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Dell Vostro A840� Beyond expectations!Dell Vostro A840 is light, quiet, the screen display is great, and it has been incredibly reliable. I use this laptop for hours every day, doing a ton of typing. I run websites from my home. Any time I travel, it accompanies me. The screen display is great. I do a fair amount of graphics work, including judging photo entries for a literary magazine. The

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MACBOOK PRO 17-INCH REVIEW COMING NEXT WEEK

You've hard a lot about the new Macbook Pro 17-inch. So its only proper that we give you a complete review of what we like, don't like and think should be changed.The review will not only cover specs and performance but also opinions so stay tuned. In case you haven't noticed, they have begun to arrive this week so its OK for you to spend nearly $2700 on a system that does not carry an

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DELL MINI 9 DROPS BELOW THE $200 MARK

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HP has announced without any fanfare its new updated dv7t entertainment notebook. This updated version has new colors and a bigger display. The new dv7t has a 17.3-inch 1600 x 900 widescreen BrightView LCD display as opposed to its original 17-inch, and is available in black and white. The new updated Pavilion dv7t notebook series can be customized by Intel processor of up to Core 2 Quad Q9000

NVIDIA ION TO SUPPORT MORE THAN JUST VIA AND ATOM

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For those of you who are happily enjoying Window's 7 you're probably not interested in this news. For the rest who didn't get in on the beta, we have good and bad news.The bad news, Window's 7 isn't coming out any time soon, the good news, Microsoft has decided to keep you in the loop a little longer before Vista will just be a bad memory from the past.Yesterday MSDN and TechNet subscribers got

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ACER ASPIRE ONE AOA 150-1555 QUICK REVIEW

The Acer Aspire One AOA 150-1555: A Student�s Perfect School CompanionThese days, being a student is hard work � there is so much to learn and so much information to absorb, and school is as demanding as ever. Students today have subjects about concepts and topics that did not even exist yet when their parents were students, and all this is largely due to the many technological advances that have

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ACER TEASES WITH NEW NETBOOK

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GATEWAY MD 7820 QUICK REVIEW

The new gateway to designing revolution - The Gateway MD 7820 UThis is one of those laptops in which the manufacturers have paid attention to slightest details from user�s point of view. It is not one of those machines, which may look awesome in the advertisement but disappoints when seen in person physically. There are several options available in terms of colors that the users can choose from.

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TRIMBLE ANNOUNCES YUMA RUGGED TABLET

Trimble has announced the Yuma rugged tablet handheld computer, one more in the line of tough computing devices that confirm to the MIL-STD-810F and IP67 ratings of military standards for vibration, drop and humidity. The Yuma UMPC is dust and water proof and can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -30 oC to 60 oC. And this tough guy can take a dive up to a depth of one meter.The Yuma

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ASUS N10J A1 QUICK REVIEW

Revolution in design - The Asus N10J A1The N10J A1 in literal terms is called the notebook for the corporate. Apart from offering the standard features present in all the notebooks it packs in additional features like dedicated graphics and a very up market fancy design to go with it. To top it all, the N10 works on Intel Atom platform, making the processing speed much faster and option of

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ASUS EEE PC 904HA QUICK REVIEW

Innovation at it's best - The Asus Eee PC 904HAIn its pursuit for innovation and improvements Asus improved its Asus Eee PC 900 HA and introduced ASUS Eee PC 904 HA. This version of laptop is a store house of many features not found in many other compatible models. Features are many:These laptops are also called as NetBooks. ASUS Eee PC 904 HA NetBook, is a low cost model. This is an Internet

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TOSHIBA SATELLITE A305-S6908 QUICK REVIEW

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Toshiba A305-S6872

The Satellite A305-S6872 features Toshiba's "Horizon" case pattern in a "Fusion" finish, which basically means silver gray with pinstripes that resemble an optical illusion. The finish is almost mirror like, and even light handling will leave major fingerprints all over it. The case's rounded corners resemble the HP Pavilion dv6915nr, and the two systems are nearly identical in size.

At 6.4 pounds with the included nine cell battery, the Satellite A305-S6872 is a reasonable weight to carry on occasional trips but too heavy to carry every day. The stripes continue inside the case, both along the sides of the keyboard and on the wrist rest (even the touch pad has a subtle striped design). The keys are made of very glossy plastic that fits the aesthetic but is so shiny, it can be distracting.

Fortunately, the keyboard is comfortable; with your eyes closed it feels like any other nearly full size board. The touch pad is likewise roomy, though we were annoyed by the glowing white stripe across the top of the pad, which seems to be just decoration (we thought maybe it would change colors if the touch pad were disabled, but no dice).

We took some consolation in the fact that it along with other distractingly illuminated case elements, a Satellite logo in the bottom left hand corner and a row of touch sensitive media controls above the keyboard can be turned off using Toshiba's HWSetup utility.

The 15.4 inch wide screen LCD display offers a 1,280x800 native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. The display's glossy finish produces rich colors and contrast we found it minimally distracting while surfing the Web and typing email, but quite enjoyable for movie watching. A Webcam above the display lets users conduct video chats.

Other Features

• Video VGA out, Webcam VGA out, S-Video
• Audio Stereo speakers, headphone or microphone jacks Stereo speakers, headphone or microphone jacks
• Data 3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, mulitformat memory card reader, eSATA port 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader
• Expansion ExpressCard/54 ExpressCard
• Networking modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN
• Optical drive DVD burner DVD burner

Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802

Instead, the $1,549 Qosmio G55 adds a handful of genuinely unique extras, which run from gimmicky to useful under certain, limited circumstances. The 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 is joined by a second Cell processor (just like the chip powering the PlayStation 3). Toshiba calls this combo "Quad Core HD," and uses the extra horsepower to power both a Webcam based gesture control system and accelerated video encoding (as long as you're using the prescribed software).

Neither addition is going to be of much use to casual consumers, but we can see limited circumstances where specific tasks encoding lots of HD video to DVD would make the G55 worth a look, and note that the non Blu-ray versions of Acer's and HP's 18 inch laptops cost around the same, even without the extra processing power.

Specification

• Price as reviewed / Starting price $1,549
• Processor 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (plus 1.5GHz Cell processor)
• Memory 4GB, 800MHz DDR2
• Hard drive 250GB 5,400rpm (x2)
• Chipset Mobile Intel P45 Express Chipset
• Graphics 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT
• Operating system Windows Vista Premium (64 bit)
• Dimensions (WDH) 17.8x12.2x1.9 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 18.4 inches
• System weight or Weight with AC adapter 10.7/12.1 pounds
• Category Desktop replacement
  

Easily the biggest and bulkiest of the current crop of 18 inch laptops at nearly 2 inches thick and almost 11 pounds, the G55 dwarfs the (relatively) smaller HP HDX18 and Sony Vaio AW170.

The system's glossy (and fingerprint prone), pinstriped design resembles the recently revamped Satellite line, but the chassis itself has the same clamshell look, with the edges of the lid curling in slightly, as on the 17 inch Qosmio X305-Q701.

It's not for those without ample desktop space, but the G55 also feels solid as a rock. The full keyboard and separate number pad are typical for Toshiba which is to say very glossy.

The keys themselves are comfortable and easy to use, but there's a bit too much flex around the middle of the keyboard. A row of standard touch sensitive media control buttons sit above the keyboard, but we're much more excited about the small volume control jogwheel that's on the lower left side of the keyboard tray. We always find jogwheels easier to use and more responsive than volume up and down buttons, or touch sensitive volume sliders (which never respond fast enough for our tastes).

The 18.4 inch wide screen LCD display offers a 1,680x945 pixel native resolution, which is a bit of a mystery. Every other 18 inch laptop we've seen has a 1,920x1080 pixel resolution, which is a natural match with the 16:9 aspect ratio and 1080p HD content. The G55 also lacks the Blu-ray drive that the other 18 inch laptops we've reviewed all carry as standard equipment. However, since Toshiba laptops were saddled with HD DVD drives for long past that format's useful life, we can call this progress, of a sort.

Other Features

• Video VGA out, HDMI VGA out, S-Video, HDMI
• Audio Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks, S/PDIF jack Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone/microphone jacks.
• Data 4 USB 2.0, mini FireWire, multiformat memory card reader, eSATA 4 USB 2.0, mini FireWire, SD card reader
• Expansion ExpressCard/54 ExpressCard/54
• Networking modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth
• Optical drive DVD burner DVD burner or Blu-Ray
  

The G55's two most interesting features are its gesture controls and its extra processing power for video editing and encoding. Both features make use of what Toshiba calls "Quad Core HD," which means the standard Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 working with a second processing chip. That chip, essentially the same Cell processor found in the PlayStation 3 (and originally co-developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba), has a clock frequency of 1.5GHz.

Toshiba Satellite Pro U400-S1001X

The Satellite Pro U400-S1001X will fit into any business environment, with its dull silver lid and keyboard deck, black screen bezel, and black keyboard. It uses the same chassis as the consumer oriented Satellite U405, but removes the multimedia control keys above the keyboard and the glossy Fusion finish. Branding is kept to a minimum, with a simple Toshiba logo on the center of the lid, another smaller Toshiba logo below the screen, and a tiny Satellite Pro logo on the front left corner. Despite its lack of dedicated multimedia control keys, an always appreciated volume dial resides along the front edge between a media card slot and Wi-Fi power switch.

Specification

• Price as reviewed / Starting price $1,049
• Processor 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8100
• Memory 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
• Hard drive 160GB, 5400rpm
• Chipset Mobile Intel 965GM Express
• Graphics Intel GMA X3100
• Operating system Windows XP Pro
• Dimensions (width by depth) 12.4x9.0 inches
• Thickness 1.2 to 1.4 inches
• Screen size (diagonal) 13.3 inches
• System weight and weight with AC adapter 4.6 / 5.5 pounds
• Category Thin and light
  

Like the first Satellite Pro laptop we reviewed, the 15-inch A210, the 13 inch U400 feels very solid, from the two sturdy hinges that anchor the display to the firm keyboard deck. The keys themselves offer good travel, and even a heavy handed typist like myself didn't feel much flex when banging away on the keys. I'm also known to be driven slightly insane by a laptop's loud mouse buttons (I'm looking at you Sony Vaio NR498), so I experienced something akin to what might be described as euphoria when I first encountered the U400's mouse buttons.

OK, euphoria might be overstating it a bit, but the fact remains that the mouse keys offer excellent feel with just the right amount of travel and a barely audible click when fully pressed. Between the two mouse buttons is a fingerprint scanner. The touch pad is a compact 2.5 inches by 1.5 inches and, sadly, it lacks the vertical scroll function that many have come to rely on, including myself.

The 13.3 inch display offers a 1,280x800 pixel native resolution, which is standard for a screen this size. We were surprised to find the same glossy screen coating as found on its consumer cousin, the Satellite U405. For business use working under bright fluorescent lights or in a sun filled airport gate we generally prefer a screen with a matte finish, which reduces glare and reflections.

Above the display sits a 1.3 megapixel Webcam and mic for easy video conferencing. We generally have low expectations for laptop speakers and lower those for the audio output of business laptops. Yet, the Satellite Pro U400 fell short of our meager expectations, with the tinniest and weakest audio output. For both music and movies, you'll want to make use of the laptop's headphone jack.

The Toshiba Satellite Pro U400-S1001X serves up a standard collection of ports and connections similar to what we saw on the Satellite U405 but minus an eSATA port. There's a placeholder on the left edge for an HDMI port, but it sits empty on this business machine; your only video out option is the analog VGA port.

DELL INSPIRON MINI 10 AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON QVC

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The Average Joe of Mini-Notebooks - The Samsung NC10Everyone�s in on the game � major players in the PC and laptop industry such as Hewlett Packard, Asus, Dell, Acer and Lenovo have all gone the mini-notebook route and boast of at least one model of a netbook to complete their portfolio. Samsung is no different, and it jumps in on the mini-notebook bandwagon with the Samsung NC10, an

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ASUS NEW WiMAX-EQUIPPED Eee PC 100HG

Although there is debate as to what will be the standard for next-gen mobile data, Asus has its eyes on WiMax and has released a WiMAX equipped laptop. Asus followed that up with the WiMAX equipped Eee PC which debuted at CES in January.In any case Asus is deciding to let some more details slip some new details on said device. From the looks of things the netbook will be able to handle Window's 7

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ACER ASPIRE ONE AOD 150-1165 QUICK REVIEW

It�s All About The Price Tag For The Acer Aspire One AOD150-1165Acer took the lead from Asus in the mini-notebook market in late 2008, after having entered the market only in July 2008. And it is bound to cement its number one position with the launch of the Acer Aspire One AOD150-1165 - and its stake on the number one spot, not surprisingly, comes down to its almost unbelievably affordable price

LENOVA IDEAPAD S10 QUICK REVIEW

The combination of functionality and looks - Lenova Ideapad S10The Netbook market is certainly getting competitive with every possible brand working to turn out the best possible combination of performance and presentation. One brand that worked its way into just such a scenario and has come close to the top is Lenova with its IdeaPad S10.So, what makes this brand stand out? Let�s take a look at

DELL INSPIRON MINI 9 QUICK REVIEW

The red just got darker - DELL Inspiron Mini 9Dell follows the lead of Asus coming up with its offering to the Netbook market, the Inspiron Mini 9. While this unit doesn�t boast any radically different features, it does offer more customization options than most competitors. For as little as $ 349, you can get a Mini 9 with 4-8GB storage space, 512MB RAM, a lower resolution web cam and Ubuntu

MAC SCREENSHOTS OF CHROME REVEALED

I'm not a fan of a specific browser. On the three computers that I own/use on a regular basis I have different browsers installed. So far using Chrome on my 3 year old Vista laptop has been pretty smooth. Not once has it crashed and its pretty speedy and carries a nice design.Of course there are things I would like to see improved (like add-ons, widgets, recovery utility etc.) but its still nice

AT&T CARRYING NETBOOKS SOON?

No one thought that Asus pioneering of the netbook market would have led to the next craze in the computer industry. And in less than a year the lines between laptop and netbook are blurring at such an alarming rate that many are predicting the two merging within the next five years.AT&T is probably one of the few who is not hoping for that as they have announced (sort of) that they will be

THE ORIGINAL APPLE LAPTOP?

The original Apple computer set waves through the world. And while the advancement of their laptop devision was not met with the wide spread success that the original desktop systems did, they were still an innovation in their own rite.By now you're probably expecting us to show you some new Apple product, and if that is your guess than you are right. In fact its a computer that you can make

HP MINI 1000 QUICK REVIEW

A revolutionised notebook - HP MINI 1000The year 2007 saw the advent of Netbooks in the form of the Asus Eee PC. Initially aimed at emerging markets, these light-weight, affordable, laptops come in smaller sizes spanning 5 � 10 inch screens and are relatively more environment friendly. Soon to follow Asus� canny lead were Everex , MSI, Dell and HP each trying to gain a hold over the fast emerging

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ASUS EEE PC 1000HE QUICK REVIEW

Simplicity at it's best - Asus EEE PC 1000HEAsus, the creator of the Netbook market, is back with its latest offering � the improved, redesigned Eee PC 1000 HE, now at an affordable $400! �The Other essential Travel Companion� reads the print advertisement, drawing attention to its prime USP - 9.5 hours of battery life, ideal for long trips.Let�s take a quick tour of the product: 1.66 GHz, Intel

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NVIDIA SHOWS WINDOW'S 7 VIA ION PLATFORM

So its no surprise that better performance was bound to come to netbooks, as they seem to be outpacing their notebook and desktop counterparts in the sales arena. And if you have been keeping up with the tech news you know that NVIDIA has been planning to enter the netbook arena with its Ion platform.Well just yesterday NVIDIA decided to offer a few more details about the platform including its

MICROSOFT PUTS AN END TO WINDOW'S 7 BETA DOWNLOAD FEVER

We're sorry if you were too busy to even notice that Window's 7 was in public beta. More importantly we would like to thank Microsoft for allowing us to test their new OS before they released it so we can tell them what we like from what we don't like so they can at least listen to most of our concerns.But on with the news. In case you haven't heard the public beta for Window's 7 is closed,

HP NETBOOKS WILL RUN THREE VERSIONS OF WINDOW'S 7?

If we are to believe one of HP's execs HP's uber netbooks will run three versions of the next installment of the Window's OS. According to Kyle Thornton who discussed the issue with Computerworld, the HP netbook line will run Window's 7 Professional, Home Premium and the Starter edition (which can only run three apps concurrently).What is even more juicy is that HP says they are testing the

TOSHIBA LAUNCHES TECRA M10 AND A10 NOTEBOOKS

Toshiba has launched the new Terca M10-S3411 and the A10-S3511 Notebooks. Both these models have a stylish and sleek silver chassis. The A10-S3511 model is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz processor, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM and a 160 GB with 7200 rpm HDD. The Terca A10 has a 15.4-inch LCD display with WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) resolution and 256 MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150 graphic card. It also

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GSCREEN G400 & TITAN M-1 � DUAL SCREEN LAPTOPS

gScreen has announced the G400 laptop which will be the world's first dual screen laptop. Though Lenovo was ahead in introducing a dual screen, it offered only a smaller secondary display. What gScreen promises is identical twins each having an awesome 15.4-inch display with LED backlit and a full-size keyboard.These identical twins are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz T9600 or P8400 2.26 GHz,

DELL MINI 12 GETS COMPLETED WITH SSD

It was bound to happens so don't get so excited. But we were just wondering how long and if there would be some type of instruction on how to do so.So far we have both and the guys over at Portable Monkey have taken Mitron's 1.8-inch SSD and paired it with the Dell Mini 12. Needless to see this has caused the performance of the modded Mini 12 to jump (original HDD was 4200rpm).On the other hand

MODBOOK STOP MOTION VIDEO

If you've been wondering how the processes goes that Axiotron uses to convert a Macbook Pro into a Modbook Pro than today is your lucky day.While we cannot verify 100% that this is the processes that Aciotron uses it is almost identical in the least bit. Everything is pretty straight forward and only involves (in simple terms) removing the keyboard and none touch screen and replacing those. Than

DELL'S LATITUBE XT2 GETS OFFICIAL

So you remember a month or so ago we heard that Dell was prepping an all new notebook to add to its elite Latitude line? Well that notebook (more properly known as a Tablet PC) has become official and carries a bunch of features that is bound to make you drool. Although we can't say the same thing applies to your wallet.The Latitude XT2 comes with a 12.1 screen (1280 x 800 pixels) that not only

Lenovo 3000 V100

And the fact that Lenovo has updated the V100 line with the latest Core 2 Duo processors, larger hard drives, and the option for Windows Vista warranted a second look. Based on our $1,699 review unit, we'd say that the Lenovo 3000 V100 has kept pace with the times, continuing to provide all the features you'll need for work (and some play) in a highly portable package.

The V100 is the smallest Lenovo 3000 laptop available like its siblings, the C200 and the N100, the V100 is silver on the outside and dark gray on the inside. Its steel hinges and relatively sturdy construction reflect its ThinkPad heritage, though it doesn't have the ThinkPad's drain holes, shock mounted hard drive, or keyboard light.

The V100 weighs 4.5 pounds (with the optional six cell battery, which extends about a half inch from the back of the laptop) and measures 9 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 1.1 inches thick.

So it's a bit larger than both the Toshiba Satellite U205 and the Dell XPS M1210. Total travel weight with the V100's modest A/C adapter is 5.1 pounds, striding the line between ultra portable and thin and light.

There are certainly lighter laptops on the market, including Lenovo's own ThinkPad X60s, but the V100 is reasonably portable for regular travel.

Because Lenovo doesn't currently offer a wide screen ultra portable ThinkPad, the Lenovo 3000 V100 fills an important role in the company's laptop lineup. Like the XPS M1210 and the Satellite U205, the V100 features a 12.1 inch wide screen display with a sharp 1,280x800 native resolution and a glossy finish that's great for watching movies but can become distractingly reflective in bright environments (unfortunately there's no option for a matte finish display). An optional 1.3 megapixel Webcam is built into the display bezel, making it useful for Web videoconferencing from the road.

Corresponding to the V100's wide aspect display is a wide, comfortable keyboard that harkens back to the laptop's ThinkPad lineage. Like all Lenovo 3000 laptops, the V100's trackpad feels a bit small, and the trackpad buttons don't provide as much travel as we'd like. Next to the trackpad sits a tiny fingerprint reader, which lets you securely log on to your computer, network, and favorite Web sites with just a swipe of a finger.

Above the keyboard are three handy external volume controls and a button to launch Lenovo's MediaNow application (the extent of the V100's dedicated multimedia controls), plus a button that summons the useful Lenovo Care system management and help utility. Along the front edge, two speakers emit hollow but passable sound, while the right edge of the case holds a handy hardware on or off switch for the system's built in Wi-Fi radio.

Lenovo ThinkPad T60p

The Lenovo T60p eschews the soft, rounded edges and brushed metal accents of consumer laptops for a no nonsense squared off look, giving it a slim, sleek profile. The familiar matte black case measures 12.5 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 1.1 inches thick. That's a little smaller than the wide screen version of the T60, which measures 14 inches wide, and it may be too big for some fitted laptop cases.

This version of the T60p is a half pound lighter, weighing in at 5.3 pounds, or 6.2 pounds if you include the AC adapter. The time tested design includes traveler friendly touches, such as sturdy steel hinges and a shock mounted hard drive. The keyboard is one of the best laptop keyboards available, offering an extremely comfortable typing experience.

The T60p also has both an eraser head pointing stick and a touch pad, each of which has a set of mouse buttons (the top set includes a scroll button in the middle). Above the keyboard are three handy volume buttons the extent of the ThinkPad T60p's dedicated multimedia controls and a blue ThinkVantage button, which summons Lenovo's helpful preinstalled support and configuration utility.

The ThinkPad T60p features a 14.1 inch display with a 1.400x1.050 native resolution that affords a decent amount of screen real estate. Nearly every laptop we've seen in the past year has had a wide screen display, so the squared-off display on this model is almost jarringly retro. As with all ThinkPads, a reading light tucked into the bezel above the screen lets you illuminate the keyboard when working in the dark (hit Fn + Page Up to turn it on and off).

Connections include VGA and three USB 2.0 ports, plus headphone and micrhone jacks and slots for a PC Cards and an ExpressCard. Consumer friendly extras, such as FireWire and a media card reader, are missing, but networking options include a 56Kbps modem, Gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Security features include a fingerprint reader and the ThinkVantage Active Protection System, which uses a motion sensor to park the hard drive in case of a fall.

Our $2,250 ThinkPad T60p review unit costs almost double the system's base price. For the extra money you get a 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and Windows Vista Business. For the $1,200 starting price, you'll have to trade down to a 1.67GHz T5500 CPU, only 512MB of RAM, and Windows XP Pro leaving you with a system that's cheaper but has a much shorter useful life.

With such a high end set of specs, the Lenovo T60p made short work of CNET Labs' Multitasking test, beating two other recent Vista laptops, the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet, with a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo L2500, and the Dell Inspiron E1505, with a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200. But compared to a nearly identical T60p system we tested with Windows XP, it fell slightly behind in the Photoshop CS2 and iTunes encoding tests, suggesting that Windows Vista requires more computing power to run than the older XP operating system.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y730

Home users are increasingly turning to notebook computers as their primary PCs, as they like that laptops can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC, and can be easily moved from room to room. Though of course almost any notebook computer will do for typical home use, there are two types of laptops most suitable for home users middle size notebooks, which tend to be budget friendly, and desktop replacements, which are usually packed with features.

To maximize battery life, notebook computer processors are often designed to save more energy and run cooler than desktop processors.

The drawback is slower performance, but more memory can help, which it won't consume energy or radiate heat.

Even better, up to 4GB of RAM can now be found in budget configurations. If you want more memory later, expansion is often a simple procedure.

The central processor (CPU) is the heart of any computer system and an excellent litmus test as to whether a desktop computer or notebook fits your needs. The trouble is, processor names like Athlon and Celeron are as cryptic as system names like Latitude and Pavilion.

SAMSUNG NC10 SPECIAL EDITION � HAS A SHINY AND LONGER LIFE

Amazon has started taking pre-orders for the new Samsung NC10-11PBK Special Edition. The major attraction is the 5900mAh 6-cell battery. Samsung claims that this higher capacity battery will last for 9.4 hours. Also, the NC10 Special Edition comes in a glossy black color and has a larger touchpad. The touchpad definitely looks wider than the previous models and has no demarcations for a scrolling

ACER ASPIRE ONE AOD150 � ACER UNVEILS ITS 10-INCH NETBOOK

Acer has finally unveiled its 10-inch netbook the Acer Aspire One AOD150. This new model is almost similar to Acer's previous models other than the 10-inch display and a 6 cell battery with 4 to 5 hours of life. Also upgrading the RAM, hard drive and the Wi-Fi cards have been made easier with the access panels provided at the bottom of the system. The much expected improved touchpad has turned

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DELL MINI 10 � MORE DETAILS LEAKED

The Dell Mini 10 HD netbook was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show last month and there has been no further news about it so far. Now we have speculations running wild based on an supposedly leaked presentation slide of the Dell Mini 10. According to this slide the new Dell Mini 10 will offer 1.3 & 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Silverthorne Processor, 120GB & 160 GB HDD, up to 2 GB DDR2 533MHz

Lenovo ThinkPad T500

Home users are increasingly turning to notebook computers as their primary PCs, as they like that laptops can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC, and can be easily moved from room to room.

Though of course almost any notebook computer will do for typical home use, there are two types of laptops most suitable for home users, middle size notebooks, which tend to be budget friendly, and desktop replacements, which are usually packed with features.

The central processor (CPU) is the heart of any computer system and an excellent litmus test as to whether a desktop computer or notebook fits your needs. The trouble is, processor names like Athlon and Celeron are as cryptic as system names like Latitude and Pavilion.

Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet

Usually comparable in size and weight to ultra portable or thin and light laptops, tablet PCs let you take handwritten notes and navigate menus, documents, and Web pages using a stylus directly on the screen. The most common type is the convertible tablet, which looks much like traditional a laptop but has a display that swivels 180 degrees and folds flat over the keyboard.

(Some manufacturers are incorporating this type of tablet functionality into larger middle size and thin and light laptops.) Slate tablets, on the other hand, lack keyboards they're all screen. The smallest tablets, ultra mobile PCs, bridge the gap between PDA and ultra portable, with 7 inch touch screen displays and enhanced media player features.

Once only the tool of specialized industries, tablets are gaining a wider audience, thanks to their portability, flexibility, and wow factor. To maximize battery life, notebook computer processors are often designed to save more energy and run cooler than desktop processors. The drawback is slower performance, but more memory can help, which it won't consume energy or radiate heat. Even better, up to 4GB of RAM can now be found in budget configurations. If you want more memory later, expansion is often a simple procedure.

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Lenovo ThinkPad SL400

Slide the ThinkPad SL400 out of the box, and you might think you mistakenly purchased a particularly boxy Sony Vaio. Open the laptop up, however, and you'll soon discover it's a standard issue ThinkPad that Lenovo outfitted with a glossy, black lid. Without the magnesium alloy shell protecting the back of the screen, the plastic lid feels soft flexing when pressed. The plastic wrist rests, however, feel much sturdier.

Overall, the SL400 feels like a substantial machine it's bulky and rather thick for a 14 inch laptop, running from 1.3 inches thick along its front edge to 1.5 inches thick at the back edge. Like all ThinkPads, the SL400 boasts an incredibly comfortable keyboard, a red track point, and blue Enter key. Below the keyboard sits a touch pad and second set of mouse buttons. The touch pad's matte finish and vertical and horizontal scroll regions make it highly functional, and the mouse buttons are soft, quiet, and responsive.

To the left of the keyboard sit a blue Lenovo Care button that calls up a small window with helpful links to system management and security tools. Below the Lenovo Care button are volume up, down, and mute buttons.

Five small, green glowing icons adorn the front edge below the touch pad, informing you of your wireless, wired, and Bluetooth connections as well as whether you're running on full battery power or in sleep mode.

On the angled bottom half of the front edge reside three small air vents and a Wi-Fi power switch. A large vent sits on the left side for the GeForce 9300M GS graphics card.

While the laptop is by no means noisy, it does emit a fairly steady yet low hum and stream of warm air out its left side. The side edges are sloped and narrow toward the bottom of the laptop. It helps lessen the ThinkPad boxy appearance somewhat, and while some reviewers have complained that the ports are difficult to reach, I did not find this to be the case.

I have an old, bulky USB key and was able to connect it to all four of the system's USB ports without a problem the overhanging top edge did not interfere. The ThinkPad SL series is available in three sizes, the 13.3 inch SL300, the 14.1 inch SL400 we reviewed, and the 15.4 inch SL500. The standard SL400 wide screen display offers a 1,280x800 pixel resolution our review unit included a $50 upgrade that bumps you up to a still very readable 1,440x900 pixel resolution and includes Lenovo's AntiGlare option.

In general, we think a matte finish is the better option for the screen of a business laptop, and Lenovo's AntiGlare screen lives up to its name. (Lenovo also sells an SL400 configuration with integrated Intel graphics, but choose that and you lose the higher resolution option.) Even when sitting with two bright, sun filled windows at our back, the screen was very readable with glare and reflections kept to a minimum. We still found colors to be vibrant when viewing photos or movies, though we did find a stuck pixel in the upper right hand corner of our review unit.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10

With Intel's now standard 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, specifically designed for low power Netbooks, the Lenovo S10 is not going to match up with Lenovo's normally high powered business systems or deliver the same level of performance you'd get from even an inexpensive Core 2 Duo.

Still, for Web surfing, email, and working on office documents, which is 90 percent of what most people do on their laptops anyway, the S10 performed about as expected, closely matching the Asus Eee PC 901 and MSI Wind in our iTunes performance test.

With impressive battery scores from Lenovo's mainstream laptops, we had high hopes for the S10's battery, even though it's of the smaller 3 cell variety.

Unfortunately, the battery lasted about as long as other 3 cell Netbooks we've tested, such as the MSI Wind, coming in at 2 hours and 13 minutes on our video playback battery drain test. Dell manages to get more than 3 hours out of the Mini 9's 4 cell battery, while Netbooks with 6 cell batteries, including the Asus Eee PC 1000, lasted for more than 5 hours. Lenovo includes an industry standard one year parts and labor mail in warranty with the system. A variety of extension options are available and upgrading to a year of on site service costs an extra $49, while three years of at home service is $159.

Lenovo IdeaPad U110

The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is imperceptibly smaller than one of our favorite 11.1 inch ultra portables, the Sony VAIO TZ150. It gives up 2 inches in screen size to the 13.3 inch MacBook Air, but the U110 weighs a full pound less (when using its four cell battery). Toshiba's Portege R500, on the other hand, weighs less just 1.7 pounds and gives you an extra inch with its 12 inch screen.

Aside from its diminutive size and stunning design, the IdeaPad U110 is remarkable in its sturdy construction, thanks to an aluminum cover and magnesium aluminum case. The sturdy construction seems to owe something to Lenovo's business focused ThinkPad line. But the IdeaPad U110 is considerably different from the company's other flagship ultra portable, the $2,476 ThinkPad X300.

The latter maintains the familiar ThinkPad DNA rectangular black case, great keyboard, and such corporate friendly features as WWAN and a Trusted Platform Module while still allowing for innovation in design and cutting edge components. The IdeaPad U110, on the other hand, is focused on the consumer market, and as such gives Lenovo more freedom to experiment with design while still incorporating new technologies.

Speaking more concretely, the 11.1 inch, 2.4 pound IdeaPad U110 is considerably smaller than the 13.3 inch, 3.4 pound ThinkPad X300. The entire keyboard deck on the IdeaPad U110 including the keyboard, touch pad, mouse buttons, and quick launch keys is one flush surface, all in a glossy piano finish. At first the flatness of the keys, and the lack of space between them, had us worried about typing comfort.

But closer inspection revealed that the keys have a slightly concave surface, and while the keyboard did feel noticeably less than full size, typing was remarkably comfortable and error free. Part of the reason Lenovo extended the keyboard quite nearly to the edges of the system, similar to the HP 2133 Mini Note, to accommodate larger keys than would ordinarily be found on such a compact laptop.

Unfortunately a concession had to be made when it came to the touch pad the IdeaPad U110's narrow depth means the touch pad sits uncomfortably low on the keyboard deck, and its mouse buttons are part of the laptop's front edge. We were able to complete a day's work with this setup, but would likely want to pack a travel mouse for better ergonomics on lengthy trips. Also, the meticulous among us might be put off by the shiny interior, which easily picks up fingerprints. (Lenovo does include a chamois cloth to help you keep the IdeaPad U110 looking sharp.)

Lenovo ThinkPad X301

Like all ThinkPads, the ultraportable X301 features a rectangular black case built around a sturdy chassis. There's still a blue ThinkVantage button above the keyboard, a fingerprint reader below it, and a keyboard light on the top edge of the display. However, ThinkPad fans will notice small touches that make the X301 a bit more attractive than other ThinkPads.

The lid and wrist rest feature an appealing soft matte finish the ThinkVantage, power, and mute buttons glow when pressed and the front edge is devoid of any ports or switches. In addition to the keyboard light, the ThinkPad X301's display bezel includes a 1.3 megapixel Webcam and a noise canceling digital microphone for Web conferencing.

The matte finish display itself features a 1,440 x 900 native resolution that's sharper than that of the MacBook Air and other similar size screens, resulting in text and icons that are a bit smaller than you'd expect. So far the sharper resolution hasn't caused tremendous problems, though we did find ourselves pumping up the font size on a newspaper's Web site so we could read a lengthy article.

We also zoomed in a bit when working on documents and spreadsheets. The trade off more screen real estate for multitasking and, when it's time for a break, beautiful video.

Given the amount of typing the typical executive does through the course of the workday, a keyboard can make or break an ultra portable. The ThinkPad X301 actually uses the same keyboard found on Lenovo's 14 and 15 inch models which is to say, not the condensed keyboard found on previous X series models and many ultra portable laptops from other manufacturers. After conducting several days' work on the ThinkPad X301, we still don't feel like we've been typing on a laptop. We love it.

Lenovo decided to include both the red eraser head TrackPoint pointing stick and a touch pad on the ThinkPad X301. The decision is understandable many ThinkPad users are viscerally attached to their TrackPoints, while other users can't stand it, so why not include both methods? However, the double sets of mouse buttons seem to run counter to the overall theme of simplification that the ThinkPad X301 embodies.

In order to make room for the TrackPoint's buttons, the touch pad is placed rather low on the wrist rest, with its buttons near the laptop's front edge. Fortunately, the ThinkPad X301 is thin enough that we could use the touch pad with our wrist resting on a desk surface or on our leg, when the laptop was in our lap. Of greater concern is the fact that, during our lazier typing moments when our wrists dropped to the wrist rest, we were likely to graze the touch pad and accidentally misplace the cursor.

Lenovo ThinkPad X200

With the ThinkPad X200, Lenovo brings a wide aspect ratio to its most portable system. The 12.1 inch wide screen display features a sharp 1,280x800 native resolution that's more common on 14.1 inch or even 15.4 inch displays. The resulting text and icons are probably about as small as you can go for comfortable everyday use. Given the ThinkPad's business focus, we appreciate the matte screen finish, which avoids reflections in brightly lit office environments.

Another advantage to going wide with the ThinkPad X200 plenty of room for the keyboard. Whereas Lenovo's previous ultra portable, the standard aspect ThinkPad X61s, had (of necessity) a slightly compact keyboard.

The ThinkPad X200's wider case can accommodate the same keyboard used on Lenovo's 14 and 15 inch ThinkPads. (You can see close up photos of both keyboards in this blog post.)

The difference in size is noticeable on the X200 we never felt like we were typing on an ultra portable machine. Navigation, however, is still a bit limited. With its last few ThinkPad models, Lenovo has tried to accommodate both fans of the red TrackPoint pointing stick and those who prefer a touch pad by including both options. The ThinkPad X200, however, features only the TrackPoint and three mouse buttons (the center acts as a scroll button) touch pad fans, of which there are many, will feel left out.

Above the keyboard are basic volume controls as well as the very helpful blue ThinkVantage button, which launches a suite of system maintenance, power management, connectivity, and other utilities. All the other classic ThinkPad touches are here, including the nifty keyboard light tucked beneath the lip of the lid and a fingerprint reader below the keyboard for quickly logging in to Windows and a company network.

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BUFFALO ANNOUNCES HIGH SPEED USB FLASH DRIVES

Buffalo announced two high speed USB flash drives, the RUF2-RVS series and the RUF2-LVS series. Both the flash drives have USB 2.0 interfaces, Windows ReadyBoost support and Plug and Play functionality. Both the flash drives measure 23 x 10 x 98 mm and weighs 15 grams.The RUF2-RVS series is based on SLC flash memory and has up to 38MB/sec read and 30MB/sec write data transfer speeds. This series

EUROCOM D900F PHANTOM i7 - WORLDS FIRST NOTEBOOK WITH INTEL CORE i7 PROCESSOR

Eurocom has announced a new notebook that will be powered by the Intel quad-core Core i7 processor. The Core i7 processor has so far been designed only to be used in desktops. Eurocom has been fiddling with this chip to fit it into a laptop and it seems that they have succeeded in their endeavor and come up with the world's first laptop to sport the Core i7. This power house has more eye popping