ASUS G73Jw-A1

This stealth fighter-styled system gets an updated CPU and Nvidia graphics.

Last Spring, ASUS wowed us with its G73Jh gaming notebook, VGP-BPS9/B and now the company is back with a refreshed version that pairs the same great design with a faster processor, a more powerful Nvidia GTX 460 graphics chip, VGP-BPS9 and a USB 3.0 port for good measure. But are the improved specs enough to give this system a leg up on the competition?

Design

The G73JW-A1 is identical to the G73Jh-A2. At 8.8 pounds and 16.6 x 12.8 x 2.3 inches, the ASUS G73JW-A1 VGP-BPS9/S would never be mistaken for an ultraportable, but compared to some other systems we've tested--such as the 10.6-pound, 18-inch Toshiba Qosmio X505--it seems rather svelte. Carrying it and its 2-pound power brick around in an oversize messenger-style bag was no problem even when we had to stand for a long time VGP-BPS9A/B on the bus.

Modeled after the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, the G73JW-A1 lacks the bling Vostro 1510 Battery of colorful notebooks like the Alienware M17x, but its sleek, angular design and gunmetal gray exterior make it one of the most attractive Inspiron 1545 battery systems we've seen. The dual exhausts on the back combine with the subtle silver ASUS logo and Republic of Gaming emblem to make this product look more like one of the planes you'd fly in a game than the notebook you'd be gaming on. Open up the lid, and the subtle theme continues inside. Only a few small buttons sit on top of the simple black keyboard and the gray touchpad simply blends into the deck. No colorful status lights or bright Latitude E6400 Battery red buttons here.

What really makes the G73JW-A1 stand out is the rubberized material used on both VGP-BPS13B/Q the lid and deck. More notebooks should use this type of material, because it's incredibly comfortable to touch, resists finger prints, stays cool, and provides a significant feeling of durability and quality.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Unfortunately, the G73JW-A1's backlit VGP-BPS13/B keyboard is a huge disappointment, with tiny stiff keys that are difficult for both typists and gamers alike. On the ten thumbs typing test, we got one of our worst scores ever--69 words per minute and a 3-percent error rate as opposed to our average rate of 80 wpm VGP-BPS13 and 1-percent. And that was the third time we tried; on the first two attempts we made so many errors that we just had to restart.

One reason the keyboard is so difficult to touch type on is that the hard keys give really VGP-BPS13A/B weak tactile feedback and require really hard and deliberate strokes. Another issue is that their flat, square shape lacks the kind of curves that make it easy to feel your way around the rows, and the narrow space between them seems smaller than other devices.

Why ASUS decided to not use all available space Dell GD761 Battery for the keyboard remains a mystery. The chassis is 16-inches wide, but has 1.5 inches of empty plastic on either side of the keyboard. Meanwhile, The arrow keys and numeric keypad--both essential for game play--are actually smaller than the rest of the keys, making it difficult to use them as controls. To make matters worse, the sharp incline and deep palm rest (more wasted space) can make it hard to keep your hands from PA3534U-1BRS slipping backward as you type.

Size-wise, the 4.4 x 2.2-inch touchpad has everything going for it: Vostro 1710 Battery a large smooth, but not too smooth surface, multitouch gesture support, and two discrete buttons that offer just the right amount of tactile feedback. However, on the first review unit we received, the cursor would get stuck and then jump unexpectedly Vostro 1720 Battery around the screen; we didn't experience this problem on a second review unit. Considering battery that many gamers use mice, the lack of a touchpad on/off button is a glaring omission.

Heat

For a notebook with a Core i7 CPU and power good battery Nvidia graphics card under the hood, the G73JW-A1 stays extremely cool. After streaming a video at full screen for 15 minutes, we measured the keyboard at a cool 87 degrees, the bottom at a temperate 90 degrees, and the touchpad at a chilly 78 degrees. Unlike other gaming battery notebooks that have hot palm rests and decks, we didn't notice a single hot spot on the G73JW-A1 even when we were gaming and that's battery quite an impressive feat. We consider temperatures below 95 degrees comfortable and below 90 degrees to be basically imperceptible.

HP Mini 210 HD Review

The Mini 210 HD is the latest netbook from HP, Latitude 131L Battery offering a full 720P-compatible 1366x768 resolution on a compact 10.1-inch display. This model includes the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor standard-with the faster 1.83GHz N475 for $25 more-as well as Intel GMA 3150 integrated graphics. In this review we see how well this netbook holds up against the competition and if you should consider this over a slightly more powerful CULV notebook.

Build and Design

The new design of the HP Mini really helps to enhance its looks and raise the expectation that this netbook isn't a toy but rather a full-fledged designer notebook. The new Mini uses painted panels for the screen cover sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery and bottom cover, adding a touch of color to each model. Compared to normal designs that leave the bottom with bland, unfinished black plastic, this really helps in the looks department. The interior was also given a facelift, featuring a flush-mount Synaptics touchpad with integrated buttons. It also makes use of a redesigned Chiclet keyboard with integrated function-key lights to show when certain features are activated. The new look is nothing short of astonishing.

Build quality is very good even with the bottom panel that snaps into place. When completely closed the HP Mini 210 has a sturdy feel and doesn't show much flex under pressure. The screen cover does a good job of protecting the LCD and the bottom cover doesn't creak or feel loose when properly reinstalled. On the inside the Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery keyboard feels solid in its tray with very little flex or movement. The palmrest also holds up well, although if you have adult-sized hands your palms are hanging over the notebook and almost resting on the desk surface. In short, it is a pretty solid netbook with all things considered.

The HP Mini 210 has one of the most DIY-upgrade friendly designs we have ever seen in the NotebookReview offices. You can access all internal components without ever using a screwdriver ... and the same can't be said about other notebooks. HP designed the Mini 210 with sony VGP-BPS9 battery a bottom panel that comes off using old-fashion finger power. With the bottom panel off users have access to the Wi-Fi card, open mini-PCIe slot for a Broadcom HD or WWAN card, system memory and hard drive. Any upgrade can be performed in seconds, and is much less intimidating for even the most basic of users.

Screen and Speakers

The display on the HP Mini 210 HD is unlike most other netbooks. It has a higher WXGA (1366x768) resolution instead of the usual 1024x600 panel found on other models. This is useful in a number of ways, including properly sony VGP-BPS9/S battery displaying menu windows and reducing excessive horizontal or vertical scrolling. Another added benefit is being able to watch 720P video, although it also relies on you having a Broadcom CrystalHD decoder card configured with the system. Without that card the system would be unable to play the content, let alone display it on the higher resolution panel at reasonable framerates.

The panel itself is easy to read--at least with my eyes--and text doesn't appear to be that small compared to other mobile devices. If you can read VGP-BPS13/B small text on a mobile phone, you should be able to view the screen without any problems. Color and contrast are very nice, although at times I felt reflections off the all-glass surface seemed to obscure part of the panel. Backlight levels were great for viewing the screen in bright office conditions, but outdoor viewing was out of the question. Viewing angles were average compared to other notebooks, with colors starting to invert or distort when the screen was tilted about 15 degrees forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles were better, but the reflections seemed to obscure the panel past 45 to 50 degrees.

The small speakers on the HP Mini 210 HD are located on the front edge of the palmrest, PA3534U-1BRS angled downward towards your lap. On a flat desktop they easily filled up a small room with music but once you placed the netbook in your lap they became muffled and easily blocked by clothing. Sound quality was average compared to other similarly sized netbooks, with weak bass and midrange.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The HP Mini 210 HD features a 93% fullsize Chiclet keyboard. For short term use the keyboard is comfortable to type on and feels as strong as typing on a regular notebook. The size though can feel slightly cramped depending on if you Dell GD761 Battery are used to typing on a larger notebook. For short term travel or light usage in the home for web browsing you probably won't have any problem. If you intended to use this as your primary system, you might want to consider moving up to the 11.6" ultraportable form-factor which is closer to standard full-size while still being very portable.

Function keys on the keyboard are direct access, meaning you don't need to press the "Fn" button to adjust the screen brightness Dell Vostro 1510 Battery or enable Wi-Fi. Another feature is built-in indicator lights for the mute and wireless on/off buttons. While there is no performance different between this and side mounted lights, it helps in the aesthetics department.

The touchpad on the Mini 210 HD is a button-less Synaptics ClickPad with multitouch support. Compared to the twitchy variant found on the HP ProBook recently reviewed, we found no such problems on this particular version. Unlike the earlier version, if your finger was resting good battery on a pre-defined left/right button box, any movement on the main touchpad section would activate pinch-zoom. Now those areas are dead zones, preventing a lot of frustration we previously had. The touchpad surface was very smooth and almost glossy in texture. Sensitivity was excellent without any adjustment needed and acceleration on both axes was equal. It's hard to say if the touchpad has reached the same ease of use level of the one found on the MacBooks', but it is getting very close.

Ports and Features

The HP Mini 210 HD features three USB 2.0 ports, VGA-out, one audio headset jack, and Ethernet. The system also includes a SDHC card slot. Optional battery features include GPS, WWAN, and a Broadcom CrystalHD card for HD video decoding.

Speakers and Microphones

The sound system on the pebble 5920 is composed of two speakers hidden under Latitude 131L Battery a stylish grill located above the keyboard and a subwoofer built in the underside. The combination produces acceptable results that are well above average for notebook sound. However, having a Dell notebook with a subwoofer in the past I expected a more impressive leap out of a newer notebook. The attached Realtek sound driver has an abundance of options and settings though.

Having a volume dial is a good thing, but the dial sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery has no feedback nor resistance which makes it move at the slightest touch and hard to set to the right volume. It also lacks a "stop point" so you can't know when you reached the top/lowest point unless you are using the on-screen volume display. Its location in the front under the lower "lip" means it isn't easy to reach when the notebook is resting on your lap. Likewise with the headphone ports location at the front which always strike me as prone to stress damage.

For video conferencing Acer included a built-in VGA web cam into the lid handle with built-in microphones on each side. Nothing Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery spectacular but all in all not bad for a 15" notebook

Keyboard, Touchpad and Media Controls

The weird looking keyboard is on par with today's average, however, it has a noticeable amount of flex in the right shift area which should not appear in a modern notebook of that size and weight.

The even surface touch pad is responsive and easy to use thanks to the texture sony VGP-BPS9 battery and wide aspect ratio, it's so wide I sometimes found myself inadvertently moving the cursor. Fortunately, you can switch it off and on with the designated FN+F7 combination. Acer managed to squeeze in a third middle button that is supposed to act as a four-way joystick for quick scrolling and navigating.

As expected from a media notebook there sony VGP-BPS9/S battery are plenty of shortcut buttons on the keyboard sides for turning the wireless communication on/off, launching a web browser, email client and the Acer arcade. The right side has a blue backlit media player touch panel.

On Acer's behalf, it looks like the entire palm rest area, keyboard, touchpad and buttons are made of solid non-painted plastic which hopefully means it will not wear off after a while. You may think this gray hue isn't attractive but on the bright side it will look gray even years from now. Add (or subtract) a point for that.

Ports and Features

The 5920 spec list continues with a rich selection of ports: quite an achievement with the back profile blocked. Again I wish some Dell Vostro 1510 Battery of the ports (like LAN and video ports) were in the back.

Software

The amount of bloatware preinstalled with the notebook was quite bearable, but let's take a closer look at Dell Inspiron 1545 battery Acer's "empowering technology." Contrary to what you might think, pressing the "empowering" button does not turn you into a strong black woman, instead it opens a nice looking control panel with an assortment of Acer utilities designed to help beginners take control of their laptop:

* eNet for networking management

* ePower for battery optimization

* ePresentation for external display

* eAudio controls the Dolby home theater sound effects

* eDataSecurity protects data with passwords and encryption

* eLock limits access to external storage

* eRecovery backs up and recovery of data (as well as creates factory restore disc)

* eSettings for system information and settings

Along with there "empowering" tools Acer includes Arcade deluxe, a media control center. All in all it's not a bad package for the novice user, even if there is no real technology here and the name is plain silly. No points awarded because we are not Latitude E6400 Battery about competition when it comes to bloatware.

XP compatibility

This is a new review category I made up. Nevertheless, in a world of Vista-only notebooks it is useful to know whether you'd be able to run your favorite proven OS on your new 5920. Well, you can and quite easily as the supplied Vista drivers are compatible with XP. Thanks to some tips from NBR forums members the install process was even easier, updating the bios to the latest version allowed switching the SATA interface to IDE. Then it was a simple XP install using an old XP SP2 disc. Surprisingly the laptop worked quite well (webcam included) even Thinkpad T61 Battery before I installed the Acer drivers. I have yet to find a way to get XP working in SATA ACHI mode which might be the cause of the HD Tune test results.

Performance and Benchmarks

A distinctive advantage of the 5920 is the Nvidia 8600m GT video card, while not the DDR3 version it's still one of the fastest 8xxx GPU available at the time of the review and certainly the top in the 15.4" form factor segment. In addition, it comes in a MXM II slot with easy access, another high point Latitude E5500 Battery in the specification. Playing games proved once again that even the low T5250 was not the limiting factor in this setup, meaning you don't have to spend money on a higher CPU for that purpose alone.

Having two identical 5920's I was able to pit them against each other it those benchmarks, one running XP Home SP2, the other keeping the original Vista Home premium install.

Heat and Noise

Having so many ports limits the air vent to Latitude E6500 Battery the lower left side, and the lid design comes back to haunt us as it limits the space allocated for the back vent profile. The result is somewhat warmer than appreciated inner idling temperatures with the CPU hovering at 50+ °C and the GPU in the 60°C area.

Under load the left side gets noticeably hotter with the GPU peaking to 90 °C and once freezing on me. The notebook might be designed to handle that amount of heat but I'm still uncomfortable with that. Both machines exhibited erratic fan behavior which would come on at full power for a short burst every few seconds. I'd much rather have it work constantly at a low rpm, keeping the notebook cool and quiet as the fan is silent by itself.

I couldn't find a way to enable speedstepping in the bios. NHC doesn't show the CPU to throttle down while CPU-Z shows only 33% slowing to Latitude E4300 Battery 1000Mhz and SpeedFan wouldn't control the fans. The 8600m GT driver will not allow throttling down on DC power either, nor to downclock the GPU speeds.

This is where a proper ePower management should have let me control the fan operation Latitude E5400 Battery and speed as well as enable an aggressive CPU and GPU throttling. It has some sort of CPU power options but I have not seen any big difference. All points melted down.

Battery Life

Interestingly the XP unit reported an estimate of 3:04 hours on a full good battery and maximum screen brightness loosing about one percent battery power every two minutes idling, while the Vista unit reported an extra hour with a 4:10 hours estimate. Yet another unfulfilled promise by Windows Vista.

Conclusion

Despite its many flaws the Acer Aspire 5920 is one of the best buys today thanks to its rich specification, wealth of features and relative low price. I believe a proper new bios would solve the fan issue and CPU management, and a new Nvidia driver should let us use powermizer to reduce GPU heat. That leaves us waiting for a decent LCD panel from Acer or getting one of those LCD films to enhance the blacks. Like its name suggests, the Acer 5920 gemstone is truly a diamond in the rough and with battery a bit of polishing would shine.

Pros

* Best bang for the buck

Cons

* LCD bright but not brilliant

* No sufficient CPU/GPU throttling

* Annoying fan

ASUS K42J Review

The ASUS K42J is the latest in the K series of affordable laptops. This 14-inch notebook Dell Latitude 131L Battery features a high-performance Intel Core i5 processor, discrete graphics with Nvidia Optimus technology, and a starting price below $900. Is this the ideal back-to-school laptop? Read on to find out.

Our review unit of the ASUS K42J (K42JC-A1) features the following specifications:

* 14-inch 720p (1366x768) display with LED backlighting

* Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

* Intel Core i5 430M (2.27GHz)

* Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics card w/ 1GB dedicated memory (Optimus switchable graphics)

* 4GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM

* 500GB 7200RPM hard drive

* 802.11n wireless

* DVD Super Multi drive

* Two-year warranty w/ one year accidental coverage

* 6-cell Li-ion battery (10.8v, 4400mAh, 47Wh)

* Weight: 5.01 lbs

* Dimensions: 13.7 x 9.4 x 1.5 inches

* MSRP: $899.99 ($880 street price)

Build and Design

The K42J has a traditional notebook design sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery and shape similar to the previous generation ASUS K40IN. In other words, it looks like a fairly boring coffee brown notebook without much flare. The notebook features a mixture of matte black, semi-gloss brown and black and glossy brown and black plastics. All of the corners and edges are rounded to give the laptop a smoother look, and the textured touchpad and palm rests give the K42J a nice feel. The glossy screen lid features a subtle imprinted design that replicates the pattern used on the palm rests, but overall we're talking about a very clean, simple laptop design.

The build quality of the K42JC-A1 is typical of most of the ASUS consumer-grade notebooks we've reviewed. The overall chassis strength Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery is good with no specific areas of plastic flex or creaking sounds. The internal chassis frame resists pressure quite well and the screen hinges provide a good balance of resistance (not too firm and not too loose). The back of the screen lid does flex under heavy pressure, but even when significant pressure is applied to the back of the screen there are no obvious ripples or distortions on the screen.

The bottom of the notebook includes two access plates for the RAM and the hard drive. ASUS sony VGP-BPS9 battery engineers obviously understand that most consumers buying a mainstream notebook like this won't upgrade much (if anything) beyond the RAM and hard drive. Yes, we usually like to have more access to the notebook's internals, but the majority of the people who buy this laptop probably won't care.

Screen and Speakers

The K42JC-A1 has a 14-inch diagonal display sony VGP-BPS9/S battery with LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The overall quality of the display is "very good" within the narrow viewing angle sweet spot. Brightness, contrast and color are all quite good. If there is a single obvious issue it has to be the narrow vertical viewing angles. While the horizontal viewing angles (side view) are nearly flawless, the colors become over exposed when viewed from above and significantly inverted and distorted when viewed from below. If you are using this laptop for color-accurate editing you will need to be certain you're viewing the screen from straight ahead. The backlighting also appears slightly uneven with brighter light coming from the bottom of the screen in our review unit.

The display's 1366x768 resolution is a standard resolution for mainstream notebooks. The horizontal resolution is adequate, however only 768 pixels Dell Vostro 1510 Battery of vertical space means a good deal of scrolling while surfing the Internet and only enough space to view about one-half of a page in a Microsoft Word.

The K42J has Altec Lansing speakers located underneath the palm rests facing forward on the front edge Dell Inspiron 1545 battery of the notebook. Despite the Altec Lansing brand name, these speakers didn't deliver exceptional sound quality. Vocals sound muddy and distorted, and the speaker output is weighted heavy toward the highs with no real midtones or bass to talk about. If you want quality audio out of this notebook you'll really have to consider external speakers or headphones. The headphone jack provides a great, static-free connection for alternate speakers.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The full-size keyboard on the K42J full-size keyboard features Dell Latitude E6400 Battery Chiclet-style keys that are responsive and provide a little extra spacing to prevent typos. The keys are large and flat and have a matte texture, which may wear over time. There is no noticeable flex unless you apply significant pressure to the keys in the middle of the board. A individual key presses are quiet with the softest possible "click-clack" noise while typing; making it nice for taking notes in a classroom or office meeting room. The keyboard lacks dedicated multimedia keys, but the arrow keys double as media keys when used with the function key.

The ELAN touchpad is a mixture of good and bad. The textured surface provides excellent traction for your fingertips but the touchpad suffers from obvious lag. This is a multi-touch touchpad with customizable gestures, but the mediocre responsiveness makes using the touchpad less than ideal. The lack of a dedicated scroll zone good battery is also annoying. The touchpad buttons have very shallow feedback with loud clicks when you press the buttons.

Ports and Features

The K42J is a step up from previous K-series notebooks in terms of the port selection. The K42JC-A1 adds the much needed HDMI port, though we'd still like to see the addition of an ExpressCard slot to make this laptop a little more future proof. A simple ExpressCard slot batteries would have made it possible to upgrade the K42J with USB 3.0 ... a potentially important feature since USB 3.0 is starting to show up in more and more notebooks. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Toshiba Satellite T235 (Intel)

For less than 600 bucks, HP Compaq 6715B Battery doesn't get any better than this. With its lightweight chassis, long battery life, comfy keyboard, sony battery and unique style, Toshiba's Satellite T235 is one of the best consumer ultraportables yet. It's great for students or anyone else on the go. Though the T235 series is compelling in both the AMD- and Intel-powered configurations, we give the edge to the $598 Intel-based Satellite T235-S1350 because of its longer endurance and stronger wireless performance. Yes, you can get a more powerful Core i3 notebook instead of this Pentium-powered machine for around the same price, but if you care about Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery portability it's more than worth the trade-off.

Design

At 12.7 x 8.8 x 1 inches, the Satellite T235 sony vgp-bps13/b is a lot thinner than last year's 1.4-inch thick Satellite T135. With a weight of only 3.8 Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery pounds, the notebook is so light that we hardly noticed it when we carried both the AMD and Intel versions and their AC adapters in our bag.

Despite its sub-$600 price tag, the Toshiba Satellite

T235 looks like a more expensive notebook. Its shiny lid (available in charcoal, red, or white) Sony VGP-BPS10 has a subtle wave pattern overlaid on top of an even more subtle grid imprint. Though the glossy surface picked up fingerprints, they weren't too prominent. The thin profile, which tapers from under 0.8 inches thick on the front lip to just over an inch thick in the back, makes the system look extra-svelte. We also like that Dell GD761 Battery the keyboard inclines slightly for a more comfortable typing position.

However, the real star of the show is the chrome-colored deck, keyboard, and touchpad. While the keyboard's keys and base are both matte chrome, the palm rest and area above the keyboard have a gorgeous shiny surface with a battery slightly rough texture, which Toshiba calls a Fusion chrome finish. We'll just call it one of the best-looking Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS and most comfortable palm rests we've tested. The touchpad sports a smooth surface that continues the Fusion pattern (which some may find to be a little loud), while the two mouse buttons and front lip are a glossy, pattern-free chrome.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Satellite T235's keyboard is one of the best we've used on any consumer notebook, even more Acer Aspire One Battery comfortable than that on the Satellite T645. The keys are generously spaced, offer strong tactile feedback, and have no flex at all. Using this keyboard, we were able to achieve a score of 92 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, which matches our all-time high score.

The 3.3 x 1.5-inch touchpad offered just the right amount Acer Aspire 5670 Battery of resistance, allowing us to navigate around the desktop with ease. It also supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. Its two discrete buttons provided good tactile feedback without feeling stiff.

Heat

A notebook of this size is likely to spend much of its life on your lap, so ambient temperature becomes even more important than acer aspire 9800 battery they would on a larger system. Fortunately, the T235 stayed incredibly cool through our testing. Even after we streamed a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes with the notebook on high-performance mode, we measured the touchpad, keyboard, and bottom at only 95 degrees Fahrenheit--well within comfortable good battery temperatures. Even better, we didn't detect any warm spots on the palm rest, bottom, or sides. By contrast, the AMD-powered Satellite T235D got a bit warmer, with a 97-degree touchpad and a warm spot on the left side of the palm rest.

Toshiba Satellite T235 (Intel)

For less than 600 bucks, HP Compaq 6715B Battery doesn't get any better than this. With its lightweight chassis, long battery life, comfy keyboard, sony battery and unique style, Toshiba's Satellite T235 is one of the best consumer ultraportables yet. It's great for students or anyone else on the go. Though the T235 series is compelling in both the AMD- and Intel-powered configurations, we give the edge to the $598 Intel-based Satellite T235-S1350 because of its longer endurance and stronger wireless performance. Yes, you can get a more powerful Core i3 notebook instead of this Pentium-powered machine for around the same price, but if you care about Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery portability it's more than worth the trade-off.

Design

At 12.7 x 8.8 x 1 inches, the Satellite T235 sony vgp-bps13/b is a lot thinner than last year's 1.4-inch thick Satellite T135. With a weight of only 3.8 Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery pounds, the notebook is so light that we hardly noticed it when we carried both the AMD and Intel versions and their AC adapters in our bag.

Despite its sub-$600 price tag, the Toshiba Satellite

T235 looks like a more expensive notebook. Its shiny lid (available in charcoal, red, or white) Sony VGP-BPS10 has a subtle wave pattern overlaid on top of an even more subtle grid imprint. Though the glossy surface picked up fingerprints, they weren't too prominent. The thin profile, which tapers from under 0.8 inches thick on the front lip to just over an inch thick in the back, makes the system look extra-svelte. We also like that Dell GD761 Battery the keyboard inclines slightly for a more comfortable typing position.

However, the real star of the show is the chrome-colored deck, keyboard, and touchpad. While the keyboard's keys and base are both matte chrome, the palm rest and area above the keyboard have a gorgeous shiny surface with a battery slightly rough texture, which Toshiba calls a Fusion chrome finish. We'll just call it one of the best-looking Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS and most comfortable palm rests we've tested. The touchpad sports a smooth surface that continues the Fusion pattern (which some may find to be a little loud), while the two mouse buttons and front lip are a glossy, pattern-free chrome.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Satellite T235's keyboard is one of the best we've used on any consumer notebook, even more Acer Aspire One Battery comfortable than that on the Satellite T645. The keys are generously spaced, offer strong tactile feedback, and have no flex at all. Using this keyboard, we were able to achieve a score of 92 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, which matches our all-time high score.

The 3.3 x 1.5-inch touchpad offered just the right amount Acer Aspire 5670 Battery of resistance, allowing us to navigate around the desktop with ease. It also supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. Its two discrete buttons provided good tactile feedback without feeling stiff.

Heat

A notebook of this size is likely to spend much of its life on your lap, so ambient temperature becomes even more important than acer aspire 9800 battery they would on a larger system. Fortunately, the T235 stayed incredibly cool through our testing. Even after we streamed a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes with the notebook on high-performance mode, we measured the touchpad, keyboard, and bottom at only 95 degrees Fahrenheit--well within comfortable good battery temperatures. Even better, we didn't detect any warm spots on the palm rest, bottom, or sides. By contrast, the AMD-powered Satellite T235D got a bit warmer, with a 97-degree touchpad and a warm spot on the left side of the palm rest.

Toshiba Satellite T235 (Intel)

For less than 600 bucks, HP Compaq 6715B Battery doesn't get any better than this. With its lightweight chassis, long battery life, comfy keyboard, sony battery and unique style, Toshiba's Satellite T235 is one of the best consumer ultraportables yet. It's great for students or anyone else on the go. Though the T235 series is compelling in both the AMD- and Intel-powered configurations, we give the edge to the $598 Intel-based Satellite T235-S1350 because of its longer endurance and stronger wireless performance. Yes, you can get a more powerful Core i3 notebook instead of this Pentium-powered machine for around the same price, but if you care about Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery portability it's more than worth the trade-off.

Design

At 12.7 x 8.8 x 1 inches, the Satellite T235 sony vgp-bps13/b is a lot thinner than last year's 1.4-inch thick Satellite T135. With a weight of only 3.8 Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery pounds, the notebook is so light that we hardly noticed it when we carried both the AMD and Intel versions and their AC adapters in our bag.

Despite its sub-$600 price tag, the Toshiba Satellite

T235 looks like a more expensive notebook. Its shiny lid (available in charcoal, red, or white) Sony VGP-BPS10 has a subtle wave pattern overlaid on top of an even more subtle grid imprint. Though the glossy surface picked up fingerprints, they weren't too prominent. The thin profile, which tapers from under 0.8 inches thick on the front lip to just over an inch thick in the back, makes the system look extra-svelte. We also like that Dell GD761 Battery the keyboard inclines slightly for a more comfortable typing position.

However, the real star of the show is the chrome-colored deck, keyboard, and touchpad. While the keyboard's keys and base are both matte chrome, the palm rest and area above the keyboard have a gorgeous shiny surface with a battery slightly rough texture, which Toshiba calls a Fusion chrome finish. We'll just call it one of the best-looking Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS and most comfortable palm rests we've tested. The touchpad sports a smooth surface that continues the Fusion pattern (which some may find to be a little loud), while the two mouse buttons and front lip are a glossy, pattern-free chrome.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Satellite T235's keyboard is one of the best we've used on any consumer notebook, even more Acer Aspire One Battery comfortable than that on the Satellite T645. The keys are generously spaced, offer strong tactile feedback, and have no flex at all. Using this keyboard, we were able to achieve a score of 92 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test, which matches our all-time high score.

The 3.3 x 1.5-inch touchpad offered just the right amount Acer Aspire 5670 Battery of resistance, allowing us to navigate around the desktop with ease. It also supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. Its two discrete buttons provided good tactile feedback without feeling stiff.

Heat

A notebook of this size is likely to spend much of its life on your lap, so ambient temperature becomes even more important than acer aspire 9800 battery they would on a larger system. Fortunately, the T235 stayed incredibly cool through our testing. Even after we streamed a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes with the notebook on high-performance mode, we measured the touchpad, keyboard, and bottom at only 95 degrees Fahrenheit--well within comfortable good battery temperatures. Even better, we didn't detect any warm spots on the palm rest, bottom, or sides. By contrast, the AMD-powered Satellite T235D got a bit warmer, with a 97-degree touchpad and a warm spot on the left side of the palm rest.