You know wireless broadband is getting ubiquitous when even Ford pickup trucks are equipped with tablet PCs hooked up to the net. That's the case with Ford, launching its FordLink system for F-series pickups that consists of a tablet PC running Windows XP that's connected to the vast tubes of the Interwebs. Link
The Dell Latitude D420 is a 12.1" ultra-portable notebook designed to succeed both the Latitude X1 and the Latitude D410. In an effort to simplify its ultramobile product line, Dell has merged several traits from each of these two retired models to create the new D420. Specifically, the D420 adopts the X1's wide-aspect screen and ultra-low voltage processor while maintaining the D410's aesthetic appeal and full-sized keyboard. In addition, the D420 continues Dell's trend of not including an internal optical drive, although external options are once again available.
Dell Latitude D420 (view large image)
In practice, the D420 has far more in common with the X1 than its direct predecessor, the D410. For instance, while the D410's starting weight was approximately 3.8 lbs, the 3.0 lbs D420 is positioned more closely to the X1's 2.5 lbs feather-light physique. Moreover, while the D410 offered standard Intel Pentium M processors operating at up to 2.00GHz, the D420 upgrades from the X1's ultra-low voltage Pentium M 1.1 GHz to an ultra-low voltage Core Solo 1.06GHz or Core Duo 1.2GHz CPU. Finally, rather than using a standard 2.5" notebook hard drive like the D410, the D420 uses the same 1.8" drive as the Latitude X1.
Specifications of the D420 as Reviewed
Important Note
In this review the main author is David Dobolyi, comments by Andrew Baxter who owns the precisely same configured D420 are in blue.
Toshiba Satellite P105-S921
Specs
Design
Never settling on a single design like Dell, Toshiba goes for another makeover. Following the round Vaio'esque look along with HP, the P105 goes for sleek, fluid styling. The front is thin and thickens towards the rear for the bulk of the components such has hard drive, CPU, GPU, and respective heatsink/fans. This gives it the illusion that it's thinner than it actually is. The top cover features a flat gunmetal like grey, opposite of the glossy frou frou look of the Qosmio series. I must say this is the best looking laptop I've ever had.
Performance
The processor included is a Core Duo T2400 running at 1.83GHz based on the Yonah core. The Core Duo Centrino has all the fixins of it's predecessor "Sonoma", such as PCI Express, Serial ATA, and dual channel DDR2, but adds dual core into the mix. This gives theoretically double the processing power, in the same package and power requirements. But in real life it translates to about 30-40% boost in multithreaded apps, and amazingly, about the same amount of power used. The RAM used are a pair of Hynix sticks with Hyundai PC5300 DDR2 SDRAM. This runs at a brute force frequency of 333MHz DDR with latency timings of 5-5-5. This is paired up with a FSB running at QuadDataRate 166MHz (666MHz). The memory bandwidth can provide up to 10.7GBps while the FSB can only provide 5.3GBps of bandwidth to access it. The main advantage of DDR2 for laptops is the 30% less power consumption than DDR1.
This translates to great increases for encoding, video editing, 3D rendering, compression, and multitasking. For those hoping for improvements in general internet, office, and gaming apps will find little. However if you do all three at once, dual core should help streamline the process a great deal. The general trend in multi-cores is growing rapidly as even video game consoles have gone multi-core. We will only be seeing more and more applications being multithread optimized.
The biggest bottleneck for this laptop is the hard drive. While weighing in at a huge 160GB, it is only offered at 4200RPM with peak transfer rates at 35MBps and averaging out at 28MBps. The performance is pretty decent for a drive with these specifications. A faster hard drive will generally help in situations where large amounts of data needs to be accessed.
The Dell Inspiron 6400 (also sold as the Inspiron e1505 via Dell Home) is a laptop that meets you in the middle'. It's pretty light and portable (like the Inspiron e1405) and offers high performance and great media options (like the Inspiron e1705). Basically, you get the best of both worlds, at a reasonable price. Before we begin reviewing anything, here are the specs of my system:
Reasons for Buying
The Dell Inspiron 6400 really interested me because it had everything I needed for the price that I wanted. It's small and light enough to carry (even with the 9-cell) and is powerful enough for my needs. I chose Dell because of their quality, in my mind. I've only bought one Desktop, the Dell Dimension 8200. 6 years later, it's still running incredibly well with Windows XP (designed for Windows ME). Anyways, I was confident that the laptop I was about to purchase will last me a long time, and I have plenty reasons.
Where & How it Was Purchased
I ordered my laptop on Dell's Canadian website. I found that the site was fairly easy to navigate and didn't get lost too often. Dell's main advantage over their competitors is that laptops they sell are always highly configurable. Unfortunately, I had some credit card problems that were beyond my control, so my order was delayed. The sales representative was very polite and assisted me throughout the process. I got my laptop in 15 days. It would normally take about 10 days. Overall, I was pleased with the order process and order tracking is very helpful.
Build & Design
The Inspiron 6400 feels very sturdy. It doesn't feel flimsy, and doesn't look like things are going to get loose anytime soon. Opening and closing of the screen is not too loose or too tight. One hand is sufficient enough to move the screen, provided the notebook itself on a stable surface.
The notebook design itself is slightly above average. The silver paint looks very appealing, but not when combined with the white bumpers. I didn't really like the bumpers, but I guess it looks decent. Overall this laptop can't compare to the XPS series, but its design is good enough to catch some eyes.
Thus far the UMPC concept has been just that, a concept. The hardware has been less than compelling, as manufacturers worry more about price point than producing something people want. To be fair, I enjoyed the Samsung Q1 at times and think it has a future with certain niche markets. Now Sony has come out with a second or third attempt at the UMPC market, depending on how you count their machines, and in typical Sony way, paid less attention to price than to features and functionality. Where the Samsung Q1 skimped, Sony splurged, releasing the most full featured UMPC, or Micro PC as they call it, to date. Say hello to the Sony Vaio UX180P.Specifications
Design
As is the case with the entirety of Sony's product line, the UX180 is all about style. There's not a person, young or old, that I showed this to, who wasn't blown away. The entire package is tremendously sleek, given all the features that are jammed into this tiny package.
The Systemax Epic is a widescreen, thin-and-light notebook. The system as reviewed is priced at $1,799, and is configured as follows:
The Averatec AV2150-EH1 is a 12.1-inch widescreen notebook, it is basically a rebadged MS-1013 from MSI. The thin-and-light AV2150-EH1 is targeted to those who have basic computing needs on the go, although true mobility is limited by the subpar battery life. The AV2150-EH1 is configured as followed,
The Sony VAIO FE590 is a fully customizable 15.4" Core Duo based laptop. It comes with an optional motion eye camera, the choice between an nVidia 7400 Go graphics card or Intel 950 integrated graphics, Bluetooth, Core Duo processor, up to 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, and a DVD Burner.The model being reviewed here features the following:
Reasons for Choosing:
I needed a workhorse laptop that would be suitable for a wide range of applications both as an Audio Video (AV) centre and a laptop that as a student I could travel to and from university with. The VAIO FE is very light for its size and has a great look too it. In terms of battery life it gets close to four hours when I'm in lectures throughout the day and around 3 hours watching videos, it has a beautiful crystal clear screen which is fantastic for my 3D art as the colors stay true. Price and Buying from Sony: I live in Australia, but at the time I ordered the only way to get the VAIO FE customized was ordering directly via Sony Style USA. I paid $1,435 and received free delivery; I purchased an extra 1GB stick of RAM from NewEg.com as Sony charges prices that are simply extortionate for their RAM. I feel the price I paid for the VAIO FE was a great deal, but sadly I got hit with another $300 fee from Australian customs for importing the laptop, and on the very same day the FE was released in Australia for $1,670 USD with the camera, nVidia 7400 Go card, DVD burner and 100GB hard drive, though it only had 512MB of ram and a 1.66GHz Core Duo, it was still a little annoying.
This notebook is not without its pedigree; the Satellite range is Toshiba's long-running notebook line that traces it roots to the very first truly portable computers in the late 80's. Over time it has been super-ceded by the Tecra business line, but it still probably constitutes the lion's share of Toshiba's notebook sales in North America. These notebooks are ubiquitous in retailers across the continent, a testament to their good value and solid reputation.As the owner of an AMD Turion notebook, and the reviewer of many Intel notebooks, I can honestly say that there is a huge difference between the seamless integration of Intel's Centrino technologies and AMD's sm rg sbord approach. Hopefully AMD has been watching and learning because the addition of Core Duo to the Centrino platform stands to make what was already a big performance gap into a gaping chasm.
In Canada the P100 comes in two flavors; the P100-J100 ($1,999 CDN) and the P100-J500 ($2,399). The primary differences between the two are processor (T2300 versus T2400), memory (512 MB versus 1024 MB) and hard drive (100 GB versus 120 GB). Toshiba sent us the higher-end model for review. In the U.S. this notebook is customizable via the Satellite P105 model is essentially the same as the P100, but available with a higher end configuration graphics graphics card for certain SKUs. If you're buying the P105, most aspects of this review apply to this model too. Retail stores mostly carry the P105.
Specs:
The Toshiba Tecra M4 is a very unique computer which I would describe as a jack of all trades. It's thin, fairly light, pretty powerful, and moderately priced. It basically falls into the category of thin and light desktop replacements. However what sets it apart from the competition is a turnable screen and a stylus. That's right, the Tecra M4 is also a Tablet PC which allows you to input notes and information through the stylus or even through speech with an integrated microphone array.Tecra M4 specs as reviewed:
The MacBook Pro is Apple's latest notebook and their first with Intel's new attempt at notebook dominance, the Core Duo. It represents the near peak of current notebook technology in terms of power, making only a few compromises for the sake of a slim profile and a better battery life. I am a college student who has been lusting over notebooks for the past two years, but with so many choices and every promising notebook seemingly always lacking in an essential area I was paralyzed by indecision (and a lack of funds). I will be attending Law School next fall and the time has finally come when owning a notebook is no longer an option. Luckily, notebook technology is better than ever, and I finally had some notebooks to choose from that represent nearly everything I have wanted since I first got the idea in my head that I needed one. I have simple needs: gaming capable graphics card, near desktop power, low weight, bright screen, decent battery life, and sweet looks (you know, the basics).Specifications of the MacBook Pro reviewed
Design and Build
The design and build of the MacBook Pro is top notch. For someone who has used and handled (although admittedly never owned) several Dells, HPs, and Compaqs (dang their University contracts) the step up in quality was very much appreciated.
The Panasonic ToughBook T4 notebook computer is part of the semi-rugged line of Toughbooks; the line that includes the W4 recently reviewed by this site. The T4 is a fraternal twin of the W4 -- the more business-oriented twin. With a 12.1" 4:3 aspect screen (as opposed to the W4's widescreen), no disc drive, and a claimed battery life of 9+ hours, the Panasonic Toughbook T4 is aimed squarely at serious business use. Let's see if it delivers. Features
Dimensions:
Aesthetics
If it is important to you to have a pretty notebook, then this isn't the notebook for you. Many people who saw it during my review period thought it was cool because of its size, its battery life, its low weight, or its features, but nobody thought it was pretty. The Toughbook T4's tough construction makes it blocky, and any slim chance that remained that the T4 would be attractive was killed when they glued a beige plastic stylus holder to the lid.
AC adapter bricks aren't exactly sexy, either. This small, low-power computer comes with a small adapter that's easy to toss in your bag or even a large jacket pocket. I have to give Panasonic credit for making some attempt at cord management, supplying a Velcro strip attached to the power cord that connects to the computer. It isn't great, like the rubber straps on Dell adapters, but at least they give us SOMETHING to work with. [Hint, hint, every manufacturer out there! These little things can be pretty important!]
Build and Construction
Since this is a Toughbook, let's see how tough the T4 really is. As part of the "semi-rugged" line, you shouldn't take this computer swimming, rock climbing, or on deployment with your Special Ops squad. Civilians in normal business life will rarely put their computers in such severe situations, and the T4 is built to handle anything "normal life" could dish out... and then some.
The case is advertised as entirely made of a magnesium alloy, and that alloy is some very sturdy stuff. I did not go gently on this machine over the three weeks used for this evaluation, as will be revealed in my tests of the other "Tough" aspects of the T4, but the case received my toughest (pardon the pun) scrutiny. I repeatedly dropped the machine from a height of about 2.5 feet, my guess of the average height the computer would be from the floor when pinched in a person's hand like a paperback novel. Despite being dropped from this height twice each onto a hardwood floor, pile carpet, tile, a concrete sidewalk, rough parking lot asphalt, and once on the nasty industrial carpeting at my law school (the only accidental drop of the bunch), the T4 still works flawlessly and shows no marks. There's a small black dot on the cover that was there when I received the computer, perhaps from a previous user's carelessness with a Sharpie pen, but otherwise the computer could pass for brand new.
With all that said about dropping the T4 more often over the course of three weeks than most of us would drop our computers over a lifetime, it goes without saying that stuffing the T4 loose in a bag full of case books and other odds and ends, including the T4's pointy-plugged power brick, had no effect. What would amount to abuse with any consumer notebook doesn't shake the Toughbook at all.
The Acer Travelmate 3012WTMi is Acer's latest ultraportable notebook. According to the Acer website it is designed entirely on Acer's ambition to optimize the balance between high-performance ultraportability and superior efficiency by creating the ultimate lightweight notebook for highly-mobile professionals and dynamic businesses. Weighing just 1.5kgs, the Acer TravelMate 3010 is the first ultraportable Acer notebook to feature the latest Intel Centrino Core Duo Mobile Technology, offering maximum productivity, superior unwired freedom and ultra-connectivity to drive your business mobility into the future.Specs for the 3012WTMi as Reviewed:
Below are the Specs for the Acer Aspire 9800:
Specifications for Toshiba Satellite M100 Being Reviewed:
Specifications of Other Versions (Other existing or future versions of the Samsung X60 may contain other configurations including)
My exact configuration is as follows:
I know that there are some other configurations available, for example in Malaysia they offer the exact same model but with a Pentium M 760 running at 2 GHz. Apart from CPU speed and price I have seen no real variations in this model that doesn't seem to be that widely available and is not configurable.
Reasons for purchase
I had been searching for a laptop to replace my aging HP nx9010 for around 2 months prior Christmas 2005/6 but hadn't decided on anything. After coming back from holidays at the beggining of February I had made my mind up and purchased the Compaq B2800.
The old nx9010 was too uncomfortable to carry around due to its bulkiness and weight. Its performance was also lacking and didn't allow me to play the newer 3D Real Time Strategy Games (RTS) or RPG.
I had a budget of A$2000 to A$3000 (that is Australian dollars). Preferably I wanted it to be closer to 2000 than to 3000.
There were 4 main criteria, apart from price, that influenced my buying decision:
My newly purchased B2800 notebook does all of that perfectly and even proves very good in some of the other areas, especially in build quality and design.
The alternatives I had been considering before Christmas were many as I had looked at innumerable models by many manufacturers and brands. I nearly bought a NEC P1800 but it didn't seem very nicely designed and it was a bit heavy closer to the 3 kg mark than to the 2 kg. I nearly bought a Sony S series but it was a little to small for every day use and slightly outside my budget.
Where and from whom it was purchased
The Compaq B2800 was purchased at Harvey Norman (an Australian electronics retailer), in Central Melbourne. I chose to purchase at Harvey Norman because I didn't consider that saving A$100, if purchased online on the HP Shop, was worthwhile. Especially when you're already spending over A$2000, you want to make sure your investment turns out fine so buying it at Harvey Norman provided me with that confidence. In total, with GST (value added tax), it was just under A$2500.
The box was well packed and protected and the contents were few, but all useful. Apart from the computer it came with the recovery CD, Windows XP Home, Microsoft Works, a short manual and some various warning papers. It also came with a travel power A/C power adaptor.
It also came with its own custom white optical mouse. This mouse works OK but is slightly small, even for my liking, but is fine for everything except gaming. It has two LEDs, one red one at the back and a central LED that constantly changes colour. As any mouse nowadays it has two buttons and a central wheel.
