HP ProBook 4710s Review

The HP ProBook 4710s is a low-priced 17-inch business notebook designed to provide businesses with a good desktop replacement notebook without breaking the bank. If your company wants the HP Elitebook 8730w but has a tight budget, the ProBook 4710s might be a good alternative at a starting price of just $899. Is this budget-priced notebook as good as it sounds? Keep reading to find out.


Our pre-production review unit of the ProBook 4710s is configured as follows:

* Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53GHz Processor (3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
* Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit)
* 17.3-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD+ display (1600 x 900)
* ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB
* 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM
* 320GB 5400RPM HDD
* LightScribe DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, Bluetooth 2.0
* 8-Cell 63WHr Battery
* Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
* Dimensions: 1.26" x 16.17" x 10.63"
* Weight: 6.8lbs
* Price as configured: $1,099
Build and Design
The HP ProBook 4710s, like the rest of the new HP ProBook family, is a low-cost business notebook designed specifically for small and medium businesses. Translation: this desktop replacement notebook needs to have a good balance of performance, security, reliability and extras all at an affordable price. Most notebooks designed for small and medium business tend to sacrifice build quality in order to help lower the cost of production and lower the cost to customers. On that note, the ProBook 4710s looks very similar to a HP EliteBook 8730w with all plastic construction, a new keyboard and all black finish.

The HP EliteBook line uses strong magnesium alloy chassis designs and premium internal components. In order to lower the cost and weight of the 17-inch ProBook 4710s, HP constructed this notebook mostly of plastic. The base of the laptop flexes heavily under pressure, the palmrests likewise bow when pressed firmly, and the back of the screen lid is similarly prone to flex. The plastics used in the 4710s will surely survive the typical use and abuse seen by most office desktop replacements, but the chassis might not survive multiple drops off a desk or the kind of abuse we expect the EliteBook series to handle with ease. The key point to remember in this section is that the ProBook 4710s looks pretty nice, but isn't designed to be a rugged mobile workhorse. Thankfully, HP still offers some good internal components to help make the ProBook 4710s a solid value.

[via notebookreview]

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MacBook Pros (13-inch and 15-inch, Mid 2009) Review

We’re over the surprise of seeing new MacBook Pro models arrive at Apple’s WWDC keynote, and on paper the new 13- and 15-inch notebooks certainly tick most of the consumer boxes. Our first-impressions – which you can find with our video unboxing – were that the new Pros have emphasized the most-used functionality at the expense of dropping some of the more marginally used features. Have those opinions changed? Check out our full review after the cut.



We listed the main changes in our unboxing post, but aside from the inevitable processor, RAM and storage tweaks the biggest changes are Firewire 800, SD card compatibility, new displays and integrated batteries. Most of the time we found – Pro branding or not – that using the two notebooks was exactly the same as using their previous-gen unibody versions. That means you get the same, well-balanced and tactile keyboard, highly-glossy display coating, excellent build quality and an integrated DVD drive.

Turning to the 13-inch model first, we feel this is where new MacBook Pro buyers are getting the most for their money. Apple claim their new LCD panel offers a much-improved color gamut, and from switching between it, its predecessor and our MacBook Air we’ll certainly agree that the newest screen is also the most usable. Colors are richer – assuming you’re not battling reflections – and viewing angles are far greater than before. Dropping the ExpressCard slot is probably not something 13.3-inch notebook buyers will find especially distressing, and the addition of an SD card slot makes perfect sense for this portable machine. You also lose a separate audio-in socket, gaining iPhone headset compatibility with the remaining socket.

The integrated battery has done its work polarizing opinion in the MacBook Air and 17-inch MacBook Pro, so it comes as little surprise to see Apple rolling it out across more of their range. Their argument has always been that by sacrificing user-access they can fit in a larger, hence longer-lasting pack, and that bore out with our review unit. With casual use – browsing over WiFi, a little Office document work – we generally noticed an extra hour of runtime above the last-gen 13-inch model with its accessible pack. Apple suggest you’ll see the equivalent of five years use out of the battery before a replacement is required, though more frequent charge/discharge cycles will impact on that estimate, and in our experience most users have chosen to upgrade their notebook before that sort of time has passed. If you do need to upgrade, Apple charge $129 for the new battery and fitting it; as we’ve seen in teardowns, it’s also relatively straightforward to do so yourself, and we’re told Apple’s warranty will generally look kindle on anybody who does so, assuming they avoid other notebook injury along the way.

Our battery experience proved less impressive on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Runtimes were generally a little longer than on the last-gen model it replaces, but Apple’s predictions of up to 8hrs use seemed hopelessly optimistic; we generally achieved a little over half of that, and that’s with what we’d describe as “normal” use. With the longevity failing to materialize, we’re less enthusiastic about having a non-removable pack in the mid-range Pro, and from talking to other users considering upgrades it’s a common concern. Our experience – both anecdotally and from trawling the tradeshows – is that those people buying the 15-inch model are more likely to carry a spare battery.

That concern has carried over to the missing ExpressCard slot. What seems a reasonable exchange on the newly promoted 13-inch Pro feels less so on this more mainstream model. The 15-inch Pro has found plenty of favor with the sort of people who regularly make use of ExpressCard audio or video interfaces, and those users face either investing in USB or FireWire peripherals or stepping up to the bigger, more expensive and less portable 17-inch Pro. It’s always ambiguous to compare one manufacturer’s design to another’s, but we can’t help but look at rivals that squeeze ExpressCard, SD, optical drive and more into the same – or smaller – dimensions and wish Apple had prioritized the same.

In terms of performance, there’s an obvious boost over the last-gen models. Our 13-inch MacBook Pro review unit came with the top-spec 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo P8700 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. In Geekbench, the notebook scored a healthy 3847 overall.

As for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, that came with the 2.80GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and dual graphics: switchable between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated chipset and the GeForce 9600M GT with its own 512MB of memory. As with previous Apple notebooks offering such a setup, changing between the two graphics options demands logging out and back in again. It scored 4211 in Geekbench.

The new MacBook Pro models are just as attractive, portable and capable, performance-wise, as their predecessors, and they remain a strong option for anybody looking for either a portable or mainstream notebook. The 13-inch model benefits well from the spec decisions Apple has made, though we might argue that it sits somewhere in-between what we’d traditionally think of as the MacBook and MacBook Pro ranges. At this level, an SD card slot seems far more likely to get used than ExpressCard ever did, and the extra hour or so of battery independence is a welcome addition.

We’re not so convinced by the changes brought to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, however. An SD card reader is something we’ve long been asking for, but we’ve a feeling that many people may have held their tongue if they’d known it would come at the expense of the ExpressCard slot. That sort of connectivity, paired with Apple’s legendary A/V-friendliness, has seen the 15-inch Pro gain quite the following among media-manglers, and we’d imagine they’re not too impressed by what, from their perspective, is a considerable change in hardware direction. Mainstream features have arrived at the expense of some flexibility, and while we’ve no doubt that Apple’s statistic – that most users never actually slotted in an ExpressCard to the models that support it – is well supported by their market research, it’s little consolation by those in the minority percentage.

With the range of configuration options already on offer, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a more adaptable 15-inch MacBook Pro in future. At least a paid ExpressCard option would mean that users committed to the format could still keep the notebook on their shortlist. As it stands, like the 13-inch model it’s a usable, attractive and undeniably appealing laptop, with a great display, admirable performance and an OS that not only works well now but that’s set to improve once again when Snow Leopard arrives. Let’s just hope that for their next generation Apple decides to reconnect with the minority users that, in many cases, have been its most vocal advocates.

source : slashgear

ASUS F50Sv-A2 Review

This inexpensive 16-inch multimedia notebook packs speedy performance, gaming punch, and smooth Blu-ray playback. Just keep the power cord handy.

A multimedia machine with flair, the F50Sv-A2 marks ASUS’ entrance into the emerging category of 16-inch notebooks. Thanks to its fast Core 2 Duo processor and Nvidia graphics, this $1,149 system provides stellar performance and graphics punch. Add in a compelling design and included Blu-ray optical drive and you have a serious contender. The sub-2-hour battery life is a definite turn-off, but this desktop replacement offers a lot of bang for your buck.
Design and Ports

Sporting a gray and white pinstripe infusion styling on its scratch-resistant lid, the F50Sv-A2 has an attractive look. The pattern extends under the hood to the palm rest and touchpad where a swirl-like pattern, reminiscent of HP’s Imprint finish, stretches across the deck. Surrounding the display is a glossy black bezel; both it and the palm rest pick up their fair share of fingerprints and smudges. We recommend keeping the included polishing cloth handy.

source : laptopmag.com

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The 17-inch MacBook Pro Review

from : www.apple.com

The longest-lasting Mac notebook battery ever.

The battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro lasts up to 8 hours on a single charge¹ and can be recharged up to 1000 times² — compared with only 200 to 300 times for typical notebooks. To do this, Apple engineers custom-designed lithium-polymer cells to create the largest possible battery, then they went even further: They built the battery right into the computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that standard removable batteries require. The result is a battery that’s 40 percent bigger than the previous generation and offers up to 8 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge — all in a notebook that’s less than an inch thin, weighs just 6.6 pounds,³ and remains the same price as the previous-generation model.

But building a battery that lasts up to 8 hours is only part of the story. Giving it a lifespan of up to 1000 recharges required breakthroughs in battery technology. Apple electro-chemists developed advanced chemistry that maintains the battery’s charging capabilities longer than ever. And while most notebooks wear down their batteries by charging them at a constant rate, the 17-inch MacBook Pro takes a different approach. Using an Apple-developed technology called Adaptive Charging, a microchip on the battery constantly communicates with the computer to determine the optimal way to charge its cells, adjusting the current up and down depending on a variety of conditions. Combined, these advancements offer a dramatic improvement in battery lifespan: more than three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries — up to five years.




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Toshiba refreshes Netbook lineup - Switches to 10.1” Netbooks

The Toshiba 10.1” UX series offers significant advantages over the earlier NB100 Netbook

The latest news from Toshiba is that it will launch the UX series featuring a 10.1” screen that offers a better viewing experience than the old NB100 series which supports an 8.9” LCD display with the same resolution of 1024 X 600 pixels. The UX series would offer a better battery back-up of around 4 hours as compared with the previous 2.9 hours for the NB100 as claimed by the company. This Notebook would weigh between 1.2-1.3 Kg depending on the configuration and would be launched in Japan first and then will go international. The price range is around ¥60,000 - ¥70,000.

More Info about The Toshiba 10.1” UX series :

by :Raghav kapoor

source : notebookcheck.net

Potential First Retail Android Netbook is a Cheap-o Tablet

Earlier this month, a pair of bigwigs over at Acer said during a press event that the company plans on using Google's open-source Android OS in its upcoming smartphones, but doesn't feel the OS is ready for netbooks. Just don't tell that latter part to Chinese company SkyTone, the first company (we're aware of) to release an Android netbook.

SkyTone, who's best known for its Skype headsets and kiddie PCs, lists on their website the Alpha-680 Google Android netbook. Available in pink, red, yellow, white, or black, the low cost netbook comes equipped with a 7-inch LCD screen, ARM11 533MHz processor, 128MB of DDR2 (upgradeable to 256MB), a 1GB SSD (upgradeable to 4GB), WiFi, memory card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, and of course Google's Android OS.

ComputerWorld describes the rig as a "glorified cellphone...without the glory," and we'd have to agree. It's unclear when it will be available for purchase and for how much, but even if it checks in somewhere between $100 and $200, Dell's $199 Vostro A90 would make the Alpha-680 a tough buy.

Looks like Acer might have been right.

source : Paul Lilly-maximumpc.com

Dell Studio XPS 13 Review

The Dell Studio XPS 13 packs high performance features and impressive style in an extremely mobile 13-inch laptop. The metal and leather accents on the Studio XPS 13 will certainly make a statement in your next business meeting or class. Hybrid SLI graphics from Nvidia gives you extended battery life when you need it or offers extreme graphics performance if you want to play games. Will the Studio XPS 13 turn out to be as impressive as the larger Studio XPS 16? Keep reading to find out.

SPECIFICATION :

Dell XPS M1330 Laptop Black Ultra Slim 13.3 Widescreen, Vista Home Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.66GHz, 100GB Hard Drive, 4GB DDR2 Memory, 13.3 Inch Wide Screen Wxga, Dvd/rw (Burn DVDs & CDs), 128mb Nvidia, Webcam, 6cell Battery

BUY NOW : Dell Studio XPS 13 (Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, 128GB HDD, 4GB)

source : notebookreview.com


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