warm nest

Light, portable,Akku Vostro 1720 cheap—these are the defining characteristics of a netbook. These pint-sized devices offer basic Internet access and computing capability in a portable package, with a smaller price tag Akku Studio 1535 than a standard laptop. The HP Mini 210-2000 ($599 direct) checks off all of the required boxes,Akku Vostro 1310 but won't blow you away in any given category considering its parts. What it will do is go the distance in terms of Akku Vostro 1320 battery life.

Design Akku Vostro 1510

Weighing in at just under 3 pounds, Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q the Mini 210-2000 offers great portability for the mobile user that will do anything to lighten their load, and is only a few ounces heavier than the 2.5-pound Acer Aspire One AOD255-1203 Sony VGP-BPS9/S ($329.99 street, 4 stars), the lightest netbook we've reviewed. Students will appreciate that it's lighter than Sony VGP-BPS9A/S the average textbook, and small enough that it can fit easily into a backpack or large hand bag. Sony VGP-BPS9/B The Mini 210-2000 also functions as a colorful accessory, available in Charcoal (Dark Grey), Luminous Rose (Pink), and Ocean Drive (Blue). The plastic chassis may not be as thin as Sony VGP-BPS9A/B the Acer AOD255-1203 or offer the aluminum finish of the HP Mini 5103 ($650 street, 4 stars), it has Sony VGP-BPS9 a semi-gloss finish that hides fingerprints and smudges, keeping a clean look.

The netbook measures 1.25 by 10.5 by 7.5 inches (HWD). The Sony VGP-BPS13 10.1-inch screen has a standard 1,024 by 600 resolution. It doesn't have the resolution to display high-definition video and images, Sony VGP-BPS13/Q but it's perfect for reading text, browsing the Web, and viewing YouTube clips. The keyboard is nearly full sized, and offers a Sony VGP-BPS13/S comfortable typing experience. It has chiclet-style keys, which helps when trying to differentiate one Sony VGP-BPS13A/B key from another by feel.

The mouse uses a clickpad, which combines the trackpad Sony VGP-BPS13A/S and mouse buttons into one smooth surface. It's multitouch-capable, and gesture controls like pinch and zoom or two-finger scrolling are ideal when using Sony VGP-BPS13AS a small screen where content may be resized or cut off. The touchpad itself is a tad undersized, Sony VGP-BPS13B/S measuring only 1.75 by 3.6 inches, but it offers more mousing real estate than the Acer Aspire One AOD255-1203 ($329.99 street, 4 stars) and Dell Sony vgp-bps13S Inspiron Mini 10 ($425 direct, 3.5 stars).  

Features Sony vgp-bps2a

There are 3 USB ports, a VGA output, Sony vgp-bps2b and a combination headphone-out/microphone-in jack on the HP Mini 210-2000. There's also a 5-in-1 digital card reader and an integrated webcam. The HP Mini has multiple Sony vgp-bps2c networking connections, including an Ethernet port, a wireless 802.11b/g/n adapter, and Bluetooth networking, Sony VGP-BPS8A which lets you to wirelessly tether to a broadband smartphone.

The HP Mini 210-2000 does come with a number of programs pre-installed. A 60-day trial of Sony VGP-BPS8B Microsoft Office, a similar trial of Norton Internet Security, and a hefty handful of game demos from Sony VGP-BPS8 WildTangent clutter up the system. A desktop link to eBay, and a New York Times reader program Sony VGP-BPL9 further clutter the desktop. Many users will want to deactivate these trial programs when they first power up the Sony VGP-BPS10 netbook.

And speaking of starting up the machine, when powered on, Sony VGP-BPS21 instead of booting directly to Windows, the Mini 210-2000 instead pulls up a Splashtop, which is a lightweight operating system that lets you access the Web, Sony VGP-BPS21A enjoy your media, and play simple games right away. In addition to shortening the wait to get online, it also lets you access your favorite media and play simple games,Sony VGP-BPS21A/B all without entering Windows. Akku HP ProBook 4410s When you do want to get into the Windows OS, just one click will take you there.

Performance Akku HP ProBook 4411s

The HP Mini 210-2000 is Akku HP ProBook 4415s outfitted with an Intel Atom N455 processor, a single-core processor with 1GB of RAM and integrated Intel graphics. While these components are sufficient for basic Akku HP ProBook 4416s Web browsing and document editing, something as simple as browsing with multiple tabs open can cause noticeably Akku HP ProBook 4510s slow performance. For those who are willing to spend a little more for a power boost, you can configure Akku HP ProBook 4515s this netbook with a dual-core Atom N550, and RAM can be expanded to 2GB.

When run through SYSMark 2007, Akku HP ProBook 4520s the Mini 210-2000 produced average results. An overall score of 37 puts it right alongside the Editors' Choice Samsung NF310-A01 ($399.99 street, 4.5 stars)Akku HP ProBook 4710s and Toshiba mini NB305-N410 ($359.99 list, 4.5 stars), both of which scored 38 points. However, it couldn't match the 53 Akku HP ProBook 4720s points scored by the Asus EeePC 1215N ($500 street, 4 stars).

Where the HP Mini 210-2000 stands Akku HP ProBook 4210s out is battery life: In MobileMark 2007, the 6-cell 66Wh battery lasted a whopping 9 hours 50 minutes. This marathon time beat out even most other long-lived netbooks, like the Akku HP ProBook 4310s 8:55 of the MSI Wind U160-007US ($380 street, 3 stars) and 8:59 of the Akku Studio 1735 Toshiba mini NB305-N410.

All things considered, the HP Mini 210-2000 Akku Studio 1737 is a light netbook that can be used to browse the Web and edit documents for hours and hours on end. If more computing power is a necessity, you might prefer the Editors' Choice Akku Vostro 1510 Samsung NF310-A01 or an ultraportable, such as our Editors' Choice, the Akku Vostro 1310 Toshiba Portege R705-P35 ($899.99 list, 4 stars). For students who don't need a lot of processing power or graphics capability, the backpack-friendly size and budget-friendly price Akku Vostro 1710 tag makes the HP Mini 210-2000 worth looking at.

This year at the Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Sony stunned the world with the introduction of the VAIO P. This ultraportable notebook with an 8-inch screen fits inside your jacket Sony VGP-BPS9/S pocket or your purse and packs an amazing amount of technology inside a tiny package. However, potential buyers and the press were also stunned when Sony Sony VGP-BPS9A/S announced the price would be $900 when slightly larger netbooks with similar specs cost half as much. Sony VGP-BPS9/B Is the new Sony VAIO P an overpriced toy or an extraordinary travel laptop that's worth every penny? Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Let's take a closer look.

Our pre-production Sony VAIO P Sony VGP-BPS9 features the following specifications:

• 1.33GHz Z520 Intel Atom Processor Sony VGP-BPS13
• 2GB DDR2 800MHz (1 DIMM)
• Windows Vista Basic SP1 (32-bit)
• 8-inch 1600 x 768 glossy LED backlit display Sony VGP-BPS13/Q
• 64GB Solid State Drive
• Intel GMA 500 Integrated Graphics Sony VGP-BPS13/S
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 3G WWAN Verizon card Sony VGP-BPS13A/B
• SD/SDHC Media card reader
• Memeory Stick card reader
• Sony "Motion Eye" webcam Sony VGP-BPS13A/S
• 4-Cell Li-ion battery (6-cell extended life battery also available)
• Size: 9.65" x 4.72" x 0.78" Sony VGP-BPS13AS
• Weight: 1lb 4.8oz (with 4-cell battery), 1lb 12oz (with 4-cell battery and AC adapter), 1lb 8.8oz (with 6-cell battery)
• Starting price: $899.99 Sony VGP-BPS13B/S
• Price as configured: $1,199.99

The build quality of the VAIO P is Sony VGP-BPS10 amazingly solid for a subnotebook of this size and weight. The construction is mostly plastic but all of the plastics feel strong enough to handle being tossed around inside a backpack or Sony VGP-BPS21 purse. Even the glossy plastic surfaces resist minor scratches. Sony VGP-BPS21A/B While we certainly don't recommend it over a padded laptop bag, the VAIO P is small enough to slide into your back pocket ... something you certainly can't do with any $500 netbook currently Akku HP ProBook 4410s on the market.

While it would have been nice for Sony engineers to include socketed RAM inside the VAIO P Akku HP ProBook 4411s so you can upgrade it yourself, the reality is that a RAM socket won't fit inside a laptop this thin along with everything else that's packed inside. Akku HP ProBook 4415s Bottom line, the Sony VAIO P is a marvel of modern engineering Akku Vostro 2510 .

Operating System and Software Akku HP ProBook 4416s

Our pre-production unit came equipped with Windows Vista Basic (32-bit),Akku HP ProBook 4510s but its safe to assume Sony plans to offer the VAIO P with Windows 7 later this year. The reason Sony decided to use Akku HP ProBook 4515s Windows Vista rather than Windows XP is because Microsoft now has very specific hardware requirements for laptops using Windows XP ... and the VAIO Akku HP ProBook 4520s has too much RAM and a screen with too much resolution to qualify for a Windows XP license Akku HP ProBook 4710s.

Although the VAIO P runs Windows Vista Akku HP ProBook 4720s , Sony recognized that many business users and travelers would want to be able to access things like email, the Firefox web browser, a photo gallery, or instant messaging applications Akku HP ProBook 4210s as quickly as possible. So, if you need to use your VAIO P as quickly as possible you can Akku HP ProBook 4310s press a small button located next to the power button and you'll be ready to get online in roughly 20 seconds or less. Unlike most "instant on" operating systems we've seen over Akku Studio 1735 the last year, the Linux-based Sony XRoss interface feels genuinely snappy and might be a viable alternative to Akku Studio 1737 Windows Vista when you need to get online, share photos, or listen to Akku Vostro 1510 some music quickly while on the road.

Keyboard and Touchpad Akku Vostro 1520

Most low-priced, Akku Vostro 1310 full-size notebooks currently on the market feature poorly built keyboards that show significant flex/bounce when typing pressure is applied. Thankfully, most netbooks Akku Vostro 1710 have remarkably firm keyboards due to the fact that the chassis is so small there isn't much empty space inside the notebook for the keyboard to flex or bounce Akku Vostro 1720.

The touchpad is, well, Akku Latitude E6400 completely absent on the VAIO P. Rather than a typical touchpad the VAIO P uses a touchpoint or trackpoint pointing stick similar to what you find on many business-grade notebooks Akku Latitude E6500 . The trackpoint is quite sensitive and easy to use, and even though I usually prefer to use touchpads I Akku Acer Asprie 5570 found the trackpoint to be very enjoyable. The left and right touchpoint buttons are located in the correct position beneath the space bar and have a shallow Akku TravelMate 5310 feedback and produce a light "click" when pressed Akku Vostro 1510.

Display Akku Vostro 1320

The glossy LED backlit display Akku TravelMate 6291 on the VAIO P is nice and vibrant with rich colors and excellent contrast. As stated, although the screen is small at just eight inches, it offers the unbelievable 1600 x 768 resolution.Akku TravelMate 6292 This does have the side effect of making small text difficult to read, but Sony was smart enough to design a Akku TravelMate 5310 very functional "magnify" tool that allows you to increase the size of what you're reading without changing the screen's resolution setting. Just press function (FN) and F10 keys Akku TravelMate 4320 and small text instantly becomes readable. The screen is a glossy XBRITE-ECO variety so expect some Akku TravelMate 7720G reflection under strong indoor lighting or direct sunlight Akku TravelMate 7730.

Horizontal viewing angles are good, so Akku TravelMate 7530 you and a friend won't have trouble watching a movie on the 8-inch screen at the same time. Vertical viewing angles are acceptable, but colors do tend to wash Akku Inspiron 15 out from above and become inverted when viewed from below.

Ports and Features Akku Inspiron 1525

Port selection was something of a surprise with this Akku Inspiron 1526 Sony, since some netbooks that are slightly larger have fewer ports than what the VAIO P offers. You get two USB ports, two memory card readers, a headphone jack,Akku Inspiron 1545 and a dedicated expansion port used to connect a dongle that provides Ethernet/LAN and VGA out. The dongle connects to Akku Vostro 1710 the AC power adapter so you can either keep it with the power adapter or carry it separately. There isn't much to complain Akku Vostro 1720 about here, although there might have been enough space in the chassis design to support an additional USB port or Akku Vostro 1310 Firewire. Here is a quick tour of what you get:

Several months ago the HP dv7-4183cl ( $999.99 list, 4 stars) took the role of Editors' Choice in the desktop replacement laptop category. Prior to that, it was the dv7-4083cl ($999.99 list, 4 stars). The HP Pavilion dv7-4283cl ($999.99 list, at Costco) continues that tradition, thoughts blog as it is built with the fastest Core i5 processor and fills up its memory banks with 8GB of memory. laptop Furthermore, a decent graphics chip and best-in-class battery life lived up to its predecessors' reputation. While you can't go wrong with this desktop replacement, the dell XPS 15 ($1,115 direct, 4.5 stars) is the better of the two, serving up more features, acer better graphics power, and it didn't try to get fancy with the touchpad.

Design hp battery

Asus Design has remained consistent since this series made its debut. HP is one of the few PC manufacturers willing to use metal on a 17-inch laptop, as there's more surface area to cover.acer Similar size desktop replacements like the Dell Inspiron 17R-2950MRB ($949.99 list, 4 stars) and Toshiba Satellite L675D-S7052 ($738.99 list, 2.5 stars) use decorated lenovo plastic to trim costs. The dv7's top and palm rest area are etched with line patterns and sport a bronze tint. The dv7-4283cl (7 lbs) is thinner but not lighter than the Dell 17R-2950MRB (6.7 lbs). apple It's a beast compared with the Samsung R580-JBB2 ($729.99 list, 4 stars) (5.4 lbs) and Dell XPS 15 (6.3lbs), in large Sony part because of its screen size and big 87WH battery. The extended battery elevates it about an inch from the back.

A 17.3-inch widescreen is an ideal size for those who Fujitsu delve in photo and video editing and would like to surf the Web in an adjacent application window. Multitasking like this with a smaller screen is tougher. Its 1,600-by-900 resolution isn't what you call "true HD" or 1080p, Toshiba but it can support high definition content rated for 720p.Acer battery The full size, chiclet-style keyboard is consistent across all Pavilion laptops, and typists of all sorts will be hard pressed to find anything wrong with the typing experience. Asus battery There is no backlight though, a feature that can be found in the Dell XPS 15.

Another potential nuisance is the click touchpad. HP battery Although the multitouch gestures and the notorious jumping cursor didn't surface, there were times when the touchpad didn't do anything when two fingers were resting on it. Sony battery It still best to surf using a single finger, tapping anywhere on the touchpad to induce a click. Lenovo battery Turning off the multitouch gestures is yet another solution, which can be done in the Synaptics tab, located in the Mouse settings, in the Control Panel.

Features Acer battery

A Blu-Ray drive is frequently found in a desktop replacement laptop, Apple laptop battery as prices for it are coming down and sales of Blu-Ray movie titles are picking up.The dv7-4283cl includes one, so Asus laptop battery you can enjoy these movies on the 17-inch screen or stream them to an HDTV using the included HDMI port. Blu-ray drives are also available in the Dell XPS 15 and Samsung R580-JBB2. Dell laptop battery The dv7's two-speaker and subwoofer system are enhanced further by the included Beats audio software. Sound quality is excellent, bested only by the JBL HP laptop battery speaker system found in the Dell XPS 15 There are four USB ports divided equally between both sides,Toshiba laptop battery one of which (on the left) doubles as an E-SATA port. Lastly, the 500GB (7,200rpm) hard drive from the previous version is now a 640GB capacity.

Since this is a Costco configuration, Sony laptop battery this well-known retailer offers its customers some added benefits. Whereas most vendors provide just a one-year warranty, Costco bumps that up to two years.Apple laptop battery It also offers Costco's Concierge Services, a free service to Costco members who purchase electronics at the store. The service gives you access to technicians who can walk you system setup and troubleshoot any problems. Lastly, the store accepts returns within 90 days (which takes care of buyers' remorse).

Performance Asus battery

A new processor has been the constant theme with each dv7 update. Like previous versions, Asus laptop battery Costco and HP found the fastest Intel Core i5 processor available—a 2.67GHz Intel Core i5-480M. Dell laptop battery A slight bump in processor speed doesn't guarantee huge performance gains, though. Case in point: The dv7-4283cl, which had a higher-clocked processor, HP laptop battery fell behind the Asus N53JF-XE1 in Handbrake (2:41) and Cinebench R11.5 (2.31) tests. It was only ahead of the XPS 15 by one or two percentage points in both tests, which doesn't exactly scream fast.

Front-loading the system with 8GB of DDR3 memory sped up Fujitsu laptop battery Photoshop CS5 scripts, but it can do just as well with 4GB (Windows 7 and most applications can only address up to 4GB of memory). The Acer other benefit of having this much memory is for those who run multiple virtual machines or large databases. PCMark Vantage, which stresses all the components, is the best performance indicator. With the 8GB of memory and fastest Core i5 processor, the dv7-4283cl still finished behind the XPS 15, the N53JF-XE1, and its predecessor.

In terms of 3D graphics performance, I was left wanting more. The Apple AMD Mobility Radeon 6310M is basically a lateral move from the ATI Mobility Radeon 5470 seen in the dv7-4183cl . The dv7-4283cl's 3DMark06, Crysis, and Lost Planet 2 numbers looked almost identical to that of the dv7-4183cl. You'll get good gameplay out Lenovo of this gaming chip, but if you want to crank up the eye-candy in games like Crysis, and Lost Planet 2, the XPS 15 and the Asus N3JF-XE1 have better graphics alternatives.

The dv7-4283cl, like its predecessor, is equipped with a secondary graphics subsystem, Toshiba an Intel integrated chipset with which it can switch to for energy savings, when the tasks being performed aren't 3D intensive (or not playing HD Sony videos, hardcore games, and running CAD software). ATI includes a software configuration tool that lets you manually switch between graphics. The laptop also defaults to the Intel graphics when the laptop is unplugged from the AC adapter.

Despite the lackluster gains in speed and 3D performance, the dv7-4283cl is Fujitsu still the most road-ready 17-inch laptop. Its 87WH battery (9-cell) provides the huge lift, resulting in a MobileMark 2007 score of 5 hours 46 minutes. That was in line with the dv7-4183cl (6 hours), HP and it easily beat the Dell 17R-2950MRB (4:09), Samsung R580-JBB2 (3:33), and Asus N53JF-XE1 (3:15), which are equipped with 6-cell batteries. The Dell battery XPS 15 is the only other desktop replacement that has an option for a 9-cell battery.

Although the new parts only delivered moderate performance gains in our tests, more sophisticated users might find better use for the highest clocked Core i5 processor and 8GB of memory. I would call the HP Pavilion dv7-4283cl is a leading contender in the desktop replacement category because it delivered excellent battery life and good performance scores, but it didn't take a big enough leap to dethrone the Dell XPS 15.

Because I'm the editor in charge of laptop coverage here at PC World, thoughts blog I'm quite often asked, "Which notebook should I buy?" Only slightly less often am I asked, "Which model would you buy?" This is it. The HP Envy 14 is the laptop I would buy for myself, were I in the market for one right now. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the right laptop for you, because everyone has different needs, but I get my hands on a lot of laptops, dell so it's high praise indeed.

The HP Envy 14 starts at $999 in its base acer configuration, with a Core i3-370M CPU at 2.4 GHz, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. My test model came upgraded to a Core i5-450M, also a dual-core CPU acer with hyperthreading at 2.4GHz, but supporting Intel's Turbo Boost technology. It also has a 500GB hard drive and lenovo HP's Radiance display, a $200 option that gives you a higher-resolution screen (1600 by 900) and better brightness, contrast, and color. This boost the cost of our apple test model to $1289. All Envy 14 models have a slot-loading 8X DVD-RW drive and ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card. To save battery life, you can switch graphics the between the Radeon card and Intel's integrated high-def video chip.

Cosmetically, the Envy 14 is a real winner. The fully Sony aluminum body is attractive and rigid, giving the system a sturdy feel and a pleasant look with clean lines. You don't find stickers and big logos all over the place. At 5.3 pounds, Fujitsu it's not exactly lightweight, but neither is it unreasonably heavy for a laptop this size. The 14.5-inch screen makes it just a little smaller than many 15-inch laptops, Toshiba but it's still large enough to be great for watching video and playing games. It has three well-placed Acer battery USB 2.0 ports (one is a combination USB/eSATA port), HDMI output, Mini DisplayPort output, gigabit ethernet, and an SD card reader. It also has a Asus battery slot-loading DVD-RW drive, but I'm actually a bit disappointed by its inclusion; the Envy 13 (now at end-of-life) and the Envy 15 don't have it. HP tells me it HP battery was added back into the design because customers demanded it--but I don't use optical drives much anymore. Pulling it out Sony battery would let the company save size and weight, or better yet, include a larger battery. I'm also a little bummed about the removal of USB 3.0, Sony battery which is available on the Envy 15 and Envy 17.

Performance is fantastic for a mid-size all-purpose system. Lenovo battery The Core i5-450M is largely responsible for this system's excellent WorldBench 6 score of 106, and the speedy ATI graphics card is enough to run Acer laptop battery all the hot modern games quite smoothly at high-quality settings. This card chews through the battery, though; you'll want to Apple laptop battery use the switchable graphics to enable Intel's integrated GPU when you're running on the battery. In general, battery life isn't stellar. We measured about 4.5 hours in Asus laptop battery our battery tests, beating HP's claim of 4 hours, but something closer to 6 would be better. For an extra $200, Dell laptop battery you can buy a "battery slice" accessory that fits neatly onto the bottom of the laptop, making the HP laptop battery whole thing a quarter-inch thicker and a bit heavier, while doubling battery life. It's probably a Fujitsu laptop battery good investment if you plan to travel with the system.

The Envy 14 is a joy to use. The backlit island-style Toshiba laptop battery keyboard doesn't quite have the "click" I look for, but the keys are well-sized and -spaced for quick and accurate typing. Sony laptop battery The touchpad is huge, and features a design where the bottom edge has clickable zones that act as buttons. I tend to leave my left hand's index finger on the left button while Acer laptop battery I scroll around, which doesn't work well with this arrangement, but if you don't actually rest your finger on the Apple laptop battery button when you move the pointer around, it's not a problem. It tracks smoothly and has good gesture support. The Asus laptop battery "Radiance" display option is definitely worth the extra money. HP makes a lot of noise about how bright it is, but it doesn't seem dramatically brighter than Dell laptop battery other good laptop screens. It does, however, have excellent viewing angles and really good color reproduction for a laptop display. I only wish it was HP laptop battery available in a matte finish, because the glossy screen coating, like all glossy laptop displays, produces more glare than I'd like. The integrated Webcam and microphone are only average.

You have probably seen the "Beats by Dr. Dre" Fujitsu laptop battery commercial touting the HP Envy's audio superiority. This is not a special chip in the system, nor is it a unique set of speakers or ports. The audio hardware is Acer very much like what you get in other HP laptops. Rather, the Beats logo means that HP has taken special care in the design of the system to shield the Apple audio codec from interference, while providing especially clean (and higher-power) audio output to the headphone jack. The audio driver has been tuned to get better sound reproduction out of the audio jack, too. HP works with artists at Interscope Records to tune the audio output. Beats audio HP on the Envy is aimed at headphone use, and I can confirm that the audio output via headphones is indeed a step above the usual. It's clean, loud when it needs to be, and balanced pretty well (if a little too heavy on the bass). A quick key combination will disable the Beats software profile if you want to.

HP loads its Envy systems with software you won't find on its other systems. Fujitsu Yes, you still have Norton Internet Security 2010 preinstalled and HP's quick-launch options, along with a pretty nice support app that will Toshiba search for updated drivers and the like and offer PC cleaning and tuning suggestions. They can all be easily disabled or uninstalled. HP also includes Sony Hulu Desktop and Stardock's MyColors app for skinning Windows. The default Envy theme is simple and attractive, and you can easily switch back to Windows 7's default theme, if you wish. Also included is Stardock's excellent Fences app, which helps organize and manage desktop icons.

No laptop is perfect, and I've never seen a model that really gives me everything I want in a system. I'd rather HP had kept the optical drive out of the Envy 14 and included a larger battery to improve the system's longevity, and I prefer individual physical buttons on the touchpad to the one large integrated surface. Still, for a person like myself that wants a laptop of reasonable size and weight with plenty of muscle (including the ability to play the latest games), a high-quality display, and great style and build quality, the Envy 14 really fits the bill. Yes, "better" laptops are out there for a lot more money, as are plenty of cheaper laptops that don't offer such consistently high quality, but precious few laptops hit the sweet spot in between as well as the HP Envy 14.

For thoughts blog the last few years, the sub-$400 notebook realm has mostly been the exclusive province of netbooks. Budget mainstream notebooks sometimes dip below the $500 mark, but it's usually a clearance item or a Black Friday deal. So laptop the 15-inch Toshiba Satellite C655D may shock a few consumers when they see it with a $398 price tag at Walmart dell (where it's being sold exclusively). This machine offers a basic design, an AMD Fusion processor that promises slightly better performance than a netbook, and long battery life. acer Was Toshiba able to bring the mainstream budget price range down without sacrificing too much? acer Read on.

Design

Weighing in at 5 pounds, the lenovo Satellite C655D is pretty light for a 15-incher. The matte black lid and deck have a dimpled texture that gives the notebook a nice grip. Above the keyboard are two oval speaker grilles, which are also plastic, but have a nice glossy trim. We're fans of the simple all-black color scheme,which isn't marred by many ostentatious LEDs apple (though there are two that indicate when the Number and Caps Lock is on).

Heat

During testing, the Satellite C655D notebook Fujitsu remained pretty cool. After playing a Hulu clip at full screen for 15 minutes, the spacebetween the G & H keys was only 83 Acer battery degrees, the touchpad only 82 degrees, and the middle of the underside only 84 degrees. Those temps are all well within our acceptable range. The hottest area on the notebook Asus battery was near the vent, naturally, but even then it only reached 95 degrees--also within the HP battery acceptable threshold.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The full-size keyboard and number pad on the Sony battery Satellite C655D have responsive, terraced keys that offer goodspring and return. However, we kept hitting the Alt keys by accident; for some reason,Toshiba made them, and the left Ctrl key large, at the expense of the spacebar, Apple laptop battery which is shorter than normal.

The 3.2 x 1.6-inch touchpad is nice and wide, Asus laptop battery and we like that the surface has justenough matte covering to reduce friction. While the Elan touchpad is capable of multitouch gestures, Fujitsu laptop battery such as pinch-to-zoom, they weren't easy to execute. In addition, the scrolling area on the right wasn't very sensitive. Once we turned the two-finger Sony laptop battery scrolling on, the experience was better. The two discrete mouse buttons are wider than the touchpad and were responsive.

In the early 2000s, desktops were more powerful, Apple Acer laptop battery laptop battery easier to upgrade, and much cheaper than laptops, but in later years laptops have become much cheaper and more powerful,[17] and most peripherals are Lenovo battery available in Asus laptop battery laptop-compatible USB versions which minimise the need for internal add-on cards. In the second half of 2008, laptops outsold desktops for the first time.

The names "Media Center Laptops" and "Gaming Laptops" are Dell laptop battery used to Sony describe specialized notebook computers.[14]

Subnotebook A subnotebook or ultraportable, is a laptop HP laptop Acer laptop battery battery designed and marketed with an emphasis on portability (small size, low weight and often longer battery life) that retains performance close to that of a standard Dell laptop battery notebook.[18] Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptops, weighing between 0.8 and 2 kg (2 to 5 pounds);[14] the battery life can Fujitsu HP laptop battery laptop battery exceed 10 hours[19] when a large battery or an additional battery pack is installed.Toshiba laptop battery Since the introduction of netbooks, the line between subnotebooks and higher-end netbooks has been substantially Toshiba Acer laptop battery blurred.

To achieve the size and weight reductions, ultraportables use 13" and smaller screens Apple laptop battery Lenovo laptop battery (down to 6.4"), have relatively few ports (but in any case include two or more USB ports),Asus laptop battery employ Toshiba laptop battery expensive components designed for minimal size and best power efficiency, and utilize advanced materials and Sony Dell laptop battery laptop battery construction methods. Most subnotebooks achieve a further portability improvement by omitting an optical/removable media drive; in this HP laptop battery case they may be paired with Acer laptop battery a docking station that contains the drive and optionally more ports or an additional battery. The term "subnotebook" is reserved to laptops that run general-purpose desktop operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, Fujitsu laptop battery rather than specialized software such as Apple laptop battery Windows CE, Palm OS or Internet Tablet OS.

Netbook

Netbooks are laptops that are light-weight, economical, energy-efficient and Asus laptop Acer battery especially suited for wireless communication and Internet access.[20][21] Hence the name netbook (as "the device excels in web-based computing performance").[22]

With primary focus given to web browsing and e-mailing, netbooks are HP laptop battery intended to Apple "rely heavily on the Internet for remote access to web-based applications"[22] and are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who rely on servers and require a less powerful client computer.[23] While the devices range in size from below 5 inches[24] to over 12,[25] most are between 9 Fujitsu laptop battery and 11 inches (280 mm) and weigh between 0.9–1.4 kg (2–3 pounds).[22]

Netbooks are mostly sold with light-weight operating systems such as Linux,Toshiba laptop battery Windows XP and Windows 7 Starter edition.

A netpad is a laptop which is heavily built on RAM specifications to take on Internet surfing.[citation needed]

power

If this year’s Mobile World Congress was a game, it would be “Need for Speed,”thoughts blog because everywhere we went, people were talking about faster mobile devices with high-end processors, dell some with as many four cores. What could you do with all that speed? How about powering an Extreme HD 1440p display, syncing audio with notes acer while you write them in handwriting, or playing hardcore games? No doubt this was also the year that tablets invaded the convention with every major vendor acer except Nokia showing off shiny new slates.

Over 60,000 people from 200 countries attended this year’s show, lenovo meeting with over 1,400 different exhibitors. While we wish we could have visited all of their booths,apple we spent our time scouring the show floor for the most interesting new devices and technologies. Each of our five favorite products embodies this year’s theme of pushing the envelope, Sony either with raw power or with innovative new features and thoughtful design.

Nvidia has upped the ante again in the mobile processor race. Fujitsu With their quad-core CPU and 12-core GPU, Tegra 3 (codenamed Kal-El) promises double the CPU performance and three times the Toshiba graphics performance of today’s industry-leading Tegra 2 chip at even lower power consumption. Acer battery

the faster processor should lead to new tablets with higher screen resolutions, Asus battery because the chipset can output video smoothly at up to 1440p (2560 x 1600). Nvidia also demonstrated the new chip’s capacity to enhance gaming and web surfing on mobile devices. HP battery Tablets using Kal-El will hit the market as soon as August. Sony battery

Despite the controversy surrounding MeeGo after Nokia Lenovo battery decided to hitch its wagon to Windows Phone 7, Intel is still promoting the platform in a major way. This week, the company Sony battery introduced a new Tablet UX for MeeGo and it also devoted an entire pavilion to demonstrating the operating system’s ability to work in everything from hmndsets to Acer laptop battery in-car entertainment systems. When we visited the pavilion, Apple laptop battery we were surprised to see three MeeGo-based netbooks, which an Intel rep informed us are currently shipping Asus laptop battery to select markets.

Given Nokia’s delays and Dell laptop battery the lack of products in the U.S., we had assumed MeeGo wasn’t ready for retail sales. However, two of the three 10-inch netbooks on display were the Lenovo S10-3 and the Fujitsu laptop battery MH330, major models from huge international vendors that were shipped all Lenovo laptop battery over the world running Windows but are now being sold with MeeGo in Russia or other parts of Asia. The third netbook, pictured above, is an iRU Sony laptop battery Intro 102 which has the standard Netbook specs of a 1.66-GHz Atom N450 CPU, 1024 x 600 screen, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and Wi-Fi. There’s Acer laptop battery nothing particularly groundbreaking about any of these systems,Asus laptop battery except the fact that major vendors feel MeeGo is ready to ship.

LogMeIn has been helping users access their PC Dell laptop battery desktops from their phones and tablets for a while now on both Android and iOS devices. Today, the makers of the popular remote access software demonstrated an upcoming Honeycomb version of Toshiba laptop battery LogMeIn Ignition and an Android version of its recently launched join.me screen-sharing service HP laptop battery (pictured above).

LogMeIn Ignition for Honeycomb

To take advantage Apple laptop battery of Google’s new operating system and the wider screens afforded by tablets such as the Xoom, LogMeIn Ignition for Honeycomb has a few new and intriguing features. A virtual mouse HP laptop battery appears on top of the remote desktop, and dragging it around moves the pointer, while left- and right-clicking its virtual buttons works the way it would with a real mouse. Tapping anywhere on the desktop also moves the pointer directly to that location. When you access the settings menu in Ignition for Honeycomb, the list Fujitsu laptop battery of settings appears in a drop-down box rather than taking you to a separate screen as it does on earlier versions of Android.

demo videos

Nvidia’s about to up to the ante thoughts blog again in the mobile processor race.At a private meeting tonight in Barcelona, the company demoed its brand new quad-core processor and announced it has already begin sending samples to vendors. Tablets using the chip, codenamed “Kal-El,” could hit the market as soon as August.

With a quad-core CPU and 12-coreGPU, Kal-El promises acer double the CPU performance and three times the graphics performance of today’s industry-leading Tegra 2 chip at even lower power consumption. At tonight’s demo, Nvidia SVP Phil Carmack said that the faster processor would lead to new tablets with higher screen resolutions, because the tablet can output video smoothly at up to 1440p (2560 x 1600). He and his team also demonstrated the new chip’s capacity enhance gaming and web surfing on mobile devices.

More details on Kal-El, demo videos, and our impressions of the lenovo demos are below. Note that the demos were conducted in a dark room with only screens for lighting.

Roadmap and Firsts apple

Though Qualcomm just announced it is planning to release a quad-core mobileprocessor, but its solution isn’t due until 2012. With Nvidia Kal-El sampling right now and due to ship in devices this August, it becomes the first mobile quad core chip on the market.

Kal-El is just the latest chip on Nvidia’s roadmapof processors. You can see in the graphic below that Kal-El will be followed by three other chips codenamed Wayne, Logan, and Stark. Nvidia was not ready to discuss these chips, except to say that they are the next steps after Kal-El.