Laptop Blog

Built around the widescreen form factor and released in May 2005, the VGN FS660 is the latest generation mid range work horse from Sony. Geared as a desktop replacement, this machine comes in with a good mix of value, mid range weight and battery life and extremely competant performance. Some of the highlights of this notebook include:CPU: 1.7Ghz Intel Processor on a 533Mhz Front Side Bus (Mid Range)Memory: 1GB ( 2×512MB @ 333 Mhz). This can be upgraded to 2GB by replacing the existing RAM. Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 which can use upto 128MB of your system RAM to support higher resolutions and dual displaysDisplay: 15.4″ XBRITE display providing 1280×800 WXGA resolutionOptical Drive: Dual Layered DVD+R and Single Layer DVD+-RW capable driveNetworking: Integrated WiFi (802.11b/g) using the Intel PRO 2200 BG chipset (see note at the bottom) and 10/100Mbps Wired Ethernet. 56K Dial up modem is also built inPorts: 1 VGA Out (capable of handling an external monitor in a dual head configuration), 1 Firewire and 3 USB 2.0 ports for external connectionsSpeakers: Built in stereo speakers The software bundle centers around the pre-installed Windows XP Home (SP2) and includes the standard Sony Multi-media software like DVGate (DVD Authoring), SonicGate (Music), PictureGear Studio (Photos), Vaio Media, Click 2 DVD, and WinDVD. Business applications include Microsoft Works 8.0, Quicken New User Edition and trial versions of MS Office 2003 and Norton Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware programs. Overall, this is a great mid-range bundle. We do think that Sony could have improved the performance a little bit by adding a faster hard drive (4200 is low end). Users who have upgraded the hard drive to aftermarket drives at 5400 or 7200 RPM have reported huge performance increases. Note about WiFi: Several users have complained that this particular WiFi chipset from Intel has problems with loosing the connection frequently.

The Sony VAIO VGN A790 is a worthy desktop replacement with top end features and value for money.CPU: The notebook includes a 1.8Ghz Intel 750 CPU on a Intel 915PM Express chipset with a bus speed of 533Mhz. RAM: 1GB of RAM is included and can be expanded to 2GB by replacing the existing memory, when required. Video: A 128MB ATI Radeon X600 card running on a PCI Express x 16 slot powers the display. VGA and DVI connectors are included for connecting external monitors or a projector. Display: The display is a WUXGA 1920×1200 resolution XBRITE display from Sony. It is more than capable of doing justice to movies, television programs and most 3D games (not to mention your normal office type applications). The display supports ErgoBright for automatic brightness adjustment based on the ambient lighting (normally disabled by most users after the novelty wears out).Networking: This notebook offers exceptional connectivity with 10/100/1000Mbps wired ethernet and 802.11a/b/g wireless support. A 56K Winmodem is also available for those who are stuck with dial-up connections.Inputs/Outputs: 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 Firewire, 1 TV Antenna, 1 S-VHS input and output, 2 Audio In/Out, Memory Card Reader, 1 PCMCIA Type II/1 slot with cardbus support are available. DVD / CD: A dual layer +R burner is included and supports DVD+-RW (Single Layer and DVD+R Dual Layer) media for backups and burning videos. CD/RW support is also available. Two speakers are built in for stereo support. Software: Sony includes a number of multi-media packages for burning DVDs, recording TV programs. Microsoft Works 8.0, Quicken New User Edition, Adobe Photoshop Elements and PhotoShop Album are thrown in for good value along with trialware versions of Microsoft Office 2003 and Norton Internet Security (90 days).Weight: The weight is on the highend at around 15lbs with the AC adaptor, which makes this a difficult choice for someone who needs to travel or commute on a daily basis with this notebook. We have taken it on trips and yes, our backs hurt after going through 2 airports a day. Overall, a highly recommended piece of hardware for someone looking at a “portable” desktop replacement system.

Gateway probably didn’t intend to label its latest laptop like a T-shirt, or maybe the manufacturer did. Either way, the new Gateway M-150XL is the “extra large” size in its M-Series notebooks. What sets the M-150XL apart from its smaller brethren, including the previous master of the M-Series, the M-150X, is a lean toward better multimedia control and power. The M-150XL, for instance, stands head and shoulders above its little brethren because of its ATI Radeon HD 2400 DirectX 10 video card. That takes care of graphics power.
Then add the HDMI connection, the 2048MB of RAM, the Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 2 GHz processor, and the Windows Vista Home Premium edition and you have a multimedia hub to handle your 62-inch plasma TV, or the gaming station that can double as your work station.

Its other, smallest brother in the series-the M-150S, where S stands for “student,” not “small” actually-comes with the older Intel Dual Core processor at 1.6GHz and no hard-core graphics core. The aforementioned M-150X basically can match its XL brother, except for that graphics card.

And like its other siblings, the M-150XL features a 15.4 inch screen and relatively customizable 6.29 lb chassis, with appealingly named color choices of Pacific Blue, Garnet Red, and Slate Grey Ridgeview. Hopefully, the copywriters who came up with those names were well compensated.

The only thing holding back the M-150XL could be its larger price tag. It starts at $1,199 but Gateway are currently offering a coupon to shave 200 bucks off that.

The Acer Aspire 4710-2013 is a marvel of a laptop value at its $599 starting price. The notebook comes with basically everything you need hardware-wise. Maybe not everything you want in other regards. But you know how that song goes. The Intel Core 2 Duo 1.73 GHz processor is not the speediest, nor is 1GB of standard RAM the most generous. And the basic Intel graphics chip won’t win you any friends in the gaming crowd.
But for what you’re paying for this Acer-repeat, it starts at just $599-there is little room for complaint and much to be grateful for. Let’s talk about the ports galore for instance-from the FireWire to the S-Video, from the 5-in-1 card reader to the ExpressCard slot, from four USBs to a VGA.

A word of thanks, as well, goes out to the library of software that comes with the 4710. You get proprietary Acer apps to help you create, capture, and edit video, to create DVDs, to interface with all of the other multimedia functions of the laptop. And it’s a Windows Vista Home Premium system, for those Microsoft lovers in the audience who have been waiting for a value-priced system with which to get on the Vista train.

Save some praise for the 120GB of hard drive, far more than most laptops in this price range. And as you might have guessed from all that previous talk about multimedia software, the Acer also has a DVD burner. And there’s a full-sized keyboard to save your from finger cramping and a 14.1-inch display.

So with this Acer Aspire, you surely can get what you need.

Now there is one minor “want” caveat left to consider-the 4710’s design. Acer tried to get trendy with a slick black chassis cover and a faux-leather, gray plastic keyboard deck. It didn’t work out according to early eyewitnesses.

The size of the Toshiba Portege M700’s LED backlit display with anti-glare coating is 12.1-inch. Its resolution is 1280-by-800 (WXGA) pixels and it supports digital pen and touch screen inputs. Regarding internal components of the Intel 965 Express chipset-based Portege M700, there are an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (T7250, T7500, T7700 or T7800), the Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, up to 4GB of system memory, up to 160GB hard drive, and a built-in DVD burner, as well as an 802.11a/g/n wireless module, Gigabit Ethernet, and an optional Bluetooth receiver. The Tablet PC’s optical drive can be replaced with a second hard drive or weight saver.

A 1.3-megapixel web camera and microphone are integrated on the bezel of the Portege M700. This Tablet PC also features a fingerprint reader accompanied by the Trusted Platform Module v1.2, three USB ports, a PC Card slot, 5-in-1 media card reader, Firewire, and a VGA output.

The Toshiba Portege M700 incorporates the Intel Active Management Technology (AMT 2.6) delivering “the ability to remotely deploy systems and supply proactive security and maintenance measures”.

The M700 has a shock absorbing design and spill resistant keyboard. The system weighs starting at 4.6 pounds and comes with Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 preinstalled.

The customizable Toshiba Portege M700-S7008X model starts at $1,449. There are also the preconfigured M700-S7001X and M700-S7002, priced at $1,699 and $1,799 respectively.

The Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI2 and Satellite X205-SLI4 notebooks are now available for purchase. These 17-inch gaming laptops feature dual Nvidia GeForce graphics and the new Intel Core 2 Duo “Penryn” 45nm processor.

Both preconfigured systems include the Core 2 Duo T8100 “Penryn” CPU at 2.1GHz and two NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics cards in SLI, providing 512MB of GDDR3 dedicated video memory. These laptops incorporate two 160GB 5,400rpm hard drives for a total of 320GB, and a HD DVD optical drive with DVD writing capability.

The Satellite X205-SLI2 comes with 2GB of system memory, a 1440×900 WXGA+ 17″ display, and Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, while the X205-SLI4 ships with 3GB of RAM, a 1680×1050 WSXGA+ screen, and Vista Ultimate. In addition, the SLI4 model includes an external USB HDTV Tuner with a remote controler.

These laptops also feature built-in Harman Kardon stereo speakers with one sub-woofer, embedded webcam, microphone, and fingerprint reader, the Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n) and Bluetooth, and Gigabit Ethernet and 56k modem connections.

Along with HDMI, S-Video, and VGA outputs, the X205-SLI2 and X205-SLI4 have six USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, a 5-in-1 media card reader, and a Firewire port.

The Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI2 and X205-SLI4 are available at ToshibaDirect.com for $1,999.99 and $2,499.99 respectively.

Averatec has introduced the 2575 ultraportable notebook featuring a 12.1-inch display and an AMD processor.

The Averatec 2575 is powered by the AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64 2.2GHz dual core CPU and the ATI RS690 integrated graphics, which manages the 1280×800 screen. The laptop comes with 2GB or RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a built-in DVD burner.

The 2575 includes an embedded 1.3-megapixel camera, 802.11b/g wireless, Ethernet LAN, three USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, VGA output, and a 4-in-1 media card reader.

Averatec’s new ultraportable weighs 3.9 pounds and runs Windows Vista operating system.

It is priced at $1,099.

Dell Home has added Blu-ray optical drive options to its Inspiron 1525 15.4-inch consumer laptop.

The offered Blu-ray Disc Combo plays Blu-ray media and can read and write standard DVDs. The new option adds $250 to the notebook’s overall price, when selected instead of a DVD burner.

Customers can also choose a Blu-ray burner drive, which can write up to 50 GB of data on a Blu-ray media. This burner is $450 more expensive than the DVD writer option.

However, Blu-ray Disc Drive selection requires a processor in the Inspiron 1525 that is 1.83GHz or greater, and is not available with the Celeron CPUs.

Dell says its Inspiron 1525 laptops with Blu-ray incorporate Broadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs with integrated graphics to play high definition video. The HD video playback is enabled through a built-in dedicated accelerator located in a mini-card slot.

The 1525 laptop features a 15.4″ widescreen display with 720p resolution, and includes an HDMI port. This notebook is based on the Intel “Santa Rosa” mobile platform and comes with the Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium or Celeron processor and GMA X3100 integrated graphics.

The cheapest Inspiron 1525 configuration with a Blu-ray Disc Combo and Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83GHz CPU is priced at $879.