Acer Aspire 8930G

Giant-screen performer begs for a Blu-ray drive



WHEN WE REVIEWED Acer's Aspire 8920G notebook in May 2008, we loved its elegant design, innovative six-speaker audio system, and dazzling 18.4 inch display. With the Aspire 8930G ($1,699), you get all that, plus a processor upgrade, for almost $1,000 less. You don't get a Blu-ray drive, however.

As with the 8920G, the 8930G sports Acer's sleek Gemstone Blue finish with the backlit Acer logo on the lid. Beneath the shiny lid is one of the most beautiful notebook displays we've ever laid eyes on: an 18.4-inch panel featuring wide color technology and a 16-to-9 aspect ratio. Because the screen has a 1,920x1,080 resolution, it can display content in full HD (1080p) and it shows movies in their native aspect ratio without stretching or scaling.


The display practically begs for a Blu-ray drive, but unfortunately this model comes with a standard DVD multiformat drive. Still, The Polar Express on DVD looked fantastic on the big screen, and it sounded great, too, thanks to Acer's unique Tuba CineBass sound system, a six-speaker configuration that delivers full six-channel Dolby-optimized audio. A subwoofer built into the hinge assembly gives the system a much-needed bass boost. Above the display sit Acer's Crystal Eye Webcam and two microphones, which can be used along with the included Webcam utility to capture video clips and stills. It also works with Acer's VCM software, a Skype-based utility for setting up and conducting videoconference sessions.

The full-size keyboard is roomy, with big, comfortable keys and a dedicated numeric keypad, but the textured touch pad is small given the size of the keyboard deck. Still, it provides smooth cursor control. A biometric fingerprint reader nestled between the two mouse buttons uses Acer's Bio-Protection Fingerprint Solution software to provide enhanced security; you can use it in conjunction with Acer's FingerNav utility to scroll through Web pages and documents.

Instead of the usual strip of media-player controls, the 8930G features the CineDash panel, a touch-sensitive controller located on the left side of the keyboard deck. The white-backlit panel sports a circular volume control that you can swipe to raise and lower the volume, it's a bit finicky and can be frustrating to use when you're trying to obtain a specific audio level.

A hotkey takes you into the Acer Arcade applet, where you can launch your DVD movie player, access media files on your home network, play video clips, and view photos. You'll also find a Hold button and a Mute key at the top of the panel.

The 8930G offers a good selection of I/O ports, including HDMI and VGA outputs, four USB ports, and an external SATA (eSATA) port, as well as headphone, microphone, and line-in jacks. It also has a DisplayPort connector, a six-format card reader, and a 54mm ExpressCard slot. The 320GB hard drive comes with Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit) and various Acer utilities, as well as some trial applications.

Powered by a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo CPU (T9400) and 4GB of RAM, the 8930G performed quite well on our productivity benchmarks. Its score of 3,988 on the Futuremark PCMark Vantage test trumped the Sony VAIO AW170Y/Q's score by more than 800 points. It also outperformed the VAIO on our Windows Media and iTunes conversion tests. The HP HDX18's Windows Media encoding times were slightly faster than those of both the 8930G and the VAIO, however. The 8930G's Cinebench 10 score of 5,125 bested the Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802 by more than 1,000 points but trailed the VAIO by 94 points.

Driven by Nvidia's GeForce 9700M GT graphics engine, the 8930G managed a Futuremark 3DMark06 score of 6,297 (at 1,024x768), handily beating the IIDX18's and G5S-Q802's scores of 3,248 and 4,956, respectively. Still, it couldn't touch the scores produced by some of the more robust gaming systems we've reviewed recently, such as the Alienware M17 and Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708. Similarly, its Futuremark 3DMark Vantage score of 1,848 using the Performance preset was nearly 600 points higher than that of the HDX18 but paled in comparison with the X305-Q708's and M17's scores. A low score of 8.9 frames per second on our Company of Heroes DirectX 10 test proves that the 8930G can handle casual gaming as long as you use low detail settings.



We did manage to get 1 hour and 59 minutes of juice—slightly above average for an 18-inch notebook—from the battery on our DVD rundown test. With its solid performance and high-end video and audio components, the Ace/ Aspire 8930G is among the top multimedia notebooks we've seen. If the lack of Blu-ray playback is a deal breaker, you can spend $900 for a different configuration altogether or opt for the $2,199 HDX18. —John R. Delaney

Computer Shopper March 2009

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ZT Affinity N4004i

An understated notebook with some glaring flay

ZT'S AFFINITY N4004I DOESN'T LOOK half bad on paper. It tests well enough (with the exception of graphics performance), has decent components, and has enough of the basics lot most users, It even has a 10-key numeric pad. Unfortunately, the N4004i suffers from a seriously cramped keyboard and a lackluster design.

Notebooks don't get much more plain-Jane than the N4004i. The 1.5x14.1x10.2-inch (HWD), 5.5-pound system has a matte black lid and a two-tone matte-black-and-silver keyboard deck, which reflects a solid build but not much else. The two elements that stand out, however, are the blue-encircled power button and the font on the keys, which has a gaming feel.

Unfortunately, any keyboard coolness ends there. Because it has a 10-key pad on the right side, everything from the letter "L" to the right is squished, including the right Shift, arrow, colon, quotes, period, Enter, question mark, bracket, and Backspace keys. Likewise, the touch pad is a little off center, so we found that every time we placed our hands on the keyboard, they were in the wrong spot.


The touch pad itself, however, is large, comfortable, and responsive. The mouse buttons are big enough, but they're loud and stiff. Watching movies on the N4004i was comfortable so long as only one person watched at a time, since the LCD's viewing angles are narrow. The 15.4-inch, 1,280x800-resolution display showed off The Matrix well, albeit with a touch of graininess.

And while the sound was predictably tinny, we were pleasantly suiptised by the volume, which was loud enough that we didn't need headphones.
For a mainstream notebook, we expect more ports at least a PC Card or ExpressCard option and HDMI. But the N4004i doesn't offer those. Instead, you get four USB ports, one VGA connector, a memory-card reader (SD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick), Ethernet and modem jacks, and a DVD±RW drive. You'll also find audio-out, headphone, and mic jacks in the front.

Likewise, we'd expect some multimedia buttons on the keyboard deck, but there are none. It does have four programmable quick-launch buttons next to the power button. In the upper bezel, you'll find a 1.3-megapixel camera, which looked very good on our tests. It had a little motion blur, but the picture was large and relatively clear, as far as integrated Webcams go.

ZT includes 2GB of Intel's Turbo Memory, which definitely helped Vista load applications. And the N4004i performed reasonably well, too, with its Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 processor. It managed a solid 2,972 on the Futuremark PCMark Vantage test, which is about average for its class. Likewise, it handled our Windows Media Encoder and Mines tests well, finishing them both faster than average, at 7 minutes and 43 seconds and 4 minutes and 27 seconds respectively.

On the other hand, when you compare these numbers against those of the $949 Lenovo IdeaPad Y530, they're a little disappointing. The IdeaPad costs $100 less but scored 3,161 on PCMark Vantage and took 7 minutes and 42 seconds and 4 minutes and 48 seconds to complete the Windows Media Encoder and iTunes tests. The N4004i did manage to beat the IdeaPad on Cinebench 10, however, with a score of 4,087, compared with the IdeaPad's 4,036. Graphics performance from the integrated GMA X4500 chip raised some eyebrows, with the N4004i scoring just 975 on Futuremark 3DMark06, compared with the IdeaPad's 2,084. The scores start to shake out a bit with battery life, especially since the N4004i has a nine-cell battery and managed 3 hours and 52 minutes on our battery-rundown test, compared with the IdeaPad's more normal 2 hours and 4 minutes. Gaming on either system is nothing to get excited about—neither returned more than 20 frames per second on F.E.A.R. and Company of Heroes.

The 320GB, 5,400rpm hard drive comes loaded with 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium, a 90-day trial of Norton Internet Security 2008, and a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office Professional. You'll also find ZT's System Recovery Solution onboard, and you'll get lifetime 24/7 toll-free phone support.

All in all, the N4004i isn't a bad system. It's not overly slow, and it does have fine audio quality. But the keyboard is a deal breaker. And what's more, it's $100 more than the Lenovo IdeaPad YS30, which doesn't have any of these issues. We also wish it offered a few more ports and connectivity options. A PC Card and an HDMI port would have gone a long way toward bumping this system up a notch. We are fond of the Turbo Memory, but we're not convinced it's enough to make this purchase compelling. —Sarah E. Anderson

Computer Shopper March 2009

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Lenovo IdeaPad Y530

Media master packs good sound, great value



THE $949 LENOVO IDEAPAD Y530'S 15.4-inch (1,280x800) glossy screen, textured Light Weave lid, excellent speakers, and HDMI port all make for an excellent multimedia experience. Weighing 6.6 pounds and measuring 1.4x14.2x10.3 inches (HWD), the Y530 is light enough for most commuters. It sports a textured material on the lid that sets it apart from Lenovo's business laptops.

A brushed aluminum plate surrounds the keyboard, adding a distinct bit of style while keeping fingerprints at bay, and the orange volume button—along with orange backlit touch buttons for controlling media playback and the EQ presets—is functional. The Y530's keyboard works well enough for productivity, but it isn't backlit. Our biggest beef with the keyboard is the Function key, which Lenovo placed in the bottom-left corner where the Ctrl key is supposed to be. It might not be a deal breaker, but touch typists will find it annoying.

We were also surprised when the plastic section above the keyboard, which houses the touch-sensitive buttons, popped out on the right side. No amount of prodding could get it to stay down, and considering that we barely moved this regular production unit around our office, that's not a good sign. We hope it's just a fluke, as Lenovo is typically known for its solid build quality.

The frameless screen has a glossy finish that goes all the way to the edge of the lid. It looked great at first, and it was certainly up to the task of making games and movies look good. But when we watched Terry Gilliam's Brazil, it became obvious that this screen works best for a single viewer. Tilting the screen just a couple of degrees resulted in major glare, and off to either side, colors quickly washed out. Because of the IdeaPad's foldover hinge design, the screen wouldn't lay flat, either.

Aside from HDMI, the left side of the Y530 sports a VGA port, two USB ports, an Ethernet jack, and an ExpressCard slot. Up front is a six-format multimedia card reader, and audio jacks, a third USB port, a FireWire connector, and a phone jack accompany the 8x optical drive on the right. A 250GB hard drive is housed inside.

The Y530's sound was superb for a laptop, thanks to its five speakers: two below the screen, two along the sides of the keyboard, and one small, downward-facing subwoofer that actually manages to push out a fair amount of bass. Don't expect to rock the house, but there's plenty of volume to kick out some serious living-room jams.

On our tests, the laptop never got more than slightly warm to the touch, but it didn't exactly burn up the Futuremark tests, either. The Y530 scored 3,161 in PCMark Vantage, which is below average, but not by much. On 3DMark06, the laptop managed a score of 2,084 at 1,024x768 resolution. The Y530 averaged just 16 frames per second (fps) at that resolution in our F.E.A.R. test and 12fps in Company of Heroes with all the bells and whistles turned on. With a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor and Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics, we didn't expect to be wowed; serious garners will definitely want to opt for the somewhat beefier 9500M G graphics option.

We would prefer at least a 2GHz processor, but Lenovo includes a hardware video decoder, which makes that a bit less of an issue. The laptop's score of 4,036 in Cinebench 10 is surprisingly above average but still not stellar. It finished our Mines conversion test in 4 minutes and 48 seconds and our Windows Media Encoder test in 7 minutes and 42 seconds. The battery lasted 2 hours and 4 minutes in our DVD rundown test, slightly below average and 11 minutes less than the $999 Gateway MC7803u's score, though that laptop sports a larger, eight-cell battery.



On the software side, exclusives such as VeriFace, a security feature that uses the Webcam to identify your face, and the OneKey Rescue System, a one-touch factory reset button, are nice enough. You also get a 90-day trial of Microsoft Office, and the one-year warranty on parts and labor is standard. For $949, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 is a capable multimedia laptop with excellent sound and a good-looking screen, provided you can live with a fair amount of glare. Its specs are on the low end for a multimedia laptop, but so is the price. If you own a Y510, the HDMI port is the only reason to upgrade. If you don't, you'll be hard-pressed to find an option with better-performance for less than $1,000. —Matt Safford

Computer Shopper March 2009

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Samsung Q310-34P

A thin-and-light that's lean on speed, value




UNTIL NOW, THE ONLY WAY to get a Samsung-branded notebook was to live (or special-order from) outside North America. Now, anyone shopping for a thin-and-light business model can add Samsung's Q310 to the list of options. Nicely equipped and easy on the eyes, the system should please mobile users looking for style, features, and portability. That said, we can't help wishing Samsung's North American debut offered a little more performance and a tittle less been-there-done-that.

Indeed, from a design standpoint, the Q310 just barely stands out from the pack. It has the obligatory glossy black lid and bezels, while the front edge sports a sharp-looking and subtle dark-red gradation. Equipped with a 13.3-inch screen, the system measures 1.5x12.7x9.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.8 pounds—all average numbers for a thin-and-light.The screen looks as bright and colorful as any we've seen, though its viewing angles could be better: If you tilt the screen too far back, images wash out in a hurry. As for the keyboard, we found it comfortable overall, though key travel was a bit on the shallow side. We would have liked to see some dedicated media-playback controls, but the Q310 has none.

The touch pad and mouse buttons are excellent—perfectly sized and responsive. Plus, there's a function-key toggle for temporarily disabling the touch pad, which is great for users who frequently swipe it by accident with their thumbs while typing.

The Q310 shines in terms of specs, starting with its 3GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, and LightScribe-capable DVD burner. Samsung also squeezed in a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, 802.11a/b/Wn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an HDMI port. Alas, there's no option for built-in mobile broadband, but countless USB solutions are available. Speaking of USB, the Q310 includes three USB ports, two of them located at the rear. It also has a 34mm ExpressCard slot; VGA, Ethernet, microphone, and headphone ports; and a seven-format media card reader.

The Q310 performed well on our benchmark tests, though we couldn't get Futuremark PCMark Vantage to run. It zipped through our lames and Windows Media Encoder tests in 4 minutes and 23 seconds and 6 minutes and 47 seconds, respectively—faster than most other thin-and-lights we've tested and considerably better than the $949 Lenovo ThinkPad SL300, which took 8 minutes and 43 seconds for WME and 5 minutes and 5O seconds for iTunes. Likewise, the Q310's Cinebench 9.5 and 10 scores of 753 and 4,614 landed well above average (again, compared with 547 and 3,352 for the SL300).

Only in our DVD battery-rundown test did the Q310 fail to excel. Though its time of 2 hours and 42 minutes was acceptable, the SL300 managed nearly an hour and 40 minutes longer. We really liked the push-button power gauge on the Q310's six-cell battery, however—it lets you know at a glance if the notebook needs charging before you head out on the road.

Not surprisingly, the system's integrated Intel GMX4500 graphics processor produced mediocre Futuremark 3DMark06 scores: 827 at its native resolution (1,280x800) and 911 at 1,024x768. Though far shy of systems with discrete graphics, those numbers represent a marked improvement over notebooks with the old GMX3100 chip such as the Dell Inspiron 1525 and Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E. Don't expect to do a lot of heavy-duty video editing (or 3D gaming), but you should have no trouble with everyday business-graphics chores. That said, if you need more graphics power, look to the Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402, which offers a 3DMark06 score of 1,054 at 1,024x768, a slightly bigger screen, only slightly more weight (0.2 pound more), and a significantly lower cost (by about $200).

A DVD of Independence Day and high-definition streaming video from I lulu played without hiccuping. If you intend to use the Q310 to watch movies, plan on packing a pair of headphones: The built-in speakers are decent, but even at maximum volume they're not particularly loud. And when you do crank the volume, the audio turns a bit harsh.



Samsung stocks the business-class Q310 with Vista Business, a 60-day trial version of Office 2007 Professional, McAfee SecurityCenter, and a handful of Samsung-branded utilities: Easy Network Manager, Magic Doctor, Recovery Solution III, and so on. We particularly liked the built-in interactive user guide, which we found easier to use and more comprehensive than most. The Q310 comes with a one-year warranty. Although the Q310 isn't a bad system, Samsung will have to work a little harder to compete in this fierce market. Its solid mix of features is a good start, but with Toshiba undercutting its price and outperforming its scores, it's tough to justify buying the Q310. On the other hand, if you can get it for less than $1,100 (we're already seeing it for as little as $1,204 in some places), you should jump at the chance. -Rick Broida

Computer Shopper March 2009

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Alienware M17

CrossFireX laptop deals superior graphics performance



WITH ITS $1,999 PRICE TAG, Alienware's M17 can hardly be considered a budget notebook. But it is reasonably priced compared with the company's higher-end offerings, so you can get capable gaming performance without breaking the bank. Along with the slimmed-down price tag, the M17 also offers some firsts for Alienware's notebook line: ATI's CrossFireX graphics power, DDR3 RAM, and a 64-bit operating system.

The M17 shuns the popular high-gloss finish found on other gaming rigs for a more subtle matte black that has a soft, rubbery feel and is scratch- resistant. Alienware's gills and silver alien head with blue backlighting adorn the lid, which opens to reveal a stunning 1,920x1,200-resolution, 17-inch display. The high-res screen, featuring Alienware's Clearview technology, delivers bold colors and a crisp, clean image, making it ideal for gaming and watching DVDs.

Embedded in the upper bezel, you'll find a 2-megapixel Webcam and dual microphone array. Using CyberLink's YouCam software, you can use the camera to record video, capture snapshots, and add special effects to your clips and photos. The camera is a cut above the usual 1.3-rnegapixel offerings, but its image quality is grainy.

The M17's black keyboard deck is spacious and uncluttered except for a fingerprint reader and a touch sensitive media-control panel. Backlighting (you can turn it off or change colors) gives the full-size keyboard and numeric keypad a cool look and makes controlling the action in the dark easy.

The touch pad and mouse buttons are comfortable and responsive; you can fine-tune their sensitivity—as well as create and select power plans—via the Alienware Command Center. The utility also helps you manage the AlienSense face-recognition application, which works in conjunction with the Webcam. You can configure AlienSense for Face Login as well as Continuous Security, which automatically locks the system when the user's face is out of range of the Webcam.

The camera and software worked quite well together on our tests and had no problem with identification. Audio, however, was disappointing. A pair of speakers mounted on the front edge of the system and a subwoofer built into the bottom provided adequate output, but we expected more bass from the subwoofer.

The choice of connections was much more impressive, including three USB ports, a combo external SATA (eSATA)/USB port, VGA and HDMI video outputs, a Fire Wire port, a Toslink optical audio output, and headphone and microphone jacks. A volume dial is tucked away on the right, and ExpressCard and flash-memory slots are mounted on the left.

Our review unit came with a multiformat DVD burner, but if you want to take full advantage of the high-res display, you can order the optional Blu-ray drive for another $300. The 160GB hard drive comes loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit), Cyberlink PowerDVD, and Nero 7 Essentials; you also get a user's guide and an AlienRespawn disc.

Our test system was configured with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 processor and 3GB of RAM. It also came with a dual ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics solution running in a CrossFireX configuration.

In terms of productivity work, the M17 was merely average, turning in a score of 3,502 on Futuremark PCMark Vantage. On our Windows Media and imnes-encoding tests, the M17 turned in scores of 6 minutes and 40 seconds and 4 minutes and 19 seconds, respectively, both of which are among the slowest we've seen for this class of notebook. Results from our Cinebench 10 tests were similar: The M17's score of 4,597 lagged behind the competition.

The M17 shone, however, in graphics performance. Its Futuremark 3DMark Vantage score of 5,752 using the Performance preset blew past the Lenovo ThinkPad W700 workstation, and its Futuremark 3DMark06 score of 10,183 was second only to the Toshiba Qosmio X305. Both of those systems, incidentally, are more than twice as expensive as the M17. The M17's score of 22.2 frames per second (fps) on our Company of Heroes DirectX 10 test was good but couldn't match the Qosmio's score of 31.6fps. It handled the DirectX 9 version of the game with ease, though, averaging 74.9fps.



Battery life was pretty much what we expected from a desktop replacement with a big, high-res screen: 1 hour and 22 minutes on our DVD-rundown test. Chances are you won't be lugging this behemoth around all that much, anyway. A brilliant high-resolution display, solid graphics performance, and a sub-$2,000 price tag make overlooking the M17's laws easy. If you've always dreamed of owning an Alienware Notebook but couldn't justify the exorbitant price, this system is for you. —John R. Delaney

Computer Shopper March 2009

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Sony's Winning Ultraportable

No other ultraportable line captures the essence of thinking outside the box like Sony's. Sony was the first to introduce an ultrapot table weighing less than 4 pounds with an optical drive and discrete graphics.

The company's latest ultraportable, the VAIO VGN-Z590, breaks new ground once again. The dual SSDs,a Iglu-ray drive, and switchable graphics are featurescommonly found on an 8-pound media center, not a3.2-pound Ultraportable. It's amazing that Sony was able to fit this amount of technology into a smallframe. For this accomplishment, Sony retains the Editors' Choice in the ultraportable category.

The Z590 measures 8.3 by 12.4 by 1.2 inches and weighs 3.2 pounds—more compact and at least a half a pound lighter than its predecessor, the VGN-S/791N. It's slightly heavier than the MacBook Air (3 pounds) but lighter than the Lenovo ThinkPad X301 (3.3 pounds). Clad in carbon fiber, this VAIO's 1,600-by-900 LED widescreen is very thin and bright. Also, you get a built-in Ulu-ray burner, IIDMI port, dual 128GB SSD drives (or the less expensive 160GB,5,400-rpm standard hard drive), Bluetooth, and mobile broadband through Sprint's EV-I)O Rev A.



Unlike the Lenovo X301 and the Apple Air, this VAIO doesn't sacrifice fast processors and discrete graphics cards to preserve battery life. With its 2.53-GHz Core 2 Duo P9500 processor and 4GB of memory, this laptop's score on SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall was more than twice that of the MacBook Air. And its switchable graphics means that you can choose between higher performance and longer battery life. With the nVidia chipset enabled, the Z590 tallied a score of 4 hours 5 minutes on the Mobile-Mark 2007 battery rundown test.

The integrated chipset boosted the system to 5 hours 6 minutes. Although our tested configuration is overpriced,this VAIO is nonetheless the lightest ultraportable out there to offer so many features.—Cisco Chang



Specs: 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P9500; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 256GB SSD; switchable graphics: 256MB Intel GMA 4500MHD/Nvidia Ge•orce 9300M GS; 13.1-inch 1,600-by-900 LED widescreen; Intel Wireless Will Link 5100; 3.2 pounds (4.1 pounds travel); two USB ports; one Fire Wire port; 58-Wh, 5.4-Ah, lithium ion battery; Windows Vista Home Premium.


PC Magazine February 2009

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HP MINI 1000

HP's Gorgeous Netbook




HP was one of the first companies to sign on to the netbook revolution, wasting little time in launching the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC in answer to the original ASUS Eee PC 4G.

HP's new netbook, the Mini 1000, seems modeled on HP's Pavilion line, with a polished design and an Intel Atom platform. This means it more closely resembles other netbooks but avoids some of the quirks of its competitors. The Mini 1000's design, like that of its Pavilion siblings, uses the In-Mold Decoration technique, in which a pattern is embedded underneath a laminate layer.

The system measures 10.3 by 6.6 by 0.9 inches (HWD), about the same as the Acer Aspire One. The 92 percent keyboard is as comfortable as the best netbook screens out there. The feature set, however, has its ups and downs. Although the Mini 1000 offers multiple storage options, such as 8GB and 16GB SS1)s and spinning drives that go up to 60GB, the 60GB drive's speed is only 4,200 rpm, compared w ith 5,400-rpm drives of many others.

One gamechanging feature is the WWAN slot, which means that the Mini 1000 is mobile-broadband ready. This configuration comes with Windows XP Home Edition, and later this year HP will introduce
Mini 1000s running Mie (pronounced Me), a custom Ubuntu version it developed.

Unfortunately, the Mini 1000 was incompatible with most of our benchmark tests, so the jury is still out on performance, but it will probably match its competition. Its MobileMark score was impressive for a unit with a threecell battery: 2 hours 58 minutes.

Design is a big win for the Mini 1000, and despite some feature annoyances, it's worth a look.—Cisco Cheng.



Specs:1.6-G 1 lz Intel Atom N270; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; 60GB, 4,200-rpm hard drive; Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950,128MB; I0.2-inch, 1,024-by-600 display; Broadconz 802.1Ig; 2.5 pounds (3.1 pounds travel); two USB ports; 26-Wh, 2.3-Ah lithium ion battery; Windows XP Home Edition.

PC Magazine February 2009

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Asus N80Vc

A stylish laptop for home or business


Hand on the heels of the most stylish netbook on the planet, the 5101, Asus brings us the N80Vc, a very stylish 14.1in notebook aimed at the business user, although it would look equally at home used in the living room.

Describing the N50c's colour is a bit of a challenge: in some lighting the lid is black, at other times it's more of a dark chocolate brown, while in others it has a distinctive purple hue. But whatever the colour, it has a high-gloss finish with an inlaid pattern of silver dots and dashes, which is continued on the wrist pad.

At the heart of our review sample N80Vc was an Intel Core 2 Duo 15800 processor, which has a core clock of 2GHz, backed up by 3GB of 800MHz DDR2 memory, close to the 4GB maximum supported by the motherboard The performance is pretty much average for this type of notebook, scoring just 2,995 in Pcmark Vantage, but in the real world it has enough power to handle the installed Windows Vista Home Premium OS and any everyday applications you might run on it.

Powering the graphics is an Nvidia Geforce 9300M GS card with its own dedicated 512MB of Video Ram, so it won't trouble any hardcore garners. As proved by the average frame rate score in World in Conflict of just 3fps (frames per second), no amount of tinkering with the resolution or in-game detailing will give you anywhere near playable frame rates.



The keyboard is comfortable to use, even though the keybed itself shows a degree of flex, and the trackpad has just the right degree of sensitivity. The two mouse buttons have a reassuring click when pressed and there is a fingerprint reader sitting between them for extra security. Simon Crisp

Price £614.31
Contact CCL www.cclonline.com 01274 471 201
Specifications Intel Core 2 Duo 15800 2GHz • 3GB 800MHz DDR2 Ram • 14.1 in WXGA LED backlit Colorshine screen (1,280x800) • 320GB 5.400rpm hard drive • Nvidia Geforce 9300M GS with dedicated 512MB Ram graphics • DVD super multi combo • 8-in-1 card reader • 802.11a/b/g/n • Windows Vista Home Premium

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Lenovo Thinkpad SL400

A well-built laptop for business





The old adage of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' certainly applies to Lenovo's Thinkpad styling. There have been some subtle changes to the design over the years, but you can recognise the familiar black slab across a crowded room. While the matt black lid might have been replaced by a trendy glossy fingerprint-attracting one, the Thinkpads are still the well-built, secure notebooks beloved by IT managers everywhere.

One of the latest to come our way is the SL400, a 14.1in notebook powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 processor speeding along at just 1.8GHz, backed by 2GB of PC2-5300 667MHz memory. However, data security is more important in Thinkpads than fast clock speeds. In any case, the SL400 can cope with everyday tasks perfectly well. The same can be said of the graphics performance, as it's powered by Intel's integrated GMA4500N1HD solution. The 14.1in WXGA screen has a native resolution of 1,280x800 and is available with an anti-glare coated screen.

The Thinkpad's keyboards have gained almost legendary status and the SL400's is no exception. Well built with no noticeable flexing from the keybed, the keys themselves have a good response. The trackpad is the same - responsive without being overly sensitive, and it has both vertical and horizontal scrolling. For those who hate trackpads there is a trackpoint and sets of mouse buttons for both.



For connecting to the outside world the SL400 comes with Intel's Wilink 5100 Wifi card, which supports 802 11 a/g/n You also get Gigabit Ethernet and a 56K modem alongside built-in mobile broadband. which comes with a free 30-day trial courtesy of Vodafone. Simon Crisp

Price £574.99
Contact Lenovo www.lenovo.co.uk
Specifications Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 (1.8GHz) • 2GB PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 Ram • Intel GMA4500 integrated graphics • 160GB hard drive • 14.1in WXGA (1.280x800) screen • 802.11a/g/n Wifi • 3G mobile broadband • Four USB ports • 336x227x34mm (wxdxh) • 3.1kg (with AC adapter)

Personal Computer World February 2009

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Acer Aspire 6935G-844G32Bn

Launched in early 2008, Acer's Gemstone Blue range of notebooks has recently been refreshed to include Intel's Centrino 2 technology. The first example of the updated line-up we have seen is the Aspire 6935G-844G32Bn. a stylish 16in desktop replacement notebook that is crammed with features —and at an attractive price, just under £1,000.

The Gemstone Blue design results in a stylish notebook. The lid has a dark blue, high-gloss finish that is set off by a gloss black bezel and keyboard surround, with a matt black chassis bottom and grille above the keyboard. The wnstpad with its textured coating has been changed from the light grey finish of earlier models to a darker finish, making the whole thing look much classier when you open the lid.

Powered by an Intel Corc 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz) processor, backed by 4GB of 800MHz DDR2 memory, the 6935G has plenty of power to deal with everyday tasks and scores a creditable 5,862 in PCmark05 and 3,822 in the PCmark Vantage benchmark.

Powering the graphics is a 512MB Nvidia 9600M GT, which does give a fair bit of games playing potential (6,321 in 3Dmark06), albeit at lower resolutions and detail setting, but the 6935G is aimed more at being a multimedia notebook than a gaming one and in this respect the 16in 1,366x768 pixel resolution screen, with its 16:9 aspect ratio, is just the thing for watching movies on. It may not be full HD, but it's still good enough to watch DVD or Blu-ray movies using the built-in Blu-ray drive, or to watch TV on through the analogue/digital TV tuner card.

Aiding the movie or TV watching expenence is the audio subsystem. Two speakers are hidden under the grille above the keyboard, while the subwoofer is cleverly built into the screen hinge and the system supports Dolby Home Theatre.

The keyboard has good responsive keys, but the controls for the Acer Cine Dash force it off centre — and for the most part the jury is still out on the Cine Dash. While it does a good job of controlling your media content with responsive, touch-sensitive controls, we would prefer the space to be taken up by moving the keyboard to the left and using the space on the right-hand side for a full numeric keypad.

The touchpad features vertical scrolling and is pleasantly responsive to use, something that is aided by using the same textured coating as the rest of the wristpad. Sitting under it are two fairly small mouse buttons separated by a small fingerprint reader.

Storage is provided by a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive, which sounds a lot but once you start downloading TV programmes you will soon find that filling up fast, so it's a good job the Blu-ray drive is also a DVD burner Built into the underside of the front panel is a 7-in-1 Flash card reader for easy access to your photos.



In terms of connectivity, all the usual suspects are there to help connect the 6935G to the outside world:
802.11a/b/g/Draft-N wireless networking via an Intel Wifi Link 5100 card, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR — and a good old-fashioned modem.

Battery life is disappointing, but it's debatable whether something that weighs 3.8kg (including power
brick) will be carried around all day. When we tested with the latest version of Mobilemark 2007, the six-cell 4,400mAh battery gave a life of one hour, 51 minutes for the DVD Playback test, two hours, 34 minutes for the Productivity test and three hours, two minutes for the Reader test. Simon Crisp


A laptop feast for movie buffs

Price £949.97
Contact Laptops Direct www.laptopsdirect.co.uk 0870 167 0818
Specifications Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2 26GHz) • 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Ram • Nvidia Geforce 9600GT graphics with dedicated 512MB video Ram • 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive • Blu-ray/DVD combo drive • Digital/analogue TV tuner • 7-in-1 card reader • HDMI out port •

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Rock Xtreme XSL8-9550

Flagship model lives up to claim of 'world's fsatest laptop'



The Xtreme family is Rock's high-end gaming notebook range, the flagship of which is the XLS8-9550, a blisteringly fast SLI-configured desktop replacement notebook. It's a big beast, measuring 394x299x60mm (wxdxh) and weighing a hefty 6kg including the large power brick; you'll only think it is portable if you're used to lugging around a desktop PC and monitor to Lan parties In fact, the Clevo chassis is so big, not only does it have two graphics cards in it, it also has three hard drives. The gloss black finish is set off by a brushed metal panel set into the lid with a large X inset, and the panel also provides extra protection for the screen.

At the heart of the XSLB-9550, as you might have guessed from the numbering, is one of Intel's 45nm Q9550 desktop Core 2 Quad processors. Clocked at 2.83GHz, the Q9950 has a front-side bus (FSB) speed of 1,333MHz with all four cores sharing 12MB of L2 cache. Supporting the CPU is an Intel P965/ICH8R chipset combination while the pre-installed Windows Vista Home Premium operating system is kept happy by 4GB of PC2-6400 800MHz DDR2 memory. If you need more, the motherboard supports a maximum of 8GB.

All this power certainly gives the XSL8 plenty of oomph and it lives up to Rock's claim of being the 'world's fastest laptop'. It certainly is the fastest we have ever tested, with a PCmark score of 8,680 and managing a reasonable score of 5,209 in the more demanding PCmark Vantage. Its graphics performance is, as you might expect, equally impressive. As mentioned above, it uses two Nvidia graphics cards configured in an SLI setup; one Geforce Go 9800M GTX with 1GB of GDDR3 memory would be interesting enough, but two produces sonic startling scores: 14.099 in 3Dmark06 at a 1,024x768 resolution, but only dropping to 12,140 at the screen's native 1,920x1,200 resolution.

When it comes to real gaming, using World in Conflict's built-in benchmark at 1,920x1,200 it produces an average frame rate score of 17fps — hardly playable, but that was with all the game options set to their highest settings. Reducing either or both settings and resolution should give some much higher frame rates, as proved by the 43fps average result from running the benchmark at 1,024x768 but still with the high detail settings.

The 1 7in WUXGA TFT screen is excellent, with a 1,920x1,200 pixel native resolution and X-Glass coating, making it ideal for playing games or watching movies using the built-in Blu-ray drive. There is a webcam built into the top edge of the screen's bezel, too.

The three hard drives can be ordered built into 750GB, 960GB or 1.518 Raid arrays, though in our review sample they were kept as three separate drives, in this case Samsung 250GB, 7,200rpm units.

As you might expect for a desktop replacement notebook, there are plenty of ports and communication options, with most of the ports housed in the left-hand side of the chassis alongside and above the optical drive. Lan (for the Gigabit Ethernet), VGA out, four-pin Firewire, and modem ports are joined by an Express card slot and a 7-in-1 card reader Two double stacks of USB2 ports are built into the right-hand side of the chassis, while the rear panel holds a DVI port and an S-video port As well as the wired Ethernet you get 802.11a/b/g/n Wifi and Bluetooth 2.0EDR.

A notebook such as this is destined to spend its life plugged into a wall socket but we tested the battery anyway and it confirmed what we thought: just over an hour using it in normal everyday use and just under an hour for watching a DVD. Simon Crisp



Price £2,934.80
Contact Rock Direct www.rockdirect.com 0845 688 0501
System requirements Intel Core 2 Quad Q9950 (2.83GHz) • 4G8 PC2- 6400 DDR2 Ram • 2 1GB Nvidia Geforce 9800MGTX graphics • 3 250GB hard drives • 17in WUXGA display (1,920x1,200) • 802.11a/b/g/n Wifi • Bluetooth 2.0 • 2-mega pixel camera • 4 USB ports • 394x299x60mm (wxdxh) • Three- year C&R parts and labour warranty


Personal Computer World February 2009

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LENOVO THINKPAD T400

Cream-of-the-Crop Biz Laptop

Nothing epitomizes classic more than a ThinkPad. Lenovo is the one laptop maker that would be castigated for changing its flagship brand's color scheme, so no one will complain that ThinkPad T400 sticks with a basic black case design.

The differences are inside. With a widescreen LED display and a 56-Wh extended battery, the T400 still weighs in at a mere 5.2 pounds, so it's one of the lightest 14-inch business laptops. It packs in features: three USB ports. a FireWire port, a webcam, a fingerprint reader. a dual-layer DVD burner, a 7-in-1 ExpressCard media card reader, and Switchable Graphics. It covers the gamut of integrated 3G services from Verizon, AT&T. and Sprint. It delivers an untouchable typing experience—and it offers an amazing starting price.

The T400, like many of its siblings. earns our Editors' Choice. The T400's performance is propelled by its 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor, its 160GB (7,200-rpm) hard drive, and Centrino 2's Switchable Graphics (which lets you choose between the Centrino integrated graphics—to boost battery life—and the ATI Mobility Radeon 3400 chipset).Switching made a huge difference on our MobileMark 2007 results: The T400 lasted 4 hours 12 minutes with the ATI chipset but yielded 5 hours 20 minutes using the integrated graphics. And you don't need to reboot to switch.



But the T400's excellent performance isn't limited to battery life; it also did superbly on Adobe Photoshop CS3 and the video-encoding tests. In fact. this system's scores edged out or came close to those of one of its main competitors, the HP Elite-Book 6930p. With performance like that, combined with excellent battery life, light weight. phenomenal user experience, and an unexpectedly low price, the T400 just makes good business sense. —Cisco Cheng



Specs: 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM; 160GB, 7200-rpm hard drive; ATI Mobility HD Radeon 3400 Series,256MB; 14.1-inch, 1,440-by-900, wide- screen LED display; Intel WiFi Link 5100; 52 pounds (6.1 pounds travel); three USB ports, one FireWire port; 56- W11,52-Ali lithium ion battery; Windows Vista Business.

PC Magazine January 2009

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APPLE MACBOOK 13-INCH (ALUMINIUM)

High Design Doesn't Come Cheap

This MacBook is made with a completely new manufacturing technique that begins with a thick slab of aluminum and ends with a lusciously thin and gorgeous product. Design alone could undoubtedly attract both Mac fanatics and Windows converts. However, features are still a little weak. And the price? Well, it's not the $800 MacBook that we were all hoping for.

It is easy to mistake the new silver MacBook for the MacBook Air, since their dimensions are nearly identical: The MacBook Air is just slightly thinner. The aluminum enclosure. which is a huge departure from the long-standing tradition of Apple's white polished laptops. is a testament to brilliant design engineering. In many ways this MacBook is a cheaper and more feature-rich version of the MacBook Air. Here you get the edge-to-edge glass screen as well as superior typing and navigation (including gesture capability). But unfortunately, the feature set is the most underwhelming part,
hampered by such factors as the lack of a media card reader and no upgrades to the ports on this system (except for the new mini-DisplayPort).



Performance scores were what I expected from a system with the energy-efficient Intel Penryn P8600 processor. though the video-encoding and Photoshop CS3 scores seemed a little low for this processor and memory configurat ion. Battery performance took a slight hit because of the nVidia graphics card,lasting 3 hours 10 minutes on our tests. Again. Apple scores big points for design. But like the 15-inch Mac-Book Pro, this system offers a little less for the money than equivalent Windows-based systems.—CC

PC Magazine January 2009

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APPLE MACBOOK PRO 15-INCH (DUAL GRAPHICS)

MacBook Pro Offers Speed and Endurance

Rarely does Apple update an entire line of laptops in one fell swoop. While the new aluminum MacBooks didn't come as a surprise, a new MacBook Pro seemed like a long shot. The latest crop of MacBook Pros benefit from a new manufacturing process and host of performance tweaks that keep them among the best notebooks on the market. The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Dual Graphics) is an amazing piece of design engineering, with a glass screen, a lighter and thinner aluminum chassis, a multipurpose touchpad, and dual nVidia graphics cards.

At 55 pounds, this MacBook is slightly heavier than the previous MacBook Pro (5.3 pounds), but it's the only 15-inch mainstream laptop that is less than one inch thick. Though not the first to have a glass screen, the 15.4-inch widescreen is still a sight to behold. Typing on the MacBook's keyboard is an absolute pleasure, and the illuminated keys are a great asset in darkly lit areas. This system also comes with gesture capabilities, such as pinching, rotating, and enlarging with two fingers. And don't forget about the dual graphics: The nVidia GeForce
9400M GT preserves battery life, while the nVidia GeForce 9600M GT boosts 3D performance. One feature I missed was a flash memory card reader.


Because of a lower clocked processor, the MacBook Pro trailed our comparison system. the HP HDX16t, on most of our benchmark tests, including the video-encoding tests. CineBench R10, and SYSmark 2007 Overall. However, this system did perform well on 3D benchmark tests. If you are a Mac loyalist, you will love this laptop. But comparing
features head-to-head, the HP system offers a little more for your money.—Cisco Cheng


PC Magazine January 2009

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LENOVO IDEAPAD S10

Netbook with the Right Stuff

The rapid emergence of netbooks, or UMPCs (ultra-mobile PCs), over the past year has changed the landscape of affordable mobile computing. Although these little ultraportables are meant to satisfy basic computing needs, an imaginative user can take them well beyond their intended roles. Only a few netbooks have gotten it right so far, and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is one of them. Its right stuff includes a 10-i nch screen, Intel Atom processor 160GB hard drive. ExpressCard slot, and a price as sweet as that of our current Editors Choice, the MS1 Wind.

The S10 is clad in white (a red version is also available), and its dimensions of 7.3 by 9.8 by 0.9 inches (HWD) are similar to those of the Wind. Its shape resembles a rectangular box, and at 2.7 pounds, it is one of the heaviest netbooks out there. The S10's keyboard is a bit underwhelming, and the mouse buttons are noisy and overly resistant when pressed. This netbook's feature set is as strong as the Wind's, however: It has two USB ports. a 4-in-1 card reader, VGA-out. Ethernet, a webcam, and 802.11g Wi-Fi.

The 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 is a wise choice as well, as it is the fastest and most energy-efficient netbook processor. The S10's Overall score of 39 on SYSmark 2007 Preview, although it's 2 percent lower than that of the Wind, means that this laptop is fine for
office tasks. Web browsing. and light photo editing. And its score of 4 minutes 38 seconds on our video encoding tests is much faster than the Wind's. Battery life was almost identical. Its cramped keyboard and lack of battery options kept it from an Editors' Choice, but it is still a great choice.—Cisco Cheng

Specs: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive; 64MB Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950; 10.2-inch, 1.024-by-600 display; Broadcom 802.11g; 2.7 pounds (3.4 pounds travel); two USB ports; 28-Wh, 2.5-Ah lithium ion battery; Windows XP Home Edition.

PC Magazine January 2009

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HP HDX16T

HP's Gorgeous Media Center

The HP HDXI6t rides the line between a thin-and-light and a desktop-replacement laptop. Whichever category it falls into. you're bound to do a double take when you see it. The sleek 16-inch widescreen represents the dawn of laptops doubling as high-def home theaters. It is designed to fit into a living room or home office, and the fast Intel Centrino 2 components will keep it from becoming a relic overnight.

The HDX16t looks and feels modern. The inmold decorated design on the cover consists of squiggly lines varying in length, curvature,and color. The palm rests and touchpad receive the same artistic treat meat. Also, the HDX16t fits in a compressed numeric keypad without sacrificing the comfort of a full-size keyboard. The widescreen display has a 16:9 aspect ratio, giving a sensational movie experience. This system also has plenty of USB ports (four) in addition to the combo port and memory card reader. A 250GB hard drive comes standard, but you can upgrade to a 320GB drive for $25.

While this system's 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor is blazingly powerful—especially when coupled with 3GB of Memory—you'd be better off with the 2.4-GHz P8600 processor option, because it's less expensive and more energy efficient. But the 2.8-GHz processor does dominate in benchmark tests. Its SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score bested the Sony comparison system by 3 percent and the Acer system by 48 percent. It finished the video encoding tests in under a minute, something that its competitors couldn't accomplish And the HDX16t's graphics chipset excelled on 3DMark 06. Crysis, and World in Conflict tests.




In everything but battery life. the HP HDX16t's performance scores and feature set trump those of its competition. This system is sure to liven up your living room or home office and is a worthy recipient of our Editors' Choice.—Cisco Cheng



Specs: 2.8-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600; 3GB DDR2 SDRAIvI; 250GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive: 512MB nVidia Gelorce 9600M GT graphics; 16-inch, 1,980-by-1,080 display; Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11n; 6.8 pounds (7.9 pounds travel); four USB ports, one FireWire port; 56-Wh, 52-Alt, lithium ion battery; Windows Vista Home Premium.

PC Magazine January 2009

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Gateway MC7803u

Beautiful outside, a little slow inside

THE MC7803U delivers stunning good looks and plenty of multimedia features.This 16-inch system appeals to buyers who take their media on the road, and at $999.99, the price is right.

The 7.1-pound MC7803u featutes a burgundy lid (or you can opt for black); the chrome stripe down the center is split by a leather-looking strip insert. The 16-inch, 16-to -9 widescreen is ensconced behind edge-to-edge glass. We love the multimedia buttons and full size, backlit keyboard.

The MC7803u is equipped with a generous 320GB hard drive, a 1.3- megapixel Webcam, a 5-in-1 card reader, an ExpressCard/54 slot. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, an HDMI port, and an 8x DVD burnet. The LCD's resolution on out test unit was 1,920x1,080, but final units will have 1,366x768. Our
test system reproduced good colors and video motion, as well as clean sound, but the audio lacked depth.

The 4GB of DDR2 RAM is a plus, and the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 is solidly midrange.The MC7803u scored a subpar 2,202 on Futuremarks PCMark Vantage, and its showing on Cinebench 10 (2,153) is below average. It needed a long 13 minutes and 33 seconds to finish out WME 9 trial.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 CPU (with 512MB of dedicated VRAM) delivered playable frame tales. On F.E.A.R at 1,024x768, we saw 47fps, but when we upped
the resolution and effects for Company of Heroes, the system managed only 10.2fps. The eight-cell battery lasted a good 2 hours and 15 minutes on our DVD rundown test.



The Gateway MC7803u isn't the most powerful multimedia laptop on the market. But its style rivals the best in its class, and the 16-inch screen and attractive price make it a good fit for enthusiasts. —Jamie Bsales


Computer Shopper January 2009

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Asus G50Vt-X1

Gaming on a budget just got easier

AVAILABLE ONLY AT BEST BUY, the Asus GSOVt-X1 offers one-touch overclocking and interactive lighting effects. Although it
struggles with some 3D performance, it can't run today's DirectX 9 gaming titles with ease.

The 7.2-pound G5OVt-X1 sports a piano-black lid with blue detailing. The same glossy black trim surrounds the 15.6-inch, 1,366x768 display, which
offers good viewing angles.

The full-size keyboard and wide touch pad are responsive and comfortable. A 3.1-inch OLED display sits above the keyboard, and four buttons let you change the look and performance. You can toggle among Normal (2.26CI lz),Turbo (2.3801z), and Turbo Extreme (2.49GHz) modes, without having to reboot or enter the BIOS.

The G50Vt-X1 is equipped with HDMI, VGA, FireWire, external SATA (eSATA), S/PDIF audio, and four USB ports, along with a multiformat card reader, an ExpressCard slot, and a DVD burner. A 320GB hard drive comes with 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium.

With a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, 4GB of system memory, and a 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9800M GS graphics controller, the G50Vt-X1 turned in an above-average Futuremark PCMark Vantage score of 3,690. Its WME score of 6 minutes and 48 seconds was also strong. In Turbo Extreme mode (2.49GHz) the system scored 3,703 on PCMark Vantage and finished the WME test in 6 minutes and S seconds—not a great improvement.The system's 3DMark06 (1,024x768) score of 8,873 was excellent, however.



An impressive score of 74.3fps on our Company of Heroes test proves this machine's DX9 gaming prowess.the system managed only 23.9fps on the DX10 version, however. The six-cell battery lasted a scant 1 hour and 3S minutes.

This system is comparable to the Gateway P-7811FX, which is less portable. The Asus G50Vt-X1 is good for penny-pinching garners who need a rig to travel with. —John R. Delaney



Computer Shopper January 2009

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Lenovo IdeaPad S10

A 3G ExpressCard-ready netbook

LENOVO'S IDEAPAD S10 DOESN'T STRAY far (torn the netbook pack, but its expandability features give it an edge. The 2.7-pound S10 has solid construction and precise fit-and-finish. Its attractive, matte-white shell closely resembles a more squared-off version of the MSI Wind. The 10.2-inch LCD is very bright, with tich color reproduction and wide viewing angles, which you'll appreciate when showing information to someone else. It offers both 1,024x768 and 1,024x600 resolution. You often have to scroll vertically at 1,024x768, however; unlike the Eee PC 1000H, the S10 lacks the option to drop pixels vertically to fit the smaller screen.

Its keyboard is mixed. The layout doesn't include any unpleasant surprises, but it's still a little cramped. At just an inch in height, the touch pad is among the smallest we've seen, but it's reasonably comfortable to use. The dual buttons are responsive.

The 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 802.11g Wi-FI and Bluetooth radios, 1.3-megapixel Webcam, and Windows XP Home Edition are standard netbook fare. Out S10 featured 1GB of DDR2 667 memory and a spacious 160GB hard drive.

The S1O's standout feature is its ExpressCatd/34 slot, which lets you add a 3G wireless modem. We also appreciate that the 510's card reader supports SD, MMC, and Memory Stick formats. You'll find a VGA monitor output; 10/100 Ethernet, headphone, and mic jacks; and two USB 2.0 ports. The S10's
speakers offer above-average volume and clarity.



Performance is average for this categot y.The S10 scored a strong 827 on out Cinebench 10 test but lasted just 2 hours and 44 minutes with Wi-Fi on in power-saving mode.

The 510 is a worthy but unremarkable netbook. The nearly identically sized MSI Wind U100 will be a more attractive choice for many, given its larger keyboard and longer battery life. —Denny Atkin



Computer Shopper January 2009

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CTL IL1A PC

Buyer beware: You can do better in a netbook

CTL WENT FOR A MINIMALIST DESIGN on the IL1A—but not in a good way. At 1.7x9.6x6.8 inches (14WD) and 2.7 pounds, it's lightet than the 3.2-pound Asus Eee PC 1000H, but you pay for that with discomfort while typing. Much like the keyboards on older-generation netbooks, the IL1A's keyboard is cramped and makes touch-typing nearly impossible. The touch pad is too small, as are the loud touch buttons below.

The 8.9-inch LED-backlit display is bright, though its 1,024x600 resolution causes some windows and dialog boxes to extend off the screen. You'll find a VGA and two USB ports, a 3-in-1 card reader, as well as headphone, mic, modem, and Ethernet jacks. A 1.3-Megapixel Webcam, a mic, and speakers are available for video chats.

The system is painfully slow. Its 1.2G1-17. VIA C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, and integrated VIA Chrome9 HC3 IGP graphics with 64MB of video memory couldn't handle even basic tasks. Booting up Windows XP Home Edition took 1 minute and 27 seconds, and surfing the Web taxed our patience. Also, the
system crashed mote than once and lost all ability to find wireless networks.


The IL1A needed 1 hour and 4 minutes for our WME test and 48 minutes and 6 seconds to convert 11 iTunes files. Likewise, its Cinebench 10 score of 319 was very disappointing. Battery life was less than impressive at 2 hours and 48 minutes, well below the 3:35 average. Even the 60GB hard drive is a letdown;
other netbooks offer up to 160GB of storage. The CTL system comes with the company's one-year No Hassle Warranty.

The bright screen and light weight are the only redeeming qualities. With a relatively high price, a cramped keyboard, slow performance, and screen-resolution issues, the IL1A just isn't a good choice considering the competition. -Sarah E. Anderson


Computer Shopper January 2009

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Sony VAIO AW170Y/Q

Packed with features, power, and a gorgeous screen


THE SONY VAIO AW170Y/Q is the latest desktop-replacement notebook to feature a breathtaking 18.4-inch display and a wealth of learnt es. Break out this 8.8-pound eye-catcher, and you'll be the envy of the laptop-toting set. Plus you'll send a signal that you're surviving the market crash just fine, thank you, since you just dropped $3,300 on a new laptop. Unfortunately, we're not convinced the AW170Y/Q is fast enough to justify the puke.

Compared with other 18-inch notebooks, such as the $2,199 HP Pavilion HDX18 or the $1,549 Toshiba Qosmio G55-Q802, the VAIO seems way overpriced. But its vastly superior feature set puts it mote in line with Dell's XPS M1730. which sells for $2,899 at its best configuration.That's a $400 gap that gets filled in with Sony's bundled software and chic design, which may not be enough for most users.

The VAIO cuts a dramatic profile. Its shiny, piano-black case opens to reveal a subdued, classic matte-black interior, a gargantuan wide-screen display, and a full-size keyboard with Chiclet-style separation. A sleek speaker grille above the keyboard houses a tow of touch-sensitive media buttons, while a wide mist test, textured to feel like leather, frames the touchpad. Sony has otherwise exercised admit able restraint, adorning the VAIO AW170Y/Q with not much else save a subtle, green LED that lights up (slowly) when the system turns on. The power switch, meanwhile, is housed in an elegantly recessed cylindrical cover hinge.

On the inside, the VAIO is loaded with power. A 2.53G1-1z Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU is coupled with a dual hard drive array (RAID Level 0), providing a whole terabyte of storage space. A built-in TV tuner, 4GB of RAM, and a noisy Blu-ray DVD burner are just some of the signs that you're entering desktop-replacement country. Sony also throws in a fingerprint reader, a bezel-mounted Webcam, 802.11a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth with A2DP technology. Connectivity will never be a problem, since the system has HDMI, optical-out, FireWire, and two memory-cards slots along with the standard host of ports.

All those top-notch features aside, the 18.4-inch display is the VAIO's real claim to fame. Featuring an LED backlight and Sony's antireflective XBrite technology, the screen is stunning. When we watched The Squid and the Whale. colors were crisp and blacks deep and rich. Full 1080p HD support lets you play the latest DVDs, while the screen's 1,920x1,080 native resolution accommodates an intimidating number of spreadsheet cells. DVD playback was very smooth. and audio came through loud and clear, though we did experience a couple of hiccups as we watched out test movie.

In general. the VAIO handles daily tasks with ease. It sped through our iTunes conversion test in 3 minutes and 29 seconds and took 5 minutes and 48 seconds to complete ow Windows Media Encoder test—two scores that are in line with the T9400-based systems from Sony and iBuypower we recently tested. But the VAIO faltered on Futuremark's PCMark Vantage test, turning in a score of 3,147, more than 300 points behind the Sony and over 800 points behind the iBuypower.The VAIO also matched these two systems in Cinebench testing, scoring 5,219 on version 10.

In 3D testing, the VAIO's 512MB GeForce 9600M GT graphics card delivered a it my impressive 6,351 on Futuremark's 3DMark06 test, blowing the other systems out of the water. Even at its native resolution, the VAIO kept pumping out pixels, scoring a solid 3,686. But then it clocked a more pedestrian 30 frames per second (fps) on our F.E.A.R. tests at 1,024x768 resolution and an unimpressive 13fps at native Tesolu tion. That's fast enough to play most titles, but true garnets will be left wanting more.

Meanwhile, the VAIO's relatively small 4.800mAh battery lasted just 1 hour and 18 minutes on our DVD rundown test. If you plan on taking your VAIO on the road, you'll want to opt for the $50 extended-life battery.

Part of why the VAIO costs more, of course, is that Sony preloads its software suite—which includes media, audio, and moviemaking packages, as well as Microsoft Works—onto the hard drive. A one-year warranty comes standard, and you can purchase tip to three years of protection for $299.



If you're in the market for a true multimedia powerhouse notebook with Bluray—and style is a main concern—the VAIO is worth a look. But film editors, multimedia pros who have their own software, and even families looking for a single, do.evetything home computer can get more bang lot the buck with high-end systems from Dell, HP, Toshiba, and even MSI. You'll give up some resolution and some style points, but you'll save serious cash and get roughly the same performance. —Asa Somers


Computer Shopper January 2009

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Asus N10Jc

A netbook with pep

THE ASUS N10JC NETBOOK suffers from an identity a isis. Even Asus stumbled when categorizing it, first calling it an ultraportable and then a netbook. Now that we've had a chance to review it, we understand the conundrum. But its unclear identity doesn't make it a bad choice.

At the crux of the confusion are two key attributes: its discrete graphics, which can handle HD video and visually intensive applications (just not 3D games); and its $649 price, which makes it among the more expensive netbooks on the market and puts it in direct competition with larger and more powerful budget notebooks. As a netbook—and by definition, a secondary, low-cost, highly portable PC—the N10JC seemingly comes up short. But as a budget utraportable (an oxymotonic term in itself), it offers something unique: a highly portable PC with discrete graphics at an affordable price.

The glossy champagne-and-black color scheme is sharp yet subdued. At 3.1 pounds. the N10Jc is light enough, but its 1.25-to-1.5-inch thickness is similar to that of a full-size notebook. On the plus side, so is the selection of ports: three USB, mincrophone, S/PDIF-enabled headphone, LAN, VGA, and HDMI. It even has a 34mm ExpressCard slot and an 8-in-1 memory-card reader.

The 10.2-inch wide-screen display delivers a bright, crisp image. The panel's resolution is 1,024x600, which means you'll often need to scroll vertically. The most welcome ergonomic feature of the N10Jc is its keyboard: Just slightly undersized, it is much easier to type on than those of most netbooks we've tried. The right-hand Shift key is small, but at least it's in the right place.

The 1.6GI lz Intel Atom N270 with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive (but no solid-state drive option), and Windows XP Home Edition are all standard netbook fare, as is the lack of an optical drive. 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth wireless capabilities, a fingerprint reader, and a 1.3Megapixel Webcam are also
onboard.

The N10Jc is the only netbook to offer not just discrete graphics but switchable graphics. You'll find Intel's 945 chipset as well as an Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS GPU with 256MB of VRAM. A toggle on the side of the N10Jc lets you decide whether to use the Intel graphics to save battery life or the Nvidia GPU for enhanced graphics performance. How enhanced? We ran Futuremark's 3DMark06 using the Intel graphics, and the N10Jc scored an abysmal 90. Switching on the Nvidia chip (which requites a reboot) gave us a score of 1.575, which is good enough to handle moderate 3D tasks. That score destroys not just every other netbook score, but it outperforms all the budget 15.4-inch systems as well.

By other performance measures, the low-power Atom processor shows its limitations. We couldn't get PCMark05 to run, and our media-encoding tests were sluggish. The N10Jc needed 24 minutes to complete our Windows Media Encoder 9 trial and 24 minutes and 25 seconds for out Mines conversion test—long for most notebooks but not for netbooks. It managed above-average scores of 134 on Cinebench 9.5 and 774 on Cinebench 10.Those numbers aren't too fat off from HP's Mini 1000, which earned scotes of 27 minutes and 8 seconds rot the WME test, 19 minutes and 24 seconds for mines, and 135 and 835 on Cinebench 9.5 and 10, respectively. Unfortunately lot Asus, the Milli 1000 costs $100 less and has an even better keyboard.

Of course, a netbook like the N10Jc is not intended as a workhorse but as a communicator. We were able to surf the Web via Wi-Fi, listen to streaming Internet radio, and open multiple Internet Explorer sessions without much trouble. Battery life while surfing and performing other chores was around 3 hours while using the Nvidia graphics, and it was 3 hours and 10 minutes with integrated graphics, which is good.

In addition to Windows XP, Asus includes its Express Gate preboot environment. Express Gate lets you access the Splashtop Browser, basic music and photo managers for accessing files on the hard drive and attached USB devices, the Pidgin IM applet, and the Skype VoIP utility without booting into Windows.

Asus backs the N10Jc with its standard two-year global warranty, which includes 24-hour toll-free tech support and free overnight shipping There's even a one-year accidental damage warranty that covers drops, fire, spills, and power surges.

If all you need is e-mail and Web access while you're out and about, one of the less-expensive netbooks on the market should suffice. But if you want all the portability and some of the graphics power of an ultratable notebook without the $2,000 price tag, Asus's NIOJc is the way to go. —Jamie Bsales




Computer Shopper January 2009

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