Android-based tablets from Archos announced
March 10, 2010
Media tablets from Archos that are powered by Google’s Android operating system are in the works. The Home Tablets will come complete with touch screen displays and plenty of on-board storage for a modest price to suit a mainstream audience.
The Archos 7 will have a 7 inch screen and a 600MHz processor, with a design and interface that are tailored to make it perfect for viewing in the home. At just over a centimetre thick and weighing in at 350 grams, the Archos 7 Home Tablet should be a comfortable fit for most hand sizes.
Wi-Fi connectivity will presumably be used to stream media files from your main PC or server, although with 2GB of onboard storage there is a fair amount of space for music tracks, if not video.
According to Archos, you will be able to listen to music for 44 hours without needing to recharge either of the Home Tablet models and you can enjoy a maximum of seven hours of video playback from a single charge.
The larger Archos 8 Home Tablet looks as though it could come with an oversized detachable frame, which would make it suitable if you want to double it up and use it as display for your digital pictures. Other than screen size there is no technical difference between the two devices and they will probably have a fairly similar price.
Archos expects to make the smaller tablet device available in April and it might be a good budget alternative to the iPad.
HP Microsoft Windows 7 Slate PC News From CES
January 7, 2010
The new HP Slate powered by microsofts Windows 7 got a suprisingly muted response during its launch at CES las vegas. People where impressed with the look and idea of the product but where somewhat dissapointed that it was using a standard version of windows 7. I think people where expecting a new operating system for a new device. That said I think the slate is good looking piece of kit and one that a giant like HP will have great success with.
The slate concept bridges the gap between smart phones and notebook computers. Current notebooks are great but are not as user friendly as a smart phone. They take longer to boot up and are more cumbersome to carry around, they can also be easily broken. On the other hans smart phones don’t have the capacity or screen size compared to notebook.
This is the first product of its kind and certainly paves the way for the future. Apple are set to launch their competing product at the end of the month and all eyes will be on them to raise the bar again. I think this will be a huge product for 2010.
HP G61-110SA 15.6 Inch Laptop Review
January 1, 2010
Are you looking for a quick multi media laptop that you can use on the move? If you went into a shop you might be convinced that you need to spend a lot of money for a good spec laptop, thankfully there are many around during the new year sales that are of high in specification and low on cost . One such example is the Hewlett Packard (HP) G61-11SA laptop which is available for £399 for a limited time. The G61-110SA has a 15.6 wide screen and only weighs 2.68 KG making it perfect for people on the move.
The HPG61110SA runs on the new and improved windows 7 operating system which is packed full of all the multi media functions Vista had (and more) without the niggles. The machine has the new Intel® Pentium® Processor T4300, this makes light work of daily tasks and remains quick when performing multiple tasks. It is also much friendlier on battery life than previous examples.
HP have included a generous 4 GB of Ram which is perfect for multiple tasks such as having lots of programs open whilst playing a game or surfing the Internet. There is also a large 320 GB hard drive, this is plenty and will allow you to keep all of your files with you on the move, home or in the office.
HP have included a few nice features to keep in touch with friends and family. A 1.3 mp web cam with built in microphone works well with all the popular messaging services and eliminates the need to bring an external web-cam along with you. They have included the latest wireless technology so you can connect to wireless hot spots or your own wireless network at home/office. They have also included a neat 5 in 1 media card reader, 3 usb ports, HDMI and VGA ports so you can connect to external monitors or a compatible TV.
Full specification:
- Up to 4.5 hours battery life
- Webcam with Integrated Microphone
- Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer
- 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
- HDMI & VGA ports for external displays
This laptop is available from PC world for £399 for a short amount of time, buy or just reserve online so you don’t miss out on this fantastic bargain.
Advent Altro Laptop Review With Specification
August 22, 2009
There are countless thin laptops on the market and unfortunately quite a lot of them carry a hefty price tag. Take the Toshiba portage as an example. However you can get performance, looks and style at an affordable price and today we are going to take a quick look at the new Advent Altro laptop.
The Altro is only the width of standard notepad
The advent Altro is only 21.8mm thick and weighs only 1.6 kilograms. That is about as thick, that’s about one and a half pieces of bread thick and about a loaf and a quarter in weight (sorry about the comparison but it is late). It is also a beautiful looking machine that manages to pack in a lot of technology in it’s thin body.
The Altro uses the latest Intel® Celeron® M Processor ULV 723, this allows it to use approximately 40% less energy than other processors in this price bracket. Benchmark tests have shown that this gives the machine 4 hours of continuous use on optimal settings. However efficiency does not mean that it is slow, in fact it is well equipped to run the pre installed windows Vista with ease.
Altro packs a lot into its thin frame
The reason that Vista runs so well is that 3 GB of ram has been included as well as a 120 gbhard drive. This is plenty of space for a person on the move. Advent have also included shock detecting tecnology which protects the hard drive from sudden movements, shocks and even drops (only the hard drive mind). This is an extremely important feature for a mobile laptop/netbook. The 13.3 inch widescreen provides an excellent picture in any light setting. The images are sharp and display vivid colours without sucking the life out the battery.
Other laptops in this price bracket are usually pretty sparse with the extra gadgets and gizmos but again the Altro does not dissapoint. Advent have included a built in webcam, fingerprint reader and bluetooth. All of which integrate with other devices and applications with ease. This is great for the web 2.0 and social networking crowd as well as the businessman and casual user.
Silver finish looks great
In conclusion we believe that this is the best looking and feature filled laptop Advent have ever built and one that is great value for money, which is an obvious bonus in todays financial climate. PC world are offering this laptop at £599.99 while stocks last, so reserve or buy online today (use the buy now button or banner below to take advantage of the low price).
Advent Altro specification:
Air Powered Batteries – The Next Green Craze?
May 21, 2009
The greatest concern with the use of non-renewable energy is that once it’s gone it’s gone; hence the need for more energy from renewable sources. With the air powered battery that isn’t really a concern because the fact is that if we manage to deplete the world of its stock of air then we’re going to have much bigger problems than finding a way to power the laptop. The STAIR (St Andrews Air) battery is actually something of a hybrid as you might imagine but inventors claim it will use ten times less energy than a normal battery and weigh less too (presumably not quite as light as air).
The STAIR battery draws energy from the air around it in the shape of Oxygen whilst it is discharging the energy that it has stored or is using directly from the AC mains. In doing so, STAIR claim that a single charge of the battery will last ten times longer than normal.
Oxygen powered cells have long been a focal point for renewable energy possibilities because of the obvious abundance around us but the problem has been that the extraction of oxygen from the air takes considerably more energy than it creates. Whether this problem has been ironed out or not we aren’t entirely sure but if it has then it could mean considerably longer lasting charges and impressively decreased energy costs – although presumably the cost of the battery, at least during the infancy of the technology behind it, will more than make up for it.
Windows 7 October Release Looking More And More Likely
May 16, 2009
Microsoft has officially announced that Windows 7 will be released “in time for the holidays”. There’s supposed to be a very good handful of new features that will be part of the release and the full program is now in its final (though perhaps toughest for the engineers) stage of development. No new features are likely to be added but bugs, glitches, problems, and a few more optimised bits and pieces will be added before the expected October release. Additional features will instead be reserved for future updates to the release.
Advances in touch and handwriting recognition are among some of the techy new additions; the majority of home computer users probably won’t benefit from them immediately, but it will open doors for software developers and users alike in the future. Performance is also going to enjoy a supposedly serious boost with improved multi core performance, and support for various graphics cards from a number of different manufacturers.
A new version of Media Center as well as a new gadget for Media applications and integration with other devices will continue to take the Windows operating system into the world of multimedia and hoe networking.
The Windows Control Panel will also have many new additions that include the ClearType Text Tuner. Users will be able to pin applications to the taskbar, which is a handy sounding replacement for the quick launch bar. You can even make all windows transparent so that you can view the desktop quickly and easily before clicking the view desktop button.
All sounds pretty good to us and it’s only a few months away.
Samsung N110 10.14″ Netbook Review With Pictures
May 15, 2009
For people that are always on the move (or those of you that are too lazy to get up and plug your laptop in the power socket) the modern day net-book could be the essential tool to keep you connected to your work, colleagues, email and social network sites like twitter or face-book. The problem with many netbooks is that they lack the features demanded by their target market. However there are a few new ones on the market that seem to deliver all the required spec.
The Samsung N1110 netbook is a compact laptop which manages to pack in a decent keyboard similar to that of one found on a ‘full size’ laptop. Also this portable beauty has a 10.14 inch led screen that delivers crisp, detailed and clean images. The spec describes the screen as being 33% brighter than any standard screen. The most important feature of an led screen is its power consumption, which is much much lower. When coupled with the efficient Intel Atom N270 processor the N1110 can deliver up to 9 hours of battery life.
Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 – An Unusually Clear Naming Policy
May 13, 2009
It makes something of a refreshing change to see any kind of device released with some sort of meaningful name and while the S10-2 might not initially seem to be a sensible name it is a pretty robust moniker when you consider that it’s the sequel to the popular and impressive netbook called the Ideapad S10 (you see, they just added a – and a 2 – a stroke of genius if you ask us). Sporting the same good looks as its predecessor, there’s really only a few minor tweaks but the S10-2 happily carries on doing everything well that it did last time out so that’s another plus point.
The original S10 was a well received piece of kit and did reasonably well in terms of sales and reviews despite being released along with seemingly countless numbers of other netbooks. The S10-2 takes the formula that worked well with the first and adds a few extras to create this latest incarnation.
An improved screen, larger trackpad, second shift key, and third USB port are the most notable changes – we did say there was nothing particularly ground-breaking but that’s pretty much the essence of a netbook. 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, N270 Intel Atom CPU, and facial recognition software are all included in this, the child of S10.
Again, there will be a choice of colour so you can buy one of each and match them to your mood or just take your pick from the same kind of colours offered by the original; that’s black, purple, grey, or white. No official news yet on when it will be released in the UK, but hopefully we should hear soon enough.
Source – CNET Crave
Size clearly does matter for Acer with launch of Aspire One 751
May 4, 2009
Acer are launching a new and improved netbook Aspire One, model no 751and this version unusually sports a 11.6 inch screen, which is almost and inch and a half bigger than the largest screen netbook currently available. It is believed that the larger screen of the Acer Aspire One 751 has come about as a result of the widescreen aspect ration of 16:9, and clearly from a widescreen film perspective this can only help in providing a superior visual experience for the end user.
The new Acer Aspire One 751 should be available during May and is expected to retail at about £349, and for that price tag you get and Intel Atom processor160GB Hard Drive, Mobile Intel US15W Express Chipset, Wi-Fi, option of Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, Pro Logic Dolby sound, multi card reader and WXGA LED backlit display.
This latest version of the Acer Aspire One is able to provide in excess of eight hours of battery life if the largers 6 cell batter pack is chosen. If the standard battery is opted for then the Acer Aspire One 751 will still deliver a very respectable 5 hours of battery life.
Acer, the electronic company based in Taiwan seems intent on cornering the netbook and notebook market and in fact is the third largest PC supplier and is the number two netbook supplier in the world. Acer are very keen to knock HP off the top spot and have actually made this aim their modus operandi and with the launch of not only the Acer Aspire One 751as well as three new ‘Timeline’ laptops, it would seem a very good prospect that their plans may well be brought to fruition.
Apple Macbook Pro 17 Inch Review
May 2, 2009
Notebooks have become the in thing to have at the moment. Low cost and low cost they provide the bread and butter computing that we tend to use the most. If you want a machine to handle specific tasks for design and editing for instance you may well need something with a higher specification. For the person on the go, however who needs to use the machine as a work tool, then the Notebook is perfect. This is especially true with the Apple MacBook Pro 17.
The biggest step forward for the MacBook is the change to its battery technology. This allows the MacBook Pro 17 to be charged once and then supply you with eight hours battery life. The battery can be charged up to a thousand times which means that it should last you the best part of five years before it needs to be replaced. Compare this to the standard battery life, and you will see that it provides almost three times the life of a standard battery. Apple achieved this by producing a battery which is non removable. It does mean that you are likely to have to get the battery changed by a professional, but if you only have to have this done every five years, it may well be worth it in the long run. The battery is cased in the brilliantly designed Unibody casing. This is made from one solid block of aluminium, which gives the body lightness and strength. The whole unit has been designed with ease of use and portability. It is less than one inch thick and weighs an amazing 6.6 pounds which the manufacturers say is the thinnest and lightest seventeen inch notebook on the market.
Performance is excellent also, and again Apple claim that it is the most powerful Mac note book so far. The graphics processor is a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT which is surprisingly fast.
One noticeable feature is the actual quality of the MacBook. It has a 1920×1200 display which gives it seventy eight per cent more pixels and a sixty per cent increase in colour pallet over the fifteen inch version. The screen has an instantaneous back light which manages to achieve a thirty per cent eduction in power compared to other back light systems.
The screen colours are rich and even, although not perfect at the edges, however, it did handle grey and even black and white colouring particularly well.
When you open up the MacBook, there is still very much emphasis on minimalist design. There is a power button, a large keyboard, which has stereo speakers either side and an iSight camera which is housed above the display. The keyboard is easy to use and has the added feature of lighting up in low illumination. Also easy to use is the mouse pad as it employs a similar type of system to the iPhone meaning that it responds to multiple finger touches. This makes navigating documents so much easier. Another particularly clever feature is the magnetic power cable lead. As is the nature of things with such a small unit; it is easy when the phone rings or you get called out to leap up and drag the laptop off your knee when it is till plugged in. The magnetic cable allows the cable to detach, so that even in a worse case scenario, if you happen to fall, you will not drag the computer. Mind you it does mean that you will have to protect the computer yourself. If you are not well versed in the art of falling over, at least you know the cable will still be fine!
Programs on the Apple MacBook Pro 17 work speedily, and the machine is powerful enough for you to carry out as many tasks as you wish without any signs of slowing down.
The MacBook has a reasonable number of ports, three USB ports, a DVI port which allows you to connect to an external monitor, and comes equipped with Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR and accessible ports for the Internet. It does not have an optional Blu-ray drive. It does, however, arrive with a slot loading SuperDrive which allows you to burn DVDs and CDs.
The Apple MacBook Pro 17 is not cheap, coming in at almost £2000. This is a lot of money, however, in terms of quality, it is worth the selling price. It is a laptop which is great in performance, and which has been designed and put together with great quality and care. It has great features and the added advantage of its lightness of weight. There are certainly cheaper options on the market, but if money is not the main consideration, then this is certainly the machine to beat.
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