September 12 2009
Categorized Under: Laptops
Tags; $800, 13 inch laptop, 16:9, 16:9 aspect ratio, 4310s, affordable business laptop, business notebook, expresscard/34, hp, intel core 2 duo, probook
HP Probook 4310s Review: Bulky but Good For Business
The HP Probook 4310s is aimed at the mid range market where people do not want to go all out on a portable but also need to be able to move around with something that does the basic things well. So here we have something that will help the office worker to take the occasional break or the blogger like me to work while away from his workstation from time to time. In being a mid-range offering, it is also compromise between business and average consumer features. On the whole it is not too light a portable, weighing in at about 4.6 pounds. Despite that, it is manageable enough to be carried around inside a standard sized laptop bag.
At about $800, this laptop is just right for those who want a business solution but do not want to go for the high-end ones from Toshiba or Lenovo. Jump over to the other side for the full meat.
Continue reading “HP Probook 4310s Review: Bulky but Good For Business” »
September 1 2009
Categorized Under: netbooks
Tags; $400 netbook, 16:9, 16:9 aspect ratio, 2gb RAM netbook, amd, amd athlon, AMD athlon 64 L110, amd cpu, AMD netbook, ATI, ATI Radeon, ATI radeon X1270, cheap 11 inch netbook, cheap netbook, gaming netbook, gateway, gateway netbook, HD netbook, LT3103u
As the soft light of dawn shone brightly on the new line of super cheap, super weak and super portable computers, the shining logo of Intel’s Atom processor on all of them warded off any notion that AMD and VIA stood a chance in the netbook segment.
Sometime late morning, the Gateway LT3103u shows up at the gates of the netbook sanctuary and challenges all Intel Atom based netbooks with its AMD Athlon 64 L110 processor. Can it survive the onslaught of such a well-established processor that has gone unchallenged for so long? Find out on the other side.
Continue reading “Gateway LT3103u: Challenges Intel Atom’s Supremacy and Does a Good Job Of It” »
August 28 2009
Categorized Under: Laptops
Tags; 15 inch gaming laptop, 16:9, 16:9 aspect ratio, altec lansing, altec lansing speakers, asus, asus 15 inch laptop, asus gaming laptop, dual hard drive, G51VX-A1, geforce, high-end gaming laptop, nvidia, Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M, republic of gamers
Asus has shown an interest in making gaming rigs and its offerings so far have been fairly decent. Asus created the Republic of Gamers line of computers quite some time back. This series focuses on the sheer power required for high-end gaming and also on the aesthetics preferred by gamers. When I say aesthetics, do realize that I am mainly referring to cool graphics and backlit decals. Of course, I totally fall for those exact things myself so I do understand why things like AlienFX from Alienware matter as much as they do (and why people shudder when they see AlienFX on the Dell XPS line).
The new Asus G51VX-A1 is part of the Republic of Gamers line of machines and hence has the RoG logo displayed prominently on the lid right under the Asus logo. It has nice graphics (in both senses) and a great build quality. However, if you want a decent configuration for gaming, you will have to fork out sums to the tune of $1,700. Does that sound like your budget exactly? Read on to find out for yourself.
Continue reading “Asus G51VX-A1: A New Weapon for the Republic of Gamers” »
August 16 2009
Categorized Under: Laptops
Tags; 15-inch laptop, 16:9 aspect ratio, affordable vaio laptop, HDMI, sony, Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T, student laptops, vaio, vaio laptops, vaio student laptops
Sony is one of those companies that give a lot of attention to the appearance and the details of their laptops. Apple of course leads the industry in this (read Jobs is) but Sony is a good second in the design aspect. From their Vaio series of high-end laptops comes the well-designed and good looking Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T.
This laptop is equipped to handle HD content with a 16:9 screen and a 15-inch screen. Sony quality means that the experience is quite good in these regards and the price is also right for the experience that you get. At $800, Sony is probably coming down from the expensive pedestal that Vaios are usually placed on. I mean for a Vaio this size this is downright affordable. The software bundle that comes along with the laptop is also great.
There are some shortcomings as well though. Even through it is light, it has a short battery life. The size might also be a problem for some people. Want to find out how? Read on dear reader.
Continue reading “Sony Vaio VGN-NW125J/T: HD, Thin and Light with a Low Battery Life” »
July 15 2009
Categorized Under: Laptops
Tags; 16:9 aspect ratio, cheap lenovo laptop, cheap multimedia laptop, ideapad, laptop, lenovo, y450
Lenovo is usually hailed for the amazing business machines that it makes in its ThinkPad series. However, ever since Lenovo took over from IBM they have inherited the legacy of boxy things. To be precise, their laptops are not the slimmest or the sleekest of the lot.
That is changing now. All you have to do is take a look at the recent T400s review that I did. They are also changing their ‘meant for business’ with the IdeaPad series. It is with these laptops that Lenovo is making forays in to the consumer laptops segment. It is from this series that we have today’s focus – the IdeaPad Y450. It is a 14-inch model that departs greatly from Lenovo’s usual serious designs. It is a sleek device with bold designer touches and gloss – things that are quite new coming from Lenovo.
Over all it is a good laptop with decent power and pricing. The only thing missing here is dedicated graphics or powerful embedded graphics. It has an Intel GMA 4500MHD chip onboard. There’s also no Bluetooth, which is becoming increasingly frequent in laptops these days. But if you are the non-gaming movie-watching type, you will enjoy the rest of the features on this laptop.
Continue reading “Lenovo IdeaPad Y450: An Affordable Choice For Non-Gamers” »