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Reviewed by: Michelle Thatcher
Reviewed on: 11 September 2006
With the newest configurations of the XPS M1710, Dell adds Intel's Core 2 Duo processor to its market-leading gaming machine. (Also new with this iteration is a built-in Draft 802.11n wireless adaptor -- some versions of the XPS M1710 will ship with a compatible 802.11n router.) The new processor brings remarkable application speed to the already-powerful XPS M1710 and extends its battery life -- both good things. But with the same graphics card as its predecessor, this new version of the XPS M1710 doesn't realise any gains in gaming performance.
Design
Aside from our test unit's Special Edition Formula Red cover (it's also available in Metallic Black), the XPS M1710's design is nearly identical to that of the previous model, the XPS M170, and very similar to the more multimedia-focused Inspiron E1705. (Except for the glowing lights: the XPS M1710 can emit shafts of light in any one of 16 colours from its lid, side vents and speaker vents.) Crafted out of sturdy and stylish magnesium alloy, the XPS M1710 measures 394mm by 287mm by 41mm. Our test unit weighed 3.99kg (4.63kg pounds with its AC adaptor) -- a fraction more than the Gateway NX850XL, but nearly 700g more than the compact Toshiba Satellite P105. The XPS M1710 is certainly easier to move than a desktop gaming rig, and it's portable enough for room-to-room movement, but we don't recommend it for travel.
The XPS M1710 includes a full-size keyboard, though it lacks a separate number pad, as found on some other desktop replacements, such as the Satellite P105-S921, the HP Pavilion DV8000 and the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600. The XPS M1710's mouse buttons are very big, however, and the touchpad, which features a backlit XPS logo, is adequately sized. The touchpad also has arrows running along its right and bottom edges, outlining where to place your finger when using the software-enhanced pad to scroll through documents or Web pages.
Features
Like most of the other models in the XPS and Inspiron lines, the XPS M1710 features Dell's MediaDirect software, which plays CDs and DVDs and lets you access photos and other media files stored on your hard drive without booting up Windows first. The two speakers and the internal subwoofer -- a rare feature among laptops -- deliver crisp and rich sound. Better still, because the speakers sit in the corners of the laptop's front edge, your hands won't muffle them while you're typing, and you can play music with the lid closed. Sandwiched between the speakers, a row of seven buttons lets you control disc playback and adjust or mute the volume. Though the XPS M1710 runs Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005, it lacks the integrated TV tuner found on more expensive systems, such as the Qosmio G35-AV600, the Fujitsu LifeBook N6210 and the Sony Vaio AX570G. Dell does sell an external PC Card tuner, though.
Our XPS M1710 test unit came equipped with a reasonably bright, 17-inch widescreen display. We love its superfine WUXGA 1,900x1,200 native resolution -- Dell says that the XPS M1710's display is 30 per cent brighter than the M170's. While we found it slightly brighter than the Inspiron E1705's display, we still prefer the superbright screens on the Vaio AX, the LifeBook N6210 and the Pavilion DV8000, though none of those models offer the gaming performance of the XPS M1710.
There's no dearth of ports, jacks or slots here -- the XPS M1710 features headphone and microphone jacks, VGA and DVI outputs, S-Video-out, four-pin FireWire and a whopping six USB 2.0 ports. Networking connections include a 56Kbps modem, 10/100/100 Gigabit Ethernet, optional Bluetooth and integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless. Also onboard are an ExpressCard slot and a 5-in-1 media card reader -- PC Card users, take note that the XPS M1710 does not support PCMCIA cards. (For the sake of comparison, the Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 has all of this, plus it supports PC Cards and SmartMedia cards and has an S/PDIF output, though it has two fewer USB 2.0 ports.) Finally, our XPS M1710 test unit included a multiformat, double-layer DVD drive. Dell bundles a standard software package, including Microsoft Windows XP Media Center.
Performance
Our Dell XPS M1710 test unit has identical components to the earlier Core Duo version, with the exception of the 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600 processor. The configuration includes 2GB of fast 666MHz DDR2 SDRAM, a big, fast 100GB hard drive spinning at 7,200rpm and Nvidia's top-shelf GeForce Go 7900 GTX GPU with 512MB of dedicated memory. On CNET Labs' application tests, the XPS M1710 quickly dispensed with processor-intensive tasks such as encoding MP3 files and multitasking, completing the tests significantly faster than the Alienware Aurora mALX gaming laptop. On our mobile performance benchmarks, the XPS M1710 showed a remarkably long, 4-hour 16-minute battery life that more than certainly came at the expense of performance -- clearly, you'll want to save your processor-intensive tasks for times when the laptop is plugged in.
When it comes to 3D games, though, the XPS M1710's new processor alone couldn't provide a performance bump -- because it has the same graphics card, its frame rates were almost identical to the earlier Core Duo-based system. With 110.7fps on Doom 3 and 71fps on F.E.A.R., the XPS M1710's scores weren't bad, but they were also no match for the Aurora mALX's respective 133.6fps and 86fps. If you're looking to play the newest games at the highest settings (and you're willing to stretch your definition of laptop to include a 6.8kg beast), the dual-SLI graphics and slightly faster processor speed of the Aurora mALX will provide a superior gaming experience. Otherwise, the Dell XPS M1710 continues to deliver extremely strong game performance in a more reasonably sized package.
Edited by Matthew Elliott
Additional editing by Kate Macefield - Courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
Reviewed on: 10 March 2008
Apple has made its first update to the venerable MacBook line since the introduction of the MacBook Air. Regular 13-inch MacBooks get the usual CPU upgrade, but the MacBook Pro line gets a notable internal overhaul -- including new Penryn-class Intel CPUs, new touch pad gestures -- lifted from the MacBook Air -- and finally a backlit LED option for the 17-inch models, something already standard for 15-inchers.
We looked at the higher-end of two 15-inch configurations. The 15-inch, 2.4GHz version starts at £1,299 and the 17-inch, 2.5GHz version retails for £1,799.
Design
Physically, the refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro is identical to its predecessors, still only 26mm thick, but now that we've had time to get used to the thinner, lighter MacBook Air, it feels positively huge in comparison.
By now we're very familiar with the minimalist layout -- open the lid and inside you'll find only a power button, a full-size keyboard, stereo speakers, a sizeable touch pad with a single mouse button and a built-in iSight camera. Despite our love for a clean look, we've also become used to having at least a few media control keys -- attractive touch-sensitive media controls now regularly pop up on even the cheapest laptops.
Features
Possibly the biggest change is how the revamped trackpad now work with multi-touch gestures, much like the MacBook Air. Originally, you could do things like use two fingers to scroll through documents -- now Pro users can use three fingers to go forward and back in Safari's browser history, and use a thumb and forefinger to zoom in and out of documents and photos -- much like on the iPhone. We hope Apple will roll this out for the 13-inch MacBooks sooner rather than later.
The move to backlit LED displays happened in the last MacBook Pro revision, at least for the 15-inch models. This time around, the 17-inch models have it, too. The 15-inch display is 1,440x900 pixels, while the 17-inch is either 1,680x1,050 pixels (standard) or 1,920x1,200 pixels (LED). Apple touts the backlit LED displays as being both energy efficiency and mercury-free.
The MacBook Pro remains the only laptop we can think of with a FireWire 800 jack -- along with the more common FireWire 400 -- useful for digital video fans, but we still think adding a simple SD card slot would be a huge plus for the Pro -- and let's get that on the regular 13-inch MacBook, too, while we're at it.
Performance
With the newest Penryn CPUs, the MacBook Pro offers an excellent boost in performance over the previous mid-2007 Pro revision in our benchmark tests, although a pre-Penryn 13-inch MacBook from late 2007 was nearly as fast. This reinforces our opinion that Intel's Penryn CPUs, while more energy efficient, don't offer much of a performance boost.
The MacBook Air was well behind -- its custom Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, designed to fit into the Air's extra-thin chassis, is slower than the typical Core 2 Duos found in most laptops.
The Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card allows for some basic gaming -- although if you plan on playing games on the MacBook Pro, you'll probably want to install Windows on a separate partition through Boot Camp.
Running Quake 4 at 1,024x768 pixels, we got 88 frames per second, compared to only 65 frames per second from the 2007 version of the MacBook Pro. Both systems had identical graphics cards, so we credit the CPU.
Despite some initial concerns that the revamped MacBook Pro offered less battery life, we got an impressive 4 hours 23 minutes with our battery drain test -- that's 47 minutes more than the older version of the MacBook Pro, and 20 minutes more than the MacBook Air.
We're still not fans of Apple's nearly obligatory extended warranty upsell, so much so that we've simply copied this complaint from our last MacBook review. The default warranty for the MacBook is one year of coverage for parts and labour, but telephone support is limited to a mere 90 days -- well short of what you'd typically find on the PC side -- unless you purchase the £279 AppleCare Protection Plan, which extends phone support and repair coverage to three years.
Conclusion
As we've come to expect, the new configurations hit the same price as the now-discontinued ones. More power for the same money is always welcome, but at £1,599, we still think the cheaper 13-inch MacBook is a better overall value, outweighed only if you need either the larger screen or Express card slot, or you can't live without the touchpad gestures.
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Will Head
Reviewed on: 16 April 2008
Laptops aren't generally known for their gaming performance, but if you haven't got room for a full-size PC and still want to do the odd bit of simulated action, then the MSI GX700-204UK may well be able to satisfy your virtual desire for around £900.
Strengths
The GX700 isn't a super cheap laptop, but if you're looking for a desktop replacement with both a large screen and enough horsepower to play games, you could easily spend twice as much. Comparatively, it's a bargain.
It sports one of Intel's newest T8300 Core 2 Duo processors, running at 2.4GHz, and comes with a rather generous 3GB of DDR2 RAM. As a result, it managed an extremely high PCMark05 score of 5,580, which is almost unheard of for a machine with a sub-£1,000 price tag.
It's no slouch when it comes to gaming either, thanks to its Nvidia Geforce 8600M GT MXM graphics chip, scoring just shy of the 3,000 mark with a 3DMark06 score of 2,994. It could be an extremely good deal for gamers with shallow pockets.
The processor and graphics chip may be the standout items, but it's not bad when you consider its other components. The 250GB hard drive may be small compared to some other machines, but in reality, it's more than enough for the casual user.
Weaknesses
The GX700 can certainly hold its own when compared to other desktop replacement models, but there are areas where its budget roots start to show. The 17-inch screen provides a large working area, but it only stretches to a resolution of 1,680x1,050 pixels, which is short of the 1,920x,1080 pixels required to show 1080p high definition content without downscaling. There's also no HD optical drive included, with just DVD on offer.
Like all desktop replacement models, the GX700 is far happier when it's safely indoors and isn't really equipped for a life on the road. Disconnect it from the mains power supply and you won't be able to get that much done before it complains about running out of juice. It managed to keep going for just 1 hour 15 minutes running the intensive Battery Eater test and only fared slightly better at 1 hour 57 minutes when faced with the more leisurely Reader tests.
When you first get it out of the box, the black glossy casing looks great. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes tarnished with greasy finger marks. If you like to keep your technology looking its best, you'll have to get used to giving this laptop a wipe down every now and again.
Conclusion
MSI has created an extremely capable machine with the GX700 -- especially when you consider its low price tag. It can't full take advantage of HD content, but in the performance and gaming stakes it's more than capable. Battery life is poor, but no worse than other desktop replacements and the rest of the spec is reasonable for the money.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday - Courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Rory Reid
Reviewed on: 27 June 2008
The Samsung R410 -- not to be confused with the r410 mobile phone -- is a budget all-round laptop with a 14.1-inch display. It's the smallest in Samsung's R series, so in theory, it's ideal for anyone that wants solid performance in a chassis that doesn't weigh the Earth. More importantly, however, it's dirt cheap at around £499. Let's see what you get for your dough.
Design
The R410 is very ordinary in its design. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen laptops with glossy black lids and matte black interiors -- particularly from Samsung -- so forgive us if we yawn momentarily. As with all laptops with this sort of design, the lid is prone to collecting smudges, so unless you're willing to carry the bundled felt cloth everywhere you go, it'll be permanently dirty.
The R410's 14.1-inch display should mean it saves weight over the more common 15.4-inch laptops that litter the market. In truth, its 2.4kg chassis isn't that much lighter than a similar 15.4-inch machine. In fact, it's slightly heavier than the 15.4-inch Lenovo T60, which clocks in at 2.3kg. Its 335 by 34 by 247mm chassis isn't all that small, either -- it'll just about fit into a rucksack.
Connectivity shouldn't be much of an issue in large laptops, but that's one area the R410 doesn't impress. It only has three USB ports, one of which lives on the right side and will usually be occupied by a USB mouse. The remaining two might be enough for most people, but Samsung has positioned these around the rear of the machine, making them awkward to reach. Don't even think about using the R410 on a plane with USB devices connected to the rear: it probably won't fit on the seatback tray.
Features
Samsung should be applauded for kitting out the R410 with a good core specification. We don't normally expect much for £499, but it packs a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, all of which are components you might expect in a slightly more expensive machine.
It's not all good news, though. The graphics adaptor in the R410 is a rather inept ATI Radeon Xpress 1250, which doesn't have any dedicated memory. Instead, it leeches 256MB off the main system memory, leaving you with 1,790MB for the operating system and applications. The graphics card will allow you to watch movies, surf the Internet and edit images, but gaming really isn't its strong point.
The R410 is only average when it comes to helping you enjoy your media. The problem is mostly down to the screen -- it's certainly large enough, but the 1,280x800-pixel resolution is pretty low by today's standards. It also has a glossy coating, which means you can't see the display properly when using it outdoors. On top of that, the vertical viewing angle is rather limited, so you'll need to position the screen so it's just right or the picture will look distorted.
It's also worth noting that the R410's integrated speakers aren't very good -- even by laptop standards. It's barely loud enough to let you hear dialogue properly and the situation is exacerbated if you open a window and let in ambient noise. Get yourself a set of external speakers or some headphones or it'll drive you nuts.
Earlier in the review, we said we weren't overly impressed with the connectivity on the R410 and it's worth mentioning again. In light of the fact the screen isn't particularly great, it would have been nice if Samsung provided a digital video output port. It hasn't. Instead, you get an ordinary, analogue D-Sub output, which isn't too hot by today's standards.
The R410 comes with an 802.11b/g wireless adaptor, though there isn't Bluetooth. You also get a 1.3-megapixel webcam -- great for the exhibitionist in us all -- and a pre-installed copy of Windows Vista Home Premium, which features the Media Center interface.
Performance
The R410 isn't particularly quick, but neither is it particularly slow. It failed to run our PCMark 2005 benchmark, but the 1.8GHz CPU should be adequate for most users and provided you aren't doing anything particularly CPU-intensive -- such as video encoding -- then it's zippy enough not to cause frustration.
One thing it won't handle very well is games. It scored a paltry 630 in 3DMark 2006, which is indicative of a machine that will run a mile before it'll run Far Cry.
Battery performance wasn't great, either. It lasted just 50 minutes in our BatteryEater render test, which is very poor. This, we believe, is mostly down to the battery having a relatively low capacity -- just 4,400mAh. Even an Eee PC 901 has a 6,600mAH power cell.
Conclusion
There's no denying the R410 is very good value for money. We'd recommend it to anyone looking for a second, semi-portable PC or to students on a tight budget. It's not very versatile and it has its problems, but if you're a tightwad who can't put up with the tiny screens of an Eee PC, then the R410 isn't a bad bet.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday - Article Courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Sandra Vogel
Reviewed on: 3 July 2008
Panasonic's Toughbook range covers a spectrum of toughness, from military-grade fully ruggedised laptops to drop- and spill-resistant business ruggedised systems. In the middle sit a number of semi-ruggedised laptops, including the wide-screened CF-52, available for around £1,350.
Design
Despite its 'semi-ruggedised' classification, the Toughbook CF-52 is a seriously solid-looking laptop. When closed it looks more like a slim briefcase than a portable computer, thanks to its hard outer shell and built-in carrying handle.
The shell comprises a lid section made mostly of magnesium alloy with a black plastic section towards the top that adds visual interest and provides space for the Panasonic branding. The rest of the system is encased in hard black plastic.
The handle is built in to the front of the laptop. It's hinged to the left and right, allowing it to be laid almost flush when not in use. Unlike the handle on the Getac P470, this handle does not lock into a snug position when not in use.
The upper and lower sections of the Toughbook CF-52 are locked in place when the laptop is closed by a very sturdy clasp. There's almost no chance of the two sections being prized apart by anything other than your fingers.
Its ruggedised casing is one factor contributing to the CF-52's weight -- at 3.3kg, it's unlikely you'll want to carry it very often or very far. It's also large, measuring 356 by 52 by 287mm.
The good news is that the 15.4-inch screen has a wide aspect ratio and stretches almost to the boundaries of the space on offer. The display has a native resolution of 1,280x800 pixels and can easily support two document windows open at once. It's also up to the job of displaying complex graphics -- as might be needed in the field by architects or engineers, for example.
The keyboard looks a little lost in its wide surroundings. The Qwerty keys are full sized and responsive, however, and we had no problems with touch-typing. The space bar is a little shorter than we would like and the Enter key could be bigger, which takes a little getting used to. A full-width row of half-height function keys above the number row gives access to various functions, including screen brightness and volume control.
The two-button touch pad, which sits in the wrist-rest area, looks relatively small in its surroundings. It incorporates vertical and horizontal scroll bars along its right and bottom edges, which we found a little temperamental to use at times. The entire keyboard area, including the touch pad, is splash resistant.
Features
The Toughbook CF-52 has a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor. This includes 2MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz frontside bus. Our review sample came with 1GB of RAM, which can be upgraded to a maximum of 4GB.
You may need extra RAM if you intend to run Windows Vista Business on this laptop. Ours came with Windows XP Professional, for which 1GB is quite sufficient.
Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi are both integrated, along with Gigabit Ethernet. Graphics are handled by the GMA X3100 module integrated in Intel's GM965 Express chipset.
The Toughbook CF-52 has several ruggedised features. We already noted the splash-resistant keyboard and solid shell. The 80GB hard drive is mounted in shock-absorbing foam and connected to the motherboard by flexible cable. Panasonic says it will withstand a 90cm drop. The whole laptop should survive a fall from a height of 76cm, roughly the height of an office desk. Note, though, that this test assumes the laptop is not switched on.
Many of the ports and connectors ranged around the sides of the casing are protected by covers. This is not the case for the SD card slot or the multi-format DVD drive on the left-hand side, though. The front-mounted audio sockets are not protected either, and nor is the physical switch that turns Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off.
On the right-hand side, a Type II PC Card and a single ExpressCard slot are layered one above the other and protected by a hinged cover. A second cover protects a pair of USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire connector. At the back there are two further USB 2.0 ports, again protected by a hinged cover. Further covers protect the external 15-pin monitor connector, Ethernet and modem ports and a 9-pin serial port.
All of these hinged covers feel robust and have a 'spring-back' action that, while not locking them in place securely, at least ensures some measure of protection when a peripheral is removed.
As far as options go, the most important one is HSDPA connectivity, which will boost the base price of £1,291 to around £1,549. Other optional components include a fingerprint reader and a smartcard reader.
Performance
We tested this laptop's battery life by running Battery Eater and it delivered a total battery life of 2 hours 32 minutes, which we found disappointing, especially given Panasonic's own estimate of up to 7.5 hours.
Battery Eater is a demanding test that provides a minimum estimate of a laptop's battery life, and the CF-52 does have a large 15.4-inch screen to power. Even so, we'd expect more from a machine designed to spend much of its life on the road. Run Wi-Fi for long and you're likely to need access to mains power at least once per working day, unless you carry a spare battery.
Conclusion
The Toughbook CF-52 is a very solidly built laptop, with a hardened outer casing, shock-mounted hard disk and covered ports. Although the 15.4-inch, wide-format screen is nice, this 3.3kg system isn't the most portable of its kind -- even with its carrying handle. Battery life also falls a long way short of Panasonic's claims.
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday - Courtsey of cnet.co.uk
WHICH KIND OF LAPTOP IS RIGHT FOR ME?
To choose the right laptop -- one with the right set of features at the right price -- you'll need to work out how you'll use your machine. Match your needs to one of these user profiles to get started.
Home user | Student | Frequent flier | Business power user | Multimedia author or gamer
Home user
Home users are increasingly turning to laptops as second or third PCs for the home. Laptops can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC, but they can be easily moved from room to room. Two types of laptops are suitable for home users: mainstream laptops and desktop replacements.
KEY FEATURES:
Mobile Celeron, Pentium 4-M or desktop (Pentium 4) processors
At least 128MB of memory
Large hard drive for storing digital photos and video
14-inch display or larger
Fixed or swappable CD-RW and/or DVD drives
Wired and wireless networking
External keyboard and mouse
Microsoft Windows XP Home
Microsoft Works Suite
Student
Students and others on a tight budget should look for a laptop that delivers the most bang for the buck. In particular, students need a notebook that is small and light enough to lug back and forth across campus, but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a rucksack.
KEY FEATURES:
Mobile Celeron, Pentium 4-M, desktop Pentium 4 or PowerPC G4 processor
At least 256MB of memory
Expansive hard drive to hold all those MP3s
CD-RW drive for burning audio CDs
Wired and wireless networking for network-equipped classrooms
Microsoft Windows XP Home or Apple Mac OS X
Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition or Office X for Mac OS
Frequent flier
If you spend a lot of time on the road, size and weight are the two most critical factors in choosing a new laptop -- even if it means sacrificing a little on performance and features. The smallest and lightest laptops, 'ultraportables', weigh less than 2kg and are no thicker than a spiral-bound notebook.
KEY FEATURES:
Pentium III-M processors
At least 128MB of memory
A 12-inch display
Wired and wireless networking
Extra battery for those long-haul flights
Media slice or external USB CD-RW/DVD drive
Port replicator for the desk
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition
Business power user
If you rely on the same laptop at work, at home and on the road, you need a well-balanced system. And it has to deliver the performance to keep up with a wide range of applications. A 'thin-and-light' is just the ticket.
KEY FEATURES:
Intel Pentium M processor
256MB of memory
Midsized hard drive
A 14-inch display
Swappable, combination CD-RW/DVD drive
Wired and wireless networking
Extra battery
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office XP Professional
Multimedia author or gamer
If you demand more from a laptop, you'll need a true 'desktop replacement'. Whether you're designing a Web site, editing home movies or mowing down aliens, your notebook will demand a powerful processor, plenty of memory, great graphics and a healthy hard drive.
KEY FEATURES:
Fastest Pentium M, Pentium 4-M or desktop P4 or PowerPC G4 processors
512MB to 1GB of memory
A 15-inch display or larger
Advanced graphics accelerator with 32MB or 64MB of its own memory
The largest and fastest hard drive available
Swappable CD-RW and DVD recordable drives
Multimedia connectors, such as S-Video, FireWire, S/PDIF
External keyboard and mouse
Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional or Apple Mac OS X
Microsoft Office XP Premium, Adobe Photoshop
Tips courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Rory Reid
Sony's Vaio VGN-AR11S is the first laptop to use an integrated Blu-ray drive. It's also the first laptop we've seen that uses a 1080i-capable display with HDCP decoding capability, giving it full high-definition readiness.
Design
The VGN-AR11S is a large and bulky 17-inch laptop. It doesn't quite match the bloat of the 20-inch Dell XPS M2010 or the Acer Aspire 9800 but at 3.8kg, you won't want to take it much further than your desk. The lid of the laptop is finished in a glossy black colour, though the rest of the unit, including the hinges, is matte black. Although it looks fine for the US market, UK consumers might not like the generous use of chrome around the laptop's outside edge.
To open the lid you'll need to slide a single switch at the front lip of the unit. This worked fine during our test period but felt flimsy to the touch. The bezel of the screen has a glossy finish but this can be forgiven as the screen itself is coated in Sony's glossy X-Black varnish -- intended to help improve the appearance of colours and heighten contrast. The lower section of the bezel has a backlit Vaio logo and a pair of speakers, one on either side. At the top of the screen there's a 'motion-eye' webcam, but don't be confused by the name -- it won't track your movement around the room like the Creative Live Cam Voice does.
The keyboard half of the Vaio VGN-AR11S is nice to look at. We did, however, take issue with the oversize keys -- they take some getting used to and we found ourselves making regular errors.
There's no dedicated numerical keypad, but Sony has installed eight hotkeys to the top right of the keyboard to aid manipulation of the laptop's various multimedia modes. There are buttons for changing the TV (it has an integrated TV tuner which we'll discuss in more depth later), recording television broadcasts, playback controls and for switching the AV mode. A set of standard shortcut hotkeys are located to the left of the keyboard. These let you adjust the system volume, launch two user-definable applications and eject the Blu-ray drive tray.
One major concern was the position of the mouse buttons. The touchpad is logically placed in the centre of the wrist rest but the buttons sit some distance away on the very edge of the front. This means you'll need to stretch your thumb an unnecessarily long distance to reach the left or right mouse buttons, which isn't exactly ideal.
Features
As part of Sony's AR or A series of laptops, the VGN-AR11S inherits a strong specification. It doesn't use a CPU from the next-generation Core 2 Duo range of processors, but it has the second-fastest of the current Intel Core Duo CPUs -- the 2GHz Intel T2500. This is supported by 1GB of DDR2 533MHz memory and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics chipset with 256MB of dedicated RAM.
We were also happy to see a pair of 100GB hard drives installed in a RAID configuration 0. Both Raid 1 and Raid 0 setups are available for selection at the time of buying. The former, also known as mirroring, makes an identical copy of all the files you create on both hard drives, so if one fails there's a good chance you'll have the other as a backup. The latter, Raid 1, interleaves data across the two drives in order to improve disk access speed and is sometimes referred to as striping. We'd recommend selecting a Raid 1 setup as Raid 0 effectively limits your amount of storage to 100GB as the other 100GB is being used as backup.
The VGN-AR11S's excellent storage options are cemented by the integrated Blu-ray drive on the left side of the laptop. The Panasonic-developed Matshita BD-MLT UJ-2105 allows you to burn up to 50GB of data to a single Blu-ray disc, which is five times more data than can be stored on an ordinary single layer DVD. This has the obvious benefit of letting you backup the entire contents of the laptop onto just eight discs, but it also means you can play Blu-ray movies. The only drawback of this is the current price of Blu-ray media. It's new, so it's expensive: a single 25GB disc costs around £10.
Impressively Sony has fitted a WUXGA TFT panel into the laptop's 17-inch screen area. This gives it the ability to display resolutions up to 1,920x1,200 pixels, which includes 1080p (1,920x1,080 pixels) -- the Holy Grail of high-definition video. The high resolution of the laptop makes it difficult to read some on-screen text. Sony hasn't modify the number of dots per inch for the default font scheme in order to increase the font size, so we'd recommend doing so yourself if you don't like squinting.
Despite its penchant for making desktop fonts look tiny, the screen is of a very good standard -- we were able to watch 1080p video with no hassle. The laptop showed no sign of struggling with the video playback, and images looked excellent thanks to a high level of contrast and colours that seem to come to life. The 17-inch screen area hinders the viewing experience, particularly if viewed from a distance, but up close it looks spectacular.
The VGN-AR11S comes with an integrated hybrid TV tuner and an aerial socket tucked away at the rear of the laptop. This lets you watch analogue or digital (Freeview) and it'll also let you watch one channel while recording another. The conveniently positioned channel changing and TV recording buttons above the keyboard come in very handy here.
The laptop is well-kitted out with a good number of input/output ports. We like the fact Sony has supplied both DVI and HDMI digital video ports, both of which support high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) -- the copy protection system that'll be used by most Blu-ray movie discs. The presence of this technology means the laptop will have no trouble playing Blu-ray movies internally and on large external televisions.
There are only three USB ports, but there's a a gigabit Ethernet (1,000Mbps) network adaptor, and being a Centrino laptop, it has an 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi adaptor so you can connect it to your home network or surf the Web without using cables.
As with most Vaio laptops, the VGN-AR11S comes with a decent software bundle. You get Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition plus Norton Internet Security Suite antivirus software, SonicStage Mastering Studio and DSD Direct, which lets you convert audio from cassette tapes to digital CD or MP3 versions, and Roxio Digital Media SE, which lets you create DVD movies, photo presentations and other entertainment content.
Performance
The VGN-AR11S's performance is strong, if not mindblowing. It fared slightly better than the excellent Acer Travelmate 8204WLMi in our PCMark 2005 test, racking up 4,320 versus the Acer's 4,236. There's not much in it, but both laptops are strong all-rounders.
3D performance was less impressive but the GeForce Go 7600 card helped it clock up a respectable 3DMark 2006 score of 2,859. Obviously it's not in the same league as the score of 5,905 clocked up by the Aurora mALX, Alienware's six-toed ninja gaming laptop, but the VGN-AR11S will run with most games -- albeit at modest resolutions.
It's interesting to see how the VGN-AR11S fared when burning data to Blu-ray media. We managed to copy 25GB of data to a single-layer Blu-ray disc (BD-ROM) in 82 minutes. That's ages in comparison to how long it would take to copy the same data to an external hard drive, but it's not so bad considering an ordinary DVD drive takes around 15 minutes to burn 4.5GB.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Rory Reid
Reviewed on: 28 May 2008
It was only a matter of time before the major laptop manufacturers jumped on the Asus Eee PC's low-price, diminutive bandwagon. We've already seen quite a few rip offs alternatives, but the most interesting to date is the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. Like the Eee PC, it's small, portable and affordable, but it also has the bonus of being easy to use.
The Windows Vista version is available to buy for around £415, while the Linux version is available for around £360.
Design
The 2133 is undoubtedly the most attractive of all the laptops in its class and has the look and feel of a far more expensive device. The brushed aluminium lid and curvy magnesium alloy chassis make a welcome change from the toy-like Eee PC and its various rivals. Don't be surprised if your colleagues, fellow commuters and potential muggers can't take their eyes -- and fingers -- off it.
It's not all peaches and gravy, though. The 2133 measures 165 by 33 by 255mm, making it slightly wider than an Eee PC. It's also approximately 300g heavier at 1.3kg. While it's far from cumbersome, it's definitely eaten a few more pies than its Asus rival.
By making the 2133 bigger, HP has been able to incorporate a relatively large, spill-proof keyboard. This stretches all the way to the left and right edges of the chassis, allowing the keys to be significantly larger than those on the Eee PC. HP says the keyboard is 92 per cent of the size of a 'standard' laptop keyboard, but we'd say many of the keys are actually larger, and more comfortable than what you get on some bigger laptops.
Although HP gets it right with the keyboard, it doesn't follow suit with the mouse. The trackpad is extremely shallow, which means you'll need more vertical finger strokes than you would on a standard trackpad. The selector buttons are also a pain -- and they're in the wrong place. Instead of sitting below it, they're located on the left and right of the trackpad. This arrangement takes some time getting used to and we can't help but thinking HP should have also provided a nipple-style mouse as seen on many IBM laptops.
The 2133's display measures 8.9 inches diagonally, so it's the same size as the Eee PC 900. Still, it takes the upper hand by running at a native resolution of 1,280x768 pixels. Unfortunately, the bezel, which houses the integrated speakers, is quite large, meaning the 2133's screen appears smaller than it is. In fact, the smallness of the screen and the largeness of the keyboard make the whole thing look out of proportion -- like it's made up of two halves of different laptops.
Connectivity is adequate. On the left, there's a D-Sub VGA port, a USB port and mic and headphone jacks. The right side is home to Ethernet, a second USB port and ExpressCard and SD card readers. At the front, you'll find sliding switches for the power and wireless adaptors. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are standard equipment.
Features
You'll find two main versions of the 2133 on sale: one that uses SuSE Linux, and one that uses Windows Vista Business edition. It's also possible to find versions of the 2133 with Windows XP on sale at selected retailers.
The Vista and Linux versions have similar specifications. They both use a CPU that's the computing equivalent of a lame horse -- a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M. The Vista model gets 2GB of RAM -- 128MB of which is allocated to the graphics card, while the Linux model uses 1GB. It's worth noting that, alongside the 1.2GHz chip, American customers get to choose from a 1GHz C7-M, or the slightly faster 1.6GHz C7-M, which leads us to believe HP has something against the British.
UK buyers don't get much choice in terms of storage, either. While the Americans can choose between 120GB or 160GB 1.8-inch drives, or a 4GB solid-state drive, us Brits are only permitted the 120GB mechanical disk. These provide ample storage but they aren't as sturdy as their solid-state counterparts in the event of a fall. This particular feature makes the 2133 a less desirable machine for children and the chronically clumsy.
We've mentioned the 2133 comes with 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, which is great. It lacks any sort of integrated 3G/HSDPA Web access, however, so you need to be within spitting distance of an open Wi-Fi hotspot in order to access the Internet. If carefree Web access is an important factor, you'll be better off buying an Eee PC in one of its 'Surf' variants.
Be aware that surfing outdoors isn't all that easy with a 2133. The 8.9-inch, 1,280x768-pixel screen uses HP's atrociously reflective BrightView coating, which makes it almost impossible to see anything if you're using it outside. It's actually pretty difficult to see what's going on if you're indoors, no matter how much you crank up the brightness. It's a world away from the matte coating on the Eee PC 900, which allows far more freedom in terms of where you use the machine.
Performance
The Mini-Note's performance abilities can be summed up in one word: 'lame'. But that's to be expected, really -- it use the slowest CPU we've encountered in recent times, plus the most bloated operating system on the market. It's no wonder it takes the machine about a minute and a half to boot up, and even less of a surprise that it scored only 538 in PCMark 2005 -- the lowest we've ever seen. Ever. The Asus Eee PC 900 Win managed 1,133 -- more than twice as much.
Battery life wasn't particularly impressive either. Using the standard 3-cell battery, the 2133 lasted 1 hour 33 minutes in our DivX movie playback test. We expect this will last an extra 15-20 minutes if you're willing to reduce the screen brightness and deactivate the wireless adaptor. In our BatteryEater test, it lasted 1 hour 52 minutes, although that was with the LCD brightness set at about 50 per cent.
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons to love the HP 2133. It's affordable, it's impossibly attractive and it's more comfortable to use than any of its immediate competitors. Its performance is disappointing, however, and we don't like the fact it doesn't include a built-in 3G datacard. We'd recommend it to people who aren't concerned about the performance issue, but for the rest of us, the Eee PC is the mini-laptop machine of choice.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
(32GB solid state)
Reviewed by: Patrick Wignall
Reviewed on: 17 June 2008
How many dead cows does it take to make a laptop? In the case of the Asus U2E deluxe edition, it's at least one: it comes with a leather finish on the lid. It does also have some interesting stuff going on inside, thanks to its solid-state hard drive, which distinguishes it from the U2E we reviewed earlier this year. If you're tempted, it'll set you back the not inconsiderable sum of £1,300.
Strengths
The first thing you notice about the U2E is its quirky styling. Instead of the shiny black chassis we've come to expect from pricey ultraportables, this one is decked out in brown leather. The leather is used not only on the lid, but also inside surrounding the keyboard and trackpad. The finish may not be to everyone's taste, but one thing you can say for it over more glossy designs is that at least it doesn't show fingerprints.
Thankfully, it's not just the styling that's interesting. Asus has also gone to a lot of effort to make sure that this machine is a marathon runner rather than a sprinter when it comes to battery life. Not only has it decided to use LEDs for the screen's backlight in an attempt to save power, but it's also fitted the laptop with a solid-state hard drive.
This does mean that you only get 32GB of storage space for your files, but because the drive has no moving parts, it should draw less power than a traditional hard drive. On top of all this, Asus also supplies the machine with two batteries. The smallest 3-cell battery fits flush with the chassis, while the larger 6-cell battery obviously stores more juice, but does protrude from the rear of the case by about a centimetre.
In our BatteryEater test, the 6-cell battery unsurprisingly put in a very impressive performance. It managed to keep running for a whopping 5 hours 49 minutes. Considering the U2E we reviewed in March only clocked about one hour with the smaller battery, this is a seriously impressive improvement.
There's plenty more to like, too. Perhaps surprisingly for a laptop with such petite dimension, Asus has managed to cram a DVD rewriter into the chassis. The screen is also very good. It might be small at 11.1 inches, but it's bright and text and graphics look crisp and sharp thanks to the 1,366x768-pixel resolution.
The keyboard also feels very comfortable to type on and there's a surprising number of ports dotted around the machine's small frame, including a micro-DVI port for connecting it to an external display, three USB ports and an Express Card slot and a memory card along with network and modem ports.
Weaknesses
The U2E is certainly not without its downsides. Perhaps the most obvious is the lack of storage space available on the solid-state drive. Next to traditional laptop drives that typically offer well over 100GB of storage space, the 32GB available here may leave you feeling a little cramped for space.
Also, it's not exactly a speed demon. In our PCMark test, it managed to rack up a relatively low score of 3,189, although it's nearly three times better than the original U2E. Its 3DMark result is also higher at 473, but it still means you won't be using it to play the latest games.
While the ultra low voltage U7600 1.2GHz processor is perfectly usable for day-to-day tasks like picking up email and working on Office documents, if you chuck loads of multitasking at it, it's going to start to feel the pressure. Another issue is that the when you're really taxing the machine, the laptop's fan kicks up a racket and quickly become quite irritating.
Conclusion
The U2E is a great little laptop that packs lots of features into its small chassis. Still, there's plenty of competition out there and our main concern is that although it's expensive, it doesn't quite have the wow factor of the Apple MacBook Air or Sony's power house VGN-TZ21WN.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Rory Reid
Reviewed on: 15 July 2008
With tiny, cheap netbooks the new flavour of the month, it's difficult to see much of a future for ultraportables. They tend to be slightly bigger, marginally better equipped and far more expensive. That isn't stopping Fujitsu Siemens, though. It's forging ahead with its ultraportable P series, the latest of which is the £1,495 LifeBook P8010.
It's designed for anyone who wants a lightweight, easy-to-use machine with a business focus. As such, it comes with a fingerprint reader, data protection features and an optional docking station.
Design
The LifeBook P8010 is relatively compact. Not in an Eee PC sort of way, but in a "you can carry it without snapping a wrist" way. It weighs slightly more than 1.3kg, which is MacBook Air territory, and measures a relatively svelt 274 by 29 by 210mm.
In terms of actual looks, the LifeBook P8010 is inoffensive. It uses an attractive, if rather generic black, glossy lid, with a contrasting blue-grey interior section, which should please the majority of people. It's no supermodel, but at least it's not ugly.
Fujitsu Siemens has used the space well on the P8010, in most respects. Just above the keyboard is a glossy strip of buttons, lights and speakers. All the status LEDs live here, along with shortcut keys for one-touch locking of the PC, launching of the Windows Mobility Center (which lets you adjust various settings like screen brightness, volume, etc), a power saving mode, and one-touch automatic file backup. The strip is also home to the power button, an illuminated 'LifeBook' logo and a set of speakers.
Below the keyboard -- which is cramped, but not so cramped it's uncomfortable -- there's a large mouse trackpad. This lacks gesture-sensitive areas, which is a shame, but between the mouse selector buttons, there's a fingerprint reader. This should come in handy if you work for the government and are prone to losing laptops. Be warned, though: the glossy lid collects fingerprints. Sophisticated thieves won't find these hard to lift and use to log in without your permission.
Just beyond the mouse, towards the front of the laptop, there's an SD card reader and a switch to enable or disable the wireless features. Round the left side, there's a D-Sub video output port, Ethernet port, two USB ports, a 4-pin FireWire port, and audio ports for a mic and headphones. The left is home to one more USB port and an optical drive, although the P8010 is also available without this.
The P8010 has an optional port replicator -- sometimes called a docking station -- which provides a further four USB ports, plus a DVI port for anyone demanding digital video output.
Features
Being an ultraportable laptop, the P8010 was never going to excite anyone with its specs. Like most machines of this ilk, it uses an ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo SL7100, clocked at 1.2GHz, 2GB of DDR2 667MHz memory and the Intel GS965 chipset.
Storage comes courtesy of a 160GB hard drive. This is a good amount of storage for an ultraportable -- MacBook Air owners have to tolerate a paltry 80GB in their machines. What's more, the P8010 packs an DVD rewriter drive -- something you could never cram into the Air or a netbook.
Data protection is always a primary concern for users with sensitive information and Fujitsu Siemens hasn't forgotten about this. The P8010 features a hard drive shock sensor, which temporarily parks the drive heads in the event of a bump or shake in order to ensure the drive isn't damaged. Also, the keyboard is spill proof, so any accidental splashes won't spell disaster.
The P8010's strongest point is arguably its wireless capabilities. It uses the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN adaptor, which lets it connect to virtually any form of wireless network: a/b/g or high-speed n.
In addition, there's an integrated 3G adaptor that gives you HSDPA access to the Internet at up to 7.2Mbps, whether you're in a Wi-Fi hotspot or not. You also get Bluetooth, which is good news for anyone who wants to use a wireless Bluetooth mouse or synchronise their mobile phones without cables.
Bizarrely, the P8010 has a glossy screen. It might look good in the shops and appeal to the magpie in all of us, but it renders the laptop virtually useless outdoors or anywhere where the lighting isn't perfectly diffuse. All you'll see is your own reflection. It's not particularly great indoors either, thanks to the rather limited horizontal and vertical viewing angles.
Performance
The LifeBook P8010 isn't going to win any awards for its performance, but don't let this put you off. Its CPU is optimised for good battery life and the 2GB of RAM ensures applications open without too much of a delay. It failed to return a score in our PCMark 2005 test, but we can tell from anecdotal testing that it's perfectly capable of performing basic everyday tasks without struggling.
Though it uses an ultra-low voltage CPU and a massive 8,700mAh battery, the P8010's battery life wasn't as impressive as we'd hoped. Fujitsu Siemens claims a maximum battery life of up to 6 hours, but in our BatteryEater Classic test, which stresses the laptop to the limit, it lasted a mere 2 hours 16 minutes. If you aren't pushing the CPU too hard, it'll last considerably longer. It stayed alive for 5 hours 18 minutes in our anecdotal light use tests.
Conclusion
It's difficult to recommend the LifeBook P8010. It ticks most of the boxes required to make a good ultraportable, but it's simply too expensive in comparison to things like the MacBook Air. Business users might find some of its features useful, but for the rest of us, something like the Eee PC 1000 will do just fine.
Edited by Shannon Doubleday - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Patrick Wignall
Reviewed on: 31 July 2008
We've been rather taken with some of Acer's recent laptops, especially the Blu-ray toting 6920G, so when we were offered the chance to preview its latest machine -- based on Intel's brand-spanking-new Centrino 2 platform -- we jumped at it. While the spec of our unit differs slightly from the final version that will hit the shelves in a couple of weeks, it still gives us a good idea of what to expect from the latest Centrino 2 machines.
Upsides
The Acer Aspire 2930 is a relatively compact laptop and is obviously designed for life on the road. Acer says the inspiration for the design has come from its recent Gemstone range (which includes the 6920G) and the glossy lid and stylish interior section is certainly reminiscent of those attractive models.
The design isn't the most exciting aspect of the 2930. No, it's the fact that it's based on the new Centrino 2 platform. Centrino has been a massive hit for Intel and in many ways was responsible for making Wi-Fi a mandatory feature on every laptop on the market today. There have been plenty of updates to Centrino over the years, but this is the first time Intel has decided to add the magic number 2 to the end of the brand name. For a laptop to qualify as a Centrino 2 machine it needs to use a particular kind of processor and chipset.
In the case of our sample, the new chip is the Core 2 Duo T9400, which runs at 2.53GHz. Acer tells us that the final version of this laptop will use a T8400 processor ticking over at 2.64GHz, however.
There are three different chipsets in the Centrino 2 range, but for this one, Acer has gone with GM45. This has a speedy 1,066MHz front side bus, which is used for transferring data between the memory and the processor. Although the chipset supports DDR3 -- the first Centrino model to do so -- our model had DDR2 memory clocked at 667Mhz. The 2930 also uses a new Intel integrated graphics chip, although it's the 533MHz version rather than 640MHz.
The big question is how well did the laptop perform in our tests? Bearing in mind that this is a preproduction unit that has yet to be tweaked for maximum performance, the results weren't too bad. In PC Mark 05 it posted a score of 3,938, which isn't shabby for such a small machine. It wasn't bad on battery life either, managing to keep running for an hour and 59 minutes in our Battery Eater rundown test. We'd expect the final production version of this laptop to perform slightly better than this engineering sample.
Elsewhere there's plenty to like about this machine. The 12.1-inch widescreen display has a CrystalBrite coating and combined with its sharp 1,280x800-pixel resolution makes movies and pictures look great. Despite the small size of the laptop, Acer has done a good job with both the keyboard and track pad. The layout is fine and the keys are large enough to feel comfortable for long periods of typing.
Connectivity is also impressive. The new Intel WiFi Link 5300 chipset seems to do a better job of dealing with weaker Wi-Fi signals, and you also get Bluetooth for transferring files and pictures to and from devices such as mobile phones. On top of this, the 2930 offers up an ExpressCard slot and three USB ports, as well as a standard D-Sub VGA connector for hooking it up to an external monitor.
Downsides
Unfortunately, although the new Intel integrated graphics chip is an improvement on previous offerings, it's still not on a par with dedicated chips from ATI and Nvidia. In 3D Mark 06 it posted a score of 719. That's fast enough to play slightly older games, but means it lacks the grunt to do justice to the latest 3D titles. Intel does have a faster version of this chip available, clocked at 640MHz, but the fact that it's not included on the faster-performing Centrino 2 chipsets tells you the company is aware this version isn't going to trouble the likes of ATI and Nvidia.
The only other real downside with this model is that it's a little thicker than some of the ultraportables we've seen recently from brands such as Fujitsu Siemens. On a very minor note, although it's branded as having Virtual Dolby surround sound, the audio quality is rather tinny and lacking in bass. That's an accusation you could throw at any number of ultraportable machines, mind you.
Outlook
The Aspire 2930 looks like it's shaping up to be a very good option for those who need a powerful portable machine for life on the road. It looks stylish, uses the latest technology and has a good screen and keyboard. We'll reserve judgement as we'd like to see Acer squeeze a little more performance form the final production model -- expect a full review soon.
Edited by Nick Hide - Article Courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
Reviewed on: 6 August 2008
As middle-of-the-road as a laptop gets, Dell's Inspiron 1525 is an excellent choice for basic computing, especially if you take the time to configure a system to your needs via Dell's online configurator. The version we tested, which is not available in the UK, has a low-end 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T2390 CPU. The closest version available here has the 1.73 GHz T2370 and will set you back £389 direct from Dell.
The system may strain under a heavy uni workload of writing essays and encoding MP3s, but its battery life is actually better than more powerful configurations available -- on a par with the 14-inch Dell Inspiron 1420. When you add the 1525's touch-sensitive media control buttons and an HDMI output, you get a not wholly unreasonable package at the lower end of the price scale.
If your planned course of study will not include running demanding graphics or scientific applications, the Inspiron 1525 should get you from fresher's week to graduation.
Design
Dell has managed to shave a little bulk off its previous 15-inch Inspiron model, and this version is even thinner than the 14-inch Inspiron 1420, although its bigger footprint is not as well suited for lugging around campus all day.
The keyboard is the same full-size model found on Dell's other Inspiron laptops, and it feels solid and responsive. Above the keyboard sits a row of media control buttons, which you won't find on some Sony Vaios, a brand more commonly associated with multimedia endeavours than a jack-of-all-trades Inspiron. The media controls are of the touch-sensitive variety we're partial to, and the Inspiron 1525 has helped make these the industry default, even for budget-minded laptops. This version lacks the 2.0-megapixel webcam, but it can be added in the online configurator for £30.
Features
The 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD offers a 1,280x800-pixel native resolution, which is standard for budget-minded mainstream systems, but on a screen this big, text and icons can look rather big and unwieldy -- we generally prefer 1,440x900-pixel resolutions on screens of this size -- that's an option on the configurable version available on the Dell Web site.
There are plenty of USB jacks for all your accessories and even FireWire, which we're seeing less frequently, but no Bluetooth. Adding an HDMI jack is a welcome high-end touch, even if you never use it.
Performance
The 1525 we tested uses a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T2390, which sits at the low end of Intel's current CPU lineup. The system is no speed demon, and we ran into occasional sluggishness while multitasking -- Web surfing, working on office documents and playing media files -- but it's still adequate for basic academic work.
The Inspiron 1525 ran for 3 hours and 10 minutes on our video playback battery drain test using the included six-cell battery, which is an improvement over more expensive 1525s, which lasted only 2 hours and 15 minutes on the same test -- perhaps because of more powerful CPUs. There's a pretty obvious trade-off to consider -- slower performance and longer battery life versus faster performance and shorter battery life.
Additional editing by Nick Hide - Article courtsey of cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Patrick Wignall
Reviewed on: 7 August 2008
Toshiba has a strong reputation for being able to put together budget laptops that have the look and feel of more expensive machines. The L300 has a rock-bottom price tag of just £390, so we were intrigued to see whether Toshiba had managed once again to avoid the usual pitfalls of budget machines, such as flexing cases and poor keyboards.
Positives
It's pretty obvious from the L300's case that this is a budget machine. There's none of the glossy finishes that you'll find on Toshiba's more expensive laptops. Don't let that put you off, however, because the L300's sliver and matte-black colour scheme still manages to look very professional. The chassis feels sturdy, with little of the flexing we'd usually associate with budget machines.
When you pop the lid open, you're greeted by the 15.4-inch widescreen display. It has a glossy X-Black-style finish, so pictures and movies look very impressive, although you'll see reflections if you're in a bright environment. Thanks to the 1,280x800-pixel resolution, it offers up plenty of desktop space when you're working on documents or surfing the Web.
The L300's keyboard is also very good. The layout is sensible and the keys are not only large, but also have good travel. Add to this a roomy trackpad with responsive buttons and you've got a usable combination that's comfortable for both work and fun.
The laptop's powerhouse is an Intel Mobile Dual Core T2370 running at 1.73GHz and backed up by a decent 2GB helping of RAM. Running Windows Vista Home Premium, the machine posted a PCMark 05 result of 3,341, which is not too shabby for such a low-priced offering. In use it certainly feels sprightly enough, even when running multiple applications, and there's plenty of room on the 160GB hard drive for storing music, pictures, videos and documents.
Connectivity is also pretty decent. You get three USB ports, an ExpressCard slot and a D-Sub VGA connector for hooking it up to an external screen. Naturally Wi-Fi is present, but sadly there's no Bluetooth support. You do get a webcam built in to the top of the screen for making video calls over the Internet.
Negatives
Like most budget laptops, the L300 relies on an Intel integrated graphics chip for 3D support, so isn't going to win any prizes when it comes to gaming performance. In our 3DMark 06 test it posted a score of 530. This means that you'll be able to play older games as long as the detail is turned down, but the frame rate in the latest 3D titles will be horribly slow.
Unfortunately battery life wasn't an area that the L300 excelled in either. In our battery run down test it managed to keep going for just an hour and nine minutes before it was crying out to be plugged back into the mains. In real-life situations you're likely to get significantly longer, but it's still more of a sprinter than a long-distance runner. Anyway, we doubt the L300 will appeal to those who are constantly on the road -- at 2.49kg it's a tad on the heavy side.
Conclusion
The L300's weight and short battery life mean it's not suitable for road warriors. But if you're looking for a basic, no-nonsense laptop for use around the home then its sub-£400 price tag and sturdy build quality make it an attractive option.
Edited by Nick Hide - courtsey cnet.co.uk
Reviewed by: Michelle Thatcher
