Sony VAIO VGN-TX650P/B Review
Laptop Magazine has a review up of another VAIO notebook and this one is a tiny one. Laptop Magazine explains it size pretty well below:
There are notebooks that can barely squeeze into a coach class tray table, and then there’s the Sony VAIO TX Series notebook ($2,299), a miniature marvel that leaves enough room for a drink, a bag of pretzels, and the in-flight magazine. It’s that small, yet this 2.8-pound beauty has a nearly full size keyboard and a built-in DVD burner. Throw in an instant-on media player and nearly seven hours of battery life, plus built-in EDGE connectivity for when you can’t find a hotspot, and you have the ultimate cross-country companion.
Dell Recalls 35,000 Notebook Batteries
Just after I finish reading a review on a Dell notebook, and thinking “boy, I would like one of those..” I find an article explaining how Dell is recalling a bunch of their notebook batteries.
Cnet’s News.com with the details:
The 35,000 recalled batteries were sold with several models of Latitude and Inspiron machines and Precision mobile workstations between Oct. 5, 2004, and Oct. 13, 2005.
Manufactured in Japan or China, they were also sold on their own as replacement batteries–at a cost of between $99 and $179–during that time.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Dell warned consumers to stop using the products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
The Round Rock, Texas-based company has learned of three incidents of the recalled batteries overheating, resulting in damage to a tabletop and a desktop, and in “minor damage to personal effects,” but no reported injuries.
Dell Inspiron XPS M170 Review
The XPS 2 line has been getting a little bit of press as Dell tries to get gamers to buy what they are selling. Pocket-Lint takes a look at the M170, and gives it a thumbs up with a great 9/10 on their review scale.
When it launched the Inspiron XPS 2 the company even managed to hook nVidia into an excusive contract with its GeForce Go 6800 card, which was the fastest GPU available at that time.
Dell hasn’t been so lucky this time around, as nVidia has allowed others access to the GeForce Go 7800GTX, so does this latest version of the Inspiron XPS live up to expectations?
Well, Dell has stuck with the same chassis design, with its dimensions of 394 x 282 x 49mm and 4.2kg weight, the XPS is the most mobile gaming system available. True, 4.2kg isn’t really a portable weight but if it’s better than strapping on a harness and lugging a desktop PC around to your friends LAN party.
Apple PowerBook G4
Apple and their eventual switch over to Intel processors is still big news as we get closer and closer to the change over date. Laptop Magazine reviews the new PowerBook G4’s without Intel chips in them and has a few things to say.
When Apple announced the release of updated 15- and 17-inch PowerBooks back in October, one question seemed to drown out the rest: were the refreshed models just place holders before the company’s much talked-about decision to switch to Intel processors finally takes effect? We had the chance to test the 17-inch model, and the upgrades to Apple’s flagship line of notebooks are certainly not trivial.
The two largest enhancements being touted by Apple are improved battery life and screen resolution. The notebook’s souped-up battery promises to give you up to 5.5 hours of use.
13.3-inch Intel iBook
Early next year you might be putting an Intel-based iBook in your lap, and it might be a bit smaller than the long standing 14.1 inches most people are used to. It has been rumored that a 13.3 inch widescreen iBook will be replacing the 14.1 inch machine with a WXGA resolution of 1280×720, which is actually 15% more pixels than the old 14.1 inch model.
Source: Think Secret
WidowPC Sting 917 Review
I don’t understand why companies use more or less the exact same laptops to try to gain market share. But that is exactly what WindowPC did with their Sting 917 notebook design.
Laptop Magazine with the details:
If looking at WidowPC’s 13-pound gaming notebook gives you a sense of dejá vu, it should. Other than a spider decal, this stock gaming notebook design is identical to units sold by ProStar and Sager. For what it lacks in creativity, the Sting 917 makes up in sheer power. Gamers will be pleased with the performance of this expensive rig, and multimedia mavens will like the built-in TV tuner and Media Center OS.
Though after all that the Sting 917 still manages to earn itself a 3/5 in Laptop Magazine’s rating system.
HP Pavilion dv8000
BIOS Magazine takes a look at the dv8000, a desktop replacement laptop with a 17-inch widescreen display.
HP has introduced the new 17-inch Pavilion dv8000 series of desktop replacement laptop PCs into Europe. Based on a brand new chassis, the 17-inch widescreen laptop is powered by AMD’s Turion 64 processor (ML-32). The laptop is targeted towards home users with a feature set slanted towards the entertaining end of the specifications spectrum.
After reading the write up it is unclear if the writer likes or dislikes the dv8000 laptop, as they give only the facts and no personal view on the usefulness of the laptop, other than commenting on its lack luster graphics card and smiling over its lengthy one year support package.
Hypersonic Aviator EX7
Am I the only one that has never heard of this company? I think the name of the company and notebook are both pretty cool and actually quite sci-fi sounding, Laptop Magazine had a look at the machine and gave it a 3.5 out of 5 on their scale. The machine is way out of my price range though coming in at $4,261 for their tested model.
Hypersonic’s monster gaming system, the Aviator EX7, is enormous in every sense of the word. A 17-inch desktop replacement notebook that weighs a whopping 13 pounds, this is an over-the-top computer with dream components and power under the hood that matches its intimidating physical presence. When it comes to the pure gaming experience, the Aviator soars, but its staggering $4,261 price tag will put it out of reach for most.
Toshiba Satellite A75-S125 Review
Earning itself three out of five from Laptop Magazine the Toshiba Satellite A75-S125 was recently put through its paces in their review process.
The Toshiba Satellite A75-S125 is a mainstream notebook best suited for home users who split their time between productivity tasks and multimedia fun. For less than $1,200, this eight-pounder includes a stunning glossy display, a DVD burner, and a fast processor. As long as you can live without the latest graphics, the A75 offers pretty good bang for the buck.
The A75-S125 features a capable 3.2-GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of 333-MHz DDR memory, and a speedy, but small 5,400-rpm 40GB hard drive. We used this system with Windows Media Encoder, Photoshop, and Excel without a hitch. The A75 offers about the same performance as a typical 1.7- or 1.8-GHz Pentium M-based laptop.
With a great price for what you get, I would almost say that this would be a laptop to buy if the con’s did not outweigh the price. Unfortunately, there are corners cut on this machine. Battery life is lower than average, small hard drive, and a slow DVD burner from what seems like last years parts are what keeps the costs of the machine down. It is still a value, but not one that I am going to pick up.
Fujitsu LifeBook T4020D Review
PC Magazine, on ABC New’s website has a short look at the T4020D from Fujitsu.
Fujitsu’s latest offering is a 12.1-inch convertible tablet that weighs just 4.6 pounds and has an internal optical drive. If you’re looking for a laptop that has some tablet functionality, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020D ($2,149 direct) hits the mark.
The swivel screen reveals a full-size keyboard and a very responsive touchpad. The 4.6-pound frame weighs exactly the same as the HP Compaq tc4200’s, but includes a built-in optical drive that’s lacking in the tc4200.
So the T4020D gets a thumbs up as it includes an optical drive that many other tablets and even some light weight notebooks do not have.
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