Wednesday, 18 February 2009

Notebook Review Spec : Toshiba Tecra R10

by Jerry Jackson

The Toshiba Tecra R10 is an attractive 14.1" business notebook featuring the latest Intel processors and Nvidia Quadro NVS 150M wrapped inside an impressively thin shell. The Tecra R10 inherits its good looks from Toshiba's Portege line of business notebooks, but are good looks and an impressive spec sheet enough to meet the demands of road warriors? Take a look and see what we have to say about this sleek laptop.

Our review unit of Toshiba Tecra R10 features the following configuration:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 Processor (2.26GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
  • Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business (64-bit)
  • 14.1-inch WXGA LED backlit screen (1280 x 800)
  • 128MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M graphics
  • 3GB DDR2 800MHz SDRAM
  • 160GB 7200RPM Toshiba 2.5" HDD
  • DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer)
  • Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR connectivity
  • 5100mAh Li-Ion Battery
  • 3-Year Standard Limited Warranty
  • Dimensions: 1.13" x 13.3" x 9.9"
  • Weight: 4.34lbs
  • MSRP: $1,549

Build and Design
The Toshiba Tecra R10 is a business notebook designed for corporate road warriors who want a thin and attractive laptop with enough power to get most jobs done. The Tecra line has been popular with large business clients for years, but Toshiba realized the need to improve the overall design and decided to borrow key elements from the ultraportable "Portege" series of notebooks. Does the R10 succeed in making the Tecra line more appealing? You bet.

The main body of the laptop is made of a plastic and aluminum outer shell that is scratch resistant but suffers from some flex around the palmrests. The base of the laptop feels very strong thanks to a metal substructure that provides additional support, so this laptop should survive many bumps and bruises in your backpack or car. There is an unfortunate amount of flex in the keyboard, but not enough to cause serious problems while typing. Overall, the R10 isn't rugged enough for you to stand on, but it should prove rugged enough for average use.

The outer shell of the screen casing is made of plastic with a metal support structure underneath. The laptop screen housing sufferes from a fair amount of flex, but pressing on the back of the display doesn't cause any screen ripples or distortion.

Display
The Tecra R10 comes equipped with a 14.1" anti-glare widescreen with 1280 x 800 resolution and LED backlighting. This certainly isn't the most impressive screen resolution on the market, but it's more than enough for a 14-inch display. The most important thing to consider might be the fact that this screen has excellent readability under bright sunlight, so if you're a road warrior it's easy to read the screen while you're on the road.

When viewing the screen from straight ahead, colors are rich and the contrast is excellent. Horizontal viewing angles are almost as impressive, but the vertical viewing angles from above and below aren't quite as impressive.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The 85-key keyboard on the R10 is nice with matte silver keys that are clearly visible in low light. Each key has a good amount of feedback but the overall keyboard lacks enough support to prevent flex when you apply heavy typing pressure.

The layout of the keyboard is just slightly different than what you might find on most 14-inch notebooks due to the location of the quick launch keys. Toshiba includes three shortcut keys for power, the "Toshiba Assist" button, and a Windows Mobility Center button. Because these buttons are located on the left side of hte keyboard Toshiba had to make several keyboard keys smaller ... which can lead to a few typos if you're a touch typist who never looks at the keyboard.

The touchpad features the same silver finish used on the keyboard and held up well during our tests. The touchpad in our review unit is an Alps touchpad, but unlike most Alps touchpads we've reviewed this touchpad was quite responsive and free from any cursor lag issues. The only negative issues we had with the touchpad were the relatively small size of the touchpad and the fact that the touchpad buttons are a little painful to use. The polished silver touchpad buttons have extremely shallow presses so if you tend to press hard with your thumb you will end up with a sore thumb by the end of an 8-hour work day. Also, since the fingerprint reader is located between the touchpad buttons it's easy to accidentally trigger the fingerprint reader with your thumb and get an error message on the screen ... if the fingerprint reader is active.

Speakers
The built-in stereo speakers produce average quality sound for a 14-inch notebook with a good range of highs, middles, but virtually no bass. The overall sound quality is a little tinny, but not bad for a business notebook. The highest volume settings are more than loud enough to fill an office with sound for a presentation, but are still clear and not distorted.



The headphone jack on the left side of the R10 works well with the two different brands of earphones I used during the test. No static or other noise was noticed through the jack besides imperfections in the audio source itself. I also appreciated the physical volume wheel on the notebook which made it quick and easy to adjust volume levels.

Performance and Benchmarks
Our review unit of the Tecra R10 came with the Intel P9300 processor, clocking in at 2.26GHz, and jammed packed with 6MB of cache. For graphics, Toshiba included an Nvidia Quadro NVS 150M series video card with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. A fast 160GB 7200 RPM hard drive was also included, which helped applications load without much lag. This entry-level business laptop didn't exceed our expectations, but it certainly has more than enough computing power to handle average business tasks like working in Microsoft Office, editing photos in Adobe Photoshop, or navigating the web.

With that said, let's jump into the performance benchmarks.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Toshiba Tecra R10 (Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 @ 2.26GHz)
 34.056 seconds
Dell Latitude E6400 (Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 @ 2.53GHz) 30.497 seconds
HP EliteBook 8530w (Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 @ 2.53GHz)
 30.919 seconds
Lenovo T400 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 @ 2.8GHz)
 27.410 seconds
Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 @ 1.6GHz)
 53.827 seconds
Toshiba Tecra M9 (Core 2 Duo T7500 @ 2.2GHz)
 37.299 seconds

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Toshiba Tecra R10 (2.26GHz Intel P9300, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M 128MB) 4,373 PCMarks
Dell Latitude E6400 (2.53GHz Intel P9500, Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M 256MB) 5,780 PCMarks
HP EliteBook 8530w (2.53GHz Intel T9400, Nvidia Quadro FX 770M 512MB)
 6,287 PCMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3)
 6,589 PCMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 3,585 PCMarks
Toshiba Tecra M9 (2.2GHz Intel T7500, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 130M 128MB) 3,723 PCMarks

3DMark06 measures video and gaming performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Toshiba Tecra R10 (2.26GHz Intel P9300, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M 128MB) 1,822 3DMarks
Dell Latitude E6400 (2.53GHz Intel P9500, Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M 256MB) 1,818 3DMarks
HP EliteBook 8530w (2.53GHz Intel T9400, Nvidia Quadro FX 770M 512MB) 5,230 3DMarks
Lenovo T400 (2.80GHz Intel T9600, ATI Radeon 3470 256MB GDDR3) 2,575 3DMarks
Dell Vostro 1500 (1.6GHz Intel T5470, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS) 1,269 3DMarks
Toshiba Tecra M9 (2.2GHz Intel T7500, NVIDIA Quadro NVS 130M 128MB) 1,115 3DMarks

*All 3DMark06 benchmark tests are set at 1280 x 800 screen resolution.

HDTune storage drive performance results:

Ports and Features
The Tecra R10 features a good number of ports on all sides, so let us take a brief tour ...

Left side:

Here we see the VGA out, security lock slot, combo USB/eSATA port, USB port, microphone and headphone jacks, as well as the physical volume dial.

Right side:

Optical drive, ExpressCard slot, wireless on/off, USB, Ethernet, and power jack.

Rear side:

The battery and hinges.

Front side:

The only port on the front side is the SD card reader located in the middle of the notebook.

The R10 also features an 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi card and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, both of which always worked without any dropped signals.

If there is any problem with the port layout, it's the location of the ExpressCard slot. As shown in the image below, if you insert a typical ExpressCard device into the slot it will block the optical drive ... preventing you from inserting or ejecting DVDs.



Heat and Noise
During normal use (browsing the web or working on a text document) the Tecra R10 remained nice and quiet. Even after watching some streaming video online and after stressing the graphics the cooling fan inside the laptop barely gets loud enough to hear.

Finally, we recorded the following external temperatures using an IR thermometer after running two consecutive PCMark05 benchmarks. This should serve as an indicator of how hot the notebook will get after about 30 minutes of serious use. All temperatures are listed in degrees Fahrenheit. While the R10 isn't the coldest notebook we've reviewed, it does stay amazing cool considering the reasonably powerful processor and graphics.

Battery
The battery life is something we always want to pay close attention to when looking at business notebooks, and the Tecra R10 failed to impress in this area. During our timed tests, the laptop was set up for the "balanced" power profile, screen brightness at about 70%, WiFi on, and accessing the hard drive while listening to music files and editing documents in Microsoft Office. The laptop shut down after exactly 2 hours and 52 minutes with 3% of the battery left, which is acceptable for light use, but not particularly impressive. Battery life can also be extended via using the "power saver" power profile in Vista, or with a secondary battery.

Conclusion
The Toshiba Tecra R10 is the best looking, best performing Tecra notebook we've seen in years. The Tecra line of notebooks often lacked the polish of the rest of Toshiba's laptops, but thanks to some design elements from the Toshiba Portege line, the new Tecra notebooks look as good as they perform. Still, the attractive R10 is not without its flaws.

Designers seemingly had some trouble figuring out where to put things in this notebook since the ExpressCard slot, fingerprint reader, and quick launch keys all should have been located elsewhere. The touchpad buttons work great, but the shallow press of the buttons makes them somewhat painful to use over the course of a full work day. Still, the main issue that may keep some people from buying the Tecra R10 is the price. While the price of the R10 isn't completely out of line, similar configurations from other companies cost several hundred dollars less.

Bottom line, the Toshiba Tecra R10 is a great business notebook for road warriors who want a full featured notebook with sleek looks ... but it would be even better if it was a few hundred dollars less expensive.

Pros:

  • Excellent configuration with plenty of performance and storage
  • Fantastic sunlight-readable screen
  • Attractive and sleek design
  • All the ports and connections you need for business

Cons:

  • More expensive than some of the competition
  • Horrible location of the ExpressCard slot (blocks optical drive)
  • Subpar battery life
  • Strange location of quick launch keys results in some small keyboard keys
  • Uncomfortable touchpad buttons
  • Poor placement of fingerprint reader
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Sunday, 15 February 2009

Notebook Review Spec : Apple MacBook (Early 2009) Review

by Perry Longinotti

When I looked at the Unibody MacBook a little while ago I liked almost everything about it. What I disliked most about the notebook was its sticker price. Apple decided to make the new MacBook more expensive than previous versions since it's built like a MacBook Pro but lacks some of the high-end features.

What I was hoping for from a new MacBook was a device that would be competitive with the $500 Windows notebooks crowding the shelves of most computer retailers. I don't mean something priced that low, but rather something closer to the average person's notebook budget. Most folks can live with the decent construction techniques of the iBook/MacBook design. I thought that was the whole point of having the MacBook and MacBook Pro line-ups; different strokes for different folks.

Perhaps Apple realized that they were under represented in the value segment, so they released an updated white plastic MacBook based on the Nvidia 9400M IGP chipset. A few key benefits of the new aluminum model are stripped away to bring this model down to Apple's traditional pricing for one of their starter notebooks $999.00.

Let's take a quick look at the specifications:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 2.0GHz CPU with 25 Watt TDP
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M IGP with shared memory
  • 13" WXGA High-Definition Display With 1280 x 800 Resolution
  • 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
  • 2GB 667MHz DDR2 System Memory (dual channel mode)
  • Superdrive 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
  • OS X 10.5
  • iWork 09 (pre-installed)


$999 MacBook (left) and $1,299 MacBook (right)

Build and Design
The first difference between the plastic MacBook and its Aluminum sibling is the elimination of aluminum and glass from the materials. This model has the white plastic polycarbonate we have known and loved through the years. Like its predecessors (of which I owned three generations) build quality is hit and miss. There are small gaps where panels come together, and the battery still sticks out a wee bit. Controlling tolerances with plastic construction is harder than when using metal.

In terms of creaks and noise while using it, this MacBook is almost silent. The flexy and fragile feeling plastic hinge on this MacBook is no match for the Aluminum model's hinge. Rather than a LCD latch mechanism all MacBooks use a magnetic latch.

In terms of size, nothing has changed. MacBooks are tough to beat if a small notebook is what you need. Dimensions are: height 1.08 inches (2.75 cm), width 12.78 inches (32.5 cm), depth 8.92 inches (22.7 cm), weight 5.0 pounds (2.27 kg). This is thicker and slightly heavier than the Aluminum MacBook. I had to check that twice because you would expect the Aluminum Body and Glass screen of the unibody MacBook to weigh more, not less.

Port layout on this MacBook is sparse; on the left side you get Kensington lock, microphone, headphone, one Firewire 400, two USB 2.0, mini-DVI and Ethernet ports. An integrated card reader would be a great addition in my opinion.

A tiny 60 Watt power adapter is included that adds about half a pound to the travel weight. MacBook uses Apple's Mag Safe connector. This innovation eliminates a few risks from notebooks; for example a sudden yank of the cord releases the magnetic connector before the notebook is pulled off the table or the socket breaks.

Screen
Another feature left off of this basic MacBook is an LED back light. As a result the screen on this notebook is nowhere near as bright as the one on my Aluminum MacBook. Its plastic screen coating is high gloss, but not as bright as the glass screen on the Aluminum MacBook.

For a screen this size, the MacBook's 1280 x 800 is a good resolution. Text size and the amount of usable screen real estate are decent. If you plan on doing any video or photo work an external monitor will be a good idea. Colors are washed out compared to the Aluminum MacBook. Viewing angles are good horizontally and poor vertically – this is what I have come to expect from consumer notebooks. Pressing fingers firmly against the back did not cause ripples in the LCD display. Above the display is the iSight webcam and what appears to be stereo microphones.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Apple's chiclet keyboard is starting to appear in many competitor's products for good reason, key travel is short and the action is quiet (although not as quiet as Aluminum MacBook's keyboard). The base reassuringly flex-free.

The next omission is the fancy touch pad from the new Aluminum MacBook. Rather than the new over-sized glass design without the customary single button, this model uses a more traditional wide aspect ratio single button pad. It is a little fussier to setup than the glass version, but it works great once you have dialed the settings to suit your preferences. While not quite as good as the new version, this is still one of the better input devices you'll find on a computer.

The omission of a glass trackpad means that you won't be using Apple's full multi touch capabilities. What you will be missing is the ability to rotate pictures, increase/decrease zoom and even change the screen magnification with the touch pad.

Technical Specs
The MacBook's CPU is common in this price range; Intel's Core 2 Duo P7350 CPU. This is a Penryn-3M medium voltage chip. What does this mean?

  • It's made using 45nm process making it smaller and cooler running
  • It has 3MB of level two cache versus 2MB in last year's value processors
  • Benefiting from the Penryn architectural advancements makes it about 15% faster than last year's Merom-based budget CPUs clock for clock
  • The latest front side bus speed of 1066MHz
  • Medium voltage means that it consumes less power, improving battery life
  • Miserly power consumption produces less heat, about 25% less than last year

MacBook uses NVIDIA's 9400M chipset (comparable to the desktop nForce 730i). This is a core logic chipset that incorporates integrated graphics (IGP). Before we get to the video system, let's look at the basic features. As a Centrino 2 alternative it features many of the same characteristics; faster Front Side Bus (FSB) speed of 1066MHz with DDR3 or DDR2. Unlike Intel, NVIDIA packages all on the chipset's features into a single small chip – it uses space more efficiently.

Apple offers the base MacBook with only 2GB of inexpensive and easy to find DDR2 667 RAM. Most competitors offer 4GB at this price so Apple's stinginess with RAM is a disappointment. Sure, you can get 4GB on sale for $30 but you shouldn't have to. Apple's operating system conserves memory pretty well and runs fine with only 2GB.

NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M video system is one of the faster integrated solutions along with the AMD RADEON Mobility 3200. However, this only gets it to the ankle level of powerful mobile GPUs. Apple and NVIDIA each claim that this solution is 5x as powerful as Intel's latest. Apple describes the chip as having 256MB of dedicated shared memory – very misleading. As an IGP it uses 256MB of system memory leaving you with approximately 1750MB free to run programs. In the Aluminum MacBook, fast DDR3 helped the 9400M post some very good benchmark scores. It will be interesting to see how slower DDR2 changes the equation.

Before we test whether it can handle recent games, here are some of the salient points:

  • 55nm fabrication process makes it smaller and cooler running
  • 16 parallel processing units
  • DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.1 support – these are the newest graphics APIs
  • 256MB of shared 128-bit DDR2 memory running at 667MHz
  • NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology including HDCP HDTV output
  • PowerMizer 8.0 microcontroller reduces temps and power use
  • NVIDIA CUDA processor accelerates next-generation applications
  • NVIDIA PhysX-ready

How much of these GPU features are used in OS X 10.5 is debatable. I did not see much evidence of it. Video playback was good, but that could just be the CPU doing its job. Encoding in iMovie did not appear to be much faster than previous Core 2 Duo Macs – GPU acceleration makes a big difference, so if it was on we would know. Whether future software updates enable PureVideo acceleration, CUDA and PhysX remains to be seen. Hopefully you won’t have to upgrade to 10.6 to see benefits.

Onwards, to the storage system; FUJITSU MHZ2120BH 120GB HDD has a spindle speed of 5400rpm, 8MB buffer and SATA-II 3.0 Gb/s interface. This is an OK performer but the size is a disappointment. Even basic notebooks come with 320GB now.

Optical recording is robust and the Hitachi LG Data Storage GS22N SATA burner covers all but the most exotic formats (CD-R 24x, CD-RW 4x, DVD-R 8x, DVD-R DL 4x, DVD-RW 4x, DVD+R 8x, DVD+R DL 4x DVD+RW 4x, DVD-RAM 5x). This is a slot loading model so it spares you the wimpy cheap feel of normal tray loading notebook optical drives.

Networking is handled by Nvidia chipset and RealTek RTL8211. No 56k modem here (available separately as a USB dongle). Wireless networking capabilities are powered by Broadcom's Atheros BCM4322 802.11 ABGN Wi-Fi chip. RealTek also provides the HD Audio Codec along with autosensing jacks that seem to work a little better than those of the previous MacBook which were known to get stuck on digital out mode from time to time.

First Boot
OS X Leopard's into movie is simple yet slick and 4-6 screens of info is all that is need to get up and running. If you are already a registered Apple user, simply type in your credentials and the notebook will retrieve all your info from Apple. And finally, if you still have data on your old Mac, OS X can automatically transfer your accounts, personal data and settings to your new Mac. In short, you will be using your new Mac quickly.

I have always appreciated how much you can get done with a Mac without having to buy additional software. The lynchpin of this is iLife. Apple's iLife 09 suite is included with this MacBook the suite includes the latest versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb and Garageband. Notable features in this year's update to Apple productivity suite for your life include:

  • iPhoto: Face Detection, GPS meta data support, Facebook and Flickr integration
  • iMovie: Shake reduction
  • Garageband: Music lessons

There are even more new features in iLife 09, but these are the ones that jumped out at me.

Even the built in TextEdit utility gets the job done. I had no difficulty opening Office 2007 DOCX files and for basic word processing such as writing this article it is sufficient.

Restore and recovery software is included in the form of Time Machine. This software works great if you have an external USB or Firewire HDD or a network drive (although that is painfully slow on a wireless G network). Time Machine does not help you produce bootable install discs, but the standard OS X Installer reads Time Machine backups. Overall, like iLife this represents one less thing to buy compared to what comes bundled with Windows notebooks (although Acer has a pretty good backup disc maker).

Apple computers are bloatware free--even the trials of Office and iWork that used to be part of the standard install are gone. Lack of Mac viruses is pretty well-known and continues to be a strength of the platform.

Speaking of viruses, you can dual boot Windows if you like. The ability to do so is fully supported by Apple and is administered within OS X via Boot Camp. This is great if you already have an investment in some Windows software and lessens the cost of switching (you don't have to buy Mac versions of your apps right away).

OS X Performance
Apple's OS seems to do a better job handling memory than Vista and so the Apple policy of making computers with less than industry standard amounts of RAM does not hurt performance. Immediately after booting the amount of RAM used on this MacBook was 294MB. This figure is amazing considering that you are dealing with a state of the art operating system with all the bells and whistles.

This efficiency means that the MacBook never really struggles when in its native OS. Multitasking with the included applications is a pleasant experience that is lag free. The Xbench score is 119.01 which is 20-25% faster than the first generation MacBook Pro. This score is very close to that of my Aluminum Body MacBook which gets 123.49 with all the latest patches and updates from Apple.

Battery life is exceptional in OS X. Apple advertises five hours of use. With brightness set at 75% the MacBook scored 3:59 minutes surfing including lots of YouTube streaming. Watching movies it managed 3:19 minutes before shutting off. This was with a factory fresh battery - a few more charge/discharge cycles may condition the battery to last longer.

Heat is no longer an issue with the MacBook. I watched 3 hours of movies with notebook on my lap and the temp was fine. I took some temperature readings after running Spore for over an hour. Here they are:

As you can see, the new chipset seems to have delivered not only excellent performance but cool operation as well.

Vista Performance
If you install Vista you get a peppy little notebook that only struggles when there are lots of applications open due to its 2GB of RAM (a limiting factory in Vista). On first boot, without virus scan installed, 500MB of MacBook’s memory is used, which rapid climbs up to just under 600 MB after a few minutes. This is almost double what is used for the arguably superior Mac OS X. Arguably? Who am I kidding, a few minutes in Vista will having you running back to OS X or XP. Hopefully you did not buy a MacBook to run Vista. I will only be testing the MacBook's Vista synthetic and gaming performance to give us some idea of raw performance.

When you install Vista using Boot Camp you can use the Apple recovery disk to install the required Windows drivers and hot key utility. The default driver package includes the NVIDIA 177.53 driver.

First the synthetic results - the MacBook scores 4423 in PCMark05 which is good. It scores 1733 points in 3DMark06 which is about 15% slower than the Aluminum MacBook which uses faster RAM. This puts it in the same league as Nvidia 9300M and AMD Radeon 3430/50 discrete GPUs. If gaming is important to you make sure you weigh your options carefully before buying, you will only be able to do some light 3D gaming on this notebook with details turned all the way down.

To illustrate this point I tested Fallout 3 on this MacBook because it can scale down to pretty low settings (in this case 1280 x 800 and LOW settings). This makes it look like an older title but the game play is mostly unchanged. It chugs when you get into large firefights, but remains playable with an average score of 31.7FPS, low of 17FPS and high of 64FPS. Other well optimized games such as Call of Duty 4 and GRID should run OK on the MacBook if you can live with visual quality sacrifices.

Overall, the results place this less expensive MacBook very close to its more expensive sibling in terms of performance.

Conclusion
With this iteration of the plastic MacBook design, I think Apple has finally got this design right. Most of the kinks are ironed out. Heat is not a major factor anymore. Construction, although not perfect, is better than the first generation MacBooks.

Performance is good, but there are speedier notebooks on the market from brands like HP, Acer and Dell at about the same price. None of them have what are the MacBook's best features; OS X and iLife. In my mind that is worth about a $250 premium over Windows based PCs. Design is tougher to quantify, but let's be really generous and value that at $100. Even with the premium, the hardware specifications are a little weak (by $650 notebook standards) and that is something I wish Apple would address.

Even as someone who has bought every generation of the iBook and MacBook (so clearly I like them), I feel that these are over-priced and under-spec'd compared to what you find in stores from Apple's rivals. I am already paying a premium for the design, OS and apps (about $300-$350). What do I get in exchange for the low 2GB RAM and small 120 GB HDD? How much would it cost Apple to bump the RAM up to 4GB and the HDD to 320GB?

You could argue that the average budget for a new computer is zero these days and that a couple of hundred dollars difference has no effect. My preference would be to see $999 Aluminum MacBooks and $799 plastic MacBooks. At those prices I think almost anyone could rationalize the premium.

I say this because I really would like to see more people using Macs, I've always considered them to be the VW of computers. Anyone who spends any amount of time on a computer deserves to own a Mac at least once and more accessible pricing would certainly help.

Pros:

  • Priced like a MacBook should be (compared to Unibody)
  • Runs cool
  • Mature design, most of the kinks are gone
  • Great battery life
  • NVIDIA 9400M
  • FireWire!

Cons:

  • Specs are still too low for my liking (RAM and especially HDD)
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Friday, 13 February 2009

Notebook Review Spec : Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet

Dell today announced the latest update to their convertible tablet notebook line with the Latitude XT2. This tablet PC with multi-touch screen offers up to 11 hours of battery life in a durable yet lightweight shell. Starting at $2,399, can the Latitude XT2 stimulate businesses to spends some extra cash?

Let's take a closer look at the specs and find out.

Dell prioneered multi-touch technology in tablets with the Latitude XT and we're happy to see the evolution of these multi-touch capabilities in the Latitude XT2. Users can use natural gestures like a pinch or tap for scrolling, panning, rotating and zooming ... and these gestures work with the productivity applications businesses use every day. Unlike notebooks with multi-touch touchpads, the Latitude XT2 allows you to use the full real estate of the display to control your computer.

What exactly does the $2,399 price tag get you? The outstanding features include:

  • Up to 11 hours, 28 minutes of battery life with six cell battery and optional 6-cell battery slice
  • Daylight Viewable display that has up to 100 percent more luminance than the HP EliteBook 2730p.
  • Full-size keyboard, touchpad, point stick and battery-free pen give users input flexibility.
  • Combines new processor performance with a highly accurate touch surface to allow you to control small icons on the screen without drops or hangs.
  • Comprehensive services options with Dell ProSupport.

Other features include:

  • Improved connectivity with new LCD-based wireless antenna design.
  • Enhanced hinge design for improved panel stability.
  • Comprehensive security features adding Dell ControlVault and ControlPoint Security Manager.
  • DDR3 RAM allows better performance and up to 5GB RAM.3
  • Manageability with integration of Intel vPro and DASH 1.0 compliance.

We will have a full review of the Dell Latitude XT2 coming soon, so be sure to visit NotebookReview.com and TabletPCReview.com on a regular basis for more updates.

Additional Information:

www.dell.com/latitude

www.direct2dell.com

Full Technical Specifications (Subject to Change):

Processors Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU9300 (1.2GHz) or SU9400 (1.4GHz)
Graphics Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Display 12.1" WXGA (1280X800) Standard LED Display or Daylight Viewable LED Display
Weight (Starting) 3.62lbs with 4-cell battery, 3.78lbs with 6-cell battery
Dimensions 1.0" x 11.7" x 8.6"
Battery/Power 4-cell 28W/Hr Li-Ion (standard)
6-cell 42W/Hr Li-Ion (optional)
9-cell 45W/Hr Li-Ion Battery Slice (optional)
45W AC Adapter
65W, 90W, Slim Auto/Air AC Adapters
Memory 1GB (1x1GB on board) DDR3 1066MHz
2GB (1x1GB on board, 1x1GB DIMM) DDR3 1066MHz
3GB (1x1GB on board, 1x2GB DIMM) DDR3 1066MHz
5GB (1x1GB on board, 1x4GB DIMM) DDR3 1066MHz
Hard Drives 80GB/120GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
64GB Ultra Performance SSD
Input Multi-touch screen and battery-free pen
Full-sized keyboard and dual-pointing devices
Operating Systems Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate
Genuine Windows Vista Business
Genuine Windows Vista Business 64-bit
Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with downgrade to Windows XP Tablet Edition
Genuine Windows Vista Business with downgrade to Windows XP Tablet Edition
Connectivity Dell Wireless 1397(802.11g)
Dell Wireless 1510 (802.11 a/g/Draft n 2x2)
Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11a/g/Draft n 1x2)
Intel WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/Draft n 3x3)
Mobile Broadband:
Dell Wireless 5720 EV-DOrA Mobile Broadband Minicard
Dell Wireless 5530 HSUPA/HSDPA Mobile Broadband Minicard
Dell 365 Bluetooth Module
Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)
Ports 1394, USB 2.0 (x2), USB 2.0/eSATA, VGA, RJ-45 , Audio
Media Bay E-Family modular (external) media bay: 8X DVD-ROM, 24X CDRW/DVD, 8X DVD+/-RW, 2nd Hard Drive
Expansion Slots 54mm ExpressCard, SD card slot
Security Options Finger Printer reader, Dell ControlVault, Dell ControlPoint Security Manager, TPM7 1.2, Optional Smart Card Reader (via Express Card slot through Dell S&P)
System Management Intel vPro Technology’s advanced management features, DASH
Dell ControlPoint System Manager
Environmental ENERGY STAR, EPEAT Gold
Docking Latitude XT2 Media Slice


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Thursday, 12 February 2009

Notebook Review Spec : Acer Aspire 5735Z

The Acer Aspire 5735Z is a low-priced mainstream notebook with a 15.6”, 16:9 aspect ratio display. It retails for less than $500 and has reasonable build quality, a full keyboard with number pad, and decent battery life.

The Aspire 5735-4744 has the following specifications:

  • 15.6” WXGA glossy display (16:9 aspect ratio, 1366x768 resolution, model AUO10EC)
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
  • Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3200 processor (2.0GHz/1MB L2/667MHz FSB)
  • 2GB DDR2-667 RAM
  • 160GB 5400RPM hard drive (Western Digital WD1600BEVT)
  • Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics
  • Intel GL40 chipset
  • Atheros AR5B91 802.11 Draft-N wireless
  • DVD Super-Multi drive
  • Full-size keyboard w/ number pad
  • Weight: 5.9 lbs
  • Dimensions: 15.1” (W) x 9.9” (D) x 1.5” (H)
  • Six-cell battery (11.1V, 46Wh/4600mAh)
  • One-year limited warranty

I picked up the 5735-4744 for $399.99 plus sales tax at Best Buy. The specifications are more than reasonable for the amount of money paid. There are higher-end configurations available with larger hard drives and more RAM, but they are naturally priced higher.

Build and Design
The 5735Z has a no-frills plastic construction and a relatively simple design. It feels surprisingly solid in the hand, and despite the all-plastic construction, generally does not flex. The 5735Z has a sound internal frame since the chassis is stiff resists flexing. The palmrests are inflexible, as are the surfaces surrounding the keyboard. The bottom of the notebook is made of thicker plastic than I expected and also does not flex. There are no squeaks or creaks while handling the notebook.

The plastic surrounding the keyboard is a smooth dark gray color with a non-glossy finish, which seems to be relatively durable. The lid and screen casing are a glossy black plastic, which attracts fingerprints easily and is more prone to scratches than the dark gray plastic. The bottom and sides of the notebook are a textured black plastic, which is more durable than the other plastics used.

The lid is secured to the chassis by two strong hinges that do not let the display wobble. The lid itself resists twisting well, partly because of its stocky shape since it has wider than usual 16:9 aspect screen that lends more support. Pushing in on the back of the display will yield small ripples on the screen, but only if abnormal pressure is used. When closed, the lid is securely held down by a latch.

The design of the 5735Z is simplistic. The notebook is quite wide relative to its width, again due to the 16:9 aspect ultra-widescreen display. The 5735Z places function ahead of form.

The 5735Z is not built like a tank, but it has pleasantly sturdy build quality and feels solid. This notebook should be able to stand up to everyday use and last for many years if proper care is taken.

Screen
The Aspire 5735Z has one of the new 16:9 aspect ratio displays; most notebooks have 16:10 displays, so 16:9 screens are wider than usual. The 5735Z’s panel measures 15.6” diagonally and has a 1366x768 pixels resolution (a typical 16:10 display is 15.4” diagonally and has a 1280x800 resolution). It takes some time to get used to the extra-wide 16:9 display. Only 768 pixels of vertical space mean a lot of scrolling, but it is difficult to throw up any flags here given the price point of this notebook. The extra wide resolution means working with two windows side-by-side is doable.

The picture quality of the display is beautiful. The display, made by AU Optronics (model AUO10EC), has an 8 ms response time and is advertised to have a 33% wider color gamut (color range). The colors are vibrant and contrast is very good. The display has ample brightness. There is some light leakage from the bottom of the screen, but it is unnoticeable unless the screen is completely black. Side-to-side viewing angles are decent, with minimal color inversion. Colors invert sharply from above and below, but this is normal for an LCD panel.
Overall, the display beat my expectations and is pleasing to look at. The resolution is a bit limited in terms of vertical space, but it is difficult to complain.

Speakers
There are two stereo speakers located above the keyboard. These are typical notebook speakers, with little to no bass and they sound rather tinny. For a more enjoyable audio experience, use a pair of headphones or speakers.

The 5735Z has volume up/down buttons right above the speakers, which are convenient and a welcome addition to any notebook.

Processor and Performance
I will run a few benchmarks on the 5735Z to demonstrate its performance capabilities.

Windows Experience Index (WEI) is a benchmark built into Windows Vista. It scores various components of a computer out of 5.9. Higher scores are better.

The 5735Z is held back by its integrated graphics, which bring the score down to an average 3.5. The other components – the processor, memory, and hard drive – have reasonably high scores.

wPrime is an arithmetic benchmark that forces the processor to calculate the square roots of numbers. Lower times are better.

This time places the Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3200 within 15% of the performance of a Core 2 Duo with a similar frequency (around 2.0 – 2.2GHz). The T3200 is essentially a Core 2 Duo with reduced specifications.

HDTune tests the read, write, and access time of a hard drive. Higher numbers are better for transfer rates, and lower for access time.

The Western Digital 160GB 5400RPM drive posts some nice results. An average transfer rate of 50MB/s is very respectable for a 5400RPM hard drive. This particular drive, the WD1600BEVT, has a single platter, which greatly helps performance.

The Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics card is designed to lower costs and save energy while providing enough power for smooth video playback and light 3D applications. We run 3DMark06 to compare it to other graphics cards:

A typical gaming notebook scores north of 3,500 points in this benchmark, so gamers will obviously not be flocking to the 5735Z.

Heat and Noise
A single fan on the left side of the 5735Z keeps its internal components cool. The fan is always on but is difficult to hear, even in a quiet room. There is minimal noise even at full tilt. The surface temperatures of the notebook are docile, not more than 10-20 degrees above room temperature in most places. The bottom of the notebook gets about ten degrees warmer than on the top. The heat generated by this notebook is insignificant – there is not much of it to begin with.

Keyboard and Touchpad
A computer’s input devices, especially the keyboard, are of utmost importance to me when it comes to buying a computer. The 5735Z does well in this area. The full-size keyboard and separate numeric keypad have good tactile feedback. The feel is a bit soft but movements are defined enough to allow accurate typing. There is some flex in the center of the keyboard but it does not detract from the overall typing experience. The keys have a matte non-slip surface. The four column numeric keypad is a very welcome addition to this notebook. For someone like me that does spreadsheet work all the time, it is a valuable asset.

The touchpad is proportional to the screen dimensions. It has a matte surface and is easy to track on. The two buttons are very loud, so be sure to tap-to-click in quiet places instead of using the buttons. The 5735Z’s touchpad has some unique features. Using two fingers in a pinching motion will zoom in and out, and moving a finger in a circular motion will scroll.

Input and Output Ports
Let’s take a short picture tour. All descriptions are left to right.


Left Side: VGA monitor port, Ethernet, 3x USB 2.0, microphone, headphone, media card reader


Right Side: Optical drive, 56k modem, AC power jack, Kensington lock slot


Back: Vent exhaust


Front: Display latch

The 5735Z does not have a lot to offer in terms of connections, but I imagine a few USB ports and the Ethernet jack will be all most buyers of this laptop require. The memory card reader is an added bonus.

Wireless
The 5735Z comes with an Atheros AR5B91 wireless card supporting 802.11a/b/g/draft-N bands. Wireless range and signal strength is excellent, superior to the wireless solution in my HP Pavilion dv5t. I had no trouble connecting to a variety of wireless networks. It is surprising to see a draft-N wireless card in a budget notebook.

Battery
The included six-cell battery is rated for 11.1V and 46Wh/4600mAh. This battery’s capacity is not particularly high but is on par with the six-cell batteries in competing notebooks. In power-saving mode with the screen brightness at half, I measured two hours and fifty minutes of life while surfing the Internet. Only the buyer can determine whether this time is sufficient; for my personal use, it is more than enough.

Operating System and Software
The 5735-4744 comes pre-loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1. Usually very inexpensive notebooks like this one come with Vista Home Basic, a cheaper and more limited version of Windows, so Home Premium is nice to see.

Acer includes many pre-installed utilities, including Acer GridVista and Acer Empowering Technology. NTI Backup Now! Software is included and allows you to make a backup of your entire hard drive. A lot of "bloatware," or junk software, is also pre-loaded. I spent upwards of thirty minutes uninstalling games and other garbage from the Control Panel.

Conclusion
Computers like the Acer Aspire 5735Z show just how far a few hundred dollars can go. For as little as $400-450 you can buy a very capable notebook that is ready to tackle everyday tasks on the go. The Aspire 5735Z has solid build quality, a great screen, comfortable keyboard with separate number pad, and almost three hours of battery life to boot. For those looking for an inexpensive machine with the above qualities, the Acer Aspire 5735Z should be at the very top of the list.

Pros:

  • Good build quality
  • Beautiful screen
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Decent performance
  • Two hours and fifty minutes of battery life
  • Excellent wireless
  • Runs cool and quiet

Cons:

  • Could use a few more input/output ports
  • Loud touchpad buttons
  • Lots of pre-loaded junk software
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Monday, 9 February 2009

Notebook Review Spec : ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

The Eee PC 1000HE is the latest netbook refresh from ASUS that offers a revamped chicklet style keyboard and the new Intel Atom N280 processor. The exterior and interior look nearly identical to the 1000HA and 901, so if you liked the old style you will love this. The biggest change users will find on this new model is the extended 9.5 hour battery life, thanks to a battery 30% larger and improved power management. Just how well does this new netbook live up to its advertised claims? Read our review to find out.

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE Specifications:

  • Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz processor
  • 160GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive (Seagate 5400.5)
  • 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
  • Windows XP Home operating system with SP3
  • 10” WSVGA LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
  • Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
  • Webcam (1.3 MP)
  • Battery: 7.2v 8700mAh 6-cell 63Wh battery
  • Wireless: 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0
  • One-year warranty
  • Size: 10.47” x 7.3” x 1.12-1.50”
  • Weight: 3lbs 2.4oz, 3lbs 9.9oz travel
  • Price: $399 ($374 with $25 preorder discount)

Build and Design

The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE keeps the same outside look of the 901 and 1000HA, with no noticeable difference until you look at the bottom or open up the display. Inside the new keyboard blends in with the rest of the glossy body, with the same gloss black paint used between all of the keys. Compared to the older Eee PC models this really adds another level of class and style to this netbook.

Build quality is very good with strong, durable plastics used throughout the body that help keep panels flex-free and the creaks to a minimum. The 1000HE holds its own ground inside a backpack, even against other heavy objects competing for space (like other laptops or books). For the average user this means you won’t find oily key impressions on the screen after you wedge this Eee PC into a backpack full of books on your way to class.

Display

The 10” LED-backlit display found on the Eee PC 1000HE is easy on the eyes and a real treat to view for hours on end. Whites are clear, colors are vibrant, and backlight levels are very bright and consistent. While many netbooks get the short end of the stick for some components such as processing power, they easily make up for it in screen quality. The panels found on most netbooks offer better viewing angles and brighter backlight levels than screen found on larger notebooks. Vertical viewing angles which tend to quickly invert colors on full-size notebooks stay accurate longer on the display found on the 1000HE. Horizontal angles are the same way, allowing the user to easily share a movie with a passenger on either side.

The only real downfall these smaller screens have is limited resolution (1024 x 600), which often causes problems with some applications that require minimum resolutions for menu screens. You can get past this with scaling or screen scrolling, but it is just a downside to the limited screen size in general.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The new Sony/Macbook style keyboard that ASUS has switched to for the 1000HE is a huge improvement in terms of ease of typing and tactile feel. The keys don’t feel as cramped since there is more space between them and even the key action feels smoother than before. One change that I personally love is the new key layout with the better placement of the right shift key and the larger control key on the bottom right. What this means is if you normally hit the up arrow while typing on the old keyboard (like I always did) you will now finally get the uppercase letter you originally intended to type. Taking the place of the old shift key is a second function key, for one-handed page up and page down movements. The new keyboard comes very close to tipping the scales against the HP Mini 1000 and 2140 but it would probably have to be a tie for best netbook keyboard.

ASUS uses an Elantech touchpad on the 1000HE for its multitouch capabilities, which works great if you want dual finger control, but not so great if you want fast response and sensitivity. I found that it had some lag during quick movement and didn’t have the nice high sensitivity of similar Synaptics models. One problem we noticed after a few hours of use was the touchpad surface slowly peeling up on one side like a loose sticker, but after pressing it back down it didn’t come up again. It may have just been a manufacturing flaw where it was not seated correctly during assembly. The touchpad buttons were large enough for easy triggering by the side of thumb and worked great if you hit them dead center or on the very edge. Feedback was minimal with a very shallow click when pressed.

Performance

System performance was great for average use which includes browsing the web, typing up a document, or doing light work inside a photo editor such as GIMP. We didn’t see much of an increase in performance over the older 1000HA, even though the 1000HE is technically faster with a higher clock speed and front side bus. In some benchmarks we actually saw results that decreased, especially with the newer Seagate 5400.5 hard drive. Access times ended up being 50% slower than the previous 5400.4 model, even though every other variable stayed the same including capacity.

HD video playback capabilities were roughly the same as previous Intel Atom netbooks, playing some lightly encoded 720p trailers with 40-50% CPU usage, and normal HD content like TV episodes at 60%+ while also dropping frames. The Intel N280 processor does support a newer GN40 chipset, but it does not appear to be included with this netbook. All of our testing software points to the standard Intel 945 chipset found in other Atom netbooks.
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