Now Lenovo Soars in the Business Customer Sales
If you ask a random person on the street, "Who makes ThinkPads?", they will probably say IBM, but the truth is that Lenovo is the mighty company responsible for transforming ThinkPads and IdeaPads into some of the best PCs on the market. Several years after buying the IBM PC business, Lenovo is now the number two PC maker in the world. How did they do it?
Six years after the Chinese PC vendor Lenovo Group Ltd. acquired the PC business from IBM, it is now the number two PC vendor in the world, behind only HP. It took a while to get there, but the company did it by using a different tactic than one-time insurgent Acer.
For the fourth quarter of 2011, Gartner puts Lenovo in second place, with 14 percent of the worldwide PC market and 23 percent year-over-year growth. HP remains in the lead with 16 percent market share, but its sales fell 16.2 percent, undoubtedly due to residual problems from its ill-advised threat to spin off its PC business earlier in the year.
Acer is down to number four, with sales down 18.4 percent year over year. For a time, Acer was the number two PC maker behind HP, according to Gartner, buoyed by the rush to netbooks. But netbooks fell out of favor as fast as they came, thanks in part to lower-than-expected performance and the arrival of tablets like the iPad.
Also, Acer went the cheap route and targeted the mass market with budget laptops. Acer suffered for it with high return rates and an unfavorable reputation online for low quality and poor reliability. Lenovo, on the other hand, has maintained high product quality with top-rated notebooks like the ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 while focusing primarily on businesses, both enterprise and SMB (Small and Medium Business).
"[Lenovo] are taking sales on the professional side of the market, and the professional side is very stable with consistent growth because of the PC refresh cycle," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
The difference, though, is Lenovo has lower margins than HP and Dell and can live with it. Dell and HP need at least 5 percent margin, but Lenovo can dip as low as 2 or 3 percent, Kitagawa explained.
This helps Lenovo compete on price without sacrificing quality, something people expect from the ThinkPad line of laptops. "Dell and HP have an expectation from the shareholders. Lenovo does too but it's different. In the U.S., a public company is expected to make profit for their shareholders. Japanese and Chinese public companies do not have that kind of mission. They are more aggressive on pricing. Their intention is to expand their market. They really want to gain market share," she said.
Lenovo also made significant gains in the SMB market by building a significant channel partnership over the past six years. It used to be dependent on IBM's Global Services unit, but they started their own service organization about five years ago and they did a good job of establishing their own channel program and building relationships with channel partners, said Kitagawa.
"It took them a while to get to this level, but by looking at the results, Lenovo established a pretty good presence in the channel so far," she said. She added that Lenovo has not ended its relations with IBM, it just is not solely dependent on the group.
The outlook for 2012 is a bit murky, given the economic state and the disruption of hard drive supply due to the floods in Thailand, Gartner expects the PC market to be negative when compared to 2011, at least for the time being. One thing is for certain, businesses and business-oriented consumers are more aware of Lenovo and its ThinkPad and IdeaPad notebooks than ever before.
Z835 Toshiba Portege & ASUS Zenbook: Ultrabook Showdown
In this article we will take a look at two of the hottest Ultrabooks on the market. Both feature a 13.3-inch screen and fast flash storage, but do the extra features of the ASUS Zenbook make it worth a few hundred dollars more? Which is the best Ultrabook for your money?
Ultrabooks – What’s the Point?
Ultrabooks are a result of the thinness craze that’s sweeping mobile electronics. The Ultrabook is considered another market segment; it’s a new category of mobile device. All of them are under one inch thin and feature six plus hours of battery life, a 128GB (or higher) Solid State Drive (SSD), Intel Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processors, and are generally not user-upgradeable. They’re also not designed to be one’s primary computer, but they have the performance needed to fill that role; think of these as very upscale netbooks.
The differences highlighted in red indicate which one had the advantage. The Zenbook has the early lead specifications-wise; it has a higher-resolution display, slightly faster processor, has Bluetooth, and a noticeable better warranty. On the other hand, there is quite a disparity in the pricing; a $300 gap is nothing to sneeze at.
Design
The design is the biggest difference between the ASUS Zenbook UX31 and the Toshiba Portege Z835 aside from price. ASUS let its design department off the leash and ended up with an extremely refined and classy looking chassis. It’s constructed entirely of aluminum and feels solid as, well, a block of aluminum. Toshiba on the other hand stayed conservative; its nondescript matte gray exterior offers little in the way of “look at me”. The Toshiba is constructed from magnesium alloy, which is lighter than aluminum but doesn’t feel as strong (or look as nice); the Z835’s build quality is by no means bad however. The UX31 weighs a tad more at 2.86 lbs. vs. the Z835’s 2.40 lbs.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is an area that no Ultrabook has mastered; the UX31’s keyboard is my least favorite due to a tremendous lack of tactile feedback; it’s hard to tell a keystroke registered. I had accuracy issues with the keyboard as well; the keys didn’t register unless pushed fully down. The Toshiba doesn’t fare much better in tactile feedback but I didn’t have accuracy issues. Backlighting is another big plus for the Z835; it’s not available on the UX31.
The touchpad is another area of concern for the UX31; it’s a clickpad, so press down anywhere to produce a click. It’s not as accurate as it could be (I had a lot of accuracy issues such as the cursor jumping until I upgraded to the latest driver) and makes loud clicking noises. The Z835 has a traditional touchpad with two buttons and it’s excellent, the best I have seen on an Ultrabook so far. Clickpads in my experience are more for show; just give us a traditional touchpad with two buttons, OK?
Screen
The Zenbook UX31 is one of the very few Ultrabooks to include a better-than-average screen; not only is it warm and colorful but it also has a much nicer 1600x900 resolution. The higher resolution allows two windows to be used side-by-side and means less scrolling in web pages. Nearly all consumer notebooks including the Z835 have a measly 1366x768, or about one-third less space than the UX31’s 1600x900.
A common complaint I have about both notebooks’ displays is the glossy surface, which has annoying reflections. Samsung is coming to market with ultrabooks that feature matte screens, but right now this laptop category mostly consists of glossy screens.
Anything Else?
Other differences between the Ultrabooks are minor compared to what we’ve already looked at. The UX31 has better speakers but the Z835 includes a dedicated VGA port (an adapter is required with the UX31). The battery life is the same for both (roughly six hours of real-world use).
The Winner?
The Toshiba Portege Z835 takes the trophy; it continues to be the best all-around Ultrabook on the market and not just because of price; it simply does just about everything well. The ASUS Zenbook UX31 has a marvelous design and great screen but I can’t overlook a subpar keyboard and touchpad and much higher price. The Z835 gets everything done no-frills style and at a very attractive $799.99, or $300 less than the UX31.
Review E6420 Dell Latitude: Best Notebook & With a Multi touch Option
Review Summary:
The Dell Latitude E6420 is a good-performing 14-inch business notebook with stellar build quality and a lot of neat options. Users can configure the notebook to have a multitouch display, a fast Intel quad-core processor, discrete-class (higher-end) graphics, up to 4GB of memory, and a 256GB capacity solid state drive.
Build and Design
The Dell Latitude E6420 is encased in Dell's business-rugged, MIL-STD 810G-tested Tri-Metal casing just like the E6420's little sister, the Latitude E6320. The "tri-metal" comes from a anodized aluminum display lid, reinforced steel in the hinges, and magnesium alloy in the chassis and frame. The notebook also has a zinc alloy latch, a spill resistant keyboard, and an LCD seal to help prevent scratches and bumps.
All of that extra metal and thought the designers put into its construction indeed makes it very durable. When we pressed down on the chassis and around the palm rest, it didn't budge. When we bent the lid of the display around the thick screen bezel, it did budge just a bit - but it was barely noticeable, and wasn't noticeable enough to create any ripples across the display. The reinforced steel hinges are also very sturdy; we don't suppose they'll give users any problems whatsoever. The Dell Latitude E6420 is very durable for its class.
The notebook is a looker, too - it appears very professional and stylish. It has smooth matte surfaces brushed with what Dell calls a "360 bumper" for extra protection against scratches. When we tried to scratch the surface, it chipped away a little bit, but no scratch marks showed up. The lid looks pretty neat, too; with Dell's signature logo across the middle.
The E6420 can be upgraded slightly. After removing seven screws, you can remove the base cover and gain access to the hard drive, memory, Bluetooth card, and network cards. It can be upgraded with up to 8GB of memory. We mentioned in our Latitude E6320 review that the screws were particularly hard to remove; they weren't as difficult to remove in the E6420.
Ports and Features
The Latitude E6420 has a good port selection, and is really only notably lacking a USB 3.0 port on our unit. There is a USB 3.0 module option, but you'd have to pay a little extra to include it. Other than that, the notebook comes equipped with HDMI and VGA connectors, 5-in-1 card reader, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, Express Card, and a Smart Card Reader (optional). The notebook is equipped with an 8X DVD optical drive at no extra cost, but the 8X DVD+/-RW costs $50 more. There's also a dock connector at the bottom so users can have access to even more ports and features if they purchase a dock.
In Winter Season Sony Vaio Line Refreshes
The Sony Electronics VAIO(r) division today released a variety of updated models in preparation for the approaching holiday season. Available today on the Sony Store website, this newest season update reveals not only new CPU options but a few other enhancements.
There was also a slight update in the VAIO SB with a new color option of red added to the existing choices of black, white, blue and pink.
In addition, the VAIO® SA, SB, and SE series now feature the latest 2nd generation Intel® processors ranging from Intel® Core™ i3 to Core™ i7 processor options.
In this refresh, not only will the VAIO F® and VAIO® L computers now ship with the latest 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors, the team also added some new pre-installed software. The Sony Imagination Studio™ Multimedia Edition is now included in both series which comes with Vegas® Movie Studio HD Platinum, Sound Forge® Audio Studio, and ACID® Music Studio. Helpful for those audio and video projects and over a $200 value.
With the newest generation of Intel® Core™ processors now available, we updated CPUs on the VAIO E and VAIO C series with the VAIO E available with up to a Core™ i5 and VAIO C processor available up to Core™ i7. And just in time for the holiday, the VAIO Y now offers a model in black rounding out the options of silver and pink.
Now Samsung Announces the Series 7 Slate PC
Samsung Electronics America Inc. today announced the Series 7 Slate PC, a lightweight slate computer with full PC capabilities running Windows® 7, at the IFA global consumer electronics tradeshow. The Series 7 Slate PC offers all of the features of a full-sized laptop in an extremely portable package, providing highly mobile users with the computing power they need for maximum productivity anywhere they go.
“The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC was designed for on-the-go users who need a slim, lightweight computer but can’t afford to sacrifice true PC functionality,” said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. “Whether you’re using it for work or play, the Series 7 Slate revolutionizes portable computing by providing the latest and greatest PC features without weighing you down.”
“The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC is a great example of the commitment Samsung has to continued innovation with Windows,” said Nick Parker, Vice President of Worldwide OEM Marketing at Microsoft Corporation.. “With full-PC power packed into an ultraportable device, the Series 7 Slate PC takes mobility to a new level with an innovative touch-focused design that transforms personal computing and enables richer experiences.”
Weighing less than two pounds and measuring only half an inch thick, the Series 7 Slate can truly be taken anywhere. Despite its compact size, the Slate is a full-powered PC with a 11.6-inch screen, powerful Intel® Core™ i5 processor, a full version of Windows® 7 Home Premium or Windows® 7 Professional operating system and an up to 128 GB solid state hard drive, meeting the needs of even the most demanding power user.
Users can quickly type using the on-screen keyboard and navigate through the slate’s features with the highly responsive capacitive multi-touch screen, or write naturally on the screen using an electromagnetic pen, making it easy to take meeting notes, create documents and reports in Microsoft Office 2010, or browse online. An integrated microphone and dual 2MP (front) / 3MP (rear) cameras can record audio/visual files, which can be stored and shared via the full-sized USB port or Wi-Fi, WiMAX and HSPA connection.
The Series 7 features Samsung’s exclusive FastStart technology, which enables the slate to transition from a hybrid sleep mode to full functionality in two – three seconds, enabling users to quickly jump into work or play anywhere. Samsung’s touch interface helps to streamline your life by providing seamless access to applications used every day such as Facebook, Twitter, maps and media content.
The Series 7 Slate was designed to impress. In addition to being easy to transport, its sleek, slim design and elegant detailing will turn heads everywhere, from the boardroom to the train on your commute home.
The Series 7 Slate screen features vivid Samsung Superbright Plus Technology (400 nit), as well as a vibrant 16 million color range, making it ideal for viewing everything from presentations to photos or videos. The wide 170 degree viewing angle makes it easy to view content from anywhere, as well as to display materials to friends and colleagues.
An optional Bluetooth keyboard, docking station and mouse add further convenience and create a desktop PC experience for business users planning to settle in at a desk while traveling. The docking station replaces the traditional desktop by providing the interface and computing power; it also gives users the flexibility to sync up to a larger monitor for even more efficient multi-tasking.
Samsung’s exclusive Easy Settings make it effortless to connect the Series 7 Slate to new wireless networks, projectors and more by giving you easy access to commonly used PC settings, resulting in stress-free business travel and presentations. Samsung Easy Migration allows users to seamlessly transfer existing files by connecting their old PC to the Series 7 Slate, launching and starting Easy Migration and letting the PC do the rest.
With up to seven hours of battery life, the Series 7 Slate ensures an all day connection for optimal productivity while on-the-go. The inclusion of Samsung Power Plus technology means that the Series 7 Slate battery will retain 80 percent of the original battery capacity for up to 1,500 charges – giving users a battery that works whenever and wherever they need it, even after three years of use.
Pricing And Availability
The Samsung Series 7 Slate is scheduled to be available starting October 2, 2011. The MSRP is $1,099 – $1,349.
Now HP reveals a handful of new laptops
HP Envy 14
The Envy 14, part of HP's premium Envy line, gets a refresh with Intel's 2011 Sandy Bridge CPUs, which offer better performance and battery life than the 2010 models. While it looks the same as previous Envy models, HP promises that the large clickpad is more responsive (multitouch gestures were a little wonky on the current versions), and USB 3.0 gets thrown in as well.
We've generally been big fans of this line, as it's one of the few high-design, gamer-friendly series of laptops from a major brand. You won't be able to get one of these new 14-inch models until June, and they start at $999.
HP Mini 210
It turns out Netbooks aren't totally dead after all (just mostly dead). The new Mini 210 is pretty much the same as last year's, with a dual-core Intel Atom CPU, and this is one of only a handful of new Netbooks we've heard about so far for 2011 (by this time last year, we were flooded with 2010 models).
But the new Mini 210 does add some new lid colors (including sweet purple, charcoal, crimson red, luminous rose, and ocean drive). Despite still being only about 1 inch thick, it works in a streamlined six-cell battery, and, surprisingly, the Mini 210 includes a Netbook version of the same Beats Audio technology found in the high-end Envy laptops, which is something of a bold move.
Also available in June, these will run $300-$330, which is still the standard for basic Netbooks.
HP Pavilion dv4
Other than a few vibrant new colors, the most notable thing about the Pavilion dv4 is the new version of HP's Cool Sense technology it includes. This is basically a user control panel for the cooling fans, but now it actually includes some recommended user settings, instead of leaving it all for you to figure out.
The Pavilion dv4 is coming May 18, starting at $599.
Corporate and business users shouldn't feel left out; there are a handful of new ProBook and EliteBook models as well. The $799 ProBook 5330m is a slim 13-inch with Intel's newest Sandy Bridge CPUs and a backlit keyboard, as well as TPM and Intel vPro technology (which are important for corporate IT departments).
The EliteBook 2560p and 2760p are aimed at high-end business users, with metallic finishes and thin designs. The $1,100, 12.5-inch 2560p is a traditional clamshell, while the $1,500 12-inch 2760p has a swiveling convertible touch screen. All three should be available in May, and our sister site ZDNet has some additional details on the business systems, but the part we're most interested in is the pay-as-you-go 3G data plans, which is something we haven't seen in a laptop before.
The system is called Data Pass, and with it, users of select HP laptops with 3G antennas can buy small chunks of data on an a la carte basis. The service is provided by Sprint, and seems like a good idea for those who need only occasional access, but the prices did seem steep--$5 for 75MB of data, which could easily be a single PowerPoint document, or up to 1GB of data for $30.
Review 5330m HP ProBook
Review Summary:
Let's be honest. Anyone who thinks the new HP ProBook 5330m wasn't designed to directly compete with the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro is likely suffering from some type of delusion. The 13.3-inch ProBook 5330m combines all the aluminum-clad beauty of the MacBook Pro with the Windows-based business features of the HP Elitebook laptops.
The 5330m is less than 1-inch thin (if you don't count the rubber feet on the bottom of the notebook), features a dual-tone color scheme, brushed aluminum chassis and backlit keyboard and is HP's first business notebook to offer "Beats Audio" with software-enhanced audio playback over the built-in speakers and the earphone jack. The ProBook 5330m features a 13.3-inch anti-glare display (1366x768) and second-generation Intel Core i-series processors, including the dual-core i3 and i5 variants. It does not have an internal optical drive but weighs only 4.0 lbs.
The design is a quantum leap over most of the previous HP ProBook laptops -- which are mostly just low-cost alternatives to the enterprise-class HP EliteBook line. The 5330m gives you the durability of aluminum construction combined with an underside made of magnesium alloy and covered in rubberized black paint similar to what you'll find on the Lenovo ThinkPad line of business-rugged notebooks.
Overall, the build is exceptionally strong for a notebook that has a starting price of just $799. At first glance the build and design has a lot of drool-worthy elements for both IT geeks and average computer users. Of course, you can't have everything on a budget.
Ports and Features
Most notebooks designed for business have an impressive array of ports so you can connect your laptop to any number of devices. Unfortunately, HP didn't include that many ports since the ProBook 5330m was designed for budget-conscious businesses and consumers. Of course, you also don't get a built-in DVD drive. What you do get are two USB 2.0 ports (three if you count the eSATA/USB 2.0 port), Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, an SD card reader and a headset jack.
Gone are the days of ExpressCard expansion slots, FireWire or dedicated microphone and headphone jacks. HP decided to offer HDMI on the 5330m rather than DisplayPort since more consumers will likely connect their notebook to consumer-grade monitors or HDTVs. The only connection I'm disappointed isn't here is a USB 3.0 port. USB 3.0 is the new USB standard and we're seeing more and more external storage and accessories take advantage of the faster speeds offered by this port. I understand that HP was aiming for a street price of $899 or less, but this 5330m should have come with USB 3.0.
Review dv4t HP Pavilion
Review Summary:
The HP Pavilion dv4t is an affordable 14-inch laptop for home use with a good keyboard and good battery life.
The dv4t has a friendly look that's expected of HP's Pavilion entertainment notebook line. Unlike higher-end Pavilions, however, HP made the unfortunate decision to cover just about all surfaces of this notebook in glossy plastic. While it may look attractive on a display shelf, glossy plastic is a dust and fingerprint magnet. Keep a microfiber towel handy.
The build quality is satisfactory for a consumer notebook in this price range. The chassis has good internal support and does not flex easily; the surfaces feel solid when pressed down upon. The lid is slightly flimsy and flexes with little effort; surprisingly no ripples appear on the screen when pressure is applied from behind (this means the actual panel is protected). One part of the lid that could be improved is the hinges - they don't exactly feel anchored to the chassis and are somewhat flexible. Two hands are required for opening the lid.
Fit and finish of the notebook is good; there are no sharp edges and all parts of the notebook appear to be of the same level of quality. The plastics used are of reasonable thickness and are not brittle. Overall the dv4t passes quality inspection but fails in the design department; the excessive use of glossy plastic turns this notebook into an eyesore.
Upgrading the notebook is relatively easy to do; the hard drive, memory (RAM), and wireless card are accessible through two panels on the bottom of the chassis.
Ports and Features
The Pavilion dv4t has the bare essentials and little more when it comes to ports. It lacks USB 3.0, eSATA, and DisplayPort; it's not possible to add them since the dv4t also doesn't include an ExpressCard expansion slot. At the very least it has an HDMI port for connection to HDTVs.
NS310 Samsung review
The rounded and colourful case of this sleek and shiny Samsung netbook makes it stand out from the pack, as do the backlit keyboard and light weight. But do the compromises Samsung has made to achieve the style and slenderness mean it's all flash and no substance?
Design
The glossy metallic case certainly looks flash, in dark red or rich bright blue. The colour continues round to the base of the chassis and even moulds around the ports neatly, although the embossed Samsung logo across the lid is rather imposing - or tacky, depending on your point of view. Neatly curved corners and sloping edges look good and are comfortable to carry, especially as the NS310 is just a hair over a kilo in weight. The weight is well balanced too; when you have it open, the two hinges hold the screen steady and there's no sign of it tipping over backwards.
The interior is all black, relieved by the blue glow of the power button above the screen and the indicator lights below the large trackpad. These are placed so that you won't keep brushing over them as you type, and even if you do they don't have the sharp edges we've complained about on some netbooks.
The screen and bezel have the usual popular but irritatingly reflective gloss finish; despite the good viewing angle of the screen, we had noticeable problems with reflections when working near a window with the NS310.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard, surround and trackpad are a uniform matte black plastic. The keyboard is sunken into a well to give you more action on the keys; it's also backlight. This adjusts automatically to surrounding light, turning on as the room gets darker, and off when you don't use the keyboard for a while - or you can adjust the brightness yourself.
The keys are a little on the small size for a machine with a 10.1-inch screen, thanks to those curving edges and sloping sides; although there's plenty of space between the isolated keytops, the keyboard, as a whole, feels rather cramped and we'd happily sacrifice the second alt and ctrl keys for real home/end keys, rather than extra functions on the arrow keys. The secondary controls on the function keys are all useful, adjusting brightness and volume or bringing up the ControlCenter utility, but there are no media buttons.
The trackpad is large for a netbook, with a surface that's both smooth and yet textured enough for precision. It's responsive for simple scrolling and two-finger pinch zoom, scroll and rotate. The three-finger tap and swipe gestures are turned off by default, probably because the touch pad surface is just too small to use them comfortably unless you have the tiniest of fingers. The buttons have a nice positive action, but they're set into a single rocker bar so the middle section doesn't press in at all.
Ports
The selection of ports down the sides of the shiny case isn't impressive with three USB 2.0 ports but no USB 3 and VGA but no HDMI. The good news is there’s 100Mbps Ethernet and separate headphone and microphone jacks, plus an SD card slot on the front. At least you get three USB ports, but the layout of the ports is also irritating. The third USB port, in particular, is too close to the VGA port and a monitor cable will make it hard to reach.We had no real complaints about the build quality; the keyboard doesn't flex while you're typing but the plastic chassis is a little creaky and it doesn't feel as sturdy as an HP Mini.
What is disappointing is the performance and the battery life. The NS310 comes with the usual Office Starter and Windows Live apps, a large selection of not-very-interesting games and the ubiquitous YouCam Webcam tools. The round dozen Samsung utilities mostly duplicate Windows controls or only work with specific Samsung phones or printers. That sad, the DLNA content sharing tool is useful. There are also netbook versions of Norton Internet Security and Online Backup combine those with IE8 and the Bing Bar and you get a slow and unresponsive system.
Swap Norton out for a less bloated AV like Microsoft Security Essentials and things improved but even a 1.5Ghz dual-core Atom N550 isn't particularly speedy, especially with only 1Gb of memory. And when you compare the price to other similarly equipped netbooks it becomes clear that you're paying extra for the case design. The hard drive is a fair 240Gb but oddly our review sample was formatted so only 90Gb was in use.
With Wi-Fi on and the screen at about half brightness, we saw nearly four hours of battery life in light use; start streaming videos and music and that drops to two and a half hours. That's considerably less than other netbooks because while the 25Wh battery keeps the case sleek rather than bulging it also stores rather less power than usual.
Things are better when it comes to multimedia. The twin speakers above the keyboard produce quite pleasant sound at full volume, although they're almost inaudible below half volume. The screen is bright and vivid, especially for a netbook, although it's not particularly saturated and there's no comparison to high-end screens. The adjustments that automatically kick in when you play a video file do improve the picture, and video is enjoyable to watch. Contrast is fairly poor, especially in dark areas, but the hinge stops the screen tilting back enough for this to be a problem.
Intel GMA 3150 graphics isn't up to even half-serious gameplay, but it does well on video. The screen is too small to really see the detail on 1080p video but what you can see is crisp and full HD video streamed smoothly from YouTube. 720p video streamed over a home network fared better, playing smoothly with excellent crisp detail and only the slightest and very occasional artefacting on regular backgrounds like roof tiles.
Windows 8 laptops powered by Kinect for yours
How would you like to get your hands on (or rather keep them off) a laptop sporting a built-in Kinect sensor? It's more than just a hollow dream - Kinect packing laptops made by Asus, and Microsoft backed, are already in existence.
The Daily has seen a pair of the hybrid devices and has received word from Microsoft that they are indeed official prototypes of laptops featuring a Kinect sensor. Built by Asus, the laptops are running Windows 8 and feature a number of sensors above the screen and some LED lights below it.
Earlier this month Microsoft confirmed that it would release the Kinect for Windows SDK to developers on 1 February, meaning Kinect drivers and APIs will be available to the general public as well as developers.
Microsoft is said to be working with more than 200 different companies to build applications for Windows that use Kinect and it looks as if this doesn't just mean with an additional Kinect sensor. The Kinect's sensor tech, it seems, can be incorporated directly into a device.
We love the idea of a Windows 8 machine running with motion gesture controls. If not just for that fact that it will keep our laptop's display smudge free.
U410 Ultrabooks & Lenovo IdeaPad U310 pictures on your hands
The Lenovo IdeaPads U310 and U410 are not the sexiest Ultrabooks on the market, but they're not really supposed to be. Last year's U300s is still top dog, but the point of launching these two at CES 2012 is to finally turn this class of computer into something that normal people might actually be willing to pay for.
Starting from £599, you get Intel Core processors, choice of SSD or HDD drives up to 64GB or 500GB respectively, 8 hours of battery life and some interesting fast boot and quick resume technologies which, in our hands-on time, had the things up and running in the time it took to exchange a few pleasantries with the company execs on the stand. There is also something called Lenovo Smart Update which allows these IdeaPads to update your mailbox, IM chats and social networks automatically even when asleep.
Where the two differ is that the U310 weighs in at 1.7kg and measures 18mm thick whereas the U410 is a slightly chunkier creation at 1.9kg and 20.3mm despite each sporting the same 16:9, 13.3-inch screens. That all comes down to the addition of a dedicated GeForce 610 1GB graphics system in the U410, whereas you have to make do with the integrated Intel GMA 3000 HD on the other.
The difference in form wasn't hugely noticeable in the hand though. Neither come across as particularly super thin and that's because, in comparison to the likes of the waif-like second generation Samsung Series 9, they're not. What did seem to make a big difference was the choice of colour with the graphite of the U310 that we played with a far classier creature than the cherry blossom choice. If neither of those take your fancy, you could always go for a finish in Aqua Blue, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue or Spearmint.
Now Lenovo IdeaPad S200 pictures on your hands
With Ultrabooks and laptops that bend back on themselves among the tens that Lenovo chose to launch at CES 2012, it was easy to miss what appears to be the really good product that is the Lenovo IdeaPad S200.
Fashion and style is what the company claims it's all about but that's really a smokescreen for the fact that its aimed at the student or second laptop end of the market. The S200 represents the maturation of the netbooks and, at 11.6 inches on the diagonal across the screen with a full size keyboard, it really is where portable computing can stay comfortable beyond the quick half hour that the older 8.9-inch tinies used to offer.
Available starting from just £299, it's a dual-core Intel Atom machine but it does come with up to 32GB of SSD storage to make boot up as fast as it can possibly be in combination with Lenovo Quick Start - a technology that starts the computer in seconds with the most basic, critical apps on offer.
What was nice to see from our hands-on time at the Las Vegas tech binge was that, despite the low price, it still feels stylish and not a bit out of place next to all the Ultrabooks. The screen is at an HD resolution, it weighs 1.3kg and is only 20mm thick. Not too shabby.
On top of that, you get a slightly disappointing 0.3-megapixel webcam built in and just the 4 hours of battery time. Still, there is a choice of colours - Cotton-candy Pink, Crimson Red, Electric Blue, Graphite Grey and Pearl White. Tasty. Yours from June.
Qualcomm demos Windows 8 on Snapdragon
Qualcomm has demoed, for the first time, a Windows 8 tablet running on the company's new Snapdragon S4 processor highlighting a future world where your computer doesn't just run on computers powered by Intel or AMD.
Showcasing the new capabilities of the Microsoft operating system, Qualcomm Chairman and CEO, Paul Jacobs, demoed the new offering at the company's keynote at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.
"Windows 8 is a great match for Snapdragon because we build our processors from the ground up," Jacobs told attendees. "Windows 8 ARM support is a game changer."
Jacobs demoed Windows 8 using the company's new Snapdragon M8960 processor. The chip goes into product due out in mid 2012 however as yet hasn't been selected to be used on any Windows 8 devices headed to market.
The move, first announced by Microsoft last year, has meant that traditional mobile phone chip companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia have been able to offer their latest chipsets to PC makers for the first time as a viable alternative to Intel.
And it is something the company is keen to push. Enrico Salvatore, Qualcomm Europe's senior vice president, agrees with his boss telling Pocket-lint that the company was best placed to take advantage of its 25 year history in mobile devices when compared to the competition.
In an informal chat on the company's stand at CES after the keynote, Salvatore explained to Pocket-lint that the company felt it was a lot easier to scale up performance having already mastered many features like battery and connectivity than to downgrade chips that have been previously designed for less efficient devices like laptops.
Qualcomm believe that this strength in power efficiency and connectivity will mean that it has the leading edge when devices start to appear later in the year.
Back on stage at the keynote and Jacobs boasts Qualcomm easily managed built in LTE support, a lack of fan for cooling, and the promise of thinner and lighter devices in the future.
The battle lines have been drawn.
Now Samsung Series 5 Ultrabooks pictures on your hands
Officially speaking, the Samsung Series 9 laptop is not an Ultrabook - at least, Samsung has chosen not to call it one much like Apple hasn't bothered including the MacBook Air either. Instead, Samsung announced a couple of lesser machines at CES 2012, so Pocket-lint went hands-on to see if they're still impressive enough.
The kindest way to describe the Samsung Series 5 is by not comparing it to the Series 9. The Series 5 should not, ever, under any circumstances go double dating with the Series 9. It makes it look plump, dowdy and touch dull. It would sit ignored in the corner while all eyes were reserved for the other laptop.
Like we say, it's rather unfair because the Samsung Series 5 is something you'd otherwise feel proud carrying around on your arm. There are two models to choose from. There's the 13.3-inch version with integrated graphics or the 14-inch model with a dedicated GPU and an optical drive to enjoy as well. The price you pay for the latter is really in the body mass department which takes it up from 1.38kg to 1.84kg and that's pretty heavy for an Ultrabook. One has to wonder whether the disk drive is really worth it in this day and age?
Each has 8GB of RAM to play with and 300nit screens which are certainly perfectly good. Naturally, there are also Intel Core i5 processors at the helm and the choice of SSDs up to 16GB in size with the ExpressCache system to ensure fast starting and launching of apps, as we've seen on previous Samsung notebooks.
Neither laptop is wildly thin, despite the 14.9mm measurement at their thinnest, but they do have decent looking isolated keyboards and standard two-button trackpads which are easy enough to use, if slightly underwhelming.
So, unfortunately, despite trying to avoid it, the only way to sum up the Samsung Series 5 is by saying that they're perfectly good but they're just not as exciting as the Series 9. You'd also have to look at what Acer and Lenovo offer in the Ultrabook space as well.
No word on prices just yet, but we'll update when we know. Placed at £800 or less and they could really kick up a storm. Cost any more and they might just get lost in the crowd.
M930Toshiba Portege slider laptop
Toshiba hasn't officially announced the Toshiba Portege M930, but that didn't stop Microsoft showing off the new sliding laptop on its stand at CES over in Las Vegas.
The new mystery model sports a similar design to the Asus Eee Pad Slider released last year and the Sony Vaio laptop concept, also on display at the show.
While specs are limited we do know a couple of things aside from the rather unusual hinge design that sees the screen face outwards or inwards when closed.
The screen itself, when it is the viewing position, sits in a trough stopping it moving and bringing the screen considerably closer to you, meaning that you lose the usual glass trackpad as found on most laptops in favour of a small nubbin on the right hand side of the keyboard.
According to Microsoft the Toshiba Portege M930 will feature an Intel Core i5 processor, come with 4GB of RAM and have a 256GB hard drive.
Graphics power is provided by an Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip and that screen size, if you were wondering, is a 13.3-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution. Weight is 1.9kg and it is 27mm thick.
There's a stylus too for writing on the screen. At the moment you can't use your fingers, but we suspect this would change if the laptop was upgraded to Windows 8.
No word on when, if ever, Toshiba plans to launch the Toshiba Portege M930 sliding laptop. We will keep you posted.
Now LG Z330 pictures on your hands
LG announced two new Ultrabook models at CES in Las Vegas, the Z430 and the Z330, and Pocket-lint was on hand to have a quick play with the new models. Check out our LG Z430 pictures and hands-on.
Just like with supermodel catwalks, it's all about being skinny in the Ultrabook game and the Z330 is one of the thinnest notebooks that we've heard of, with a waistline of just 14.7mm.
That's not just its thinnest point either, that's a constant. It weighs in at just 1.21kg too, over 100g less than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air for a device that gives you the same 13.3-inch screen size.
Other specs are a 9.9 second boot up time, a 256GB SATA SSD hard drive and a second generation Intel Core i7 processor.
Clad in metal you'll also get wireless screen sharing technology with Intel Wireless Display (Wi-Di), Thunderbolt support, Ethernet, HDMI out and a bevy of USB sockets.
We have to say that the keyboard is very comfortable to use, the trackpad big enough to allow you to get from one side of the screen to the other with a single stroke and overall we are very impressed with this skinny laptop.
Although we weren't able to give the Z330 a proper going over on the show floor our quick play with the new laptop suggests it is going to be easy and enjoyable to use.
The LG Z330 Ultrabook is expected to be launching some time before March. No word on pricing as of yet.
If you ask a random person on the street, "Who makes ThinkPads?", they will probably say IBM, but the truth is that Lenovo is the mighty company responsible for transforming ThinkPads and IdeaPads into some of the best PCs on the market. Several years after buying the IBM PC business, Lenovo is now the number two PC maker in the world. How did they do it?
Six years after the Chinese PC vendor Lenovo Group Ltd. acquired the PC business from IBM, it is now the number two PC vendor in the world, behind only HP. It took a while to get there, but the company did it by using a different tactic than one-time insurgent Acer.
For the fourth quarter of 2011, Gartner puts Lenovo in second place, with 14 percent of the worldwide PC market and 23 percent year-over-year growth. HP remains in the lead with 16 percent market share, but its sales fell 16.2 percent, undoubtedly due to residual problems from its ill-advised threat to spin off its PC business earlier in the year.
Acer is down to number four, with sales down 18.4 percent year over year. For a time, Acer was the number two PC maker behind HP, according to Gartner, buoyed by the rush to netbooks. But netbooks fell out of favor as fast as they came, thanks in part to lower-than-expected performance and the arrival of tablets like the iPad.
Also, Acer went the cheap route and targeted the mass market with budget laptops. Acer suffered for it with high return rates and an unfavorable reputation online for low quality and poor reliability. Lenovo, on the other hand, has maintained high product quality with top-rated notebooks like the ThinkPad T420 and ThinkPad X220 while focusing primarily on businesses, both enterprise and SMB (Small and Medium Business).
"[Lenovo] are taking sales on the professional side of the market, and the professional side is very stable with consistent growth because of the PC refresh cycle," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
The difference, though, is Lenovo has lower margins than HP and Dell and can live with it. Dell and HP need at least 5 percent margin, but Lenovo can dip as low as 2 or 3 percent, Kitagawa explained.
This helps Lenovo compete on price without sacrificing quality, something people expect from the ThinkPad line of laptops. "Dell and HP have an expectation from the shareholders. Lenovo does too but it's different. In the U.S., a public company is expected to make profit for their shareholders. Japanese and Chinese public companies do not have that kind of mission. They are more aggressive on pricing. Their intention is to expand their market. They really want to gain market share," she said.
Lenovo also made significant gains in the SMB market by building a significant channel partnership over the past six years. It used to be dependent on IBM's Global Services unit, but they started their own service organization about five years ago and they did a good job of establishing their own channel program and building relationships with channel partners, said Kitagawa.
"It took them a while to get to this level, but by looking at the results, Lenovo established a pretty good presence in the channel so far," she said. She added that Lenovo has not ended its relations with IBM, it just is not solely dependent on the group.
The outlook for 2012 is a bit murky, given the economic state and the disruption of hard drive supply due to the floods in Thailand, Gartner expects the PC market to be negative when compared to 2011, at least for the time being. One thing is for certain, businesses and business-oriented consumers are more aware of Lenovo and its ThinkPad and IdeaPad notebooks than ever before.
Z835 Toshiba Portege & ASUS Zenbook: Ultrabook Showdown
In this article we will take a look at two of the hottest Ultrabooks on the market. Both feature a 13.3-inch screen and fast flash storage, but do the extra features of the ASUS Zenbook make it worth a few hundred dollars more? Which is the best Ultrabook for your money?
Ultrabooks – What’s the Point?
Ultrabooks are a result of the thinness craze that’s sweeping mobile electronics. The Ultrabook is considered another market segment; it’s a new category of mobile device. All of them are under one inch thin and feature six plus hours of battery life, a 128GB (or higher) Solid State Drive (SSD), Intel Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processors, and are generally not user-upgradeable. They’re also not designed to be one’s primary computer, but they have the performance needed to fill that role; think of these as very upscale netbooks.
The differences highlighted in red indicate which one had the advantage. The Zenbook has the early lead specifications-wise; it has a higher-resolution display, slightly faster processor, has Bluetooth, and a noticeable better warranty. On the other hand, there is quite a disparity in the pricing; a $300 gap is nothing to sneeze at.
Design
The design is the biggest difference between the ASUS Zenbook UX31 and the Toshiba Portege Z835 aside from price. ASUS let its design department off the leash and ended up with an extremely refined and classy looking chassis. It’s constructed entirely of aluminum and feels solid as, well, a block of aluminum. Toshiba on the other hand stayed conservative; its nondescript matte gray exterior offers little in the way of “look at me”. The Toshiba is constructed from magnesium alloy, which is lighter than aluminum but doesn’t feel as strong (or look as nice); the Z835’s build quality is by no means bad however. The UX31 weighs a tad more at 2.86 lbs. vs. the Z835’s 2.40 lbs.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is an area that no Ultrabook has mastered; the UX31’s keyboard is my least favorite due to a tremendous lack of tactile feedback; it’s hard to tell a keystroke registered. I had accuracy issues with the keyboard as well; the keys didn’t register unless pushed fully down. The Toshiba doesn’t fare much better in tactile feedback but I didn’t have accuracy issues. Backlighting is another big plus for the Z835; it’s not available on the UX31.
The touchpad is another area of concern for the UX31; it’s a clickpad, so press down anywhere to produce a click. It’s not as accurate as it could be (I had a lot of accuracy issues such as the cursor jumping until I upgraded to the latest driver) and makes loud clicking noises. The Z835 has a traditional touchpad with two buttons and it’s excellent, the best I have seen on an Ultrabook so far. Clickpads in my experience are more for show; just give us a traditional touchpad with two buttons, OK?
Screen
The Zenbook UX31 is one of the very few Ultrabooks to include a better-than-average screen; not only is it warm and colorful but it also has a much nicer 1600x900 resolution. The higher resolution allows two windows to be used side-by-side and means less scrolling in web pages. Nearly all consumer notebooks including the Z835 have a measly 1366x768, or about one-third less space than the UX31’s 1600x900.
A common complaint I have about both notebooks’ displays is the glossy surface, which has annoying reflections. Samsung is coming to market with ultrabooks that feature matte screens, but right now this laptop category mostly consists of glossy screens.
Anything Else?
Other differences between the Ultrabooks are minor compared to what we’ve already looked at. The UX31 has better speakers but the Z835 includes a dedicated VGA port (an adapter is required with the UX31). The battery life is the same for both (roughly six hours of real-world use).
The Winner?
The Toshiba Portege Z835 takes the trophy; it continues to be the best all-around Ultrabook on the market and not just because of price; it simply does just about everything well. The ASUS Zenbook UX31 has a marvelous design and great screen but I can’t overlook a subpar keyboard and touchpad and much higher price. The Z835 gets everything done no-frills style and at a very attractive $799.99, or $300 less than the UX31.
Review E6420 Dell Latitude: Best Notebook & With a Multi touch Option
Review Summary:
The Dell Latitude E6420 offers an impressive array of options from discrete graphics and backlit keyboard to multitouch display and a 256GB SSD. Just be prepared to pay for all of the best options if you want a real powerhouse.
Pros
- Business-rugged build quality
- Good overall performance
- Lots of options, including multitouch display
- Impressive audio performance
- Stays cool
Cons
- Price is high as configured
- USB 3.0 not included
- Lackluster display
The Dell Latitude E6420 is a good-performing 14-inch business notebook with stellar build quality and a lot of neat options. Users can configure the notebook to have a multitouch display, a fast Intel quad-core processor, discrete-class (higher-end) graphics, up to 4GB of memory, and a 256GB capacity solid state drive.
Build and Design
The Dell Latitude E6420 is encased in Dell's business-rugged, MIL-STD 810G-tested Tri-Metal casing just like the E6420's little sister, the Latitude E6320. The "tri-metal" comes from a anodized aluminum display lid, reinforced steel in the hinges, and magnesium alloy in the chassis and frame. The notebook also has a zinc alloy latch, a spill resistant keyboard, and an LCD seal to help prevent scratches and bumps.
All of that extra metal and thought the designers put into its construction indeed makes it very durable. When we pressed down on the chassis and around the palm rest, it didn't budge. When we bent the lid of the display around the thick screen bezel, it did budge just a bit - but it was barely noticeable, and wasn't noticeable enough to create any ripples across the display. The reinforced steel hinges are also very sturdy; we don't suppose they'll give users any problems whatsoever. The Dell Latitude E6420 is very durable for its class.
The notebook is a looker, too - it appears very professional and stylish. It has smooth matte surfaces brushed with what Dell calls a "360 bumper" for extra protection against scratches. When we tried to scratch the surface, it chipped away a little bit, but no scratch marks showed up. The lid looks pretty neat, too; with Dell's signature logo across the middle.
The E6420 can be upgraded slightly. After removing seven screws, you can remove the base cover and gain access to the hard drive, memory, Bluetooth card, and network cards. It can be upgraded with up to 8GB of memory. We mentioned in our Latitude E6320 review that the screws were particularly hard to remove; they weren't as difficult to remove in the E6420.
Ports and Features
The Latitude E6420 has a good port selection, and is really only notably lacking a USB 3.0 port on our unit. There is a USB 3.0 module option, but you'd have to pay a little extra to include it. Other than that, the notebook comes equipped with HDMI and VGA connectors, 5-in-1 card reader, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, Express Card, and a Smart Card Reader (optional). The notebook is equipped with an 8X DVD optical drive at no extra cost, but the 8X DVD+/-RW costs $50 more. There's also a dock connector at the bottom so users can have access to even more ports and features if they purchase a dock.
In Winter Season Sony Vaio Line Refreshes
The Sony Electronics VAIO(r) division today released a variety of updated models in preparation for the approaching holiday season. Available today on the Sony Store website, this newest season update reveals not only new CPU options but a few other enhancements.
New Options on the S Series Line
This year, the VAIO® S series made its debut and continues the trend by offering a new screen size option. In addition to the 13.3” screen size of the VAIO SA model, folks can now take advantage of the S series features in a 15.5” model which is referred to as the VAIO® SE model; particularly helpful for those who tend to watch movies on their laptop in full HD. Other than the larger screen and dedicated 10-key, the VAIO SE features are very similar to its smaller sibling with the thin (under one-inch) flat design, AMD Radeon Hybrid Graphics (up to 1GB VRAM) and the optional sheet battery that can double your battery life*. What’s also nice to see is that the pricing of both the 13” SA and the 15” SE start at about $999.There was also a slight update in the VAIO SB with a new color option of red added to the existing choices of black, white, blue and pink.
In addition, the VAIO® SA, SB, and SE series now feature the latest 2nd generation Intel® processors ranging from Intel® Core™ i3 to Core™ i7 processor options.
New Software Added to VAIO F Laptops and VAIO L Desktops
With the newest generation of Intel® Core™ processors now available, we updated CPUs on the VAIO E and VAIO C series with the VAIO E available with up to a Core™ i5 and VAIO C processor available up to Core™ i7. And just in time for the holiday, the VAIO Y now offers a model in black rounding out the options of silver and pink.
Now Samsung Announces the Series 7 Slate PC
Samsung Electronics America Inc. today announced the Series 7 Slate PC, a lightweight slate computer with full PC capabilities running Windows® 7, at the IFA global consumer electronics tradeshow. The Series 7 Slate PC offers all of the features of a full-sized laptop in an extremely portable package, providing highly mobile users with the computing power they need for maximum productivity anywhere they go.
“The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC was designed for on-the-go users who need a slim, lightweight computer but can’t afford to sacrifice true PC functionality,” said Scott Ledterman, director of mobile PC marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. “Whether you’re using it for work or play, the Series 7 Slate revolutionizes portable computing by providing the latest and greatest PC features without weighing you down.”
“The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC is a great example of the commitment Samsung has to continued innovation with Windows,” said Nick Parker, Vice President of Worldwide OEM Marketing at Microsoft Corporation.. “With full-PC power packed into an ultraportable device, the Series 7 Slate PC takes mobility to a new level with an innovative touch-focused design that transforms personal computing and enables richer experiences.”
Fully Mobile, Fully Powered
Users can quickly type using the on-screen keyboard and navigate through the slate’s features with the highly responsive capacitive multi-touch screen, or write naturally on the screen using an electromagnetic pen, making it easy to take meeting notes, create documents and reports in Microsoft Office 2010, or browse online. An integrated microphone and dual 2MP (front) / 3MP (rear) cameras can record audio/visual files, which can be stored and shared via the full-sized USB port or Wi-Fi, WiMAX and HSPA connection.
The Series 7 features Samsung’s exclusive FastStart technology, which enables the slate to transition from a hybrid sleep mode to full functionality in two – three seconds, enabling users to quickly jump into work or play anywhere. Samsung’s touch interface helps to streamline your life by providing seamless access to applications used every day such as Facebook, Twitter, maps and media content.
Striking Design
The Series 7 Slate screen features vivid Samsung Superbright Plus Technology (400 nit), as well as a vibrant 16 million color range, making it ideal for viewing everything from presentations to photos or videos. The wide 170 degree viewing angle makes it easy to view content from anywhere, as well as to display materials to friends and colleagues.
Effortless Connectivity
Samsung’s exclusive Easy Settings make it effortless to connect the Series 7 Slate to new wireless networks, projectors and more by giving you easy access to commonly used PC settings, resulting in stress-free business travel and presentations. Samsung Easy Migration allows users to seamlessly transfer existing files by connecting their old PC to the Series 7 Slate, launching and starting Easy Migration and letting the PC do the rest.
With up to seven hours of battery life, the Series 7 Slate ensures an all day connection for optimal productivity while on-the-go. The inclusion of Samsung Power Plus technology means that the Series 7 Slate battery will retain 80 percent of the original battery capacity for up to 1,500 charges – giving users a battery that works whenever and wherever they need it, even after three years of use.
Pricing And Availability
The Samsung Series 7 Slate is scheduled to be available starting October 2, 2011. The MSRP is $1,099 – $1,349.
Now HP reveals a handful of new laptops
HP Envy 14
The Envy 14, part of HP's premium Envy line, gets a refresh with Intel's 2011 Sandy Bridge CPUs, which offer better performance and battery life than the 2010 models. While it looks the same as previous Envy models, HP promises that the large clickpad is more responsive (multitouch gestures were a little wonky on the current versions), and USB 3.0 gets thrown in as well.
We've generally been big fans of this line, as it's one of the few high-design, gamer-friendly series of laptops from a major brand. You won't be able to get one of these new 14-inch models until June, and they start at $999.
HP Mini 210
It turns out Netbooks aren't totally dead after all (just mostly dead). The new Mini 210 is pretty much the same as last year's, with a dual-core Intel Atom CPU, and this is one of only a handful of new Netbooks we've heard about so far for 2011 (by this time last year, we were flooded with 2010 models).
But the new Mini 210 does add some new lid colors (including sweet purple, charcoal, crimson red, luminous rose, and ocean drive). Despite still being only about 1 inch thick, it works in a streamlined six-cell battery, and, surprisingly, the Mini 210 includes a Netbook version of the same Beats Audio technology found in the high-end Envy laptops, which is something of a bold move.
Also available in June, these will run $300-$330, which is still the standard for basic Netbooks.
HP Pavilion dv4
Other than a few vibrant new colors, the most notable thing about the Pavilion dv4 is the new version of HP's Cool Sense technology it includes. This is basically a user control panel for the cooling fans, but now it actually includes some recommended user settings, instead of leaving it all for you to figure out.
The Pavilion dv4 is coming May 18, starting at $599.
Corporate and business users shouldn't feel left out; there are a handful of new ProBook and EliteBook models as well. The $799 ProBook 5330m is a slim 13-inch with Intel's newest Sandy Bridge CPUs and a backlit keyboard, as well as TPM and Intel vPro technology (which are important for corporate IT departments).
The EliteBook 2560p and 2760p are aimed at high-end business users, with metallic finishes and thin designs. The $1,100, 12.5-inch 2560p is a traditional clamshell, while the $1,500 12-inch 2760p has a swiveling convertible touch screen. All three should be available in May, and our sister site ZDNet has some additional details on the business systems, but the part we're most interested in is the pay-as-you-go 3G data plans, which is something we haven't seen in a laptop before.
The system is called Data Pass, and with it, users of select HP laptops with 3G antennas can buy small chunks of data on an a la carte basis. The service is provided by Sprint, and seems like a good idea for those who need only occasional access, but the prices did seem steep--$5 for 75MB of data, which could easily be a single PowerPoint document, or up to 1GB of data for $30.
Review 5330m HP ProBook
Review Summary:
The ProBook 5330m is an attractive business notebook with excellent durability and performance at a low price.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Solid performance in its class
- Good backlit keyboard
Cons
Build and Design- Limited configuration options
- Gets warmer than expected
- Good, but not great battery life The HP ProBook line of business notebooks has always attempted the meet the needs of businesses and consumers alike. The new HP ProBook 5330m looks like the perfect solution if you want a powerful, aluminum-wrapped laptop for work and play but can't afford a MacBook Pro. Is it possible to find a lust-worthy business laptop for $899 or less? Keep reading to find out.
Let's be honest. Anyone who thinks the new HP ProBook 5330m wasn't designed to directly compete with the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro is likely suffering from some type of delusion. The 13.3-inch ProBook 5330m combines all the aluminum-clad beauty of the MacBook Pro with the Windows-based business features of the HP Elitebook laptops.
The 5330m is less than 1-inch thin (if you don't count the rubber feet on the bottom of the notebook), features a dual-tone color scheme, brushed aluminum chassis and backlit keyboard and is HP's first business notebook to offer "Beats Audio" with software-enhanced audio playback over the built-in speakers and the earphone jack. The ProBook 5330m features a 13.3-inch anti-glare display (1366x768) and second-generation Intel Core i-series processors, including the dual-core i3 and i5 variants. It does not have an internal optical drive but weighs only 4.0 lbs.
The design is a quantum leap over most of the previous HP ProBook laptops -- which are mostly just low-cost alternatives to the enterprise-class HP EliteBook line. The 5330m gives you the durability of aluminum construction combined with an underside made of magnesium alloy and covered in rubberized black paint similar to what you'll find on the Lenovo ThinkPad line of business-rugged notebooks.
Overall, the build is exceptionally strong for a notebook that has a starting price of just $799. At first glance the build and design has a lot of drool-worthy elements for both IT geeks and average computer users. Of course, you can't have everything on a budget.
Ports and Features
Most notebooks designed for business have an impressive array of ports so you can connect your laptop to any number of devices. Unfortunately, HP didn't include that many ports since the ProBook 5330m was designed for budget-conscious businesses and consumers. Of course, you also don't get a built-in DVD drive. What you do get are two USB 2.0 ports (three if you count the eSATA/USB 2.0 port), Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, an SD card reader and a headset jack.
Gone are the days of ExpressCard expansion slots, FireWire or dedicated microphone and headphone jacks. HP decided to offer HDMI on the 5330m rather than DisplayPort since more consumers will likely connect their notebook to consumer-grade monitors or HDTVs. The only connection I'm disappointed isn't here is a USB 3.0 port. USB 3.0 is the new USB standard and we're seeing more and more external storage and accessories take advantage of the faster speeds offered by this port. I understand that HP was aiming for a street price of $899 or less, but this 5330m should have come with USB 3.0.
Review dv4t HP Pavilion
Review Summary:
The HP Pavilion dv4t is an affordable 14-inch laptop for home use with a good keyboard and good battery life.
Pros
- Good keyboard
- Solid performance
- Overall good value
Cons
Build and Design- Glossy plastic galore
- Poor speakers
- Loud touchpad buttons The HP Pavilion dv4t notebook brings satisfactory performance and a good keyboard to the table for a street price of less than $500. What could be improved with this no-frills laptop? We take a look.
The dv4t has a friendly look that's expected of HP's Pavilion entertainment notebook line. Unlike higher-end Pavilions, however, HP made the unfortunate decision to cover just about all surfaces of this notebook in glossy plastic. While it may look attractive on a display shelf, glossy plastic is a dust and fingerprint magnet. Keep a microfiber towel handy.
The build quality is satisfactory for a consumer notebook in this price range. The chassis has good internal support and does not flex easily; the surfaces feel solid when pressed down upon. The lid is slightly flimsy and flexes with little effort; surprisingly no ripples appear on the screen when pressure is applied from behind (this means the actual panel is protected). One part of the lid that could be improved is the hinges - they don't exactly feel anchored to the chassis and are somewhat flexible. Two hands are required for opening the lid.
Fit and finish of the notebook is good; there are no sharp edges and all parts of the notebook appear to be of the same level of quality. The plastics used are of reasonable thickness and are not brittle. Overall the dv4t passes quality inspection but fails in the design department; the excessive use of glossy plastic turns this notebook into an eyesore.
Upgrading the notebook is relatively easy to do; the hard drive, memory (RAM), and wireless card are accessible through two panels on the bottom of the chassis.
Ports and Features
The Pavilion dv4t has the bare essentials and little more when it comes to ports. It lacks USB 3.0, eSATA, and DisplayPort; it's not possible to add them since the dv4t also doesn't include an ExpressCard expansion slot. At the very least it has an HDMI port for connection to HDTVs.
NS310 Samsung review
The rounded and colourful case of this sleek and shiny Samsung netbook makes it stand out from the pack, as do the backlit keyboard and light weight. But do the compromises Samsung has made to achieve the style and slenderness mean it's all flash and no substance?
Design
The glossy metallic case certainly looks flash, in dark red or rich bright blue. The colour continues round to the base of the chassis and even moulds around the ports neatly, although the embossed Samsung logo across the lid is rather imposing - or tacky, depending on your point of view. Neatly curved corners and sloping edges look good and are comfortable to carry, especially as the NS310 is just a hair over a kilo in weight. The weight is well balanced too; when you have it open, the two hinges hold the screen steady and there's no sign of it tipping over backwards.
The screen and bezel have the usual popular but irritatingly reflective gloss finish; despite the good viewing angle of the screen, we had noticeable problems with reflections when working near a window with the NS310.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard, surround and trackpad are a uniform matte black plastic. The keyboard is sunken into a well to give you more action on the keys; it's also backlight. This adjusts automatically to surrounding light, turning on as the room gets darker, and off when you don't use the keyboard for a while - or you can adjust the brightness yourself.
The keys are a little on the small size for a machine with a 10.1-inch screen, thanks to those curving edges and sloping sides; although there's plenty of space between the isolated keytops, the keyboard, as a whole, feels rather cramped and we'd happily sacrifice the second alt and ctrl keys for real home/end keys, rather than extra functions on the arrow keys. The secondary controls on the function keys are all useful, adjusting brightness and volume or bringing up the ControlCenter utility, but there are no media buttons.
The trackpad is large for a netbook, with a surface that's both smooth and yet textured enough for precision. It's responsive for simple scrolling and two-finger pinch zoom, scroll and rotate. The three-finger tap and swipe gestures are turned off by default, probably because the touch pad surface is just too small to use them comfortably unless you have the tiniest of fingers. The buttons have a nice positive action, but they're set into a single rocker bar so the middle section doesn't press in at all.
Ports
The selection of ports down the sides of the shiny case isn't impressive with three USB 2.0 ports but no USB 3 and VGA but no HDMI. The good news is there’s 100Mbps Ethernet and separate headphone and microphone jacks, plus an SD card slot on the front. At least you get three USB ports, but the layout of the ports is also irritating. The third USB port, in particular, is too close to the VGA port and a monitor cable will make it hard to reach.We had no real complaints about the build quality; the keyboard doesn't flex while you're typing but the plastic chassis is a little creaky and it doesn't feel as sturdy as an HP Mini.
Sub-standard performance and battery life
Swap Norton out for a less bloated AV like Microsoft Security Essentials and things improved but even a 1.5Ghz dual-core Atom N550 isn't particularly speedy, especially with only 1Gb of memory. And when you compare the price to other similarly equipped netbooks it becomes clear that you're paying extra for the case design. The hard drive is a fair 240Gb but oddly our review sample was formatted so only 90Gb was in use.
With Wi-Fi on and the screen at about half brightness, we saw nearly four hours of battery life in light use; start streaming videos and music and that drops to two and a half hours. That's considerably less than other netbooks because while the 25Wh battery keeps the case sleek rather than bulging it also stores rather less power than usual.
Things are better when it comes to multimedia. The twin speakers above the keyboard produce quite pleasant sound at full volume, although they're almost inaudible below half volume. The screen is bright and vivid, especially for a netbook, although it's not particularly saturated and there's no comparison to high-end screens. The adjustments that automatically kick in when you play a video file do improve the picture, and video is enjoyable to watch. Contrast is fairly poor, especially in dark areas, but the hinge stops the screen tilting back enough for this to be a problem.
Intel GMA 3150 graphics isn't up to even half-serious gameplay, but it does well on video. The screen is too small to really see the detail on 1080p video but what you can see is crisp and full HD video streamed smoothly from YouTube. 720p video streamed over a home network fared better, playing smoothly with excellent crisp detail and only the slightest and very occasional artefacting on regular backgrounds like roof tiles.
Verdict
Beyond the minimal specs and cramped keyboard it's not that there's much actually wrong with the Samsung NS310 and we do like the design, although it may not appeal to everyone. But to get the good looks and the slim style, Samsung has sacrificed battery life and the performance is average for the price. Cute, shiny, with an unusually good screen for a netbook, the Samsung NS310 doesn't make the right compromises for most users.Windows 8 laptops powered by Kinect for yours
How would you like to get your hands on (or rather keep them off) a laptop sporting a built-in Kinect sensor? It's more than just a hollow dream - Kinect packing laptops made by Asus, and Microsoft backed, are already in existence.
The Daily has seen a pair of the hybrid devices and has received word from Microsoft that they are indeed official prototypes of laptops featuring a Kinect sensor. Built by Asus, the laptops are running Windows 8 and feature a number of sensors above the screen and some LED lights below it.
Earlier this month Microsoft confirmed that it would release the Kinect for Windows SDK to developers on 1 February, meaning Kinect drivers and APIs will be available to the general public as well as developers.
Microsoft is said to be working with more than 200 different companies to build applications for Windows that use Kinect and it looks as if this doesn't just mean with an additional Kinect sensor. The Kinect's sensor tech, it seems, can be incorporated directly into a device.
We love the idea of a Windows 8 machine running with motion gesture controls. If not just for that fact that it will keep our laptop's display smudge free.
U410 Ultrabooks & Lenovo IdeaPad U310 pictures on your hands
The Lenovo IdeaPads U310 and U410 are not the sexiest Ultrabooks on the market, but they're not really supposed to be. Last year's U300s is still top dog, but the point of launching these two at CES 2012 is to finally turn this class of computer into something that normal people might actually be willing to pay for.
Starting from £599, you get Intel Core processors, choice of SSD or HDD drives up to 64GB or 500GB respectively, 8 hours of battery life and some interesting fast boot and quick resume technologies which, in our hands-on time, had the things up and running in the time it took to exchange a few pleasantries with the company execs on the stand. There is also something called Lenovo Smart Update which allows these IdeaPads to update your mailbox, IM chats and social networks automatically even when asleep.
Where the two differ is that the U310 weighs in at 1.7kg and measures 18mm thick whereas the U410 is a slightly chunkier creation at 1.9kg and 20.3mm despite each sporting the same 16:9, 13.3-inch screens. That all comes down to the addition of a dedicated GeForce 610 1GB graphics system in the U410, whereas you have to make do with the integrated Intel GMA 3000 HD on the other.
The difference in form wasn't hugely noticeable in the hand though. Neither come across as particularly super thin and that's because, in comparison to the likes of the waif-like second generation Samsung Series 9, they're not. What did seem to make a big difference was the choice of colour with the graphite of the U310 that we played with a far classier creature than the cherry blossom choice. If neither of those take your fancy, you could always go for a finish in Aqua Blue, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue or Spearmint.
Now Lenovo IdeaPad S200 pictures on your hands
With Ultrabooks and laptops that bend back on themselves among the tens that Lenovo chose to launch at CES 2012, it was easy to miss what appears to be the really good product that is the Lenovo IdeaPad S200.
Fashion and style is what the company claims it's all about but that's really a smokescreen for the fact that its aimed at the student or second laptop end of the market. The S200 represents the maturation of the netbooks and, at 11.6 inches on the diagonal across the screen with a full size keyboard, it really is where portable computing can stay comfortable beyond the quick half hour that the older 8.9-inch tinies used to offer.
Available starting from just £299, it's a dual-core Intel Atom machine but it does come with up to 32GB of SSD storage to make boot up as fast as it can possibly be in combination with Lenovo Quick Start - a technology that starts the computer in seconds with the most basic, critical apps on offer.
What was nice to see from our hands-on time at the Las Vegas tech binge was that, despite the low price, it still feels stylish and not a bit out of place next to all the Ultrabooks. The screen is at an HD resolution, it weighs 1.3kg and is only 20mm thick. Not too shabby.
On top of that, you get a slightly disappointing 0.3-megapixel webcam built in and just the 4 hours of battery time. Still, there is a choice of colours - Cotton-candy Pink, Crimson Red, Electric Blue, Graphite Grey and Pearl White. Tasty. Yours from June.
Qualcomm demos Windows 8 on Snapdragon
Qualcomm has demoed, for the first time, a Windows 8 tablet running on the company's new Snapdragon S4 processor highlighting a future world where your computer doesn't just run on computers powered by Intel or AMD.
Showcasing the new capabilities of the Microsoft operating system, Qualcomm Chairman and CEO, Paul Jacobs, demoed the new offering at the company's keynote at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.
"Windows 8 is a great match for Snapdragon because we build our processors from the ground up," Jacobs told attendees. "Windows 8 ARM support is a game changer."
Jacobs demoed Windows 8 using the company's new Snapdragon M8960 processor. The chip goes into product due out in mid 2012 however as yet hasn't been selected to be used on any Windows 8 devices headed to market.
The move, first announced by Microsoft last year, has meant that traditional mobile phone chip companies like Qualcomm and Nvidia have been able to offer their latest chipsets to PC makers for the first time as a viable alternative to Intel.
And it is something the company is keen to push. Enrico Salvatore, Qualcomm Europe's senior vice president, agrees with his boss telling Pocket-lint that the company was best placed to take advantage of its 25 year history in mobile devices when compared to the competition.
In an informal chat on the company's stand at CES after the keynote, Salvatore explained to Pocket-lint that the company felt it was a lot easier to scale up performance having already mastered many features like battery and connectivity than to downgrade chips that have been previously designed for less efficient devices like laptops.
Qualcomm believe that this strength in power efficiency and connectivity will mean that it has the leading edge when devices start to appear later in the year.
Back on stage at the keynote and Jacobs boasts Qualcomm easily managed built in LTE support, a lack of fan for cooling, and the promise of thinner and lighter devices in the future.
The battle lines have been drawn.
Now Samsung Series 5 Ultrabooks pictures on your hands
Officially speaking, the Samsung Series 9 laptop is not an Ultrabook - at least, Samsung has chosen not to call it one much like Apple hasn't bothered including the MacBook Air either. Instead, Samsung announced a couple of lesser machines at CES 2012, so Pocket-lint went hands-on to see if they're still impressive enough.
The kindest way to describe the Samsung Series 5 is by not comparing it to the Series 9. The Series 5 should not, ever, under any circumstances go double dating with the Series 9. It makes it look plump, dowdy and touch dull. It would sit ignored in the corner while all eyes were reserved for the other laptop.
Like we say, it's rather unfair because the Samsung Series 5 is something you'd otherwise feel proud carrying around on your arm. There are two models to choose from. There's the 13.3-inch version with integrated graphics or the 14-inch model with a dedicated GPU and an optical drive to enjoy as well. The price you pay for the latter is really in the body mass department which takes it up from 1.38kg to 1.84kg and that's pretty heavy for an Ultrabook. One has to wonder whether the disk drive is really worth it in this day and age?
Each has 8GB of RAM to play with and 300nit screens which are certainly perfectly good. Naturally, there are also Intel Core i5 processors at the helm and the choice of SSDs up to 16GB in size with the ExpressCache system to ensure fast starting and launching of apps, as we've seen on previous Samsung notebooks.
Neither laptop is wildly thin, despite the 14.9mm measurement at their thinnest, but they do have decent looking isolated keyboards and standard two-button trackpads which are easy enough to use, if slightly underwhelming.
So, unfortunately, despite trying to avoid it, the only way to sum up the Samsung Series 5 is by saying that they're perfectly good but they're just not as exciting as the Series 9. You'd also have to look at what Acer and Lenovo offer in the Ultrabook space as well.
No word on prices just yet, but we'll update when we know. Placed at £800 or less and they could really kick up a storm. Cost any more and they might just get lost in the crowd.
M930Toshiba Portege slider laptop
Toshiba hasn't officially announced the Toshiba Portege M930, but that didn't stop Microsoft showing off the new sliding laptop on its stand at CES over in Las Vegas.
The new mystery model sports a similar design to the Asus Eee Pad Slider released last year and the Sony Vaio laptop concept, also on display at the show.
While specs are limited we do know a couple of things aside from the rather unusual hinge design that sees the screen face outwards or inwards when closed.
The screen itself, when it is the viewing position, sits in a trough stopping it moving and bringing the screen considerably closer to you, meaning that you lose the usual glass trackpad as found on most laptops in favour of a small nubbin on the right hand side of the keyboard.
According to Microsoft the Toshiba Portege M930 will feature an Intel Core i5 processor, come with 4GB of RAM and have a 256GB hard drive.
Graphics power is provided by an Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip and that screen size, if you were wondering, is a 13.3-inch display with a 1280 x 800 resolution. Weight is 1.9kg and it is 27mm thick.
There's a stylus too for writing on the screen. At the moment you can't use your fingers, but we suspect this would change if the laptop was upgraded to Windows 8.
No word on when, if ever, Toshiba plans to launch the Toshiba Portege M930 sliding laptop. We will keep you posted.
Now LG Z330 pictures on your hands
LG announced two new Ultrabook models at CES in Las Vegas, the Z430 and the Z330, and Pocket-lint was on hand to have a quick play with the new models. Check out our LG Z430 pictures and hands-on.
Just like with supermodel catwalks, it's all about being skinny in the Ultrabook game and the Z330 is one of the thinnest notebooks that we've heard of, with a waistline of just 14.7mm.
That's not just its thinnest point either, that's a constant. It weighs in at just 1.21kg too, over 100g less than the 13.3-inch MacBook Air for a device that gives you the same 13.3-inch screen size.
Other specs are a 9.9 second boot up time, a 256GB SATA SSD hard drive and a second generation Intel Core i7 processor.
Clad in metal you'll also get wireless screen sharing technology with Intel Wireless Display (Wi-Di), Thunderbolt support, Ethernet, HDMI out and a bevy of USB sockets.
We have to say that the keyboard is very comfortable to use, the trackpad big enough to allow you to get from one side of the screen to the other with a single stroke and overall we are very impressed with this skinny laptop.
Although we weren't able to give the Z330 a proper going over on the show floor our quick play with the new laptop suggests it is going to be easy and enjoyable to use.
The LG Z330 Ultrabook is expected to be launching some time before March. No word on pricing as of yet.
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