With their Ideapad range Lenovo has got something for just about everyone and their budget. The lightweight ‘S’ netbook doesn’t have many bells and whistles but if you want a laptop that is light and will handle your word processing and basic internet tasks like email quickly then this affordable netbook is just the ticket. Lenovo have a midrange model, called ‘U’ which stands for ultra portable, which it is. It is a pretty serious piece of hardware and the dual processor means you can do a lot at the same time without too much drain on the battery. Finally we have the Lenovo Ideapad ‘Y’. This is the high performance model and it lives up to expectations including among other things, Dolby Home Theatre surround sound… that’s right.
Check out our review of the Lenovo Ideapad range here and let us know what you think. Is there something there for you? Personally the idea of surround sound on my notebook is pretty exciting.
Acer Extensa is a machine that is meant for work, and I mean that as a compliment. It is designed for power, portability and performance, especially in its multimedia capability. This notebook will not drag its feet when completing tasks while other programmes are running and it has a generous LED screen so it looks good doing it. Gamers are not stoked with the performance but hey, if you primarily use your notebook for more serious pursuits then we reckon you will not be disappointed. And the performance when it comes to multimedia more than makes up for it. How important is gaming to you? Or is that something you could not care less about? What about the size of a notebook and its screen? Let us know what are the key factors for you when it comes to picking a notebook computer.
The new Acer Aspire lives up to Acer’s reputation as a solidly performing notebook brand. It can more than hold its own with the best in its class and the price is pretty hard to top. The processing speed has improved on its predecessors which is a welcome improvement and there are some unexpected features which are very pleasing. Where the Acer Aspire has really come ahead is in the aesthetics and the design. It is definitely a sexier version of the Acer notebook.We took a look at the new Acer Aspire and we were impressed. Personally I can’t believe what you get for the price! When you’re looking for a notebook, what features are you looking for? And how important is price. Let us know in the comments.
HP is taking it to Apple with its latest range of notebook computers, upping the stakes in terms of the look and feel of their laptops as well as ensuring that the performance doesn’t lag behind either. While there is an ugly duckling in the range, for the most part the performance will leave us all happy although perhaps the biggest downside of HP’s range might be the limited output features on some of the laptops. I don’t know about you, but I think it is time someone challenged Apple’s domination over sexy hardware and I think HP is making a good go of it, apart from the HP Pavilion DV3540TX, I mean brown… Really? What were they thinking?! We thought we would check out HP’s new notebooks and here are our thoughts. Is HP onto to something here or will Apple continue to trample all-comers in the hot hardware department.
Notebooks are not generally renowned for their performance when it comes to gaming but Dell is definitely trying to change that. With their new XPS range Dell have ramped up the capacity of their notebooks including creating the first laptop, the XPS M1730, with an AGEIA PhysX Card. Its a heavy sucker though, so you are not going to want to carry it around everyday and it does leave a bit to be desired when it comes to output options, strangely there’s no HDMI port for example. That issue is more than taken care of by its little brother, the XPS M1530. We took a look at the three notebooks in the XPS range and were pretty impressed with what we found. These notebooks lack the good looks of others in the Dell range but they more than make up for it in performance especially if you want the opportunity to spend hours gaming anywhere you like.
As a small business owner it can be tough to find a notebook that is a step up from your home computer but won’t break the bank and still has the functionality you need to run your business. Dell have seen this niche and created the Vostro range to fill it. The notebooks in the Vostro range are unlikely to win prizes for sleekness but they are sturdy where it counts. They also have full size keyboards and reasonably generous screens, all of which make them functional when operating in lieu of a desktop computer. As with most Dell computers you can upgrade and add on to create the machine you want, but remember too that all of this comes with additional costs. If you are wanting to use the Vostro in your small business it may seem a little cheeky that the Vostro comes with Windows Vista Home Edition rather than the more comprehensive Ultimate Edition as standard. We took a look at these computers and we were pretty pleased with the results Vostro is a good solid, sturdy performer, with some useful extras.
Call me shallow but I like my computers to look as good as they perform. In todays day and ages the technology you carry around says some about you, and I want mine to say… well you can use your imagination. But don’t get me wrong, my notebook has to work and work hard, anywhere, anytime so I am not looking for style over substance. Dell’s Adamo may be my perfect match. It has sleek good looks, loads of battery life, a big HD screen and it is light and thin. Not to mention fast… very fast. To read more about the object of my affection, read our review of Dell’s Adamo notebook here. Dell’s Adamo is not cheap, you will have to fork out about as much as for a MacBook Air… but you know what they say, good things may come in small packages but they usually don’t come cheap. This is not the only assault on the Apple’s bastion of sexy and functional notebook computers. Is Dell mounting a serious challenge? Or am I just swayed by the sexy styling? Continue reading »
