ASUS Releases Laptop For True Transformers Fan

ASUS has developed a sick looking transformer version of one of its gaming notebooks. Unfortunately, you can't exactly go to the store and buy it.


The Transformers-edition laptop from ASUS is based on the G60 gaming laptop, which features a 15.6" HD display, a quad core processor, a hot Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M GPU, and other such specs befitting a computer that is imitating all powerful robots. It even has a turbo button for instant overclocking. Rumor has it that this model will have a voice activated command of "transform!" to activate this feature (author's note: that rumor is entirely based on the hopes and dreams of this author).

The downside is that it's a one-off production unit designed as a prize for people who pre-register with Odeon Cinemas in the UK.



[via laptoplogic]

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Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Review

The IdeaPad S10-2 is the latest generation 10" netbook from Lenovo, offering the 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom processor and a 6-cell extended battery. Lenovo redesigned this netbook to make it look slimmer and more attractive than its predecessor, giving the edges a rounded look and a more modern appearance. In our review we see how well the IdeaPad S10-2 performs in our tests, to help you make an informed buying decision.


Our Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Configuration:

* 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
* 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
* Windows XP Home Edition (SP3)
* 10.1" WSVGA Glossy LED-backlit display with integrated camera 1024x600
* 160GB 5400rpm Western Digital Scorpio Blue hard drive
* Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
* Broadcom 11b/g Wi-Fi wireless
* 4-in-1 Media card
* 6-Cell Li-ion 10.8v 4.06Ah 44Wh battery
* 40W AC Adapter
* Size: 10.2" x 7.6" x 0.7-1.8" (including battery)
* Weight: 2lbs 11oz, 3lbs 5.4oz travel weight
* Starting price: $439 (Currently on sale for $349 at the time of this review)

full story
[via notebookreview.com]

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CyberPower Extreme M1

At $2,300, CyberPower’s Extreme M1 17-inch gaming notebook is the antithesis of the budget Gateway P-7811 FX we’ve been raving about for months. The most obvious extravagance you get for the higher price is dual-GPU graphics in the form of two ATI Radeon HD 3870 cards in CrossFireX. The Extreme M1’s 2.53GHz T9400 Core 2 Duo CPU is also 270MHz faster and features twice the cache as the Gateway’s proc, its 320GB hard drive is more than 50 percent bigger, and its optical drive supports Blu-ray playback.


The question is, how do these extras translate in performance? Compared with our zero-point notebook, the Extreme M1 excelled in all the benchmarks to varying degrees—not surprising, given the zero-point’s age. Against the Gateway P-7811 FX, there was a little more give and take. For example, in the ProShow Producer and MainConcept benchmarks, CyberPower’s rig had gains hovering around 10 percent, which is proportionate to the M1’s clock-speed advantage over the Gateway’s 2.26GHz CPU. But in our Photoshop benchmark, the Extreme M1 was actually around 7 percent slower than Gateway’s P-7811 FX.

Gaming was an even more interesting story. We didn’t expect the dual-GPUs in the Extreme M1 to really flex their muscle in our standard notebook benchmarks, as FEAR and Quake 4 aren’t that graphically intensive, particularly at the mild settings we use in our mobile tests. But we certainly weren’t expecting the Extreme M1 to turn out just 28fps in FEAR—that’s 74 percent slower than Gateway’s budget machine. Without any clear explanation for the performance lag, we forged on. In Quake 4, the Extreme M1 was a more expected 7 percent faster than Gateway’s P-7811 FX.

We went a step further and tested the Extreme M1 with our desktop gaming benchmarks as well. After all, the CrossFireX graphics should be up to the task of more graphically challenging titles. And sure enough, we were able to run Crysis at the M1’s 1920x1200 native resolution and set to Very High Quality, albeit at just 15fps. With Unreal Tournament 3, the Extreme M1 surpassed even some gaming desktops with 114fps. Gateway’s P-7811 FX, with its single GeForce 9800N GTS, achieved half the frame rate in those two games: 8fps and 74fps for Crysis and UT3, respectively. Indeed, the overall gaming prowess of the Extreme M1 convinced us that the FEAR score is likely the result of a driver issue and not any hardware shortcoming.

Yet despite its competence as a gaming rig, we have some reservations about the Extreme M1. It’s heavier than most gaming notebooks, weighing close to 13 pounds with its power brick; its 12-cell battery can’t supply juice for a full two hours—we got one hour and 50 minutes through a standard-def DVD in power-saving mode; and its speakers are weak and tinny. Even more troubling, the Extreme M1 doesn’t feel all that sturdy to us: There was a slight buckling to the strip of touch-sensitive controls above the machine’s keyboard, and the lid of the notebook showed scratches after just a few days of indoor use—it’s little consolation that the scratches were camouflaged by all the smudges and fingerprints that quickly covered the machine’s shiny black veneer. For the price of this notebook, we’d expect better quality.

Specifications


CPU : Intel 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile T9400
RAM : 4GB DDR3/1.066MHz
Chipset : Intel PM45
Hard Drive : Western Digital 320GB WD3200BEKT-22F3T0 (7,200rpm)
Optical : HL-DT-ST BDDVDRW CT10N
GPU : Dual ATI Radeon HD 3870 (CrossFireX)
Boot/Down : 37 sec / 49 sec
Lap/Carry : 9 lbs, 11oz / 12 lbs, 12oz


BENCHMARKS

Zero Point CyberPower Extreme M1

Premiere Pro CS3 : 1, 860 sec 1,517 sec
Photoshop CS3 : 237 sec 207 sec
ProSho : 2,416 sec 1,834 sec
MainConcept : 3,498 sec 3,270 sec
FEAR1.07 : 14 fps 28 fps (100%)
Quake 4 : 29.1 fps 142 fps (+388%)

[via maximumpc]

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Asus Eee PC 1000HE Review

Asus started the netbook craze with its tiny, 7-inch Eee PC. Shortly thereafter, every notebook manufacturer except Apple produced at least one tiny and inexpensive laptop just like it. Nowadays, netbooks are not that tiny anymore - little by little they have increased in size from 7" via 9" and now the standard screen size of a netbook is 10 inches. Even a couple of 12-inch models have been released.

Hardware

What they all have in common is the hardware - with a few deviations it consists of an Intel Atom CPU at 1.6GHz, 1GB or RAM, a 160GB hard drive and integrated GMA950 graphics. The Eee PC, however, has been upgraded with an ever so slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom processor and a higher 667MHz FSB speed instead of earlier models which had 533MHz.

The speed increase is not big enough to be noticeable, but you might feel better purchasing an upgraded model. Asus' main selling point with the 1000HE is the battery life. According to the manufacturer, you should be able to keep it alive for 9.5 hours without resorting to an outlet. To achieve this formidable battery life, you need to use aggressive power-saving schemes, no Wi-Fi and turn the brightness all the way down. In our general usage test it still delivered more than 7 hours, which is still more than acceptable.
Design

As far as the design goes, the Eee PC 1000 HE stays with the concept we've seen in previous Eee netbooks. The keyboard is almost full size (92%) and the trackpad buttons are slightly tilted in the front. The entire casing of the netbook is glossy, which enhances the overall look but also attracts fingerprints easily.

On the whole, the design of the 1000HE focuses on usability; it's not spectacularly thin like some of its siblings, such as Asus S101 netbook, but it certainly gets the job done with flying colors. Besides, keeping the design simple also helps keep the price to a minimum, which is often the deciding factor for a netbook buyer.
Connectivity and Features

The ports have been placed on the left- and right-hand sides of the laptop - none at the back. On the right is a memory card reader, 2 USB and VGA and on the left is another USB port, Ethernet, and audio line in/out.
Summary

While there are better looking netbooks on the market, the Eee PC 1000HE comes at a very attractive price point and offers excellent battery life. It's also very easy to use thanks to the large keyboard, and has all the features that the competition offer plus a little extra. Combine these aspects and you have one of the best netbooks currently available.
Asus Eee PC 1000HE Technical Specifications

* Processor Atom N280 1.66GHz
* Memory 1GB DDR2
* Harddrive 160GB
* OS Windows XP Home
* Weight 3lbs
* Screen 10 inches
* Screen resolution 1024x600
* Graphic Card Intel GMA 950
* Battery Life 7.5 hours

[via laptopical]

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MSI CR400 notebook is first in Classic series

MSI revealed a brand new notebook today with their CR400. This 14-inch notebook is the first in a new series for the company called Classic and is apparently just the first in what will be an expanding line up.



This series is intended to be high-end. The notebook features a uni-body design, Color Film Print and 45-degree edges. It also has high quality specs with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a LED-backlit display with a 1,366 x 768 resolution and a NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G graphics card.

Other features include Windows Vista Home Premium, a 4-in-1 card reader, DVD drive, Wi-Fi, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and three USB ports. Options include your choice of a 250GB, 320GB or 500GB hard drive, Bluetooth, a nine-cell battery and more. We don’t know how much the CR400 will cost or when it’ll be released but we’ll keep you up to date.

[via slashgear]

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HP ProBook 4710s Review

The HP ProBook 4710s is a low-priced 17-inch business notebook designed to provide businesses with a good desktop replacement notebook without breaking the bank. If your company wants the HP Elitebook 8730w but has a tight budget, the ProBook 4710s might be a good alternative at a starting price of just $899. Is this budget-priced notebook as good as it sounds? Keep reading to find out.


Our pre-production review unit of the ProBook 4710s is configured as follows:

* Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 2.53GHz Processor (3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
* Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit)
* 17.3-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD+ display (1600 x 900)
* ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 512MB
* 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM
* 320GB 5400RPM HDD
* LightScribe DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, Bluetooth 2.0
* 8-Cell 63WHr Battery
* Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
* Dimensions: 1.26" x 16.17" x 10.63"
* Weight: 6.8lbs
* Price as configured: $1,099
Build and Design
The HP ProBook 4710s, like the rest of the new HP ProBook family, is a low-cost business notebook designed specifically for small and medium businesses. Translation: this desktop replacement notebook needs to have a good balance of performance, security, reliability and extras all at an affordable price. Most notebooks designed for small and medium business tend to sacrifice build quality in order to help lower the cost of production and lower the cost to customers. On that note, the ProBook 4710s looks very similar to a HP EliteBook 8730w with all plastic construction, a new keyboard and all black finish.

The HP EliteBook line uses strong magnesium alloy chassis designs and premium internal components. In order to lower the cost and weight of the 17-inch ProBook 4710s, HP constructed this notebook mostly of plastic. The base of the laptop flexes heavily under pressure, the palmrests likewise bow when pressed firmly, and the back of the screen lid is similarly prone to flex. The plastics used in the 4710s will surely survive the typical use and abuse seen by most office desktop replacements, but the chassis might not survive multiple drops off a desk or the kind of abuse we expect the EliteBook series to handle with ease. The key point to remember in this section is that the ProBook 4710s looks pretty nice, but isn't designed to be a rugged mobile workhorse. Thankfully, HP still offers some good internal components to help make the ProBook 4710s a solid value.

[via notebookreview]

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MacBook Pros (13-inch and 15-inch, Mid 2009) Review

We’re over the surprise of seeing new MacBook Pro models arrive at Apple’s WWDC keynote, and on paper the new 13- and 15-inch notebooks certainly tick most of the consumer boxes. Our first-impressions – which you can find with our video unboxing – were that the new Pros have emphasized the most-used functionality at the expense of dropping some of the more marginally used features. Have those opinions changed? Check out our full review after the cut.



We listed the main changes in our unboxing post, but aside from the inevitable processor, RAM and storage tweaks the biggest changes are Firewire 800, SD card compatibility, new displays and integrated batteries. Most of the time we found – Pro branding or not – that using the two notebooks was exactly the same as using their previous-gen unibody versions. That means you get the same, well-balanced and tactile keyboard, highly-glossy display coating, excellent build quality and an integrated DVD drive.

Turning to the 13-inch model first, we feel this is where new MacBook Pro buyers are getting the most for their money. Apple claim their new LCD panel offers a much-improved color gamut, and from switching between it, its predecessor and our MacBook Air we’ll certainly agree that the newest screen is also the most usable. Colors are richer – assuming you’re not battling reflections – and viewing angles are far greater than before. Dropping the ExpressCard slot is probably not something 13.3-inch notebook buyers will find especially distressing, and the addition of an SD card slot makes perfect sense for this portable machine. You also lose a separate audio-in socket, gaining iPhone headset compatibility with the remaining socket.

The integrated battery has done its work polarizing opinion in the MacBook Air and 17-inch MacBook Pro, so it comes as little surprise to see Apple rolling it out across more of their range. Their argument has always been that by sacrificing user-access they can fit in a larger, hence longer-lasting pack, and that bore out with our review unit. With casual use – browsing over WiFi, a little Office document work – we generally noticed an extra hour of runtime above the last-gen 13-inch model with its accessible pack. Apple suggest you’ll see the equivalent of five years use out of the battery before a replacement is required, though more frequent charge/discharge cycles will impact on that estimate, and in our experience most users have chosen to upgrade their notebook before that sort of time has passed. If you do need to upgrade, Apple charge $129 for the new battery and fitting it; as we’ve seen in teardowns, it’s also relatively straightforward to do so yourself, and we’re told Apple’s warranty will generally look kindle on anybody who does so, assuming they avoid other notebook injury along the way.

Our battery experience proved less impressive on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Runtimes were generally a little longer than on the last-gen model it replaces, but Apple’s predictions of up to 8hrs use seemed hopelessly optimistic; we generally achieved a little over half of that, and that’s with what we’d describe as “normal” use. With the longevity failing to materialize, we’re less enthusiastic about having a non-removable pack in the mid-range Pro, and from talking to other users considering upgrades it’s a common concern. Our experience – both anecdotally and from trawling the tradeshows – is that those people buying the 15-inch model are more likely to carry a spare battery.

That concern has carried over to the missing ExpressCard slot. What seems a reasonable exchange on the newly promoted 13-inch Pro feels less so on this more mainstream model. The 15-inch Pro has found plenty of favor with the sort of people who regularly make use of ExpressCard audio or video interfaces, and those users face either investing in USB or FireWire peripherals or stepping up to the bigger, more expensive and less portable 17-inch Pro. It’s always ambiguous to compare one manufacturer’s design to another’s, but we can’t help but look at rivals that squeeze ExpressCard, SD, optical drive and more into the same – or smaller – dimensions and wish Apple had prioritized the same.

In terms of performance, there’s an obvious boost over the last-gen models. Our 13-inch MacBook Pro review unit came with the top-spec 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo P8700 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. In Geekbench, the notebook scored a healthy 3847 overall.

As for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, that came with the 2.80GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and dual graphics: switchable between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated chipset and the GeForce 9600M GT with its own 512MB of memory. As with previous Apple notebooks offering such a setup, changing between the two graphics options demands logging out and back in again. It scored 4211 in Geekbench.

The new MacBook Pro models are just as attractive, portable and capable, performance-wise, as their predecessors, and they remain a strong option for anybody looking for either a portable or mainstream notebook. The 13-inch model benefits well from the spec decisions Apple has made, though we might argue that it sits somewhere in-between what we’d traditionally think of as the MacBook and MacBook Pro ranges. At this level, an SD card slot seems far more likely to get used than ExpressCard ever did, and the extra hour or so of battery independence is a welcome addition.

We’re not so convinced by the changes brought to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, however. An SD card reader is something we’ve long been asking for, but we’ve a feeling that many people may have held their tongue if they’d known it would come at the expense of the ExpressCard slot. That sort of connectivity, paired with Apple’s legendary A/V-friendliness, has seen the 15-inch Pro gain quite the following among media-manglers, and we’d imagine they’re not too impressed by what, from their perspective, is a considerable change in hardware direction. Mainstream features have arrived at the expense of some flexibility, and while we’ve no doubt that Apple’s statistic – that most users never actually slotted in an ExpressCard to the models that support it – is well supported by their market research, it’s little consolation by those in the minority percentage.

With the range of configuration options already on offer, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a more adaptable 15-inch MacBook Pro in future. At least a paid ExpressCard option would mean that users committed to the format could still keep the notebook on their shortlist. As it stands, like the 13-inch model it’s a usable, attractive and undeniably appealing laptop, with a great display, admirable performance and an OS that not only works well now but that’s set to improve once again when Snow Leopard arrives. Let’s just hope that for their next generation Apple decides to reconnect with the minority users that, in many cases, have been its most vocal advocates.

source : slashgear

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