. The Samsung RC710 4GB RAM Laptop PC is not just one of them. Its display size is a standard format for desktop replacements. At 17.3 inches, it supports a high resolution of 1600 x 900 which means you can have a lot of windows open. The 16:9 aspect ratio makes it great for video playback and at its size makes watching movies a real pleasure. Thanks to the glossy screen, the videos have a better finish. The screen offers LED Backlight with a wide colour gamut. While the size makes it less portable and more energy consuming, text is readable and high resolution is perfect.

Large Keypad:
A large screen such as this has to be complemented by an equally large keyboard. The RC710 has a large keypad that helps users who have shifted from desktop PCs to notebooks. It has a full alphanumeric keypad that makes typing numbers as easy as typing text. The keys are well spaced out and have great feedback.

Responsive Touchpad:
The touch pad seems smaller because of the larger size of the keypad. It is of decent size and is extremely responsive. The touch pad is multi touch compliant and hence you can use two or more fingers to zoom, rotate etc.  Thankfully, the touch pad does not show much signs of visible smudging.

Webcam:
Samsung has tried to brand the device as a family notebook and as a substitute for desktop PC and hence have incorporated the webcam into the device. The 1.3MP HD webcam is crystal clear and the images come out fantastic. There were a few niggles with the video recording though. It was unable to show fast motion without blur, a common issue with most webcams. Skype calls were smooth though, making it a great choice if you do video calling often.

What else is in the box?
The notebook comes along with a battery, an AC adapter, a power cable, a recovery DVD and instructions on how to handle the notebook.

Features:

Decent set of Peripherals:
The Samsung RC71- has four USB 2.0 ports, a HDMI port, a VGA ( s-sub) and a card reader. There are connections for the microphone, speaker, Gigabit LAN, WLAN and Bluetooth 3.0. The Bluetooth 3.0 is capable of delivering speeds as high as 24Mbps making it 8 times faster than Bluetooth 2.1

Graphic Card:
The Samsung RC710 uses a Nvidia GForce HD G 315 graphic card with 512 MB of memory. The chip uses a special technique called Nvidia Optimus technique that works on cutting down energy usage as well as improve performance whenever calibrated. However, the chip is not any better than others in the market. Games that require low end graphics run without an issue but games with higher graphics run with low detail and average resolution. Gamers should opt for the Dell Inspiron 15R. The Optimus technique should be thanked for improving battery life.

Fast Start:
The Samsung RC710 features the innovative Fast Start option that allows you to save important data and system configurations into PC memory for quick access as well as data protection. This is unlike Linux based systems such as the Asus Express Gate. The gain in speed is because the current session in memory is saved on the hard disk and is almost ready after waking up from sleep.

All Share:
This is yet another standard feature present on all Samsung DLNA certified devices. All Share allows you to wirelessly play videos, images and music across all DLNA devices such as cameras and handsets. Thanks to All share, it is possible to watch HD content from your notebook on TV. This is not a feature many would use but those who would use it will swear by it.

Performance:

Comfortable running:
Although the device uses the earlier generation Intel Core i5 480M instead of the latest Sandy bridge technology, it is still good enough to run a lot of applications at the same time. The 6 GB memory also helps.

Frames rate:
The RC710 was able to play Devil May Cry 1600 x 900 pixels at an fps of 35 and in a higher resolution video, the fps dropped down to 20. Therefore it is not the best for graphic intensive gaming and is recommended only for low level graphic games.

Read and Write Speeds:
The Sequential read and write speeds of the device were 85 and 82MBps. The Buffered read and write speeds were roughly double of the above mentioned values: 170 Mbps.

Audio and Video Playback:
The glossy screen decreases viewing angles. Otherwise the screen is fantastic for watching movies. The colours are well reproduced and the blacks are particularly dark. The audio playback was crisp though there could have been better bass options.

Power Consumption:

The RC710 consumed 0.3 watt in idle mode, 15 watt in sleep mode and the highly energy intensive DVD playback in power saving mode consumed 22 watts. The maximum consumption of power was 45 watts at 100 percent brightness.

Battery Life:

The RC710 has an average battery life of 4 hours. While it is not any closer to the 6 hour benchmark, it is still a very good life for a notebook that is intended to replace a desktop PC. Because the device is less portable, there are lesser chances of moving it around, so battery life does not matter much if you intend to keep it at one place all the time.

Warranty:

The Samsung RC710 Laptop Computer  has a warranty period of two years.

Verdict:

The Samsung RC710 is a device that does not disappoint. It was never a high performance notebook but for its price it is the perfect replacement of a desktop PC. It is extremely quiet and stylish. The screen is good except for the display. The speakers are clear.  Fast Start is a very handy feature too. The battery life is the showstopper though. So Samsung RC710 is an overall good choice for people who are looking to switch to the notebook craze. But if you are looking for Blu-ray or USB 3.0, we suggest you check out Dell XPS 17.

Check other Laptop Reviews in this website.

Samsung RC710 Laptop – Technical Specification Table

So, we are looking at something like a laptop that comes with a swivel screen that can be folded down across the keyboard to look like a flat slate, also possessing an incredible 12.5″ IPS display, like the ones found on the professional monitors such as the famous iPad and even the HP DreamColour LP2480zx. The other “expected features” list might include a Intel processor, an entire day’s worth of battery life, a Wacom digitizer as well as a rugged exterior. Well, the Lenovo Thinkpad X220 seems to be just fitting in the above description. While it has got the feature list right, let us find out if it has done the same with the performance.

Design:

Conventional but smart:

We are pretty sure that as soon as you saw the image of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Laptop, and thought that the manufacturer has just travelled back in time to about the year 2000. But we do not blame you for thinking so, with the aesthetics alone, the ThinkPad does not look much different from its previous X series laptops the company had released every year. However, that is heaps more than what meets the eye with this ultra-portable laptop, having all the latest state of the art technologies. On a closer look, you will find the Lenovo has made a few tweaks to the keyboard and touchpad of the ThinkPad, making a whole lot of difference that you might have not even imagined. Overall, the ‘Business’ and boring look of this Lenovo will completely fool you, and we will never regret if we said that this is one of the best laptops we had ever tested.

Display:

Once you open the TouchPad and switch it on, you get a shockingly crisp blue background on its 12.5″ matte display. The IPS display is great and has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which not only offers vibrant colours and pictures, but it also is amazing with its horizontal and vertical viewing angles. The display here is the closest to flawless we have ever seen. It is slightly reflective, thanks to its optional Gorilla Glass Layer, but is nothing as glossy as the other glass fronted displays we have seen. Irrespective of which angle the laptop was, we could make out what was on it, and our natural instincts yearned for a higher resolution option. Overall, the ThinkPad X220’s display is very close to perfect, particularly in comparison to the cheap and glossy panels that most of the current tables possess.

Touch:

The display in Thinkpad X220 has support for both capacitive touch as well a stylus via Wacom’s Digitizer. The touch response is excellent and the solid glass front just offers effortless sliding of fingers. There is natural support for multi-touch and gesture control, which did not seem perfect. The display coating is pretty good at minimising the effects of greasy fingerprints, and after a complete day’s use smudging is only distractingly visible against dark backgrounds.

Durable and Sturdy:

As we had just mentioned, the ThinkPad X220 has a design that consumers might not even care to look, and has been highly undermined by the current standards. But we still have to note that there are a few parts on this device that are simply timeless. A uniform look is offered by the matte black plastic, beating numerous laptops that are just mismatched, such as the Asus U30JC. In order to keep out the dreaded fingerprints and dust collection, the lid has been given a rubbery coating. Though the metal exteriors of the current style icons of the laptop industry such as the Dell Vostro and HP’s EliteBook make the X220 look a little out-dated, it manages to be as tough as nails. The display has been kept wobble-free, thanks to the metal hinges and the base of the X220 feels the most durable than most out there. It meet the terms of the MIL SPEC principles for semi-rugged laptops, which means that it has been tested to survive environmental risks like humidity and temperature extremes, dust as well as vibration.

Light:

Being durable does not exactly mean that it should be heavy; like its predecessors X200 and X201, the X220 too is amazingly light. The 1.25″ chassis of the ThinkPad X220 weight just 3.6 pounds and, note that this is excluding the six cell battery, by adding the slice battery, it adds another 1.16” in thickness as well an extra 1.4 pounds to the entire package. The good news is that, this battery fits in pretty flush within the system and hence, does not obstruct any of the essential ports. Being lesser than an inch thick, it is easy to carry a pouch or just take it with some files.

X220 as a tablet:

Unfortunately, when compared to the earlier X220t, the manufacturer seems to have taken a back step as far as the usability of the devices as a tablet is concerned. To begin with, though the hinge is quite smooth and solid, it is not bi-directional anymore, which proved to be one of the main factors that managed to set its predecessors on top of the rival convertible tablet laptops. The number of buttons below the display has been reduced from 4 to 3, the one to get the chop is the handy orientation-lock button. And the power button is also the same size as that of the other two, making it quite easy to get on the wrong one. We were just wishing if only Lenovo had included a programmable button like the one found on the Packard Bell Butterfly Touch.

Amazing keyboard:

Lenovo has never got the laptop keyboards wrong, and the ThinkPad X220 is no exception. There is nothing chiclet about this affair, and it is all the better for it. The feedback offered by the slightly curved keys is excellent and perfect for the touch typists. With the 12.5” wide display, Lenovo has been able to play around with the spacing and was far from being cramped. In addition to good feedback and spacing, there has been absolutely no flex too. Unfortunately, the Z key on our laptop was pretty loose and even when snapped back, it does not register the keystrokes occasionally. Just hope that this is not a widespread issue and just on this particular unit, but only time will give the answers.

The layout is pretty much spot-on, though, like always, the blue coloured Enter key is US styled and Fn key remains to be placed outside the Ctrl. Lenovo remains to be one of the few manufacturers clinging on to the archaic convention and, while we just wish it would not, you can always swap the functionalities of these keys in BIOS. Lenovo has also shrunk the function row, but the oversized Delete and Esc keys remain the same. On top of the function key row, there are clever buttons for mute, volume, as well as microphone mute. When you hit Fn + Page Up, the practical ThinkLight provides a soft white LED on the keyboard, which is simply great to be using in a dark conference hall or bedroom. We would have preferred the even lighting of a backlit keyboard with light shining through the transparent markings and letters on every key top. The keyboard is spill resistant, having “weep” holes on its bottom of the laptop in order to funnel the liquid away from the inner components will keep you worry from your favourite beverage spilling on the ThinkPad X220.

Interface options:

As in the case of most of its siblings, the ThinkPad X220 is not anything short of the navigational options and it is no surprise that the manufacturer has not given up on its combo of touchpad and pointing stick. The stick offers good cursor control as well as big buttons that are easy to press. The thin pen is quite comfortable and is also coated with the same soft finishing on the lid as well as the inner screen bezel. While its recognition of 512 pressure levels might not sound great in comparison to the 2048 of a Wacom Intous 4 graphics tablet, but it is just adequate for sketching and light drawing. If you choose to make use of the stick, just make sure that you hit on the Fn+F8 that launches the software to turn off the pad. Else, you thumb will end up sitting on the included key area of the pad while using the stick, and this will stop the cursor movement.

The nub and stick:

The famous red nub sits right in the centre of the keyboard, but even better, the latest ClickPad is effectively a touchpad with integrated mouse buttons. It still has the slightly raised braille like bumps, however, as the buttons are integrated, the surface is wider and longer than its X200 predecessor, and the numbers say that it is about 45% larger now. Having said that, this 1.95” x 3” ThinkPad still does not seem to be as spacious as we would like and will simply result in quite a restricted experience. The point and click functionality of the ThinkPad is good, but we found it to be lacking in sensitivity. Even when it was updated with new drivers, it made no difference with the multi finger gestures like pinch and zoom or scrolling. Hence, in spite of having the two modes of navigation, we would have liked a third mode, like the Anywhere Mouse.

Appreciable WebCam:

At one glance, you will not be able to make out that Lenovo has gone through a lot of pain to offer you an impeccable video conferencing options. So, at least a deeper look into it will be justifiable. The 720p webcam on its crown is incredibly sharp, clear and crisp. The ThinkPad X220 Notebook Computer is also equipped with some noise cancellation mics that have been designed especially to get rid of the keyboard noise. The combination of Fn and F6 opens its communications utility which has the noise cancellation option. This proved to be much better than the ones found on the MacBook Pro. We are not trying to say that it gets rid of the keyboard noise at all, but they are far less noticeable than what the Macbook Pro is capable of. The webcam was good in all types of lighting conditions from bright to low. There was some minor motion blur at the highest resolution setting, but nothing as such is noticeable at 640 x 480, which is mostly the setting used for video conferencing.

The one voice or multiple voice options are very impressive. With the one-voice setting, that mics picked up the voice of the person sitting in face of the display, and the other person in the side sounded pretty low. When it was set to multiple voices, everybody sitting around the laptop sounded the same.

Ports and connectivity:

The ThinkPad X220 Laptop has one of the most robust port layouts we have ever seen on any of the current 12″ laptop. The connectivity options included in the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 are a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired network connectivity, VGA or DisplayPort Sockets, a trifecta of USB Jacks and a single 3.5mm combi jack headphone connector. You will also find an ExpressCard 54 and also a four-in-one card slot. The inclusion of a Display Port makes more sense; while most consumers might have been happier with a HDMI port, in UK, the business oriented displays use DisplayPort. And, if you just cannot bear with a DisplayPort and want a HDMI, you can always buy a Display-to-HDMI adaptor for very less. With some configure to order models, you get to personalise the device to your needs. Like most of the laptops weighing below 3 pounds, the X220 does not have a built-in optical drive.

Features:

Processor:

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is the first laptop that we have reviewed with Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M processor, and just like the MacBook Pro that was equipped with the Core i7, the power surge is quite noticeable. The CPU is powerful, yet quite efficient and will handle anything but the most intensively multi-threaded applications with a great deal of ease, With quite a few applications opened, such as Microsoft Word, Skype, TweetDeck, about 10 sides opened with the Chrome and also some photo editing software, the laptop was surprisingly incredibly quick. However, if you think that you will not need so much power, the CPU can always be downgraded to a Core i3-2310M, or, if you are just hungry for more, just get up to a quad-core Core i7-2620M for the sake of heavy duty works such as HD video encoding. The hard drive has active protection in order to protect the data in case you bump or drop it. That said, for some real crash-proof reliability, the X220 can be got with SSD options, and also Lenovo’s RapidDrive solution, that combines with an SSD and regular hard drive.

RAM, HDD and OS:

The system seemed to be faster with the everyday tasks than what the older Core i3 or i5 systems were able to. One of the main reasons for this quickness might be because of the 320GB hard drive with the spindle speed of 7200rpm and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. This is of course, expandable to 8GB. For the hard drive too, there are also various options available, including SSDs of about 160GB. The entire system is running in Windows 7 Professional in 64 bit flavour as standard, and as with the options are concerned, you can choose the Home Premium 64-bit or Home Basic 32-bit.

Wireless connectivity:

For wireless connectivity, there is Bluetooth and 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi networking. There is a small physical wireless switch on the left of the laptop controlling both the X220’s Bluetooth and WiFi, and a fingerprint readercan be found on the screen’s bezel. 3G comes in just as an optional extra.

Graphics:

As far as graphics is concerned, the X200 does not have any dedicated graphics, so you will be just stuck with the Intel’s integrated option. Lenovo has equipped the ThinkPad with Intel’s lowly integrated HD graphics, and in fact, IGP will be just perfect for light video editing and HD playback. Fortunately, the latest HD 3000 series are integrated in to the CPU and seem to be far superior than the earlier solutions from Intel. Intel has definitely packed in a lot more punch to its new HD graphics options. In fact, you will be able to risk a couple of odd games with substantial drop in detail and resolution and this new Intel’s graphics also offers dedicated hardware video processing acceleration; note that this demands compatible software. But, you are not going to use this for gaming, are you?

Configuration:

Most of Lenovo’s business clients order their ThinkPads pre-configured just the way they want them. And, Lenovo still makes it quite easy for the consumers who wish to upgrade the X220 on their own too. The hard drive can be easily prepared by removing the single screw on the side access panel, and as far as RAM is concerned, you will find two slots that are placed beneath the main access plate on the bottom of the laptop.

Software:

As always, Lenovo has equipped the X220 with an amazing set of its own utilities such as ThinkVantage, including fingerprint reader configuration, power controls as well as an enhanced backup and restore. Amazingly, not everything has been installed in the system; hence if you are opting to use one of these, you just have to go to a small download process. We also appreciate that it does not have any third-party crap-ware preloaded. In fact, the system is a pristine desktop, which is quite rare in the world that is cluttered with bloated crapware systems. The X220 also features Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience 2.0 features that works with the Windows 7 Operating System that has the ability to fasten up tasks like resuming, booting-up, as well as reconnecting to the WiFi networks.

Security features:

The ThinkPad X220 12.5 inch Laptop has a few unique as well as compelling security features that cannot be found on heaps of other gadgets. The Lenovo AutoLock can be configured to lock the desktop once the system had been idle for some time, and when the webcam does not find a webcam not staring at the system. This just makes sure that, if you happen to walk away from the system and forget to secure it, no one else will be able to access it. Unfortunately, the face detection system will work fine only as long as you stared directly at the system, if you happen to be looking sideways, it simply gets locked. There is no doubt that the powered fingerprint reader is the ultimate security feature a laptop can have. Once you are done with the configuration is done, the device can be powered and log into Windows with just a swipe.

Audio:

The base of the ThinkPad X220 has down-firing speakers that deliver more sonic presence than what you could have expected. It is just fine for the basic web audio. Unfortunately, the music playback is quite thin and tinny, which is the case in most of the ultra portables. The maximum volume output is loud enough to fill a large room with a clear sound. The maximum volume setting and bass output is almost non-existent. The speakers on the bottom front means that the sound is directed down and away from you rather than up towards your ears. While using the X220 in the laptop mode, then the sound is often muffled against your clothes or legs.

Noise and thermal performance:

It is notable that this standard voltage processor means, no thermal issues. The ThinkPad X220 remained quite cool during usage, and even with heavy YouTube use, it does not fire-up the laps. The noise levels were almost a non-issue with normal daily use on the X220. The default fan speed is extremely quiet and if at all you wish to hear it, you have to just place your ears next to it.

Battery life:

The battery life of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 can be summed up as, “We have never seen an ultra-portable device or laptop that managed to last this long on a single charge”. The 63Wh six cell battery lasted for about seven hours and 19 minutes on video, and on typical use, you can get about eight hours of run time with that cell, yes, you read it right, EIGHT hours. Note that, this is just with the standard batters, so what will the whopping slice battery add to it? well, another ten hours, believe it or not. With this the X220 was on a SD video loop for about fourteen and a half hours, that is almost the entire time you will be awake. But do not forget that you have to spend a decent sum on the slice battery.

Warranty:

Lenovo offers one year warranty for parts and labour. You can always get extended warranties for up to three years and, the ThinkPlus protection plans insures it against accidental damages, at additional cost.

Verdict:

From a distance, you can be forgiven for thinking that the Thinkpad X220 is an early 2000’s model, which cannot last more than 4 hours without a cable, which is absolutely sluggish by today’s standards. The fact is, this laptop is the longest lasting as well as the fastest ultra portable device we had ever tested. Considering that is one of the fastest systems with an amazing panel, there can be no difference in opinion with the fact that its starting price tag is worth it. While the premium priced systems need not worry about compromising on design, durability, features or performance that does not apply to the ultra portable systems in the market. You might find some of the flashier options such as Asus U36j and Apple’s MacBook Air, but you will never get 15 hours in one charge.

Said that, there has not been a lot of choice in the convertible laptop field; there are very few of them, like the Acer Aspire 1825P TZ, HP TouchSmart tm2 and Packard Bell Butterfly Touch. But, while the Acer and Packard Bell’s Core 2 based CPUs are pretty slow and are without the pen input, the HP TouchSmart suffers from outdated processing power and graphics. None of the above said issues should concern you as far as the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is concerned.

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Lenovo Thinkpad X220 Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Design:

Snow white:

At the very first look, you might think that it might be an offering from Apple, we are sure HP has got some inspiration from the macbooks. This no nonsense design of the HP Mini 100e will also call to mind the similarly rugged Intel Classmate PC. HP has employed some rounded curves in the design, with gives the netbook an excellent aesthetic edge. Having dimensions at (H x W x D) 10.9 x 9.9 x 1.6” and weighing about 3.4 pounds, the unit is thicker and heavier than an average netbook. But there is nothing to worry about, as a slim and sleek casing is not necessarily a virtue in a student based netbook stage. Its chalky white clamshell body contrasts pleasantly with the ashen keyboard. The plastic covering is lightly textured, giving the machine a no-slip feel. Being a netbook aimed at kids, it is mandatory that it is durable and, it has achieved it with a matte plastic chassis.

Elegant:

The lid is a simple plain one with just a small and tasteful HP logo with a small LED light near the top, which is activated when the system is connected to the internet. This feature allows teachers to monitor network usage (students will hate this). The blank lid allows schools to add their own adhesive logos or designs. Though the HP Mini 100e netbook computer is quite thick, it actually does not feel bulky at all or look clunky for that matter. Overall, we would say that HP has managed to achieve an attractive, elegant and simple aura. Everything about this system is aimed to please school administrators, from being simple to repair to being easy to store at the end of the day when school’s let out.

LCD display:

The wide-screen LCD is surrounded by wide bezels. The 10.1 inch matte display of Mini 100e has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels has an extremely wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles. This means, a small group of students will be able to share a screen with encountering any sorts of distortion or obfuscation. This netbook was able to handle a 720p trailer without dropping frames. The colours are quite nice and deep and the netbook managed to handle languid motion and transitions from light to dark too. Users looking to type long documents or view some newer webpages might be in for additional horizontal scrolling, but nothing that you wouldn’t find on other similar netbooks.

Durability:

As we had just mentioned, the most important factor to look for in a student’s netbook is durability and how capable is it to withstand the rigorous use and abuse by kids. We cannot blame them; perhaps they have not yet learned how to take care of expensive electronics. HP has well understood this as it has included some features to mitigate damage, such as a spill-resistant keyboard and a large gray rubber-grip carrying handle protruding from the screen hinge, which lowers the risk of dropping it. Some of the other options that support durability include a hard drive accelerometer, which parks in the needle if it happens to sense a sudden stumble. When the system is open no area around the keyboard exhibited any sort of flex. The palmrest was rock solid alone with the keyboard and trim near the screen hinges. The hinges themselves were very strong, completely without wobble, and held the screen firmly shut when the system was closed.

Even the keyboard keys seemed to be a step above what was found on standard notebooks, with an etched label for each symbol instead of just being printed on the surface of the keys. Though the HP 100e flourishes with features supporting durability and sturdiness, we steered towards the preference of the overall design of the extra-kids proof CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC NL2. The CTL 2go has our preference in this area because of its rubberised coating on the outside, with reinforced edges, a scratch resistant display and even an anti-microbial coating on the keyboard and touchpad.

Keyboard:

The unadorned deck was, without a doubt, designed for children. The HP Mini 100e Student Notebook has island-style keys that are of good size and is also very comfortable for both students and their parents too. HP has tried its best to keep the keyboard as ilk as possible to the traditional keyboards, including the placement of keys along the edges. Keys such as Shift, ALT, CTRL and Fn are all in their usual positions. Hence, kids who are learning to type will not have to make any strange adjustments when they move on to a full sized keyboard. The small LEDs that are embedded on Caps Lock, F11/Volume Mute and F12/WiFi keys that indicate when they are active are welcome additions. The key plunge is a little shallow, but the keys are virtually silent when struck. Most important, this keyboard feels sturdy enough to withstand rough treatment from a child. The only quibble that we had with the keyboard is that, sometimes they seemed to require more deliberate taps than the touch typists are used to. We found that, every now and then, a letter or two was dropped, which is while typing at a normal rate. However, we feel that this con will turn out to be an advantage for students learning to type as it will certainly encourage accuracy before speed.

Touchpad:

The touchpad is quite spacious at 2.5” x 1.5” as it employs raised dots that are reminiscent of the Asus Eee PC Seashell models to aid with tracking. The surface on the 100e is software, which means, the effect is the same and the tactile sensation will not be as harsh as on the Eee PC. It responds well to finger taps and scrolling but does not accept other multi-gesture input. The touchpad control panel has areas for gestures, but all of those are grayed out indicating those features are disabled via hardware or software. We were left wishing that the two discrete mouse buttons along the bottom could be bigger, but they are actually about the right size for small fingers and they offered some snappy returns.

VGA Webcam:

The HP Mini 100e 10.1″ Mini Laptop also sports an integrated VGA webcam that is capable of producing some decent images. However the quibble here is that, they tend to be quite dark in rooms with bright fluorescent lights overhead. It captures colours quite well when the backlight does not overwhelm. The blurriness comes in only when you move very quickly. We snapped a few photos using the Webcam and noted a grainy quality to them. Skin tones looked accurate, if a bit washed-out. We thought it would have been great if HP had employed a swivel for the webcam, similar to the one on the CTL 2go PC NL2, which allows students to have a wider range of shots available for them. On the plus side, the integrated microphone is sensitive and picks up voices from across a small room.

Ports and Slots:

As far as the connectivity and slots of the 100e is concerned, the Mini 100e offers a considerable selection, considering the age of the intended user. You will find VGA, Ethernet, Memory Card, Headphone and Mic, with two notable differences. Firstly, there are only a couple of USB2.0 ports, while most systems ship with at least three of them. Another thing to note here is that, it have left some room for what many would consider to be an anachronistic addition; a modem port probably. HP might have included this port for students who may not have internet or high speed broadband access at home. Hence, in this way, the students will still be able to connect through a dial-up ISP, or dial in to the school’s servers in order to download assignments. The 100e even includes a lock slot, so that these machines can be kept secure in a classroom environment. Hence, the ports and slots list includes a power port, a Kensington lock slot, two USB ports, a VGA-out port, an Ethernet jack, microphone and headphone jacks, and a two-format (SD, Multi-Media Card) flash-card slot. There is even wireless (the 802.11b/g flavour), but the system lacks a Bluetooth radio.

Features:

Easy to Upgrade:

The HP Mini 100e is quite easy to upgrade, although we were surprised to not see any sort of child-deterrence mechanism to prevent tampering by students. With the battery removed, two screws are revealed that hold the back cover in place. Once the cover comes off you gain access to the wireless card, hard drive, and system memory. The hard drive has partial shock protection through small rubber grommets that isolate the drive from the chassis, intended no doubt for the eventual tumble during class. Overall we can easily say this netbook is one of, if not the easiest to upgrade model on the market.

The insides:

In the heart of the HP 100e is the Intel Atom N455, clocked to 1.66 GHz and RAM of mere 1GB. The100e’s score on the PCMark05 was almost 100 marks below the netbook average, and was also below the much cheaper Toshiba Mini NB255 with the same processor. The big miss is that, it was also outscored by Asus Eee PC 1001P, which has an older N450 CPU. However, in the Geekbench tests, it fared much better, though still behind the Mini NB255, but ahead of the Asus Eee and comfortably leads its direct rival, the CTL 2go PC NL2. The hard drive is a 160GB 5400 rpm one, and it is no speed demon. It has a file transfer speed of 17.8 Mbps. This speed is on par with the Asus Eee PC 1001PC, but below the NL2 and Toshiba MB255 and the overall average of 18mbps. While students will not have to do much of video transcoding, they still can so more with their webcam videos as the 100e will be able to handle this task slightly better than most netbooks in the current market. To transcode a 5:05 MPEG-4 video clip which is about 114MB to AVI format using Oxelon Media Converter, the Mini 100e took 5 minutes and 57 seconds. Now, this rate is faster than its direct rivals.

Graphics:

HP has employed an Intel integrated Graphics Media Accelerator HD on board. With such a technology, we did not expect it to offer ion level power, but it performs as well as its competitors. It managed to play a Standard Definition 720p HD video smoothly via windows media player. However, when we played a video from Hulu, the result seems very slideshow like, this is even while not at full screen. Videos on the TNT.tv plays smoother and we found that there were far less dropped frames while watching videos on Netflix, which makes use of Microsoft Silverlight instead of Flash. Overall, this PC will suffice for basic classroom media-playback needs.

Connectivity:

At about 15 feet from the router, the Realtek RT8191SE 802.11 b/g wireless radio managed to deliver a strong throughput of 32.8 Mbps, but when you move as far as 50 feet, the signal dropped to 17.9 Mbps. Though this is less powerful than its direct rival the CTL 2go up close, the HP 100e was a little stronger at a distance. It beats the Eee PC 1001P at 15 feet but not at 50 feet and the Toshiba model seems to be the winner at this field being an overall winner.

Software:

Software that HP has included is very typical to what you would find on a Windows 7 netbook with a few extras that are geared toward students. HP has preloaded Evernote, which is a note taking suite that syncs to the cloud and other notebooks; a PDF Complete Reader with an optional upgrader to editor and a Win-Zip. The unit also includes Microsoft Math which is a program that aids K-6 students solve equations with step by step guidance; very handy indeed. The Hewlett Packard Mini 100e netbook also includes a Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, which is a pared-down version of Word and Excel. They have just enough functionality for the young students and it also keeps cost down for the school systems, given the fact that the Starter is completely free and is not just a 60-day trial version. In addition to this, the students will also have access to Windows Live Suite of programs that include applications like Movie Maker, Writer, and Photo Gallery. The students are also given the ability to take snapshots and record video with ArcSoft’s Webcam Suite.

For the sake of security, HP has loaded the netbook with Microsoft’s Free Security Essentials and Computrace tracks and helps recover stolen laptops. This suite must be enough to protect you against any kind of viruses kids might pick up while surfing the web. Notably absent from the system are educational games and learning tools like those found on the Classmate PC. While the Mini 100e’s software load is by no means less, the CTL 2go offers a few more programs such as Art Range 2 which is more fun than Windows Paint and Blue Dolphin user interface, a kid-focussed overlay that makes interacting with Windows 7 much more entertaining. The schools systems have a small range of configuration options available for them, mostly when it comes to software. Apart from the Windows 7 Starter edition, HP will also provide you with Windows XP, which might offer a slightly faster performance or the SUSE Linux Enterprise on the 100e. HP will also make a few other education based software available to schools depending on their requirements, including stuff like classroom management tools.

Audio:

The average audio quality does not come in as a surprise given the small speakers on the front edge of the system. While watching a video on TNT.tv, where the audio tends to be softer, we had to turn up the volume to 100 and still had a hard time hearing the softer voices, and this is at a perfect home environment with the air con running on low in the background. Peak volume levels were fine for listening to presentations or YouTube videos, but if you plan on enjoying music or a movie, connecting headphones is the preferred method.

Noise and Heat:

System noise was minimal with the power efficient Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics. One of the biggest advantages of the Atom processor inside the 100e is that, it helps a great deal in keeping the temperatures down. In order to test if this claim by HP is true, we played a YouTube clip in full screen for about fifteen minutes, and measured the temperature of the three key areas of the netbook. We were surprised to see that the touchpad reached just 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the space between G and H keys measured at 84 degrees F and the middle of the bottom of the 100e remained to be relatively cool at just 89 degrees F. These values are either at or much below the acceptable temperature zone. This means one less worry for parents about allowing their kids use the HP 100e netbook on their laps for long periods.

Green:

Being a student notebook, it will be great if it also teaches some environmental consciousness. The 100e is also fairly green, taking just a couple of hours to charge to 80 percent and another 58 minutes to get 58 minutes in order to get the full capacity. During the period of charging, the 100e uses an average of 25 watts for excellent battery efficiency. This makes the system very green, coming in under the netbook average. The only other netbook to beat it in this regard is the Eee PC.

Battery:

The six cell battery of Mini 100e has lasted for 6 hours and 32 minutes, which is exactly same as that of average of a six cell netbook and is less than 10 minutes behind the NB255. The Eee PC 1001P still proves to be the champ of the low cost netbooks, however, six and half hours is likely more than most students will need as they will mostly use the 100e during class time. It is a good thing that the netbook will make it through most of the long car trips.

You get two options of battery sizes: 6-cell and 3-cell. If you feel that the netbooks are going to remain in one classroom for most times, the shorter battery life of the 3 cell option will not matter as much. However, if students are going to carry them from class to class, then the 6-cell battery will be the apt choice. You also get the hard drive accelerometer which will lessen the damage caused by accidental drops and bumps. The pricing of these upgrades and additions will vary depending on the school system and number of units too.

Warranty:

HP offers one year limited warranty for its Mini 100e netbook and battery. The optional HP Care Pack Services is available for extra.

Verdict:

The cost per system depends on the number of systems ordered, but HP has estimated that the Mini 100e will be extremely affordable. While the HP 100e might not offer as robust a package as that of its direct rival, the CTL 2go Convertible Classmate PC, it still costs much lesser which will be a pretty step delta for large, cash-strapped schools. Even though the consumer models such as the ASUS Eee PC 1001P and Toshiba Mini cost about the same, and in some areas perform better, they do not have the kid-proofing and durability that keeps you from having to replace the unit after a minor accident. The HP Mini 100e is excellent value for schools and students. It delivers strong performance and more importantly, it sells for a lot less, which will be the biggest selling point. Overall, the educators in the market for budget PCs optimised for the classroom should make a note of the HP Mini 100e.

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HP Mini 100e Netbook Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Design:

Red Black:

Aesthetically, the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition’s design is very much like its forerunner, the Envy 15. Replacing the original Envy’s taupe, etched aluminium and magnesium body, is smooth matt black. That matte finish does have a tendency to attract fingerprints and smudges, so beware if you are the kind of compulsive polisher who needs their tech to remain pristine at all times. There is also a red coloured Dr. Dre logo that is placed notably at the centre of the laptop’s lid, and this motif extends on to the deck , with its red accents and even some red backlit keys. The soft touch coated palm rest is very likable and it has a mostly smooth black bottom. This is where you can attach the optional battery piece.

A bit beefy:

Since the Beats Edition now has an optical drive, the dimensions of the laptop is slightly thicker at (H x W x D) 14 x 9.3 x 1.1inches. However, it is still easy to be slide into a messenger bag, it is just that you have to be prepared to carry around some weight (5.6 Pounds) which is same as the 15” Macbook Pro and heavier than the original Envy 14. Nevertheless, it is one of the tightest looking notebooks in the current market. This laptop is definitely more of a desktop replacement, portable in principle, but primarily to squat on a desk providing all manner of multimedia delights through a multitude of ports.

Display:

HP has opted for a new 14.5″ widescreen offering a pretty good deal of balance between the extra screen real estate and portability. Unfortunately, the users of the Envy 14 Beats will not be able to enjoy the Radiance Infinity Screen with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels that was on the Envy 14. This one has a display of resolution 1366 x 768 pixels, displays up to 82% of colour gamut and possesses a maximum brightness of 350nits. The colours on the videos are bright, crisp and simply popped off the screen. And, the blacks were also deep and lustrous sans any artifacts. When compared to a 13” MacBook Pro, the Envy 14 Beats Edition was pretty evenly matched. Though certain videos were slightly crisper, but it was a pretty fine point. The viewing angles are excellent, but the glossy finish kicks back a lot of reflections in brighter settings.

Keypad:

The keyboard too is very similar to the previous Envys; the Envy 14 Beats edition Laptop features a black island style keyboard. So, what is new? The backlighting is. Though you can do only two things to it On or OFF, when compared to the range of gradient lighting settings on the MacBook Pros, it is quite a good addition. The soft surface of the buttons and the lack of loosening were kind of likable while typing, but at times, you may have to press harder than usual. We welcome the ‘quick access keys’ to adjust the brightness and volume.

Trackpad:

This time again HP has integrated the mouse buttons into the touchpad, which is quite spacious at 4.25 x 2.5”. Though we wished that it had been slightly toward the left, it did not cause any real issues that were evident on the Envy 15, such as the palm moving accidentally onto the cursor. The overall navigation was pretty simple, the way it should be.

Features:

Slots and Connectivity:

In response to some desperate reviewers and user suggestions, HP has added an optical drive to the Envy 14 Beats Edition Notebook PC. In the left side of the system, you will find the slot loading dual layer DVD-RW, a combo mic/headphone port (that works with the Solo Beats), along with two USB ports, and a headphone jack. On the right are an HDMI, eSATA/USB, Ethernet, mini DisplayPort, and a Kensington lock slot. On the front, there is a two in one memory card reader and there is also a webcam stuck on the bezel just above the display. The lack of Blu-ray is disappointing, especially considering how much you are shelling out for the privilege. There is also no VGA on board, which limits your video-output options.

Webcam:

The webcam employed on the Envy 14 Beats Edition is capable of high definition video and also has some low light capabilities. The video looks little washed out , but there was plenty of detail and the colours are quite accurate. In very low light, the hair and room surrounding will not be clear, but the subject face and clothing is as clear as if it was day time.

Software:

The Envy 15 Beats Edition Laptop included a premium Software that was designed to attract music aficionados, including Native Instruments’ Traktor LE software and Audio 2 DJ. Determining that this bundle added too much to the cost, HP no longer pre-loads this software. However, the Envy 14 Beats does come with the Beats Audio equaliser utility. HP branded applications and utilities proliferate. HP QuickWeb is an instant-on environment that allows you to surf the Web and chat on Skype, among other things. HP also includes a small utility called Fences that is intended to keep your desktop looking tidy; it allows you create small windows where you can store shortcuts to apps. HP’s MediaSmart suite includes programs for watching DVDs, listening to music, viewing and editing photos and home videos, recording webcam videos and watching TV. Other nice extras include the full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0. We also like that Hulu Desktop and Microsoft Silverlight come pre-loaded, so users can get right to watching streaming video.

Performance:

Boot and file transfer:

The insides of the Envy 14 Beats Edition include a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i5-450M processor and 4GB of RAM. That is serious voodoo, especially when you complete the unholy triumvirate with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD5650 graphics card. Performance wise, it is very similar to the Envy 14, which is no surprise. It is better than the Toshiba Satellite M645, which too has the same processor and RAM, but a slower hard drive. The laptop booted into the Windows 7 Home Premium faster than the original , taking just about 53 seconds as opposed to the long 1 minute and 22 seconds. Though the 500GB, 7200rpm hard drive did not perform as well as the original, scoring just 25.1 MBps on file transfer, compared to 29.8MBps. However, the drive is faster than the average thin and light.

Graphics:

Moving on to the graphics, the Envy 14 Beats has two graphics cards; ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 and Intel GMA HD. Unfortunately, ATI is yet to come up with a seamless way to switch between the two, that is the Nvinda’s Optimus Technology. The device automatically switches to integrated mode when you unplug it, otherwise, you have to do it manually and there is a second or so when the screen goes black. The good news here is that, this discrete GPU is more than capable of playing the latest titles.

Connectivity:

The Wireless scores performance of the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 Wi-Fi card is a mixed bag, though not identical to the original Envy 14 with the same wireless card. At 15 feet from the access point, there is decent throughput of 37.9 Mbps, less than the 48 Mbps the original scored, but above the average, which is 29 Mbps. At 50 feet, throughput dropped to 20.9 Mbps, which is not stunning, but above the original’s 18.3 MBps, and just above the 20.5 Mbps average.

Audio:

As you might expect out of a laptop named “Envy 14 Beats Audio Edition”, the audio is simply mind blowing. This laptop features some rather tasty speakers on the front edge that produces some powerful sound to fill a medium sized room, but we felt the bass was a little weak. The audio is impeccable when connected into the included Solo Beats Headphones. This magical combination resulted in some bass that came through deep and warm. If you are just kicking back with some YouTube video it will enhance your experience, but for proper audio enjoyment you will want something better. You will be able to do a pretty comprehensive spread of tweaks for equalizer settings in the Beats Audio Control Panel. You will also be able to save your presets if the included settings are not very convincing for you. You will be able to get complexities not only with the music from a wide range of genres, but also while watching TV and movies. While listening to a live performance of a rock artist, we were able to hear the whispers of the crowd while the artist wailed with his harmonica.

Heat:

One of the biggest issues with the original Envy15 was that, it had really poor heat dissipation; its quad-core CPU raised the touchpad to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and that of the wrist rest to 103 degrees. Fortunately, the HP Envy 14 is not so much of a heater. After about 15 minutes of continuous video, the touchpad measured 87 degrees, in-between G and H, it was 91 degrees and the middle of the underside is somewhat uncomfy at 101 degrees, when compared to Envy 14’s measurement of 81, 82 and 98 respectively. The heat by the vent even reaches an unpleasant 107 degrees.

Battery:

Endurance is one area where the Envy 14 Beats Edition is lacking. When on integrated graphics mode, the laptop managed to last 4 hours and 20 minutes. This period is about 20 minutes shy of average thin and light laptop and is well below 13” MacBook Pro. HP sells a slice battery that should double this notebook’s runtime, but will also add 1.5 pounds to this already beefy machine.
Configuration:

Configurations wise, you always have the original Envy 14, but when configured to match the Beats Edition’s specifications, it actually comes to less than the original version. The other options include upgrades to more powerful Core i5 and quad-core Core i7 CPUs; extra RAM up to 8GB; a 640GB or 750GB hard drive or a 256GB solid state drive; and an extra slice battery. There is no option to upgrade to the higher resolution display too.

Warranty:

This series is backed by a two years HP limited warranty on parts and labour, and 24×7 toll free technical support. E-mail a question and receive an answer in about an hour, and Take advantage of on-line chat, FAQs, and other resources. You can even click on the desktop icon for quick access to on-line support.

Verdict:

HP positively got more right in the second generation Envy 14 than it did with the 13 and 15-inch releases from last year. The HP Envy 14 Beats Edition has dumped the professional grade mixing tools that the 15” model offered in exchange for a much lower price tag. Some of the highlight special features of the laptop are mostly related to its aesthetic flourishes and the bundled high end headphones we had mentioned above, but the difference is that, you will be paying much less (about half of it). As a result of it, you have a slick laptop in your hand that pumps out the best audio we had ever heard from a laptop for a very reasonable premium over the original Envy 14. If you are willing forgive the relatively short battery life, this laptop is definitely worth the investment; you are getting a machine with a comparable display, better graphics, superior audio, and a better look.

Configurations Available:

HP Envy 14 Beats Edition Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Design:

Finer and Shinier:

There is always little difference when it comes to the aspect of design of modern laptops. Most of them look alike, especially if they are from the same manufacturer. But even then, they never bore you since they are designed to attract you. Now, regarding the Latitude E5410 14.1 inch Laptop, it looks quite like its predecessors but only with finer edges and shinier outer appearance. The shiny grey coloured appearance is also pretty good and colours such as grey do not fade away in due course of time and hence the laptop always looks quite new and recent. Coming to the overall design of the E5410, it looks a tad smaller than normal since it features a 14.1 inch screen. Measuring about 338 mm wide, 33.2 mm high and 224 mm deep, it has got to be one of the slimmest laptop computers available in the marking, barring the latest ultra slim Mac from Apple. Sporting a 6 cell battery, it weighs about 2.36 kg, which is a bit heavier than normal, considering the fact that the laptops from Apple and Sony are quite light in weight. But on the whole, it is one very comfortable laptop that you can carry with you at almost all the times.

Display:

The Latitude E5410 sports a 14.1 inch WXGA and Anti Glare LED backlit display. WXGA stands for Wide Extended Graphics Array, which is capable of displaying a resolution of 768p. This kind of display also has wide viewing angles. Hence it would be comfortable for you to watch from acute angles as well. And then there is the Anti Glare technology, which as the name suggests, does not reflect the light that falls on the screen and hence helps you get a very clear picture. Most often, it is the reflection from the outside lights that causes disturbance while viewing the display. Hence, this mechanism is implemented in the display of the E5410. The screen, hence, sort of absorbs the light that falls on it. This prevents the unwanted reflections. It is one of those marvels that technology can create. Now, last but not least, this time around the display is completely LED backlit, which means that the screen is made as thin as possible. LEDs also give you an evenly lit screen and hence make the display better. And a screen that measures 14.1 inches diagonally is quite good enough for professional uses. This summarises the whole display mechanism of the Latitude E5410.

Features:

The Dell Latitude E5410 provides a great deal of features and as always with the laptops from Dell, there is a bit of variety in the features. But then, there will not be too many changes in that list since all the computers need the same equipment. Let us see what is in the bag for us.

Processor:

Regarding any laptop on the earth, the first and foremost thing you would want to look at after the design part of it, is its processor. The technical world calls it the brain of the computer and it is solely responsible for all the actions that are taking place inside your computer. Now when you see the latest programs or applications, you will find that most of them are beta versions and hence are known to work faster than ever before. But for this, you need to have a solid processing system inside your computer. Fortunately enough, the Dell Latitude E5410 has come with one of Intel’s fastest microprocessor, the Intel Core i5 Dual Core processor. There are three different versions of this Core i5 processor for you to choose from. You need to decide, at the time of purchasing, the clock speed of your machine and choose between 2.53, 2.4 and 2.26 GHz. The bigger the number, the costlier it is. So it is advisable that the users think before they decide on what processor they intend to use. But anyway, the Core i5 series has been a big hit in the market and your computer will be amazingly fast at calculations.

Operating System:

The Latitude E5410 is pre installed with Microsoft’s latest and by far the best operating system, Windows 7. But you have a choice here as well. You can choose between Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. Either way, you will get a 32 bit operating system. The Vista version has again got two separate modes, Home Basic and Business. But, we recommend that you go for Windows 7 since it is the latest operating system and has also got no compatibility issues like Vista . Almost all programs now work pretty well on this platform and since Dell offers you the Professional Version of this operating system, you will be getting additional advantages. It is also suitable for IT professionals and other business people. You can easily write documents, create new exciting presentations, and do a lot of other interesting stuff with this new operating system.

Memory:

The Latitude E5410 comes with the latest memory devices that are available in the market. Regarding the Ram of the device, it is a DDR3 type, which is the latest version and is also the successor of the already well established DDR2. This revised version of RAM is even faster and also more accurate than its predecessor. Running at a speed of 1333 MHz, it shows you how fast it is. The response time is hence reduced a lot which eventually gives you faster results. Again you have a lot of choice when it comes to RAM. There are 1 GB, 2 GB and 4 GB version of it and you can choose the memory of your mode before purchasing it, keeping in mind that the faster the RAM, the costlier it is. Then there comes the Hard Disk Drive. Fortunately enough for you, there is no choice this time around. There are too many choices already and anymore can confuse you. Now, the Latitude E5410 comes with a 320 GB SATA hard disk drive which runs at 7200 rpm at maximum and is also the fastest as well as latest in the market. Normally, 320 GB is pretty solid for memory space and for most of domestic and professional needs, it is more than enough. Should you need more memory, you have no other go but to purchase an External Hard Drive.

Graphics:

Graphics have become a part and parcel of our lives of late and this is clearly seen in the sales of graphics cards over the last few years. If you are going to purchase the Latitude, then you have no need to buy a graphics card separately as there is a built in Intel HD graphics card inside it. The specialty of this very graphics card is that it has a dynamic frequency, which means that its performance depends on how much of graphics is needed for a particular application. But, we also must know the fact that this graphics card may or may not support high end PC games and some applications that need a solid graphics card. Since this laptop is designed for the IT professionals, in more cases than not, the graphics card that is more than enough.

Optical Drives:

The optical drive that is provided by Dell supports almost all kinds of data discs that are available today, namely CDs, DVDs and Blu Ray Discs. With the support of this new kind of discs, the Blu Rays, you can watch full high definition movies and also write excessive amounts of data on them.

Wi-Fi:

Regarded as one of the most wonderful technological advancements of the previous decade, Wi-Fi has now become a very common name is also seen almost everywhere in most of the cities in the world. There are Wi-Fi hotspots in many airports, cafes, offices, restaurants, schools and universities. This feature lets you connect to the internet wirelessly. There are four different LAN options given by Dell for the Latitude E5410. They are: Dell Wireless 1501 (802.11 n), Dell Wireless 1520 (802.11 n2 x 2), Intel Wi-Fi Link 6200 (802.11 n2 x 2), Intel Wi-Fi Link (802.11 n3 x 3). These four different LAN options let you connect to different ports and experience wireless surfing.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth also enjoys a very high ranking among the greatest of technologies the past decade. But, in the course of time, it has moved on from being the primitive version or v 1.0 to the beta version or v 2.0 and now it has finally moved on, ahead of its beta version, to version 3.0. A lot of people may not have known this fact but it is understandable since very few devices in the market provide this latest feature, the Bluetooth 3.0. The Latitude E5410 is one of those few and the Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth 3.0 has got a few new advancements in the way it works and now searching for new or old devices is easier and sharing files is faster than ever before. This application is also user friendly and hence is easy to use.

Security:

Dell provides both physical and system security for the Latitude E5410. Steel reinforced Cable Lock Slots, Media Module and Hard Drive Locks are provided to make sure that your device is safe at all times. Regarding system security, there are few options that protect your system. Firstly, the Finger Print Reader ensures that no one else accesses the system except you. You can register multiple finger prints and save them if you want others to access the system. Remember that this feature is optional and you can choose a system with a finger print reader while buying the Latitude E5410. Then there are a few other features like TPM 1.2, Optional Hard Drive encryption and Control Vault, which ensure secure credential management within a trusted boundary. Coming to network security, the Wi-Fi access is also limited to only you or the one that is using the system. This is possible with the help of 802.11 Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) and 801.11 i (WPA2), in association with Virtual private Networks (VPN) 802.1x with EAP modes and compatible with CCX 4.0. All the features are there to protect your system and other valuable and confidential system information.

Critical Data Protection:

Sometimes, when your system drops down to the ground or if something hits it very hard, then there is a great possibility of your hard drives getting damaged. The Dell Latitude E5410 has got some wonderful features that prevent this loss. While everyone knows that you cannot protect the physical body from the damage but at least, you can save your all important data. There is a free fall sensor inside the hard drives and whenever it senses a free fall, it instantaneously saves all the data separately, even if the computer is switched off. This means that even if the drive is partially or wholly damaged, your data can be retrieved back safely. Another sensor is a shock absorber which resides inside the computer. When it senses sudden vibrations or impulses, it makes the computer save all the data in manner which is similar to that of the Free fall Sensor. In both these cases, your data will be a hundred percent safe, which is all what you need at the end of the day. The data from the damaged drives can later be copied on to the new ones.

Multimedia:

There are a few multimedia accessories that help you interface a few multimedia programs on the computer. You will be getting a set of stereo speakers, a headphone jack which is also stereo, and both of them are pretty useful in playing audio files on your computer. You can also buy a home theatre system and connect it to the audio out port if you want. A microphone jack and integrated digital microphone are provided for audio in. An integrated 2.0 mega pixel Webcam, supported by Dell Webcam Central webcam drivers and software, is also provided. The drivers for the audio are already installed.

Ports and Connectivity:

The Latitude E5410 has got quite a few ports and connectivity options. It showed a great deal of versatility by providing a wide range of ports which are really quite useful for the IT professionals. Here is a list of all the provided ports and connectivity options: An RJ 45 network connector port, which allows you to connect your Ethernet cable and surf the internet, an optional modem connector, which connects your system to a modem, Four high speed USB 2.0 ports, a microphone jack, headphone speaker in and out, an IEEE 1394 port, a 3 in 1 card reader, a Smart Card reader, Type I/II PCMCIA, also known as PC cards, Dock connector, and VGA. Some of these are not seen on those laptops which are intended for purely domestic use. Hence the Latitude E5410 is a very utile professional laptop that provides additional options.

Now, finally we are done with the Features list and it is a pretty long one indeed. This kind of a list impresses many technical experts and also attracts most of the general public. Each and every feature is tested and found to be pretty useful for both the domestic and office uses.

Performance:

After having a look at all the features discussed above, there is little left to critique the performance of the Latitude E5410. You must have already come to a conclusion that this is one of the better laptop computers available in the market today and you are right. There are almost no complaints regarding this computer and of course, when a computer uses all the latest technology in the world, then there is no probability of producing serious errors. The performance is top class as always with the computers from Dell and with such qualitative processor, RAM and memory, you will see a speed that you have never seen before. No connectivity issues are reported and each and every feature that is on the list works very fine. Hence, full marks for the Latitude E5410 for its great performance.

Battery and Power Consumption:

There are four types of batteries again for you to choose from. Dell has with four different batteries based on their longevity. There are 4 cell batteries (37 Wh), 6 cell batteries (56 Wh), 9 cell batteries (85 Wh) with 3 years warranty and 9 cell batteries (81 Wh) featuring Express charge, which means that they are superfast when it comes to charging and they can charge up to 80 % within just one hour. You can choose one of these batteries bearing in mind the fact the there is a significant change in the price. Normally, a 6 cell battery is advisable but if you travel too much and need extra battery support, then you can go for a 9 cell battery. You can also choose the power adapter between 65 W and 90 W.

Warranty:

The Dell Latitude E5410 comes with a one year collect and return warranty for parts and labour, starting from the date of purchase. You have the choice to upgrade it to 3 years.

Verdict:

There is almost nothing more left to talk about this very efficient laptop from Dell. It is a perfect partner for any It professional. All the features and performance details are excellent and three years of warranty is a big advantage. The price is also set very well that there is a very good balance between it and serviceability. Though there are too many things for the general public to choose from, the IT professionals will easily be able to figure out what they actually need. For students and residents, there are more basic and simple laptops available in the market.

Configurations Available:

Dell Latitude E5410 Technical Specifications:

In this era of three hundred pounds and five hundred pounds tablets, it is definitely quite bewildering to know that Sony has still trying to push out a secondary £800 device that is atom powered. The 1st Vaio P series mini netbook had rave reviews. The miniature size and ruthless design was likable, but the price and absence of trackpad was not very compelling. Yes, you are reading it right, Sony does not seem to be ready yet to give up on its eight inch Vaio P series, with the latest measure to update the 1.3 pound mini netbook with a vaguely different construction and a quicker Atom Z560 processor, even an accelerometer and a touchpad. It is packed with some real cool functionality. So, does the meek retooling and a dash of new aptitude make the VOIP a much enhanced product, or even better, worth the hefty £800? Read further and find out.

Design:

Miniature size:

When it comes to the design part, it’s basic form factor is untouched. There is no doubt that the VAIO P’s sleek and elongated form factor remains to be one of the most exclusive looking netbooks in the air. It managed to still turns heads. This P Series VPCP11S1E/P notebook shows off some outstandingly petite measurements of (H x W x D) 245 x 20 x 120mm. At just 632 grams, it is feather light to carry in your hand bag, and for men, you might even be able to fit it in a big pocket, but let us face the fact, no one is going to put this in a jeans pocket except for those models marketing this thing.

Despite its extremely portable style, it is quite hard to use in some situations, it is difficult to be used on a lap or while lying down on a couch. This is mainly because there is no palm rest.

Colour options:

Sony has tweaked the aesthetic a little, and removing the glossy lid is a welcome act. This new VAIO P Series shouts “look at me!” in its three most colourful incarnations: electric orange, neon green, hot pink. If you are a little more self-effacing, white and black versions are also on offer. It is not rocket science to figure out why we prefer the white and black options since the colour appears on more than just the lid.  Though it still does not have the shiny and shimmering silver look anymore, the P is still a cutie.

Display:

The P Series notebook’s 8” display boasts a mammoth 1600 x 768 pixels resolution. Now, this is something of a mixed blessing, as such a high resolution on a tiny display means that you must really strain your eyes to have any idea of what is going on. It is not a patch on the excellent iPad screen, though, which could easily be construed as an alternative device to this. You will also find a zoom tool on the keyboard for the default resolution. We were left wishing if only Sony had traded the glossy screen for a matte one, it would have made it much easier to use outdoors. There is ambient light sensor that manages to adjust the brightness accurately.

Keyboard:

Taking its dimensions into consideration, the Sony Vaio VPCP11S1E/P netbook has a surprisingly large keyboard with isolated keys. Typing in its keyboard will not exactly be a pleasant experience, but, the chiclet layout will be comfortable enough. Though the plastic keys are a bit clicky, they are just fine for firing off short emails and with little practice, you will be touch typing with very few typos. Arguably more annoying is the loud click the mouse buttons make, which will draw yet more attention to your endeavours in public places.

Track-pad Inclusion:

The petite dimensions also mean that there is no room left over for a standard track-pad. However, Sony has managed to sneak in a small, pseudo track-pad to the right of the screen, which is dubbed as the Mobile Nav grip. You can even use a pointer stick to navigate around, which is smack in the middle of the keyboard, and long left and right mouse buttons below the keys. It is still a significant compromise compared even to a netbook with a touchpad, though, or a touchscreen for that matter; for all ThinkPad users may disagree.

Ports and Slots:

Moving on to ports and slots, this P Series netbook still lacks a solid selection. It only has two USB jacks, a headphone socket, SD and MemoryStick slots. Sony has to be fair here the VGA / Ethernet dongle is a standard, expected port and should have really included this in the box for its £800 price tag.

Connectivity wise, look no further than the inclusion of integrated HSDPA, 802.11bgn WLAN, Bluetooth plus a 7.2Mbits/sec 3G modem. The P Series has almost every conceivable feature you would demand of a mobile PC. The replicator is also necessary if you want to connect the P Series on a wired Ethernet connection.

Features:

Processor change:

Moving on to the insides, it is fair to say that the Sony P series VPCP11S1E/P 8-inch Laptop Netbook has gone through a small makeover; like a Botox maybe. Sony has broke up with the 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, and is now dating the slightly faster Atom Z540, which is clocked 1.86GHz. We can hardly call it great, but this P series notebook keeps pace with the Web browsing sans any sluggishness, and sure will manage with the tasks of emailing document editing, and other negligible ones without much hassle. To be clear, we can say that this netbook is good for minor tasks. Sony provides the P series with a quicker Z560 Atom processor for some extra cost.

Storage:

When it comes to storage, the Sony VPCP11S1E/P comes with a 64GB flash drive. As you know, this is not a great amount of storage, especially once the operating system and pre-installed software have had their way with it. Only 30GB of space is left on the 64GB SSD when it is booted it for the first time. You can remove Accuweather’s widget, Webcam Companion 3, ArcSoft Magic-i, Shutterfly PhotoBooks, and finally Evernote for VAIO, which will help speed things up and make some space on the drive. You can also boot the Splashtop instant on OS by hitting the Web shortcut, but the truth here is that you probably never will. The Assist Key will launch the VAIO Care; it is a nice utility to tweak the settings.

However, it is still probably as much space as you might need, this notebook is not really powerful enough for you to enjoy heaps of video content, and unfortunately will not play games.

Graphics:

When it comes to graphics, the performance of Sony VPCP11S1E/P was embarrassingly bad. Even in this streamlined form, though, it is hardly a world-beater. When a 720p YouTube video of Justin Bieber on The Late Show is pulled up, it played rather smoothly with only a few pauses here and there, and obviously that is something an Intel Atom N450 powered notebook cannot afford to do. HD YouTube clips are a no-go and the BBC iPlayer’s high quality videos are not smooth in windowed or full screen mode. And a 1080p video could not manage to play without looking like a total slide-show.

It also takes several seconds to resume from standby. But it is not unusable. When you are working in Word, for example (and note that Office Starter will be included), it is as fast and responsive as you need it to be.

Webcam:

In addition, a VGA Webcam with a 0.3-megapixel resolution is embedded into the screen bezel of Sony Vaio VPCP11S1E/P Laptop.

Loading:

On initial loading, the word ‘slow’ seems too kind. Sloth-like, glacial and sluggish are more likely to spring to mind. From cold the device takes a leisurely minute and a half to be ready to use. We do attribute a bit of the lag to the amount of crap-ware that comes on the system. Sony tries to make up for some of these shortcomings by including such software as a 60-day trial of Norton Internet Security 2010, Microsoft Office Starter 2010, Microsoft Silverlight, a Sony photo-organizer suite, and a note-creation and organization suite (Evernote).

Accelerometer:

As we had mentioned in the introduction, another new feature that has been included is the built-in accelerometer, which detects when the Vaio P series has been turned on its side, and flips the display accordingly, just like the good ol’ mobile phones. Note that, the netbook will do this only in certain situations, for instance, while viewing Web pages in Internet Explorer or even while viewing documents in Word or Adobe Reader. The VAIO P also takes advantage of the accelerometer with a new flick function; when you are in Internet Explorer, you can tilt the P to the left to go back and to the right to go forward. It is a fairly useful trick if you happen to be carrying the netbook somewhere or sitting on the couch with it, but it just does not work in enough programs.  This Accelerometer feature, sure will turn VPCP11S1E/P into an considerable alternative to an e-book reader. Yet again, we found ourselves wishing it had a touch screen for turning pages. This notebook also supports a GPS based compass and location finder applications for finding your way around.

Audio:

As you can expect, the small speakers are quite tinny, they are incredibly weak and are outperformed by many a mobile phone where volume and clarity are concerned. However, Sony does include a pretty nice set of ear buds in the box for compensation.

Battery life:

The Battery life remains to be the area where the P Series falls awfully short of other notebooks. It only has a four cell, 19Wh battery, courtesy of its tiny dimensions. The manufacturer claims that you will be able to enjoy three and a half hours of battery life on a full charge, which, we assume is not much for a portable device. And, Sony’s claim seems to be fairly accurate, the P series device lasted three hours and twenty five minutes in our test of light usage.

Warranty and Energy Rating:

Sony offers a yearlong international warranty that includes a year of toll-free technical assistance. The P-Series earns an EPEAT Gold and a 5.0 EnergyStar rating; it is also compliant with the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) specification.

Verdict:

When it comes down to just portability, the VPCP11S1E/P has some competition, but if you can manage its extremely high price tag and usability niggles is something to think long and hard about. Frankly, for this price, you can get a netbook with 5 times the performance of the P-Series, or a netbook for half the price with better endurance and ergonomics. Overall, it is a gadget especially for those that have the cash to burn on an expensive, though striking little netbook. But apart from it not being a gadget for the lots, we would still like to see it gat a touch screen and more than 4hrs of battery life. It sure has some cool stuff happening here. Cool stuff worth £800? Now, that is your call.

Sony Vaio VPCP11S1E/P Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Slim n Sleek:

The Samsung Q330 13.3″ Laptop Netbook might possess a low-end, but that is no indication of how it looks; far from cheap. The plastic chassis has been given a clever makeover by Samsung with a matching a near-black lid with matt silver that gives it a slightly more premium look. We particularly like the semi-gloss finish of the lid, which has all the visual qualities of a glossy one but with the fraction of the ugly smudges and fingerprints. It is quite light, at just 2kg, and relatively thin, too. The laptop rear measures 32mm and tapers off to just 23mm at the front. This sort of dimensions means that it is small enough to tuck comfortably into your bags without taking up too much of your precious space in there. In this respect the Q330 has more in common with the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro 13-inch, though it is considerably cheaper than either.

Build Quality:

Yet another thing that is quite important is the build quality of Q330 Netbook, sounds Sound! It takes excessive force to ripple the screen and the chassis does not creak when you move it around like some of the cheaper laptops in the market. Hence, you can expect the Q330 to withstand all the knocks, bumps and bruises it is more likely to suffer in the hands and bags of frequent travellers. It also runs coolly and quietly, something that is without doubt, important when working on the move.

Display and Keyboard:

The screen of the Samsung Q330laptop is rather small, at just 13.3 inches, and has a pretty average resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. Considering the price we were not expecting great audio-visual delights from the Q330, but it performs above our expectations. Though viewing angles are quite shallow, looked at straight on the screen on the Q330 is brighter, sharper and has greater fidelity than most of its kin. These strengths serve it well in all walks of use, be it web browsing, film viewing or productivity. A 1.3-megapixel webcam set into the screen bezel. Like most of today’s high end laptops, the Samsung Q330 features isolated keys, that aid in minimising typo errors and makes the keyboard a pleasure to use. Touch typists will be glad to find the extra space between the keys and their high responsiveness. We also loved the sizeable touchpad that feels smooth without being sticky, and its generously proportioned buttons. This is a great machine for regular typing tasks.

Ports and Connectivity:

It is taken by default that an ultra-portable laptop is going to have a limited range of ports compared to a larger desktop replacement laptop model. Surprisingly, the Q330 actually did not fair too badly on this front, having all things considered. Though it has only three USB ports, one of those is a sleep and charge port, which is just perfect for charging peripherals including digital cameras and smart phones when the laptop has been switched off. Along with the VGA port, the manufacturer has managed to add an HDMI socket, which allows you to connect the laptop to an HD Ready TV. These are all arranged in a logical manner, particularly as the memory card is at the front for easy access. Interestingly, like the Samsung Galaxy S, the Q330 has Bluetooth 3.0, which is a nice, future proofing addition, in addition to Wireless-N Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet. Of course, and this may sound like a trivial thing, the Q330 also sports a 8 x DVD Rewriter drive; something not found in many low-voltage laptops, where the emphasis is on slimness at all costs.

Processor:

With its super speedy, dual-core Intel Core i3-350M processor clocking 2.26GHz, and a beefy 3GB of RAM, the Q330 is an extraordinary performer. This configuration is nothing similar to the likes of the Asus UL30A. Its performance scores racks it up there with some of the best performing ultra portables tested. It is comfortably faster than the Asus UL30A, and compares pretty well to the similarly specified Toshiba Satellite U500. As with most of its kind, however, its graphics performance is not quite as good. It sports an Intel GMA HD graphics chip, which pushed it to a score that is not exactly earth shattering. If you are a gamer wanting to play the latest games on this laptop, you may have to turn the detail settings down considerably to achieve anything close to a decent frame rate.

Memory:

The Samsung Q330 is equipped with a reasonably roomy 320GB hard drive for an ultra portable laptop, so you will have no issues storing plenty of files, images and movies. If you do find yourself running low on storage space, you can always back up your files to DVD thanks to the slim, multi-format DVD drive that Samsung managed to squeeze in.

Audio:

We were also pleasantly surprised by the speakers, if only because they are much better than we are accustomed to hearing on Samsung laptops. Do not be under any illusions, bass is still mostly absent, but this pair achieve enough clarity and volume for general use

Battery:

In one of our highly demanding battery draining test, the Q330 managed to keep running for 1 hour and 20 minutes before it required a recharge. This is a very good show of stamina for a powerful ultra portable, and you are likely to get even longer battery life from it with ordinary everyday usage. The Q330’s 4,400mAh six-cell battery lasted 5hrs 46mins on a single charge; the E Series managed just 3hrs 50mins. It cannot quite match the Acer Timeline 3810TZ, which managed a Trojan 8hrs 30mins, but with more than double the performance it has a compromise we suspect many will be more than willing to make.

Warranty:

Samsung offers Q300 one year international collect and return warranty.

Verdict:

We are quite impressed with the Samsung Q300. It is quite easy on the eyes, slim and lightweight, and has plenty of grunt under its gorgeous bonnet. Of course there is more choice in affordable and portable laptops these days, but the Q330 continues the grand tradition of its forbears. At a reasonable price tag of around £600, we are compelled to recommend this laptop.

Check other Samsung Laptops Reviews, Specs in this website.

Samsung Q330 13.3″ Laptop Computer – Technical Specification Table

Design:

The sleek Ferrari:

If you are searching for proof that the netbook has become a fashion accessory as well as a mere computer, you need look no further than the Acer Ferrari One Netbook. With a lid coated in crimson and bearing the familiar logo of the Italian sports car manufacturer, this is one product that seems to put image before all else. Just like its siblings, the Ferrari One will polarise opinion. In many respects, it is one of the best looking netbook we have come across, and many will look upon its owner with an envious eye. Unfortunately, the not quite Ferrari red lid will attract plenty of negative attention too, and its large logo will mark you out as the sort of person that owns Ferrari key rings and baseball caps because they cannot afford the real thing.

Apart from the lid, the Ferrari One is a beautifully designed piece of kit. Other visual cues are taken from the world of motor sports too. Most of the plastic wrist rest is clad in a pattern designed to resemble carbon fibre even if it is nothing of the sort while a peek at the One’s undercarriage reveals four rubber feet shaped just like tyres. Though it is glossy and attracts a few smudges, the lid does not show them off too badly. Just keep the Turtle Wax handy for public exhibitions. There are red accents for the matte black of the deck and the notebook’s keys. The power button on the top right achieves a streamlined look with a backlit red glow and swoop. The wrist rest is also graced with a Ferrari logo and a textured pattern evocative of the checkered flag. The red accents continue on the left and right side; a red swoop peels around the VGA port on the left and the Ethernet port on the right.

Keyboard:

The Ferrari One 11.6″ Laptop Netbook computer is slightly larger than most netbooks, but that is actually a good thing, because its extra girth allows for a huge keyboard, which is arguably easier to type on than that of almost any laptop of any size we have previously encountered. This is nothing but a miracle, given the Ferrari One’s 1.5kg weight, and dimensions of (H x W x D) 285 x 24 x 204mm. The keyboard, meanwhile, takes inspiration from Acer’s super-light Timeline laptops with tightly tesselated, broad, flat keys. The results are good and, while traditionalists may prefer the weightier action of the Samsung’s keyboard, there is little to complain about. The layout is sensible too, with a single-height Return key the only weak point. Each of its primary alphabetical and numerical keys is actually larger than you will get on a full sized desktop keyboard.

Striking Display:

Acer Ferrari One’s 11.6 inch display is one of its most striking features. Not only is it larger than the 10” displays you usually get on the majority of its rivals, but it also has a higher than standard resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. The additional screen real estate is an added advantage, since the extra multitasking power offered by the CPU allows users to work with a higher number of application windows open. The glossy finishing of the screen limits the possibility of using the Ferrari One outside, but the display is noticeably brighter than that of most laptops, which helps its cause in environments where lighting is not perfectly diffuse. The only drawback is that increasing the brightness puts additional strain on the 4,400mAh battery.

Vertical viewing angles are good: we pushed the screen back as far as it would go about 150 degrees and only saw color distortion at the very edge of its range. Tilting the screen forward just a bit made the screen easily viewable again. Horizontal viewing angles are decent, but only two people can comfortably watch video side by side.

Trackpad:

We like the touchpad’s trapezoid shape, but wish that the area was a little bigger. It is almost 3 inches wide at the top, tapering down to 2.3 inches at the mouse bar, and 1.6 inches tall. The surface is just rough enough for good traction. Applying  anything other than the lightest of pressure causes your digits to skid jerkily across the surface, but it does offer support for multi-touch gesture inputs just like the Apple MacBook range. You will be able to pinch your fingers together or stretch them apart to zoom, twist them to rotate, and swipe to navigate forward or backwards through documents in most applications. This dramatically speeds up use of the device, particularly when browsing the Web.

While we are appreciative of the mouse bar’s aesthetic, we still prefer two discrete buttons (as with the Aspire 1410). That said, the button is responsive and springy; we didn’t encounter any issues while we wrote this review and played a few games.

Webcam:

The Acer Crystal Eye webcam delivered good images while chatting on Skype. Colours were a bit washed out to start, but some quick fiddling with the settings in Acer’s webcam utility deepened the contrast and made the hue truer to life. Our friend noticed that the image blurred a bit when we moved quickly, but was otherwise clear.

Ports and Connectivity:

On the part of connectivity, the Ferrari One is mostly very good. It has two USB ports on the right, along with a five in one memory card reader, a mic jack and a headphone jack that doubles as an optical digital SPDIF audio output. On the left hand side, it has a third USB port, a D-Sub VGA video output port, and, there is also something that we have never seen before; an ATI XGP port. This ATIXGP port allows the Ferrari One to connect to an external graphics card, which, in turn, can power up to four separate monitors, run games and display high-definition video. All of this seems to be quite clever, but we just cannot remember the last time we needed to connect a netbook to more than one display, or when we last wanted to spend our extra dosh on an external graphics card. A simple HDMI port would have been far more useful, as it would have made the Ferrari One an excellent budget media centre laptop.

Features:

It is not all style over substance. In fact, if you strip away the boy racer baubles, you will find this is one of the most interesting netbooks of the past few months.

Processor – The processor is the focus of this innovation

The Acer Ferrari One does not use an Intel Atom CPU, so it stands out of the crowd like a sore thumb next to the vast majority of netbooks, which is actually good news. Instead, it uses AMD’s 2nd Gen Ultrathin Platform, previously known by its code name, Congo. AMD Athlon X2 L310 is the first chip we have seen from AMD’s new Vision platform, and the very first dual core netbook processor. Its advantages over AMD’s first-generation platform and, the netbooks that use Atom CPUs is a very long list. Chiefly, it has a discrete ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, which is a damn sight more powerful than the integrated Intel graphics chips that ship with most netbooks. A variety of CPU options are available with Congo laptops, but Acer has opted to put its new Athlon X2 L310 chip into the Ferrari One. This has a relatively modest clock speed of 1.2GHz but, as it is a dual core offering, it promises better performance especially in the field of multitasking scenarios. This is what that can be seen from some of the equivalent Intel solutions.

Graphics:

The inclusion of ATI’s integrated Radeon HD 3200-series graphics chip is another novel addition, and it lends the Ferrari a modicum of gaming performance. Discrete graphics chips tend to have the disadvantage of being large and power hungry, but AMD’s engineers have managed to reduce the size of the graphics adaptor in order to place it directly onto the AMD M780G chipset, helping the Ferrari One stay trim. The integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics chip does a fairly good job with video acceleration. It struggled a little on higher-bit rate 1080p video, but typical web flash and standard-def video and even 720p H.264 video looked clean and stutter free. This is a big step up from the Intel integrated graphics that most netbooks use. The Radeon HD 3200 also handles 3D graphics processing far more capably than the Intel alternative does.

Memory:

The Ferrari One supports up to 4GB of RAM, 320GB of storage via 2.5-inch hard drives, outstripping the 1GB of memory and 160GB disk offered by the recently reviewed Samsung N510. It is disappointing there is no 802.11n, though, which is included in the Samsung. There is also the 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Gigabit Ethernet, all of which is considerably better than the netbook, and in many cases, laptop norm.

Software Package:

The Ferrari One comes with Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), a 60-day trial of Office 2007, SQL Server 2005, and the Windows Live suite. Acer includes its usual array of branded software: eRecovery Management, Updater, CrystalEye webcam, and GridVista. The system also comes with eSobi reader software, Intervideo WinDVD player, and ATI’s Catalyst Control Center for fine-tuning the display properties under the hood, and a collection of Ferrari-themed wallpapers and screen savers.

Performance:

Speed:

The Ferrari One is pretty quick and it felt faster and more responsive than any netbook we have previously reviewed. Running multiple applications simultaneously is not a great deal for the Ferrari One, as its plentiful RAM and dual-core CPU cope admirably with just about any sort of desktop application.

Gaming:

Even 3D gaming is a possibility. When we played the graphically intensive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at the Ferrari One and, after some admittedly dramatic reduction of graphical niceties, the game ran relatively smoothly. The same can be said for high-definition video. It cannot handle demanding titles such as Crysis; a frame rate of 14fps with all the settings turned down and at 1,024 x 768 pixels is not quite playable, but it will manage less intensive games such as Trackmania Nations Forever much better than the less-powerful Intel GMA 500 or 950 chips you get in most other netbooks. Frame rates judder annoyingly if your media is transcoded at too high a bit rate, as they would on almost any machine not built for viewing HD material, but the majority of our 720p movie files played immaculately. And although the Acer is not quite as proficient with streaming video, it could not handle the BBC iPlayer’s high-definition programmes; it played back YouTube HD content without any fuss. Again, it is very disappointing that the laptop does not have an HDMI output port.

Audio Playback:

Acer has taken a great deal of effort to highlight the Ferrari One’s audio playback credentials. It ships with a pair of integrated stereo speakers, which sound surprisingly good for a netbook, and its sound card can handle Dolby Home Theater v3, which features Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic IIx and, more usefully for a laptop, a Dolby Headphone. The Dolby Headphone produces a fairly realistic 5.1 channel surround sound effect in any set of cans. The laptop’s lack of an optical drive cuts into the sound system’s utility, of course, but still TV shows on Hulu had surprising audio punch.

Heat:

Though heat and high-octane performance often go hand in hand in the auto world, it is not exactly a desirable trait on a notebook. While writing this review we noticed that the underside of the Ferrari One got too hot for comfort. Even with a passive notebook cooler underneath, the excess heat continued to be noticeable. We let the Ferrari One sit idle for five minutes before streaming a YouTube clip at full screen. After fifteen minutes of playback, we measured the temperatures at key locations. The touchpad was an uncomfortable 97 degrees Fahrenheit, and the space between the G and H keys was 95 degrees, which is just on the edge of tolerable. Unfortunately, the underside of the machine got considerably hot; the left front side measured an unacceptable 110 degrees.

Battery:

The six-cell battery sits flush with the system. Unfortunately, where battery life is concerned, things do take a light jolt. Acer’s website says that the Ferrari One’s battery will last up to 5 hours away from the mains. This is not good news as the Samsung N510 lasts considerably longer at over six hours and a typical 10” netbook can last several hours longer.

Warranty and Support:

Acer provides a one-year International Travelers Warranty, and toll-free phone support on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST).

Verdict:

The Acer Ferrari One is one of those mini laptops that can be blindly recommended. Its bold appearance may not be to everybody’s taste, but there is certainly no denying in the fact that it is easy to use, fast and versatile. If you like to make the Acer Ferrari One your one and only PC, you will probably find that it is a slightly small and underpowered to handle the job satisfactorily. If you think of it as an on the go companion PC, though, it is most impressive. The laptop’s slick design, solid features, and adequate performance for its size and weight make it a great buy. It is arguably one of the best laptop we have reviewed.

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Acer Ferrari One Mini Laptop – Technical Specification Table