Laptops
by Nicholas Deleon on February 9, 2010

Kudos, I guess, to Asus, being the first manufacturer to incorporate Nvidia’s Optimus technology into actual products. The Taiwan-based company has announced five laptops (note: I refuse to use the term “notebook” when referring to laptops; I think the name “netbook” is dumb, too, so at least I’m consistent) that range in size from 13.3 inches to 17.3 inches, all of which use Optimus. “What is Optimus?” I’m glad you asked! It switches between the Nvidia GPU and the Intel integrated GPU as the situation warrants. So, using Firefox? Let the Intel handle it. Playing World of Warcraft? Nvidia takes over. It’s not too hard to understand.

by Devin Coldewey on January 4, 2010

Everyone’s all excited about that Freescale gizmo, but it looks like it may have competition. The Lenovo U1 has a similar convertible design, though with a slightly more rounded look. It’s also different in function: when docked, it runs Windows 7 on the dock’s low-power Intel processor, but once detached it uses an ARM CPU to run a lightweight Linux distro.

Not sure how it’s going to handle the segue if you’ve got work in progress and need to dock it, but I’m sure Lenovo has that handled.

by Devin Coldewey on January 4, 2010

This is an interesting development. The latest Vaios leaked out a little while ago, and for the most part they were what one would expect: improved performance, better battery life, that sort of thing. But there’s an interesting feature that wasn’t on the leaked spec list (and isn’t confirmed to be, either): a “quad” SSD composed of four SSD drives working together in RAID 0.

If the chipset and other hardware are designed with something like this in mind, it really could be extremely fast.

Quick Look: Sony VAIO X Series notebook
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by Doug Aamoth on December 28, 2009

The 1.5-pound, half-inch thick Sony VAIO X Series notebook is easily one of the most impressive portable computers I’ve seen in quite some time. I can’t convey how light it is. It seems to defy logic. My brain doesn’t understand that it’s seeing my hand hold up an 11.1-inch notebook that weighs less than half of what most other notebooks its size weigh.

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Nine minutes in heaven with the Kohjinsha DZ Dual Screen laptop
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by John Biggs on December 11, 2009

What else do you have to do this morning? I mean think about it: there’s maybe a cup of coffee waiting for you in the break room and maybe someone brought some donuts. It’s the holidays. Who is doing anything today? Not you, that’s for sure.

So sit back, take off your tie, and watch some dude open the Kohjinsha DZ dual screen laptop. You can thank me nine minutes from now when you come out of this video a better person.
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Review: BFG Deimos
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by Dave Freeman on November 12, 2009

DLF_9054Short Version: The Deimos is the latest addition to BFG’s new line of computers. Intended as specialist gaming machine, the Deimos is big, beautiful, and very fast. Heat, bulk, and short battery life are to be expected from a gaming laptop, and aside from those it provides an excellent experience.
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by Doug Aamoth on November 3, 2009

Acer’s new 18.4-inch AS8940G-6865 is a desktop replacement. And by “desktop replacement” I mean that you could attach four legs to it and use it as your desk. It’s big, is what I’m trying to say. Don’t actually attach legs to it, but I guess take with you the impression that this is a large laptop. Also, it’s powerful, so keep that in mind as well.

by Doug Aamoth on October 21, 2009

Oh, right, 3D laptops. I almost forgot. If you like 3D so much that you want to have it with you wherever you go, then 3D laptops may or may not soon be all the rage. No need to wait, though, as Acer’s 15.6-inch Aspire 5738DG will be available this week.

New MacBook first look
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by John Biggs on October 20, 2009

Here’s a quick look at the new MacBook. Look for a full review later this evening.

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Hands-on with the HP Envy 13
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by John Biggs on September 30, 2009

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We’ll have more on this little gem this week but I present to you the HP Envy 13, the first netbook notebook (HP is citing the heavy-duty Core 2 Duo processor in there) I’d actually consider buying. It hit 2813 on Geekbench, lasted about three hours on one charge, and is smaller and lighter than a MacBook. Best of all it runs Windows 7 Professional like a champ and has HP’s instant-on technology for quick media and communications applications. Hot, hot stuff. Click through for a gallery and expect a review on Friday.
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by Nicholas Deleon on September 29, 2009

Oh my God is that the HP Pavilion dv3, complete with a fancy touchscreen? Oh my God it is! And is that the Engadget watermark? Oh my God it is! Man those guys are crazy!

by Doug Aamoth on September 29, 2009

Deftly dodging the netbook moniker, Toshiba has announced its line of Satellite T100 ultra low voltage machines. They’ll be available on October 22nd with 11.6-inch or 13.3-inch displays and over nine hours of battery life.

Review: Alienware M17x gaming laptop
35 Comments
by Dave Freeman on September 25, 2009

DSC_0077Short Version: Billed by Alienware as “the most powerful laptop in the universe,” the M17x is simply an amazing piece of hardware. It combines the latest in hardware with an extremely high-quality finish to create a laptop that is incredibly fast and well-designed. Unfortunately, it also might be the most expensive laptop in the universe.
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Review: Averatec N3400 notebook
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by Doug Aamoth on September 25, 2009

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The Averatec N3400 is an ultraportable notebook with a 13-inch screen, “aluminum-clad” shell, external DVD burner, and 3.8-pound body weight. Priced at $799, it’s got a lot to offer.

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Not two, not three, but four displays for the price of one!
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by Devin Coldewey on September 22, 2009

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Intel, in an Onion-esque display of technological one-uppery, has set the world on fire with its latest mega-laptop, which sports not only a large primary display but three sub-displays above the keyboard. These little OLED touchscreens will be able to display videos, music playlists, and file explorers — pretty much whatever you like.
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CrunchDeals: Refurbished MacBook for $599
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by Doug Aamoth on September 15, 2009

MB062LLA-B-unitGeeks.com has a wheel of a deal on a refurbished Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz notebook at just $599 when you use promo code SAVENB at checkout.

The machine itself carries a 90-day warranty and includes 1GB of RAM, 120GB hard drive, slot-loading DVD burner, web cam, Bluetooth, and Mac OS X 10.4 preinstalled.

Not too shabby for $600, eh? The deal’s good until the end of the month.

Apple MacBook [Geeks.com]

by Doug Aamoth on September 15, 2009

Logitech’s got a new lap board doodad on the market called the Portable Lapdesk N315. It’s a $30 accessory with a non-slip grip and slide-out mouse pad.

by Nicholas Deleon on September 6, 2009

It’s laptops in space, people! What is there not to like?

by Doug Aamoth on August 31, 2009

IntelA veritable cornucopia of ultra-thin laptops is expected from the likes of Asus, Acer, and MSI in the near future. The computers will use Intel’s forthcoming low and ultra-low voltage Penryn CPUs, the Celeron 743 and the SU2300.

by Doug Aamoth on August 28, 2009

free laptopApparently it’s not okay to send West Virginia’s governor five free laptops. What a world! Governor Joe Manchin’s office got a nice four-pack of Compaq laptops earlier this month, followed a week later by a fifth machine from HP. The only problem was that nobody in his office ordered them or paid for them.

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