Thursday, January 8, 2009
Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Apple to expand DRM-free music, new pricing
Apple has cut deals that will finally enable iTunes to offer songs free of copy protection software from the three largest music labels, according to two sources close to the negotiations. In exchange, Apple has agreed to become more flexible on pricing, the sources said.
Under the terms of the deal, song prices will be broken down into three categories--older songs from the catalog, midline songs (newer songs that aren't big hits), and current hits--said one of the sources. Apple has offered songs free of digital rights management protections from EMI for more than a year. But EMI accounts for less than 10 percent of music sold in the U.S.; these new deals will expand iTunes' DRM-free library to include songs from the other three major labels (Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner Music).
New HP ultraportable first to use AMD Neo chip
AMD Athlon Neo silicon details(Credit: AMD)
The dv2 will also come with WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) options as well as standard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Bahr Mahony, AMD's manager of mobile products, said in an interview that one of the few ultraportables available today with discrete graphics is the MacBook Air, but this starts at a whopping $1,800. (The Air uses Nvidia's GeForce 9400M graphics and Intel's Core 2 Duo low-voltage processors.)
The Athlon Neo platform can handle 1080p HD playback and a "casual" gaming experience with realistic 3D graphics, using the optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 graphics chip.
AMD's Athlon Neo processor--formerly code-named "Huron" under the platform codename "Yukon"--runs at 1.6GHz and has a power envelope of 15 watts, comparable to Intel ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) Core 2 Duo processors that power ultraportables today.
AMD's Neo does fall short in one respect, however. Currently it is only single-core, whereas Intel ULV processors are dual-core at a comparable power envelope, and, moreover, typically integrate 6MB level-2 cache memory to boost performance. AMD's Neo has only 512K of cache memory.
A dual-core chip, code-named "Conesus," will come in the second half of this year, according to AMD's Mahoney.
The first HP Pavilion dv2 ultrathin notebook is expected to be available from HP in the second quarter. Friday, December 19, 2008
Lenovo ThinkPad X301
Wi-Fi and Battery Life :
The 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi moves data at an excellent speed of 20.8 MB/s at a distance of 15 feet from the access point, and 18.7 MB/s at 50 feet. These are nice improvements over the 16.7 MB/s and 16.1 MB/s averages presented by the X300, and made for a pleasant surfing experience. Although the default configuration does not include integrated mobile broadband, you can add a 3G connection from AT&T ($80) or Verizon Wireless ($150), which also features integrated GPS. The X301 will support WiMAX and Ultra-Wideband technologies when they become available.
When it comes to long battery life, the X301 definitely falls short by quite a bit. Its six cell battery lasted only 3 hours and a half during tests. On the same test, Sony’s VAIO VGN-Z530N lasted 5 hours. A little more should be expected out of ultraportable laptops when it comes to battery life (at least 4 hours).
The X301 didn’t fare so well on all of its graphics tests. On the 3DMark03 benchmark, the X301 (which is powered by an Intel GMA X4500MHD graphics card) netted an 1812, a score that’s 400 points higher than its competitors and its predecessor the X300. However, the 3DMark06 score was 200 points less than other machines in its category. F.E.A.R was also tested in auto-detect mode, and the game ran at a miniscule 14fps. When the settings were increased to maximum, it ran at only 6fps. W.O.W ran at 27.4fps, which is okay, but it is important to remember that this is not a gaming laptop, and should not be expected to out perform Alienware, for example.
Lenovo’s X301’s boot-up time was a little slower than expected. The X301, with its 64GB SSD, took about 1 minute and 37 seconds to boot-up Windows Vista, almost 30 seconds slower than the average ultraportable and 48 seconds slower than the older X300. The SSD did not disappoint and definitely lived up to its fast transfer time copying a 5 GB folder in about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, however. The SSD has a transfer rate of 32.4 megabytes per second, which is miles ahead of the 13.4 megabyte per second transfer rate of competitors using mechanical drives. If 64GB does not fill your needs for capacity, an upgrade option is available for a 128GB SSD, which costs $400.Thursday, December 11, 2008
Samsung i900 Omnia review
There seems to be a lot going on in the Windows Mobile world at the moment and we are finding ourselves inundated with great new devices to play with. This one is no exception, the Samsung i900 Omnia is a fantastic looking Windows Mobile Professional device but does it live up to all the hype and the tag of potential iPhone killer. Well first off it looks like the iPhone, it has a very similar form factor but is slightly smaller, read on for the full details.
The Samsung i900 8 Gig, a standard Samsung battery as used on other Samsung Windows Mobile phones, mains charger, headset, data link cable, funky stylus and documentation. As we already know from previous Samsung reviews, they insist on using a proprietary connection for charging and headsets \ headphones. This one is no different but at least it comes with an adaptor that does give you a 3.5mm connector for your own headphones.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Review of Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, SuperDrive, black)
The good: Upgraded CPU for the same price; same great design; built-in Webcam and remote control; adds 802.11n support. The bad: Cutting-edge features are absent, including Intel's new Santa Rosa platform and LED-backlit displays. The bottom line: Apple's rightfully popular 13-inch MacBook gets a decent incremental upgrade, but we're still looking forward to the next version.
Price range: $1,497.48 - $1,799.89
Review of Alienware Area-51 m17x
Product Review : Dell Inspiron Mini 9
The good: More configurable than other Netbooks; good battery life; XP and Linux OS options.
The bad: Some awkward keyboard compromises; no SSD options larger than 16GB.
The bottom line: Dell's entry into the Netbook market means it's time to take these low-cost, low-power PCs seriously. The Inspiron Mini 9 is an excellent example of the form, if not radically different from the competition.
Specifications: Processor: Intel ATOM (1.6 GHz); RAM installed: 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM; Display: 8.9; Storage: 4GB ; Graphics Processor / Vendor: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 ; OS Provided : Ubuntu Linux version 8.04.1 ;
Price range: $349.00
Product summary : Acer Aspire 5735-4624
Laptop Advice
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Is Your PC Windows Vista Capable?
I bet all PC manufacturers are now bundling their computer with the latest Windows Vista operating system (OS) since the launch of the OS early this year. Most of the new PC are now built/designed for Windows Vista, but what about old PC that we are still using right now?
Many people, including myself, are curious to know whether is our PC Window Vista capable. I bought a Dell laptop end of 2006 and it is labeled Windows Vista capable. Hence, I have a chance to upgrade to Windows Vista for a minimal cost (some systems are entitled to free upgrade though). So, I headed over to Dell’s Vista Upgrade website to check for the cost of upgrading. This is what I got :-
The cost is reasonable, but what I was more curious is how efficient will my laptop become after upgrading to Windows Vista.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Accessories for: Samsung Digimax A50 Digital Camera
Accessories for: Samsung Digimax A50 Digital Camera
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Monday, March 26, 2007
Cheap Laptops:
A Brief Buyer's Guide To Good Cheap Laptop Computers
Shopping for good cheap laptops does not at all mean that you must lose out on great features or even worse end up with a machine that will break the first minute you switch it on. If you want to save some money or if your budget is limited, I have put together a mini-guide on buying good and cheap laptops online.
Good Cheap Laptops Buyer's Guide
- Why Shop For Or Buy A Cheap Notebook?
- 5 Simple Yet Effective Ways To Buying Cheap Laptop Computers
- Where To Shop For, Compare And Purchase Cheap Laptops
Cheap laptops >
First Things first...
Quick introductory question: "Why would anyone be looking at buying one or more cheap laptops?".
Well, everybody has his reasons... For one, good brand new laptop computers are quite expensive so it makes absolute sense to try and hunt down cheap deals. Two: some people have a tight budget. Three: if you're buying a laptop for a teenager for example who brakes anything he or she touches, why bother buying them an expensive one? Four: businesses might want to buy one or more notebooks for their employees and they might not want to spend a great deal of capital (I hope my boss is not reading this...).
As you see, many people have their different reasons for being in the cheap laptops shopping mode. If you're going to read this helpful article, you must be shopping for one to. So, let's cut to the chase and get to it right?
The Laptop Advisor's secrets to buying good yet cheap laptop computers.
1) The easiest way to buy good cheap laptops is by tracking down the brand and model of the notebook that you wish to purchase and then shop around from reputable various cheap laptop computers online stores buy the one that you want or need once find the best price.
But be careful though... if you come across a laptop price that is so low therefore that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Ask yourself where the "catch" is and if you can't find one, ask the stores' customer service personnel or simply look around in the help section.
I am sure that you'll agree with me that there's nothing worse than buying an item from somewhere at a very good price to only realize later that you must buy extra parts and accessories that were omitted purposefully to keep the price low that will trick unsuspecting shoppers. It has happened to me, beware that it does not happen to you! For example many retailers promote cheap prices on desktops but there's a small print somewhere that the monitor is not included yet the show the monitor in the picture of the system... how sneaky is that?
The real time you should trust an offer about cheap laptop computers if:
- The store is holding a sale
- If the store is big enough and can afford to stock a huge inventory of notebooks. This will justify the low prices as the mass purchase from their side will have resulted in a few savings that will be passed onto the shopper. We recommend such cheap laptops dealers.
Also, beware of cheap laptops online merchants that will not offer you the after-sales service that you deserve. This is how way they keep their prices low. They cut corners ( these merchants don't -- thank goodness)! It might save you a few hundreds dollars upfront but you will inherit endless nightmares should anything wrong. Trust me, with *all* laptop computers at some stage something will go haywire!
2) The best second way to shopping for cheap laptops is an effective one too. There's nothing magical about it. As matter of fact, it's so straight-forward yet many laptop computer buyers ignore it totally.
This secret of buying good cheap laptop computers involve selecting only those features that you need. Believe me, this no-brainer will save you hundreds of dollars. Hmmm... you're in doubt? OK... you're allowed to... as a matter of fact it's good that you don't take my word for gospel. But, I am going to prove it to you right here right now.
When I was shopping for a notebook, my budget was tight (as a musician, money is always...). One fellow musician had recommended that I get myself a Pentium 4 - 1,8 GHz powered machine that had at least 512 MB of RAM, 40 Gb and 16.1' display. After all, these were these were the specs of his laptop and if he was happy with his I'd be happy with the same kind of computer. I decided to bite the bullet and shell out US $ 2,700 to buy the laptop.
After months of saving up, I was ready. For some weird and rather coincidental reasons, one of my other musician friend performed the night before the big purchase day at a bar in the city next to where I lived. I went to see him play live and asked what specs of his laptop were... I nearly fainted when he told me that it had a Celeron processor, ran at 1 GHz, had 256 MB of RAM and 20 Gb. He told me that those specs were actually double of the music software and if I wanted I could even aim lower and get a cheap laptop computer! This story is getting to long so I'll cut it short: I saved myself as much as US $ 1300!
Do you see how easy it is to get cheap laptops? I am sure that, you don't need as much notebook specifications that you think you need. You can contact me or the customer service personnel of the listed online retailers as our expert advice can save you hundreds of dollars!
3) Another obvious way to getting cheap laptops is to wait for technological advances. Yes, patience can be a secret to getting great cheap laptop computers deals. What do I mean by that?
When Pentium 4 powered laptops hit the market, the P III prices dropped at a favorable rate for the shopper. When processor speeds went past the 2.0 GHz mark, anything below that was instantly considered slow and prices of such laptop computers dropped to. And you know what, such changes do not make the latest notebooks any better of faster than the current or now old ones!
Watch out for such tech changes. Needless to say, you need to be clued up and be ready to move fast as many shoppers are on the lookout for such price changes. If just want a cheap laptop and do not care about having to become a tech nerd, simple befriend one, blackmail or bribe him/ her to watch such deals for you :o)!
4) The fourth way I can think of to get cheap laptops is to identify dealers that sell refurbished laptops. Just in case you don't know what that means, let me explain as simply as I can.
Refurbished laptop computers consists of notebooks that were sent back to the manufacturer to be "renewed". This means that they will be given new parts if the previous were defective, in other words that the machine will be as good as a new notebook expect that it isn't.
Obviously, retailers will sell such systems at a very good price for the simple reason that they're not brand new even if their condition is the same as the brand new ones. I am a big fan of such cheap laptops shopping as it's a way to get an normally expensive machine for way much less than the selling price.
More info about refurbished laptops coming soon.
5) The fifth way to buying cheap laptops is also deceptively straight forward.
It consists of getting cheap laptop computers by purchasing previously owned and used laptops. There are a few reasons why anyone would want to sell his/ her laptop: upgrade to a faster model, inability to pay for it fully, the need of using it might disappear (for example: a freelancer who finds a permanent job and gets a desktop), companies selling their inventory, people needing something different for a change (yes, it happens especially among people in love with technology -- technophiles) and so on...
Shopping for this kind of cheap laptops can get tricky though. Before I buy anything that is used, I always ask myself or the current owner or seller why he or she wants to get rid of it. If the answer satisfies me, I will then proceed. If it doesn't, I'll run as fast as I can.
I'll never forget one man who put his laptop at ebay for auction and said that the machine was in mint condition and yet the picture revealed that the poor laptop was held together by masking tape that's how messed up it was.
Such a method to acquire cheap laptops will have detailed article someday. Please, keep checking back for the link.
OK... that's all that I can think of for the moment on how to shop for cheap laptops. I hope that my tips were helpful and if you can send me your comments about this article, if you have more secrets to shopping and buying cheap laptop computers (you'll be give credit of course) and the rest of the site in general, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Below, I have included a list of merchants that thousands cheap laptops shoppers have trusted for years. At these websites, you are guaranteed cheap laptop computers according to the tips that I have shared with you. If you're looking for a certain brand of laptop computer, then please use the navigation bar on the left and click on the relevant manufacturer. Good luck and remember to keep me in touch with your experiences, good and bad ;)
Happy cheap laptop computers shopping!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Ask The Laptop Advisor
If you have a question please feel free to send it over and I will reply to it on this site. I receive quite a flood of emails from laptop shoppers so I can only answer a few a day depending on my availability (I have a very busy life!).
Enjoy these articles and all the best in your laptop hunting or ownership.
Sincerely,
Guru, The Laptop Advisor
- Free Laptop Computers: Myth or Little Known Gold Mine?
- What Apple Laptop To Shop For?
- Exactly How To Compare Laptops!
- Shopping for a used Dell Laptop? Start Here!
- Laptop Memory Shopping: What You Should Know First
- Shopping For Durable Laptop Cases?
- Where To Find Custom-built Laptops
- Any Advice For A Used Laptop Computer Shopper?
- Is eBay a Cheap Laptop Sales Heaven?
- Dell Laptop Still A Worthy Shopping Option?
- What Should I Look For in a Laptop Backpack?
- What Should I Know About Laptop Hard Drives?
- What Laptop Computer Brand To Buy?
- Should I Purchase a New Laptop Hard Drive?
- Whatever happened to IBM laptops?
- How long will my laptop computer last?
- What Should I Know About Laptop Batteries?
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Top Brand Laptops
Everex StepNote VA4103M, Celeron M 410, 15.4" WXGA, 512MB, 60GB, DVD Burner, 802.11g Windows Vista Home Basic » for $449.99 at CircuitCity.com
| The Everex StepNote VA4103M delivers capable processing, energy-efficiency, and a light package that’s perfect for travel.
How to get this deal:
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HP Pavilion dv6205us, Core™ Duo T2060, 1.60GHz, 15.4"WXGA, 512MB, 80GB, SuperMulti 8x DVD drive, 5-in-1 memory card reader, 802.11b/g » for $579.99 at Officedepot.com
| The HP Pavilion dv6205us is designed for portable digital entertainment and powerful computing. It features Centrino Duo mobile technology, with the Intel Core Duo processor and multiformat Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, its 15.4" widescreen BrightView display, SuperMulti DVD burner and 80GB hard drive let you handle today's media, applications and mobile computing.
How to get this deal:
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Acer Aspire AS5610-2273, Pentium® Dual-Core T2060, 15.4" WXGA, 1GB RAM, 80GB, SuperMulti DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support, 5-in-1 media reader, Windows Vista Home Premium, 802.11b/g » for $599.99 at BestBuy.com
| This notebook features Windows Vista Home Premium to put you in control of your favorite multimedia. The 5-in-1 media reader and DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive make it easy to share digital images with friends and family.
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Toshiba Satellite A135-S4427, Intel Core Duo T2250, 15.4" WXGA, 1GB RAM, 120GB, SuperMulti DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support, 5-in-1 media reader, 802.11b/g » for $749.99 at BestBuy.com
| Easily manage your photos, music and video clips with this stylish notebook that boasts an Intel® Core™ Duo processor, 5-in-1 bridge media adapter and double-layer recordable DVD drive.
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