battery

Acer Aspire 3690 charger,Acer Aspire 2930 charger

Design meets Performance. One is already nearly used to the first-class design of Apple Notebooks. Ever since they are also equipped with Intel CPUs and it is possible to run them under Windows, they are true competitors to comparably equipped notebooks. As expected the MacBook Pro scores also high. This elegant notebook is really powerful, because of a T7700 CPU and a NVidia Geforce 8600M GT video card. So, gaming is possible with a Mac - „Sounds strange, but is true“.Acer Aspire 2930 charger

The MacBook Pro 15'' with Intel chipset was already reviewed by us some time ago. At that time it was the pioneer Apple notebook with Intel CPU. The look of MacBooks did not chance much since then, at least at the first glance. Inside the noble aluminum case, you'll now find the most up-to-date technology, which provides a lot of power. A good reason for reviewing the new MacBook Pro. Acer Aspire 1410 charger

In the meanwhile, the installation routine of Windows on a Mac was improved and, so, also the possibility to reasonably work under it. The procedure is rather easy: 1) Download the Bootcamp software. 2) Install and execute it under MacOS. 3) Insert and install the Vista CD. 4) Install Drivers for Vista. 5) Choose the operating system in the start menu at boot time (Alt). Acer Ferrari 1000 charger

This is all. And as one is accustomed to, this procedure by Apple is simple and user-friendly. Also the support for Apple functions under Vista was optimized in the meanwhile. E.g., scrolling with 2 fingers on the touchpad is no problem and also the integrated web cam (iSight) works troublefree. However, there are slight problems with some hardware differences, like the single touchpad button or the Apple specific keyboard layout. Acer AS09B56 charger

Back to the notebook. The case is nearly completely made of aluminum. The surface's haptics is first-class. Despite of an edgy and linear design, there are no sharp or uncomfortable edges or corners.Acer AS09D31 chargerThe workmanship and stability of the MacBook are as good as the look elegant. All parts are seamlessly connected to one another. Scrutinizing the notebook for weaknesses regarding workmanship is a waste of time.

The aluminum case does neither react to applied forces nor are deflections possible. Handling the notebook is also as expected, you' won't hear any creaking. The total weight of only 2.4kg is one of the MacBook's strengthes. The big, reversely attached hinge seems to be very robust. There might be usability limitations, because the opening angle of the display is, therefore, limited. Acer BATBL50L8H charger

The MacBook Pro's display transport hook is advantageous. Immediately before completely closed, two hooks which lock the display in closed state, are moved out of the display by a magnetic mechanism. However, the release at the front side is difficult to use, because it is rather narrow. Acer Aspire 1810T charger

The whole back edge is used as vent hole for the fan. So, the interfaces are provided at the notebook's flanks. The notebook is not equipped with many interfaces, but, the ones provided are of high-quality. Among others there are a Firewire 400, Firewire 800, DVI out, and also a 34mm ExpressCard slot. However, there are two points of critique: First of all only two USB ports are provided. Secondly, a docking port is missing. Acer BT.00803.015 charger

The already known MagSave power connector is again amongst the interfaces. This is a power connector, which is attached by magnetism. It does not only look good, it also protects the notebook in case somebody falls over the power cable.Acer LC.BTP01.017 charger

Regarding input devices, i.e., keyboard and touch pad, no difference to predecessor models can be noticed. However, the previous statement should not be negatively interpreted. The size of nearly all keys is comfortable. However, there is one significant exception: the enter key. Although it extends over two rows, it is rather narrow, so, requiring some adaption time, to definitely hit it all the times. Acer LC.BTP01.019 charger

Also the keyboard layout needs a little critique. For the sake of a nearly perfect design, all the keys were put in a strictly rectangular frame. So, the layout is not really concise. Furthermore, the keyboard is optimized for MacOS providing some special keys. That means, you'll need getting used to it first. The Ctrl and the Alt keys are left beside the space bar, the AltGr key (for Windows) is missing. Acer AS09D34 charger

Typing feels very comfortable. It is soft and quiet with sufficient travel and a clear point of pressure. Depending on the hands' position the notebook's front edge might disturb if you continue typing over a longer period of time.Uneven gaps between single keys could not be detected at the reviewed notebook - something criticized at predecessor models. Acer AS09D36 charger

The automatic keyboard lighting is a nice feature. If you cover the light sensors, which are left and right beside the keyboard with your hands, or if the brightness of the environment is below a certain level, the MacBook Pro automatically switches on an optically impressing keyboard lighting (LEDs under each key). Acer AS09D56 charger

The touch pad is generally user-friendly, however, it only provides a single, but especially spacious button. While this is no problem under MacOS, this can be, depending on the application, uncomfortable under Windows. Up to now, you can only overcome these difficulties by using an external mouse (or by positioning two fingers on the pad and then click). Conditionally, one can criticize that the touch pad button is somewhat too rickety attached to the case. Acer AS09D70 charger

Super new feature of the touch pad: Scrolling with two fingers. While conventional touch pads need a dedicated scroll-zone, the MacBook's touchpad allows browsing trough a document by placing one finger at the pad and moving a second one up or down. With the new version of the Bootcamp software, this is also supported under Windows.Acer AS09F34 charger

Color DiagramThe MacBook Pro is equipped with a 1440x900 Pixel WXGA+ display. This slightly improves the overview compared to the standard resolution of 1280x800 pixels, while the font size is still comfortable.Acer LC.BTP00.052 chargerThe matt display scored excellently. The maximum brightness amounted to exellent 346.6 cd/m² at the bottom part of the screen. The rather below-average illumination of 70% is put into perspective by a still excellent minimum brightness of 242.5 cd/m². The average brightness of 290.4 cd/m² is also very good. Looking at the color correction diagram we see that mostly the blue color curve has to be lowered to reach a neutral coloring.

The panel's measured black value is 0.6 cd/m². Together with the excellent measured maximum brightness of 346.6 cd/m² this gives a very good contrast ratio of 548:1. We could not detect any anomalies regarding speed of reaction by performing scroll tests. Acer Ferrari 1003 charger

Operation OutdoorsOne can say with a clear conscience that the MacBook Pro is completely fit for outdoor usage. The matt non-reflecting display surface (in our review sample, you can also get a reflecting screen optionally) and the excellent brightness ensure a good picture also in the sunshine. Working in sunshine at the pool? - No problem for the MacBook Pro. Acer Ferrari 1003WTMi charger

Horizontally, the stability to to the vantage point is good and sufficient. At acute angles there is a loss of contrast. Vertically, the stability to the vantage point is good when looking from top down. Looking from bottom up the display soon darkens. However, displayed text stays passable legible.Acer Ferrari 1004WTMi charger

Equipped with a mobile High-End CPU, a Core 2 Duo T7700 processor with 2.4 GHz, and a fast video card, the MacBook sets extremely high standards for comparisons with other multimedia notebooks. This is also proved by benchmark tests. Acer Aspire 3100 charger

The built-in NVIDIA Geforce 8600M GT is responsible for these good results. It provides also sufficient performance for playing up-to-date games in a high resolution. So, performance is one of the MacBook's strengthes, although it is still slightly outperformed by the comparably equipped Asus G1S in the practical test. Acer Aspire 3102 chargerFurthermore, the reviewed notebook was equipped with a total of 2GB main memory (2x 1GB, 667 MHz) and a 160GB 5400 revs/min hard disk. Regarding hard disk there is also a 7200 revs/min hard disk available.

Further information about the video card can be found here or in our comparison of mobile video cards.Acer Aspire 3102NWLMi charger Detailed information about the Core 2 Duo CPU can be found here. Please also look at our benchmark list of mobile processors or at our benchmark list of mobile video cards, in order to compare this notebook to other configurations.Overall, the Geforce 8600M GT is well fit for games, even for up-to-date demanding games. However, for absolute top performance the demanding gamer should rather choose a forthcoming Geforce 8700M GT or a 8800M.Acer Aspire 3102WLMi charger

A special strength of the MacBook Pro is its low emissions in idle mode and under load. Acer Aspire 3103 charger Considering the excellent equipment this aspect is even more interesting. Apple was once again able to combine first-class performance with very low noise emissions by an innovative ventilation technology. In idle mode the notebook is hardly audible. Under load the fan continuously speeds up and finally reaches a noise level of just 42dB. If the load falls, the fan reacts immediately and reduces its revolution speed and therewith also the noise level at once. Under Windows the measured emissions are a little higher. Obviously, this is the result of a better optimized energy/performance management under MacOS.Acer Aspire 3104 charger

The rather decently running fan and a well thermoconducting case cause a clear temperature increase under load especially at the back part of the case, where the vent holes are located. However, at the keyboard and the front part the overall temperature is within reasonable limits. Acer Aspire 3104WLMiB120 charger

At the bottom side there aren't any vent holes. So, the air necessary for cooling is ingested trough the keyboard and blown off through the back edge. This avoids considerably heating of the input devices and makes the notebook fit for use on soft surfaces.Acer Aspire 3104WLMiB80 charger

The sound of the two speakers is clear and present. Weaknesses are the maximum volume and the basses. However, overall the speakers are alright. The notebook also be directly and lossless connected to an existing sound system by means of an optical out. So, it is possible to fully enjoy music.Acer Aspire 3104WLMiB80F charger

The 60 Wh 10.8 V lithium-polymer charger of the MacBook does not only look good, it also provides the notebook with sufficient energy for a useful mobile use. The runtime ranges from more than one hour to more than 4 hours at optimized energy settings under Windows. From experience the runtime is even better under MacOS.Acer Aspire 3690 charger

Apple MacBook Pro 15 Inch "Santa Rosa"The only thing we can say about the MacBook Pro's design and workmanship is: first class. Of course this is to some degree our personal impression, but the first class materials (case completely made of aluminum) and the reliable workmanship contribute to this impression. Acer Aspire 5100 charger

Maybe you'll need some time to adapt to the keyboard layout, especially if you are a Windows user. The enter key could also be a little bigger. However, typing is very user-friendly. The display convinces by concise resolution, excellent brightness, and a non-reflecting surface. All together this allows an outdoor operation without limitations, even in very bright environments. The charger runtime passably ranges from one to four hours and does also not limit the mobile use. Acer Aspire 5101 charger

Also the performance of the MacBook Pro is excellent. It is equipped with the, at the time of writing, most powerful mobile CPU, the C2D T7700 with 2.4 GHz. A Geforce 8600M GT ensures first-class video performance and makes the MacBook Pro fit for playing even demanding games. It's a miracle, how Apple could put this first-class equipment into such a slim case and also keep the noise emissions low at the same time. You can only call it: Art - The art to design top-class and sophisticated mobile notebooks.Acer Aspire 3690 charger

HP ProBook 4405s Charger,HP HSTNN-OB38

The keys have a distinct stroke, clear pressure point and firm stop. The keyboard's entire surface is sufficiently fitted for normal typing. A harder stroke can cause it to yield slightly. The keys have a large distance to each other and the arrow keys are separated from the others. HP 441131-001 Marks for touch-typists on the F and J keys are difficult to feel. In short: The keyboard is good and particularly the feedback while typing is very pleasant due to the clear key drop. If the keys had a conical inward curve, a "Very Good" would have been due.

The Elan Smart-Pad offers many settings for customization, as usual. For example, users who prefer using a one-finger scroll bar at the edge can simply enable it. Users who can't get enough of multi-finger gestures can also enable three-finger swiping. Thus, the user can quickly go back to the desktop from any Windows application or switch among Windows.HP HSTNN-OB37

The Elan pad's surface is sensitive up to the edges and pleasantly matt, but not smooth. The pad keys work almost noiselessly, but have a too short key drop. The latter lessens the operating feedback in contrast to the clear key drop of the keyboard.HP HSTNN-OB38

The 11.6 inch screen from Samsung (model LTN116AT01) has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. This high resolution has become standard in 11.6 inch devices - much to the user's delight. In opposition to the obsolete 10 inch netbook resolution of 1024x600 pixels, it improves the desktop's manageability. HP HSTNN-UB37

The TN screen's contrast of 143:1 is very low but not surprising in this low-priced device category. However, the really important criterion for the Samsung 305U1A's mobile use is its brightness – which is impressive. The matt screen has an average brightness of 241 cd/m2, which is even brighter than the majority of office laptops. Important for outdoor use: The brightness isn't reduced on Charger power.HP HSTNN-XB37

The color spectrum, which we compare with AdobeRGB, sRGB and the screen in the Latitude E6520 FHD as well as the Vaio Z13 (each transparent), is very narrow. Small-sized professional screens are very scarce. Examples would be the (expensive) Vaios of the Z series (FHD & WXGA++, matt). These usually cover at least sRGB (grid in center ICC picture). However, this quality is only important for professional image editors.HP RQ203AA

ICC Samsung 305U1A vs Vaio Z13B7E HD+(t)Samsung makes the right decision and installs a matt TFT. It allows use in daylight and in the sun. The 11.6 inch screen didn't have any problems with legibility in overcast conditions, in which we took our pictures.HP F2024

Frontal view, cloudyThe Samsung 305U1A's viewing angles are viable horizontally, but very poor vertically. The colors remain true up to about 45 degrees. The viewer's eyes may only deviate 15 degrees from above or below before the picture fades vertically. We experience extremely inverted colors at a vertical deviation of 25 degrees. The viewing angle behavior described here is common for about 80% of our test devices (low and medium price range).HP F2024-80001

AMD E-450 APU with Radeon HD 6320 (IGP)Samsung equips the 11.6 inch laptop with the Bobcat APU, AMD E-450 (2x 1.65 GHz). The so-called Accelerated Processing Unit with a TDP of 18 watts has an integrated graphics unit with DirectX 11 functions and a UVD3 video decoder for HD videos (MPEG-2, H.264, VC-1). The Radeon HD 6320 beats the latest Intel HD 3000 (notebooks) with 80 shaders and a UVD3 processor. We won't even mention the GMA 3150 (Atom netbooks).HP F2024-80001A

The APU only has an L2 cache of 1024 KB. The core sits on the AMD A50M chipset and is accompanied by 4096 MB of DDR2 RAM. Samsung installs the 64 bit Windows 7 Home Premium and the 64 bit APU is exploited perfectly.HP F2024A

Cinebench R11.5: CPU @1.65 GHzWe compare the AMD E-450 (2x 1.65 GHz) with the previous E-350 (2x 1.60 GHz) and with the Intel Atom dual core N550, still on the market. The Atom dual core has the Hyper Threading advantage of four computing cores. The difference to the E-350 should be low, if at all visible, in the CPU performance. Level 1 and 2 caches are identical (128, respectively 1024 KB).HP Mini 5103 Charger

The multi core benchmark, Cinebench R11.5 64bit is to show us if the lack of Hyper Threading is a disadvantage for multitasking operations. The test system achieves 0.64 points. That is equal to all previous E-350 devices: 0.6 points. We don't have a 64 bit score for the N550, so we use Cinebench R10 Multi 32bit: 2027 points for the E-450 and 1400 points for the Atom N550 (average). The E-350 again has an identical score of ~2000 points. The N550 is slower by 30% according to that.HP ProBook 4405 Charger

The processor can reduce its clock to 800 MHz in idle. The Bobcat cores don't have Turbo (only in Llano APUs), and thus 1.65 GHz is always run in medium and high load. The user can intervene by limiting the clock in the Vision Control Center.HP ProBook 4405s Charger

The synthetic computing examples don't let the AMD E-450 look better than its predecessor, E-350. But what about the combined application performance of this specific test device? The CPU weak Samsung might also convince with a fast hard disk, respectively SSD, RAM and graphics card (HD 6320). HP ProBook 4406 Charger

We use PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7, which check all the components as a whole. 2640 points, respectively 1005 points are the tight results. At least the Samsung 305U1A can stand out from the E-350 test range that only achieves 85% of the performance (2250 points). Since the MSI Wind U270 with an E-450 also only manages 2268 points, we ascribe the increased performance to the fast hard disk. The PCMark Vantage gaming score of 2202 points is only marginally higher than with an E-350 (~2000 points).HP ProBook 4406s Charger

Outside the netbook or Fusion comparisons, it remains to be said that our Samsung 305U1A is significantly weaker than, for example, a simple office device with a Core i3 2330M and integrated Intel graphics. The Asus Pro P53E manages 4810 points, respectively 1768 points (PCM Vantage, PCM 7). However, there is a contrasting picture in 3D performance; see gaming performance.HP ProBook 4410s Charger

Everyone is talking about hardware support via the graphics, which unloads the processor in general calculations via OpenCL, OpenGL or CUDA (Nvidia). The HD 6320 supports OpenCL - can we exploit this? We let our Samsung 305U1A render a video (H.264 FHD 50i) with CyberLink's Power Director 10, which takes 15:40 minutes. GPU support unfortunately isn't achieved even after installing the AMD Media Codec Pack in the latest Catalyst driver. HP ProBook 4411 Charger

It's also frustrating here that the Asus Pro P53E with an Intel HD and Core i3 standing beside it, renders the same clip in 3:27 minutes, including Intel's QuickSync Video hardware support. Apart from the poor rendering performance, working with Power Director 10 on the Fusion system is amazingly smooth.HP ProBook 4411s Charger

OpenCL is active in Power Director 103.9Windows 7 Experience IndexProcessorCalculations per second3.9Memory (RAM)Memory operations per second5.9GraphicsDesktop performance for Windows Aero4.5Gaming graphics3D business and gaming graphics5.9Primary hard diskDisk data transfer rate5.9 PCMark Vantage 2640 pointsHP ProBook 4412 Charger

HDTune reads on average with 72 MB/s. Although this isn't an unusually high rate, it is in the midfield of simple 5400 rpm hard disks. CrystalDiskMark achieves 90 MB/s. This throughput is at the upper end of 5400 rpm HDDs and in the midfield of 7200 HDDs. Samsung could have used a 7200 rpm HDD, but the noise would likely have been overpoweringly loud under certain circumstances. HP ProBook 4412s Charger

The HDD scores in PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 add a few points to the high throughputs. 3010 points (PCMV) are however still remote from the 4500 point that a speedy single 5400 rpm HDD could manage. The PCMark 7 Storage score finishes with 1456 points. This can also be seen as midfield; 7200 rpm HDDs are only 10 to 20% faster (e. g. Dell XPS 15z +15 %).HP ProBook 4413 Charger

The AMD Radeon HD 6320 (IGP) is practically the performance behemoth among the integrated graphics units of the AMD C and E series. In comparison to the HD 6310 of the E-350, the clock can now increase from formerly 500 to now 600 MHz via Turbo Core. Since the 80 shaders and the 40 nm manufacturing process hasn't changed, the measurable advantages stay within narrow limits.HP ProBook 4413s Charger

The old 3DMark 06 gathers 2411 points, which is still 15% more than the E-350 range, e. g. the ThinkPad Edge E325 (2048). However, that can't hold a candle to a HD Graphics 3000. These devices range between 2500 and 4600 points (105 to 190%). 3DMark Vantage finishes with 951 points. The E-350 devices are 15% below that in the best case. The Intel HD is again 119 to 217% faster. 3DMark 11 is newer and finishes with 338 points. The E-350 devices are only slightly below that with 82% of the score. There are no rates available for the Intel HD.HP ProBook 4415 Charger

The frequently mentioned advantage of an AMD Fusion APU is the high GPU computing performance compared to Intel's processor graphics. The comparison however only works when netbooks equipped with the Intel Atom N550/N450, available on the market, are compared. This is synonymous with the gaming performance: Our test device can at most beat these weak systems. The 3D performance is extremely low compared to "normal" notebooks - even ones with an Intel processor graphics or low voltage processor. HP ProBook 4415s Charger

We tried a range of current games and only the oldest one from 2008 (Left 4 Dead) could be played fairly smoothly (low details). A HD 3000 system, such as the Acer Aspire 3830TG-6431 (2410M) doesn't manage much more either in Civilization 5. The car racing game, F1, manages 30 fps with the Intel graphics (ultra low,HP ProBook 4416s Charger Toshiba Portégé Z830-10N, 2367M) and not only 16 fps like our test device. The same is evident in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which achieves 17 fps on the Toshiba Ultrabook. A 2410M processor graphics is required for 18 fps (Aspire 3830TG-6431). We notice the lowest difference in Anno 2070 in low details: 28 fps versus 30 with an Intel HD 3000 (@ Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, Toshiba Portégé Z830-10N). An overview of the Radeon HD 6320's (IGP) gaming performance can be found on the GPU's data sheet.HP ProBook 4418 Charger

The cooling system does credit to Samsung's name. It is usually silent and isn't disturbing during load. Silent Mode (FN key) that limits the processor clock to 800 MHz is available. Of course, this reduces the performance. However, this mode is not actually necessary, since the fan is always switched off in idle during normal mode. Only the HDD's noise (barely audible, 30.6 dB (A)) or its clicking (32.6 dB (A)) is measurable here.HP ProBook 4418s Charger

HP 484171-001,HP 487296-001

In spite of the somewhat cramped space (due to the 12" form factor), the case does not get too hot, but the bottom reaches a maximum of 43.8° C, and an average value of 37.5° C. This can quickly become a nuisance when having placed the device in one's lap, since these values surpass body temperature. HP 484171-001

On the top side, the temperatures are lower, with a maximum of 38.5° C and an average of 33.8°C. Interestingly, the maximum value was reached around the back area of the right palm rest, the vent opening is located on the far side of the right edge as well. Higher values could be measured radiating from there, while the temperature is lower on the left side.HP 485041-001

The two built-in loudspeakers are located left and right above the keyboard, below the brick-like, perforated cover. Their sound is pretty thin and tinny, HP 485041-003while the maximum volume is alright. Muting works easily and without problems via the LED-lit, touch sensitive area above the keyboard. One needs quite some sure instinct for controlling the volume with the also touch sensitive scroll area. But once you have got the hang of it, i.e. sliding the finger across that area from "+" to "-" or vice versa at the right speed (not too fast), controlling the volume is also not a problem anymore. HP 487296-001

Surely, first-class loudspeakers are less important for a notebook designed for business use only than for one designed for multimedia usage. Additionally, one will likely want to use earphones for watching a favorite movie or simply listening to music, so fellow travellers are not disturbed unnecessarily. The analog headphone outlet sounds fairly good with some decent headphones. HP 487354-001

BatteryEater Classic TestThe notebook's run duration without having access to a power outlet is of course not excellent,HP 497694-001 featuring a 3-cell lithium-ion battery with 37 Wh. Quite a pity considering the fact that the small and compact notebook was designed for mobile use and would really be enhanced by a viable battery life. The maximal runtime of 241 minutes (about 4 hours) is good anyway in view of the low battery capacity, it was measured using BatteryEater's Reader's Tool with activated energy-saving settings and dimmed display.HP 498482-001

The battery lasted only 58 minutes in BatteryEater's Classic Test,HP HSTNN-CB72 which simulates full workload using a high-performance profile (WLAN switched on, maximal brightness). With a battery life of 115 minutes (about 2 hours) while playing a DVD with maximum brightness and using the HP-optimized profile, an average Hollywood-movie can be watched without problems. During the realistic WLAN test (energy-saving profile, medium brightness), one can surf the internet for 135 minutes (2 hours and 15 minutes).HP EV06055

Should you want to work mobile a whole work day long, having several charged batteries at hand as a backup is recommendable. At large, more options for batteries with higher capacities would be desirable.The HP Compaq 2230s pleases through its simple design and the additional, touch sensitive's bar well visible, bright control-LEDs. The notebook is also easily serviceable. HP HSTNN-CB73

The matt display is very well suited for its main usage, which is mobile, but it could be brighter for outdoor use. A modem port perfects the usual communication ports, such as GigaBit-LAN and Wireless-LAN. There is no integrated UMTS-modem for fast, wireless data transfer, and the maximal opening angle of 135 degrees can be insufficient fast during mobile use. HP HSTNN-DB72

For protecting sensitive data on the hard disk from loss by shocks, the HP 2230s includes the HP Drive Guard. Data security is improved by a fingerprint reader and a Kensington Lock. All in all, one can state that the lightweight, 1.8 kg 12.1"-format notebook is a solid companion for businessmen and private customers alike, but one should not stray too far from the next power outlet.HP HSTNN-DB73

... is numerous and constantly growing. We recently tested the Fujitsu Siemens Esprimo Mobile U9210, whose predecessor, the Fujitsu Siemens Esprimo Mobile U9200, is available at a very competitive price at the moment, and the Portege A600 or the Portege R500. HP HSTNN-IB72

Beginner's Tablet Guide. The sudden inundation of tablets this year has certainly got at least some readers scratching their heads. In this handy guide, we provide a concise overview of tablet history, its current market trends and even some suggestions for the hottest items this Holiday season.Apple PowerBook G4 17inch Series

To be honest, we first came up with the idea of writing a primer about the market’s top device segments earlier this year, but by the time we actually got around to working on it, we realized that so much had changed. Some devices were discontinued, others were unveiled and more than one new segment was created. Heck, we even had to give thought to rebranding our website as “ultranetbooktabletcheck.net”, but the domain was a bit too long for our tastes.Apple PowerBook G4 15inch Titanium Series

Now if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the influx of new devices, then we’re hoping this article will help simplify things a bit. In the upcoming series we take a brief look at the three most dominant categories currently present on the mobile computing market: Tablets, Netbooks, and Ultraportables. Obviously, regular sized notebooks and even smartphones can now enter the discussion, but for the most part we’re sticking to these three due to their portability and current popularity as non-phone devices.Apple iBook G4 12inch Series

We start things off by taking a look at what characterizes each of these categories along with a brief history, then move on to their intended markets before rounding things off with some of our own personal recommendations. Of course, we can’t promise that you’ll have your mind made up about your next purchase by the time you’re done reading,Apple 13 inch MacBook AirApple Macbook Air 13 inchApple MacBook Air 13.3-inch but hopefully it’ll make your choice a tad bit easier. And who knows, by the time you reach the bottom of this page, someone out there may have already introduced a new device and we’ll have to start all over again!

In the English language, a tablet is a flat slab of something that’s intended for inscription, and that definitely applies to modern day tablet computers. Available in a variety of sizes, almost all tablets follow the “slate” design consisting of a front 5”-10” capacitive touchscreen with little to no physical buttons and a thin lightweight body in most cases. In addition,Apple iBook G3 12inch Seriestablets mainly rely on touchscreen input, though some manufacturers may opt to include built-in or detachable keyboards. Overall, the tablet design emphasizes simplicity and portability, and companies compete in offering the thinnest and lightest devices.

Current tablets are powered by a wide range of processors, with the most popular being NVIDIA’s Tegra series, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and ARM’s Cortex A-series of chips. In addition, some tablets may come with high quality IPS (In-Plane-Switching) displays, and even HD resolutions.Apple PowerBook G4 15inch Camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, gyroscopes, mini-HDMI ports and at least 8-16GB of Flash storage are found stock on most tablets nowadays, with many manufacturers also releasing 3G equipped versions of their devices.

The original tablet architecture probably traces its roots way back to the days of Apple’s Newton platform, which was introduced in 1993 and then discontinued in 1998. Though it didn’t gain much traction, it paved the way for the next stage in tablet development courtesy of Microsoft and their tablet version of Windows XP. Sadly, Apple PowerBook G4 12inch Seriesthe tablet Windows notebooks weren’t very successful, due in part to their high prices and bulkiness in contrast to other notebooks.

While some might argue that the Portable Media Players (PMPs) of the early 2000’s were the predecessor for the modern day tablet, we tend to entail most of that credit with the late-Steve Jobs instead. Jobs, who was ironically behind the discontinuation of the original Apple Newton,Apple iBook G4 14inch Series is widely credited with starting the tablet boom after the introduction of the iPad in January 2010. The iPad benefited from hardware advancements that allowed it to be thin and fast, and though it was originally ridiculed due to its similarity to the iPhone, it still managed to post record profits.

After witnessing the success of the iPad, more manufacturers needed in on the market and none other than Google decided to grab a share of the pie. Using their mobile Android OS, the first Google-powered tablets were announced in late 2010 by Archos, Samsung and ViewSonic. The devices were definitely not as popular as the iPad, but due to more recent tablet-oriented software, Android tablets have gained much traction over the past year.Apple iBook G3 14" inch Series

There have been some other notable entries into the tablet market, mainly by Research in Motion and HP, but neither has been very successful and the tablet market continues to be dominated by Apple and Android.Apple MacBook Pro 17inch Many folks are unable to come to grips with what tablets are actually useful for and some expect them to fall out of flavor in the long run. However, with estimates now indicating that 100 Million tablets will ship by 2012, you can probably bank on them staying for a while.

One of the biggest pluses that tablets have to offer is that almost anybody can find at least some use for it due to the almost endless amount of applications. Almost any app you can think of probably exists out there in some shape or form, and neat touchscreen and gyroscopic controls make these apps a pleasure to use. Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch SeriesAs such, kids can get their gaming fix from tablets, adults can surf the web and watch movies on the go, employees can have more diverse ways of getting their work done, and students can benefit from reading electronic textbooks or studying using interactive apps.

In a recent survey conducted by Google’s AdMob, it was revealed that most tablet owners mainly use their tablets for gaming, followed by searching for info and emailing. Furthermore, 43% of respondents stated that they spend more time on their tablet than on a desktop or TV, and 68% reported spending more than 1 hour on their tablet per day.Apple MacBook 13 inch

Results of a recent survey by AdMob, in which 1,430 tablet owners were asked about their tablet usageWhile all the preceding activities can also be done from a normal PC, tablets are comparatively a lot lighter and thinner than most notebooks and almost all desktops. Apple MacBook Pro 13 inchTheir extended battery life and 3G capabilities allow for far more portability than usual laptops as well. In any case, most tablet manufacturers market them as secondary rather than primary computing devices, leading to a higher chance of co-existence with personal PCs. And of course, the touchscreens allow for easier use in certain applications, and further advances will only increase the sensitivity and give way for more intuitive ways of user interfacing.

As we mentioned earlier, Apple’s iPad was arguably the first official tablet released and it enjoyed a near monopoly on the market for a little less than a year. However, with the introduction of Google’s more tablet-oriented Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) operating systems, more and more users are making the jump over to the Android atmosphere. Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch SeriesWhile Apple and the iPad will always have a gargantuan following, the iPad remains slightly limited due to its single shape and size (as of Q4 2011), along with a lack of customizability. On the other hand, Android tablets come in many different forms, so much so that some customers may have difficulty choosing; especially since popular manufacturers such as Sony, ASUS, Samsung, Lenovo, Amazon and even Barnes & Noble all produce Android tablets.

Ultimately, the success of a tablet may not rest upon its hardware specifications or design, but rather on software ease of use and application availability. With regards to usability, Apple probably has the slight edge, as Apple’s OS is generally more friendly and fluid and many users are already accustomed to iOS from experiencing the iPhone or iPod Touch. In contrast, 15" apple powerbook g4 aluminum batteryGoogle’s latest Honeycomb and ICS OS’s emphasize easier user access, but the custom UIs that are sometimes added by manufacturers (e.g., HTC Sense, Motorola Motoblur, and Samsung TouchWiz) may not be to everyone’s liking.

Unfortunately for Google, Android doesn’t fare much better when it comes to apps as Apple’s App Store reigns supreme in terms of both application numbers and general quality. As of 2011, Android has a bit over 350,000 apps in their market (with 33% of them being classified as low quality according to AppBrain), 15" apple powerbook g4 titanium batterywhile Apple’s App Store crossed the 500k mark back in May of this year. On the other hand, Android does have approximately 10,000 more free applications than iOS, but keep in mind that most analysts tend to view them as lower quality compared to iOS apps.

The differences between the two rivals become clearer when you take a look at the amount of tablets moved, as Apple managed to sell 9.25 Million iPads during Q3 of 2011 while only 1.2 Million Android tablets were sold in all of 2011. This clearly shows that Apple still holds the lion’s share of the market, but that could very well change as Microsoft’s upcoming tablet-optimized Windows 8 platform could tilt the landscape.17" apple powerbook g4 battery

Review MSI GX 400 Gaming Notebook

At normal load, whether in office use of surfing the internet, the case temperatures remained in an ever uncritical range and facilitate a problem-free operation of the netbook on the thighs.Sony VGP-BPS9/S

The Acer Aspire One 531 provides an adequate acoustic environment for the user with two loudspeakers in the front edge in the lower area. For a netbook the sound on offer as well as the maximum possible volume are thoroughly acceptable. Indeed, you can't ignore the usual weaknesses at low frequencies, which are standard of netbooks without subwoofers.Sony VGP-BPS9A/S
The provided headphone jack is without criticism which offers clear tones and is thoroughly suited to audio playback through external speakers or a Hi-Fi system. Certainly you'll enjoy full and clear sound with high quality headphones.

Acer has arranged two battery solutions for the Aspire One 531. There is a 3-cell battery with a capacity of 24.4 Wh as well as a 6-cell battery pack with a capacity of 57.7 Wh, at least according to the statements on Acer's home page. Our test sample was equipped with the 6-cell battery, which admittedly didn't quite match up to Acer's claim with a slightly smaller capacity of 54 Wh. Sony VGP-BPS9/B

Interestingly the battery life of our test sample remained, in parts, clearly behind the results of the Aspire One D150 which has a similar hardware configuration. The minimally smaller battery in the netbook at hand can only partly explain this phenomenon.Sony VGP-BPS9A/B

The maximum possible battery life at minimum brightness, deactivated WLAN and Bluetooth as well as using Windows' energy saving profile, achieved by the system is 450 minutes in the BatteryEater readers test, so round about 7.5 hours. Sony VGP-BPS9
Under load this is cut short to 237 minutes (BatteryEater classic test, max. brightness, WLAN and Bluetooth on, desktop profile).

Also in practical WLAN surfing with maximum brightness and the energy saving profile on the recorded battery life of 292 minutes (just short of 5 hours), which is essentially lower than the battery life of the Aspire One D150 in the same conditions. Overall the time away from the mains achieved by the device's battery can be considered satisfactory for a netbook. The battery life of the smaller 3-cell battery should be around 50% of the measurements for the 6-cell battery tested here.Sony VGP-BPS10

Acer Aspire One 531 Visually, the new case of the Acer Aspire One 531 is good. Not only the flattening of the base unit, but also the now predominant matte surfaces and the solid lines please straight away. The protruding 6-cell battery indeed seems an inconvenient and unsightly attachment but it is almost indispensable for a reasonable battery life. Also the overall weight of now only 1220 grams is a further plus point compared to the Aspire One D150 in the same display format.Sony VGP-BPS13

Neither the offered connection options nor the inbuilt keyboard leave anything worthy to say that's different from those in the One D150. Indeed the touchpad is considered as a strong additional feature, which in comparison with the D150 is essentially more pleasant to use and furthermore with its multi-touch capabilities it facilitates simplified operation in many kinds of situations. Unfortunately the pad is comparatively small in our eyes, so that the multi-touch advantages are limited.Sony VGP-BPS13S

The display offers the typical netbook workspace of 1024x600 pixels in the 10.1-inch WSVGA format. Thanks to LED technology the panel achieves good brightness and illumination. Admittedly, as usual the reflective display surfaces are cause for criticism. Granted, at the electrical superstore around the corner this will look tempting, but as a rule this is indeed not where a netbook is going to be used. In unfavourable lighting or even outdoors in the sunshine you quickly learn the flipside of the coin.Sony VGP-BPS13/Q

Acer dares not experiment with the inbuilt hardware with an Intel N280CPU and Intel GMA 950 graphics chip. Probably more than 90% of all current netbooks utilize components from the dominant chip-giant, Intel.
The Aspire One 531 above all profits from low heat emissions of the Intel components, at least in office use, which facilities a very silent operation of the mini-notebook. Sony VGP-BPS13/S

It's a shame that the 6-cell battery cramps the style of the Aspire One 531, but with the completely integrated 3-cell version the battery life would be simply too low in comparison to the competition. With the larger battery the battery life of around 5 hours in practical use the needs of most netbook users should indeed be met. Sony VGP-BPS13A/B

As for price, the One 531 sells for around 70.- Euro more than the Aspire One D150. Whoever is ready to invest in the successful design will surely be happy with the 531. Essentially, technical improvements are not to be found.Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q

With the launch of the GX and GT series, MSI continues to increase its control of the gaming sector. The company has a wide product range so that every enthusiastic gamer, who enjoys playing on the laptop, can find a laptop which fulfills his/her needs. Whether the buyer chooses to get a big, high performance gaming laptop, or a smaller, far more handy, but still good performance notebook, like the MSI GX 400, he/she will almost always find the perfect laptop in MSI's diverse product range.Sony VGP-BPS13A/S

MSI's gaming division can be basically divided into the GT and GX series. The main distinction between the two series is the available graphics performance. The GT series uses graphics cards from class 1 of our mobile graphics cards' comparison, while the GX series uses the weaker graphics cards from class 2 of our comparison. Sony VGP-BPS13AS
After having tested the other, somewhat bigger models from MSI, such as the GX600, the GX620 and the GT627 (all of which are 15 inch gaming laptops), we now turn towards the GX400, which is currently MSI's smallest gaming specialist. With a 14 inch display, the laptop strikes a fine balance between mobility and performance.Sony VGP-BPS13B/S

Although the GX400 is optically very different from, for example, the GX 620, some features of its case hint towards the origin of the laptop. For example, the cover panel (above the keyboard), under which one can find the speakers, also accomodates the well-known Turbo button. This button can be found in most MSI gaming machines, and it allows the user to overclock the installed CPU with the press of a button (further details can be found in the "performance" section of this review).Sony VGP-BPS13B/Q

While the other models of the GX series attempt to attract the buyer's attention with a myriad of colours, our test model, the GX 400, has a very conservative appearance. The case and keyboard of our model are both black, and there are no colourful imprints which attract the eye. The only colourful surface of the laptop is the dark blue display cover. MSI has dubbed this rather simple design the "Metal-Blue Edition", and, unfortunately for buyers in Europe, this is also the only colour scheme available.Sony VGP-BPS13B/B

As we do not think that a gaming laptop requires colourful, flashing LEDs, and a really stylish case, to be a proper gaming laptop, we must conclude that the MSI GX 400's design is good enough.Sony-vgp-bps13S

However, the manufacturer could not completely conceal the fact that the notebook belongs to a cheaper price segment. After all, the entire case consists of parts made of synthetic material. This is bad because the feel and the sturdiness of this material are not very convincing.Sony-vgp-bps2a
For example, even with the slightest pressure, the base of the laptop can be clearly bent inwards. The case does not react so well either when the front edge of the laptop is lifted up. This action makes the torsion in the base unit and the possible sources of creaking in the laptop evident.Sony-vgp-bps2b

The display is not really that much better. The dislay cover neither protects the display from high pressure nor does it protect it from possible torsions. The display hinges are another big mistake. These look hopelessly under-dimensioned, and they also can not hold the screen in place properly. In fact, the two hinges exert such little force that sooner or later the display will start opening and closing by itself, due to a lack of proper clamping force.Sony-vgp-bps2c

The HDMI port and the combined eSATA/USB interface are definitely two highlights of the MSI GX 400. The rest of the ports are standard, as they include two more USB ports, an analogue VGA output, and audio ports on the front of the notebook.Sony VGP-BPS8A

Depending the user's personal preferences, he/she will either be pleased or very unhappy with the positioning of the ports offered on the laptop. In the case of the GX 400, MSI has positioned the ports in such a way that their use could be considered okay as long as one does not use too many of them at the same time.Sony VGP-BPS8B

The ports based on the left side of the laptop (the VGA output, the HDMI port and eSATA interface) can be criticized as they are all grouped near the front half of the notebook. Left-handed users will definitely not be pleased when they see that even the cooler fan is positioned on the left side near the back, making life for them even harder.Sony VGP-BPS8

Right-handed users, on the other hand, benefit from the optical drive placed on the right edge, next to the only USB port near the back of the notebook. The optimal usage of the ports with the GX 400 would be the use of the power supply, the LAN, and the USB port, which can be used for the mouse, as they all lie on the back of the laptop, and to use them would mean that the right and left sides of the workplace are free of distracting cables.Sony VGP-BPL8

Front side: Audio ports Left side: Kensington Lock, VGA-Out, eSATA/USB, HDMI, ExpressCard 34mm, Cardreader Back side: Power supply, LAN, USB Right side: opt. optical drive, USBMSI has decided to equip the GX 400 with a Gigabit LAN connection, so that the user can enjoy the full bandwidth offered by the LAN cables in a multiplayer game. Sony VGP-BPL9

Together with the Intel Wireless 5100 WLAN module (standard 802.11 b/g/n) the hardware in the laptop ensures that all of the user's wireless needs are fulfilled. As an additional feature, the MSI GX 400 also has, depending on the model version, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. If the user wishes to equip the GX 400 with UMTS then he/she can do so over an external USB modem or the 34mm Expresscard port.Sony VGP-BPS10

The operating system, installed on the laptop, is the Windows Vista Home Premium (32-Bit). Despite the installed OS, MSI equipped the GX 400 with 4 GB RAM, which Vista definitely can not completely use. To use 100% of the RAM, it would be necessary to buy and install the 64-bit version of Vista. MSI did not offer alternatives to the operating system, Sony PCGA-BP7

but thankfully they did put up drivers for Windows XP on their homepage. The guarantee on the notebook lasts for 24 months. Sadly we were not able to get any details about the possible extensions available. to top Input Devices The colourful W-A-S-D keys were the trademarks of all the previously tested MSI gaming notebooks,Sony PCGA-BP71

as these keys are usually the ones which direct the player's character in games, especially in FPS(First-person shooter). Unfortunately, these keys are not to be found in the GX 400, but, on the other hand, the keyboard does have a business-like appeal with the black keys and the white, and sometimes dark blue, letters printed on the keys. Now to the more important factor: the layout. What was MSI thinking when they conceived this keyboard?Sony PCGA-BP71A

Review of the Toshiba USB Hard Disk with 500 GB

When working in practice, everything went pretty gentle, as typical of netbooks, but without longer periods of waiting during the usage of several applications at the same time. Converting with iTunes simply takes longer, World of Warcraft can only be played at a resolution of 800x600 with minimal details at an average of 14 fps, IBM 40Y6999 and image processing is feasible only for absolutely basic tasks, because of the low screen resolution alone. The system is sufficiently fast and smooth enough for tasks in accordance with the status, such as browser, text processing, and communication via email and skype.

Compared directly to other netbooks, such as the Lenovo Ideapad S10e, or the Samsung NC10, the Asus 1000HE is audibly louder, but is altogether still on a silent level and reaches 32-36 dB(A) without load. One only notices the definitely audible vent with 40.4 dB(A) at maximal load. When it comes to noise behavior,IBM 40Y7001 the extremely quiet characteristics of the vent are pleasant for most users. It does neither produce high frequency noises, nor does it change the speed of rotation often, but does its work very constantly.

Only the Seagate hard disk presented itself unusual in our test model in a "cold" state with a cracking which was 37 db(A) loud. This fainted after some operating time and reduced to a working noise of low profile 33.7 dB(A).IBM 40Y7003

The vents can also be influenced with the already mentioned eeectl tool, the sound level can be reduced somewhat with it. One should be aware of the risk, as with the display's brightness, and accept possible damages under a loss of warranty. With eeectl, we could reduce the sound level to 31.7 dB(A) without load, at a vent activity of 30%.IBM ASM 92P1168

On average, the temperatures measured are in the range of human body temperature and are not indicative of conspicuities or possible limitations. Even the top value of 40.3 °C, which can occur in the middle area of the underbody, is absolutely within reason and does not let surmise any limitations. IBM ASM 92P1170

The loudspeakers are located on the front area and radiate forwards. They are quite sufficient for listening to music without great expectations, and convince through an undistorted sound. However, they very much lack bass and have few medium notes, and are also treble-heavy (as typical of this class). Furthermore, they also suffer from a low maximum volume. As usual, one can produce relief quickly and cheaply through earphones or USB-loudspeakers to get more for the mobile usage as well. IBM ASM 92P1172

This is the Eee PC 1000HE's key skill. One readily accepts the device's somewhat higher weight of 1.46kg, due to the maximum battery life of - believe it or not - 512 minutes in the BatteryEater Reader's Test (maximal possible battery life). The mini notebook also features the necessary basic characteristics with a capacity of 62 Wh and a minimal consumption of 8.5 W.IBM ASM 92P1174

The Asus energy saver profile "Power Saving" plays a great role in the low minimal power consumption, it intervenes far deeper in the energy-management than one is used to from Windows XP's profiles. The most obvious action is the Atom CPU, stepped down to a clock rate of 750 Mhz, which nevertheless makes surprisingly fast browser activity and document processing possible. The display brightness, stepped down to the minimum (which we as usually used in this test as well), is rather less suited for working.IBM FRU 42T4505

In the WLAN-test, with browser activity and pleasing display brightness, the Eee PC still reaches surprising 433 minutes. This is more like the user's behavior in practice and is also an excellent value. Those who think the performance of the processor, stepped down to 750 Mhz, is too low, can still expect 386 minutes in the WLAN-test. IBM FRU 42T4506 Under maximal work load, which means a clock rate of 1.69 Ghz for the Eee PC 1000HE in the Asus "Super Performance" profile, the netbook still reaches tolerable 272 minutes battery life in the BatteryEater Classic Test. It measures minimally reachable battery life under load, with switched on Bluetooth, W-LAN and maximum brightness of the display (Asus).

All in all, the Asus cannot reach the 9.5 hours of independence from the mains in our test, as promised by Asus, but it is on a very high level with a battery life between 4.5 and 8.5 hours, and very good characteristics for the quality of running for a long time in practice. IBM FRU 92P1163

Whoever is looking for an especially enduring netbook should definitely shortlist the Asus Eee PC 1000HE. Even if the design might not be everybody's taste: battery life and build quality can be very convincing. Moreover, the matt display with strong contrast has very good characteristics for indoors and only loses points through its too meager maximum brightness during outdoor usage.IBM FRU 92P1165

As the flipside of the quality of running for a long time, one has to accept the lower-than-usual performance when making full use of it, and the somewhat higher weight. The uptight touch pad was bothersome on the test model, and the noise development does not quite reach the standard of many competitors. Those who can put up with these limitations find a solid piece of mobile technique in this variant of the Eee PC.IBM FRU 92P1167

The extremely long battery life and the Asus energy saver profiles. The included neoprene sleeve is also nice and useful.A high ex factory display brightness, which makes outdoor usage possible without potential loss of warranty.That Asus used a matt display with excellent contrast values and even leaves behind the glossy competitors.IBM FRU 92P1169

As far as the battery life is concerned, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is unrivaled at the moment. Possible alternatives with not quite as long battery life are the Samsung NC10 or the Acer Aspire One 531, these are also somewhat lighter, but not as powerful.Lenovo 57Y6450

Small, lightweight, and a lot of storage space. This is how one could describe the new external 2.5" hard disk from Toshiba. 465GB of usable space and a USB 2.0 port are supposed to convince for less than 120 Euros. You can read how the HDD comes off in the following review.Lenovo L09S8L09

The Toshiba HDDR500E03X is an external 2.5" hard disk in the modern high-gloss design. Five bicolored stripes (in white and grey on out model) optically loosen up the surface somewhat and make the HDD look modern. A disadvantage of the surface, which is coated with piano lacquer, is its susceptibility to fingerprints. This finish is not optimal, especially for a mobile device, since it is covered with finger prints and cords immediately.Lenovo 51J0399

But susceptible to finger printsToshiba integrated a blue LED in the lower left corner of the case for indicating the operating status, it glows while switched on and flashes during read/write-access in its rhythm.Two large rubber stripes adorn the bottom side and make it possible to keep it without gliding on practically every surface.Lenovo 45K2177

The plastic case's stability kann be described as satisfactory. The case creaks a little when pressure is applied to the sides, but it does leave the impression of being stable and should not make any problems during mobile usage.Lenovo L08S3B21

Thanks to the used plastic case, the external USB hard disk remains pleasantly lightweight and portable (weighs 151g).
The case itself can not be opened without damaging it, according to Toshiba (and our own attempts). Therefore, we have to stick with Toshiba as far as the specifications of the used components are concerned.Lenovo L08S6C21

Toshiba's small box offers only a USB 2.0 port. Other ports, such as FireWire or eSata, are nowhere to be found, neither is a connection for power supply. The HDDR500E03X includes a Toshiba MK5055GSX 2.5" hard disk, which offers 500GB of storage space. It is formatted with a factory setting of FAT32 and has 465.8GB of usable storage space. Lenovo ASM 42T4683 Thanks to FAT32, the disk can be used immediately with all current operating systems. The maximum size for single files is 4GB (actually a byte less than 4GB), modern file systems can use the space somewhat more efficiently, and they can read or write files.Toshiba ships the storage box in a handsome plastic packaging, a USB 2.0 cable and a short installation manual in several languages are included.

Specifications of the used Toshiba HDDThe used Toshiba HDDR500E03X is a 2.5" notebook hard disk with 5400rpm and 8MB Cache. The transfer rate reached a constant 33.3 MB/s when tested, thus the USB 2.0 Bus is definitely putting a limit to it. Theoretically about 480 MBit/s (60 MB/s) are possible over USB 2.0, Lenovo FRU 42T4682 but similarly high values seldomly remain in practice. The Toshiba hard disk respectively the controller from Initio make the most of the USB 2.0 interface, which is also visible through the measured burst rate of 27.8 MB/s.The access time of 18.7ms and 7.9% CPU load are also alright for an external hard disk over USB 2.0.

Like most external 2.5" hard disks, the Toshiba HDDR500E03X is also supplied with power via the USB port, a dedicated port for a power supply unit is not provided. However, the hard disk drained up to 740mA (maximum) from the USB port, and USB 2.0 is only specified for up to 500mA. This means that not all notebooks might be able to supply the necessary 740mA, Lenovo ASM 42T4691there might be problems during usage. The available y-cables cannot help either, according to the specifications, since the hard disk cannot register at the second port.The power consumption (important for the reduction of battery life) was at a median of 1.3 watt (while idle) and 2.3 watt (when used).

The Toshiba HDD's surface remained chilly during the test.Due to the vent-free way of construction of the plastic case, only the running noises of the used Toshiba hard disk occur during operation. This is expressed through the quiet whirr of the hard disk during operation, and a barely perceivable rattling during read or write access. Lenovo FRU 42T4688These noises are accompanied by minimally perceptible vibrations.The HDD's surface temperatures remain absolutely uncritical even after longer usage and do not exceed the skin temperature of 32 °C, meaning that it always felt chilly during the test.

For currently 90-125 Euros (source: Geizhals.at), the buyer gets a nifty external hard disk with sufficient storage space. The compability to Windows XP, Vista, 7, MacOS X, and Linux is assured thanks to the FAT32 format. The performance is, as expected, limited by the USB port. Unfortunately, a dedicated power connection is missing, Lenovo FRU 42T4690 which could absorb the current peaks above the USB specifications. Temperatures and running noise do not give any cause for complaints, so the small box can absolutely be recommended.

Acer already landed a direct hit with the first Aspire One A110, which became the best-selling netbook of 2008. As these tiny devices have provided a proper boost to the balances of many manufacturers in such a short time it is no surprise that Acer also wants to see other models meet the same success of the A110 with future models. Following the Aspire One D150, the Taiwanese manufacturer brings another compact 10-incher onto the market with the Aspire One 531.Lenovo 42T4235

Acer has already dedicated a section of its website to the strong selling mini-laptops, which despite some current arguments are shamelessly called netbooks. Overall 6 netbook variants are currently sold by Acer. The Aspire One A110 L/X (Linux or Windows) is still available, whilst its successor comes along in 10-inch form, Lenovo 42T4731the already reviewed D150. However the Aspire One 531 at hand, as well as its bigger brother, the Aspire One 751 with a 11.6-inch display and HD resolution (1366x768), are new to Acer's portfolio.
There is also a revised version of the D150: Acer Aspire One D250.

As for Acer's Aspire One D150, the first 10-inch netbook from the Taiwanese manufacturer wasn't likely to be to every netbook fan's taste when it comes to the case, but Acer was quick to rectify this with the new Aspire One 531, which is a much more stylish and elegant mini-laptop. This can also be considered as a reaction to the latest iterations of competitors' models, for example the Asus Eee PC 1002HA, but also the Dell Mini 10 and many others. Lenovo 42T4733

How does the Aspire One 531 differentiate itself from the D150 with the same form factor and CPU/GPU? Well, apart from a clearly flatter case, not much. This brings with it a further advantage - weight. The Aspire One D150 weighed in at 1350 grams (with a larger 59 Wh battery), whilst the Aspire One 531 weighs 1220 grams, even equipped with the larger 6-cell battery, roughly 10% under the total weight of the D150.Lenovo 42T4737

Changes to the case almost always go hand in hand with design changes, which is the case with the Aspire One 531. Compared to the One D150 the case of the 531 basically fits in better, and shows certain similarities with the business design in the Travelmates.Lenovo 42T4753
In detail, the device does without colourful case materials and to our particular taste so too is there no high gloss finish of the display lid. This is spared due to the fact that it would easily show dirt but also accumulate small scratches and marks over time.

We can't completely renounce the glittery look of the device for the consumer. The shiny frame of the display surrounds the equally reflective display, and also on the base unit the sides have a high gloss finish, which, in our opinion, is aesthetically very well received and whose disadvantages are also kept within limits.Lenovo 42T4757

Review: Toshiba Satellite L750-16W

The minimum battery life under load is determined with BatteryEater's Classic test. It loads the CPU and GPU by rendering a moving 3D object. Acer BTP-AHD1The Satellite only lasts for not quite 80 minutes - an acceptable rate.Toshiba Satellite L750-16WThe Toshiba Satellite L750 can't excel in our test. The design is contemporary and the base unit is stable so that the case is well suited for private customers. The connectivity is up to date, but not outstanding. All state of the art interfaces are available with HDMI and USB 3.0 and users shouldn't be missing any interfaces.Acer BTP-AID1

The keyboard is good, but the gaps between the keys could have been a bit wider. The numpad will delight users who have to enter long number columns. On the other hand, the touchpad is a bit imprecise and not palpably separated. Thus, the fingers tend to quickly slide off the touchpad.Acer LC.BTP00.130A

The screen is reflective and not very bright. Consequently, it isn't very convincing in bright surroundings. As more often than not, the contrasts and viewing angles are also limited. The processor is strong enough for most applications. Throttling occurs when the processor and graphics card are loaded by demanding games or programs. It lets the processor clock drop to only 800 MHz.Acer L10D56A

The hard disk is very fast and stores enough data. The Satellite is only suitable for games to an extent. For one thing, the performance is slowed down considerably during load peaks. The laptop remains agreeably cool and fairly quiet during routine tasks. In return, the power consumption is quite high for a notebook of this performance category.Acer L10C31

Overall, the Satellite L750-16W is aimed at users who need a solid notebook,Acer AS10B31 but don't want to squeeze out the last MHz of performance. The processor's performance is easily sufficient for editing pictures or videos.Crème de la crème. We are now listing the editorial office's current top devices from every category here for spontaneous buyers or those who are already waiting for After-Holiday-Sales. No matter if you are looking for a slim notebook, a tablet PC, an affordable office laptop or even a high performance gamer, you'll find the right one here.Acer AS10B41

Readers could find an overview of laptops from the various device categories in the previous shopping guides. To conclude the series, the Notebookcheck editorial office would like to pull an overall verdict and choose the top devices of the different categories.Acer AS10B51

We will limit ourselves to a maximum of three devices in every category for our selection, whereby the sorting does not indicate any preferences. We listed the devices in alphabetical order. A detailed overview of other potential candidates of the single categories can be found on the following special reports linked here:Acer AS10B73

Apple MacBook Air 13The Apple MacBook Air 13 secures itself an editor's recommendation also in this category. Acer AS10B3EThe slim case, fast hardware, good screen and the typical good unibody case, as well as the convincing input devices including LED backlight, are strong arguments for this option. If we look at it generously, it is Apple's ultrabook which most OEMs with Windows devices want to keep up with. At a starting price of €1249 (RRP), this "quality apple" has its price, especially when the buyer considers that, for example, an Acer Aspire S3 with a 13.3 inch screen is already available for starting at €799 (RRP). Apple's 11 inch counterpart to the Air 13 is also a bit cheaper: Apple MacBook Air 11.Acer AS10B5E

Asus Zenbook UX31Now, the following may be seen as the proverbial comparison of apples and oranges, Acer AS10B7E but judging by the rating in the review and the overall impression, the Asus Zenbook U31 UltraBook can very well keep up with Apple's Air: Strong hardware, an aluminum case (unibody) and an overall high-end impression. Asus' advantage: The 13.3 inch screen is very bright and has a resolution of 1600x900 pixels in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Apple can't offer this even for a surcharge. Excepting for the top model with an Intel Core i7 processor and SSD memory medium, the two "smaller" models are even cheaper than the Apple Air. Just as interesting for potential buyers: The smaller Asus UX21 UltraBook with similar strengths.Acer AS10E76

Samsung Series 9 900X1BSlim cases are trendy. Samsung also underlines this with its Series 9, to be precise the 900X1B subnotebook.Acer LC.BTP01.005 Compared to pure aluminum cases, Samsung uses a special alloy from the aircraft industry called duralumin. It's just as robust, but isn't as easy to clean. The latest Intel hardware, including an SSD memory, also does its job inside. On the other hand, the 900X1B differs in a smaller, 11.6 inch screen, more compact dimensions and a lower total weight. At a recommended retail price of €999, the price is still within limits for this category. Again, it has an equal big brother, the 900X3A (13 inch). Acer LC.BTP01.009

Apple MacBook Pro 15"More Bang for the Buck" is supplied with the Late 2011 Refresh of Apple's MacBook Pro 15. Acer LC.BTP01.020The refresh bids more performance for the same money with a perfect aluminum unibody case, a very good screen (optionally matt) and the latest hardware (Intel Core i7-2760QM & AMD Radeon HD 6770M). However, owners of an Early 2011 model won't have any benefits by replacing it. Of course, the operating system is ultimately a matter of taste, but Apple offers a tried and tested device with this update. In terms of price, this notebook places itself in the ultimate premium range, which could still be a make-or-break criterion.Acer BT.00803.004

Reviews of the Apple MacBook Pro 15 Late 2011 (2.4 GHz, 6770M, glare) // Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2.0 GHz, matt) // Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2.0 GHz, glare) // Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2.2 GHz, glare)

Alienware M14xAn unusual rarity has also made it onto our top rating list. Acer BT.T3004.001We are speaking of a powerful gaming/multimedia notebook in a typical business-style 14 inch size called M14x. An Intel quad core CPU paired with Nvidia's GeForce GT 555M graphics card provides impressive performance in view of the compact size. Whether gaming on the desk at home or surfing on the go, the M14x is capable of almost everything. Downside: Glossy screen and high noise level during load.Acer BT.T3007.001

Schenker mySN XMG A501When dealing with almost completely configurable notebooks, the German supplier Schenker Notebooks,Acer BT.T3007.003 short mySN, shouldn't be left out. In the category of multimedia laptops, the company sends the XMG A501 with a matt 15.6 inch screen into the race. Including the latest hardware, such as Intel's Core i5-2410M dual core CPU and the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 555M graphics unit, automatic graphics switching, good screen rates, an impressive case, good battery runtimes and pleasant input devices, the device comes very close to perfection. The emissions during load, the GPU's tight memory interface and a bulky power adapter oppose the positive impression. Nevertheless, the start price of €669 is more than appropriate.Acer BTP-58A1

Apple iPad 2In the category of tablet PCs, the Apple iPad 2 naturally shouldn't be omitted,Acer BTP-59A1 even if fans of the Android operating system will be critical of this statement. The case's workmanship, the excellent IPS screen and the simplicity of use are weighty bonus points of this device. However, Android could at least gain ground in the last point. In terms of computing power, there's not much difference between the Apple A5 processor, which is also found in the new iPhone 4S, and the Nvidia Tegra platform. The iPad is a solid tablet that should simply satisfy the user, not least because of the clever marketing… Acer BTP-60A1

Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101An author in our editorial office called the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Tablet from Asus "The logical development of tablets",Acer 4UR18650F-2-QC145 as it fuses two devices: First, an Android tablet with a 10.1 inch screen and second, a netbook. Other advantages of this concept are the IPS screen, the Tegra 2 dual core CPU and the additional interfaces on the keyboard dock. Significant drawbacks are the not inevitably very good mobility of this combination and the price of about €600 (keyboard only: €150). Basically a very good idea from Taiwan, which will likely soon have a new family member called Eee Transformer Prime.Acer 4UR18650F-2-QC185

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1NThere was a lot of commotion about the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 in the last weeks and months. Acer 916C4310F Apple saw its design patent infringed and Samsung had to consequently take its device from the German market, among others. Now the device is finally available again under the name "Galaxy Tab 10.1N" and with a slightly modified design, which especially stands out with the visible speakers on the front. The innards haven't been changed. Nvidia's Tegra 2 SoC (system-on-a-chip) and Google's Android 3.2 operating system still create the backbone. The Galaxy Tab is likely one of the favorites among Apple's Android contenders.Acer BATSQU410

Lenovo ThinkPad X121eIn the category of "endangered" netbooks, Acer BT.00603.002 the opinion in the editorial office tend to move away from the low-cost Intel Atom netbooks for around €300 or less, to the higher quality and more powerful options. The Lenovo ThinkPad X121e qualifies itself here in view of various configuration options, although it could pass as a subnotebook. Other advantages are the fast hard disk, easy expandability, a very long battery life, a matt 11.6 inch screen with a good brightness (1366x768) and not least, the interesting price-performance ratio. At a start price of about €360, it's not much more expensive than other current netbooks, but it can offer a considerable added value in many points.Acer BT.00803.006

Alienware M17x R3When dealing with gaming notebooks, the name Alienware shouldn't be omitted. Acer BT.00803.012 The Dell department has a high performance device in its range with the M17x. In the meantime, it's available in its third generation (R3). The outstanding performance, including the automatic graphics switching Nvidia Optimus, the design and the good feel are convincing arguments for the 17.3 inch machine. It also moves more toward desktop replacements with a total weight of over four kilograms. The configuration diversity offered in the online shop also has to be emphasized additionally. The price starts at €1499 (RRP) in the mobile premium top range.Acer BT.00806.006

Lenovo IdeaPad U400 Review

Of all the iPad cases we've tested recently,Acer UM08A73 Kensington's is the most like a notebook's, as it has dedicated Pause/Break and Printscreen buttons in the function row. We're not sure how necessary they are, though. Better to have more iPad-centric keys, such as cut and paste. We do like the Kensington includes a .com key, which is thoughtful, but it's at the expense of the right Shift key, which is shrunken too much.The Keyfolio Pro is rated for 90 hours of battery life, the same as the ClamCase, and about 30 hours longer than the Belkin Keyboard Folio.Acer UM08A74

If you're in the market for an iPad keyboard case that lets you work in landscape or portrait mode, the $99 Kensington Keyfolio Pro is the one to get. Not only is it attractive, but it's highly functional, too. A few minor tweaks would make it even better, overall this accessory is a very good choice.Acer UM08B71
Kensington has been in the iPad accessory game for a while, and it shows. The $99 Keyfolio Pro is not only an attractive iPad 2 keyboard case, but it's well thought out also. This case lets you rotate your iPad into landscape or portrait mode, and provides a comfortable keyboard for typing.Acer UM08B72

ReviewSpecifications.For those who find 9- and 10-inch slates too large to carry everywhere, 7-inch tablets provide greater portability and easier one-handed use. With competitors such as Acer, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lenovo, and Samsung making 7-inch devices, Toshiba is entering an already crowded market with its new slate. However the new Thrive 7-inch brings some compelling favors to the party, including a high-resolution 1280 x 800 screen and an attractive design. But is this Tegra 2-toting tablet worth its relatively high $379 price?Acer UM08B73

Click to EnlargeOne of the most stylish tablets with this size display, the Thrive 7-inch shares the same aesthetic as its bigger brother, the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive. It has a luxurious rubberized back with a textured ridge surface that's easy to grip. Classy chrome rings the front and rear cameras. As on the elder Thrive, the cameras sit on the short side of the device, making it a little too easy to cover the back-facing lens with your thumb when filming with the device in landscape mode.Acer UM08B74

While the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive was one of the bulkiest tablets on the market, its 7-inch brother is one of the lightest, making it well suited for one hand use. At 7.4 x 5. x 0.5 inches and 13.3 ounces, the 7-inch Thrive is thicker and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (12.2 ounces, 7.6 x 4 x 0.4 inches). However, it's lighter than the Acer Iconia Tab A100 (14.7 ounces, 4.6 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches), the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet (14.2 ounces, 8 x 5 x 0.48 inches), and the Kindle Fire (14.6 ounces, 7.5 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches).Acer ZG5

Click to EnlargeOn the Thrive 7-inch's left long side sit a volume rocker, power button, and orientation lock switch, along with a rubber port cover that hides the mircoUSB, microSD card reader, and microHDMI out ports. A 3.5mm headphone jack is located on the tablet's short side top, with a proprietary docking station on the bottom.Acer AS07B71

Extremely rare among tablets, the Thrive 7-inch can charge when the docking cable is connected to a PC's USB port, though it also comes with an AC adapter that lets it juice from an outlet. However, if you want to copy files from a PC, you must connect using the microUSB port rather than the docking cable.acer al10a13

Click to EnlargeThe Thrive 7-inch's bright, colorful screen is the sharpest you'll find on a 7-inch slate, thanks to its 1280 x 800 resolution. Most 7-inchers provide only 1024 x 600. That gives the Thrive an impressive pixel density of 215.63 PPI, much higher than other 7-inch tablets' density of 169.55 PPI or 10.1-inchers' density of 149.45 PPI. This higher density means much sharper images when you're surfing the web, gaming, or playing videos.acer al10a31

When we streamed an HD trailer for The Avengers, images were extremely sharp and colors such as the blue in Captain America's costume and red in Thor's cape really popped. Colors remained vibrant even at 180-degree viewing angles and with the screen titled way back. At full brightness, the Thrive's screen measured an impressive 355 lux on our light meter. Both the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet have brighter displays--460 and 392 lux respectively--but neither has a screen that's as sharp as the Thrive's.acer al10b31

When we played the jet-skiing game Riptide, objects such as the jet ski and our character's helmet were much crisper than they were on the 10.1-inch Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Even when we read news articles on Cnn.com and NYTimes.com, text seemed crisper than on other tablets we've used.acer al10bw

The stereo speakers on the Thrive 7-inch produced reasonably accurate sound that's loud enough to hear across a small room, though the audio was a bit flat. When we streamed Patrice Rushen's bass-heavy "Forget Me Nots" from Rhapsody and Alice Cooper's "School's Out" from Slacker, the music was accurate and free of distortion and tininess. However, because the speakers are mounted on the left short side, it's easy to accidentally cover them when holding the Thrive in landscape mode.acer al10g31

Click to EnlargeWhen positioned in landscape mode, the Thrive 7-inch's screen is the ideal size for effective thumb-typing, as each hand can reach toward the middle of the keyboard with great ease. By default, the Thrive 7-inch is set to use Android 3.2's stock keyboard, but Swype is also available. Many users will prefer Swype's method of forming letters by tracing lines between keys, but we were annoyed by its inability to deal with new words as it kept autocompleting to "scream" when we tried to trace "Avram."acer bt.00603.121

Though it is disabled by default, the Thrive 7-inch supports haptic feedback on either of its keyboards to provide tactile feedback as you type. With haptic feedback enabled on the stock keyboard, the Thrive 7-inch provided one of the most comfortable and accurate typing experiences we've had on an Android tablet.Acer LC.BTP00.008

Click to EnlargeApart from setting the default wallpaper to an attractive red-and-black abstract pattern, Toshiba has made no changes to Google's Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. Users unfamiliar with Honeycomb will appreciate its power and flexibility, but the software has a steeper learning curve compared to iOS for the iPad.Acer LC.BTP00.014

The Honeycomb OS has five customizable home screens for displaying widgets and shortcuts to your favorite apps. The lower left-hand corner of the screen contains virtual Back,Home, and Layers buttons, the latter of which shows thumbnails for each open application to make task-switching easy. Notifications appear along the bottom right, next to the time and battery icons. Tapping the battery icon also brings up a quick notifications/settings list, which lets you adjust the brightness and change the wireless without leaving your current app.Acer BATCL50L

All Honeycomb tablets come with a number of Google applications that are designed to take advantage of the large screen. Both the email (POP, IMAP, Exchange) and Gmail clients have two panes, one for viewing the contents of your inbox and another for reading the current message. The stock Honeycomb browser supports multiple tabs to make switching between different sites easy. The Thrive 7-inch comes pre-loaded with Google's Android Market, which provides access to more than 300,000 apps. (Only about 5,000 of these have been specially optimized for tablets.)Acer BATCL50L4

With its dual-core 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU and 1GB of RAM, the Thrive 7-inch packs plenty of power. In our testing, the tablet was more than capable of delivering eye-popping graphics on intense 3D games such as Need for Speed Shift and Riptide GP. Playing high-quality videos, surfing the web, and taking pictures were also no problem. Like all Android tablets we've tested, the Thrive 7-inch suffered from occasional moments of lag when we tried to move from one task to another too quickly, but these moments were fewer than on most other tablets we've used.Acer UM09G31

The Thrive 7-inch performed well on all the synthetic benchmarks we threw at it. On the Benchmark CPU test, it scored a strong 3,008, well above the tablet category average of 2,680 and about on par with the Tegra 2-powered Acer Iconia Tab A100's score of 3018. The Toshiba was just a tiny bit behind the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet (3,056) and the Amazon Kindle Fire (3,069), both of which use 1-GHz TI OMAP 4 processors. The 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos powered Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus scored a much higher 3,353.Acer UM09G41

The Thrive 7-inch scored a respectable 7,635 on An3DBench, which measures graphics prowess, far better than the 7,156 tablet category average, the 7,006 provided by the Kindle Fire, and the 7,120 offered by the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus turned in a higher 7,899, and the Acer Iconia Tab A100 scored 8,081. However, both of those tablets have lower-resolution screens than the Thrive 7-inch.Acer UM09G51

The Toshiba Thrive 7-inch lasted a mediocre time of 5 hours and 18 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 40-percent brightness. That time is well behind the tablet category average of 6 hours and 42 minutes, the Kindle Fire's time of 7:34, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus' time of 7:18.Acer UM09H31

Click to EnlargeThe 5-megapixel rear-facing camera took mediocre pictures that were about on par with those we've seen from other 5-MP tablets. Shots of city skyscrapers showed a fair amount of detail, but were more than a little bit white washed. Colors were rather muted in a picture of orange flowers.When we shot a 720p video of a rooftop in the later afternoon, images looked sharper and cleaner, though not at all bright or colorful.Acer UM09H41

Click to EnlargeThe 2-MP front-facing camera took dark, shadowy images of our face in low light and oversatured images when we sat under a lamp. Motion was fairly smooth when we conducted a Skype call with a Windows PC on the other end, though our picture froze a number of times.Acer BT.00803.005

Click to EnlargeToshiba includes very few apps to supplement Android 3.2's built-in selection. Toshiba File Manager provides access to the device's internal memory and any external drives or SD cards you plug in. Toshiba Media Player lets you play locally stored video files, and Toshiba Service Station checks for software updates.Acer BT.3506.001

The Thrive also includes a trial versions of Kaspersky Antivirus and the racing game Need for Speed Shift. QuickOffice HD lets you open, but not edit, Office documents. PrinterShare allows you to print to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth printers. Hardwood games, including Backgammon, Euchre, Solitaire, Hearts, and Spades, are also included.Acer BT.T3504.001

Click to EnlargeThe Thrive 7-inch's sharp 1280 x 800 screen--an industry first for a tablet this size--turns gaming, movie watching, or reading into a visual feast. Throw in a stylish, lightweight chassis and you have one of the better premium 7-inch Android Honeycomb slates on the market. However, the mediocre battery life holds this slate back.Acer BT.T3506.001

Consider the $199 Amazon Kindle Fire if you're looking to save money and are willing to sacrifice the flexibility of the full Android 3.2 operating system. If you want longer battery life at about the same price, the $399 Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is the better choice. The Samsung also has a thinner design and doubles as a smart TV remote. However, if you want the 7-inch tablet with the best visual experience, focus your sights on the Thrive 7-inch.Acer LC.BTP00.004

Galaxy Nexus Launches Tomorrow on Verizon for $299Tests Show Batman: Arkham City Requires a High-end Notebook GPU9-inch Nextbook Premium Tablet from E Fun Available 12/20
Toshiba Thrive 7" Hands-On: First 7-inch Tablet With 1280 x 800 ScreenTop 10 iPad AlternativesToshiba Rumored to be Unveiling Ultra-Thin Tablet at IFAAdvertisement ..Acer LC.BTP04.001

The Verdict: The 14-inch IdeaPad U400 has a sleek design and discrete graphics, but an over-sensitive touchpad and the lack of an SD card slot dampen our enthusiasm. Tests graphics performance.Score (Higher is Better)next test.Lenovo IdeaPad U400ASUS U46SVDell XPS 14zGateway ID47H07uCategory Average44898939546141674714 0 1700 3400 5100 6800 8500 10200.Acer BT.T5003.001

Review Asus Zenbook UX21E Ultrabook

The base unit is made up of one top part. Sony VGP-BPS22 battery The interfaces stick out on the right and left. The bottom is a homogeneous surface curved to the sides that doesn't have any air outlets or even maintenance covers. The plate can be taken off by removing Torx screws. But that is not very useful because the WLAN module and RAM are soldered onto the mainboard. The "hard disk", an ADATA XM11 (128GB SSD), isn't installed in a 2.5 or 1.8 inch form factor (typical for notebooks, subnotebooks, and netbooks) and plugged into the standard SATA connector, but is rather set as mSATA.VGP-BPS22A

The spatial conditions of the not more than 17 millimeter high chassis (thickest point incl. feet) don't support a generous configuration of ports. Moreover, there is the claim of perfection and cleanliness. A row of plugs wouldn't look right here. The UX21E's connectivity is therefore conservatively limited to two USB (1 x 3.0), micro HDMI, mini VGA (for dongles) and headphones.VGP-BPS13AS

The manufacturer solves the problem of the too large VGA D-Sub plug and the too high RJ45 port via an adapter, respectively via a USB Ethernet card (ASIX AX88772B). So users who have to use a projector (typically: VGA) for a presentation can use the included adapter. Adapters for micro HDMI type D (M) to HDMI type A, 19 pin (W) are available for little money in retail. VGP-BPS13S

Although an Ethernet adapter hasn't been installed, there naturally is a WLAN adapter that supports the latest draft-n standard (Atheros AR9485WB-EG). Unexpectedly, a Bluetooth 4.0 +HS unit is also installed (Atheros AR3012). BT 4.0 is the low energy version that is also used in devices with a button cell battery. BT 4.0 is not yet used standardly in notebooks.VGP-BPS13/S

Beside the dongles and the usual quick start manuals, more accessories are found in the box. It is a high quality slim case made of faux leather. There are no recovery DVDs for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit included.VGP-BPS13B/S

Asus grants a manufacturer warranty of 24 months on its UltraBooks (including pick-up & return). Users can also attain a warranty extension for a period of three years for about 90€.VGP-BPS21A/B

The keyboards are submerged into a matt plastic plate. Pressed keys are on a level with this grid and even deeper under high pressure. The wrist rest is generously sized and even large hands have room. Positive: the small but separated arrow keys can be found without looking. Asus hasn't built in a key light. The power on button is part of the keyboard and is found in the right corner beside "delete". Thus, a typo can quickly lead to an unintentional shutdown or standby. Sony VGP-BPS21 battery

The keys are absolutely level, i.e. they do not have conical inside curve (for accuracy). We notice the clear pressure point and firm stop (not hard) positively. The design-related, low key drop of only two millimeters causes a somewhat short and unsatisfactory typing feel, though. The keys have a smooth surface that can get a greasy feel depending on the fingers' moisture. The marks for touch-typists are very clearly palpable. Sony VGP-BPS21A battery

The multi-touchpad, model Elan SmartPad, is very big and matt (no fingerprints, good gliding traits). The "click pads" specialty is a "left mouse key" beneath the entire area of the sensitive surface. Alike the Apple MacBooks or the Samsung Serie 9 900X3A, the pad surface sinks by a millimeter and thus triggers a left mouse click (or double click).Sony VGP-BPS21/S battery

The pad also has a right mouse key that usually opens context menus. The right and left key are in the front area. The surface above it isn't touch-sensitive. That is very good because it prevents an irritating cursor movement when only a click is to be implemented. The Samsung Serie 9 900X3A has such a drawback. The mouse keys' drop is good (two millimeters), but could be a bit clearer (for speed). The pressure point is sufficient, the stop is soft and the click is quiet.Sony VGP-BPS21/B battery

The 11.6 inch screen has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels, so typical for the small form factor. Users who want a more clearly arranged desktop will have to buy the 13.3 inch UX31E, which is equipped with a HD+ resolution (1600x900) in every configuration version. The reflective screen shows its qualities in brightness. Colors and contrasts couldn't convince us. XPS 14 Battery

We calculate a contrast of 144:1 due to an extremely weak black value of 3.31 cd/m2. A high contrast generates bright and vivid colors. The glare type can make them look a bit better, but on total they look rather pale. The Adobe RGB (t) and sRGB (t) color gamut are failed by far (pictures 1 & 2). We place the "VAIO Premium display" of a Vaio SE1Z9EB (FHD) next to it for comparison (AdobeRGB coverage).DELL XPS 15 Battery

XPS L401x Battery To live up to its claim of being a synonym for mobility, the Zenbook supplies an tremendous luminance. The screen reaches a gigantic 478 cd/m2 selectively (nearly the top rate in the laptop database!). Averagely, it is still an extremely good 441 cd/m2 (top rate). The previous brightness leader, Samsung Serie 9 900X3A (matt, max. 482, average 413 cd/m2), is thus ousted. The brightness distribution of 87% is relatively good despite the high luminosity.DELL XPS 17 Battery

Regrettably,DELL XPS L501x Battery the splendid brightness isn't attached to a matt, but rather a glare type. Thus, the usual annoying reflections develop when sunlight hits the screen at an unfavorable angle. The brightness helps to reduce this effect. Brightness settings on high in battery mode have the disadvantage of a shorter runtime. The despite it all rather poor battery life was determined with a setting of 100 cd/m2 (WLAN test, movie) in this review. It could get problematic should these times turn out to be even shorter. The brightness is decreased to 395 cd/m2 in battery mode (center).DELL XPS L701x Battery

Lateral view: Dell Inspiron 500m Battery sun from the backThe horizontal viewing angles are only stable up to about 45 degrees. Beyond that, the contrast fades and the colors invert. When our view sways downwards (vertically), the displayed script stays well legible up to about 35 degrees. However, colors already start to clearly invert at 10 degrees. Consequently, it is a viewing angle weak TN screen. That's too bad because such TFTs are installed into every low cost laptop. Many users would likely be willing to pay a bit more for a higher quality IPS screen.Dell Inspiron 600m Battery

Latitude D500 Battery The Intel Core i7-2677M (standard: 1.80 GHz, Turbo: 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz) is a brand new dual core processor of the second Intel Core generation from 2011 (Sandy Bridge). The TDP is 17 watts (laptops otherwise 35 and 45 watts). In contrast to the Intel Core i7-2620M (dual core, 35 watts) frequently used in subnotebooks lately, the TDP is significantly lower. However, this only applies to the standard clock. A Core i5-2467M (1.60 GHz, Turbo up to 2.00 GHz) is available for the UX21E-KX004V as a less expensive version.Latitude D505 Battery

HP EV088AA , HP EV089AA , HP EX940AA , HP EX941AA , HP HSTNN-C17C , HP HSTNN-DB31 , HP HSTNN-DB32 , HP HSTNN-IB31 , HP HSTNN-IB32 , HP HSTNN-IB42 , HP HSTNN-LB31 , HP HSTNN-LB42 , HP HSTNN-OB31 , HP HSTNN-OB42 , HP NBP6A48A1

HP 463305-751

Das Chronos 700Z5A richtet sich somit eher an den mobilen Office- und Web-Nutzer, als an den spiele- und filminteressierten Entertainment-Liebhaber. Wer keine allzu großen Ansprüche an den Monitor stellt, darf bedenkenlos zugreifen.Samsung hätte mehr auf die Displayqualität achten sollen.Potente Mittelklasse-Hardware in einem flachen und relativ leichten Gehäuse.Sony VGP-BPS13/Q

15-zöllige Allround-Notebooks auf Sandy-Bridge-Basis wie das Asus N55SF, das Asus N53SN, das Acer Aspire 5750G, das Apple MacBook Pro 15, das Dell XPS 15z, das Gigabyte P2532N, das LG P530, das Medion Akoya P6812, das Medion Erazer X6815, das Packard Bell EasyNote TS11, das Samsung RF511, das Samsung RC530 oder das Schenker XMG A501.Sony VGP-BPS9/S

Outperformer. Sony VGP-BPS9/B Die mobile Workstation Dell Precision M6600 spielt kräftig mit den Muskeln und bietet im Inneren jede Menge Hochleistungskomponenten. Eine üppige Ausstattung, vielfältige Konfigurationsmöglichkeiten und eine hochwertige Verarbeitungsqualität gehören genauso zum Pflichtenheft, wie umfangreiche Garantie- und Supportoptionen. Ob Dell das alles unter einen Hut bekommt und auch noch ergonomische Aspekte beachtet, haben wir ausführlich getestet.Sony VGP-BPS9

Der kleine Bruder Dell Precision M4600 war bereits vor einigen Wochen bei uns im Test und hat einen bleibenden Eindruck in der Redaktion hinterlassen. Neben hoher Leistungsfähigkeit und guten mobilen Eigenschaften hat das Testmodell vor allem auch in ergonomischer Hinsicht überzeugt. Völlig verdient wurde es im Monat September daher auch von uns mit der „Editors` Choice“ - Auszeichnung bedacht. Sony VGP-BPS9A/B

Das Dell Precision M6600 gehört zur 17“-Klasse und unterscheidet sich auf den ersten Blick zunächst durch die üppigeren Gehäusemaße. Sony VGP-BPS9A/S Das schafft Platz für die Kühlung leistungsstarker Komponenten, viel Massenspeicher, Ausstattung und Unmengen an Konfigurationsmöglichkeiten. Im Dell-Online-Shop kann man beispielsweise zwischen 6 CPUs, 11 verschiedenen Massenspeichern und vier professionellen Grafikkarten wählen. Die Preise beginnen derzeit bei 1500 Euro netto, unser bescheidenes Testmodell erreicht einen Preis von etwa 4100 Euro netto. Dafür bekommt man dann eine Intel Core i7-2920XM CPU, 8 GB RAM, ein 256 GB Solid State Drive, eine Nvidia Quadro 4000M und einen matten 17,3“ Bildschirm mit Full-HD Auflösung. Sony VGP-BPS13A/B

Sony VGP-BPS2A Meckern auf hohem Niveau: kleine Passungenauigkeit beim TestgerätDas Gehäuse unterscheidet sich nur hinsichtlich der Größe und des Gewichts vom kleineren Precision M4600. Die dunkelbraune Farbgebung, das Metallfinish und das kantige Design lassen beide Geräte zum Verwechseln ähnlich aussehen. Das Precision M6600 bringt etwa 600 g mehr auf die Waage und misst in der Breite etwa 4 cm mehr. Aufgrund der kaum veränderten Bauhöhe wirkt die große Workstation von den Proportionen her etwas schlanker als das kleinere 15“-Modell. Sony VGP-BPS2

Zu den knapp 3,8 kg Testgewicht kommt noch das über 1 kg schwere 240-Watt-Netzteil dazu, wodurch sich das Gesamtpaket sehr nah an die 5-kg-Grenze heranbewegt. Für den Transport von A nach B ist das sicherlich verkraftbar, als ständiger Begleiter fällt das Testgerät aber eher aus. Um an die Komponenten zu gelangen, muss man wie gehabt die große Bodenplatte abnehmen. Schnell austauschbare Modullaufwerke im Wechselschacht sind auch hier nicht vorgesehen. Sony VGP-BPS2B

Ist der Akku nicht eingesetzt, Sony VGP-BPS2C fehlt ein Gummifuß für die nötige Standfestigkeit und das Gehäuse kippt nach vorne rechts. Trotz der Größe muss man hinsichtlich der Gehäusesteifigkeit nur geringe Einschränkungen hinnehmen. Der Displaydeckel lässt sich aufgrund der üppigeren Ausmaße etwas mehr mit Zug und Gegenzug verwinden und links neben dem Ein-/Ausschalter lässt sich durch Druck ein minimales Knacken hervorrufen. Bis auf ein etwas größeres Spaltmaß an einer Stelle am Gehäusedeckel, ist die Verarbeitung tadellos und auf einem hohen Qualitätsniveau angesiedelt.Sony VGP-BPS22

Schnittstellen Dell Precision M6600Die Schnittstellenausstattung ist mit Ausnahme einer kleinen Besonderheit identisch zum Precision M4600. Anstatt eines 4-poligen FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394) findet man am M6600 die von Macs bekannte 6-polige Variante. Sony VGP-BPS22A

Diese hat zwar hinsichtlich der Übertragungsgeschwindigkeiten keine Vorteile, Sony VGP-BPS21A/B bietet dafür aber eine eigene Stromversorgung. Somit ist auch der Betrieb mobiler FireWire-Festplatten (üblicherweise aus der „Mac-Welt“) ohne zusätzliche USB-Stromversorgung möglich. Das wird vor allem die Anwender freuen, die noch ältere FireWire-Festplatten im Repertoire haben oder oft mit Macs und Windows-Rechnern im Wechsel oder parallel arbeiten. Die von uns ermittelte Performance der einzelnen Schnittstellen haben wir in der beigefügten Grafik dargestellt. Sony VGP-BPS21

Auf Anregung einiger User hin haben wir dieses Mal auch die Nutzbarkeit der Schnittstellen mit mobilen Festplatten, Sony VGP-BPS21A die keinen separaten Netzanschluss haben, getestet. Problem ist, dass wohl manchmal USB Festplatten nicht anlaufen oder erkannt werden. Hier konnten wir keinerlei Einschränkungen, für welche die Workstation verantwortlich sein könnte, feststellen. USB 2.0 Festplatten haben an den USB 3.0 Ports funktioniert und umgekehrt. Vermutlich wird es sich bei den Problemfällen um zu energiehungrige Festplattenmodelle handeln, die sich nicht an die USB-Spezifikationen halten. Diese Unart haben wir schon mehrmals bei unseren Zubehörtests externer Festplatten beobachten müssen. Sony VGP-BPS21/S

Auch von einem anderen User berichtete Probleme mit dem Netzwerkanschluss und den Audioports (ohne Funktion nach Ruhezustand) sind beim Testgerät nicht aufgetreten. Was allerdings wirklich nicht funktioniert, ist das Clonen der Inhalte des Notebook-Bildschirms auf ein externes Full-HD Display mit der üblichen Auflösung von 1920x1080 Bildpunkten. Das gelingt weder mit dem HDMI noch mit dem Displayport. Sony VGP-BPS21/B

Lediglich der analoge VGA-Anschluss konnte diese Aufgabe bewältigen. Das gelang dann aber so gut, dass wir von der scharfen und insgesamt guten Darstellung regelrecht überrascht wurden. Lediglich die Bildposition musste auf dem externen Schirm korrigiert werden. Anders als bei vielen bisher getesteten Notebooks, stellt der VGA-Port somit eine vollwertige und gut nutzbare Alternative dar.Die Standard-Garantie beträgt wie für diese Klasse üblich 36 Monate und lässt sich Dell-typisch vielfältig ergänzen. Sony VGP-BPS10

Die Tastatur entspricht rein optisch der des Precision M4600, federt aber auf der gesamten Fläche etwas nach. Dieses Verhalten könnte anspruchsvollen Anwendern auf Dauer missfallen, da dadurch auch der Druckpunkt nicht so präzise wahrgenommen werden kann. Sony VGP-BPS10/B

In dieser Hinsicht deutlich besser wären beispielsweise die ThinkPad-Tastatur des X220 oder, Sony VGP-BPS10A um bei den 17“ Modellen zu bleiben, die Tastatur des großen MacBook Pro. Ansonsten bietet die Eingabe einen mittleren Hub und ein leises Anschlagsverhalten. Das Querty-Tastaturlayout des Testmodells unterscheidet sich in einigen Punkten von der deutschen Variante, wobei letztere keine ungebetenen Überraschungen bereithält. Der separate Ziffernblock erleichtert die Eingabe langer Zahlenreihen und wichtige Funktionseigenschaften sind per FN-Kombination erreichbar.Sony VGP-BPS10A/B

System information HP Pavilion dv3-2390eg

The noise emissions are a weak point of the Pavilion DV3-2390eg. With or without a dedicated ATI GPU, the fan is never quieter than 34.1 dB (A). It never goes off. If one continually leaves the dedicated GPU running in network operation (default for network operations in each power mode), they will even experience a fan that never gets quieter than 36.5 dB (A).HP 455804-001

Based on this already clearly audible level, short multi- or single-core processing functions don't really faze the drone of the fan. The noise level rises to a maximum of 39.6 dB (A). Only when we run the laptop at full load (stress test, Prime95 + Furmark) does the dv3 reach the maximum possible speed: 47.4 dB (A). This is extremely loud and reminds us of gaming laptops. However, the speed is constant and there are no annoying fluctuations.HP 460143-001

In the gaming tests and the 3D-benchmarks,HP 462337-001 the volume rises to 42.1 dB (A). This also applies to the applications which put a great deal of demands on the GPU.When HP's 13.3 incher doesn't have much to do (idle), then the temperature of the working area stays at an average of 27 degrees Celsius. Things aren't much worse on the base plate where it is at its warmest 34 degrees. Surfing with the HP Pavilion dv3 can be done safely on one's lap.HP EV088AA

During the stress tests (two hours), the area around the air outlet (bottom) heated up to 51 degrees, limiting its usability on one's lap. The air intake opening definitely shouldn’t be obstructed. The temperatures on the palm rest remain pleasant at all times, whether under load or at idle. We measured a maximum of 34 degrees (stress test).HP EV089AA

The best thing about the HP-dv3 2390eg acoustics is the simple regulation of the sound level via the illuminated touch panel above the keyboard. The volume can be adjusted with a striking motion or a gentle tap on plus/minus. The mute button ensures an immediate silence.HP EX940AA

The two stereo speakers rest just above the keyboard under the black grid. The Altec Lansing logo doesn’t do what its name promises. The sound is too pronounced in the mid-range and we couldn’t detect any bass with our ears. The best sound we experienced was achieved when the sound options of the Virtual Surround and bass are turned on.HP EX941AA

But it worked with the volume. The tiny membranes aren't distorted when working at the highest level and it can even fill a small room with sound. The HP dv3 delivered good results when external loudspeakers were hooked up. Even with a low sound level applied to the 3.5 millimeter headset output, the sound delivery of the speakers remains rustle-free after multiple amplifications. We tested this with two powerful Yamaha speakers (YST-M20SDP).HP HSTNN-C17C

The dv3 is perhaps interesting for mobility fans as it can switch off its mid-range graphics HD 4550. Could it deliver decent run time even without having Nvidia Optimus in play? Can this be true? HP HSTNN-DB31

We measured the runtimes with an active Intel HD, except for the load test. With a 55 watt hour battery (5,100 mAh) score, the dv3 achieves good, but not outstanding runtimes. In a continuous web-surfing session with wireless enabled, the multimedia subnotebook managed three hours (186 minutes).HP HSTNN-DB32

Thrifty people might be able to raise the battery life to five hours (305 minutes) (BatteryEater Reader) on maximum energy saving settings. Like with Wi-Fi surfing, the DVD film runs for three hours (184 minutes). When the processor is under heavy load (BatteryEater Classic Mode) on active HD 4550, the runtimes dwindles much faster and is done after 92 minutes. HP HSTNN-IB31

The runtimes don't appear to be particularly strong for a 13.3-incher. With the same CPU, the 14-incher Acer Aspire 4820TG-434G64Mn manages 300 minutes (66 Wh) and the 15.6-incher Acer Aspire 5820TG-434G32MN manages 299 minutes (66 reps) in the WLAN test. Also, the sister model HP ProBook 6540b with an identical configuration achieves 252 minutes (55 Wh).HP HSTNN-IB32

On the other hand, there are also 13.3" competitor models such as the Packard Bell EasyNote Butterfly s (49 Wh), which with a Low Voltage i5-520UM also only achieves 205 minutes (WLAN test).HP HSTNN-IB42

Those looking to upgrade the dv3 to its highest possible energy saving potential should permanently deactivate the dedicated ATI HD 4550. HP HSTNN-LB31 The difference between Intel and ATI HD is relatively significant at four to six watts. The current consumption at idle is 16 watts (Intel HD) and 22.3 watts (ATI). The latter is a very high current consumption at idle. To compare: 16 and 15.6 inchers like the Toshiba Qosmio F60-10H (i5-430M) and the Sony Vaio VPC-EB1S1E/BJ, both of which have non-switchable dedicated GPUs, require much less energy (EB Vaio 16.8 Watt, 15.5 Watt F60 ). In short: No matter whether with or without a dedicated GPU, the dv3 uses too much energy at idle when doing nothing.HP HSTNN-LB42

When the HD 4550 is very hard at work, the operating power increases to 58.6 watts (3DMark06). We achieved the maximum possible current consumption using the Prime95 and Furmark stresstests. Our multimeter showed 69.2 watts. Knowing that, the 90 watt power pack is more than adequately dimensioned.HP HSTNN-OB31

The HP Pavilion dv3-2390eg (VY336EA) is a small entertainer in a handy 13.3 inch package. Although the high-gloss Mini is very heavy for the subnotebook class at 2.380 kg, it does still have the kind of performance worthy of a middle-class multimedia notebook. This is thanks to the potent Core i5-430M and fast 7,200 rpm hard drive. But its gaming performance can’t compete with the rest of the middle class; the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4550 (DirectX 10.1) with 3449 3DMarks06 is just simply too weak.HP HSTNN-OB42

A potentially useful feature, and for some the main reason for purchasing, is the touch panel. With the finger (but not with the stylus pen or other objects), Windows can be administered quite well. Whether or not this results in a completely smeared glare panel is dependent on the buyer and his individual use of it.HP NBP6A48A1

The battery life of three hours is quite OK (WLAN test), but even some 16-inchers with more potent HD 5650 last significantly longer. The ATI graphics, which can be switched off, did reduce its appetite for energy. The current consumption is nevertheless over the level of frugal 15.6-inchers without hybrid graphics.HP Pavilion dv3500 Battery

The poor contrasts and unstable viewing angles of the display did not give an impressive showing in our rating system. Additionally, there are the consistently and clearly audible fan as well the very high noise levels under load. Sensitive people will be disturbed by the hard drive, which also transmits a constant droning to the tabletop.HP Pavilion dv3500t Battery