Mini Laptops powered by VIA

I want to show you some VIA-powered mini laptop computers, which are not available worldwide but might catch your interest starting with the exterior design and ending with integrated technologies they bring with.



I’ll start with the Aristo Pico 640 available in Poland, a laptop measuring 243.1 × 171.9 × 28.5-42.5 mm at just 1.09 kg, featuring a durable construction and being powered by the VIA C7-M Ultra Low Voltage processor with a speed of 1GHz. The chipset is a VIA VX800 and this small laptop has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, integrating 1GB DDR2 RAM memory expandable up to 2GB, 40GB GDD storage, a 4-in-1 card reader, Wireless LAN, stereo speakers, and built-in web camera for video conferences.



A bit higher processing speed is encountered at the other Aristo mini laptop computers, Pico 740, which operate at 1.2GHz processing speeds with a VIA CPU and a VX700 chipset, integrating 1GB DDR2 RAM, up to 80GB HDD, optional webcam, sporting a 7-inch display, all weighting 0.97Kg. Optionally you can add Bluetooth, TV tuner and the GPS module for navigation.



Kira 100/200/300/400 series laptops are available in Spain at Airis in a few rich colors and with a 1GHz VIA CPU, VIA VX800 chipset, a 7-inch display, up to 1GB DDR2 RAM, up to 4GB flash SLC storage or 40GB HDD, a 3-in-1 card reader, Wireless LAN, web camera, and a 6-hour battery, all encased in a 1.1-Kg-casing.



One Mini Notebook A110/A115/A120/A140/A150 mini laptop computers run at 1GHz with the VIA VX800, 512MB DDR2, up to 4GB flash or 60GB HDD, WLAN, web camera, and feature a 7-inch display on which you can play different applications brought by the Windows XP operating system that comes pre-installed on the system or Linux. These models are available in Germany.



If you have the chance to visit Australia or you live there, you might be interested in the Pioneer DreamBook Light CE26 7-inch mini laptop computers with touch-sensitive screen, a 1.2GHz processor, VIA VX700 chipset, up to 1GB DDR2 RAM, up to 100GB HDD, a 4-in-1 card reader, WLAN, web camera, Bluetooth, TV tuner, GPS, all weighting 0.97Kg. Another option would be the Pioneer DreamBook Light IL1 (I'd Love 1) system available at $440 Australian Dollars, coming with the same main features.



Ufotek Datron Mobee can be found in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, with the 1GHz processor, VX800 chipset, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, 4GB flash or 120GB HDD, a 3-in-1 card reader, WLAN, web camera, a 6-hour battery, all weighting 1.1Kg.



Elonex Webbook has a price of £249 and is available in the United Kingdom with the VIA C7-M 1.6 GHz CPU, the VX700 chipset, a larger display of 10.2 inches and resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. Other features include 512MB RAM, 80GB HDD, WLAN and the Windows XP operating system pre-installed.



Envision Smart I mini laptop computers from China run at 1.6GHz with the VIA VX700 chipset, 2GB memory, a 3-in1 card reader, WLAN, and sport a 10.2-inch display.



TongFang Mini S1 is also a model from China, and sports an elegant design integrating a 1.6GHz processor, a 10.2-inch display, 2GB memory, a 4-in-1 card reader, Dual OS selection, WLAN and web camera.

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad SL300

Our review unit specifications:

• Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (1066MHz FSB, 3MB Cache)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS 128MB
• Screen: 13.3" WXGA LED-Backlit Glossy VibrantView (1280x800, 300nit)
• Memory: 2GB(up to 4GB configurable)
• Storage: 250GB SATA HDD (5400rpm)
• Optical Drive: Dual layer CD/DVD recordable drive
• Wireless and Communications: Intel 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n wi-fi), BlueTooth 2.0 EDR
• Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion 51Wh
• Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.4 x 1.3-1.5"
• Weight: 4lbs 14oz with battery
• Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
• Warranty: 1-year

Conclusion

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL300 turned out be to be very capable business notebook, with most of the ThinkPad durability and features we are used to, but with a much lower cost. This notebook had more than enough power to plow through daily tasks, heavily influenced by the 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor and NVIDIA 9300M GS graphics card. Battery life was good reaching above 4 hours of life in our testing, compared to the 14" T400 which could break six hours with switchable graphics. Overall the SL300 is a solid notebook for those looking to purchase something more durable than a consumer notebook, but don't want to make a jump into the full-on business notebook category.

Pros

• Very good performance
• Cool to the touch; is it even on?
• Easy to upgrade components in compared to regular ThinkPad
• Good battery life

Cons

• Squeaky TouchPoint button
• Laggy non-Synaptics touchpad

Review: Fujitsu LifeBook P8010

Specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SL7100 LV (1.2GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Windows Vista Business
• 12.1" Crystal View Wide XGA display (1280x800)
• Built-in Webcam for Instant Messaging
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
• 2GB DDR2 667MHz SDRAM memory (Dual Channel; 1GB x 2)
• 120GB S-ATA 150, 5400 rpm hard drive
• Multinational2 56K3 V.90 modem and Gigabit Ethernet LAN
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11 a/b/g/draft-N)
• Integrated Bluetooth Wireless
• Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer
• Embedded TPM and Fingerprint Sensor
• U.S Keyboard (Spill-resistant)
• Main battery: Lithium ion (6-cell,7.2v 8700 mAh, 62Whr)
• AC Adapter: 60w (16v, 3.75A)
• Size: 11.1 x 8.25 x 1.1/1.6
• Weight: 2lbs 14.6oz (3lbs 10.1oz travel weight)
• One-year International Limited Warranty

Conclusion

The Fujitsu P8010 is a great performer when it comes to battery life, system performance, and cool temperatures. When you look at the build quality and design, it's a completely different picture, that doesn't stack up against older Fujitsu business notebooks. Body and chassis flex is greater than we would expect from a notebook in this price range. If you can look past the build quality, it is an excellent notebook in terms of its capabilities.

Pros

• Decent system performance from a low voltage processor
• Internal DVD drive
• Operates very cool and quietly

Cons

• Build quality doesn't match the price
• Screen has poor contrast and viewing angles, as well as moderate backlight bleed

Overview: Thinkpad T500

The Thinkpad T500 is a new 15.4-inch laptop in the refreshed T Series. The notebook features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and switchable graphics.


The Thinkpad T500 is very powerful, “close to workstation or gaming notebook levels”. It’s cool, and quiet. The laptop has a great battery life with a 9-cell unit - 5.25 hours when the dedicated video card is used, and almost 7 hours with integrated graphics.


The Thinkpad T500 had completely redesigned the keyboard, in order to decrease notebook’s weight. However, the new keyboard has flex and is not as great as those in older ThinkPad models, NBR says. Another downside is the screen, which could be brighter.


InsideHW says the T500 successfully continues Thinkpad tradition, but also points out keyboard, “that will probably bring controversy among ThinkPad fans”.


“ThinkPad still stays synonym for quality notebook and dual graphics subsystem gives it whole new dimension by joining two, up to now, not joinable worlds – mobility and great performances,” InsideHW concludes.

Overview: Macbook Touch

The world of touch screen have spread from your remote controls, to your phones and now touch sensitive screens are all set to be a reality on the laptops as the Touch-screen on the Mac is coming soon. The progressively more fashionable iPhone will no longer be the solitary Apple touch-screen apparatus. It's been established Apple lately filed a patent submission for touch-screen capabilities in what materializes to be a Mac tablet. The touch-screen submission emerges to look a lot like I-phone’s touch screen capabilities. According to the sources from the apple producers, the 52-page filing describes the tablet Mac with complete window crossing point to be inflamed, moved, and cycled.

Review: Panasonic Toughbook CF-30

The following are the specs of the CF-30 being reviewed:

• Screen: 13.3 XGA (1024 x 768) Daylight Readable Transmissive TFT Display, 500 Nit
• Processor: 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Low Voltage L2400 (2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB)
• Hard Drive: 100GB SATA 150 Hard Drive (Hitachi Travelstar 7K200 7200RPM)
• Memory: 3GB (PC5300 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM) 4GB max
• Optical Drive: DVD+-R Dual Layer/DVD+-RW Drive
• External Ports and Slots: 3 x USB 2.0, Firewire 400, 54/34 ExpressCard slot, PCMCIA slot, SmartCard Reader, SD Card Reader, VGA, Serial, headphone/line-out, microphone-in, Modem, Gigabit Ethernet.
• Wireless: Wi-Fi (Intel 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 w/ EDR
• Graphics: Intel GMA 950
• OS: Windows XP Professional with SP2
• 91 Watt-Hour Li-Ion (10.65V, 8.55Ah)
• Dimensions: (WxDxH): 11.9” x 11.3” x 2.8”
• Weight: 8.2 Pounds

Pros

• Can be used in almost any environment
• Built-in handle for portability
• Extremely long battery life
• High quality
• Rigid screen lid.
• Can be used as a weapon

Cons

• Not for the faint of wallet
• No bleeding edge hardware
• Heavy and bulky
• Expensive upgrades
• Not made for gaming.

Review: Fujitsu LifeBook S2210

The specs of the Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 as reviewed are:

• Processor: AMD Turion X2 TL-52 1.6GHz
• Screen: 13.3” Crystal View XGA display
• Hard Drive: 100GB 5400RPM drive
• Memory: 2GB of RAM
• Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 1150
• Optical Drive: Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer (modular, can be removed)
• Wireless: Atheros SuperAG (802.11 a/b/g), Bluetooth
• Battery: Lithium ion 6-cell
• OS: Windows Vista Business
• Dimensions: 11.53" x 9.4" x 1.33"
• Weight: 4.2lbs (3.8 with weight saver, 5.2lbs with power adapter and optical drive in)
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, Mini S-video out, VGA out, Gigabit Ethernet port, FireWire port, Headphone out, Microphone in, Media card slot, PCMCIA Type II card slot
• Warranty: 1-year

Pros

• Great style and professional but not stodgy look
• Removable optical bay so you can get weight down or put in another optical drive
• Beautiful and bright screen, excellent quality
• Good selection of ports for this sized notebook
• Nice looking and very usable media and shortcut buttons included

Cons

• Runs warm, fan works a lot
• Middle of the road battery life
• Keyboard not rock solid, a bit of flex
• Casing flexes in parts

XO Laptop

The One Laptop per Child, as you already know, is a smart initiative that proved its benefits since the first children from countries in development phase received it. The non-profit organization distributes the XO laptops at extremely low costs but with strong functionalities, so that every child who learns on it to have a rugged and fun mobile computer with access to the wonderful and full of knowledge world of the Internet.

To refresh your memory I will mention the essential elements characterizing this innovative laptop computer. XO measures 242 x 228 x 32 mm at 1.58 Kg with the NiMH battery, and features a 7.5-inch dual mode TFT convertible display with 1200 x 900 resolution, as well as moisture-proof enclosure. It doesn’t use a fan, but it integrates an AMD processor clocked at 433MHz, integrated graphics controller with the Geode CPU, 256MB DRAM memory, 1024 flash ROM, and 1024 MB NAND flash. The sound is provided via AC97-compatible audio audio subsystem, stereo speakers, amplifier and microphone.

To connect to the Internet wirelessly, XO uses an 802.11b/g interface, while it integrates a color camera of 640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames per second.
Connectivity elements include headphone out, mic out, 3 USBs and flash expansion.
It powers from a NiMH battery or LiFePO4 and has open firmware to load the operating system.

News regarding the OLPC involves Dailymotion, world’s largest independent video sharing site, which announced its partnership with the non-profit organization to deliver educational content to the children using the laptop. Also, the XO users will be able to create and send videos using the video camera integrated in the laptop. Here is an example of a fun way of learning the vocabulary.

“We at Dailymotion truly believe in OLPC’s mission to empower the populations of developing nations with access to educational and technological tools that many of us take for granted,” stated Mark Zaleski, chairman and CEO of Dailymotion. “We are proud to lend our support to this noble and worthwhile project, and look forward to contributing to the brighter future of millions of children around the world.”

“We are delighted to have Dailymotion join the OLPC project,” stated Samuel Klein, director of community content at OLPC. “We are confident that the additional video capabilities that Dailymotion will bring to the XO laptop will serve to further the educational opportunities we can offer to enhance the lives of children around the world.”

In the mean time we can't wait to see the next XO laptop with touchscreen.

Review: Fujitsu LifeBook P7230

Fujitsu P7230 Specs as reviewed:

• Processor: Intel Core Solo U1400 (Ultra Low Voltage 1.20GHz)
• Memory: 1.0GB RAM (1-DIMM slot, 2GB Max)
• Hard Drive: 60GB 4200RPM
• Graphics: Intel GMA 940 (Integrated graphics)
• Screen: 10.6” WXGA (1280 x 768) (External monitor support of up to 1600 x 1200)
• Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi (Intel 3945), Bluetooth
• Size: 10.74"(w) x 7.91"(d) x 1.07/1.18"(h) (272.9 mm x 200.9 mm x 27.1/29.9 mm)
• Weight: 2.93lbs (1.33kg) (with optical drive and battery in)
• Fingerprint Reader with optional scroll ability
• Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion, optional 6-cell modular bay battery
• Power Adapter: 60W

Pros

• Optical drive included in this size notebook is amazing
• Fantastic screen, very bright and just superb color depth
• Good selection of ports for such a small sized notebook
• Light weight, about 3lbs
• Great battery life, especially with the optional extra battery in the multi-bay
• Solid build and good looks

Cons

• Fan is quite loud and runs persistently
• Keyboard keys pick up dirt easily, letters become discolored
• Lid tends to show scuff marks
• Slow performance due to processor, hard drive and resource hungry Vista
• No integrated WWAN (cellular communication) option

Review: HP Pavilion dv6929wm

As a reply to Walmart’s request addressed to electronics manufacturers to come up with an environmental-friendly product, HP revealed its latest notebook computer called HP Pavilion dv6929wm Entertainment Notebook and won the Home Entertainment Design Challenge.
It’s not just a laptop but a whole eco-friendly package available at a price of $798, consisting of the HP Pavilion dv6929wm and the HP Protect Messenger Bag, forgetting about cardboard, foam or plastic materials used in standard electronics packaging. You can find it exclusively in 1,700 Walmart stores and 594 Sam’s Club locations in the United States.



The HP notebook PC's design is innovative, reducing packaging with 97% and, in the same time, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and conserving fuel. How does it do that? -By eliminating the need for 1 out of 4 trucks required for transporting the systems to the stores. How did HP manage to design it like that? –Well, according to the company’s latest press release, the packaging was redesigned and it replaced the protective shipping materials and boxes with the new HP bag, which is made of 100% recycled materials.



HP Pavilion dv6929wm is a system equipped for mobile entertainment with a 15.4-inch display, an AMD Turion X2 TL-60 Dual-Core processor of 2GHz speeds, 4GB RAM memory, and 250GB hard drive capacity. The user can play games, watch movies on the go and perform different tasks meant to increase productivity.

“This effort is an extension of our ongoing commitment to provide our shoppers with the best eco-friendly product offerings,” said Alex Cook, merchandise manager for Walmart Home Entertainment. “We received many strong ideas from different suppliers, but the innovative packaging with this HP laptop really stood out, and we are thrilled to make this great product available to shoppers in Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations.”

Review: Dell Inspiron Mini 9

Our pre-production Inspiron Mini 9 features the following specifications:

• 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
• 1GB DDR2 533MHz (1 DIMM)
• Ubuntu 8.04 Linux with Custom Dell Interface (Includes Open Office)
• 8.9" 1024 x 600 WSVGA glossy LED backlit display
• 8GB miniPCI SSD card
• Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• 4-in-1 Media card reader
• 1.3 Megapixel webcam, Dell Video Chat application, Dell Support Center
• 4-Cell 32Wh Li-ion battery (14.8V)
• Size: 9.2" x 6.8" x 1.3" (including feet)
• Weight: 2lb 5.5oz (with 4-cell battery), 2lb 11.6oz (with battery and AC adapter)
• Price: $434 ($474 with Windows XP)

Conclusion

Dell wants you to believe the Inspiron Mini 9 is "your new best friend." Well, kiddies, the Mini 9 is a fantastic mobile companion that helps you stay connected and makes your life easier without breaking the bank. However, I can't shake the feeling that the Mini 9 is more like "the kid you're friendly with at the lunch table, but isn't your BFF."

Yes, the Mini 9 is a great netbook. Yes, it has a great price. Yes, it will probably sell very, very well for Dell. No, this won't change the world as you know it. The truth is that at least a dozen other manufacturers have released or announced similar netbooks before the new Inspiron Mini 9 arrived. Dell had all the time in the world to develop something that slaughters the competition in a way that only Dell can. Unfortunately, while the Mini 9 is great, it still suffers from a few of the same problems we've seen in other netbooks (heat, annoying glossy plastics, bad keyboard, and a small battery that could have been bigger without sacrificing much size or weight).

Ultimately, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is a fabulous netbook that is sure to end up on many Christmas lists this year ... but it's only "your new best friend" if you're willing to overlook a few flaws.

Pros

• Small and light
• Easy to use
• Very well built and durable
• Responsive Synaptics touchpad
• Easy to upgrade RAM, SSD, and wireless cards
• No noisy cooling fan
• Low price for an ultraportable

Cons

• Gets a little hot
• Glossy plastic lid is a magnet for fingerprints
• No F11 or F12 keys, other function keys in strange location
• 4-cell battery is nice, 6-cell battery would be better