Overview: Toshiba Tecra

In addition to the newest laptops coming out from Toshiba, Tecra M10 and Tecra A10, the company provides another solution in a thin and lightweight package measuring just 1.13-inch thick and weighing 4.4 pounds. Called Toshiba Tecra R10, the 14.1-inch portable computer features the EasyGuard Technology with PC Health Monitor and up to 5 hours of continuous operation.

It is powered by an Intel Centrino 2 processor with vPro technology, which enables remote access to the laptop for isolation, diagnostics and repair. More than that, it integrates an NVIDIA Quadro NVS graphics card with 128MB dedicated graphics memory and a 7200 rpm hard drive for large storage at fast speeds.

Included in the $1,549 retail price, Toshiba Tecra R10 comes with a 3-year warranty, spill-resistant keyboard, hard drive protection, fingerprint scanner and the Trusted Platform Module hardware-based encryption.
It sports a Z-hinge design with 135-degree opening to look even slimmer than it already is, and other features are: LED backlight LCD display, ExpressCard slot with hot-swapping, USB Sleep-and-Charge/eSATA Combo Port, Windows Vista Business operating system, 3GB memory, 160GB storage space, DVD burner, wireless draft N support, Bluetooth 2.1 with Enhanced Data Rate, built-in web camera for video conferences, and microphone.

“Designed, engineered and manufactured by Toshiba, the Tecra R10 provides high quality, enhanced reliability and premium mobility features for professionals who need a thin-and-light laptop PC with a larger display,” said Carl Pinto, vice president, product development and marketing, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems. “The use of miniaturization and power management efficiency make the Tecra R10 one of the most energy-efficient thin-and-light laptops available on the market today.”

Overview: NEC Versa N1100

By releasing the VERSA N1100 series, NEC wants to provide its customers with a useful netbook for wireless Internet navigation and communication, and a second computer solution in addition to their main system.

The new mini notebook computers with Windows XP running with the low-power consuming Intel Atom N270 processor, are ideal for finishing your work on the go, read and compose emails, check the latest news online and chat via instant messaging applications. Windows Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition has a great user interface with enhanced accessibility features, while the computer’s 8.9-inch widescreen LCD display offers a good resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.
It is stylish, sporting a glossy piano black finish, and measures 250 x 176.5 x 31.3 mm at 1.17Kg, but even if it looks fragile, NEC VERSA N1100 can support up to 150Kgf pressure.

In addition to durability, the mini laptop computers feature 160GB hard disk drive for high data capacity, integrated wireless module, built-in 1.3MP camera for web video conferences, and USB charging function when the laptop of Off, so that you can recharge your cell phone, MP3 player or other mobile handsets anytime you need.

The keyboard offers ergonomics via the 17mm keypitch/2mm key stroke and there’s also the Gesture support for the touchpad.
NEC VERSA N1100 was released yesterday in Japan, while other countries will receive it starting mid November.

"NetBook market is now rapidly growing because of the worldwide price point. But some of customers are disappointed because of their limited capability for PC application and ease of use. NEC believes that NetBook should not just be a gadget, but a tool to enhance customer's digital life. NEC is developing NetBook market for 2nd PC usage with its new model, NEC VERSA N1100. This model is developed by our Japan parent company, NEC Personal Products based on their experience, maintaining the No.1 position for more than 10 years in Japan market" said Mr. Makoto Iwasaki, Executive Marketing Director of NEC Computer Asia Pacific.

Overview: Toshiba Satellite E105

Toshiba today unveiled the Satellite E105, a newly designed 14.1-inch laptop, exclusively available at Best Buy stores.

The offered model - the E105-S1402 - is based on the latest Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and comes with the Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU at 2.26GHz, the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a 320GB hard drive, and DVD burner. The display has a resolution of 1280-by-800 pixels.

There are also built-in web camera and fingerprint reader, a backlit keyboard, 802.11 a/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, an HDMI output, two USB ports (one shared with eSATA), and a 5-in-1 media card reader. BestBuy also lists an FM radio module in the product specifications.

According to Toshiba’s press release, the Satellite E105 offers up to 5.5 hours of battery life.

The 5-pound laptop has a finish with copper tones and is 1.2-inch thin.

The Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit powered Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 costs $1,199.99 with an extended 2-year manufacturer warranty.

Overview: HP Compaq Presario CQ70

Circuit City has in stock a new 17-inch consumer notebook - the HP Compaq Presario CQ70.

The offered CQ70-120US model, priced at $700 after instant savings, features the Intel Pentium T3200 dual core processor at 2GHz, 3GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB hard drive, the Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, and a DVD burner. Its widescreen display has a resolution of 1440-by-900 pixels.

The Compaq CQ70-120US includes a built-in web camera, 802.11abgn wireless LAN, an Ethernet LAN port, 56K modem, three USB ports, a 5-in-1 media card reader, ExpressCard slot, and VGA output,

The 7.2-pound desktop replacement also sports a full size keyboard with numeric pad.

The CQ70-120US comes with Windows Vista Home Premium OS preinstalled.

Overview: Sony VAIO AW

The recently announced Sony VAIO AW desktop replacement notebook, featuring an 18.4-inch display and Intel’s Centrino 2 technology, is now available for purchase.


SonyStyle offers the VAIO VGN-AW190 customizable models, as well as some preconfigured AW systems. The AW190 laptop is configurable with one of the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a Blu-ray reader or writer, and up to 1 terabyte of hard drive space using two 500GB HDDs. The notebook is also offered with hybrid storage: 564GB (64GB solid state drive + 500GB HDD) or 628GB (128GB SSD + 500GB HDD).


The NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512MB video card manages the “extra-widescreen” display providing a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio, and LED backlight. Optionally, the AW features Adobe RGB color compatible screen, which “displays all colors in the RGB color space enabling you to view true on-screen reproductions of your digital photos.”


The VAIO AW includes a built-in TV tuner, four speakers and a subwoofer, Dolby Digital Live sound technology, and a 1.3MP web camera.


There are also an 802.11a/b/g/n wireless module, Ethernet LAN port, 56K modem, and Bluetooth, as well as HDMI and VGA outputs, an RF input port, three USB ports, ExpressCard, Compact Flash, Memory Stick PRO, and Secure Digital slots, a Firewire port, and S/PDIF output.


According to the product specifications of the preconfigured VGN-AW180Y/Q model, the laptop has a battery life of up to 2.5 hours with a standard capacity Lithium-ion battery, and up to 3.5 hours with a large capacity unit. The basic configuration weighs around 8.8 pounds.


The VAIO AW runs 64-bit Windows Vista OS.


The VGN-AW190 is available in standard and premium versions. The first has a grey mate finish, while the second features a piano-black chassis, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software, and Adobe-RGB compatible display.


The Sony VAIO VGN-AW190 and VGN-AW190 Premium start at $1,694.99, and $2,318.99 respectively at the company’s online store.

Overview: Toshiba Satellite Pro S300

In addition to the introduction of Satellite Pro S300, Toshiba Satellite updates include the Satellite Pro S300M model, both coming with a 2-year warranty.

Built on the idea of providing ultimate mobile functionalities in affordable systems, the two new laptops are equipped with docking, PC Health Monitor, Business Card Reader and Face Recognition software among others.
The EasyGuard Technology that enables the PC Health Monitor is in charge with checking critical hardware components and alerting the user of the encountered issues. Such system components include the hard drive, battery, processor temperature and internal cooling. O the outside, this technology set adds spill-resistant keyboard, fingerprint sensor and the Trusted Platform Module encryption.

Both laptop models come with the Express Port Replicator for docking capabilities, Business Card Reader using the built-in 1.3MP web camera with macro function and the Presto! BizCard Reader 5 software, and the USB Sleep-and-Charge/eSATA Combo Port for transfer rates of up to 5 times faster compared to USB 2.0 technology and charging capability for USB mobiles when the laptop is turned Off.

The 15.4-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro S300’s price starts at $829, featuring the Intel Centrino 2 processor technology, Toshiba Primary High-Capacity Battery Pack of 9 cells for extra power, Gigabit Ethernet, and Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100.
The 14.1-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro S300M with TruBrite display technology delivers the same main elements of the other model but in a smaller form factor, starting at $899.
You can configure them with DVD burner, your required amount of storage capacity and system memory.



Same as Dell Reconnect program, Toshiba announced its free trade-in and recycling program destined to those electronics that have no value due to their condition. You can read more about the program and find answers for why is recycling important" from Toshiba’s Green Programs.

Overview: HP HDX18t

Hewlett-Packard is now selling the recently announced HP HDX18t entertainment notebook PC, featuring a 18.4-inch screen and the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor.


The HDX18t is configurable with up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, and up to 640GB of hard drive space using two 320GB HDDs. It has an optical drive that can read Blu-Ray discs and burn DVDs, and optionally built-in HDTV tuner with remote control. The notebook features the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512MB video card which manages the display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.


HP’s HDX18t has four speakers and a subwoofer, a web camera, fingerprint reader, HDMI and VGA outputs, a wireless-N (802.11n) module, Ethernet LAN port, four USB ports (one shared with eSATA), an ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 media card reader, and Firewire port.


The laptop includes the latest titanium “liquid metallic” design, a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad, 8-cell battery, and a weight of around nine pounds.


The HP HDX18t runs Windows Vista OS (32-bit or 64-bit) and starts at $1,549.99 at Hewlett-Packard’s store.

Panasonic Launches new Laptops

Panasonic introduced its newest Toughbook series called 8 series, featuring the lightest form factor among ruggedized laptop computers. W8 ultra-portable computer, F8 laptop and T8 tablet PC alternative weight between 3 lbs and 3.7 lbs and all come with the Gobi 3G technology for mobile broadband transfer speeds, as well as shock-mounted hard drives, spill-resistant keyboards and flexible connectors. In addition, there is the 802.11a/b/g/draft-n support, Bluetooth 2.0, and the Hybrid Cooling System for adjustable fan speed depending on the environment conditions.

Panasonic ToughBook F8 sports a 14.1-inch widescreen display providing a long battery life for running applications in the field operated by the Intel Core 2 Duo processing technology. Inside there are up to 4GB RAM memory, 160GB HDD drive with shock-resistance, built-in DVD Multi drive, and 6 hours of battery life.


Next come Panasonic Toughbook W8 ruggedized laptop computers optimized for ultra portability with a 12.1-inch anti-glare LCD display, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, expandable 1GB SDRAM memory, 120GB HDD, and 7 hours of battery life.


Panasonic Toughbook T8 is a rugged tablet PC alternative introduced with a 12.1-inch touch-sensitive display featuring stylus input, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor characterized by ultra low voltage-based technology, 120GB HDD storage, 1GB SDRAM, and 7 hours of battery life.

The security features include trusted platform module, BIOS-based Computrace theft protection agent, cable lock slot, password security and fingerprint scanner.


If you are curious about the prices for the 3 new ruggedized laptop computers, there are street prices set at $2,099 for the W8 and T8, while the F8 notebook costs $2,499.

Overview: Fujitsu ESPRIMO Mobile U9215

Another laptop computer integrating the famous Authentec Fingerprint Sensor technology is ESPRIMO Mobile from Fujitsu Siemens Computers, more exactly 2 new models called ESPRIMO Mobile U9215 and ESPRIMO Mobile D9515 from the same series.


“As a leading international IT corporation, Fujitsu Siemens wanted to create a highly mobile lineup tailored for today’s business requirements, with a rich feature set and unrestricted connectivity. We believe we achieved this goal with the new ESPRIMO Mobile and CELSIUS business notebooks, and that users will appreciate the convenient security offered with the addition of AuthenTec’s new AES2550 fingerprint sensor,” said Andreas Thimmel, Senior Vice President, Volume Business at Fujitsu Siemens Computers.


The AuthenTec AES2550 Sensor allows fingerprint-based access to the laptop only to authorized users, and in addition to it, the new business laptops feature also the latest Intel processing technology –Intel Centrino 2 – for high performance on the go.


There is also a third laptop model series with the AuthenTec’s sensor, models CELSIUS H260 and H275, providing low power consumption for increased battery life, important characteristics of mobile workstations.


On the other side, the ESPRIMO Mobile business laptops are great desktop replacement solutions, coming in an ultra-portable version with a 12.1-inch display and 15.4-inch standard form factor.


ESPRIMO Mobile U series comes with ConfCam web camera, mobile broadband access, Bluetooth, spill resistant keyboard, and configurable hardware components, while the ESPRIMO Mobile D series sports a larger display and the same reliability.




“Our AES2550 sensor is proving to be a popular new addition to our PC product portfolio, as evidenced by its integration into a growing number of Centrino 2 notebooks such as the new ESPRIMO Mobile Series by Fujitsu Siemens Computers,” said Tom Aebli, AuthenTec Vice President of PC Products. “Europe is an important growth region for AuthenTec, and we are pleased to further expand our relationship with Fujitsu Siemens Computers through this collaboration. We believe today’s mobile business user will quickly appreciate the added security and convenience that our AES2550 bring to these new high-performance ESPRIMO and CELSIUS mobile notebooks.”

Overview : Dell Precision M6400- Quad Core

Dell has launched this week their first quad-core mobile workstation - the Precision M6400.

The 17-inch laptop for engineers, designers, and multimedia content creators is configurable with the Intel Core 2 Quad QX9300 processor at 2.53GHz, NVIDIA Quadro FX 2700M 512MB graphics, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, dual hard drives or solid state drives, providing up to 640GB and 128GB of storage in total respectively, and a DVD burner. Options for up to 16GB of RAM, the NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M 1GB video card, and up to 1TB of storage will be available by the end of the year.

Offered display resolution options are 1440×900 and 1920×1200 pixels. Later, users will be also able to choose 1920×1200 screen with LED backlight and an edge-to-edge LED backlight display (1920×1200).

Connectivity features include 802.11 a/g/n Wireless LAN, Bluetooth 2.1, Ultra-Wideband, mobile broadband, and GPS.

There are also an optional 2MP web camera, two speakers, optional dual array microphones, four USB ports, VGA and Display Port outputs, Firewire and eSATA ports, ExpressCard 54 and PC Card slots, and an 8-in-1 media card reader.

For enhanced security, the Precision M6400 incorporates the Trusted Platform Module 1.2, a Smart Card reader, and optional fingerprint reader.

The mobile workstation has aluminum LCD back and base and a new industrial design. It starts at 8.5 pounds with a standard 9-cell battery.

The Dell Precision M6400 comes with 32-bit or 64-bit Windows Vista preinstalled and has a price of $2,299 for the basic configuration.

Best Laptops- Top Rated

By combining experts’ reviews with users’ ratings we can create interesting and informative product tops like the one I’ll present to you today and which is called Best Rated Computer Laptops. It’s not like a top 10 because instead of showing you a fixed number of models, we have a list with 5 laptop models picked from each of the top 5 brands with the highest ratings on 4 reviews websites - CNET, Epinions, reevoo, and alaTest.

The first in alaTest’s top is Asus Eee PC 900, a 9-inch model with a screen large enough for watching videos and work on the go, long battery life, multi-touch trackpad compatible with Windows XP, while the bad aspects include small storage capacity, no 3G, too small keyboard for some, and no optical drive among others.

Reevoo has the Asus X51RL T2310 in the top 5 brands, a 10-rated laptop recommended by all reviewers for its long battery life, durability, design, performance and value for money.

ASUS Eee PC 4G on Epinions scored 5 stars for its overall design and ultra-portability, while the bad aspects are related to the keyboard size, monitor casing getting hot too quickly, too small memory and no disk drive. I’d like to ask these guys what did they expect from a $350 laptop?!
On CNET, the same laptop has a Very Good rating for having Windows XP installed for the same price as Linux, while the Bad includes low hard drive space and low screen resolution. Still, it is considered one of the best rated computer laptops worldwide.



Sony Vaio VGN AR11S from reevoo has a 17-inch display, long battery life, several software utilities pre-installed, and no bad reviews yet.

Acer Aspire One has a score of 99 out of 100 and people like it because it is elegant, in a slim form factor, with a large keyboard, and at an affordable price. Some say it’s limited in RAM memory, battery life and helpful features such as the Bluetooth.

On Epinions, the same laptop is among best rated with maximum of 5 stars accumulated for the price, performance, design, web camera and microphone. Some didn’t like the fact that it has no Bluetooth, but small keyboard and short battery life.

One of the lightest and thinnest laptop models available on the market is the Lenovo ThinkPad X300. In addition to these main positive aspects it provides a built-in DVD burner, WWAN, GPS and wireless USB connectivity. The thing that seems to bother many on alaTest is the price of about $1,830, which is a bit high.


Lenovo ThinkPad T61 has a lower price of $750 for having fewer features, but its durable design and long battery life allowed it to score 5 stars on sites like Epinions.


From HP, the Compaq Presario V4332EA 15.4-inch laptop is one of the few highly recommended models on reevoo, while on Epinions you can find the HP Pavilion dv6000z with 5 stars, lowest price displayed of $1099, and some Cons including short battery life, small hard drive and overheating.


HP Pavilion dv5-1000us entertainment system was reviewed on CNET and there people liked the expandable RAM memory which reaches 8GB, its design line, high processing speed, wireless draft N support and others. What they liked less includes the material used for building the housing on the exterior. It attracts fingerprints. Besides this, it is not that easy to use and users need a better user guide in order to learn how to access all its features.

From Apple there is the MacBook 2008 Edition, a great portable computing system with fast operating speed, large hard drive, high-quality built-in web camera for video conferences, as well as many security layers. There are no negative reviews, just that it seems a bit pricey for some on CNET.

Apple MacBook Air, the thinnest notebook, has 158 user reviews on alaTest and 81 expert reviews. From what I read there, it is considered too expensive for having a non-replaceable battery, small storage on Solid State Drive, limited connectivity, and slower operating speed compared to other laptops from the same category.

Advent appears in the top 5 best rated computer laptops on both reevoo and alaTest, but with different models. While Advent 4211 is appreciated for screen quality and value for money, and disliked for not having 3G connectivity and a longer battery life, the Advent 8109 on reevoo has a score of 10 for all categories: size/weight, design, value for money, battery life and performance.




I have to recognize I don’t know much about Everex products’ quality but after taking a look at the reviews on Epinions and CNET, I can say that the Everex StepNote SA2053T has a good design at under 4 lbs, costs under $600, but supports maximum 2GB of RAM memory and has no web camera. Let’s say it’s a mid-level laptop. On CNET, Everex StepNote XT5000T shows that users are satisfied for the graphics quality and all other stuff, excepting the fact that it overheats from time to time and the battery life tends to shorten.




What brand do you think is missing from the picture till now? – Toshiba probably, as it scored 10 on reevoo with the Toshiba Satellite Pro L40-15A and almost 5 stars on CNET with the Toshiba Satellite M65-S809 model. The latter has a noisy hard disk, low sound, and gets hot quickly, these in addition to being kinda heavy. You might like at it the display quality and the overall design.

Overview: Sony Mini laptop

I’m sure you’ve noticed more and more mini laptop computers arriving on the market, released by the worldwide leading computer manufacturers like ASUS, Acer, HP or MSI. According to statistics, by the end of this year there will be sold approximately 5.2 million netbooks, and the number will increase up to 50 million in 2012.


In the mini laptops category are all models under 13.3 inches, including netbooks designed for wireless Internet use, ultra-mobile PCs and portable entertainment computers like the latest 11.1-inch Sony VAIO mini laptop models we will take a look at today.


The company provided a few mini laptops in the past years, which almost vanished without allowing us to know them in detail, but the models people are still talking today about are the VAIO UX Micro PC launched in 2007 and the new VAIO TZ series.


VAIO UX mini laptop has a sliding 4.5-inch widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology, which reveals the full QWERTY keyboard, and weighs just 1.1 lbs in a very small pocketable form factor with rounded edges.


Even if it’s small, measuring 5.91 x 3.74 x 1.27-1.50 inches and combining a tablet PC design with a laptop, VAIO UX runs on a strong mobile processor of 1.2GHz, the Intel Core 2 Solo Ultra Low Voltage. In addition, it has 48GB Solid State Drive storage type to conserve power and increase battery life, Wireless WAN, Wireless LAN, Bluetooth GPS receiver, biometrics fingerprint sensor, and up to 7 hours of continuous operating time. It also provides front and back digital cameras.


Another difference between netbooks and mini laptop computers, besides the larger number of capabilities provided by the latter, is the high price difference, which allows you to distinguish between them easily. Netbooks are cheap computers available at around $300, while the other category including Sony mini laptop computers, has stylish designs with powerful features and are built using the latest manufacturing technologies to enable miniaturization of strong components powering standard notebooks.





For example, let’s take a look at the Sony VAIO TZ 3,699-dollars business notebook launched at the beginning of this year. It is an expensive model optimized for business people’s requirements such as mobile performance, portable entertainment, fast processing speeds and long battery life.


This Sony mini laptop series brings all these elements in a durable carbon fiber housing, weighting just 1.24Kg.


During the 7 hours of battery life, the Sony mini laptop allows you to watch high-quality images on its 11.1-inch X-black LCD display with 72% color gamut, and see your colleagues while chatting with the built-in microphone and Motion Eye web camera wirelessly, using the Wireless WAN connectivity that enables 3.6Mbps download speeds.


To send and receive files from mobile handhelds, the laptop has Bluetooth wireless technology.


Playing games on the go enhances your entertainment experience thanks to the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 chipset with 3D support, while the Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage processor and Mobile Intel 945GMS Express chipset enable fast multitasking for all your complex applications, even in low light conditions as it features the LED backlight 1366 x 768 screen.





Other features of the VAIO TZ include 2GB memory, enough o run the Windows Vista Business operating system that comes pre-installed on the Sony mini laptop, fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module, HDD Shock Protection, DVD burner, 120GB HDD, and stereo speakers.


Sony is also planning the release of a new netbook, probably by the end of this year, and rumors say it will work with the VIA technology, with a design based on the 8.9-inch VIA mini laptop computers, featuring a 1.6 GHz C7-M processor, the VX800 chipset, 1GB memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMac support, 60GB storage, and will run on the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.

Overview: Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC

Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC, featuring Intel Centrino 2 technology and a 12.1-inch display with touch screen and pen input support, is now available for purchase.

According to the PC maker, there are X200 Tablet models “shedding almost 10 percent over the previous generation Tablet PC’s weight”. Additionally, the X200 convertible laptop also offers models with nearly 50 percent longer battery life.

“With models weighing only 3.5 pounds, the ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC gives users the best of notebook performance with the convenience of notetaking, similar to pen and paper functionality, in a digital form. Ideal for environments such as healthcare, real estate, education and sales, Lenovo’s first widescreen Tablet PC also offers models providing up to more than 10 hours of battery life for a full day of computing. Equipped with the latest low-voltage version of the small form factor Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology, select models also offer up to 128 GB solid state drive storage, LED backlit displays, GPS and ultra wideband functionality as well as mobile broadband,” the company’s press release says.

Other innovations in the new convertible include touch sensitivity that recognizes a lighter pen or finger touch, dual swivel screen, web camera and dual-array microphones, and a full size keyboard.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet runs Windows Vista OS and starts at $1,814.

Overview: SONY VAIO TT

Sony today unveiled the VAIO TT laptop, “the world’s lightest computer with Blu-ray Disc technology”.

The Sony VAIO TT Series ultraportable, that weighs 2.87 pounds and is less than 1-inch thin, has a 11.1-inch 1366 x 768 display. The screen features LED backlight and has a 16:9 aspect ratio, used in many HD movies. The Blu-Ray drive is incorporated in select models and reads and writes BD, DVD and CD discs.

The laptop is based on Intel’s Centrino 2 technology. According to specification sheets of the VAIO VGN-TT160N/B and VGN-TT198U/B models, the TT comes with an ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, support for up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, and a traditional hard drive or solid state drive storage. The SSD option will be available in single 128GB or dual (128GB x 2) variants.

There are also optional Sprint Mobile Broadband support, standard WiFi, Ethernet LAN, and Bluetooth connections, as well as a built-in web camera, HDMI and VGA outputs, two USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, Memory Stick PRO and Secure Digital Card readers, and a Firewire port.

The notebook runs Windows Vista operating system and has a premium carbon black, silk black, champagne gold and crimson red carbon-fiber chassis.

Sony’s VAIO TT will be available starting this fall with a basic price of $2,000. The BD version will go for about $2,700, while the SSD model (128GB) for around $2,750.

Overview: HP G60

Hewlett-Packard has silently released the HP G60, the company’s first laptop that features a 15.6-inch display.


A G60 model sold by Circuit City - the G60-120US - includes the AMD Turion 64 X2 RM-70 processor, NVIDIA GeForce 8200M graphics, 3GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB hard drive, and DVD burner. The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio.


The G60 also incorporates a built-in web camera, HDMI and VGA outputs, 802.11n wireless module, Ethernet LAN port, modem, three USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, a 5-in-1 media card reader, and a full size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad.


According to the product image, the HP G60 looks similar to the 15.4-inch Compaq CQ50 without num pad.


The G60-120US weighs slightly more than 6 pounds and runs Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.


Circuit City sells the laptop for $629.99 after instant savings and mail-in rebate.

Overview: Sony VAIO NS Series

The recently announced Sony VAIO NS Series 15.4-inch consumer notebooks, based on Intel Centrino Duo Processor Technology, are now available for preorder.


The offered NS laptops at SonyStyle are preconfigured models, featuring the Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 CPU at 2GHz, GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 3GB or 4GB of DDR2 system memory, and a 250GB hard drive. Select models include a Blu-ray Combo optical drive, while the others come with a DVD burner.


The VAIO NS has a widescreen display with a resolution of 1280-by-800 pixels and a built-in 1.3-megapixel web camera. There are also Intel’s WiFi Link 5100AGN wireless module, an Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, 56k modem, four USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, Memory Stick PRO and SD memory card readers, Firewire port, and VGA output.


With an approximate weight of 6.4 pounds, the laptops are available in three different colors - nightfall blue, silk white, and granite silver. The NS provides up to 4 hours of run time on a single battery charge, according to Sony.


The Sony VAIO NS runs Windows Vista Home Premium operating system. The models with 3GB of RAM come with the 32-bit OS version, while those with 4GB of memory run Windows Vista 64-bit.

The laptops start at $799.

Sony VAIO NS Series (available models)	VGN-NS140E/L VGN-NS140E/S VGN-NS140E/W	VGN-NS190J/L VGN-NS190J/S VGN-NS190J/W
CPU (Intel Core 2 Duo)	T5800 - 2GHz Clock/800MHz FSB/2MB Cache	T5800 - 2GHz Clock/800MHz FSB/2MB Cache
Memory (DDR2)	3GB	4GB
Hard Drive	250GB SATA at 5,400rpm	250GB SATA at 5,400rpm
Optical Drive	DVD burner	Blu-Ray Combo (BD-ROM/DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/RAM )
Chassis Color	Nightfall Blue (VGN-NS140E/L) Granite Silver (VGN-NS140E/S) Silk White (VGN-NS140E/W)	Nightfall Blue (VGN-NS190J/L) Granite Silver (VGN-NS190J/S) Silk White (VGN-NS190J/W)
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit	Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Current Price (US$)	799.99	999.99

Overview: HP Pavilion HDX18

Our pre-production review unit of the Pavilion HDX18 features the following specs:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)
• Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
• Hard drive: 2 x 160GB (7200rpm)
• Screen:18" HD HP Ultra Brightview Infinity glossy display (1920 x 1080)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3
• Optical drive: Blu-Ray multi-drive
• Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, docking station port, microphone in, two audio out jacks, three USB ports, eSATA/USB, 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, built-in TV tuner
• Wireless: 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: 8-cell Lithium-ion battery (73W)
• Dimensions 17.17" x 11.26" 1.33-1.72" (WxDxH)
• Weight: 8.94 lbs.

Our pre-production unit comes equipped with two 160GB hard drives, but this configuration will not be offered at the time of launch. The next closest available configuration will be a similar system with two 250GB 5400rpm hard drives ($2,049.99) or two 250GB 7200rpm hard drives ($2,149.99). This desktop replacement is clearly targeted at multimedia and gaming enthusiasts who want cutting-edge features and can afford the slightly higher price tag.

Overview: Lenovo ThinkPad X200

Lenovo X200 Tablet PC specs:

• Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86GHz L9400 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 160GB hard drive, 7200 rpm
• SSD optional
• Intel GMA X4500 graphics
• 12.1" WXGA (1280 x 800) display with active digitizer, touchscreen optional
• Optional optical drive with weight saver with dock
• Windows Vista Business OS
• 3x USB ports
• 1x Multicard Reader
• 1x PCI ExpressCard
• RJ-11 and RJ-45
• VGA-15pin
• Microphone and headphone
• 8-cell battery, 4-cell available
• Intel Wi-Fi 5300 and WWAN

Overview: Asus N10 Notebook

6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery, AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord; Software Bundle: Windows Vista Home Premium, 1-Year Warranty

Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz Processor

512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz Front Bus speed

2048 MB DDR2 RAM

160 GB SATA Hard Drive

10.2" diagonal WSVGA (1024 x 600) Widescreen Display

Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS with 256MB Dedicated Graphics Memory

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (Switchable)

802.11a/b/g/n Wireless

Card Reader

Overview: Dell Latitude E4200,4300

Dell’s new ultraportable business-class laptops - the Latitude E4200 and Latitude E4300 - are now available for purchase.


The E4200 features a 12.1-inch display and has a starting weight of 2.2 pounds, while the E4300 includes a 13.3″ screen and starts at 3.3 lbs. The both laptops are based on Intel GS45 Express chipset with the GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics and support for DDR3 memory. The E4200 and E4300 come with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra-Low Voltage (SU9300, SU9400) and Core 2 Duo normal voltage (SP9300, SP9400) processors respectively.


The smaller notebook model is configurable with a 64GB or 128GB solid state drive, while the larger can be configured with either a 64GB SSD or a traditional hard drive with up to 250GB of storage space.


The Latitude E4200 and E4300 have displays with LED backlight and a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. The E4300 additionally incorporates an optional web camera and a built in optical drive, which are not present in the E4200.


The new ultraportables are sold with various wireless and security options and ship with Windows Vista preinstalled.


The Dell Latitude E4200 starts at $2,048, while the basic E4300 configuration costs $1,749.