Review: Samsung Series 9 notebook

All of us who are gadget freaks always get tempted by any device that is slimmer than what we own at the moment, even though the functionalities offered by the new one might not cover all our needs.

 

About Samsung Series 9 Notebook

Samsung's new Series 9 notebook however, also has the performance to go with the looks. It comes in an all-black duralumin (an alloy used in airplane construction, twice the strength of aluminum), is lightweight (1.3kg) and durable. On the left side is a USB 2.0 port, microSD card slot, 3.5mm audio port and on the right side is a USB 3.0 port, mini HDMI and a proprietary port to connect the Ethernet adapter (the only adapter in the box). The ports are hidden under pull down covers much like the ones on the first gen Apple MacBook Air. The notebook has a 13.3-inch widescreen display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.

Pros:

- Samsung's Superbright Plus technology in it makes the display stand out with vivid colors, pin-sharp clarity and super-high brightness levels which are the highest.

-  It also has a backlit chicklet-style keyboard with the function keys doubling up as keys for adjusting brightness, volume and switching between various power modes.

- It comes with keys with dual functions like the Wi-Fi /F12 key and function lock that have blue LED indicators to show that they are active, which is very helpful.

- Right below the keyboard is the touchpad with integrated mouse buttons -a responsive affair with multi-touch capability. The keyboard and touchpad are very comfortable, though the design and style is directly lifted from Apple's MacBook.

- It supports second generation Intel Core i5 1.4Ghz processor , Intel HD 3000 graphics and 4GB of RAM (up to 8GB RAM is supported).

- It does away with a standard notebook hard drive in favour of a 128GB SSD drive (for speed, spacesaving and weight saving) and comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. It scored 4.7 on the Windows Experience Index with the lowest score for graphics performance.

- Perfect for day-to-day work - browsing, working on documents, music, videos and playing online games.

- Closing the lid puts it into sleep mode where no power is consumed, thus extending battery life. Also, thanks to the SSD and Samsung's 'Fast Start' technology, it takes just about 3 seconds to be fully functional from sleep mode.

Con:

- High price

- Actual Battery life of 5.5 hours as compared to the 7 hours claim.

- Because of its slim design it doesn't have any optical drive and sports very less number of ports.

Overall verdict: A truly impressive design with good performance and functionalities. However, the high cost may keep it limited amongst the luxury users only.

Rating: 4/5

Check more details about this notebook here >>>

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Review: Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 Laptop

Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 laptop with its 15.6-inch display offers a good variety of mobile computing along with multitasking facilities that can help you in your study and play activities. The laptop claims to ease up your job to efficiently handle your business at home or in the field, watch movies or play online RPG games.

Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 laptop

It is claimed to be perfect for handling computing essentials at home, school or work. The diversity provided by this laptop offers you to surf the Web and download video, manage household finances or plan and study for the finals, at your own comfort with utmost speed and simplicity. Its high-gloss Fusion Finish in Helios Black gives it a classy and elegant look.

 What does Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 offer to give?

 1) The laptop comes with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack;

 2) Claimed Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 5 hours, 31 minutes

 2) 15.6" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD) with native support for 720p content and LED backlit, Mobile Intel HD Graphics with 64MB-1696MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory

 3) 500GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive with TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor), DVD SuperMulti drive supporting 11 formats

 4) Configured with 4GB DDR3 1066MHz (max 8GB)

 5) Intel Core i3-370M Processor 2.40 GHz, 3MB Cache

 What customers say about this laptop?

 Pros:

 1) The laptop is quite fast and efficient in its functions as per the claims.

 2) It is quite light in weight and compact.

 3) Price: The performance, 500GB of hard disk and 4GB of DDR3 RAM at such low price makes it one of the most wanted laptops amongst the masses.

 Cons:

 1) The glossy finish is quite prone to getting fingerprint marks and smudges.

 2) It doesn't stand right to its battery life claim of 5.5 hours at all. On an average you may get around 2.5 to 3 hours of battery life per charge that too if you only use it for web browsing and usual Microsoft applications.

 3) May not be very apt to run Linux.

 Overall rating: 4/5

 Best Price and Availability: Amazon

 Check more details about this laptop here.

 Have you tried Toshiba Satellite L655-S5107 Laptop? Share your experience and opinion with me in your comments.

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Review: Brite-View Wireless Stream Uncompressed Full 1080P HD Beam to HDTV In Room Transmission Kit

Brite-View HDelight (BV-1222) 1080p Wireless Streaming Between your PC (or Blu-ray Player) and HDTV: 

What company claims about the product?

It wirelessly streams any uncompressed digital entertainment, which is available on your Blu-Ray Player, PC or on the Internet, including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and MLB, from your HDMI ready PC to the HDTV.

The product features Amimon's module with the WHDI technology, which can turn any HDMI ready PC to a home theater PC so you can break free from cable companies set-top box limitations. So, no need to wait for the "Intel solution" that limits you to certain laptops, or spend $500 to buy a keyboard that is actually just another netbook.

Now, you can enjoy full uncompressed 1080p at 60Hz HD wireless Beam-to-TV streaming using the built-in omnidirectional antenna system for up to 30 feet (line-of-sight).Just imagine the HDelight kit as a invisible HDMI 1.3 compliant connection.

What customers have to say about the product?

Pros:

1) The HDelight comes in two pieces, besides all the other cables in the box. It is comprised of a small transmitter which is smaller than the palm and a slightly larger receiver with the option of it being screwed to the back of the TV. The screws are included, and the attachment depends on user’s choice.

2) It has two HDMI cables which makes the attachments quite user friendly. The shorter cable is for the transmitter and computer. The larger one is for TVand receiver.

3) Easier set up. Neither you need to install any software, nor have to configure anything. Just turn on your computer and you can start beaming your extended desktop or a copy of your main desktop view to your HDTV.

4) The audio and video quality is flawless because everything is transmitted digitally.

Cons:

1)      Price can be a possible con of the product as the HDelight provides the same solution of Asus' wicast, which is $40 lesser than HDelight.

Check more details about the product here >>>

Have you used HDelight or Asus wicast transmission kits? Share your experience in comments.

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What is inside Apple's lightest MacBook Air

Basking in the glory of the success of its tablet device iPads and mobile device iPhone, Apple has added some of their features to its computers. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled company's new ultra-light laptop MacBook Air which -like its popular iPad - has no hard drive. Also, Apple's popular App Store, available on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, too has come to Macintosh computers.

Introduced in two sizes, the new laptops aim to boost the company's falling share in the PC market. Here's looking inside Apple's just-launched MacBook Air:

1) Looks: Featuring an all-aluminum unibody design, the new MacBook Air is Apple's lightest laptop ever. The laptop measures 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest, and weighs just 2.3 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.9 pounds for the 13-inch.

2) Multi-touch trackpad: Apple Air features a full-sized keyboard for typing as well as the popular glass Multi-Touch trackpad found on Apple’s MacBook Pro. The Multi-Touch trackpad lets users pinch, swipe, or rotate to adjust an image, zoom in on text, or advance through a photo album.

3) Facetime Camera: Apple is also bringing the FaceTime video chatting to Macs. The feature debuted this year on the iPhone 4 and has since been added to the iPad. The new FaceTime for Mac application, currently in beta, will let users make FaceTime calls over Wi-Fi with anyone who has a Mac, an iPhone 4, or the new iPod touch.

4) Flash Storage: The new generation MacBook Air models use flash drives instead of hard drives. The new MacBook Air is designed completely around flash storage. MacBook Air uses the same solid state storage technology as the iPad.

Apple has done away with CD and DVD drives in the very first edition of its MacBook Air, and in the current models the company ditches the hard disk drive. This, according to Apple, will speed up laptops' boot up time.
The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with 2GB of memory and 64GB/128GB of flash storage. The 13-inch model will pack 2GB of memory and 128GB/256GB of flash storage. The 13-inch MacBook Air also includes an SD card slot. More here >>>

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Review: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T laptop

This laptop from Acer's TimelineX Series is the AS4820T. If you have seen the size-zero Vaio X series from Sony, then you will immediately associate the outer body of the Acer with it. 


It has got a nice black metal finish which means that there won't be any finger prints. The shiny metal finish continues on the inside with a neatly laid giant touchpad and a tactile keyboard. Although the keys are great to type with, the build quality is not so. 


The keys are quite wobbly. But in case of the touchpad, it is one of the best we have ever used smooth and responsive. The touchpad also supports pinch-and-zoom with two fingers. There is an obvious lag when you try to pinch or zoom into your photos, but then that's not what this touchpad is primarily going to be used for. 
Clean, glossy lines make up the top with power buttons and almost invisible speakers. All in all, it has a great design. But the best part is that even with a DVD drive, it's extremely light at just 2.1 kg. The screen is a beautiful, bright 14-inch one with backlit LED making Acer 4820TG really good to look at. 
It has an Intel Core i5 -430 M 2.26Ghz processor with 4GB of RAM. In addition, it also has a 500GB HDD and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 Graphics card. This ensures good video quality when you view your media or even want to play games. 


The OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit which is responsive and works without hassles most of the time. But, if you open more than six applications and then try to watch a movie, it will start to freeze. 
Like Nvidia's optimus technology, this too, has two graphic processing units (GPUs) which switch between high performance and low to give you optimal performance for computing. What Nvidia Optimus does is switch to a high performance GPU, that is ATI, when it has to run programmes with high graphic content and switch to the Intel GPU for the low menial computational tasks. 


But then, you will have to do this manually as it doesn't switch automatically. If you are a new user, you wouldn't even probably know it's there as Acer has not mentioned this anywhere. A dedicated switch would have been better. 
Regarding the actual workings of the switch, Acer recommends that you shut down all applications before you switch to GPU. If you switch without shutting down your programmes, the screen freezes. The 2 GPUS are a pain to switch on. They do their job but with a lot of hiccups. 


All standard forms of connectivity are present -- USB, HDMI out, Ethernet, standard headphone jack and Wi-Fi. Multimedia is a pleasure to view on this laptop as it supports full HD in 1080p in 16:9. The speakers are pretty good too and enhance the sound via Virtual Surround Sound making it slightly better than the speakers on most laptops. 


Is the Acer Timeline X AS4820T worth your money? Yes, it looks good. But, the average performance of the GPU switch is what brings it down. If you want a good looking laptop which you can flaunt in the boardroom and will only use it for basic tasks without the headache of switching between the 2 GPUs, this could be a good pick. 

More here>>>

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Logitech Lapdesk N700 - Review

Buy Logitech Lapdesk N700 online

One problem with laptops these days is that they heat up quite a bit. In fact, keeping one on your lap for a long time might even cause minor burns. This is why laptop stands were invented. Logitech has come up with a laptop stand, Lapdesk N700, which is apt for display sizes up to 16". 


The difference between this device and many other similar ones is its multi-capabilities. As far as looks are concerned, Logitech has kept things simple with a white plastic upper deck. The bottom surface has a really comfortable cushion which is almost like a grey mesh-like layering. 


The upper deck of this device is white with perforations. These are to allow sound to penetrate from the 2" speakers beneath them. And, that is the first of its many extra features. The next special feature is the vent in the central area which houses a cooling fan. There is an intake area for the cooling fan at the bottom. On the side of the pad, you get buttons which control the fan and the volume of the speakers. 
All you have to do is simply plug the device’s USB cable into your notebook and it’s set for action. Once the laptop is placed on top and the device is switched on, you can barely hear the fans buzz. What it does provide is a basic flow of air which is good enough to make sure that the laptop stays at a comfortable temperature. 
But what’s quite surprising is its two-inch speakers which are way better than many of the in-built ones in laptops. Not only are they loud, they are quite clear as well. Instead of going for an external speaker, we would suggest that you pick up one of these. 
The cushioning, with its mesh outer surface, is perhaps the most comfortable feature ever seen in a laptop pad. And, the fact that it doesn’t have any external power cable, but a USB port, becomes even handier. 


But, on the flip side, it does eat up your laptop’s battery life to quite an extent. For instance, an HP Elitbook which when fully charged gave us a battery life of about six hours, came down to 3.5 hours when plugged on to this device. 
I feel that the N700 is a very innovative product and with time and further research, Logitech can better it. 
Cons: Its battery consumption and the weight. 
In fact, we wouldn’t mind a sliding keypad along with a mouse to boot next time. It would be welcome if they stick to the current price, which is quite low and affordable.
More here>>>

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Asus Dual Touchpad Notebook NX90

Notebook PC-maker, Asus has launched its new product NX90 notebook in the domestic market.  The product is designed in co-operation with technology developer Bang and Olufsen's chief designer David Lewis.With the NX90 Asus manufacturers hope to give notebooks the world over a new definition and place,


The product comes with features including 8GB DDRIII memory and 1TG (500GBx2) 7200rpm storage capacity. NX90 is 18.4-inch full high definition LED backlit display laptop.


The notebook also comes with a configuration of an Intel Core i7 processor, graphics card NVIDIA Geforce GT 335M, an amplifier and a built-in webcam of 2 megapixel.
Among other features, the laptop has a dual touchpad located on both sides of the keyboard.

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Dell Streak to Challenge Apple iPad

Tablet war has begun! World's second-largest PC maker Dell’s tablet PC, called Streak, is all set to hit the retail stores. Streak is Dell's bold attempt to grab a share of tablet market which has been witnessing hyper activity from PC makers across the board ever since Apple launched its tablet device iPad.
With some analysts calling it mini tablet or giant smartphone, Dell Streak is half the size of iPad and can also make phone calls unlike Apple’s iPad. Here’s looking into Dell Streak -- Apple iPad’s first big competition.


1) Dell Streak Look and Feel

Sporting a 5-inch (12.5-centimeter) WVGA screen, Dell Streak features a multi-touch display. However, Streak is smaller than Apple iPad which has a 9.7-inch (24.6-centimeter) diagonal LED-backlit glossy widescreen multi-touch display.
Dell first unveiled its Streak in January, touting the device as a convergence between a typical cell phone and larger tablet computer.


2) Operating System

Streak is powered by Google Inc's Android operating system. According to Dell, Streak will launch with Android 1.6. The Tablet is expected to get the latest Android 2.2 update.
The tablet will run on 1GHz Snapdragon ARM-based mobile processor from Qualcomm.


3) Memory

Streak comes with 2GB of internal storage. But the memory can be expanded upto 32GB via MicroSD card. According to Dell, the extended capacity can support upto 42 movies, 32,000 photos, or 16,000 songs.


4) Camera!

This is where the iPad cannot match this rival. The Dell Tablet will come with a high-resolution 5 megapixel autofocus camera. Streak also has a front-facing camera which can be used for video chatting. It also has a dual LED flash.


5) Connectivity

Streak offers built in Wi-Fi, optional 3G and Bluetooth for connectivity. It will also support Google Maps integrated with a turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views.
Streak also has integrated social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.


6) Flash


Unlike Apple iPad, Dell Streak can run Adobe's popular Flash software. According to Dell, the Tablet will support Flash 10.1 later this year.

Apple on the other hand has been criticising Adobe's Flash technology for security, technical drawbacks and power-management.


7) Applications and Price

Android-based Streak will have access to thousands of apps, games, widgets and other tools available on the Android platform.
As for the pricing, Dell hasn't revealed it yet. However, it is speculated that the device will be cheaper than the iPad. Currently, iPad sells for $499, $599 and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi versions.
The tablet definitely sounds much better than the ipad. It will fit in your pocket, still offer a better experience than a smartphone, and will be cheaper. and it's got a camera.


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