Archive for March, 2007
Acer’s TravelMate 8210-6597 blurs the line between business and consumer notebooks, making for an all-around good travel companion. While its business side comes through with an included Bluetooth VoIP phone, SmartCard security, and an integrated webcam, its multimedia chops-including a Blu-ray drive and discrete graphics-help justify the high price. The 6.6-pound 8210-6597 is housed in an elegant charcoal-and-glossy-black case and finished with bright silver trim. Under the checkered lid is a curved keyboard, which is roomy and responsive, as is the touchpad controller. However, we found the mouse buttons a bit stiff and noisy. Four programmable quick-launch buttons and a power switch are located above the keyboard off to the right, but the system lacks a set of media control buttons.
The 15.4-inch widescreen display has a 1680 x 1050-pixel resolution, but the screen looked a bit dim and slightly washed out, even with the brightness setting cranked all the way up. The viewing angle however, is quite good, as we saw no significant color shift from the sides. Above the screen you’ll find a 1.3-megapixel webcam that swivels 225 degrees.
You can use the camera for still photography and videoconferencing with the included Bluetooth VoIP phone, a PC Card device that connects to the 8210-6597’s Bluetooth. We tested the phone using Skype and the Bluetooth connection. It worked okay, but we noticed a crackle and time delay on both ends of the call. That’s par for the course with a VoIP and Bluetooth combination, though, and pairing the phone to the notebook was a snap. The webcam is adequate for video chatting, but the images looked slightly grainy.
The left side of the notebook holds a hot-swappable modular Blu-ray optical drive, which means you should be able to play high-definition DVD movies and record to BD recordable media. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the drive to recognize any Blu-ray discs, but we suspect this is a driver issue that Acer will fix soon. The only option for output to a larger screen is an S-Video connection, but we’d prefer an HDMI port or that the DVI supported HDCP to optimize the HD capability. So the Blu-ray drive will be best used to burn large amounts of data to disc. Getting this system without Blu-ray will save you $1,000.
A green button marked “e” takes you into the Acer Empowering Technology applet, where you can change system and security settings, create backup discs, and restore the system to its original factory settings. Embedded in the front edge of the system are two speakers. The speakers are typical for this class of system: too much treble and hardly any bottom.
The 8210-6597 comes with a pair of SmartCards and 360 Degree Web’s PlatinumSecret software, which, when used in tandem, prevents unauthorized access to the notebook, and more importantly, your data.
The 8210-6597 gets its power from a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor and 2GB of DDR2 memory, which resulted in an impressive score of 286 on our MobileMark 2005 tests. Equally impressive was the unit’s battery life; the nine-cell li-ion battery lasted for four hours and eight minutes. Unfortunately, wireless performance offered a dismal throughput of 6.7 Mbps from 15 feet and 6.3 Mbps from 50 feet.
The ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics managed a very good score of 8,056 on our 3DMark03 tests but crashed when we tried to run the more demanding F.E.A.R. gaming tests. So while you should expect a very good Windows Vista experience (for $2,999), this system is not recommended for gamers.
We would like to see better wireless performance and a brighter display to make the most of the high-end features in the 8210-6597. But there’s a lot to like about this TravelMate, and it’s worth considering for both office workers and travelers, who will appreciate the built-in VoIP phone and webcam.
March 25th, 2007
The Toughbook line continues to impress with the CF-19, a machine that begs to be used and abused in a rough-and-tumble environment. Its daylight-readable touchscreen is the standout feature, along with its bevy of tucked-away slots and ports. At almost $4,300, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill, spill-a-little-coffee-on-it semi-rugged notebook. It’s a fully ruggedized computer that’s designed to perform in the field.
A quick look at the five-pound CF-19 reveals that it is made for tough environments. The industrial-design magnesium-alloy top panel with black hard rubber bumpers looks like it yearns for a dusty, dirty factory or warehouse floor. All of the ports on the back and sides are protected behind hinged plastic doors. An ingeniously placed clasp on the front panel can clamp down the screen in either Tablet or notebook mode and can be hidden out of the way when not needed. On the spine of the notebook is a handy nylon carrying strap, but it doesn’t seem nearly as sturdy as the CF-19 itself and tends to block access to the connection ports on the back panel.
Inside, the hard drive and display are both shock-mounted. Panasonic claims that the system has passed many of the MIL-STD-810F durability tests, including the drop, vibration, water resistance (spray), dust, and humidity tests.
The 10.4-inch screen on the CF-19 may be small by current notebook standards but is typical for rugged Tablets. An extremely fine pixel density enables the screen to support XGA native resolution, or 123 pixels per inch-more than 50 percent greater than a typical screen. As a result, text appeared a bit small, but photos looked extremely sharp. This display held up extremely well in sunlight; we were able to view it outdoors with only a slight loss in contrast. The screen looked fine when rotated, but there was a very noticeable color and brightness shift when tilted up or down. Worse, when we switched to portrait mode to use the CF-19 as a Tablet, the disparity in brightness along the vertical axis became horizontal, making the screen very difficult to read.
The touchscreen on our test unit worked fairly well. Panasonic sells a version of the CF-19 that is compatible with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition ($128 extra) and as a result requires a special stylus. But our version responded to simple touch. Using a plastic stylus, our finger, and even a gloved finger all worked well. We were disappointed, however, that the onscreen keyboard was much too small to be used with anything other than the stylus.
If you don’t like using the virtual keyboard, there is always the real one in notebook mode. Unfortunately, the system’s small footprint means the keyboard is also tiny. The keys are spaced at just over 17mm (2mm fewer than is standard). Also, the typical inverted-T arrow keys are now laid out in a backward L arrangement, and the tab key is barely the size of a pea. Despite the water-resistant design, the keys felt good, but the small size and unorthodox layout make touch typing difficult. If it helps, you can get a backlit keyboard for $335.
Inside is a 1.6-GHz Intel Core Duo processor and an 80GB hard drive. As with many rugged systems, the CF-19 offers a wealth of wireless connectivity options. Our unit came with Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11a/b/g transceivers, and you can add EV-DO and HSDPA WWAN adapters, as well as GPS. On our tests, Wi-Fi throughput was very good at 17.6 Mbps at 15 feet and 16.8 Mbps at 50 feet.
The CF-19 did quite well on our performance tests, too. The MobileMark 2005 score of 190 is about what we expected: midway between the averages for an ultraportable and a thin-and-light notebook. The 3DMark03 score of 1,087 means this system is better suited for real war games than those of the electronic variety. Where the CF-19 really stands out is in battery endurance. On our productivity tests, it lasted 6 hours and 19 minutes with wireless off, more than an hour longer than the average ultraportable.
Panasonic backs the system with a relatively generous three-year limited warranty with lifetime technical support, which is available 24/7. Although it involves making some compromises, the Toughbook CF-19 is a good rugged solution for workers who need both a touchscreen and long endurance.
March 25th, 2007
The first laptop to take advantage of Windows Vista’s much-hyped SideShow feature, the Asus W5fe lets you read e-mail, play music, and access photos and other content via a secondary 2.8-inch, full-color display integrated into the outer lid of the laptop. The idea is a good one: SideShow offers a quick window to your data, without requiring you to boot up your laptop-or even open it. Between the module’s less-than-elegant navigational interface and relative dearth of functionality, however, the W5fe suggests that SideShow is not yet ready for prime time. More importantly, the W5fe falls short of delivering a compelling ultraportable experience.
At 12 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches, the W5fe’s case is average sized for a laptop with a 12.1-inch display; at four pounds, it’s portable enough for regular travel, though there are plenty of lighter models in its price range. The keyboard is a bit spongy and cramped, but the keys are roomy enough for reasonably comfortable typing. The W5fe’s small, textured touchpad is serviceable, but the little mouse buttons are overly sensitive, and we experienced a number of clicking misfires.
The W5fe’s primary 12.1-inch widescreen display, featuring a standard 1280 x 800 native resolution, delivers bright, crisp images and passable DVD video quality. There’s enough screen real estate for most productivity tasks, including editing documents side by side and working in multiple windows.
The SideShow concept shows promise. The secondary display, with a 320 x 240 resolution, is more than adequate for checking your calendar, reading e-mail (Windows Mail only, a new feature that comes with Vista), checking stock prices, and playing music files from Windows Media Player 11. Unfortunately, we found the interface somewhat clumsy: The enter, back, and menu buttons, the On/Off switch, and the four-way rocker switch are all intuitive enough, but navigating through the menus is confusing and inefficient. The selection of downloadable gadgets for SideShow is pretty slim at the moment, but we hope that improves soon.
The two stereo speakers, placed directly below the display, deliver the thin, weak audio typical of most ultraportables, and when playing audio files via SideShow (with the lid closed), the sound quality is nominally worse. That said, we appreciate the external volume-control wheel on the W5fe’s right edge, though the laptop lacks a full set of dedicated multimedia controls.
For an ultraportable, the W5fe comes equipped with a solid assortment of multimedia features as well as a standard batch of ports and connections. On top of a dual-layer DVD burner, which can read and burn all of the major DVD and CD formats, the W5fe has three well-distributed USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, S-Video and VGA outputs for connecting to an external display, one ExpressCard slot, and a 4-in-1 media card reader (as well as an expansion module that supports another four media card types).
In addition to Windows Vista Home Premium (our test unit came preloaded with Vista Ultimate), Asus throws in some nifty software and utilities including MultiFrame, which shuttles windows to whichever quadrant of the display you choose, and LifeFrame, a useful application that lets you easily record still photos, video, and audio clips with the built-in, pivoting 1.3-megapixel webcam. Better yet, the webcam has a row of dedicated buttons that let you instantly zoom in, take photos or video, or record audio.
The W5fe’s built-in networking features include Ethernet and modem jacks, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. Also on board is a wireless on/off switch, handy for preserving battery power when out of range of an Internet signal. The W5fe’s throughput of 6.2 Mbps at 15 feet and 5.6 Mbps at 50 feet was far below average, however, so you’ll want to travel with an Ethernet cable as much as possible.
Our $2,199 test unit included a robust array of hardware components, especially impressive for an ultraportable: In addition to a high-end 2.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 processor, which provides two processing cores for improved multitasking performance, the W5fe comes equipped with 1.5GB of DDR2 RAM (the maximum for this system) and a gigantic 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive. The W5fe turned in a 3,589 on our PCMark05 benchmark, which isn’t bad for an ultraportable, and a 1,047 on 3DMark03-proof that it can handle most standard productivity tasks. Its integrated GPU handled Vista’s Aero interface, but this system doesn’t have the muscle for gaming and demanding graphics work.
Unfortunately, the W5fe’s competent processing was overshadowed by mediocre endurance: The W5fe’s six-cell battery (it comes with an additional three-cell battery) lasted 2 hours and 35 minutes while playing a DVD. You should expect close to four hours of runtime when performing regular productivity chores, but that’s still an hour less than the average ultraportable.
We’re pleased with the idea of SideShow and that Asus has managed to be the first on the market with a reasonable platform for it, but at this stage the W5fe doesn’t live up to its potential. This notebook is certainly innovative, but it’s not the best ultraportable you can buy for the money.
March 25th, 2007
Overview and Introduction
The Sony VAIO FE is a 15.4″ multimedia full featured notebook. This review covers a Core 2 Duo and Nvidia Go 7600 powered VAIO FE-91S purchased in Japan.
Reasons for buying
Over the last few months I have been spending a lot of time searching for which laptop to buy. I have never owned a laptop before, but I wanted a computer with everything integrated. I wanted a sturdy case, outstanding performance (enough to last a long time), portable size, good battery life and of course as cheap as possible. When I started searching I didn??™t know which category size I wanted exactly, but I excluded 17 inch and 12 inch displayed sizes. The 17 inch because it would be too hard to carry around and the screen resolution of the 12-inch size laptop would not be enough.
After a time my requirements became clear. I wanted a fast Core 2 Duo processor, a quality brand, and dedicated graphics card capable of running DirectX 9c as I use this for programming purposes. I didn??™t care about the speed of the graphics processor, just the hardware compatibility with DirectX 9c.
Searching was a big problem due to the fact I??™m Hungarian and the variety of laptops we have in Hungary is much narrower than in the US. Furthermore, the price of laptops that reach Hungary are much more expensive than those in the US ??“ often double the price. As fate would have I found out I??™d soon be moving to Japan and so decided to make a laptop purchase there instead. After researching laptop options in Japan I finally settled on Sony??™s 15.4??? VAIO FE-91S. The VAIO FE can be considered as a desktop replacement style notebook while still being portable. One cool thing is that this model in Japan even includes Sony??™s FeliCa system, which can be used for money transfers using certain bank cards.
Specifications: Sony VAIO FE-91S
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 1,83GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB
* Chipset: Intel 945PM chipset
* Memory: 1GB DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM
* Screen: 15.4″ WXGA “glossy” screen at 1280×800 resolution.
* Graphics: nVidia GeForce Go 7600 128MB (up to 512MB with TurboCache) at 350/700MHz core/memory speeds
* Harddrive: TOSHIBA MK1032GSX 100 GB (5400rpm, 16MB cache, SATA)
* Optical drive: 8x Super Multi DVD?±RW and DVD-RAM optical drive (PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K16M)
* MemoryStick Pro Duo reader
* Express Card slot
* PC Card slot
* Wireless: Integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g + Bluetooth
* LAN: Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
* Battery : 53280 mWh battery
* Weight: 2.8 kg
Where and How I Purchased
I purchase the VAIO FE on the Sony Japan website as I wanted to configure it to my needs. The final cost was 214,000 Japanese Yen, which is around $2,000 US dollars. This included the computer and a Sony Protection plan of 3 years. If something were to happen with the laptop Sony would pickup the machine and return it upon fixing the problem. It seemed like a good deal for the latest technology, and a better price than I would have got in Hungary. After I ordered the laptop online it took 2 weeks for delivery.
Build and design
As you can see in the pictures, the look of the machine is quite elegant. You can take it anywhere you go and be proud of the look ??“ be it a meeting or coffee shop. The body is constructed of a high quality rigid plastic. It feels very sturdy, it is not like some Fujitsu laptops I??™ve seen where you can push the plastic in at the front of the keyboard.
The color of the keyboard and the surrounding area is silver and black. There is a white keyboard option, but if you select the GeForce Go 7600, then you have to go with black.
The closing mechanism is quite unusual in my opinion, but it works well. If you close down the lid then you have to set the switch to lock mode which causes a clamp to come up and lock the lid firmly. It is comfortable even with one hand to close it. It is neither hard nor easy to close it is just optimal.
Screen and Webcam
Before buying I was afraid of getting a glossy screen because I have seen the reflective nature of some of my friends laptop screens, some are like sitting in front of a mirror. But after getting it the glossy screen is fine, I don??™t even notice any reflections most of the time and the colors come out bold and beautiful. The screen resolution is 1280×800, which is fairly standard for widescreen displays.
The viewing angles are pretty good horizontally, but not so good vertically. This is a common down side, but usually we don??™t watch from wide vertical angles anyway. The brightness level of the screen is very good.
I was a little afraid of dead-pixels, as you can??™t see the computer before buying it. But luckily I didn??™t have any.
I was really happy that the VAIO FE came with a webcam so you don??™t have to carry a web cam around seperately. The picture quality is very good and you also get the Vaio Camera Screensaver, which is fun.
Speakers
The speakers are located above the keyboard. I think they are better than many other laptops, this is meant to be a multimedia laptop after all. They??™re not loud enough to disturb your neighbors of course, you will need good external speakers to be able to do that! The integrated sound card, hasn??™t fulfilled my requirements, so I bought a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX USB external card. If I??™m at home, I absolutely do not use the built-in sound system.
Keyboard and touchpad
As I bought the VAIO FE in Japan the keyboard is Japanese, with a lot of extra buttons for Japanese language typing. If you are buying your computer in Japan, you can also get an English keyboard and English operating system for some extra money.
At first look the keyboard seems good, but after using it, it turned out not to be so sturdy. The M key does not work sometimes. The interesting thing is that the guys at Sony know about this problem, as I read an article on Sony??™s website about it.
Otherwise the location of the keys on the keyboard is good, and the typing is comfortable. I only have issues with the location of the direction keys. They should have separated them more from the other keys. On the other hand, I like the large size of the Enter key.
The machine has 6 hardware buttons. There is a Power ON, Mute, Volume-up, -down key and then two more customizable program launcher keys. I setup one of these keys as a brightness switch where I can switch from maximum brightness to 2 notch brightness.
Heat and noise
I expected that this machine would be hot everywhere due to the processor and graphics card. But I was surprised, after hours of working on the computer, only around the fan outtake at the back of the machine became hot. The keyboard was only mildly warm to cool. The under side of the machine becomes warm after excessive use, but not uncomfortable.
Noise is also not an issue with this machine. It has only one very silent fan. It only turns on when I??™m using really resource hungry applications. So far I haven??™t heard the fan turn on when using the laptop on battery.
Processor, Performance, benchmarks
The processor clock frequency is 1.83 GHz. This is the second lowest possible speed for the Core 2 Duo, but I didn??™t want the fastest as it consumes more power. Of course the official TDP (Thermal Design Power) is 34W, but if you have a different clock frequency, then the actual power consumption is a little different.
I was not fully satisfied with the benchmark results. The machine is fast in applications (discussed later), but the slow hard drive and the junk programs on the machine ruin some of the performance. The bootup is relatively slow, which is a result of the above mentioned circumstances.
March 9th, 2007
Overview and Introduction
This review is for the new Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv6227cl, which is currently being billed as an “Entertainment Notebook” by HP. It’s a fairly new model in the dv6000 line, and is currently being sold by Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores as well as their online counterparts.
* AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 processor running at 1.6 GHz.
* 120 GB hard drive running at 5400RPM (6.6 gigs used as a restore partition.)
* 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM (2 512MB sticks)
* NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics chipset, up to 288MB shared video RAM.
* 15.4″ WXGA Hi-Def Brightview Widescreen display.
* 802.11 b/g WLAN
* 8x DVD+ and DVD- R/RW with dual layer support
* 5 in 1 card reader
* ExpressCard54 expansion slot
* Expansion Port 3 for docking stations
* 6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery.
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* HP Mobile Remote Control (plugs into Expresscard slot)
* Headphones
Reason for Buying
I purchased this system because I travel a lot, and require a computer to keep in contact with home, as well as entertainment uses such as gaming. It also is a lot easier to carry a laptop to a LAN party than it is a full tower PC with monitor. Before purchasing this system I had looked at the HP dv2000 series, the Dell E1505, the Acer 2112, and the Alienware M5550.
I eventually chose the HP due to the price of the system (similar systems configured from the Dell, HP, and Alienware websites were substantially more expensive, even before figuring in shipping) and the fact that Acer needs a lot of help in their customer support areas. Even their website does not give a good impression, it has broken links and slow loading pages.
This system is an upgrade from an older Dell Inspiron. I needed an upgrade due to poor video graphics, busted hinge, and a slow, single core processor.
Where and How Purchased
This system was purchased at a Wal-Mart in Washington, Indiana, for $798. For the specs of this system and the extras it comes with it’s a very good deal. If you go to a tier-one builder and configure a system, you will end up paying more, even before the shipping comes into play. Strangely, building a similar system in the dv6000 line at HP’s website is still more expensive than going to Wal-Mart and purchasing the system outright. HP’s website price for a dv6000 series with the exact same specifications was $1,031.97 at the time of this writing.
This system is black and silver with blue LED lighting. The casing has a nice solid feel, and the weight is average at around 6.6 lbs. The hinges for the monitor feel quite strong, and there is no ripple effect on the LCD by pushing on the back of the monitor. Strangely, there is no latch or lock at all for when the laptop is in the closed position. You just pull up on the monitor to open it. This is the first laptop I have owned with this design, and I rather like it. The entire casing is thick plastic with a glossy look all over, which, while looking very impressive, also shows a lot of fingerprints. Keep a cleaning cloth handy.
The notebook has blue LEDS all over it. The row of quick launch keys above the computer are all lit, as well as the mouse pad lock button, power and HDD lights, and even the power plug-in has an LED that lights up when plugged-in. It matches the case design quite well.
The system uses HP’s Imprint design as well. For those unfamiliar with this, it has small curved lines running across the top of the monitor as well as the palm rest area with a very glossy look. It’s a classy look.
Screen
The screen on this system is a WXGA Hi-Def Brightview Widescreen display. It’s 15.4 inches, and is easily bright enough to see clearly. There were no dead pixels on the unit I purchased, as well as no discernable areas that were leaking light. The lighting seems even throughout the entire area of the screen, and the size is fine for a portable system. The native resolution is 1280 by 800.
Speakers
The speakers are manufactured by Altec Lansing, and are located directly above the shortcut keys on the keyboard, which places them underneath the monitor instead of in front of the system as most makers have them. These speakers impressed me a lot, they are quite loud with minimal distortion at higher sound levels. Be sure to be careful with your sound settings, as these speakers can get very, very loud.
Processor and Performance
This particular model uses the AMD Turion 64 X2 running at 1.6 GHz. Having the dual core setup under Vista is noticeable, although the benefits will get better slowly as more and more apps start moving from single-threaded to multi-threaded. Still, the 2 cores help performance and make up for the lower clock speed setting. The boot up time averaged around 40 seconds.
The hard drive on this system has plenty of storage for a laptop at 120 GB (105 GB usable after formatting and HP Restore partition), but the speed is only 5400 RPM. While acceptable on a laptop, I still wish they had put a 7200 RPM drive in this system. Sometimes it takes a few extra seconds to access files on this system depending on how fragmented they are and how large they are.
It comes with a gigabyte of RAM, which is adequate for running the included Windows Vista and normal programs. I would recommend upgrading to two gigs of RAM down the road for the extra performance and speed. Be aware if you do plan on upgrading that HP uses 2 512MB sticks of RAM, so you will have to purchase two 1 GB sticks for the upgrade.
The video chipset uses the Geforce Go 6150. You can play some games on this system, but I recommend lowering the resolution and graphics details before loading the game so you can play at an acceptable frame rate. Also, some games, such as Oblivion, may not play at an acceptable speed even with all details are set down at their lowest. I recommend going into your BIOS and setting your shared memory for your video at the highest setting possible, 128 MB. If the video system needs more RAM than 128, it pulls it automatically up to 288 MB.
March 9th, 2007
Toshiba recently sent us the 17-inch screen Satellite P105-S6217 for review. This unit is aimed squarely at the fattest portion of the notebook computer market bell curve — the home PC market. Given the size of the The P105 it falls into the desktop replacement category. Weighing in at about 7.5lbs and with a 17-inch screen you won’t want to be hauling this big boy around too much, but it’s certainly portable enough when the need arises.
In the U.S. the P105 series comes in two flavors; the customizable P100 available at ToshibaDirect.com (starting at $1,000) and as various pre-configured SKUs sold under the P105 family. The specific SKU under review is the Vista Premium loaded S6217. Toshiba recently pulled all of the P105 models that had Windows XP installed and are now exclusively offering Vista on the P105 series.
Specs of Toshiba P105-S6217 as reviewed:
* Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500
* Memory: 2GB PC-4200 DDR2 Memory
* Hard Drive: 200GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
* Screen: 17.0-inch Widescreen TruBrite LCD 1440 x 900 resolution
* OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
* TV Tuner: Toshiba USB HDTV Tuner -
* Graphics: nVidia GeForce Go 7300 with 128MB SDRAM
* Communications: Toshiba V.92 Software Modem Intel PRO Network Connection 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet Integrated Wireless LAN Network Connection 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g
* Ports:
o 4 USB 2.0 ports
o 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link)
o 1 VGA monitor port
o 1 S-Video out
o 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus)
o 1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
o 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
o 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
o 1 S/PDIF digital audio output (for connecting to a home theater receiver)
* Dimensions: Width 15.5 x Depth 10.8 x Height 1.41 inch Weight - 7.1 pounds
For detailed specs from Toshiba for the P105-S6217 view this PDF.
The P105 possesses a matte silver interior finish with piano black speakers that looks refined and understated. The silver media buttons at the top of the keyboard blend in well yet are easy to read and push.
The screen hinges are very tight, ensuring you won’t get a wobbly screen when typing on this notebook. A latch also ensures that the lid stays firmly closed.
There’s no flex at all to the case of the P105. The chassis is very sturdy and firm feeling. The lid seems to be made of a magnesium composite material and offers good protection, while the rest of the casing is plastic and thick enough to feel rugged. Unfortunately the keyboard does have flex issues in the middle areas. Another bummer is that Toshiba gives you cheap plastic inserts to protect the PCMCIA / ExpressCard slot instead of the far superior option of using a flap.
With a travel weight of just under 8 lbs, the P105 is far from light, but it does not seem too heavy when you carry it around. This opinion might change if I took it on the road with me, but for lugging around the house the P100 would be fine.
Screen
Glossy screens are still all the rage on home notebooks, and as such the P105 uses Toshiba’s TruBrite screen coating. The result is a great looking high contrast 17″ display that would be ideal for movie watching. Native resolution for the screen is 1440 x 900 pixels. The viewing angle on this screen is very good, certainly above par. There is no ghosting whatsoever.
The only downsides I can find to this screen is that I’d actually like to see it go one notch of brightness higher and when the screen is displaying darker colors you can see a bit of light leakage at the bottom of the screen where the backlight is located.
The speakers are from harmon/kardon and located at the front of the laptop. The speaker clarity is fantastic, definitely some of the best notebooks speakers I’ve heard. Unfortunately Toshiba decided to omit a built in “subwoofer” in the P100 series making it sub par when compared to offerings for their Qosmio series that does offer a sub-woofer and thus more bass action.
Keyboard, Touchpad and Fingerprint Reader
The integrated fingerprint reader includes software to remember passwords and to lock any sensitive documents. It’s a nice to have feature I suppose, but I find myself being able to type a password faster than the action it takes to lift a hand and swipe a finger and wait for the finger stroke to register.
Heat and Noise
The fan on the P105-S6217 has behaved a little strangely in my usage. It remains mostly off but every few minutes will quickly rev up to puff out some air, and then as quickly as it cut-in will cut-out once again. This can be annoying in an office environment that is fairly quiet such as where I work. My co-workers gave me some strange looks. If you’re in a room with ambient noise then the fan noise is not so noticeable.
The notebook remained mostly cool, certainly no heat issues on the top side so usage was comfortable, and just the expected mild heat buildup on the bottom side, nothing to write home about.
Input and Output Ports
Toshiba includes just about every connector you could want including both the ExpressCard slot and classic PCMCIA Type II slot. The standard data jacks include 4 USB 2.0, 4 pin Firewire IEEE1394, Gigabit Ethernet and an RJ-45 Modem. Audio / Video connections include headphone, microphone, S/PDIF, VGA, S-Video, and Hi-Def DVI-I port. Rounding it out with a multi-card reader with support for SD, Sony Memory Stick/Pro, and xD though no support for CompactFlash or Micro/MiniSD.
March 9th, 2007
The Gateway NX570 series is Gateway??s latest line of midsize 15.4??? notebooks. At 6.3 pounds, the NX570X is not light enough to be considered very portable, but it’s certainly lighter than a full desktop replacement. The series features brushed aluminum palm rests, a scratch-resistant cover, and Windows Vista. The entry level model of the NX570X starts at $899.99. At the time of this writing, Gateway is also offering a $250 instant rebate and a free upgrade to 1 GB of main memory, bringing the total cost of the entry level model to a budget-friendly $649.99. My particular configuration is as follows:
* OS: Microsoft? Windows?? Vista Home Premium
* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200 (2.00GHz, 667MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache)
* Memory: 2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-1024MB modules)
* Graphics: Integrated Intel???? Graphics Media Accelerator 950, 945GM Chipset
* Display: 15.4″ WXGA TFT Active Matrix (1280 x 800 max. resolution)
* Hard drive: 80GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
* Optical drive: 24x/ 10x/ 24x CD-RW / 8x DVD Combo Drive
* Battery: 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery
* Memory card reader: 6-in-1 media card reader (Memory Stick????, MemoryStick Pro????, MultiMediaCard?????, Secure Digital?????, Mini Secure Digital????, RS-Multimedia Card?????)
My fianc????e?????s old Toshiba A15 finally gave out, so I gave her my old Compaq V2000Z and started my search. I have a Core 2 Duo E6400 processor in my desktop and have been thoroughly impressed by its performance and lack of heat issues, so I knew I wanted the mobile version of the processor. My desktop has a good video card and is perfect for gaming, so I wasn’t looking for a mean gaming machine in a laptop, but I did want good conventional performance for my research applications. Price was a big consideration as well, as I’m on a student budget at the moment and was looking to spend less than $1,200. I have had bad experiences with Toshibas in the past, so while the A135 seemed to fit the bill, I was looking for a different brand. Weight was an important factor for me, but durability was more important, as I tend to throw my laptop in my backpack with all of my books and I wasn?????t willing to pay the premium for an ultraportable. I really liked the Vaio SZ series, but it was out of my price range. All things considered, the Gateway NX570X fit the bill better than any other laptop I could find, and with the $250 instant rebate and a $50 coupon code I found through Google, the price was right.
My personal taste in laptop appearance is sleek, understated, and elegant. When I pulled the NX570X out of the box, I knew I had hit my trifecta. Most of the components of the laptop feel like they?????re where they should be. While I did like my old Compaq V2000z, the keyboard layout felt clumsy, the DVD drive door was very vulnerable and exposed, and the plastic felt cheap. The NX570X suffers from none of these problems, but does still have a few problems of its own. The screen shows ripples if a fair amount of pressure (about as much as it takes to close a door) is applied to the center of the lid while holding the lid in place. The lid bends several millimeters when twisted side-to-side, but does not do so vertically without extreme force. While holding the body of the laptop securely and pushing the screen, it wobbles backward and forward once each before stopping. The body of the laptop sports a magnesium infrastructure, an aluminum palm rest, and for the most part is rock-solid. There is some creaking near the optical drive when pushed on, but that was the only place I noticed any apparent weakness in the body. The laptop feels sturdier than similarly priced laptops, but I wouldn?????t go around dropping it on concrete or putting too much weight on the lid.
The 15.4??? WXGA matte screen is probably nothing to write home about, but I have been satisfied with its brightness and clarity. The 1280×800 resolution is sufficient but not quite high enough for my tastes. Gateway offers several upgrade options for the display, but this was one of the areas I cut corners on. There is minor light leakage near the bottom of the screen, but nothing that?????s noticeable unless you?????re specifically looking for it. Against a white background, some slightly uneven backlighting is apparent toward the bottom corners. Both light leakage and backlighting are better than my 17??? Acer desktop LCD. The unit shipped without any dead pixels that I can detect. Viewing angles are average at best: acceptable at a variety of horizontal angles, sub par for most vertical viewing angles.
Speakers
The speakers are typical laptop speakers ????? tinny and underpowered, but they get the job done in a relatively quiet room. For any serious use, external speakers or headphones are absolutely necessary. I have mixed feelings about Gateway?????s decision to place the speakers on the front side of the machine. On the one hand, I like that I can have music playing unobstructed with the lid closed; on the other hand, when the laptop is in my lap, the sound is blocked by my body. It?????s really a matter of personal preference.
Processor and Performance
The T7200 Core 2 Duo in my NX570X lives up to the hype and my expectations. Paired with 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 RAM, all non-graphics related tasks are as fast as can reasonably be expected from a mainstream laptop. Graphics, however, are really where this laptop falls down. The integrated Intel chipset is pathetic, but sufficient to run Aero on Vista. I tried to run Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (a 2003 game) and was averaging 15 fps. I didn?????t bother trying to run a more modern game. Because my desktop is suitable for gaming, this is not a major issue for me. The 5400 rpm hard drive is probably the bottleneck for my system, but I have no complaints. The time from when the Gateway splash screen appears to the Vista login screen is 29 seconds.
Heat and Noise
I am perhaps overly sensitive to heat and noise issues because I have had three Toshiba systems all with heat problems so bad they caused repeated system shutdowns. Even when the systems managed to stay on, the fans sounded like a Boeing. I have noticed that the fans on the Gateway are usually on at their lowest setting when using Vista?????s ???Power Saver??? mode, but they are only noticeable in a silent room. On ???High Performance??? mode and while running CPU-intensive tasks, the fans kick up to a higher setting. Still, the noise is within reason and not so excessive I would be embarrassed to bring the machine to class. The NX570X expels heat through a vent on the left-hand side and the body is warm to the touch on the bottom but usually cool on top, even after extended use. I have never felt uncomfortable with the laptop in my lap, even while wearing shorts. The optical drive is no louder than any other drive I?????ve had, and the sound emitted from it is (subjective as it may sound) more ???pleasing??? to me in that it sounds more like a fan than a high pitched whine or growl.
The keyboard is one place where I take slight issue with the NX570X. The keys are a little too ???clacky??? for my taste, making more noise than an average laptop keyboard. The ???Fn????? and ???Ctrl????? keys have been switched from their normal positions and I often find myself taking several seconds to make sure I am hitting the ???Ctrl????? key instead of the ???Fn????? key. Some keyboard flex is noticeable in normal typing when hitting keys close to the edges of the keyboard. My V2000z had huge gaps between some of the keys, so I am relieved to see that the gaps between keys are minimal on the NX570X. Dedicated buttons to control volume would be nice (a physical volume knob would be even nicer). One keyboard feature I do like is that the ???Fn????? + 1 combination turns on or off the power, HDD, WLAN, and battery LEDs. The touchpad is pretty standard, and while the touchpad buttons feel a little loose, I like that the touchpad itself features a raised ridge to separate the scroll area from the main touchpad.
March 9th, 2007
