This making faces fierce competition from other peers in the field, especially when it comes to the fact an optical drive has not been included. The glossy screen ends up with glare when your surroundings are bright, giving you a tough time when you want to write. But Acer has scored way high through the long lasting 6 cell battery which gives an 8 hours life. Well, with loads of features into the mix like eSobi news reader, the aforementioned backup utility, My win Locker for safely storing files, and Orion; and, each of these features complement each other to position 3810T way ahead of predecessors among the commoners market.

Design:

Style:

The first thing that comes to your notice is the slim and wedge design. Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T is ultra thin with a thickness of 24mm rising just 5mm at its highest. The brushed aluminium cover gives it the killer looks plus accounts for the feather weight. The 13″ weighs roughly to 1.6kg. The company has included the matte gray fingerprint proof plastic lid similar to the Travel mate series. The light weight makes it refreshingly easier to carry. Though the colour scheme appears little conservative and old, the key finishing and style layout updates it to the current. A strip of LED lights above the keyboard indicates WiFi connectivity battery power and hard drive. This gives a natural and comfortable typing feel.

Display and Audio:

With a High Definition backlit Led display this would make the experience of the eye straining job of staring the monitor as never before. The 13″ inch screen allows a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels giving us a comfortable experience to watch movies. The screen is given a glossy finish, so, at times your surroundings appears bright you might experience minor problems with glaring. A big let-down in this machine pops up when it comes to audio which are quite weak. The audio appears slack and never loud when we hear it from a distance. Even Dell’s Inspiron has better clarity of sound.  So, watching movies or hearing your favourite beats better get yourself an external subwoofer.

Aspect Ratio:

An aspect ratio of 16:9 is definitely an advantage over 16:10. One advantage is that black borders are eliminated while watching wide screen movies. This really appears as if our prayers have been answered but do not over expect. This applies only for movies that are presented in 16:9 aspect ratio which means normal movies which comes with a 2.20:1 aspect ratio would still experience black borders.

Exploring naturally:

As with the trackpad, they have introduced multi gesture functionality that gives navigation the naturality of finger movements. A simple swirl motion  allows you to scroll web pages up and down, the sensitive track pad lets you zoom in and out photos, flick through albums. Here, there is a mouse button bar which lets your finger to slip in and lets the thumb to rest while you navigate.   You also have a button that disables the track pad, and this is something common to business class laptops. There is one thing that disappoints us, even though the thumb rests, too much pressure needs to be applied at the track pad to move the mouse pointer.

Keyboard:

The keyboard layout in Acer Timeline 3810T 13″ Laptop is quite distinct. They are spaced with gaps in between them, but they are still close enough to resemble a more or less traditional keyboard. The keys are soft and comfortable, positioned such a way that possibility of errors made while typing are made minimum. The cushion type keys make long hours of typing a very comfortable issue. While designing, the makers would have really given a thought about time. They are also low pitched and therefore, make minimum noise while typing. But the space between seems to be a hub for dusts and crumbs of food particles. Those with long nails could find their nails being pinched in between the gaps. But rest apart, no issues.

Ports and Webcam:

Acer Timeline 3810T Notebook Computer has all ports you would need including three USB ports, VGA out Ethernet Jack and HDMI ports. The usual location of the Mic and headphone ports has been changed from the front to the left end. In addition to the USB ports, you also have a 5 in 1 memory card reader. All these ports are dawned in the left and right; all this means, no ports in the front end.  There is a 720p webcam which gives you a clear portfolio of your own in just a smack.  Hence, when compared to the other cams this could give you images with decent levels of details and of course, with very little lag.

Features:

Processor:

This Acer machine has two things going in its way. The Timeline 3810T is supposedly, one of the first laptops in the series to use Intel CULV processor U9400. The speed rather disappointingly stands to be 1.4GHZ way lower than AMD 64 bit processors. But still, Timeline has managed to trounce the other competitors like the Pavilion HV2 and MSI X340 which definitely saves your bill, if you are to buy some expensive ultra portables with the same configuration.  It features a 4GB RAM and a 320 GB hard disk drive about which, we will discuss about in detail later.  But, the issue that let us down is the graphics card which delivers an offbeat performance.

Time is something very precious and usually we never have enough with our precious possessions. So what could be done is to add additional features in this limited time span. Combined with a low energy consuming processor and with a high capacity battery the makers have made sure that this is shipped with features that would keep us busy in this limited time.

Operating System:

The Acer Timeline 3810T Laptop computer system comes with rather an interesting package with Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit). This operating system has the peer to peer technology that makes sharing of files and media between computers and devices. It comes up with many new changes after it had been criticised for its licensing terms. One such feature is the Aero which gives a refreshingly new look and graphic user interface. Along with a redesigned search function, multimedia tools including Windows DVD maker and advanced video audio subsystems appeals high. The system also offers additional software like eSobi news reader, the aforementioned backup utility, My win Locker for safely storing files, and Orion.

Memory and Hard Disk:

The Timeline 3810T comes with a Dual channel 4GB DDR3 RAM 1066 MHZ, which allows speedy operations to be done. Along with Dual core processors, multitasking never appears to be a problem. Additionally, the memory can be expanded to 8GB RAM using 2 SO DIMM memory modules. As mentioned earlier, the Hard disk is a massive 320 GB that allows you to store tons of movies and videos. All these features coupled are coupled with low price.

Wireless Connectivity:

It has a wireless 802.11 a/b/g Draft N wireless, 3G WWAN and a mobile Wimax connectivity. It provides a very descent speed that enough to reach timelines on time every time.

Missing Optical Drive:

Well, this really would send a shock to more than a few guys out there who would want to play their DVD movies; seriously this device misses an optical drive. However, it has more than enough USB ports and so, if you want to watch a movie, get yourself a new USB or Portable Hard Disk. You would also find the Mat Lid missing. But on the other hand, excluding these have led to this wafer thin laptop with nearly all features.

On one side it gives a remarkable performance of its class with the focus mainly on power reduction and battery life. The software package included is intelligently done. It allows various shortcuts that definitely would be catchy. The missing optical drive and the lack of proper sound clarity would affect movie experience. The space between the keys magnifies the accumulation of dirt and could pinch your nails.

Performance:

Acer has never ever come up with something humbug. So does Intel. So when you combine both what you get is a much more overall usable experience. The performance easily succeeds MSI X 340 or Adamo, and gives you a perfect feel while performing standard tasks like web surfing, media playback or going through files while at office. With a multi-threaded processor at hand multitasking appears to be a honey smooth drive.

Power:

Power conservation is something which Acer boasts about. The 6 cell battery though said to retain a charge of 8 hours retains charge for nearly 5 hours under tough testing conditions. Since we do not have a workstation to run, and typically we end up browsing the web hearing tunes and watching movies this battery is set to last long, really long. So definitely it is useful while you are a constant traveller or if you do not find suitable time to charge your laptop.

Warranty:

Acer Timeline 3810T comes with a one year carry in International Travelers Warranty.

Verdict:

To sum up Acer Aspire 3810 T is a handsome good looking ultra portable ultra thin and gives you a more powerful feel than it truly is. It appears slightly over sized net book. It would easily seep in through a bag and therefore carrying it will never pose to be a problem. Two things that are lacking in this are the optical drive and blue tooth connectivity which could have been used for connecting a travel mouse or a smart phone.
The trademark quality is its battery life which could give 5hours out of the claimed 8 hours. The thin frame beats Dells Adamo. We would say that they have tried to include the world in this new laptop but seriously whether your taste suits with the available feature is something mysterious. Rest apart, this would surely serve the common usage with an above average performance and with an exceptionally low price. But if you are looking for a high class performance this is something not for you.

Check other Acer Laptop Reviews, Samsung Laptop Reviews in this website.

Acer Timeline 3810T Laptop – Technical Specification Table

Pros:
•    Excellent gaming performance
•    AlienFX LED lighting system
•    Strong 3D Graphics thanks to the Dual Graphics Cards
•    Solid build quality
•    Fantastic screen
•    Good keyboard & touchpad
•    Good selection of ports and connectivity
•    Hot swappable SmartBay Modular bay

Cons:
•    Sky rocketing price
•    Large and Heavy
•    Loud fans
•    Dismal battery life
•    Just one year warranty

Review:

The gaming machines of Alienware have graced the pages of most PC Gaming magazines for more than a decade. These machines just tempt the gamers with its tantalizing technical specifications, since fiction aesthetic and promise of jaw dropping ultimate gaming experience. When the gaming stakes are high, you need a laptop with components that can deliver a high level performance. The Alienware Area-51 M17x is one of those laptops, but you will have to empty your mattress your life savings in order to buy it. The M17x is Alienware’s highest end gaming notebook and the notable features of this all black monster includes an Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, dual Nvidia GeForce 9800M-GT graphics cards, and a 500GB RAID 0 array. It is one of the most powerful laptops we have ever tested, read on and find it yourself.

Design:

Traditional design:
The Alienware Area-51 M17x is one of the largest laptops that we have tested. It is about 2.1 inches thick and tips the scales at 11 pounds. The physical design of the m17x is quite traditional as there are no fancy curves or any other notable design elements for that matter. The Area 51 M17x has a box like design with rounded edges and the rubberised matte black finish of the laptop provides it the high end look and feel. The only gloss that could be found on the m17x is on the borders of its LCD screen.

Solid build:
Alienware M17x is not only one of the largest laptops around; it is also one of the most solidly built ones around. The complete base of the laptop is inflexible; the palm rests do not bulge under pressure, and neither do the other surfaces surrounding the keyboard. The lid resists twisting much better than majority of 17” laptops as it is thicker than most. One of the common action that we can see in almost all laptops is the ripples formed by pushing in on the back of the lid, well, that does not happen with the Area 51 M17x unless extreme pressure is used. The display is held well in its place by the hinge. Though there is some wobble in the display, it does so only on some serious effort to induce like shaking the table where the laptop sits. Given the dimensions and weight of the device, we think the wobble has been reasonably kept under control. The display does not have any latches and instead, it is held closed by a pair of small magnets.

AlienFX Backlighting:
The lighting system, called AlienFX, is the feature that makes the M17x stand out from the crowd. There are five areas of notebook that feature LED backlighting and they include keyboard, Touchpad, Touch buttons, Alienware logo below display and Alien head power button and also the emblem on back of the display. The exciting part here is that, you will be able to change each zone independently to one of 12 colours. In addition to this, it is extremely easy to completely disable the AlienFX backlighting feature by pressing [Fn] + [F11]. These features may sound like short-lived novelties, but the gamers will disagree. The backlit keyboard, in particular, makes all the difference when gaming in a dim coffee shop or a dark office after hours.

The customising features are not limited to aesthetics, either. The AlienFusion power controls let you create custom energy profiles or choose one of the three basics: balanced, high performance, or power saver.

Display:
As you might be aware by now, the Alienware M17x comes standard with only one display option available, which is a 17 inch glossy widescreen with WUXGA resolution of 1920 x 2000 pixels. The pictures on this display are nothing less than stunning; their colours are vibrant with high brightness level. The screen is ideal for the purpose of gaming, high definition video and general usage. Its crisp contrast makes text reading easy and the viewing angles are simply excellent from top and on the sides; however, like a typical LCD screen, the picture darkens when viewed from below. The backlighting is generally even, with just a hint from the bottom of the screen. Our verdict is, the M17x’s display is one of the best in the market.

Keyboard:
The M17x has a full sized keyboard with a separate number pad. The keys feature durable rubberized finish; they possess a soft feel and the key presses are well cushioned. Key travel is normal and the keys are quiet which is mainly because of the fact they are rubber like. Unfortunately, the keyboard suffers from flex that is noticeable even under some average typing pressure; pressing one key affects all of the surrounding keys. Strangely, the number pad does not suffer from any flex. We liked the feel of the keyboard and just wished it has lesser flex.

Touchpad:
The expansive touchpad of M17x is flush with the palm rest. The touchpad too has the same matte rubberised finish like the rest of the laptop. It is easy to track it with moist or dry fingers. Since the buttons of the touchpad are made out of one piece of plastic, the clicks are almost inaudible.
Overall, the Alienware Area-51 M17x 17″ gaming laptop is traditional and yet extremely attractive. The machine has a quality finish and feel and it is solid and well made. You either love it or you hate it: the appearance of the Area-51 m17x has hordes of fans and haters, but does make a strong statement.

Features:

Ports and Connectivity:
Coming to the ports and connectivity, let us see them one by one. On the left side of the laptop, there is the power jack, optical audio, S-video, HD TV tuner, headphones, microphone, audio out, 3 X USB and SmartBay modular bay. In the right side, there is the seven in one media card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot, USB, HDMI, FireWire B, FireWire A, Gigabit Ethernet and security lock slot. There is not much happening in the front, except the IR receiver. The M17x has perhaps the most expansive range of ports that we have seen on a notebook, including a rare 6-pin FireWire port. The SmartBay especially deserves some additional attention. It is basically a modular bay that can take a hard drive in place of the optical drive. The SmartBay is hot-swappable, meaning the system does not have to be powered off to switch devices. It also features a SATA connection, ensuring the hard drive has an ultra-fast connection. This is a kind of feature we would like to see on more laptops as it adds both convenience and functionality.

You will also find a 2-megapixel camera and two microphones for videoconferencing. With the option to equip a dual layer Blu-ray Disc Burner and a TV tuner, you can do more than challenge your friends to a late night fragfest with the Area-51 m17x. Add a terabyte hard drive, record your favorite TV shows, and the Area-51 m17x will serve beautifully as a home media center.

Wireless feature:
On the wireless account, Alienware has included the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN wireless card supporting 802.11a, g, and draft-n connections as standard along with internal Bluetooth. The range that we were able to obtain with the wireless Intel Card, which was quite good as we were able to pickup networks and connect at the fringe of their transmitting range without any issues. The Bluetooth also works as expected with the included Bluetooth ExpressCard media remote.

The insides:
Under the hood, the Alienware M17x Gaming Notebook has components that are similar to those in the m15x, and that includes the 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor and 4GB of RAM. Instead of an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX discrete graphics card, though, the m17x has the latest-generation 9800M GT series cards in SLI (Scalable Link Interface), which lets a laptop use two discrete graphics cards together to double the graphics performance. At the moment, the m17x is available with a pair of GeForce 8800M GTX cards in SLI, which should result in performance comparable to the m15x. The system also has an HDTV tuner for watching broadcast HD television, but you will have to supply your own antenna.

Software:
Vista Home Premium and Ultimate 32 bit are the two operating system options available. The OSs were just fine and all of the supplied software including the Alienware Command Center worked without issues.

Orion messenger bag:
You also get to opt for an Alienware’s new Orion messenger bag with the M17x Laptop. Given the above average size and weight of the device, having a bag that fits it well and is comfortable to use is important.  The Orion has a main and a secondary inside compartment, and five external pouches. This bag is a great companion for the M17x and, the padding on the shoulder strap, as well as on the bag itself is welcome while carrying 15 pounds worth of equipment. The nylon material is thick, durable, and well-made, and the notebook compartment is well cushioned. The zippers are of good quality. We highly recommend opting for this bag to those of you purchasing the m17x.

Performance:

The m17x Gaming Laptop from Alienware took a poky 1 minute and 23 seconds to boot. We attribute that sluggishness to the 5,400-rpm hard drive; it was able to copy 4.97GB worth of files in 2 minutes and 34 seconds (a rate of 33 MBps), which is quite good, but a 7,200-rpm drive would have provided quicker speeds. When it comes to gaming, you can expect upwards of 150 frames per second on Call of Duty 4 at a 1024 x 768 resolution. If you are still chipping away at that level 70 character on World of Warcraft, frame rates of over 200 fps are standard on the Area-51 m17x. The notorious resource hog, Crysis, is even playable at above 30fps on high graphics settings. Gaming performance of this magnitude is almost overkill. The Area-51 m17x easily outperforms the cheaper Gateway P-173XL FX and Asus G50V A1.

Speakers:
The Alienware M17x has two stereo speakers and two inch sub woofer. The audio quality is slightly above average for a laptop and they get reasonably loud. The most wanted low end is added by the sub-woofer. The acoustics on the whole is not the best around, but is not disappointing too.

Heat:
Heat and Noise are two very important issues that are most often neglected. The cooling system is important for any gadget, but on a laptop packed with high powered components like the m17x, it is mission critical. And fortunately, the m17x’s system has taken care of the job. The device has several rather fans that draws air in from numerous perforations on the bottom with two additional air intakes under the palmrests. The entire back of the laptop has been lined with exhaust vents that throw out extraordinary amounts of hot air. Overall, the cooling system of Alienware Area-51does a remarkable job in keeping the two video cards, a high powered processor and two hard drives under control. When the M17x runs under continuous full load in excess of five hours, it experiences no issues. The top of the laptop does not get warm and the rear of it where the vents are, got a bit toasty because of all the hot air that is running above it. The cooling system of m17x is well designed and each video card has a dedicated heat sink and fan.

Noise:
However, the downside to the Alienware Area-51 M17x’s effective cooling system is the noise that it creates. Even when the laptop is at idle state, the fans run fast and produce a distinct whine. And unsaid, under full load, the noise increases as more air moves out of the back, however, the good news is that, the whine does not intensify. So, this is not the kind of laptop you would want to be using where silence is important. So, the cooling system of the device just boils down to necessity or niceness. It is essential that a high tech gaming laptop like the m17x has an effective cooling system; hence, quietness takes the second place when it comes to functionality.

Battery:

The Alienware Area-51 M17x comes with a 12 cell, 6600mAh battery pack. Having the screen dimmed down in power-save mode and wireless set off, the laptop provides just more than an hour of battery life. The power draw of this system is immense, and needless to say, this is not the laptop for you if you value battery time.

Warranty and Service:

Alienware offers its Area-51 M17x Laptop one year warranty for parts and labour. You can also get two or even three years extended warranty for some extra cost. It is disappointing to see Alienware only offering a one-year warranty as standard equipment on the m17x; for a machine that is so costly, we think a three-year warranty should be standard at the very least. The company also offers 24/7 technical support and on-site service.

Verdict:

The Alienware Area-51 M17x is certainly a remarkable gaming notebook and is certainly a clear step forward for the company in terms of design and performance. It is overloaded with top shelf equipment, especially the pair of Nvidia 9800M-GT video cards. It has the typical downsides associated with a portable desktop like loud cooling system, dismal battery life, and less warranty, but it does everything else well. It has a very steep starting price, and hence, is out of reach for most even though the baseline configuration has the components that make the system worth buying. For those who do have the kind cash for a system like this, you are getting an awesome machine that will get envious looks anywhere you go, but be prepared to sign a mortgage for it.

If the price of the Area-51 m17x intimidates you, take a look at the reasonably priced Gateway P-173X FX series or the Toshiba Qosmio X305 gaming laptop. They are both pretty powerful machines that retail for half the price of the m17x. You will not get the celebrated performance of Alienware, but you just might sleep a bit easier.

Alienware Area-51 M17x Laptop – Technical Specifications

Pros:
1. Great Colour and Contrast on Screen
2. Great Build Quality
3. Amazing Design
4. Amazing Battery Life on Mac OS
5. An SD slot finally
6. Silent and Light

Cons:
1. Poor connectivity
2.  Looks given a priority over ergonomics
3. Poor Windows driver support
4. Gets really hot sometimes

Review:

Apple has always been associated with producing sleek, cool and gorgeous range of laptops. Their latest range the MacBook pro is no different. In fact, their new product the Apple MacBook Pro MC118B/A takes things to a step further. The slim and compact laptop is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo Processor of 2.53GHz. The 15.4 inch TFT screen has a resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels, ensuring crystal clear images. The device provides a memory of 4GB DDR3 SDRAM and a 250GB SATA Hard Disk drive with a spindle of 5400. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Shared Video Memory graphics processor makes it great for casual gaming. Do these statistics mean that the device is not only good looking but also good in terms of performance? Read on to find out.

Design:

Benchmark for Build Quality:

The MacBook Pro MC118B/A  Laptop uses the familiar uni-body design carved from aluminium. This high quality workmanship is still a standard by which other laptops are measured for their looks. Once you hold a MacBook Pro in your hands you would realise how ultra rigid the body of the device is. The notebook does not have any crunching or portioning parts present in the chassis. Try clamping the MacBook Pro in a vise and bend it, you would find no sort of flex anywhere on the notebook. The screen does flex a little bit but consider its thinness it was expected; that perhaps is the only negative detail here. Otherwise, it features one of the strongest unibody chassis in the market.

Clutter Free Design:

It has a sharp design and has no panel lines or breaks except on the bottom. Apple switched to an internal battery for the model instead of a cover and release bar simplifying the design even further. The lid of the notebook features a white apple logo that lights up when in use. The case can be shut and has a magnetic latch making opening and closing the lid pretty easy.  There are a few ports on the sides of the Pro. However, simple upgrades such as changing the hard drive or battery means a few additional steps on the Pro. One needs to unscrew all the screws on the perimeter of the notebook to have access to the user serviceable components. While it is not difficult to do so, most users would find it hard when compared to the rather easier expansion on other notebooks.

Pretty Flat:

Visually, one would not find much difference between a 13 inch laptop and the 15.4 model being reviewed. However, this one feels larger when on a lap and; there are many 15” laptops in the market such as the Asus UL50 that are bigger than the Pro.  We still find it remarkable that a 5.56 pounds laptop can be this flat. Its weight is pretty common for laptops of its size with the heaviest the Dell Studio 15 weighing around 6.34 pounds.

Great Display:

Another important aspect when it comes to overall user experience is the display size. The larger it is, the more we can “See” things on the desktop.  The MacBook Pro MC118B/A features an outstanding 15.2 inch display. The 16:10 display offers a resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels and has a brightness of 230 cd/m².  The brightness is excellent for viewing in brightly lit rooms. The pictures look great because of the glossier screen and a 60 percent jump in colour gamut. The anti reflection surface allows one to use the notebook even in direct sunlight.  There is a brightness sensor that automatically regulates brightness. It can also be adjusted manually. The viewing angles are average with colours starting to show inversion when tilted to 20-25 degrees. The horizontal angles are far better than the vertical ones up till the reflections over power the screen. One can order a laptop with a higher resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels with a glossy or anti glare finish. The extra resolution is lovely. The antiglare works great but the colours are not as good as they are in the other version.

Comfortable to use:

Though there is not much of a size difference in between the 13 inch and the 15 inch models, the latter is far more comfortable to work on. The fore arm rests easily on the laptops so the sharp edges do not pinch us (Yes, the Mac’s sides are actually sharp enough to pinch). While the 13 inch model is easier to manage in crowded places, the 15 inch scores more when it comes to comfort.

Amazing Backlit Keyboard:

The MacBook Pro MC118B/A Notebook Computer features a full size backlit chiclet keyboard design that is a normal size for a 15 inch laptop. It is very pleasant to use and is silent. The travel depth is decent and the spacing lets one type comfortably without having to move hands more than they need to.  For most people keyboards are overlooked. However, for people who type a lot, they would find the Apple laptop keyboards easier to use followed by the HP Envy and models in the Sony Vaio family.  The keys are customised for a MacOS X and hence Windows users would have to get accustomed to it.  But here is the best part about the keyboard: Backlit keyboards that can be activated manually or with a light sensor.  It is also fully adjustable and can be brighter or dimmer depending on how you want it.  It is a pretty handy feature and we would prefer upgrading our PC to have one with a backlit keyboard than a better soundcard or Bluetooth.

One key Glass Touchpad:

The MacBook Pro line features some of the biggest touchpads out there.  It is a large glass surface with no separate touchpad buttons. It is very smooth and fingers slide easier than they do on a plastic surface that most laptops have. The reason it is big is perhaps it is because of the multi touch gestures present.  The whole surface can be clicked on and one can even set zones such as the lower right for a right click and so on. The touch sensitivity is amazing and has no lag whatsoever even at default settings.  However, the touchpad’s movement in the Windows OS was rather choppy. The touchpad often mistook a slight pressure increase in the touch as a double click opening up applications as we moved over a list in the start menu.

Average Audio:

There are speakers present on either side of the keyboard making it a better device than the 13” model that has its speakers in a not so convenient position. While the audio is sufficient it is not loud. Their enclosed position makes it sound like a mono speaker. So the best option is to use headphones. Hooking it up to a stereo for surround sound is another option available if you are not content with the soft audio of the notebook.

Ports:

While we are all praise for the workmanship, the connection options are not so great. The notebook features 2 USB ports, one mini Display port, LAN and Firewire 800.  While eSATA is the best when fast external storage is the criteria, more Mac targeted storage devices offer Firewire. However, the Firewire 800 port is not backward compatible with the Firewire 400 devices.  The Pro also features a headphone jack and an SD card bringing it to the level that most PCs have been present for a number of years.  The inclusion of SD card has been welcomed by users as it had been something they had been expecting for quite a long time. Unfortunately, the slot is not multipurpose and supports only full size SD cards.  The absence of Express card slot has infuriated many a user for most people depend on them for expansion. The MacBook Pro has a slot loading optical drive which means one cannot read mini discs on the drive.

ISight Webcam:

The Pro features the iSight camera at the top of the screen bezel and has a camera indicator light included as well. This indicator lights up when the camera is on thus saving one from doing embarrassing things when on cam. The cam performed wonderfully well even in low light conditions. However we noticed little refresh lag most of the time.

Connectivity Options:

This model of the MacBook Pro features both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth making it highly portable and handy for users who would want a wireless affair.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Wi-Fi:  IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)

Handy Battery Indicator:

The most notable feature of the MacBook Pro is the miniscule but highly handy battery gauge meter present on the side of the notebook.  Pressing up the button would light up a number of LEDs present showing the current level of charge. If all the 8 indicators are lit, the laptop is fully charged. This is handy considering you would not have to switch on the notebook to know how much charge it has.

Memory Specifications:

The MacBook Pro MC118B/A provides 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM with 1066MHz and a 250GB SATA hard drive disk with 5400rpm. The default memory of 4 GB is sufficient for most users out there. One can even upgrade to 8 GB but that is totally unnecessary for most of you guys out there.

Performance:

Impressive:

The 15 inch MacBook Pro performed as expected in our benchmark tests with the 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor leading the 2.4 GHz processor found in the 2008 version.  The MacBook is perfect for Web browsing, working and multimedia playback. There is present the NVIDIA GeForce 9400 graphics, which was also present in the earlier version. The NVIDIA 9400M scored above 2100 marks in the 3DMark 06 test.  Thanks to this graphic card, one can play newer games such as Quake IV at lower resolutions. With some tweaking of resolution and detail settings, the game Portal delivered 40 frames per second at 1280 x 800 pixels resolution.  This is a major pro for users who are into light occasional gaming.

Great for Movies:

Other than gaming, the system was able to handle both 720p and 1080p HD movie decoding with ease making it perfect as a home theatre hub. Even though the 15 inch screen is not really wide, it is still a great platform for watching Blu-ray movies at full resolution.

A step forward in Audio:

The stereo loudspeakers present in the MacBook Pro are louder than the speakers in the G4 PowerBook. In spite of a clear step forward in terms of audio quality when compared to the PowerBook, the maximum volume is not really convincing. The audio is clear only with less bass. The analog and digital audio ports offer great quality and attaching an external sound system would be great.

Heat:

Most Apple laptops have always lost points when it comes to heat output.  When under stress, the entire system acts as a huge heat sink making it unfriendly for one to place it on the lap.  For normal daily activity, the MacBook Pro stays relatively cool by shedding heat into the air. But when under intensive load for long periods of time, the Pro becomes unbearably hot with the keyboard and back recording a temperature of 105 Fahrenheit.  Because the device is made of aluminium, it easily transmit’s the heat outside making the device very warm.

Noise:

When the computer is cold, there is no active cooling mechanism in place and hence there is no noise audible. But during intense usage, the 2 internal fans start running at full speed to cool the CPU and GPU. At that point the noise is still low enough at 33.7 decibels. Interestingly, the minimum noise the notebook produces is 33.5 decibels, 0.2 lesser than the maximum.  However, we did notice the laptop whining, producing a silent constant and unpleasant noise.

Battery Life in Mac OS X:

Excellent is one word that describes battery life of the MacBook Pro. Perhaps that is an understatement as well. The laptop lasted a solid 9 hours when in ‘Idle’ mode (with minimum brightness, Wi-fi and Bluetooth switched off). The Idle mode is a fictitious case and in reality, the battery never runs that long. It lasted an equally impressive 7 hours while doing tasks such as Web browsing, editing text documents etc. When we put the display at maximum brightness, enabled the 9400M and turned on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, we got around 6 to 7 hours of battery life. This is perhaps the longest lasting battery in a notebook of this size.

Battery Charge Time:

It takes just 2 and half hours to re-charge the battery and that is pretty fast. Even the lesser powered Sony Vaio Z takes 3 whole hours to reach full charge. The Vaio takes about one hour 50 minutes to reach 80 percent charge whereas the MacBook Pro does it in one hour 20 minutes.

Battery Life in Windows:

The Battery Life in Windows is not as impressive as it was in the Mac OS X.  In Idle mode it lasted a little under 4 hours.  Browsing the web drained the battery life in roughly about 3 hours 37 minutes.  So in reality, the battery can last anywhere between 3 to 4 hours even with the usage of 9400M. As you can notice, the battery life in Windows is very short when compared to the values in Mac OS X.  We suspect the problem lies in the poor Apple driver support in Windows.  We were unable to manually turn off the backlight of the keyboard which could be turned off only using the sensors. Even the GPU was always ON and the Bluetooth seemed to be on in spite of being turned off. So if you would want to use Windows on the MacBook Pro, you will not be able to fully benefit from the battery.

Power Consumption:

The Current consumption when not under load shows a great value when compared to most notebooks in the market. However under load the notebook’s consumption is still below average. The minimum and maximum consumptions are 19 and 53 watts respectively with the laptop consuming around 25 watts at normal brightness.

Warranty:

The MacBook Pro 15.4″ Laptop has a standard one year warranty on parts and labour. There is also a 90 days toll free telephone support on the notebook.  One can extended the warranty to three years by shelling out extra cash.

Conclusion:

The MacBook Pro is a great notebook with an amazing design. It has a great display and the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor performs wonderfully well. Most people would not care a damn about the driver support inside Windows or its sharp edges.  If you are a Mac OS X user, the choice is easy. You only have to choose between the size, speed and price amongst the various models available. For people who want to use Mac OS, they should decide if they are ready to switch. If they think the OS is as good as it looks, this is a great choice too. If you are a Windows user, the choice is tough.  While there are laptops that can be called as competitors to the Pro, they sure are inferior to the design of the Pro. Then again, we have not really found a PC as a substitute for the Pro as of yet.

Apple MacBook Pro MC118B/A – Technical Specification Table

Design:

Bedazzling Looks:
The Satellite L550 is one of those laptops that will catch your eye the moment you look at them. The dimensions of this laptop are slightly on the higher end since this is a big computer and it is made to be a replacement for your desktop computer. It has come with a great colour combination. The steel grey display cover and the snow silver top cover make the design look better in association with the black coloured keyboard. The dimensions of the Satellite L550 is (W x D x H) 416.2 x 272.3 x 36.3 mm. These dimensions are significantly higher than normal. The satellite laptops also weigh more. If you see the Satellite L550, it weighs about 3 kg. The weight and dimensions also depend on the screen size that is selected. The more the screen size, the higher the dimensions. Although this particular laptop may not be that comfortable on your lap nor is it an easily portable thing, but it still has commanding looks that will make sure that its portability issue is nullified.

Display:
The display part of the laptops from Toshiba has always been very good and also attractive. Now, the Satellite L550-1CC Laptop Computer is a little unique as it has got a bigger display. A screen as big as 17.3 inches measured diagonally, gives you a lot of space to view movies and play games. The TruBrite HD + technology give you a high brightness display with a screen resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:9. This aspect ratio means that the display will be in a landscape format and it will be great to watch movies on it. The screen is also LCD type which is backlit by an array of LEDs. This makes sure that the display is always lucid and crystal clear and in addition to this, the viewing angles are great on the Satellite L550. Hence, you can say that the display mechanism of the Satellite L550 is better than that of many others in the market.

Features: A Flurry of them
Toshiba has included many features in the Satellite L550 17.3″ Laptop so that the laptop can easily replace a desktop computer. Along with those which you will see on a conventional laptop computer, there are also additional features that make up a complete Satellite L550.

Toshiba Bulletin Board:
This is a unique feature that is developed by Toshiba and it will feature on your laptop irrespective of the operating system that is used by the computer. This Bulletin Board is like a small homepage that will be seen on your main screen. It contains many features like calendar, clock, to-do list, sticky notes, important reminders and schedules etc., which are also designed in an awesome manner so that, they are not only easy to use, but also are very stylish. All you need to do is just drag and drop the different files or even folders to this menu and they will be stored right on the desktop, rather than inside some folder which you need to search for every time. You can also customise it and change the way the panel looks by changing designs and applying backgrounds. You can also access the online back up support team by a click and also get regular updates and news. This is like an easy access panel and will be of great use for people from all walks of life.

Toshiba ReelTime:
The ReelTime is a panel for media files and it is more like a collection of recently created and used files or folders. Instead of the conventional search and find option, you can scroll through various files that were accessed in the recent past. You can also select specific files and store them in this panel so that they can be accessed quickly. Photos, Videos, Movies and other documents are stored here in the form of thumbnails, so that it will be easy for you to identify them with just a glance. The ReelTime, just like the Bulletin Board is like a dock and it can be hid or even removed whenever needed. But, using is really fun as well as time saving and you can access all you r favourites at a single place.

Processor:
The processor decides how a computer works and you need to select a computer that has a robust processing system so that you will not face many problems in the future. The Toshiba Satellite L550 comes with a wonderful Intel® Pentium® Processor T4400. It is one of the best that you will ever find in the market. Its features are also very good; a clock speed of 2.20 GHz that is equivalent to two central processing units which means that there is wonderful response to the signals and hence the computer operates really fast. A couple of other features include a front side bus off 800 MHz and a second level cache of 1MB. What all these numbers mean to you is that, your laptop will be very quick in its functioning and there will also be little or no problems regarding its operation.

Operating System:
The Satellite L550 comes with a pre installed operating system of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit. It also comes with the special feature, Toshiba HDD recovery, which means that there will always be a back up for all your data in the computer and they can be recovered again even after the system is formatted due to any reason. Now, in many cases, the 64 bit system faces some problems regarding compatibility. Some applications or features require a 32 bit system and they cannot work with the 64 bit one. Even if they are compatible, they require an upgrade for that. Hence, Toshiba offers you the 32 bit Windows 7 as well and you can select it at the time of purchasing. For normal home usage, the 32 bit version works well and it is more than enough.

Memory:
Memory is also one of the features that are instrumental in deciding the capacity of a computer. The standard RAM of the system is 4 GB and is very good considering other similar computers in the market. 4 GB means you will have a large ready memory and this ensures that the system runs at a very fast rate. This RAM of 4 GB is common to all the Satellite laptops. But, even then, it can be upgraded to a higher memory depending on individual interest. An additional 4 GB of memory is supported by the Satellite L550. The RAM is also DDR3 type, which is superior to the commonly seed DDR2 and it boosts the overall performance of the system. Coming to the hard disk space, a standard hard disk is provided to all the Satellite laptops, whose capacity is 500 GB with drive rotation speed of 5400 rpm. 500 GB will be more than sufficient for home usage and you can store plenty of movies, videos, games and stuff. There is no option for expansion here. If at all more memory is required, you have to purchase an external hard drive.

Graphics Card:
After featuring such a good processor, it will certainly be great if there is a graphics accelerator. And yes, the Satellite L550 comes with a formidable graphics card. Intel’s latest and one of the best in the market, Mobile Intel GMA 4500 M, is used as the graphics accelerator for all your needs and especially for gaming. This is great news for all the gamers because, such a robust graphics card allows high end gaming on your laptop. Detailing more about this card, the total graphics memory that is available is up to 1340 MB, for a 32bit system which has 3 GB of RAM and about 1759 MB for a 64 bit system which has 4 GB of RAM. The memory type of this graphics card is shared. Hence, looking at these jaw dropping numbers, all the gaming fanatics should definitely buy the Satellite L550.

Face Recognition:
Of late, a few of the manufacturers are providing the face recognition feature for their laptops in particular. This strengthens your security since there is nothing like the password setting system and then the leakage of that password so that your files are open for access to all those who open the computer. From now onwards, your face is the key to open your computer. This is a very useful facility. First of all, you need to register your face with the software that is pre installed in the computer. Only one face can be registered and stored at a time. Overall, your computer is now safer than ever before, that is unless you have a twin sibling.

Wi-Fi:
Wi-Fi is now a compulsory feature for all laptops as it has become very popular as well as useful. Even though this is a pretty common feature that you will see on every laptop, the Satellite L550 features an integrated WLAN card that is capable of detecting even the slightest of signals so that you can easily access any wireless hotspot. The connectivity is also very strong with excellent signal strength which means that even video chatting and calling can be done with pretty good speed. Chatting with your pals and sharing files like pictures and videos has never been easier and the Satellite L550 provides special options when it comes to sharing files. Hence, leave the mess of wires and cables and plunge into the wireless world.

Software Bundle:
The Satellite L550-1CC Notebook Computer comes with a huge software package; so huge for a package that you will not be able to carry it if it consisted of hardware instead. Such is the software abundance. Here is a list of all the special software provided by Toshiba: Toshiba Disc Creator, Face Recognition software, Toshiba Photo Service, The manual, Toshiba Assist, Supervisor Password Utility software, Microsoft Student, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Wild Tangent Games Console, Connectivity Doctor, Toshiba Drivers and Utilities, Google Pack comprising Google Toolbar, iGoogle, Google Picasa, ConfigFree, Toshiba Recovery Media Creator, McAfee Total Internet Security which includes free updates for 30 days, Toshiba Accessibility, Flash Cards, Toshiba DVD player, Toshiba Button Support, PC Diagnosing Tool, Toshiba Power Saver, Components Common Drover, Toshiba Zooming Utility, Toshiba Value added package, and Chicony Camera Assistant software. Some of these are pre installed in the computer while the others come inside a software CD package and they have to be installed separately by the users.

Ease in Usability:
Easy Usability is a special package of the wonderful features provided by Toshiba in the Satellite L550. It comprises Control Buttons, LED backlighting, Eco utility, Smart display support, Toshiba LifeSpace, McAfee Total Internet Security, Touch pad with multi touch control, Toshiba TEMPRO Performance tuning service, and PC health monitor. All these aforementioned special features make the Satellite L550 a very unique and one of the best user friendly and user accessible laptops ever.

Security:
In order to provide you and your computer ultimate security, Toshiba has taken a few steps by introducing a few security features. They are the supervisor password, which can be set by the computer administrator, Face recognition software, about which we have already discussed, HDD password on request which means you can set passwords for specific files and folders, user password, which is a very common feature and you will find this on every computer in the world, and last but not the least, a slot for Kensington Cable slot. All these features protect your computer from data losses.

Special Features:
Toshiba is always reckoned to be a provider of extra special features especially when it comes to its laptops. Here, in this case, the special features that can be found on the satellite L550 are: SM BIOS compliant, integrated VGA Web Camera for Video over IP, integrated microphone for Voice over IP, 4 mechanical Control Buttons (Mute, Play/Pause, Forward, Rewind), HD Audio support, Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep® Technology, and ENERGY STAR qualified computer. Another important thing to be noticed here is that the Toshiba Satellite L550 is in compliance with the demands of the pertinent European Directives towards CE marking.

Hence, it has been such a long list of features that everybody will feel tired of reading but at the same time, feel happy to have it.

Performance:

The Toshiba Satellite L550 is already a wonderful computer to have at your home, with all the wondrous design and fantastic features. Now, imagine what if the performance of the Satellite L550 is on par with the best in the business. Doesn’t that sound great to you?

Picture and Sound Performance:
As we have already seen, the Satellite L550 17.3 inch Laptop Notebook comes with a solid display technology. Now, this technology in association with a great processor and a very good graphics card provides you very splendid performance. The pictures are great on the Satellite L550’ screen and it is ideal for watching movies and playing high end games. Both these are never better on any other laptop in the history because, imagine watching movies on such a big and qualitative screen like that of the Satellite L550. It is really entertaining and it is a commendable effort put in by Toshiba. Talking about the audio system and its performance, the Satellite L550 comes with built in stereo audio speakers that support a 24 bit audio format. The sound system has been greatly improved by Toshiba and the Satellite L550 features the Toshiba Bass Enhanced sound system, which provides excellent acoustics and the sound system complements the videos and games very well. Hence, you will not be harried by frequent audio and video troubles.

Interfaces:
Interfaces decide the connectivity range of a computer and perhaps none other than Toshiba knew it better. This is because you will find a lot of ports or interfaces on all sides of the Satellite L550, which is very good sign since the more the interfaces, the better the connectivity. Here is a list of all the connectivity ports: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x external monitor,1 x external microphone, 1 x headphone stereo, 1 x eSATA / USB 2.0, 1 x integrated VGA Web Camera with built-in microphone, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x DC-in, Multi Media Card up to 2 GB, 1 x 4-in-1 Bridge Media slot, SD Cards up to 16 GB supported , Memory Stick up to 256 MB compatible , Memory Stick Pro up to 2 GB compatible. Hence, these connectivity options enhance the range of usability of the Satellite L550. You may not find so many features on any other laptop. Again, the main reason behind providing so many ports is because the Satellite L550 is kind of a replacement to desktop computer.

Battery:

Toshiba satellite L550 uses a lithium ion battery as usual. According to the tests conducted by Mobile Mark, the battery life of the laptop is considered to be very good. On an average, the Satellite L550 has a maximum battery life for a period of 3 hours and 15 minutes. The exact life depends upon individual usage of the laptop and also the functioning of the different features that are mentioned already. Using the power saver option also enhances the battery life significantly. An autosensing AC power adapter is also provided for worldwide usage, which can be used at both 100 V and 240 V. The adapter features are: an output voltage of 19 V and an output current of about 3.95 A.

Warranty:

Toshiba offers parts and labour warranty to the Satellite L550 for a period of about of one year from the original date of purchase. This particular warranty is called the EMEA carry in. Toshiba announced that it also is offering an array of sundry services in order in extend the warranty service in an indirect manner. Even after the official warranty period is over, you can still avail different offers put up by Toshiba. For further details, visit the official website of Toshiba.

Verdict:

For many years, there was not a single laptop that could replace a desktop computer. At last, Toshiba has done it by introducing the Satellite L550. Beautifully engineered, this latest laptop from Toshiba has beaten its rivals regarding the design. Along with that, it has got one of the best features and they are also more in number than on most other laptops. They all are pretty useful to even the hoi polloi. Special attractions like the Toshiba Bulletin Board and Toshiba ReelTime only make the scene better.

The Satellite L550 is also one of the best performing computers in the world today, powered by the latest technology such as the processor and graphics accelerator. Toshiba is also regarded as one of the manufacturers who receive the least number of complaints. You may feel that the price of the Satellite L550 is a bit high for a laptop, but if you compare it with the price of the average desktop computer, you will find that it is really very affordable. Hence, if you need a desktop now and you have less space for it, you need not hesitate to place your order for the Satellite L550.

Check other Toshiba Laptops Reviews in this website.

Toshiba Satellite L550-1CC Laptop – Technical Specification Table

The configuration we are reviewing is a 15.6 inch laptop with Core 2 Duo processor.  It is empowered with a 2 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard drive, DVD RW and a Webcam. Another highlight of the laptop is the fact that it is equipped with Window’s latest Operating System the Windows 7.  Being a highly customisable laptop, it is not a surprise that the Inspiron 15 line is Dell’s most popular laptop in several markets across the world. Will Dell be able to pull off another successful product? We have done extensive testing to uncover the plusses and minuses of the Inspiron 1545.

Design:

First Impressions:
Like most new models in the market, the Dell Inspiron 1545 is available in a number of different colours and a lot of artistic designs as well. The model we choose was a default Standard Black one and for any other choice of colour, you would have to shell out extra cash. The Inspiron 1545 notebook has a glossy black plastic surface on the inside and a matte black plastic on the outside, making its look rather ordinary. As the device is very glossy, people who hate fingerprint smudges would be better off choosing another colour.  Since the device is black all over, using it would attract a lot of smudges. There are no patterns such as the Toshiba A350 11N or the HP HDX 16 have to disguise these fingerprints. While semi matte palm rests are less attractive, at least they would require less maintenance.

Body:
The design is streamlined and pretty minimalistic. On the top casing was the silver Dell logo embossed on the black glossy surface. The case feels rather stiff and could be twisted a little bit on applying force. There was also some creaking noise while opening or closing the lid. The frame felt loose and the lid was fragile.

Keyboard:
The keyboard sits rather tight and only slightly gives close to the right shift and hence, the stroke is firm. We were not satisfied by the feedback we got while typing. The keys are arranged in a standard layout. They are reasonably big and are adequately spaced from each other.  The outermost column with Del, Page and Down buttons are clearly separated from the rest; thus, separating the enter key and preventing one from accidentally pressing the Enter button. Touch typists beware! The haptical marks for the home position of the hands are not really distinct. But on the whole, the keyboard seems suitable. People using desktop keyboards will have to get used to the spongy feedback.

Touch Pad of Dell Inspiron 1545:
The touchpad has a shiny surface and sadly does not seem to support multi touch gestures. The surface of the pad is smooth enough, for one not to notice any sort of resistance while the finger is gliding on it.  There are separate horizontal and vertical scroll areas, though they are not really distinct and the according areas are on the bottom right edge.  This touchpad even comes with a separate tool for setting up the width of the scroll areas. As mentioned earlier, the touch pad does not support two finger input, but it does feature zooming. The mouse buttons have great travel and feedback. The click feels hollow but is fine.

Display:
The Inspiron 1545 Laptop Notebook features a 1366 x 768 pixel screen that is HD ready as well.  It has a standard 16:9 resolution, which is a standard amongst all mainstream office and multimedia laptops. The TFT screen without an anti reflection protection, has a moderate contrast. At its maximum brightness, the display was able to achieve a contrast ratio of 205:1.  The blacks were not deep and the colours could have been even livelier. When we used the notebook in the sun, we noticed that the shine of the sun was able to outshine the brightness of the screen and hence, the notebook is less readable outdoors. The viewing angles of the Inspiron 1545 are 45 degrees when the movement is horizontal. The colours start to bleach at 30 degrees when the eyes are moved up or down.  While there is a display of higher resolution (600 x 900 pixels) is available, the screen is adequate for most tasks. However, Dell looks stingy when one considers that Sony has the 1366 x 768 pixels resolution into its 10.1 inches W series netbook, which makes it look simply stunning.

Speakers:
An aluminium bar like speaker is present right below the display. They were unusually loud and are adequate for games, songs or movies. Most of the time the volume was never above the half way mark and we had no problems whatsoever. The volume from the speakers is crisp clear and audible at lower limits. But at maximum volume, the sound scape of the stereo speaker includes a grating noise and the middle tone quality deteriorates. The sound via a headphone on the contrary, is quieter and even the annoying click sounds are inaudible.

The quality of the built in mike is bad. Built right into the front of the case, the input of the mike is low even after adjusting the input levels. So, having a conversation on Skype will be incomprehensible.

Webcam:
Dell offers the Inspiron 1545 an optional webcam. The 1.3 megapixel camera is pretty decent and it takes great pictures and is okay for video conferencing. But, the real surprise was, when we found the facial recognition software. The software adds a whole new meaning to securing personal data.

Features:

Connectivity:
The Inspiron 1545 Notebook computer is equipped with a decent set of ports. The notebook has all its ports arranged on its three sides. The rear side is spared because of the battery slot sitting in there.  The front side has a card reader and two audio ports which are pretty handy and hence, the headphones can be connected directly.  The 1545 has three USB ports, a VGA network and audio (headphones and microphones) interfaces.  The highlight however, is the Express Card 34 slot on the right. Music lovers can transfer music to a hi-fi system or enjoy headphones sound without cables. If music is not your cup of tea, you could just add a UMTS module in the Express Card 34 format. There is a wireless WLAN draft n provided as well, enabling the usage of Internet via a router. The model being reviewed also has a 1.3 megapixel webcam.

Hardware:
Beneath the glossy exteriors of the 1545 lie a few better internals, than what one would uaually expect. There is an Intel Core 2 Duo T8500 processor that runs at 2 GHz with an 800 MHz front side bus. In layman’s terms, that is sufficiently fast enough to handle any piece of software you would be using on a notebook like this. There is a 3GB memory along with Windows 7 Home edition Operating System. The Intel Integrated GMA4500 graphics card is not recommended for gaming, but is sufficient for most other things. The storage is handled by a decent 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive. The absence of Bluetooth is sadly regrettable.

Software:
The Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop has a couple of pre loaded software included in it. There is Microsoft Works 9.0 included for word processing and spreadsheet work. On the security front, Dell has McAfee Security Centre for anti virus protection bundled along with 30 days of free updates. There is also the Dell Dock included which enables a user to sort software applications on your PC into user friendly categories right on the desktop.

Operating System:
Yes, the Dell Inspiron 1545 ships with the Home Premium Edition of Windows 7.  It is solid, nimble and the most attractive Operating system till date. The Start Menu, The Task Bar and the System Tray have got a thorough makeover and the new design reduces clutter. These Windows 7 interface changes are minor, but are sensible enough to make you wonder why they were not included earlier. When it comes to speed, the Windows 7 Operating system requires lesser power to work and is highly efficient when compared to the incumbent Vista. Another highlight of the Operating System is the Windows Media Centre that allows you to watch free shows on Internet TV. Thus, the OS makes the Inspiron experience a much better one.

Performance:

Speed:
The DELL Inspiron 1545 notebook has an Intel Pentium Dual Core 2 Processor with a clock rate of 2 GHz. The CPU features an FSB of 800 MHz and one Megabyte L2 Cache. The T4200 has 2 physical cores, something that is common in most midrange systems. Processor heavy tasks such as image processing or even video editing are inappropriate on this model or for that matter most mid range systems. As a matter of fact, The Pentium T4200 has replaced the Celeron M in most entry level PCs and hence one cannot really expect a wonderful performance.  The lack of a dedicated graphics card, applications tend to burden the CPU.

In one of our CPU rendering tests, we were able to determine that the T4200 is purely an entry level processor that takes the advantage of dual core architecture. In the 3D Mark test it scored as much as the Asus P50IJ – so036x (an Intel Core 2 Duo system with low clock rate). Anyone looking for a solid office performance can be satisfied with the T4200. The Online store from Dell has customisable processors, and if you want a faster processor you could choose the Intel P8400 which is better when combined with an ATI or a Nvidia graphics card. The Hitachi hard drive inside with 320GB capacity has meagre access times. While contemporary notebook record an average of 60-75MBps, this drive had an average of 45MBps during sequential reading on the HD tune tool.

System Noise:
One of the strengths of the Inspiron 1545 is its very low noise emissions during office use. If alteration of low demand states, and load occurs, the fan seems to flare up for a short flare up of the fan. The noise falls to a quieter state soon. This continues till the load is stopped. The sound is nevertheless okay to bear with.

Temperature:
The heat generated by the machine stays below under an acceptable limit as long as the benchmark tests are not use to increase the load. While being on idle mode, the touchpad reached a temperature of 36.3 degrees centigrade. Under normal load, the screen touched 37.5 degrees. The keyboard’s temperatures ranged from 28 degrees to 35 degrees and are convenient values for a notebook.  We did not have any inconveniences while using the Inspiron on a lap.

Energy Consumption:
The Inspiron 1545 has low energy demands. The Inspiron 1545 laptop consumes about 27w during the 3DBenchMark test and about 45w about CPU benchmark test. In reality, the power consumption of the laptop will be somewhere around 17w and 27w. On standby, the energy demand falls to a meager 0.3 watt. Putting the notebook in idle will cause the system to burn only 9 watts.

Battery Life:

Being a laptop targeted at the office goers and users looking for a desktop replacement, most of the tasks that one would do on the Inspiron 1545 would be either browsing the Internet, listening to music or watching DVDs. The Inspiron ran for about three whole hours with an active WLAN connection. That is decent in spite of being equipped with a 35w processor. The 1545 lasted 233 minutes, roughly about 4 hours on idle mode. So, if you turn down the brightness to a minimum, deactivate the WLAN connection, this figure of near 4 hour battery life is not unrealistic. But practically, the laptop would last anywhere between two to three hours. While there are CULV notebooks such as the Asus Ul50VT that have a battery life of 9 hours, three hours are alright for an office notebook in this price category. The values are meant for a six cell battery and if you want better values, you can upgrade to a nine cell model. While it offers a longer battery life, the notebook does become less portable.

Accessories in the Box:

The Inspiron 1545 package has a rechargeable lithium ion battery, an AC adapter and operating instructions, apart from the notebook.

Warranty and Support:

Dell has a standard one year warranty on parts and labour. Apart from the classic protection, Dell offers online service support as well. Their website features a solid collection of support tools such as an Flash based question widget, Online chat and a 24 x 7 toll free telephone support. Users have the choice to upgrading to a three year warranty service, but that comes with a small dent in your wallet.

Verdict:

The Dell Inspiron 1545 is something that we expected from an entry level laptop. While the look and feel of the keyboard is that of an inexpensive laptop, Dell managed to surprise us in a couple of areas. The screen of the 1545 is something that stands out from most of the crowd. Even the basic model had a reasonably decent screen. The model also scores points for being energy conscious. It is really quiet and has a low energy demand. Apart from that, it generates lesser heat than most of its contemporaries. While the internals were okay, the chassis of the body felt cheap. The hinges seemed to creak. The model also attracted our wrath for being so smudge prone. If you hate glossy surfaces, you can try out the Acer Extensa 5220. The lack of extras is unjustified and at 2.84kgs, it is not really light weight. While being able to choose everything from CPU to Wi-Fi card, too many options just confuses most users, preconfigured systems such as Dell’s very own i1545-012B or the Gateway NV5807u are not a bad idea. The Lenovo G550, which is roughly around the same cost as the Inspiron is also a good alternative.

It is really easy to criticise the device, but it is a highly competitive product in its category and that explains its popularity. If you want a cheap and simple family laptop, then this is a good choice.

Check other Dell Studio XPS 16 Reviews, Dell XPS M1530 Reviews, Ratings in this website.

Configurations Available:

DELL Inspiron 1545 – Technical Specification Table

Design:

First Impression:
Inexpensive laptops do not really score that high when it comes to style but the Roma is more appealing than most in the category. Advent Roma 1000 laptop looks great and the black design uses a combination of matt and glossy plastics for that stylish effect. The black case is complimented by a subtle pattern of concentric circles that are molded on to the plastic .The glossy lid is highly prone to attract scratches and fingerprints; the matte coated interior is more resilient. There is a mirrored plastic strip that runs along the front edge of the base that masks several status LEDs. The build quality does feel more luxurious than what the low price suggests.

Dimensions:
The Roma 1000 is a firmly built laptop with a smooth lustrous body. It is 369mm wide, 43 inches deep and a height of 260mm and weighs a huge 2.9 Kgs.

15.6 Screen Display:
The Advent Roma 1000 features a large 15.6 inch screen display which ensures one gets large and clear pictures. The screen size is perfect for a budget notebook like this. With a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, the screen is capable of displaying HD content flawlessly. If you would prefer a larger screen then you should check out the Packard Bell EasyNote LJ65-RB-055K which has a 17. 3 inch screen that would ensure impressive visuals. However, the screen continues to be amongst the pros of the model as it is one area where no compromises have been made when it comes to cost.

Keyboard and Touch Pad:
The Advent Roma 1000 Keyboard has large and well spaced keys with an almost flat profile. There are the usually set of keys you would expect to find in a normal ordinary laptop. The keys have a slightly spongy feel which can hinder comfort. The board also seems to flex but does respond accurately even though if it is a little bit noisy. The touchpad is nothing extraordinary. It is an ordinary one that is neither small nor fiddly.

Speakers:
When one needs to maintain a low manufacturing cost of a notebook, the quality of the components are sometimes compromised. The Roma 1000 has 2 tiny speakers that lie below the screen. They are not really that good for anything other than inbuilt Windows chimes.

Webcam:
The Advent Roma 1000 has a webcam that is provided for video chatting as well as taking photographs. The picture quality was pretty decent; however, the video quality seemed to be inconsistent when we tested it on Skype.

Ports:
The Advent Roma 1000 15.6″ laptop computer features 3 USB ports, an Ethernet port, VGA port and a HDMI port. Thanks to the HDMI port, one can hook up a better screen if there is a choice provided. And mind you, it is a rarity at the price. It lets you connect to an external HDTV for the ultimate full home cinema screen.

Features:

Processor:
The Advent Roma uses an Intel Celeron 900 processor that clocks at 2.2GHz. It is basically a single core processor that does not support hyper threading. It is a Pentium M with a halved level 2 Cache and limited on FSB 400. An important characteristic of the processor is its speed which is just a little bit slower than the equivalent Pentium processor. Though it still is not quicker than most other notebooks’ Intel Atom processor, it is capable of running Windows 7 smoothly without any issues. Another important aspect of the processor is that it has a very small power consumption.

Graphics:
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500HD is the chipset provided within the Roma 1000. Thanks to 2 more shaders and a higher core clock, it is faster than the older GMA X3100. However, in spite of all this it is still not recommended for gamers. Games that require Direct X 10 can be playable only with very low settings. The integrated processor is however capable of decoding HD videos with AVC, VC-2 and MPEG 2 formats.

Operating System:
It is one of the very few laptops to feature Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 7. Windows 7 released in October was met with rave reviews and is considered to be a massive improvement over Vista.  The newer OS is faster and provides a more intuitive user experience than Vista. If you use a system with a Windows Vista, it is the perfect time to quit it and enjoy the credentials of Windows 7. The OS needs less memory for its smooth execution when compared to the earlier versions. Apart from that the shut down and boot up times are smaller. So, it is suited to run on budget laptops unlike the earlier Operating Systems which needed a rather more powerful machine.

Memory:
These are times when even net books have equivalent HDD capacity and RAM as much as laptops do. The 250 GB drive of the earlier Roma has now been replaced by a 160 GB drive and that is still sufficient for most users. The Hard drive is a 4 GB DDR2 RAM.

Connectivity:
The networking features of the device are limited when compared to other models in the market. One can access the Internet using either wired Ethernet or wireless Wi-Fi. 802.11b/g WLAN is the WLAN standard for the device. Another point to notice is that this model lacks Bluetooth support.

Performance:

Good for Basic Tasks:
The Advent Roma 1000 is focused on users who would want a laptop that would serve to the basic day to day tasks such as browsing the internet, editing Word, Excel and other documents and basic photo editing. The TFT screen is bright and sharp enough for office and internet applications. Thankfully Windows 7 ran smoothly and was a pleasure to use. A note of caution is that the Advent Roma 1000 NOT recommended for gaming or editing videos.

Mediocre Visual Performance:
The problem with cheap or low budget laptops is that you cannot expect much in terms of performance. The Advent Roma is amongst one of them.  The Celeron processor is usually a compromising option as it is cheaper than the Intel Pentium processor.  The 2.2 GHz Celeron processor, in spite of partnering with a 3GB RAM, scored a meager 0.78 in a benchmark test. Another victim of the low price is the 3DMark06 score. The Roma 1000 scored a 735 which means 3 D gaming is out of the question. The Intel 4500M does support Direct x 10 but most games will be playable in very low settings. With a score of 5fps in Crysis at low detail, one can safely conclude that the Roma 1000 is useless for hardcore gaming and can be used to play older games.  However, the graphics chipset was able to accelerate high definition video performance and was a saving grace.

Audio:
The Audio was also not up to the mark and are not anything special. Any serious music listening or movie watching would require the usage of headphones. However, at higher volumes, the speakers sounded flat and this was a bit of a minor irritant.

Battery Life:

The Laptop has a really poor mobility rate.  In one of our rigorous battery tests, it lasted just 44 minutes. An average user can expect somewhere around one hour and 40 minutes. Way better than the 44 minutes, it is mainly suited for home use.  One cannot expect to be close to the mains all the time and the Roma 1000’s low battery life goes against it.

Warranty:

There is a warranty period of one year on the Advent Roma 1000.

Verdict:

The latest version of the Original Roma is an impressive machine with its set of flaws. The budget laptop does not thrill us at least in terms of performance. While it continues the strengths of its predecessor, it suffers from a poor battery life and a mediocre performance. The performance is sufficient for basic tasks and one would probably be not bothered about the battery life assuming the laptop would be mostly at home connected to the mains. As said earlier, its low battery life makes it ideal for usage at home.  But at the time of writing, very few budget laptops have Windows 7 in them and that gives the Roma an edge over its rivals.  The full sized keyboard and a DVD writer make it an appealing alternative to users who would look to but a net book. So, judge according to your needs and see if it appeals to you.  If not, there are other choices available.

Check 2010 Latest Laptop Reviews, Specs in this website.

Advent Roma 1000 Notebook Computer – Technical Specification Table

The Dell Studio XPS 16 offers a full a 1900 x 1080 pixel RGB LED backlit display which means it has one of the widest colour gamut on a notebook.  That makes it not only for watching films, but also for editing pictures, where high colour accuracy is a concern.  It combines portability with actual media centre capabilities and has competition in the form of Acer Aspire 6930 and HP Pavilion HDX 16. But in these times of recession, is it worth shelling out extra for a niche luxury laptop? Read the review and find out.  Trust us, the Dell Studio XPS 16 will not disappoint.

Design:

“Sleek” attracts:
In the earlier half of the decade, Dell laptops were criticized for being heavy think and boxy. Fortunately, they realized that companies like HP, Apple and Sony had huge market shares partly due to sleek notebooks and decided for a major overhaul in the way their laptops looked.  2007 marked the launch of the Dell XPS M1330 which was followed by more attractive notebooks in the form of Studio, XPS and Inspiron series. Thanks to the success of the XPS brand, Dell now offers a modifier for their notebooks which means one can customize their laptop according to their needs.

A Hybrid:
Anyone who has seen the Studio XPS 13 would recognize that the XPS 16 looks identical except for its larger frame. The rounded hinge and tapered design of the XPS 16 is a reminiscent of the fact that the laptop is a hybrid of the XPS and Studio lines.  The sleek lines and brushed aluminium accents from the XPS brand and the chassis design of the Studio make it sport a radically new design.

Stylish:
The glossy black exterior with a leather patch on the lower half of the LCD cover not only enhances the style but makes carrying it more comfortable. The Black lid with Dell’s logo emblazoned on it has an anodized strip which stretches from the width to the top. At the back of the lid is present a matching black leather trim near the hinge which did seem arbitrary. This is not the first notebook to use leather, but here the leather makes it look a bit more appealing. For people who carry their laptops with the hinges pointed down, the leather area provides a surface to hold and keep a tight grip.

Superb Built Quality:
The magnesium alloy chassis gives it spectacular build quality and is perhaps amongst the best laptops that Dell has ever made. The XPS 16 is not as sturdy as the Dell Latitude series but can resist a fall from a desk without any physical damage.

A bit too glossy:
The Studio XPS 16 Laptop is available in black, white and red finishes. The problem with glossy black laptops is that they tend to attract dust and are fingerprint prone. The problem is not only with the body but also with the display as well. The edge to edge glossy sheet of plastic tends to attract a lot of smudges as well. Fortunately, Dell has included a cloth to wipe away all those fingerprints.

Display:
This is perhaps the USP of the device and as we stated earlier, the display is the real gem. The XPS 16 features a brilliant 16 inch Widescreen WLED LCD display with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The display quality is simply marvellous. The viewing angles are wide and that is essential for a multimedia centric notebook. The display looks almost frameless and being an LED display, it is highly power efficient as well.  The wide colour gamut is obvious from the moment one turns the machine on. Though it might appear oversaturated, one can calibrate it accordingly. The fidelity of the RGB LED is simply mind blowing and easily surpasses some great desktop displays. The only problem would be with the glossy display (which uses a separate glossy layer in front of the screen) is that it is extremely difficult to be read in strong sunlight because of significant amounts of reflections.

Design issues:
We did have an issue with the LCD cover. The rear side of the laptop has ventilation only on the back left corner. So what is the problem? you may ask; the problem is that when one opens the laptop, the bottom edge of the laptop blocks the only exhaust port making the system warmer. Another issue we had been with the bottom access panel. The XPS 16 uses a single massive panel at the bottom of the notebook which does make things easier for people who make multiple modifications. But since it lacks a separate RAM cover, upgrading your RAM means removing all those screws.

Keyboard:
The Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop Computer has a standard studio keyboard with proper shaping and a standard key layout. Unlike the Studio 17 which features a dedicated number pad, the keyboard looks smaller than it actually is thanks to the speaker grills located on the keyboard. The keys have a great travel and offer good feedback. It has no sort of flex in the keyboard area – a touch typist’s dream. It does have a sturdy chassis and has a pretty nice feel to it. Typing is rather soft and with clear feedback and a short key travel.  Some users however might find the keys a bit too flat and will probably have a learning curve while using the notebook. Above the keyboard is a series of touch sensitive media controls. These touch controls will allow you to play/pause music, skip tracks, raise/lower/mute volume, eject discs, and toggle Wi-Fi radio on/off. These white LED backlights located above the keyboard stay lit constantly rather turning off. This would not have much impact on battery life though.

Touchpad:
Below the keyboard is the touch pad located slightly on the left.  A Synaptics touch pad, it is highly responsive and has good sensitive levels. There is a nice textured feel to the touch pad which makes navigating easier. It also has horizontal and vertical areas for scrolling. The touchpad buttons feel nice and offer good feedback too. Driver updates will also enable some basic multi-touch functions on the touchpad. We wish it were a bit larger.

Webcam:
Most users would want security for their data and Dell does not disappoint users here.  While it lacks a biometric fingerprint reader, it has the FastAccess facial recognition technology which when used in conjunction with the 2 MP Webcam allows users to login only after it recognizes the user. The quality of the video during a Skype chat was reasonably good.

Speakers:
Being a multimedia oriented model, the focus was on the audio as well. It features speakers in the form of two 7W drives on either side of the keyboard.  The dual stereo speakers also feature a built in sub-woofer, something that is common in multimedia notebooks. The sound quality is good and offers great volume. At moderate volumes, music, movies and games sound rich and have plenty of bass. The speakers are enough for watching a movie or listening to songs occasionally. However, we wished it had Dolby Home Theatre had been included. The speakers’ grills also tended to collect grime but that is a minor issue.

Ports:
The 15.2 x 10 x 1 inch magnesium alloy chassis enabled Dell to include all the ports you were likely to use. There are 3 video connections: VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort. One of the first systems to use a DisplayPort connection built in, it is raising standards in a huge way. The built in HDMI is great if you would want digital video and audio output. There are 3 USB ports one of which is a memory card reader, a four pin Firewire, a 54mm ExpressCard slot and eSATA/USB dual function port.  The rear side of the model has no ports, but only the battery and heat exhaust. There is an IR receiver, dual headphone outputs and microphone input as well but the lack of an included remote disappointed us.

Hardware:
The Studio XPS 16 Notebook reviewed in the model has an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU with 6MB L2 Cache and a 1066MHz front bus. This configuration is more than enough for basic multitasking use such as Web browsing, document editing and media viewing. The system memory can be upgraded to even 6GB and 8GB as well. One has the option to choose different processors as well ranging from 2.4GHz P8600 up to the 2.93GHz T9800. There is present the 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3670 and is sufficient for light gaming chores. The graphics outpace most of the midrange NVIDIA ones. Draft N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Gigabit Ethernet are provided as well. The other specifications are ones you would expect from a high end notebook. One can have a Blu-ray drive and a TV tuner included. That way, you can take full advantage of the RGBLED display. One particular configuration with a lower resolution, non RGB LED 720p display, no blu-ray driver and no Tuner seems shoddy considering that the HP HDX X16 1005ea offers all this and is significantly cheaper.

Features:

RGB LEDs:
You must probably know what LED backlit screens are; they are used in net books as they help in thinning down of the device and making it lighter. RGB LEDs use Red, Green and Blue LEDs as compared to the usual LEDs which emit only white light. These colours can reach almost 100 percent of the Adobe RGB colour space giving it a wide colour gamut. This makes the Studio simply great for viewing TV and high definition video.  However, we noticed that they do not change intensity as far as the CCFLs or white LEDs.

Operating Systems:
The Dell Studio XPS 16 initially featured Windows Vista. But the latest versions of the model have Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit or Windows 7 Professional 64 bit or Windows 7 Home Ultimate 64 bit. One has the option to choose the better versions of the Windows 7 OS but at a higher rate.

Dell Dock:
Another feature incorporated into the XPS 16 is the Dell Dock on the desktop. To make the OS friendlier, there is a dock on the desktop akin to what one finds on the Mac OS X. Except, the dock is located on the top of the desktop by default. One can customize the location and colour of the dock by simply right clicking it. One can also add shortcuts by dragging icons into it. It reduces the need to keep digging into the Start Menu.

Software:
Dell has done a good job by cleverly choosing decent software for the XPS 16. Apart from the usual applications such as Bluetooth manager, software such as McAfee Security Centre and Dell Data Software is provided. The list of pre installed software includes PowerDVD DX, Adobe Acrobat Reader 9, Microsoft PowerPoint  viewer, Dell Video Chat, Dell Webcam, FastAccess Facial recognition, Roxio Creator DE, Internet Explorer and a couple of Windows games. So, nothing really special here.

Backlit Keyboard:
Another Standard feature of the Studio XPS line is the backlit keyboard. This is an aesthetic feature that the Dell model shares with the Apple and Sony laptops. Backlit keyboards enable you to work in dark conditions and are highly useful in presentations and conferences.

Performance:

Performance factors with the insides:
The Studio XPS 16 System came with 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 CPU. There is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD3670, the presence of which surprised us. This is a powerful video chip as powerful as the nVidia 9600 GS. While the XPS brand was synonymous with exceptional performance and was pure pleasure for gamers, the Studio XPS 16 has steered away from that image. The XPS 16 focuses more on multimedia considering the presence of a Blu-ray player, an inbuilt TV tuner and HD screens in 16:9 aspect ratios. In the 3D Benchmark Test, the XPS 16 achieved 4279 points, which is 700 points more than the category average. This makes the XPS 16 as powerful as the XPS M1530.

On the PC Mark 2005, it scored 6449 points making it one of the most powerful laptops in the segment. Also one noticeable aspect is that the XPS 13 is more powerful than the 16.  The inbuilt graphics card operated well and outperformed its nVidia counterparts. The RAM capacity of 4 GB, half of the maximum 8 GB was decent as well. One has various options when it comes to mass storage. There are HDD models in 400 rpm, 7200 rpm, and HDDs without mechanical parts. But the current limit is 500 GB for a 5400 rpm drive. The transfer speeds of the built in drive was about 61.7MBps which is a pretty decent score. The access time of 16.6 milliseconds is convenient too.

Display:
The Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop Notebook Computer features a high resolution 1080p full HD display with RGB LED. The high resolution and the colour representation help it in realizing a big representable colour space. In our test, we recorded a brightness of 268 cd/m² and it falls towards the corners.  Illumination at 81 percent of brightness at display brightness of 232.1 cd/m² is favourable.  The black value was as low as 0.55 cd/m² and the contrast of 487:1 was excellent. The impressions of the pictures are good thanks to high sharpness and rich contrast. These numbers demonstrate that display with a RGB LED light provides a good picture.

Colour Representation and Viewing Angles:
While for most users colour representation is not important, it offers details regarding how well the colours can be displayed. Almost all the current colour spaces RGB, Adobe RGB or CMYC are covered.  Thanks to a reflecting surface display, the outdoor operation is not really strength of the XPS 16. However, it is possible to work well in outdoors without direct sunlight. In spite of disturbing reflections, the brightness was sufficient. Viewing angles offer decent vertical angles for stationary operation. In the vertical directions, it might appear that the colours actually suffer distortion and reflections tend to increase in horizontal direction.

Audio:
The availability of 2 loudspeakers and a built in subwoofer are responsible for a nice sound scape. The acoustics was very present and clear. The highly clarity is perhaps due to the advantageous location. The subwoofer did leave its impact. Though the system had a great audio, it could not reach the standards of Harman Kardon sound system of the Toshiba Qosimo Series.  At higher volumes, the subwoofer seemed to falter slightly.

Gaming Performance:
Considering the XPS brand was great for gaming, we tested the Studio XPS 16 on a couple of games. First we tested the model by playing Crysis as this shooter game is used as an endurance test for PCs as it can bring down the best machines on their knees.  For Crysis to run on full capacity, the settings need not be high. For medium detail, the Studio XPS 16 notebook achieved 29 fps in the GPU benchmark test, which is too less for a smooth run. One can play it even on low details, but the graphics would not be enjoyable. For Games like Race Driver GRID even at low resolution of 800 x 600 pixels, low detail and with anti aliasing disabled, the performance fell before 30fps which does not even allow a reasonable game play. In GTA IV the benchmark test revealed a score of 20.6 fps. The game was marred with constant stuttering and hence will disappoint many users.  The graphics card is a bit weak for running contemporary games at high detail and resolution. It is possible to play games, but only at low resolution.  This is sad considering that the same model uses RGB LED panel.

Heat and Noise:
We would not be wrong if we say that the heat produced by the device is amongst its cons. being flat and the fact that the model has only one ventilation port made the fan run the entire time. The unit we reviewed tended to get hot especially when we put the processor to tough tests. A couple of tests and 30 minutes of Blu-ray Playback later, the XPS 16 got uncomfortably hot. The processor and the graphics card usually generate a lot of heat, but the system fan seemed unable to cool down the notebook. If high temperature notebooks are not okay with you, you would perhaps be better not using it as a laptop.

Noise was not much of an issue with the XPS 16. The Cooling fan did not seem to make much noise. It gets completely silent when in idle mode. Apparently, the fan runs all the time and at a low speed and hence fails to cool the system down efficiently. But we would have not minded more fan noise if you would have a cooler laptop for it. The notebook is rather silent, but gets a bit noisy when demanding tasks are done. Though the slot loading disc made some noise while ejecting / inserting a disc, it was easily amongst the quietest slot loading drives in the market. Dell has even managed to cut down noise from the hard drive and is well appreciated.

Battery Life:

The Studio XPS comes with either a 6 cell or a 9 cell lithium battery with a capacity of 53.7 Wh. The 9 cell battery would come with a better life but is at the expense of a larger and slightly heavier notebook. When the LCD screen ran at maximum brightness, one could lose up to 10 to 60 minutes of power. At 280 nits (the maximum brightness), the model uses 9W more power. But that is the price we pay for the beautiful LCD display. That is quite significant, even by normal standards. With Windows Vista’s power management running at a brightness of 80 percent and with wireless on, the 9 cell battery life was about 2 hours 55 minutes. The 6 cell battery model has a battery life of two thirds of the 9 cell one, about 2 hours. That is nothing special when compared to other notebooks. We wonder why Dell has not included the hybrid nVidia 9400M integrated graphics card as its 13.3 inch cousin does. Though the battery life of the Studio XPS 16 is meagre when compared to the MacBook Air (whose battery life is claimed to be 8 hours), the values are not really bad for a 16 inch notebook.

Accessories:

On opening the elegant black box of the XPS 16 , one finds a velvet sheet in which is present the machine, Setup guide, Warranty guide, an Adapter and some software booklet filled with restore discs.  There is neither a mouse nor a kitchen sink provided.

Warranty:

Dell offers a warranty of one year on the basic model of the XPS 16. The higher end versions have a warranty and service period of 2 years.

Verdict:

After checking the model thoroughly we can safely conclude that this model is easily amongst the best models launched this year. Its simple case, solid cover and leather pad give it a high score when it comes to design.  It has all the necessary ports such as HDMI, display and VGA included leaving nothing else to be desired. The Backlit keyboard helps in intensive typing and is a great aesthetic add on. The FastAccess Face Recognition in place of a fingerprint reader is a nice feature too. But the best part of the XPS 16 is the high resolution panel with RGB LED backlight. No other notebook screen has been able to reach the colour quality, contrast and illumination and brightness levels of the XPS 16.  The ATI Mobility Radeon graphics card disappointed us because it seemed unable to run contemporary games at even normal resolution. The High temperature and its Poor battery life were sadly huge let downs.  However, it is recommended for multimedia applications of all kinds including picture, graphic and video editing. It offers a great value and a solid set of features and is advisable only if you go for the RGBLED option.

Check Lenovo Laptop Reviews, specs, Toshiba Laptop Reviews, Ratings in this website.

Configurations Available:

Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop Computer – Technical Specification Table

The ThinkPad SL510 is a part of Lenovo’s Windows 7 Product launch and the company is using this as an opportunity to tweak and improve some of the features in its existing line. The SL510 will not surprise users who have already used a thinkpad before – Not only is an excellent laptop that is oriented towards no-nonsense use, it also has a stylish design and has a lightweight feel to it. We feel that it is a nice system for personal or business use that offers solid performance and will last a long time. Read the following review to judge whether the Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 is just what you need.

Design:

Toned down version of the T series:

No Surprises here. At first glance, the Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Laptop looks just like its previous ThinkPad predecessors.  However, it is a toned down version of the more rugged T series. It looks generic and could have been a model from five years ago. But the classic black design is simply timeless. The entire casing is made out of plastic but has a softer finish and a smooth texture when compared to the rubberized paint on the more expensive ones. The model has sloped sides and has seen a few aesthetic changes such as a redesigned screen hinge assembly and a few minor tweaks in the body. Otherwise, they look identical.

Solid Built:

The build quality when compared to its predecessors the T400 and the T500, is inferior; but nevertheless still better than most other laptops in the market. The laptop’s little chassis flex gives it a very solid feel.  The screen cover provides sufficient protection for the screen and prevents any form of visible distortion under moderate finger pressure. The keyboard and palm rest also work under strong pressure and the plastic feels durable enough to resist mild abuse. Thanks to the matte black finish, the scratches do not stand out. So, for business users, the laptop is a nice step up from the average multimedia laptop without costing as much as a high end one.

Access Panels provide for Easy access:

The panels on the bottom of the chassis allow easy access and upgrades. There is a primary panel which provides access to the system memory, hard drive and processor. One can notice no warranty void if stickers removed. There are two smaller access panels which when opened up uncover a mini PCIe slot for a WAN card and a sim card slot if the system is equipped with 3G.

Screen:

A 16 x 9 inch screen is new to the SL510 and hence watching DVDs and HD movies would be more enjoyable. Lenovo gives the users a choice of both matte and a glossy screen included on the SL series both of them being WGXA Resolution. The model we reviewed happened to be a matte model, but if you prefer more vibrant colours and an increased glossy contrast, you could go for the other option.  The 1366 x 768 pixels native resolution looked good although we have seen better resolutions than this. When compared to other notebooks in the consumer segment, the WXGA panel was average and could have got a boost from a higher resolution. The viewing angles were decent but once could notice the colours beginning to shift beyond 10 degrees. The horizontal viewing angles were true past 70 degrees forward or back and the viewing brightness was perfect for a bright office with partially visible outdoors.

Great Keypad:

The Keyboard of Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 15.6″ Laptop Computer was comfortable to use and was similar to the T series ThinkPads. However, the layout of the keyboard is different. The first noticeable difference is the lack of an extra row of function keys at the top. We do think that the exclusion of a number pad is rather odd as it could have been easily fit in the extra space on the keyboard. The main area has been left unchanged. As mentioned earlier, the key action was great and required some moderate pressure to use. But thanks to the soft spring, this keyboard is quieter than the others. It has a red pointing stick in the middle of a full sized keyboard and two mouse buttons below the spacebar. That red pointing stick is actually a track point rubber nubbin lodged between G, H and B keys. Under that is the muti touch keypad which is a really unique feature to this model. Under this track pad are two more pointer buttons. The multi touch track pad allows for two fingers gesturing such as pinching, rotating and scrolling and allows you to slide, zoom and etc. One can turn the pad off if you are not using it and that makes it handy. On the whole, we think it works great and is a nice touch. There are some quick access buttons on the left side which can be used for muting the volume and microphone and adjust volume levels.

ALPS Touchpad:

The Touch Pad is an ALPS model that feels identical to the newer ThinkPad models. The pad is mount to the palm rest and has a soft texture. But in general, the touchpad was very responsive and we found no difference between this and the one found in higher end models. When tapped to select, the cursor would sometimes not let go of an object after a deliberate click. But then again, this problem is common in the ALPS model and can be avoided most of the time.

Speakers:

Located below the screen, facing outwards, the speakers performed reasonably well for a basic mid size desktop replacement notebook. The Bass and mid range seemed to be lacking, but if you listen or stream radio or even YouTube videos the audio was good. The quality was passably fine and it did not suffer from any sort of sound muffling thankfully. The peak volume level was better when compared to other consumer notebooks. But if you want a better experience, try connecting the analogue audio out to a pair of external speakers. You could also use the HDMI to pass a digital stream to an outside stereo system.

Ports and Webcam:

If you tend to travel a lot, then the SL510 Notebook Computer has a complete assortment of ports which would not disappoint users. Like earlier models in the ThinkPad series, the port selection was surprisingly good. There are 3 USB ports, an eSATA/USB combo port, VGA, HDMI and audio jacks. There are also a SDHC card slot and an ExpressCard /34 slot for expansion. Apart from all these, there is a wireless on/off switch and a standard 20 V ThinkPad power connection.  There is a dual layer 8x DVD recorder disc drive but a Blu-ray and DVD RW combo drive is also available.

There is a 2.0 megapixel webcam on top of the screen provides workable and yet unremarkable image quality. A Skype call revealed smooth video accented with muted colours.

Configuration Options:

We reviewed a Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 that ran Windows 7 Professional and a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8700.  There are configuration options that let you choose between a 5400 and a 7200 rpm drives with sizes up to 500 GB. One can include an optional ATI Radeon 4570 graphics chip up to 8 GB of DDR 3 RAM, a four, six or a nine cell battery and a variety of Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs.

Features:

Built for Business:

The ThinkPads have always been focused on the business users. Hence the SL510 is tailored to suit their needs. Apart from a robust Intel Core 2 processor and multi-touch, the ThinkPad SL510 laptop features a long battery life and an array of connectivity options. Video conferencing is possible because of the adaptive 2 megapixel camera and the HQ speakers. There is Skype included as well. Security is assured considering the laptip features fingerprint ID which allows only the user to access the laptop. Features such as Self Encrypting drives and Hardware password Manager enhance security on the laptop.

ThinkVantage Tool Box:

The SL510 consists of a ThinkVantage Toolbox that combines system health, security and support services to keep your ThinkPad run safely and efficiently. The toolbox monitors critical system components and not only do they notify users of problems, they also offer solutions to quickly repair the system before any data is lost. The push button operation and the intuitive interface make using the toolbox a comprehensive solution for your laptop.  The main menu has 5 following tabs: System Health Tab, System Security Tab, Ultimate Business Tool Tab, Diagnostic Tab and the Support Tab.  The System Health tab displays the status of key processes in the system. The Security Tab monitors password anti-virus firewall and other security settings. The Ultimate Business Tool tab provides the user with an overview of support messages and information from Lenovo. The Diagnostics tab provides component and system diagnostics and resolves issues. The Support tab displays information from Lenovo.

Data Recovery:

Like other ThinkPads, the SL510 features Rescue and Recovery 4.2 with Express Repair that can correct many corruptions within a span of just 2 – 3 minutes making it the fast recovery solution in the market. This one button rescue solution includes a set of self recovery tools which help users diagnose, get help and recover from a virus or a crash.  There are administrative tools that can be configured to help deploy updates to corrupted systems. There is the Antidote Delivery manager which allows delivering of customized critical updates to your systems. The System Rejuvenation option lets you restore back your system while keeping all your data and personality settings.  The specialty of the Rescue and Recovery 4.2 is the fact that it can help you recover files that were not backed up prior to the problem and can save them to a storage device.

Other Features:

The ThinkPad SL510 Laptop Notebook comes with a standard suite of ThinkVantage utilities which includes a power manager, a Wi-Fi manager and a PC health monitor. There is InterVideo Win DVD which allows users to play discs and the Roxio Creator Small Business Edition for burning discs and editing simple videos.

Performance:

The SL510’s 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU and 3GB RAM allowed the system to achieve a decent score of 3493 on the PCMark Vantage test which measures overall system performance. This score was slightly more than the score of the HP ProBook 4510s. The System was smooth and responsive.

The SL510 was ahead of its competitors when it comes to video transcending. It was able to convert a 115 MB MPEG 4 file to AVI in a little under 6 and half minutes, almost a minute faster than its competitors.  The SL510’s 7200 rpm 320GB Hitachi drive booted up Windows 7 in a minute which is pretty much the standard time. The speed of the drive was apparent when we conducted our laptop transfer tests. It took 3 whole minutes to transfer 5 GB of media files from one folder to another. That is about 30 MBps per second beating the ProBook’s measly 15 MBPs and the ThinkPad T400S’s 17 MBps. Also the active protection system is capable of detecting movement and stops the hard drive to prevent data damage.

Decent Graphics:

The SL510 has both discrete and integrated graphics options. The Integrated Intel GMA X4500 graphics chip returned a weak score in our 3DMark06 test, roughly about the third of the category average. However, the ProBook did even worse. These scores indicate that these laptops are not meant for hard core gaming. When we played Far Cry 2 on the system, the rate was as low as 3 fps which made the game look more like a slide show. However, for lower intensity graphics such as navigating around in Google Earth rendering was smooth.

Good for Business users:

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Business Laptop offers quick startups and shutdowns and a snappy application use as well. Adobe Photoshop was able to handle big files very well. Multimedia use was also pretty pleasant considering the DVD movies were able to load quickly and play without hiccups.

Wi-Fi:

The SL510’s Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless card was able to connect to a router and transfer data up to 19.5 mbps from a distance of 15 feet.  And as we got further away, the speed came down. It was able to transfer data with speeds of 16 mbps from 50 odd feet away. These are pretty much average scores and the HP ProBook returned slightly better scores and so did the ThinkPad SL 400 series.

Heat and Noise:

The system generated less amount of heat but a couple of spots on the laptop did feel warm. The panel the hard drive at the bottom was the warmest spot and it was expected so because the 7200 rpm drive consumes a lot of power and emits more heat. Under mild stress, the plastic panels were within very reasonable temperature ranges without any inconvenience. The fan noise was also minimal with the fan staying off majority of the time when running on battery power. Sometimes it turns on to bring fresh air to the system. Even under high stress levels, the fan would not get very loud.

Decent Battery Life:

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 ran for almost 3 hours 21 minutes when we tested it for our video drain test using the six included cell battery. When compared to the ThinkPad T 400 series it is better than average for a laptop about this size. It lasted 4 hours when backlight was at about 50 percent and with Wi-Fi on. That is impressive but the HP ProBook 4510s lasted almost 4 and a half hours and the original ThinkPad lasted a solid 5 hours 20 minutes.  If you are a casual user and tend to use the laptop for Web browsing and office use, expect the laptop to last longer. This is using the standard 55Wh battery which does not extend from the back of the system. There are customizable options and buyers have the choice to opt for a 4, 6 or a 9 cell battery.

Power Consumption:

The older CCFL backlight screen made sure power consumption of the SL510 was double than that of the more efficient T series. Under a light load, the system used almost 12 watts.

Warranty:

There is a one year, parts and labour, mail in warranty with the laptop; although there are models in the market those offers a 3 year warranty and we expected the SL510 to have the same. One can access to a three year warranty plan for some amount. One even can purchase extra services which are targeted at businesses that do not have large IT departments. These services include backing up data, onsite service, accidental damage protection and theft protection. Lenovo offers hard disc retention which lets you keep a failed hard drive even after a replacement so that you do not have to hand over any sensitive data to them.  There is support available 24 x 7 through toll free line and an easy to navigate online support with a reasonable knowledge base and driver downloads is available.

Verdict:

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 is a solid notebook for business users that has a couple of security related features added to it, but it also makes a nice home office or personal laptop. While it is slightly bulky and is less rugged than the T series models, it is a good solution for workers looking for a sturdy laptop as it combines above average performance, a comfortable keyboard and business features. Though it is a good buy in a highly competitive market, it is an appreciable evolution of the SL series.

Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 – Technical Specification Table

MSI, which stands for Micro Star International, has now announced the advent of its latest netbook, the MSI Wind U100. Wind stands for Wi-Fi Network Device and this has been named so because the main purpose of it is accessing the internet. This one, as most of the netbooks, is cheap in price and effective in performance. It is actually a competitor for Asus’ Eee PC. But this has better screen, cuter design, a better and a bigger keyboard and longer battery life. But it has stronger competitors in front of it to beat, such as HP’s Mini notebook, Acer’s Aspire One and many others. To know whether it can withstand the competition, we need to have a look at it and examine the whole of it; read the following review to know the facts for yourself.

Design:

Slim with better input controls:
Just like any other netbook, the MSI Wind U100 is very small and cute. It looks belittled due to its rounded corners and nice design. Wind U100 comes out in five striking colours of red, blue, pink, black and snowy white. Starting with the visual side of the things, if you think that the white model looks good, the grandly titled ‘Empire Black’ model looks even better. With its dimensions being (W x D x H) 10.23 x 7.08 x 1.24 inches, it is certainly quite a slim netbook and, it weighs only 1.18 kg, which is far lesser when compared to the other laptops, that weigh almost twice of this one. The design is one of the more interesting aspects of the netbook. It is almost perfectly engineered to make it look very stylish and professional. Of course, it is still glossy, and so, the fingerprints will be a problem, but the shiny finishing seems to be almost inevitable on the netbook of these days. Though there is no cleaning cloth provided, the MSI does give you a rather nice zipped case, with a fake leather exterior and soft fleece lining from the inside.

Built Quality:
Once you open the piano black lid of the nettop, you will find that the MSI logo is now off-white and the interior of the notebook is thankfully of matte black finishing. However, marks from sweaty or greasy hands will be still visible on the palm rest of the touchpad. The built quality, as in the case of its predecessor is decent enough, though the wind’s lid tends to wobble a little bit for a few seconds after you open it, and this does not inspire as much confidence in the hinge as the Eee PC’s more stable and considerably larger version. This is highly unlikely to be a problem if you are careful, which is necessitated anyway by the mechanical hard drive that is more vulnerable to the life’s bumps and scrapes than a solid state drive. Essentially, however, in terms of looks, nothing much has changed apart from the colour and a bit of that added bulk that creates a slight tilt to the machine. As you must have guessed, this bulk is mainly because of the larger battery, which is a six cell model rather than the former three cell packs that the previous Winds were endowed with. This also gives the MSI theoretical parity with the Eee PC 901 and 1000.

Display:
The 10 inch display of  Wind U100 is better than that of the 8.9 inch one and is more comfortable for viewing. The screen is a bit heavier than normal and the unit actually lifts itself off the ground a bit when the screen is tilted back too far. The TFT LCD display backlit with LED is bright with vibrating colours and the display it produces is quite outstanding for a netbook. The viewing angles are so great that it looks almost the same from different angles, and the shifts are too small to bother viewing. The screen resolution is 1024 x 600 pixels and the overall display is very good.

Keyboard and Trackpad:

The keyboard of MSI Wind U100 is a bit broader than normal and is quite comfortable for typing. The traditional notebook is comparatively uncomfortable for typing as the panel is very small and so are the keys. But this one is almost perfect. Unfortunately, the Fn key is still located on the outside of Ctrl, but aside from that it provides a pleasant typing experience. The touch pad is pretty smooth and has a good feel. At the bottom right of the front bezel, there is a series of lights that indicate whether the respective option is enabled or disabled. In order from right to left, they are the Hard disk activity LED, the scroll lock toggle, the Num lock toggle, the Caps lock toggle, battery charging, sleep mode indicator, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth light. These lights are more in number than any other netbook. We are certainly pleased with the overall design of the nettop.

Ports:
The connectivity of the MSI Wind U100 Mini Laptop is identical to its predecessor. There is a card reader available, a four- in -one type. This card reader is compatible with SD, MMC, MS and MS Pro; hence, this is a multi-purposeful card reader. There are also three USB 2.0 ports available for data synchronisation. There are two headphone jacks, one for input and one output. There is also a facility for the connection of a cable to connect the netbook to either a monitor or a projector. The netbook also sports ports for the 15- pin graphics card output, for the Microphone, a line- in port and a LAN port. All these ports are pretty much necessary for a netbook as it needs connections to various external sources for data syncing.

Features:

The MSI Wind U100 is loaded with abundant features. Let us have a look at each one of them in detail.

Processor:
The MSI Wind is powered by Intel Atom N270 processor of 1.6 GHz frequency. This is a common feature in most of the present day’s netbooks and laptops. But this processor is a single core Diamondville type, which is one of the fastest and the best processor available for netbooks. Your applications run faster and with almost no problems with this processor. For a netbook, the 1.6 GHz processor is more than enough and so everything runs smooth. The Intel 945GSE¬+ ICH7M chipset is also a special feature that pacifies the system and its programs. A chipset is like a communicator between the motherboard and the external drives. So, the better the chip, better the communication and hence, better the performance.

Operating System:
The conventional MSI Wind U100 Netbook Computer features Microsoft Windows XP, but the latest versions of these netbooks are featuring Microsoft Windows 7 Starter edition. This operating system makes your system look lively and adds a feather to its cap.

Memory:
Some of the netbooks are almost equivalent to the laptops when it comes to the HDD capacity and RAM.  Particularly, the MSI Wind is a very good performer. As discussed earlier, with the Intel Atom processor, you would expect the best performance and least problems. The 1GB internal memory is just enough for a netbook as there would be no applications that request for higher memory; and it is just the maximum amount of memory that Microsoft allows to have Windows XP loaded onto the machine. With a Hard Disk Space of about 160GB, it is not only double the capacity of the previous Wind, it is also the highest capacity hard drive of notebook we have yet reviewed, so those consumers after as much storage space as possible should find this Wind to their liking. The Hard drive is DDR2 SODIMM type and of 667 Hz frequency.

Software Bundle with MSI Wind U100:
On the software side of the things, this MSI Wind offers an odd mix of software, that is not particularly well tailored to a notebook. For instance, the only productivity software that is available is a trial version of the MS Office 2007, but you are stuck with the Internet Explorer 6 and Media Player 9, rather than the more recent replacements, unless you make an initiative to download the new versions yourself. This is accompanied by the optional installations of Norton Internet Security 2008 and the Cyberlink DVD suite and it is just as well they are optional as their use on a netbook is arguable.
For the sake of comparison, the Eee PC 1000H which also uses the Windows XP comes preloaded with the Windows Live Suite of Software that includes Windows Live Mail for POP mail, Live Messenger for instant messaging, Live Photo Gallery for image viewing and basic editing and Live Writer and Microsoft works for productivity and Star Office. Of course, except for the Microsoft Works, everything else can be downloaded for free anyway, but given the fact many of the consumers buying netbooks these days are not as familiar with such things, it is definitely an oversight on MSI’s behalf.

Connectivity:
The only other upgrade this version of the Wind has over its sibling is Wireless-N, so there is potential for slightly faster and longer range wireless internet provided you have a compatible router. Unfortunately, for all those who were hoping optional HSDPA would be part of the refresh, it is still not available. The internet features in the netbook are suffice and interesting. There is a built-in 10/100 LAN and a built-in 802.11 b/g or 802.11 b/g/n WLAN card. With all these cards, the internet access is very good and you can always connect your netbook to the internet connection in a Wi-Fi hotspot or any other network port available in your vicinity. The most advantageous fact is that the netbook access the web without many problems or any delay. Even browsing the internet is not slow and does not lead to hanging of the system. The Bluetooth facility is also not very uncommon nowadays. But this Bluetooth is better than most of the other nettops when it comes to performance.

Webcam:
The 1.3Mp webcam takes pictures of resolution 640 x 480 pixels. These pictures, though a bit scaled down, are still very good for a webcam.

Audio:
As before, the speakers are nothing special, any kind of serious music listening or movie watching requires as the use of headphones.

Performance:

The performance of MSI Wind U100 10″ Laptop Computer well compliments its range of features. Its configuration is pretty decent and mainly, the processor and the memory part of it were good. The ports are very good in number. The internet connection is very good as it needed to be. The LAN ports and the WLAN cards help the performance of the internet connectivity improve. Particularly, the wireless internet and the LAN are one of the main attractions of this model. They perform well even under mediocre LAN strength. The 64 MB graphics card is minimal but as it is a mini notebook, there would not be much work for the graphics card since there would not be high end gaming on this. Everything else is fine and you can expect a very good netbook with a tag of good performance from MSI.

Battery:

The battery is naturally a lithium ion polymer type. This one is 2200 mAh battery and gives you at the most two and a half hour battery life time for a six cell type battery. The battery may vary with region also. In some region there is a 5200 mAh type battery and that one gives you a battery life of about five and a half hours. One thing you will notice with the MSI Wind is that there is an option to even decrease the battery life. It also features a turbo button that, when enabled, can further decrease the battery life in order to increase the performance. This is a bit silly to hear because you generally associate minimum battery consumption when there is the Intel Atom processor. Also, this option works only if the netbook is working on the battery power.

Warranty and Service:

MSI offers a limited warranty period of 1 year for parts and labour. Along with the warranty, there is also support over the phone from the technicians, in order to solve minute problems. This facility is available only between Monday and Thursday.

Verdict:

So there you have it. The new version of MSI’s Wind is identical to the old one, except you’re getting a 160GB HDD, Wireless-N and of course that all-important six-cell battery for nearly five hours of frugal use. It is a beauty when it comes to the design and the 10” 1024 x 600 screen gives very little reason to complain, with a nice anti-glare finishing, decent viewing angles, pleasing levels of brightness and a text reproduction that is very sharp and easy to read. It is a bit low on cost and hence very affordable, particularly to the students, as they are the primary users of these netbooks. The design is cute and the display is very good with great viewing angles. The features are fine and a few of them are very unique in their own terms. The overall performance is fine and the battery life is reasonable. This netbook may not be the right one for business professionals, but it is a very handy tool for students. Overall, it is an affordable one if you want to go with a cheaper netbook.

Check Latest Laptop Reviews, Specs, Ratings and other MSI Laptop Computer Reviews in this website.

MSI Wind U100 Mini Netbook – Technical Specification Table

One company who has earned a niche for itself in design is Apple. 2007 marked the beginning of their rise which is attributed to the fact that they have transferred their PCs to Intel’s hardware platform, attracting newer users.  Mac Computers now are fully compatible with Microsoft OS and allow you to use Mac OS on the same PC simultaneously as well.  Apple Notebooks have a panache associated with them, the MacBook pro boasts of LED Backlighting, Convenient Touchpad, Light weight and Good performance.  2008 marks the launch of Apple’s newest baby – the MacBook Air.  As the campaign states, this is probably the thinnest in the market right now and probably the finest too.  Ultrathin and Ultraportable, its new processor really pushes performance up to the extremes. But is the price justified? Read the following review to figure that out.

Design:

Classy design:
Apple has its own class when it comes to design. The first look is a hybrid of Apple’s other 2 laptops. The Air has a shiny aluminum body and the really interesting backlit keyboard. Its uni-body design results in a clean seamless appearance and is simply a marvelous piece of design. But perhaps, the most impressive is its thinness. At 0.16 inches at its thinnest and 0.76 at its thickest, it is perhaps the thinnest available laptop in the market. The skillful use of rounded curves gives one that it is airy and weightless. While it is not weightless, 1.36kgs is all that it weighs. But is it really that portable? The thicker Sony TZ and the older Apple model are perhaps more portable. But the Air is a much easier machine to work on and feels sturdier than the other 2.

Full-size, full-feature keyboard:
The Keyboard of the Mac is similar to that of the MacBook, differing only in terms of thickness. The spacing in between the buttons is the same as the MacBook as well. The keyboard is the same square key capped design with backlighting included. The full size keyboard along with its backlit keys allows working in dim conditions. There is an in built ambient light sensor that adjusts the keyboard illumination and display brightness. The Multi-touch allows you to control certain functions using a thin touchpad. Rotating 2 fingers in iPhoto rotates the image and using 3 fingers up and down to swipe allows switching between photos, web pages etc. Though the touchpad is not very effective nor smooth, it is a great addition.

Display:
The Apple MacBook Air Slim notebook has a 13.3 inch widescreen LED backlight screen. Its 1280×800 resolution allows viewing vibrant images. However, the screen is notably different because the lighting is from an LED. Instead of starting out dim and gradually increasing in brightness, like in the MacBook, the Air’s display starts on full brightness. A tiny sensor is located to the left of the iSight camera which allows to automatically adjust the brightness of the display.

There is a 90 Degree bend in the Air notebook; though it is nicer, the bend makes it harder to snap into place. The older Magsafe adapters fit well, but the plug when resting on a table, knocks it off.

Ports:
The absence of the usual set of ports is slightly disappointing. On the right side of the notebook is a single USB 2.0 port, Micro DVI Connector and a jack for analogue headphones. Yes, a single USB port is a mockery for a contemporary notebook like this. However, the absence of Firewire ports is more frustrating as it would not allow connecting digital cameras to MacBook Air.

The absence of a DVD Drive and a single expansion port is not convenient nor is it acceptable.  However, it would not make much of a difference as this notebook is not a replacement to a standard desktop system.

Features:

Solid State Drive:
The Apple MacBook Air runs on a Solid State Drive or an SSD. An alternative to the conventional HDD, it does not feature any moving parts. The SSD is basically just an array of computer chips solder on to a board unlike the HDD, which resembles a phonograph. The lack of moving parts in an SSD allows it to read instant access data from one region of storage to another without delay. This kind of reading is referred to as Random Read/Write and in contrast to the random, there is a sustained read write. This gives consistent access to data over a sequential area. HDD has an advantage of speed here as it is faster to change flux in a particle of silicone than on a charge on a platter.

Connectivity:
The Apple MacBook Air 13.3″ Laptop does not support wired network as Apple believes that in this hi-tech era of wireless technologies, Wi-Fi is more than enough. It supports an 802.11 protocol with 248Mbit/s peak bandwidth. You could also buy an Ethernet adapter from Apple separately.

Memory:
The MacBook Air runs on an 80GB 1.8 Samsung Spinpoint S2 drive which is sturdy enough to withstand normal usage. Its small size despite capacity is its main advantage. The 5 mm thick drive has a speed of 4200 rpm and an access time of 13ms.   However it is not as fast as the 2.5 inch laptop drives and will lag behind in storage and it uses the outdated Ultra ATA 100 interface. If you can afford for a 6GB SSD, the reliability, performance and battery life would get a huge boost.

Software and Remote Disc:
The Air runs on the Leopard OS slightly modified to take advantage of the touch pad. There are videos included on how to make gestures. Though it is not the most practical solution to control, the touchpad seems to be intuitive and well integrated.

Apple’s Remote Disc allows the Air to borrow a networked computer’s optical drive. The disc is very hefty and the drive does not support a lot of playback. Sadly, it can neither rip CDs or DVDs nor play back songs and is only functional for installing programs.  The Remote Disc works not only on the Mac OS X but also on the Windows as well.  For the MacBook Air, it is recommended to buy a Superdrive, especially if you are on the go.

Hardware:
The Air has a reasonably good hardware. It runs on an etiolated Ultra Low Voltage performance chip. So low was it that Intel was forced to repackage a slower version of its Core 2 Duo processor. It is a Mobile Core 2 Duo with 4MB L2 Cache and 1.6 GHz frequency. There is a newer version of the Air that runs on a faster 1.8 GHz. The X3100 graphics core means that you cannot make the Air a gaming platform as its 3D graphics are weak. The only limitation when it comes to maximum screen resolution supported by the DVI port does not exceed 1920×1200.  The Realtek dual channel codec produces very poor audio quality. The only speaker is under the keyboard and one will hardly be able to listen to anything except the OS beeping.

Multimedia and iSight:
The limited space available on the Air restricts the multimedia to a webcam, a microphone, a speaker set. The microphone and webcam are on the top of the screen and the mono setup speaker is under the keyboard. The colour accuracy and the image quality are as good as that of a high end cell phone.  The webcam can be used along with the in-built microphone and the iChat software. One could use iSight for taking pictures and editing them. You do no need to install the software as it is already in built and you can use it with QuickTime and share it to iTunes and Youtube.

Apple MacBook Air Performance:

Performance is usually what matters to most users. The speed of the MacBook has surprised all of us. In the native OS 10.5, its performance was lacking. Boot times are as long as a minute and starting up an array of programs took longer than usual. The Bootcamp performance was on the snappier side.  When we tried the tests on the Vista environment, we were in for a pleasant surprise. The machine ran better on Vista than it did on the native OS. That is perhaps, because the MacBook Air firmware version for Microsoft OS is not impeccable at all.

However, there were a lot of bugs throughout the bootcamp. The touchpad was the source of several problems including the Blue – screens and lockups due to multiple touches. The system benchmarks in Vista were quite well and gaming ran on decent frames. The 1.8GHz core 2 processor is nothing compared to the mammoth 3.2GHz available in the market today.  But perhaps where the computer shines is in everything that does not hog many resources. Because of the SSD, Microsoft Word, MATLAB, Photoshop and other applications pen up in fraction of a second.

The performance demonstrated by the Air is quite good, since it has pretty up to date hardware With a Core Micro architecture working at 1.6GHz frequency and 2 GB of high speed RAM performance on Vista was pretty good. Though the Spinpoint HDD Drive cannot boast of great performance, it is not that slow as well. There were more bottlenecks in the configuration. Because of some firmware problems, when the processor’s clock speed was slowed down, the CPU seemed reluctant to return back to nominal levels.

Heat:

The aluminum design of the MacBook Air notebook makes it act as a gigantic heat sink.  The processor is right under the top left part of the keyboard, a portion many gamers place their hands. The surface of the notebook is very hot and sometimes gets unbearable. Gaming alone is not responsible; CPU intensive activities such as compressing music will put one in a similar situation under heavy workload, the temperature reaches 46 degrees and the CPU reaches dangerous levels of about 85 degrees centigrade.  Normal web browsing does not heat-en up the processor; however the notebook gets heated up faster than other notebooks. The temperature however does not affect the thermal conditions of the HDD as it is placed on the cooler side of the laptop.

Battery life:

The second generation MacBook Air runs on a 37 w Lithium polymer battery, selected to be as light as possible. It has a quoted battery life of 5 whole hours and it is fairly accurate. The Air can run for around 5 hours in optimal conditions and even longer if all you do is some light internet browsing. The Power Adapter provided is a 45W brick which is specifically shaped due to the Air’s slim design. But there is one complaint with the battery – the time it takes to get charged is a lot. It takes about 8 and half hours to get fully recharged and that by standards is pathetic.  The Integrated battery does not allow you to swap the battery in case it dies making matters worse.

Warranty:

The Apple MacBook Air Laptop Notebook is covered under a warranty period of one year from the date of purchase. Defects from Service are covered by a warranty of 90 days.  However, one can extend the warranty to up to 3 years. If the battery’s capacity to store charge diminishes, Apple will replace it even if the warranty expires.

Verdict:

It is hard to put a judge on such a thin, simple and interesting machine. The MacBook Air with a 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM, and 80GB of space is expensive, but this is the lightest OS X machine out there. At double the rate, the 64GB of SSD and a 1.8GHz processor is a joke. The MacBook Pro is much cheaper and more loaded. The notebook however is beautiful, innovative and portable and hence is recommendable to users who would want a second laptop .The Apple MacBook Air is not a notebook in the sense of the word, but is a gadget with notebook functionality. Most Apple lovers would be disappointed with it as it is perhaps not a mainstream product. When Vista was installed and tried out, the Air worked wonderfully well. That would help Apple gain lots of Windows fans. This is not the best choice for an ultra portable Wintel solution. If you are looking for an airy design and Microsoft OS, this is the best way to go.

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Apple MacBook Air – Technical Specification Table