Laptops

Dell Adamo XPS combines slender profile with smart design

By Gizmag Team

18:18 November 5, 2009 PST

Dell has bettered its wafer-thin Adamo laptop launched in March with the announcement of the 0.4-inch (9.99mm) thin Adamo XPS. Apart from the attention that the label of World's thinnest laptop brings, the XPS has some very appealing design qualities that are nothing to do with its slender profile or 3.2 pound weight. Rather than the conventional hinge, the full-size keyboard folds into the display in such a way that it's raised at the top when it's opened to provide enhanced cooling and there's also a capacitive touch latch mechanism which allows you to pop the unit open with the swipe of a finger. Read More

First look: Nokia's Booklet 3G

By Dave Weinstein

05:10 October 6, 2009 PDT

Recently at Nokia's NokiaWorld 09 event, the company unveiled what appears to be the first in a line of netbook devices, the Booklet 3G. Dave Weinstein was there to get a first hand look at the device. Read More

Toshiba's Satellite T100 Series laptops charge while they sleep

By Gizmag Team

10:01 October 1, 2009 PDT

Toshiba's new middleweight T100 Series laptops will hit shelves on October 22, coinciding with the release of Windows 7. Both the 11.6 inch and 13.3-inch models come in at under 4 pounds and feature a LED backlit widescreen display, built-in webcam with face recognition, HDMI port, up to 9 hours of battery life and the company's very useful "Sleep-and-Charge" technology, which lets you power up portable devices when the laptop is turned off. Read More

Logitech's portable lapdesk - if you can't live without your mouse

By Jude Garvey

20:20 September 21, 2009 PDT

There's no denying that laptops have made life on-the-go a lot easier. However, if you're used to the ease and comfort of a mouse rather than a touchpad, you might be interested in a new product announced by Logitech. Complete with built-in mouse pad, the portable lapdesk is designed to allow you to use a mouse whenever and wherever you use your laptop. Read More

Samsung's 11.6-inch Ion-powered N510 netbook

By Tim Hanlon

06:42 September 6, 2009 PDT

Samsung has announced the imminent release of the N510 netbook. The N510 is powered by the Nvidia Ion LE platform, a scaled-down version of the Nvidia Ion platform designed for Windows XP and DirectX 9.0 that retains the benefits of a discrete GeForce 9400M - including 1080p video playback. Read More

Toshiba's flagship Satellite P500 for no-compromise multimedia

By Dario Borghino

23:21 September 4, 2009 PDT

When it comes to hardcore multimedia rendering and manipulation, Apple computers are traditionally considered among the best fit for the job. But the Cupertino giant could soon see its position menaced by Toshiba's latest Satellite P500, a flagship, high-performance laptop that puts multimedia enthusiasts at the core of its target. Read More

Portable computing appears to be coming of age

By Gizmag Team

01:43 July 15, 2009 PDT

The era of ubiquitous communication AND computing is fast approaching with the latest DisplaySearch data predicting global netbook sales will double to 33 million units from 2008 to 2009 while traditional Notebook sales (those with displays 12.1” and larger) will be flat (129 million units), year-on-year for the first time ever. With smart phone sales running at 33 million units a quarter according to Gartner Group, more than half the portable computers being sold across the globe this year will have screens smaller than 12 inches. Read More

Sony adds W-Series mini notebook to VAIO line

By Darren Quick

01:53 July 9, 2009 PDT

Sony has released a netbook to slot in between the P-Series and TT-Series of its VAIO notebook line. The VAIO W-Series is designed as a secondary PC for those that need to do some basic computing on the move – whether it be around the house or around town. Available in white, pink and brown, the W-Series sports a 10.1-inch display and is powered by an Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and an Intel 950 Graphics Accelerator. Read More

Sony offers new VAIO NW laptop with Blu-ray at affordable price

By Michael Mulcahy

06:34 June 22, 2009 PDT

Sony has released its new VAIO NW laptop, which comes with an optional Blu-ray player. The 15.5-inch widescreen display features Sony’s XBRITE-ECO LCD technology for sharper viewing but, helpfully, the notebook also has an HDMI output, so it can directly connect to a TV for that big-screen, high-def experience. But perhaps the laptop's most impressive feature is the price. Read More

Apple's peripheral merry-go-round: FireWire is back, ExpressCard is wack

By Tim Hanlon

23:53 June 11, 2009 PDT

As someone who had a lot to say about the missing FireWire 400 ports from the last generation of MacBooks, I'm glad to see the return of the FireWire port to the new 13" MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, it seems like a case of one step forward, one step back for the MacBook Pro range, with only the 17" model being equipped with the ExpressCard/34 slot that many users have come to rely on. Read More

Apple adds a bit of zip and grunt to latest MacBook Pro line-up

By Paul Best

22:19 June 8, 2009 PDT

Apple has given its MacBook Pro line a quick touch up, most notably increasing processing speeds, hard-drive capacity and battery life, as well as adding SD card slots to the 13 and 15-inch models. The 13-inch model has also undergone a name change – the MacBook now joins the MacBook Pro family – and has had its Firewire port restored.

... Read More

Balancing act: Dell's new Studio 14z laptop

By Darren Quick

02:25 June 2, 2009 PDT

Dell has set out to strike a balance between portability and multimedia performance with its new Studio 14z laptop. The result is a 4.3 pound, 1.2-inches thick machine with a 14-inch 16:9 HD display, 4W audio output, dual headphone jacks, a choice of Intel processors (from Pentium Dual Core to Core 2 Duo T9550), integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, up to 5GB of RAM and an option of a 500GB HDD. Read More

HP extends its Mini PC family

By Mick Webb

17:00 May 30, 2009 PDT

Those on the go who like to do it in style will be pleased to hear that HP has added three new models to its popular HP Mini companion PC range. The new editions offer a host of customizable designs and configurations, all in a small package that’s light on weight but heavy on features. Read More

Touch Book: netbook, tablet and high-tech fridge magnet

By Gizmag Team

21:38 May 28, 2009 PDT

While it's not the first transforming touchscreen netbook we've encountered, the Touch Book from Always Innovating is definitely a first: it runs on a power saving 600MHz ARM processor that promises a battery life of up to 15 hours while making it a heat and noise free system, and also features a detachable keyboard that transforms it from a standard looking 8.9-inch netbook to a standalone tablet. Read More

Lenovo announces IdeaPad S12 netbook

By Darren Quick

06:37 May 25, 2009 PDT

We were starting to worry that it had been a couple of hours since we'd heard news of another netbook launch, but Lenovo has put our minds at ease by announcing the IdeaPad S12 - a Nvidia ION-based netbook with a 12.1-inch LED display and full-sized keyboard. Read More

Acer extends line of Aspire One netbooks

By Darren Quick

00:21 May 20, 2009 PDT

It seems too many netbooks are never enough, with Acer extending its line to include two new models - the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One AO751h and the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One AOD250. The 11.6-inch unit boasts an HD screen and full-sized keyboard, while the 10.1-inch model is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Read More

Toshiba Launches Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ with 512GB SSD

By Mike Hanlon

23:49 May 14, 2009 PDT

May 15, 2009 Toshiba has announced a new top-of-the-range Dynabook SS RX2/WAJ," the world's first PC with an integrated 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive). The new model is available in two versions from today at Toshiba's on-line shop for the Japanese market. The Toshiba-developed 512GB SSD employs a 2-bit-per-cell multi-level NAND flash memory to realize, the world's largest capacity SSD, with four times the density of SSD integrated into currently available products. A new controller that realizes high-speed parallel processing with the multi-level NAND flash memory boosts data access speeds by approximately 230% for read (max. 230MB per sec) and 450% for write (maximum 180MB per sec), compared with the SSD integrated into current PCs. It also boosts data access speed by approximately 300% for read and 250% for write, compared to a hard disk drive. SSDs are free of mechanical structures such as a rotating disc, and ideal for integration into mobile notebook PCs, making them more resistant to vibration and shock. Read More

Netbook feature: Asus Eee S101H vs HP Mini 2140 vs Kogan Agora Pro vs Sony VAIO P

By Noel McKeegan

00:54 May 11, 2009 PDT

Less than two years ago, the arrival of a tiny, obscurely-named Asus laptop caused quite a stir. It was affordable, portable, and “good enough” to do most of the things people do with computers that cost several times as much. These small form factor laptops geared for web browsing and email usage have exploded into the marketplace since then, with seemingly every PC manufacturer adding at netbook to its lineup. Over at The Mobiler, Tim Hanlon has been putting four recently released netbooks to the test - the Asus Eee S101H, HP Mini 2140, Kogan Agora Pro and Sony VAIO P (although Sony doesn't use the the term netbook) - and unlike our last showdown between the iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Bold and T-Mobile G1, a clear winner has emerged. Read More

Timeline series notebooks lead Acer's product avalanche

By Darren Quick

01:10 April 9, 2009 PDT

Looks like Acer’s product developers have been slamming down the Red Bulls with a raft of new products being announced including the Timeline energy-efficient series of notebooks, the first small-form-factor PC based around NVIDIA’s Ion platform, a new netbook, and a notebook or three. Let’s get to it. Read More

Dell Adamo claims world's thinnest laptop crown

By Darren Quick

22:54 March 17, 2009 PDT

And the world’s thinnest laptop for this month is…. the new Dell Adamo! Yes folks we have a new claimant to the world’s thinnest laptop title with dimensions of 13.03 x 9.5 x 0.65-inches and Dell pointing out that, at its thickest point, the new Adamo is thinner than any other laptop. Taking a leaf out of Apple’s book, the new laptops are chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum featuring precision detailing and a scalloped backlit keyboard and feature a high definition edge-to-edge glass display. Of course when thin is in, traditional platter HDD’s are out, so the Adamo laptops sport a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) as standard, as well as Draft-Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1m 2 USB ports, a USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port and up to 5+ hours of battery life based on preliminary lab testing. The units also feature a 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display and come with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit. Read More

Latest Dell rugged laptop features ballistic armor

By David Greig

23:32 March 10, 2009 PDT

Designed for workplace applications which place large demands on your laptop like manufacturing, military, mining and oil and gas exploration, Dell's new rugged laptop - the Latitude E6400 XFR - boasts "ballistic armor" said to provide twice the impact strength of Magnesium alloy, plus higher drop specifications and enhanced protection against dust and water. Read More

Lenovo touts rugged capabilities of Thinkpad range

By Darren Quick

17:43 February 25, 2009 PST

With the number of ruggedized computers hitting the market you’d think that people are running around treating their laptops like last night’s leftovers. Of course that’s not the case, most people use their laptops in pretty clean, stable environments and won’t ever need the rough and ready specs of a ruggedized laptop, but there is a section of the workforce that does. Particularly in the areas of public safety, utilities, construction and the military, and it’s these markets that Lenovo have in mind with their range of eight ThinkPad laptops designated for use in field and vehicle semi-ruggedized computing environments. Read More

Field Tested: Lenovo's dual screen Thinkpad W700ds

By Dave Weinstein

00:32 February 16, 2009 PST

Lenovo's W700ds has an ingeniously concealed second screen built into the lid that "pops out" via a spring loaded mechanism. There's also a laundry list of features including a built in webcam, fingerprint scanner, 5 USB ports, a FireWire port, a DisplayLink port, both VGA and DVI graphics, big bright 17" 1920x1200 display, 2 ExpressCard slots, an SD card reader, and couple of features that are rather specific to high end photography and graphics design. Gizmag's Dave Weinstein has been putting the W700ds to the test, read on for his full report. Read More

Panasonic Toughbooks get upgrade

By Darren Quick

02:14 February 2, 2009 PST

Pansonic’s Toughbook 30 clamshell rugged laptop and its Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer have both received upgrades that include 1,000 nit LCDs, circular polarization technology and anti-glare (AG) plus anti-reflective (AR) screen treatments to enhance screen viewability as well as improved security and remote management thanks to Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology, expanded memory capabilities, 40% longer battery lives, larger capacity hard drives, and optional SSDs. Read More

MSI's Hybrid SSD/HDD notebook

By Kyle Sherer

23:33 January 7, 2009 PST

The MSI U115 Hybrid notebook uses both a Solid State Disk and a Hard Disk Drive, allowing users to switch between them at will. The 1kg notebook measures 26cm by 18cm, with a 10-inch widescreen LCD display (1024x600), and supports 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN and Bluetooth. Read More