Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Diane Barrow
  • Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor
  • 1GB DDR2 memory
  • 250GB hard drive
  • Up to 8GB RAM
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
  • Bluetooth V2.1, 10/100Mbps Ethernet, Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n
  • Windows 7 Starter

The LifeBook MH380 sets itself apart from other netbooks with its edgy design, a gorgeous display and a scroll wheel which is rarely seen in portable PCs.

It is also a good-looker, with rounded corners, metallic trimmings and a chrome plate on its inner hinge.

By moving your finger in circular motion on the scroll wheel, you can scroll documents and Web pages. The netbook’s track pad also supports scrolling for those who prefer not to use the scroll wheel.

Its 10.1-inch display delivers sharp-looking text and vivid graphics – thanks to a 1,336×768-pixel screen that packs in more pixels compared to most netbooks with the same screen size.

However, while high definition video clips streamed from Apple’s movie trailer website appeared vibrant, playback can be a tad jerky due to the generally weak graphics performance of netbooks.

The good audio quality of this LifeBook‘s speakers augments the visual experience. The speakers sounded louder than those in most netbooks with little distortion, even at maximum volume.

Typing on the netbook, despite its closely-packed keys, felt easy and comfortable.

My only gripe is at the lack of dedicated buttons to control volume and brightness.

Like other netbooks, the MH380 lacks an optical drive. To make up for it, Fujitsu has bundled an optical disc drive (ODD) sharing software that lets you use an optical drive from a separate PC over a network.

I installed the ODD sharing software on a Windows 7 PC with an optical drive, which took just several minutes, and copied some files from a DVD to the MH380 through my home network. The ODD sharing software, however, does not support DVD playback from any optical drive.

In the PCMark05 test suite which grills PCs on a range of computing tasks, the LifeBook MH380 fared well by scoring 1,301 points.

The six-cell battery lasted for a good seven hours when I used the netbook to work on this review, watch YouTube videos and install a handful of applications over the network.

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Prolink Glee UW2

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Diane Barrow

Prolink Glee UW2

  • Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor
  • 1GB DDR2 memory
  • 250GB hard drive
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 graphics
  • 10/100Mbps Ethernet, wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n, 3.75G HSUPA PCI Express Mini Card
  • Windows 7 Starter

Better known for its networking products, Singapore-based IT vendor Prolink is eyeing a slice of the crowded netbook market with the Glee UW2.

The 1.1-kg portable PC with a 10.1-inch glossy display distinguishes itself from rivals with an integrated mobile broadband modem which is uncommon among netbooks.

Prolink‘s expertise in networking is evident in the way the Glee UW2 is configured for instant access to the Net.

In a matter of minutes, I was surfing with 3G cellular network, after slotting a data SIM card into the netbook’s High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) modem.

Other connectivity options include wired and wireless LAN. There is no built-in Bluetooth radio, which means you cannot use a Bluetooth mouse or transfer pictures from a cellphone over the air.

Physically, the Glee UW2 resembles the Hewlett-Packard Mini 1000, with its mouse buttons similarly placed on the left and right sides of the track pad. Those new to this layout may take a while to get comfortable.

There are some nice ergonomic touches. For instance, the six-cell battery doubles up as a stand which props up the netbook, making typing comfortable.

I also like the keyboard but found the tiny comma and full-stop buttons a pain to use. I often mistook one for the other, leading to frequent punctuation errors.

The performance of the netbook was up to mark when it comes to daily computing tasks such as Web browsing, word processing and casual Flash games.

It scored 1,364 points in the PCMark05 test, an above-average score that surpasses the 1,250 points attained by the Samsung N220, which has similar hardware specs.

Like many netbooks, the Glee UW2 is no high-definition (HD) video champ. I found the video jerky when playing clips from YouTube. You are better off watching standard definition clips.

However, the screen is bright and sharp and will make your holiday pictures look good.

The Glee UW2 runs on Windows 7 Starter edition and comes with Microsoft Office Starter 2010, a stripped-down version of the full-fledged Office suite.

The netbook lasts about six hours with a single charge on a six-cell battery, so you should be able to take the netbook out for the day without taking its power adapter along.

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LG X140 Netbook

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Diane Barrow

LG X140 Netbook

Powered by Intel Atom N470 processor, the X140 has 1GB of DDR2 RAM with 250GB of hard disk space. It has a 10.1-inch LED LCD display screen and weighs 1.45kg when fitted with its six-cell battery.

The X140-G is a 3G version, which allows users to connect to a 3G network and surf the Web by slotting a 3G SIM card into its chipset. Available in white, black and pink.

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Samsung Q330

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Diane Barrow

Samsung Q330
Samsung’s latest Q330 is a 13.3-inch wide laptop that weighs 1.96kg when fitted with its six-cell battery with an advertised 5.5 hours of battery life. It is powered by the Intel Core i5 processor and has a 500GB hard disk drive. A hybrid graphics technology regulates the PC’s use of the internal Intel HD graphics card and the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 310M graphics card.

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Asus Eee PC Seashell

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Diane Barrow

Asus Eee PC Seashell

  • Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 250GB hard disk
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 graphics card
  • 10.1-inch LED-backlit WSVGA display

As its name suggests, this netbook is pretty much covered up when not in use. Encased in a textured shell – even the ports and earphone jacks have their own dust covers – it has a sleek, streamlined design and comes in two colours: loud pink and a more muted brown.

It has a glossy screen and a keyboard which is adequate for typing.

Overall, the device is thin compared with other netbooks.

The hardware configuration, though similar to the HP Mini‘s, generates a higher score of 901 in the Geekbench test, just slightly below that of the much pricier Sony Vaio X.

Click for more: ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Blue Netbook

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HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Diane Barrow

HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition

  • Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 320GB hard disk
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 graphics card
  • 10.1-inch WSVGA LED HP BrightView Infinity display

If you used the Vivienne Tam HP netbook in the dark, you probably would not be able to tell the difference between it and the regular HP Mini 210.

Both share the same physical attributes, but the Vivienne Tam version comes in a light gold sheen, complete with a butterfly motif from the designer’s 2010 fashion collection.

That is all it takes to increase the charm factor of this simple netbook, which is targeted more at women and metrosexuals.

The responsive trackpad, along with the neatly spaced out keyboard, is a plus.

As for performance, it scores 836 points on the Geekbench test – the lowest rating among the netbooks tested here.

checkout the spec here: HP Mini 210-1099SE 10.1-Inch Vivienne Tam Edition Netbook

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Sony Vaio X

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Diane Barrow

Sony Vaio X

  • Intel Atom Z550 2GHz processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 128GB hard disk
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 graphics card
  • 11.1-inch TFT Display Plus LED-backlit display

For this price, you could easily get a top-of-the-line notebook or a decent portable gaming machine. Once you pick it up, however, you instantly know what you are paying for.

At a thickness of 13.9mm and weighing just 780g, the Vaio X is the lightest, slimmest and most svelte-looking netbook. It does not scrimp on performance either.

The screen is bright and sharp and specs-wise, the unit generates the highest score of 926 in the Geekbench test.

The keyboard is small, but the keys are well spaced out so you can type with ease.

Alas, the audio from the speakers at the bottom of the unit is severely muffled, so get ready to use earphones.

Who this is for: The corporate high-flyer on the go, who needs something that easily fits into a tote. Plus it is guaranteed to wow anyone you meet.

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HP Envy 14

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Diane Barrow
  • Intel Core i5 M 540 2.53GHz processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 500GB hard disk
  • ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card
  • 14.5-inch high-definition LED Radiance Infinity display

Think of a laptop with a glass screen, aluminium casing and slot-loading disc drive and Apple’s MacBook Pro probably first comes to mind.

A close second, however, is the HP Envy series which recently introduced two new models, the 14 and 17. The numbers denote the screen sizes.

The review unit has a good score of 6,926 on the 3DMark benchmark test, with a B in the Resident Evil 5 test.

Despite packing so much hardware, the unit remains cool to the touch due to its aluminium structure. The lustre of the metal adds to the attractive design, in which the usual connectivity ports are all located on the sides.

Overall, the beauty has a sleek, smooth finish all around which is seen in few other laptops.

For the audiophiles out there, the unit has two Beats Audio front speakers from hip-hop producer, DrDre. Music that flows from them is punchy and crisp.

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Gateway Supreme Style

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Diane Barrow
  • Intel Core i5-520M 2.40GHz processor (up to 2.93GHz with Turbo Boost)
  • 4GB RAM
  • 640GB hard disk
  • Nvidia Geforce GT330M graphics card
  • 14-inch high-definition 1,366 x 768 display

Gateway’s latest ID series is termed as a successor to its previous Pininfarina designs, although one would be hard pressed to notice anything unique stemming from the famous car designer firm.

This unit is a workhorse though, and scores an incredible 7,090 on the 3DMark06 benchmark test and a B in the Resident Evil5 test.

The body is cool to the touch and the keyboard buttons have a soft spring to them, making typing a breeze. The Dolby speaker, located across the top of the keyboard, also provides nice audio.

The touchpad can be depressed and, surprisingly, this works better than having buttons that mimic the clicks of a mouse.

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Alienware M11x

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Diane Barrow

Alienware M11x

  • Intel Pentium U5400 1.2GHz processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 160GB hard disk
  • Nvidia GeForce GT 335M graphics card
  • 11.6-inch WideHD 1,366 x 768 (720p) LCD display

This is the first true gaming laptop. It merges size with functionality, and at a form factor which will not cause your shoulders to ache from lugging it around.

While the multicoloured backlit keyboard might scream ‘gamer’, the curved corners and black finish add a distinguished polish which makes it fit for the office as well.

For the power conscious, the unit has a switchable graphics card. It allows you to toggle between the generic card and the powerful Nvidia one.

The M11x scores a respectable 6,555 on the 3DMark06 benchmark test, with a B rating on the Resident Evil 5 benchmark test as well.

One consequence of its small size is the keyboard – the keys are all packed tightly together. This, on the other hand, leaves room for a regular-sized trackpad.

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