HP Announces New Consumer Notebooks

Today HP announced the refresh of their entire consumer notebook lineup with new models following their MUSE design philosophy. MUSE, which stands for materials, usability, sensory appeal and experiences,inspiron 1525 battery is aimed at building and designing products that not only look good but have great functionality. The model refresh includes notebooks from the Pavilion dv and dm-series as well as the ENVY lineup.

The ENVY brand sees a shift to larger models that free HP from the performance-limiting size constraints imposed by the old 13- and 15-inch offerings..inspiron 6400 battery Today the ENVY 14 and ENVY 17 will be taking over with the previous models being slowly phased out as stock diminishes. Another big change is the lowering of the starting price on both models.xps m1330 battery Currently the entry price of the ENVY 13 is $1,399 with the ENVY 15 priced slightly lower at $1,299. HP will be lowering the starting price of the ENVY 14 to $999 with the ENVY 17 starting at $1,399.dell d620 battery The ENVY 17 will be available for purchase May 19th and the ENVY 14 on June 27th.



The new ENVY 14 and 17 will have Intel processors, ATI Mobility Radeon dedicated graphics, backlit keyboards,HP 510 slot-loading optical drives, HP TrueVision HD Webcams and custom Beats Audio sound systems.

The ENVY 17 will come standard with the ATI's Mobility Radeon 5850 dedicated graphics card,Acer Aspire 4710 fully supporting their EyeFinity Technology. HP showed off the ENVY 17 at their press event;HP Pavilion DV9000 DiRT 2 played fluidly across three monitors, making use of the ENVY 17's VGA, HDMI, and DisplayPort-out connections.

The HP Pavilion dm-series is seeing a big change, with the Intel-based dm3t being phased out.Sony VGP-BPS8A HP will still keep the dm3 around with the AMD-based dm3z. The dm4 will be added to the lineup, which will offer Intel dual-core processors and optional midrange ATI dedicated graphics. The dm4 will sport a chassis less than one inch thick and weigh 4.4lbs.Sony VGP-BPS8 It will also feature up to 640GB of storage and WLAN, WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth options.

The dv-series will also be seeing huge changes as models start getting design elements trickled down from the previous-generation ENVY models.Sony VGP-BPS9 HP is shifting away from keyboards with number pads on all notebooks smaller than 17 inches since they found most users didn't find them comfortable to use. HP will instead focus on providing as much keyboard space as possible and omit touch-sensitive buttons that cluttered the area beneath the display. The new layout uses one-touch function-keys for media buttons.Sony VGP-BPS8B This was done to give the notebook a cleaner look as well as cut down on power consumption as the touch-sensitive buttons and LED lighting were a drain on the battery.Sony VGP-BPS9/B

All new Pavilion dv-series notebooks also get redesigned Imprint finishes which combine matte and glossy elements to reduce the visibility of fingerprints and add texture.Sony VGP-BPS10 The new Imprint finish has the pattern edges raised from the background color.Sony VGP-BPS9/S

HP Pavilion dv5 Features:

• Intel and AMD processors with quad-core support Acer UM08B71


• 14.5-inch HD-resolution display


• Up to 1TB of storage with 12.5mm hard drive support


• Black cherry, champagne, and Sonoma red Imprint finishes. apple a1060 battery


• Available May 19th with a starting price of $649.99

Acer BTP-60A1, Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS, hp pavilion dv6000 battery, Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery, Sony VGP-BPS13A/B, Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60, Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60

HP Pavilion dv6 Features:

• Intel and AMD processors with quad-core support and high-end dedicated graphics options apple a1045 battery


• 15.6-inch HD-resolution display with optional touch screen


• Up to 1TB of storage with 12.5mm hard drive support


• Brushed aluminum finish or Black cherry, Champagne, and Sonoma red Imprint finishes. Dell inspiron 1525 battery

The HP Mini 210 picked up two new color schemes, including preppy pink and white crystal.Dell latitude e6400 battery Preppy pink is the first use of 3-D PC surface technology. The plaid-like design has multiple layers which cast shadows and add depth compared to standard 2-D paint schemes. The new HP Mini 210 and Mini 110 with integrated battery will be available for purchase June 15th. The starting prices are $354.99 and $279.99 respectively.

HP Pavilion dm3t Review

The Pavilion dm3 is a CULV thin and light notebook series from HP that includes both the AMD-based dm3z and Intel-based dm3t. This notebook packs a 13.3-inch screen, optional integrated WWAN, an optional matching external optical drive, and a wide range of processor options. In this review, we take a look at the Pavilion dm3t powered by an Intel SU7300 CULV processor,inspiron 1525 battery and includes 3GB of DDR3 memory and Intel X4500 integrated graphics.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60

Build and Design

The HP Pavilion dm3t offers an attractive and durable brushed metal finish on its screen cover that resists smudges and scratches.inspiron 6400 battery The perimeter-trim is chromed plastic to accent the gunmetal-gray brushed finish that extends inside the notebook for the palmrest and keyboard surround.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 The screen trim is a glossy black,xps m1330 battery which blends in with the LCD when the screen is off. The bottom of the notebook is painted with a matte-black finish.

Build quality is above average with the brushed metal finish helping to give some strength to the top of the notebook.dell d620 battery The screen only has some flex under moderate pressure and the cover protects the LCD from most impacts.HP 510 The quality of the materials used is above average on most areas of the notebook; although the chromed plastic might be at risk to chipping over time if you are not careful with transporting it.Acer Aspire 4710 The one area that stood out to us as needing improvement is the touchpad finish, which out of the box had some mild scuffing.HP Pavilion DV9000 HP uses a polished-matte finish that doesn't seem to hold up to mild abrasion as nicely as their older painted glossy touchpads. The bottom cover was a big surprise, since unlike other consumer notebooks that only use plastic bottom covers,Sony VGP-BPS8A HP goes all out with a durable alloy body that adds a nice look and feel when holding the notebook.

Users looking to upgrade their dm3-series notebook will find it easy to access user-serviceable components.Sony VGP-BPS8 The bottom has three compartments, one of which is the battery.Sony VGP-BPS13A/B The two that contain serviceable parts are clearly labeled with symbols showing what parts are underneath. One bay houses the hard drive and WWAN-slot while the other has the system memory and Wi-Fi card. Our model,Sony VGP-BPS9 which didn't include WWAN, still came with the slot soldered in place. No antennas were visible, but at least an upgrade would be possible down the road.

Screen and Speakers

The screen on the dm3-series is a 13.3-inch LED-backlit panel with above average color and contrast.Sony VGP-BPS8B Colors from the screen are bright and vibrant with a cooler or blue hue.Sony VGP-BPS9/B Screen brightness is more the adequate for brightly lit rooms with a peak brightness measured at 212nit. We found screen brightness set at 70% was perfect for viewing indoors.Sony VGP-BPS10 Outdoor viewing with the glossy panel would only be possible in a shaded area away from sun glare. Viewing angles were average with colors starting to invert or wash out when the screen is tilted 15-20 degrees forward or back.Sony VGP-BPS9/S Horizontal viewing angles were better with the screen staying visible to about 60-degrees off center where it started to dim noticeably.

The speakers on the dm3-series are lap-firing,Acer UM08B71 located near the front edge of the palmrest. Sound quality is above average for a notebook this size with clear upper-midrange and high notes. Low frequency audio is still lacking,apple a1060 battery but it is hard to get this from even larger notebooks unless you have a dedicated subwoofer.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard is an island-style variant that is very similar to the look and feel of most Apple MacBooks.apple a1045 battery The keys are painted with a semi-gloss black paint and feel very solid to the fingertips. The lettering is very bright and visible even in dark lighting. Key movement is precise with little wobble with side to side movement.Dell inspiron 1525 battery Individual key presses are smooth and require very little pressure to fully trigger. If you like the look and feel of the Chiclet-style keyboards, you will be impressed with the Pavilion dm3t.

The touchpad is a glossy ALPS model with some support for multitouch gestures.Dell latitude e6400 battery The touchpad on average is responsive with very little lag. On a rare occasion the touchpad did become entirely unresponsive and required a reboot before it started to work again.Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS It is unclear if this was a driver conflict or a problem with the touchpad itself. The touchpad buttons are easy to press with the side of your thumb and give off a small click when pressed.Acer BTP-60A1 They have shallow feedback and require moderate pressure to activate.

Ports and Features

Port selection on the Pavilion dm3t was great with HP making use of nearly all usable space around the perimeter of the notebook.hp pavilion dv6000 battery The system featured four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and VGA-out, LAN,Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery audio jacks and a Kensington lock slot. Other features included a SDHC-card slot and wireless-on/off switch. One unique item on the dm3-series that caused a bit of confusion when it was first taken out of the box was the power button's location. It is located on the right side next to the wireless-on/off button as a small slider-switch.

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge

The Edge 14 is the latest consumer and small business-oriented ThinkPad from Lenovo. Edge notebooks offer toned down looks compared to the SL and T-series ThinkPads, even including modified Chiclet-style keyboards. In this review, we take an in-depth look at the 14-inch ThinkPad Edge and see how well it stacks up against other similar notebooks.inspiron 1525 battery

Build and Design

The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 has a consumer-driven design that goes a few steps beyond SL-series ThinkPads.inspiron 6400 battery While the SL-series looks like a ThinkPad with the rubbery paint replaced with matte-black paint,xps m1330 battery the Edge has a completely new shape and contrasting paint scheme. The borders of the screen cover and keyboard are trimmed with silver plastic. The top cover on our review unit is matte black, but Lenovo offers it in other colors too. Another subtle change is the standard indicator lights have been replaced with a single red LED that also happens to be the dot above the ThinkPad "i". The design is so different from other ThinkPad models that if you were to cover the logo with another sticker, few people would recognize it as a ThinkPad (In fact, most people wouldn't believe you right now even if you said it was a ThinkPad.)dell d620 battery

Build quality is above average compared to consumer notebooks,HP 510 but a step below business-grade ThinkPads. The screen hinges are noticeably smaller than what you might find on a standard ThinkPad; they are plastic-faced, not metal. ThinkPads have been known for strong screen hinges that last throughout the notebook's life without wearing out.Acer Aspire 4710 Some smaller models,HP Pavilion DV9000 like the X200, have used smaller hinges to complement the smaller design, but the hinges on the ThinkPad Edge feel weak in comparison. Unlike the Edge 13 we reviewed a couple of months ago, the Edge 14 doesn't have the same glossy paint problems. Lenovo went with a matte finish on the Edge 14, which has a much more consistent look and feel than a glossy finish.Sony VGP-BPS8A That said, glossy finish options are offered on the Edge 14 in "midnight black" and "heatwave red" colors.

The chassis feels strong and durable, with very little flex in the plastic panels.Sony VGP-BPS8 Unlike more expensive ThinkPad models, the Edge 14 doesn't have an internal rollcage,Sony VGP-BPS9 but Lenovo still managed to keep the notebook pretty strong. The palmrest, touchpad and keyboard have no discernable flex under strong pressure and the frame doesn't flex if you carry it by the corner of the palmrest. The only area of the Edge 14 that I would like to see improvement is the screen cover. With moderate pressure you can see ripples form on the screen - a first for a ThinkPad model.Sony VGP-BPS8B

Users can easily upgrade components on the Edge 14 through two access panels on the bottom of the notebook.Sony VGP-BPS9/B One panel houses the SIM-card and WWAN PCIe slot while the other is to access the system memory, CPU and hard drive.Sony VGP-BPS10 Our review model did not come with WWAN preinstalled and it lacked the needed connectors soldered in place for a future upgrade.Sony VGP-BPS9/S Most ThinkPad models have offered the slots on all models, but it appears that if you want WWAN on the Edge 14,Acer UM08B71 you should order it when you purchase the notebook.

Screen and Speakers

The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 comes with a glossy 14-inch WXGA panel.apple a1060 battery The panel rates average compared to other 13 and 14-inch screens we have reviewed. Color and contrast are adequate but fall short of some nicer panels we have seen on the market,apple a1045 battery including one on the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and HP Envy 13. At its maximum backlight level, we measured a screen brightness of 224 cd/m2 at the center of the screen. Backlight uniformity was great with the top, bottom and sides staying within 20 cd/m2.Dell inspiron 1525 battery Viewing angles are average with colors starting to invert in 10-15 degrees titled forward or back.

The Edge 14 has lap-firing speakers located right below the front edge of the palmrest.Dell latitude e6400 battery If the notebook isn't sitting on a flat desk surface, it is easy to cover the speaker grills and have sound muffled. The speakers are average compared to other CULV notebooks, lacking both bass and most mid-range sound.Acer BTP-60A1 Though for basic listening purposes or streaming music or video,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS they should suffice. When watching movies, using headphones or a stereo connected through the Edge 14's HDMI port would be a better option.

Keyboard and Touchpad

When I first saw the leaked images of the new ThinkPad keyboard,hp pavilion dv6000 battery I have to admit I was less than pleased. The keyboard is one of the few remaining original and unchanged parts of ThinkPad notebooks. The layout has been updated over the years, but the keyboard could always be identified as "ThinkPad." With the new design,Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery Lenovo took a hint from other new keyboard designs hitting the market and blended a combination of form and function.

The keyboard takes a Chiclet/Island-style that's common on notebooks ranging from the latest netbooks to the newest Apple MacBook,Sony VGP-BPS13A/B and merges it with a traditional ThinkPad design.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 What makes the keyboard unique is that it's the first Chiclet keyboard I have found that's very comfortable and easy to type on. Most Chiclet-style keyboards have flat top keys, different spacing and a shallower throw than a normal keyboard. The ThinkPad Edge 14 doesn't have these problems, creating an ideal hybrid keyboard that I can easily say is among the best implementations I have used to date.

Typing pressure and feedback is similar to a typical ThinkPad keyboard,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 so similar in fact that if you type with your eyes closed you might not even realize the key shape changed. The throw distance seems to be identical to my T60 with the same type of click sound made when fully pressed. Removing the keytops reveal the familiar scissor-action found in traditional ThinkPad keyboards. My best guess would be Lenovo kept the original frame and action assembly, only updating the keytops and adding an internal bezel structure. The change doesn't compromise strength; it shows no flex under strong typing pressure.

Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010

Updates to Apple's MacBook line of laptops are always closely watched, and they generally fall into two categories: there are major evolutions, such as the switch to aluminum unibody construction in 2008,apple a1060 battery and then there are minor spec upgrades, typically small bumps to processor speed and hard-drive size.

The newest version of the MacBook Pro line surprisingly falls outside of those two extremes.inspiron 1525 battery The iconic unibody aluminum construction remains,inspiron 6400 battery as does its large glass multitouch trackpad (in fact, from the outside, the new MacBook Pro looks identical to its predecessor). But the revamped internal components are much more than a simple spec upgrade.

The 15- and 17-inch Pro models have moved to Intel's newer line of Core-i CPUs,xps m1330 battery from the older Core 2 Duo models (the 13-inch Pro, unfortunately, still uses a Core 2 Duo CPU). Both mainstream Core i5 and high-end Core i7 versions are available. This requires a new chipset architecture (courtesy of Intel) and a switch from the integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400 to Intel's built-in integrated graphics for the systems' default GPU. dell d620 battery

Our review sample is the highest-end 15-inch base configuration,HP 510 with a 2.66GHz Core i7 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce GT330M discrete graphics. At $2,199, it's definitely expensive, but it's still $100 cheaper than the previous high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro configuration. The lowest-priced 15-inch model costs $1,799,Acer Aspire 4710 which is $100 more than the previous low-end 15-inch MacBook Pro--but that system now includes discrete graphics instead of only integrated graphics. Overall,HP Pavilion DV9000 this round of updates follows the usual Apple trajectory: keeping the price steady but adding faster, more powerful components.

We continue to pine for oft-requested extras such as HDMI, Blu-ray,Sony VGP-BPS8A and 3G, but at the same time, the Core i7 CPU is extremely impressive, both on paper and in action.Sony VGP-BPS8 With the 13-inch model still stuck with a Core 2 Duo CPU, this revamped 15-inch MacBook Pro now feels like the line's powerhouse flagship model.

As with the previous MacBook Pro models,Sony VGP-BPS9 the unibody chassis starts with a solid block of aluminum,Sony VGP-BPS10 which is carved down, rather than a thin outer shell that has had support struts added to it. The result is a thin yet strong chassis that feels very solid and substantial. Even the $999 white polycarbonate MacBook now uses a similar body type.

We remain fond of the large trackpad that uses multitouch gestures for much of its functionality.Sony VGP-BPS9/B In fact, touch controls are almost as vital to the MacBook as they are to the iPhone or iPad (plugging in a mouse is also an option,Sony VGP-BPS9/S but you miss out on a lot of time-saving gesture controls that way).

Of the multitouch gestures,Acer UM08B71 our favorite is sweeping moves with four fingers; left or right brings up the application switcher, and up hides all your active windows. Once you get used to that,apple a1045 battery going back to a regular touch pad is difficult. We've noted in the past year or so that many PC makers have added some form of multitouch functionality to their touch pads, but we have yet to find any that work as well as Apple's. Dell inspiron 1525 battery

This year's version also includes a small behavioral tweak,Dell latitude e6400 battery which Apple calls "inertial scrolling." Like on the iPhone and iPad, flicking two fingers up or down to scroll now feels like there's more mass behind the effort,Acer BTP-60A1 and the page will continue to move slightly after you've lifted up your fingers. The recent Magic Mouse peripheral from Apple included a similar effect.

The 15.4-inch wide-screen display offers a 1,440x900-pixel native resolution,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS which is what we're used to from previous 15-inch MacBook Pro models. But with the growth of online HD video,hp pavilion dv6000 battery and ever-higher resolutions for digital still and video cameras, some users will want more pixels to play with. A 1,680x1,050-pixel display option is now available, which costs an extra $100 (or $150 for a version that also includes an antiglare coating). Still, for a $2,000 laptop,Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery the higher-resolution screen should be included by default.

Apple embraced the simple joys of the SD card slot in last year's MacBook Pro update,Sony VGP-BPS13A/B but this time around there are no comparable new features (although we're excited that the DisplayPort output now supports audio as well as video).

You do, however, have several ways to push the 15-inch MacBook Pro well past its $1,799-$2,199 default configurations. Bumping the 500GB hard drive from 5,400rpm to a faster 7,200rpm model is a $50 upgrade,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 and SSD drives are available from 128GB ($200) to 512GB (a whopping $1,300). RAM can be doubled to 8GB for $400, but each of the three base 15-inch models is locked into particular CPU/GPU combos.

The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros have "automatic graphics switching," an Apple-engineered variation on Nvidia's Optimus graphics-switching technology. The concept is simple: the system uses its integrated Intel graphics by default,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 and when an app launches that requires the discrete Nvidia GeForce 330M GPU, it seamlessly switches over to that, then turns it off when it is no longer required.

Previously,Sony VGP-BPS8B switching between the (integrated) GeForce 9400 and the (discrete) GeForce 9600 found in last year's MacBook Pros required you to manually flip a software switch on the power options menu, and then log out and log back in.

The GeForce 330M (available in 256MB and 512MB versions) is not a hard-core gaming powerhouse, but it should be capable of playing just about any current PC game--although you may have to dial down the detail levels or resolution for optimal frame rates. It's the seamless switching between GPUs that interests us more, as it lets you take advantage of the discrete graphics for HD video and gaming, but won't run down the battery when not in use. In the Mac version of Call of Duty 4 we got 34.5 frames per second at 1,440x900-pixel resolution, with 4XAA and other high-end graphics options turned on, and 59 frames per second at the same resolution, but medium in-game graphics settings.

Microsoft Office 2010 Release, Reviews on the Horizon

The highly anticipated release of Microsoft Office 2010 is just around the corner, with an edition for business volume license holders scheduled for May 12 and the consumer version coming June 15. inspiron 1525 battery

While the updated Office suite boasts a range of improvements across all its modules,inspiron 6400 battery including built-in social networking facilities and compatible bridges to popular websites like Facebook,xps m1330 battery the jury is still out on whether this latest release will have enough appeal to trigger a mass exodus among business users or generate significant interest on the consumer side. dell d620 battery

A number of business users admit improvements to applications HP 510 like Outlook Exchange are long overdue and could be reason enough to make the jump from Office 2007 to the updated suite.Acer Aspire 4710 Others counter there are very capable and free alternatives available as open source software and Web-based applications become increasingly attractive in an effort to cut costs during the current economic recovery. They include:

Google Docs

IBM Lotus Symphony 1.3 HP Pavilion DV9000

OpenOffice 3.1

ThinkFree Office Online Beta

Zoho Writer, Sheet and Show

Dell latitude e6400 battery, Acer BTP-60A1, Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS, hp pavilion dv6000 battery, Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery, Sony VGP-BPS13A/B, Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60, Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60

There are free versions of Office 2010 - Starter Edition and Office Web Apps - but their availability and functionality are somewhat limited.Sony VGP-BPS8A The latter version, Office Web Apps,Sony VGP-BPS8 is aimed squarely at the threat posed by Google Docs,Sony VGP-BPS9 and hopes to outdo its rival product by tying online, browser-based versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint directly into its Office 2010 desktop counterparts.

Microsoft has even apparently listened to its customers and made some changes to Office 2010.Sony VGP-BPS8B One of the most noticeable is eliminating the controversial ribbon interface that debuted in Office 2007 and resurrecting the File menu.Sony VGP-BPS9/B If you skipped the Office 2003 to 2007 upgrade due to "ribbon anxiety," Dell inspiron 1525 battery then Office 2010 will ease your transition to a more modern product.Sony VGP-BPS10

Notebook Review will look closely at the Office 2010 modules over the next several weeks,Sony VGP-BPS9/S beginning with an in-depth analysis of the free Office 2010 Starter Edition. Be sure to catch this preview,Acer UM08B71 as well as others that focus on key elements like Excel 2010 and PowerPoint 2010. apple a1060 battery

Collaborative coverage will also take place on our sister site,apple a1045 battery SearchEnterpriseDesktop, and focus on some strategic and deployment issues surrounding Office 2010 business users.

Toshiba Qosmio X505 Review Article Contents

Aimed at both media enthusiasts and gamers, the Qosmio X505 is Toshiba’s largest and most powerful desktop replacement machine featuring a quad core processor and a mid-range nVidia GPU. Does the X505 live up to expectations? Read our review to find out.inspiron 1525 battery

Build and Design
Our first impression of the Toshiba Qosmio X505 is that it is big,inspiron 6400 battery heavy and is a champion when it comes to build quality. When it comes to design, the X505 has a very sophisticated look. The piano black finish with metallic red highlights could appeal to people who never would have considered a “flashy” notebook. The glossy surface is a fingerprint magnet though.xps m1330 battery Even the LEDs on the notebook match with the black and red theme.

Despite the X505's all-plastic design, build quality is superb.dell d620 battery The base of the notebook uses high quality plastic that should brush off bumps and bruises easily. The palm rest and other areas of the notebook are satisfyingly firm and gives us the impression that the internal design and structure of the notebook was carefully planned. The LCD housing does a good job of protecting the screen as well.HP 510 We were not able to produce distortions on the screen with poking or prodding on the back side of the LCD housing, and it also resisted twisting motions well.

A notebook this large has to have a solid screen hinge to support the weight of the LCD,Acer Aspire 4710 and Toshiba delivers in that respect. The hinge is firm enough to keep the notebook closed and open when needed,HP Pavilion DV9000 but the screen wobbles a little when bumped and the hinge occasionally squeaks. It also takes some effort to open the notebook.

Screen and Speakers
The Toshiba Qosmio X505 comes with a glossy 18.4-inch CCFL backlit screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 (the 16:9 equivalent of WUXGA).Sony VGP-BPS8A Colors are bright and vibrant, text is crisp and sharp and videos are smooth and clear. With a maximum measured brightness of about 141 nits, it is a little dim compared to LED backlit screens and will be unsuitable for outdoor use,Sony VGP-BPS8 but indoors (like on the desk that this notebook will rarely leave) the screen is stunning.Sony VGP-BPS9

The X505 has eight distinct levels of screen brightness that can be adjusted by using Fn+F6 and Fn+F7 key combinations.Sony VGP-BPS8B The brightest settings on the notebook won't wash out colors or strain the eyes,Sony VGP-BPS9/B and the dimmer settings for the screen are great for darkroom entertainment. During normal use,Sony VGP-BPS10 we would usually have to leave the screen at one of the four highest brightness levels for comfortable use.

Notebook screens tend to have poor vertical viewing angles,Sony VGP-BPS9/S and the X505 is no exception. Colors and text fade fast when viewing the notebook screen from above or below. Horizontal viewing angles are much better and are quite impressive.Acer UM08B71 Even at the far left or right field, the screen is still easily readable and the visual quality of text, images and videos were consistent throughout.

When we typically see that a notebook with Harman/Kardon speakers,apple a1060 battery there are high hopes that we are going to have a great listening experience. The two very large front speakers live up to our expectations with excellent audio in the treble range,apple a1045 battery but the bass range is non-existent. Music fades when there is low volume in the treble range. For a notebook this large, the lack of perceptible bass is a big disappointment.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The X505 has a comfortable keyboard that easily outperforms many other notebooks.Dell inspiron 1525 battery The LED backlit keyboard uses a fairly standard layout and design that has a great amount of feedback but is just a hair too springy. The spacing and feel of the keyboard is just about right and we think many people will like it.

At first, the glossy finish on the keyboard was a drawback; the keys seemed to grab our fingers a little bit.Dell latitude e6400 battery After a day or two, with a sufficient amount of oil building up on the keys, that problem was resolved. The only unresolved problem that is that we cannot find a way to turn the LED backlight off on the keyboard...Acer BTP-60A1

The large amount of palm rest real estate on an 18.4-inch notebook means that the X505 has a full size keyboard,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS a number pad and a few inches to spare. Toshiba uses that space by including eight capacitive touch special function buttons to control media playback, volume and power settings on the notebook.hp pavilion dv6000 battery It's a nice feature but there are two big problems with these buttons: they are easy to accidentally trigger and they always beep at you when you hit them. Even the mute button beeps at you when you hit it.Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery

Like the keyboard, the touchpad requires a little bit of oil to build up for optimal use. At first we found ourselves running off of the flush touchpad, but we adapted quickly. The tactile feedback provided by the touchpad was excellent and its responsiveness was equally satisfying after we updated the touchpad drivers. The touchpad also has an on/off button (and a giant red LED indicating if that the pad is on or off) that you can deactivate if needed.Sony VGP-BPS13A/B The two large touchpad buttons are red and hard to miss, but they are also difficult to work with since they require a lot of force to get them to register a click.

The Synaptics touchpad on the X505 also has a few other productivity features like circular scrolling,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 multi-touch zoom and multi-touch rotation motions, and even two-finger scrolling, which required us to space our fingers uncomfortably far apart for the touchpad to acknowledge the gesture. The rest of the features worked well.

Ports and Features

Let us be real – this is an 18.4-inch desktop replacement machine.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 Toshiba has the room to put any type of port on this computer that they want, and they did a good job of including the essentials. With three USB ports, one combo eSATA/USB port, audio ports, a Firewire 400 port, SD card slot, Ethernet port, VGA out and HDMI outputs, the notebook has almost everything a user needs. The X505 also has an ExpressCard/54 slot above the optical drive so you can expand upon the notebook as you see fit. There is even space for a DisplayPort connector on the notebook, but we are unsure why Toshiba chose to omit that feature. Our only complaint is that we wish there were more USB ports. The VGA port might baffle you a little, but Toshiba smartly figured that a lot of HDTVs have VGA ports dedicated for computer connections (and not all HDTVs have enough HDMI inputs). Let’s have a quick look around the notebook.

HP EliteBook 2540p Review

The EliteBook 2540p is the latest road-warrior ultraportable notebook from HP. The 2540p offers a 12.1-inch WXGA screen, Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, built-in optical drive with select configurations, and a plethora of storage options.inspiron 1525 battery In our review, we put the new EliteBook through its paces to see how it stacks up against the competition.

The 2540p starts at $1,099, though with our configurations,inspiron 6400 battery it tops out at $1,629.

Our HP EliteBook 2540p review unit features the following configuration:

Intel Core i7-640LM 2.13GHz Dual-Core Processor (4MB Cache)

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

12.1-inch WXGA anti-glare (1280 x 800) xps m1330 battery

Intel GMA HD integrated graphics

4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2GB x 2GB)

250GB 5400rpm 1.8-inch SATA II

DVD+/-RW optical drive

Intel 6200AGN Wifi, gigabit Ethernet, modem and Bluetooth connectivity

6-Cell 62WHr battery dell d620 battery

Three-year warranty

Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 1.10 inches (with 6-cell battery)

Weight: 3.97 pounds with 6-cell battery

Build and Design
The HP EliteBook 2540p is billed as an ultraportable business notebook,HP 510 therefore corporations - and many consumers - expect a high quality of materials, excellent features and an innovative design. HP's other EliteBook notebooks meet or exceed those expectations, but what about the smallest member of the EliteBook family?

The main body of the EliteBook 2540p is covered in the new "HP DuraCase" and "HP DuraFinish,"HP Pavilion DV9000 which is essentially a hard plastic and strong magnesium alloy inner shell - similar its predecessor - and strengthened by a brushed aluminum outer shell that even resists scratching from steel wool.Sony VGP-BPS8A The base of the laptop feels very strong and would definitely survive bumps and bruises that other laptops might not.Sony VGP-BPS8 There is absolutely no flex in the solid keyboard. The underside of the notebook is also similarly rigid and strong with just a tiny amount of flex in the area immediately under the notebook's optical drive.

The outer shell of the screen casing is metal,Sony VGP-BPS9 but the inner screen bezel is plastic. Unlike the 15-inch EliteBook 8540p we previously reviewed, the display lid flexes slightly when significant pressure is applied to the center of the lid. But it's still much stronger than what we typically see on other high quality 12-inch business notebooks.Sony VGP-BPS8B

When HP says that the EliteBook 2540p was designed "to meet the military standards (MIL-STD 810F) for high/low temperatures and dust,Sony VGP-BPS9/B" they mean the notebook is built to withstand years of use and abuse.

With all this rugged durability built into the design,Sony VGP-BPS9/S you have to expect a trade-off, which in this case is weight. Some 12-inch business class notebooks tip the scale at 3 pounds or less.Sony VGP-BPS10 The EliteBook 2540p has a starting weight of 3.38 pounds with a 6-cell battery, but the added durability more than makes up for a minor weight increase.

Finally, in the same way that the gray and black exterior and smooth design suits a professional environment,apple a1060 battery so do the internals. The EliteBook 2540p uses three simple plastic covers on the bottom of the notebook (each held in place with Phillips head screws) so the hard drive, wireless cards and RAM are easily accessible for fast upgrades.apple a1045 battery There is a fourth tiny expansion slot cover on the bottom of the notebook, which is for the dedicated Bluetooth card. The rest of the notebook interior is protected by Torx screws that should deter employees from messing around inside their work-issued notebooks.
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Screen and Audio

The 2540p comes equipped with a 12.1-inch anti-glare widescreen with a typical WXGA resolution.Dell latitude e6400 battery At 1280 x 800 pixels, the display displays fine details without making things too small to work comfortably while on the move. Of course, the resolution might be limiting if you use the notebook as a mobile video and photo editing platform,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS but most people interested in a 12-inch notebook aren't editing high-resolution photos on the road.

When viewing the screen from straight ahead,hp pavilion dv6000 battery colors are rich and contrast is excellent. Full-screen movies look quite good, with deep blacks and good viewing angles. Horizontal viewing angles are particularly impressive so you shouldn't have trouble showing a presentation to multiple people sitting at a desk. The vertical viewing angle from above starts to wash out at extreme angles and colors begin to invert from below,Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery but most users won't view the screen from high above or far below.

The built-in speaker is above average with a good range of highs, middles and acceptable lows that don't sound "tinny" like most mono speakers. High volume settings are more than loud enough to fill a small office with sound for a presentation,Sony VGP-BPS13A/B but are still clear and not horribly distorted. The only negative about the speaker is its location.

The speaker is located on the bottom front edge of the notebook,Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 so the sound isn't projected upward at the user when the EliteBook is used as a laptop. In fact, our staff usually refers to laptop speakers with this type of placement as "crotch speakers" because the speakers are directing sound to your lap and waist rather than your ears. If you're using the 2540p on your desk, this isn't much of a problem, but if you're a road warrior constantly working from your lap then you might be annoyed by the speaker placement.

The headphone jack on the 2540p works well with two different brands of earphones I used during the test.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 No static or other noise was noticed through the jack besides imperfections in the audio source itself.

Samsung N210

The Samsung N210, a Best Buy exclusive, is one of the better-looking netbooks we've seen, with a shiny white top, sleek chrome accents, and a comfortable keyboard. Though it isn't great at playing video,inspiron 1525 battery it does have fairly decent speakers. It also features an instant-on capability that allows you to get online without having to wait for Windows to start up.

Our review model, priced at $379 (as of March 29, 2010),inspiron 6400 battery
features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM,xps m1330 battery and a 250GB hard drive, and it runs Windows 7 Starter Edition. It also has a 10.1-inch matte display, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a built-in Webcam and microphone.

The Samsung N210 dell d620 battery is housed in a pearl white chassis; the top has a subtle textured pattern underneath a glossy finish. The interior features a matte white finish, with a chrome accent band around the edges.HP 510 Three USB 2.0 ports (two on the right and one on the left) are available; one of the ports is a sleep-and-charge plug,HP Pavilion DV9000 which allows you to charge USB devices even while the computer is in sleep mode. The N210 also has a VGA out-port, an ethernet connection, and microphone and headphone jacks.Sony VGP-BPS8 The power switch is located on the front, as is the three-in-one multiformat memory card slot.

Weighing 2.82 pounds including the battery,Sony VGP-BPS9 the Samsung N210 measures 10.5 by 7.4 by 1.15 inches. The six-cell battery--which is tucked under the chassis and sticks out only slightly--lasted about 6 hours,Sony VGP-BPS8A 43 minutes in our battery life tests, about an hour or two less than other netbooks with six-cell batteries. The instant-on option is not as attractive as it sounds, since it still takes a moment to start (you might as well just turn on the computer).

At 93 percent of the size of the keys on a normal keyboard,Sony VGP-BPS8B the white "island-style" (or Chiclet-style) keys are fairly easy to type on. The spacebar is a bit narrow, but the Shift keys are huge--practically the size of regular Shift keys--and the Tab key and Ctrl keys are also pretty big. A lot of netbook keyboards skimp on these non-letter keys,Sony VGP-BPS9/B but I'm happy to say that typing on the N210's keyboard is almost like typing on a full-size Chiclet-style keyboard. Even the function keys are a fairly good size, considering.Sony VGP-BPS9/S

The touchpad is also big for a netbook,Sony VGP-BPS10 and features a rocker instead of two distinct keys. It supports multitouch gestures (such as pinching to zoom in), and is reasonably sensitive and responsive to said gestures.apple a1060 battery The only issue I found with the touchpad was that its matte finish was almost exactly the same as the surrounding finish--making it a little hard for me to stay on the touchpad while I was flipping through Web pages. Fortunately, the touchpad is a good size, so my fingers didn't slide off of it frequently. The rocker button is somewhat slim, though,apple a1045 battery and I often found myself trying to press the table instead of the button.Dell inspiron 1525 battery

The N210 features a 10.1-inch, widescreen,Dell latitude e6400 battery LED-backlit matte display with a native resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels. The matte surface is a nice feature on a netbook, as it cuts down the chances of annoying reflections (and since netbooks are made to be ported about, you're unlikely to be working in ideal lighting conditions at all times). The matte finish does sacrifice a little color,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS though--a lot of the hues on our test machine were washed out to the point of looking pastel. Nevertheless, the clarity is still pretty decent. A function on the keyboard allows you to turn off the LED backlight; doing so would presumably conserve battery life, but then you could barely see the screen, of course.hp pavilion dv6000 battery

Stereo speakers are located on the bottom of the chassis,Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery and are actually quite loud for netbook speakers. I was able to hear an episode of Cougartown from Hulu pretty well in a midsize Starbucks with blasting speakers. The sound was a little tinny, as is the case for most small speakers, but the overall quality was good.

Video playback, on the other hand, was less than fantastic.Sony VGP-BPS13A/B We already know that the Atom N450 can't handle high-definition playback very well, but I found that even standard-definition playback on the N210 sometimes stuttered (only once or twice, though, in a full episode of Lost). Full-screen playback and high-def video were dismal.

The Samsung N210 runs Windows 7 Starter Edition (32-bit),Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad X60 the lesser version of Windows 7 that doesn't allow you to do any of the cool stuff--such as changing your desktop background or running Windows Media Player. Aside from CyberLink YouCam (for making videos) and Microsoft Works, the software bundle includes several useful Samsung applications: Easy Resolution Manager (for changing the display resolution from 1024 by 600 to 1024 by 768), Easy Network Manager, Samsung Support Center, and Samsung Casual Games. You'll find some trialware, too, including Microsoft Office 2007 (60 days) and the Phoenix FailSafe remote theft-recovery and drive-wipe service (60 days).

The Samsung N210 is one of the sleeker netbooks we've seen--the all-white design is professional-looking and attractive--and the keyboard is almost as good as a regular-size keyboard.Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T60 Though this machine falls short in video performance, the included Samsung software is decent.

Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide

The Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide can be found for as low as $278 from major online retailers.Sony VGP-BPS8 The monitor provides good performance in games, movies, and general tasks and includes a plethora of ergonomic options. Users looking for extras will be pleased by the built-in Webcam and microphone, as well as the multiple USB ports.Sony VGP-BPS9 Unfortunately, the monitor includes limited video connection options. VGA and DisplayPort are your only choices, so if you prefer a digital connection--and unless you have a DisplayPort compatible Video Card--you'll need to invest in an adapter. The Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide is a well-performing monitor with a pleasing assortment of features that unfortunately will require an additional investment for most. Sony VGP-BPS8A

Design and Features

The 22-inch Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide has a medium gray chassis with a matte finish.Sony VGP-BPS8B The bezel is short--0.6 inch wide on the right and left sides, and the panel measures 1 inch in depth. The back of the display--which houses the connection options and ventilation system--extends the panel another 1.1 inch,Sony VGP-BPS9/B bringing the full monitor depth to about 2.1 inches. On the top of the bezel, in the center, sits a built-in Webcam and microphone. On the left side of the panel sit two USB ports aligned vertically.

The bottom right-hand corner of the bezel includes the OSD array consisting of a Menu button (which doubles as the Enter button),Sony VGP-BPS9/S Right and Left directional buttons, a Back button, and a Video Source button. The right button also doubles as a shortcut to brightness and contrast settings. Sony VGP-BPS10

There are four color temperature presets as well as the capability to change the red, green, and blue values directly.apple a1060 battery The color presets include Neutral, Reddish, Bluish, and SRGB, but the display lacks presets for specific tasks, like movies or gaming. We found Neutral was the best all-around color preset.apple a1045 battery The usability of the OSD doesn't stack up to those used in Dell's recent offerings,Dell inspiron 1525 battery but the learning curve is relatively short, and each button is responsive and tactile.

The half oval-shaped footstand measures about 10.8 inches wide by 7.8 inches deep.Dell latitude e6400 battery With the screen height at its highest, the ThinkVision L2251x Wide's wobbling was very prevalent when we knocked the panel from the side. With the height at its lowest, we saw minimal wobbling. Also,Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS the distance from the bottom of the bezel to the desktop is 0.8 inches with the screen height at its lowest; at its highest, it's 5.2 inches. The panel swivels about 45 degrees left and right and tilts back about 20 degrees. The panel also pivots 90 degrees to the left for portrait mode.hp 510 battery Lastly, the panel can be unscrewed from the stand and mounted on the wall, VESA-style.

The monitor includes only VGA and DisplayPort for connections, along with an audio-in port, an extra USB downstream port and one upstream. The ThinkVision L2251x Wide doesn't include a DVI port. This fact left us perplexed,hp pavilion dv6000 battery as DisplayPort hasn't exactly saturated the video card market, so the chances that the average consumer's computer will have one, is still fairly low. As it stands, most will need to invest in a DisplayPort to DVI adapter for the monitor to function.

The Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide's 16:10 aspect ratio supports a 1,680x1,050-pixel native resolution, which is different from most monitors made these days that usually support a 16:10 aspect ratio. Fujitsu lifebook s6510 battery

Performance

We tested the Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide with its DisplayPort connection.Sony VGP-BPS13A/B The display posted a composite score of 88 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests. The ThinkVision L2251x Wide's most egregious offense was in our Low Saturation Colors test, which tests a monitor's ability to retain full colors on a white background. While the ThinkVision L2251x Wide was able to display the grayscale up to level 252, it did show color tint problems with this test in the form of a red push. Lowering the contrast did alleviate the tint problem, but what was supposed to be peak white looked more like light gray instead.

The ThinkVision L2251x Wide achieved a brightness score of 260 candelas per square meter (cd/M2) and a high contrast ratio of 1,095:1.