laptop-favorites.com|Laptop topic discussion
Jan
14
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
Igloo B asked:
I’m about to start college for engineering, and I still can’t decide what kind of laptop is best for me. I’ve heard that macs are a no-go for engineers, and I’ve been directed vaguely toward the Dell Latitude, but I still have no clue. Any suggestions?
Khalid
I’m about to start college for engineering, and I still can’t decide what kind of laptop is best for me. I’ve heard that macs are a no-go for engineers, and I’ve been directed vaguely toward the Dell Latitude, but I still have no clue. Any suggestions?
Khalid
Jan
14
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
hp-laptop-batteries.com asked:
One of the most common issues with laptop batteries is overheating. Not that the batteries are designed poorly or improperly but due to, in most cases, user wear and tear. While the laptop is using the AC adapter for power the battery acts as a back up in case of a loss of power or accidental unplugging. During this AC power use the battery becomes hotter than it would if being used independently. To lessen the chances of this overheating, which leads to a shorter life expectancy of the battery, keep the AC power adapter plugged in only if you need to charge the battery while using the device.
If the battery is consistently hot to the touch, remove it and allow it to cool down first making sure it is close to room temperature before reinserting it. Should the battery continue to overheat or get too hot it will probably need to be replaced. Always replace a defective battery as soon as possible as it could cause irreparable damage to the laptop in question. In addition to overheating failure to charge or hold a charge is another very common issue with laptop batteries.
First check to see if the AC adapter is securely plugged into the device; the tightness of the connection will vary form laptop to laptop but it should be held in place well. To check for a good connection look for the battery charging LED if one is present on your laptop. If it is not on wiggle the cord to see if the connection makes and breaks contact. If you notice a flickering LED light then the solution is a new adapter which is far better than needed to purchase a new battery or a new DC power jack which can be repaired by a common user with a little instruction and help.
Jakob
One of the most common issues with laptop batteries is overheating. Not that the batteries are designed poorly or improperly but due to, in most cases, user wear and tear. While the laptop is using the AC adapter for power the battery acts as a back up in case of a loss of power or accidental unplugging. During this AC power use the battery becomes hotter than it would if being used independently. To lessen the chances of this overheating, which leads to a shorter life expectancy of the battery, keep the AC power adapter plugged in only if you need to charge the battery while using the device.
If the battery is consistently hot to the touch, remove it and allow it to cool down first making sure it is close to room temperature before reinserting it. Should the battery continue to overheat or get too hot it will probably need to be replaced. Always replace a defective battery as soon as possible as it could cause irreparable damage to the laptop in question. In addition to overheating failure to charge or hold a charge is another very common issue with laptop batteries.
First check to see if the AC adapter is securely plugged into the device; the tightness of the connection will vary form laptop to laptop but it should be held in place well. To check for a good connection look for the battery charging LED if one is present on your laptop. If it is not on wiggle the cord to see if the connection makes and breaks contact. If you notice a flickering LED light then the solution is a new adapter which is far better than needed to purchase a new battery or a new DC power jack which can be repaired by a common user with a little instruction and help.
Jakob
Comments Off
Jan
11
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
Schreiberistic asked:
The laptop screen is a delicate part of the laptop computer and apparently the most expensive part of the laptop computer. Lets take a closer look at the laptop computer screen, why it is essential to take care of the laptop screen and how exactly can you safeguard the screen. Before that, let me brief you on the anatomy of a laptop screen. Laptop screen is made of Liquid Crystal display or LCD as we better know it. LCD compositions comprises of individual transistors at each pixel (the minute dots that form images on the laptop screen). Laptop screens could have as many as 1,500,000 pixels. Every pixel is known to have an individual liquid crystal/ transistor combination. Even if a single combination is damaged you might have a permanent black mark on the laptop screen. This seemingly small black spot will not make your laptop unusable. However, if you happen to physically damage the laptop screen through scratch marks or abrasions you will lose much more than one pixel.
Laptop Screen Care Tips: -
Cleaning Laptop Screen - Use a computer buff to clean your laptop screen. These are very handy and can also double up as mouse pads. One of the best laptop screen protector, buying laptop buff does not burn a hole in your pocket. Even if you have oil or dirt marks, computer buff will take care of it in a single swipe. Also, finger prints are also something which are clearly visible on the laptop screen. Avoid touching the laptop screen. Avoid use of paper towels or rough cloths to clean; this might worsen things rather than resolving them.
Laptop Screen Protection Shield - Use laptop screen shields also known as laptop bullet proof shields to safeguard the sensitivity of your laptop screen. Laptop protection could not get any better. We know how tough it would be to deal with scratch marks on laptop screen. Avoid using alcoholic cleaners if you are not sure of the amount to be used. Some cleaning liquids need to be diluted with water before use. Besides, certain laptop cleaning liquids use ammonia that spoils the screen and makes it brittle and yellowish in color.
Laptop Physical Damage - Other than cleaning and protecting the laptop using computer buffs and laptop computer shields, you ought to know that simple poking could also damage the laptop screen. For instance, if you are making a laptop presentation never use pointed objects like pencil or pen to point out something on the laptop screen. If you find it difficult to use the mouse cursor, change the size or shape of the mouse cursor from the Control Panel.
The best way to safeguard your laptop computer and laptop screen in particular is to use it with care. Laptop repair could cost much more than the laptop maintenance and laptop care. Apart from the laptop screen protection, you also need to ensure the laptop exterior is not damaged. For this you can use laptop skins which are available in the market. You could even get a variety of it now. Many companies like HandStands have now come up with numerous laptop accessories like laptop bullet proof shields and computer buffs that help you in this endeavor. All you have to do is pick one!
Dante
The laptop screen is a delicate part of the laptop computer and apparently the most expensive part of the laptop computer. Lets take a closer look at the laptop computer screen, why it is essential to take care of the laptop screen and how exactly can you safeguard the screen. Before that, let me brief you on the anatomy of a laptop screen. Laptop screen is made of Liquid Crystal display or LCD as we better know it. LCD compositions comprises of individual transistors at each pixel (the minute dots that form images on the laptop screen). Laptop screens could have as many as 1,500,000 pixels. Every pixel is known to have an individual liquid crystal/ transistor combination. Even if a single combination is damaged you might have a permanent black mark on the laptop screen. This seemingly small black spot will not make your laptop unusable. However, if you happen to physically damage the laptop screen through scratch marks or abrasions you will lose much more than one pixel.
Laptop Screen Care Tips: -
Cleaning Laptop Screen - Use a computer buff to clean your laptop screen. These are very handy and can also double up as mouse pads. One of the best laptop screen protector, buying laptop buff does not burn a hole in your pocket. Even if you have oil or dirt marks, computer buff will take care of it in a single swipe. Also, finger prints are also something which are clearly visible on the laptop screen. Avoid touching the laptop screen. Avoid use of paper towels or rough cloths to clean; this might worsen things rather than resolving them.
Laptop Screen Protection Shield - Use laptop screen shields also known as laptop bullet proof shields to safeguard the sensitivity of your laptop screen. Laptop protection could not get any better. We know how tough it would be to deal with scratch marks on laptop screen. Avoid using alcoholic cleaners if you are not sure of the amount to be used. Some cleaning liquids need to be diluted with water before use. Besides, certain laptop cleaning liquids use ammonia that spoils the screen and makes it brittle and yellowish in color.
Laptop Physical Damage - Other than cleaning and protecting the laptop using computer buffs and laptop computer shields, you ought to know that simple poking could also damage the laptop screen. For instance, if you are making a laptop presentation never use pointed objects like pencil or pen to point out something on the laptop screen. If you find it difficult to use the mouse cursor, change the size or shape of the mouse cursor from the Control Panel.
The best way to safeguard your laptop computer and laptop screen in particular is to use it with care. Laptop repair could cost much more than the laptop maintenance and laptop care. Apart from the laptop screen protection, you also need to ensure the laptop exterior is not damaged. For this you can use laptop skins which are available in the market. You could even get a variety of it now. Many companies like HandStands have now come up with numerous laptop accessories like laptop bullet proof shields and computer buffs that help you in this endeavor. All you have to do is pick one!
Dante
Comments Off
Jan
10
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
Saya A asked:
I have just purchased a Lenovo n500 notebook and installed another ram stick to make it 2gb. I have all the connections set up, like the battery, and the power cord. I go to turn the laptop on, but only a black screen shows up. The lights on the keyboard show up, but nothing else. I’ve even tried to use the screen brightness but that didn’t work either.
I have just purchased a Lenovo n500 notebook and installed another ram stick to make it 2gb. I have all the connections set up, like the battery, and the power cord. I go to turn the laptop on, but only a black screen shows up. The lights on the keyboard show up, but nothing else. I’ve even tried to use the screen brightness but that didn’t work either.
Is this even a good brand?
Cruz
Jan
05
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
laptop asked:
Today we will look at an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The DELL Inspiron XPS system based on Intel Merom processor proved an excellent solution. Read more in our review!
The life of a truly modern man is like a train that is steadily speeding up from its station towards an unknown destination. It is getting faster and faster every moment, and there’s no stopping or even pausing this process. Living at a high speed, the modern man regards time as a great value. Some people are even dreaming about extra hours in the day that would sum up into extra days monthly. To avoid floundering in such unreal dreaming, you can put to good use those hours that you’d just waste otherwise. You only need a portable digital companion, a notebook computer.
There is, however, a list of minimum requirements this digital companion must comply with to satisfy its owner. The notebook must be light and small, yet easy to work with. It must have high-performance but economical components so that it could last long on the dell xps m1210 battery. A large selection of wireless interfaces would also be welcome in a traveling notebook. A good graphics subsystem might also come in handy so that the user could relax a little at some game.
You think it’s impossible? Not at all! The Dell Inspiron XPS M1201 is a vivid example of that. Depending on the configuration, this 12” cutie (it easily fits within the dimensions of the A4 paper format and thus into any briefcase or bag) can satisfy any person who is spending much of his life traveling. Appearances are often misleading, and a cursory glance over the Inspiron XPS M1210 won’t disclose to you the fact that this notebook has one of the most advanced of today’s mobile CPUs coupled with a rather powerful graphics subsystem. Not all notebooks marked as XPS M1210 have a discrete graphics solution on board, though. There is a version that has a tremendous computing power but is weak in 3D and gaming applications because it uses the integrated graphics core Graphics Media Accelerator 950.
It’s the latter version of the notebook that we’ve got for our tests. The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core CPU with the Core micro-architecture. The Merom differs from the previous core Yonah in a few respects. First, the Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 has a 4MB L2 cache. The execution pipeline is almost the same length in all CPUs with the Core architecture, yet it is longer by two stages in the Core 2 Duo. The most notable improvement is the support of Intel’s 64-bit extensions to the x86 architecture and the so-called Intel Wide Dynamic Execution that means that the CPU core now has more decoders and execution units. The processing of SSE and floating-point instructions has been accelerated. With all these innovations, the Merom core has a typical heat dissipation of 34W as opposed to the Yonah’s 31W. The rest of the components of the Napa platform are left unchanged and the CPU socket will remain the same until the upcoming transition to the Santa Rosa platform.
The stickers they put on the notebook case are the same too, except that the Intel Core 2 Duo Inside sticker now has the number 2 that stands for Merom. The Centrino Duo logo doesn’t allow telling which exactly CPU resides inside the notebook.
Our tests will show how such crucial parameters of notebooks as battery life and performance have been affected by the technical innovations. But first we’ll examine the Dell Inspiron XPS X1210 carefully from all the sides. We’ll also take an ASUS W5F notebook as an opponent to the Inspiron. The notebook from ASUS has a similar hardware configuration, but a different CPU with a different clock rate. The Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core processor with a frequency of 2.33GHz while the ASUS W5F has a Yonah-core 2.0GHz CPU (it is the highest CPU frequency among all the Intel Core Duo processors we’ve ever tested in our labs).
Design and Ergonomics
The first thing you become aware of in the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is its smooth outline. The front part is rounded off a little, giving the notebook a very neat appearance. The lid is coated with black plastic and has a silvery band with the name of the series near the display hinges. On the front panel there is a small chromium-plated ledge to make it easier for you to lift the lid up. The sides of the lid are by half painted silver to match the top part of the notebook’s body. The rest of the body is painted black.
The manufacturer put its logotype into the center of the lid.
Before opening the notebook, you can take note of the three connectors in its front part. One is a microphone input and the other two are identical headphones outputs. Not a very common solution, this allows enjoying the multimedia capabilities of the Inspiron XPS M1210 battery together with your friend while on a plane, for example.
Above those connectors there is a block of multimedia buttons highlighted in blue when the notebook is turned on. These buttons include (from left to right):
* Mute On/Off
* Volume Down
* Volume Up
* Play/Pause
* Previous Track
* Next Track
* Stop
We don’t think these buttons are really necessary for an ultra-compact model unless you are going to use it as a player. Due to the small size of the notebook, you will almost surely touch the multimedia buttons unintentionally with your wrists while you’re using the touchpad.
The display lacks a lock as is typical of notebooks of that form-factor. Mechanisms built into the hinges press the lid down to the notebook’s body, and you have to exert some strength to lift it up. The color scheme is all silvery inside, including the magnesium case, keyboard, touchpad, and the screen bezel. There are rubber pads on that bezel for softer contact between the display and the notebook’s body. Centered beneath the display is the Dell logotype.
The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 may come with an optional 1.3-megapixel web-camera that can turn around by 180 degrees. It resembles the one installed on the ASUS W5F. Our notebook didn’t have that camera, though.
Besides the manufacturer’s logo, there are two sonorous stereo speakers on the bezel, below the display. They are covered with grids and are directed right at the user. This placement is good because the speakers won’t get obstructed with anything.
The display hinges stick out of the notebook’s body, allowing you to unfold it by even more than 180 degrees as is shown in the following photograph:
The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is equipped with a widescreen 12.1” display with a max resolution of 1280×800 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10 (WXGA). The horizontal viewing angle seems to be large, but the vertical one is narrow even visually. The glassy coating of the display makes colors more saturated (Dell TrueLife technology), but also produces flares under improper lighting and reflects every well-lit object behind your back.
We measured the brightness and contrast of the notebook’s display using a Pantone ColorVision Spyder with OptiCAL version 3.7.8 software. We selected the highest possible brightness setting before this test but it would become much lower when the notebook switched to its battery, automatically enabling power-saving measures. The measured values of brightness are high, but the contrast ratio isn’t:
AC power source:
* 110.1cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio
DC power source:
* 90.9cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio
The notebook’s keyboard consists of 84 silvery-colored keys with a soft movement and a somewhat rough surface. The Arrow keys are lowered below the keyboard’s baseline to reduce the risk of your pressing them unintentionally. The Fn button is located at the bottom left of the keyboard, next to the Ctrl key, which is in the corner. This is convenient for people who are used to shortcuts like Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V. Numeric buttons and two Windows keys are available: the Context Menu key is over one key on the left of the spacebar and the Windows Logo is on the right of the spacebar. The functional buttons are smaller than others. PgUp and PgDn are placed under the Enter. Home, End, Insert and Delete are in the same row with the functional buttons (you should press them along with Fn to access their additional functions). The letters are painted in black; the functional keys are blue.
Testbed and Methods
The notebook’s hard drive was formatted in NTFS before the tests. Then we installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 with DirectX 9.0c, system drivers (from the included disc), and Windows Media Encoder 9.0 with Windows Media Player 9.0. We also installed Windows Media Player 10.0 for such tests as PCMark 2005 and SYSMark 2004 SE.
The following settings were used for the tests:
* Power-saving services – Off
* Audio subsystem – Off
* Network services – Off
* Maximum screen brightness
* Maximum display resolution (1440×900)
* Windows Taskbar is Unlocked
* Windows Taskbar hides automatically
* Classic Desktop theme
* No background image on the Desktop
* No screensaver
* Low security level
* Pop-ups blocking disabled
There were two exceptions: we returned to the Windows XP desktop theme for PCMark 2005 since the program required that. And for SYSMark 2004 SE to work normally, we had to roll each parameter back to its default (as they are set right after you install Windows).
Two power modes were used. First, we selected the Always On power mode for maximum performance and the shortest battery life. Then we switched to the Max Battery mode for the maximum battery run-down time.
Our tests:
1. Performance benchmarks: synthetic (SiSoftware Sandra 2005, SiSoftware Sandra 2007, PCMark 2004 1.3.0, PCMark 2005 1.2.0), office and multimedia (SYSMark 2004 SE, Business Winstone 2004, Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004), and games (3DMark 2001SE Pro, 3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.2.0, 3DMark 2006 1.0.2, Quake 3, Quake 4, Unreal Tournament 2003)
2. Battery life tests (Battery Eater Pro 2.60)
There are three test modes in Battery Eater:
* Classic (the system is under a high and evenly distributed load)
* Reader’s test (the pages are browsed through each 15 seconds)
* Idle mode
We used the first two modes as they are in Battery Eater, but in the Idle mode (when the test utility doesn’t put any load of its own on the notebook) we played a DVD movie.
Conclusion
Michael Dell’s team has done a good job again, coming up with an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The only significant drawback in the configuration of the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 that we tested is the lack of a discrete graphics card that would certainly make it even more appealing. Well, the model we actually tested is quite ready for the nomadic way of life many of us have to lead. We called the ASUS W5F with its Yonah-core CPU a mobile intellectual in our earlier review, but the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210, even with its integrated graphics, is much smarter without a doubt!
This year will show us the Merom from other aspects, too. This CPU core is going to have higher frequencies and to work within the framework of the Santa Rosa platform together with an improved integrated graphics core. This sounds to us like yet another performance leap!
Highs:
* Superb ultramodern design
* Excellent performance in office applications (and not limited to them if the configuration includes a discrete graphics card)
* Abundance of wireless interfaces (including support for SIM cards)
* Exclusive TrueLife technology for better image quality
* Appealing and competitive price
* High-resolution widescreen display
* Relatively long battery life
Lows:
* Mirror-like display
* Low performance in games
* Inconvenient placement of the multimedia buttons
* Optical combo-drive
* Rather too noisy
* Dense placement of USB ports (but it’s good that there are as many as four of them here!)
Angel
Today we will look at an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The DELL Inspiron XPS system based on Intel Merom processor proved an excellent solution. Read more in our review!
The life of a truly modern man is like a train that is steadily speeding up from its station towards an unknown destination. It is getting faster and faster every moment, and there’s no stopping or even pausing this process. Living at a high speed, the modern man regards time as a great value. Some people are even dreaming about extra hours in the day that would sum up into extra days monthly. To avoid floundering in such unreal dreaming, you can put to good use those hours that you’d just waste otherwise. You only need a portable digital companion, a notebook computer.
There is, however, a list of minimum requirements this digital companion must comply with to satisfy its owner. The notebook must be light and small, yet easy to work with. It must have high-performance but economical components so that it could last long on the dell xps m1210 battery. A large selection of wireless interfaces would also be welcome in a traveling notebook. A good graphics subsystem might also come in handy so that the user could relax a little at some game.
You think it’s impossible? Not at all! The Dell Inspiron XPS M1201 is a vivid example of that. Depending on the configuration, this 12” cutie (it easily fits within the dimensions of the A4 paper format and thus into any briefcase or bag) can satisfy any person who is spending much of his life traveling. Appearances are often misleading, and a cursory glance over the Inspiron XPS M1210 won’t disclose to you the fact that this notebook has one of the most advanced of today’s mobile CPUs coupled with a rather powerful graphics subsystem. Not all notebooks marked as XPS M1210 have a discrete graphics solution on board, though. There is a version that has a tremendous computing power but is weak in 3D and gaming applications because it uses the integrated graphics core Graphics Media Accelerator 950.
It’s the latter version of the notebook that we’ve got for our tests. The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core CPU with the Core micro-architecture. The Merom differs from the previous core Yonah in a few respects. First, the Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 has a 4MB L2 cache. The execution pipeline is almost the same length in all CPUs with the Core architecture, yet it is longer by two stages in the Core 2 Duo. The most notable improvement is the support of Intel’s 64-bit extensions to the x86 architecture and the so-called Intel Wide Dynamic Execution that means that the CPU core now has more decoders and execution units. The processing of SSE and floating-point instructions has been accelerated. With all these innovations, the Merom core has a typical heat dissipation of 34W as opposed to the Yonah’s 31W. The rest of the components of the Napa platform are left unchanged and the CPU socket will remain the same until the upcoming transition to the Santa Rosa platform.
The stickers they put on the notebook case are the same too, except that the Intel Core 2 Duo Inside sticker now has the number 2 that stands for Merom. The Centrino Duo logo doesn’t allow telling which exactly CPU resides inside the notebook.
Our tests will show how such crucial parameters of notebooks as battery life and performance have been affected by the technical innovations. But first we’ll examine the Dell Inspiron XPS X1210 carefully from all the sides. We’ll also take an ASUS W5F notebook as an opponent to the Inspiron. The notebook from ASUS has a similar hardware configuration, but a different CPU with a different clock rate. The Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core processor with a frequency of 2.33GHz while the ASUS W5F has a Yonah-core 2.0GHz CPU (it is the highest CPU frequency among all the Intel Core Duo processors we’ve ever tested in our labs).
Design and Ergonomics
The first thing you become aware of in the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is its smooth outline. The front part is rounded off a little, giving the notebook a very neat appearance. The lid is coated with black plastic and has a silvery band with the name of the series near the display hinges. On the front panel there is a small chromium-plated ledge to make it easier for you to lift the lid up. The sides of the lid are by half painted silver to match the top part of the notebook’s body. The rest of the body is painted black.
The manufacturer put its logotype into the center of the lid.
Before opening the notebook, you can take note of the three connectors in its front part. One is a microphone input and the other two are identical headphones outputs. Not a very common solution, this allows enjoying the multimedia capabilities of the Inspiron XPS M1210 battery together with your friend while on a plane, for example.
Above those connectors there is a block of multimedia buttons highlighted in blue when the notebook is turned on. These buttons include (from left to right):
* Mute On/Off
* Volume Down
* Volume Up
* Play/Pause
* Previous Track
* Next Track
* Stop
We don’t think these buttons are really necessary for an ultra-compact model unless you are going to use it as a player. Due to the small size of the notebook, you will almost surely touch the multimedia buttons unintentionally with your wrists while you’re using the touchpad.
The display lacks a lock as is typical of notebooks of that form-factor. Mechanisms built into the hinges press the lid down to the notebook’s body, and you have to exert some strength to lift it up. The color scheme is all silvery inside, including the magnesium case, keyboard, touchpad, and the screen bezel. There are rubber pads on that bezel for softer contact between the display and the notebook’s body. Centered beneath the display is the Dell logotype.
The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 may come with an optional 1.3-megapixel web-camera that can turn around by 180 degrees. It resembles the one installed on the ASUS W5F. Our notebook didn’t have that camera, though.
Besides the manufacturer’s logo, there are two sonorous stereo speakers on the bezel, below the display. They are covered with grids and are directed right at the user. This placement is good because the speakers won’t get obstructed with anything.
The display hinges stick out of the notebook’s body, allowing you to unfold it by even more than 180 degrees as is shown in the following photograph:
The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is equipped with a widescreen 12.1” display with a max resolution of 1280×800 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10 (WXGA). The horizontal viewing angle seems to be large, but the vertical one is narrow even visually. The glassy coating of the display makes colors more saturated (Dell TrueLife technology), but also produces flares under improper lighting and reflects every well-lit object behind your back.
We measured the brightness and contrast of the notebook’s display using a Pantone ColorVision Spyder with OptiCAL version 3.7.8 software. We selected the highest possible brightness setting before this test but it would become much lower when the notebook switched to its battery, automatically enabling power-saving measures. The measured values of brightness are high, but the contrast ratio isn’t:
AC power source:
* 110.1cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio
DC power source:
* 90.9cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio
The notebook’s keyboard consists of 84 silvery-colored keys with a soft movement and a somewhat rough surface. The Arrow keys are lowered below the keyboard’s baseline to reduce the risk of your pressing them unintentionally. The Fn button is located at the bottom left of the keyboard, next to the Ctrl key, which is in the corner. This is convenient for people who are used to shortcuts like Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V. Numeric buttons and two Windows keys are available: the Context Menu key is over one key on the left of the spacebar and the Windows Logo is on the right of the spacebar. The functional buttons are smaller than others. PgUp and PgDn are placed under the Enter. Home, End, Insert and Delete are in the same row with the functional buttons (you should press them along with Fn to access their additional functions). The letters are painted in black; the functional keys are blue.
Testbed and Methods
The notebook’s hard drive was formatted in NTFS before the tests. Then we installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 with DirectX 9.0c, system drivers (from the included disc), and Windows Media Encoder 9.0 with Windows Media Player 9.0. We also installed Windows Media Player 10.0 for such tests as PCMark 2005 and SYSMark 2004 SE.
The following settings were used for the tests:
* Power-saving services – Off
* Audio subsystem – Off
* Network services – Off
* Maximum screen brightness
* Maximum display resolution (1440×900)
* Windows Taskbar is Unlocked
* Windows Taskbar hides automatically
* Classic Desktop theme
* No background image on the Desktop
* No screensaver
* Low security level
* Pop-ups blocking disabled
There were two exceptions: we returned to the Windows XP desktop theme for PCMark 2005 since the program required that. And for SYSMark 2004 SE to work normally, we had to roll each parameter back to its default (as they are set right after you install Windows).
Two power modes were used. First, we selected the Always On power mode for maximum performance and the shortest battery life. Then we switched to the Max Battery mode for the maximum battery run-down time.
Our tests:
1. Performance benchmarks: synthetic (SiSoftware Sandra 2005, SiSoftware Sandra 2007, PCMark 2004 1.3.0, PCMark 2005 1.2.0), office and multimedia (SYSMark 2004 SE, Business Winstone 2004, Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004), and games (3DMark 2001SE Pro, 3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.2.0, 3DMark 2006 1.0.2, Quake 3, Quake 4, Unreal Tournament 2003)
2. Battery life tests (Battery Eater Pro 2.60)
There are three test modes in Battery Eater:
* Classic (the system is under a high and evenly distributed load)
* Reader’s test (the pages are browsed through each 15 seconds)
* Idle mode
We used the first two modes as they are in Battery Eater, but in the Idle mode (when the test utility doesn’t put any load of its own on the notebook) we played a DVD movie.
Conclusion
Michael Dell’s team has done a good job again, coming up with an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The only significant drawback in the configuration of the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 that we tested is the lack of a discrete graphics card that would certainly make it even more appealing. Well, the model we actually tested is quite ready for the nomadic way of life many of us have to lead. We called the ASUS W5F with its Yonah-core CPU a mobile intellectual in our earlier review, but the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210, even with its integrated graphics, is much smarter without a doubt!
This year will show us the Merom from other aspects, too. This CPU core is going to have higher frequencies and to work within the framework of the Santa Rosa platform together with an improved integrated graphics core. This sounds to us like yet another performance leap!
Highs:
* Superb ultramodern design
* Excellent performance in office applications (and not limited to them if the configuration includes a discrete graphics card)
* Abundance of wireless interfaces (including support for SIM cards)
* Exclusive TrueLife technology for better image quality
* Appealing and competitive price
* High-resolution widescreen display
* Relatively long battery life
Lows:
* Mirror-like display
* Low performance in games
* Inconvenient placement of the multimedia buttons
* Optical combo-drive
* Rather too noisy
* Dense placement of USB ports (but it’s good that there are as many as four of them here!)
Angel
Comments Off
Jan
05
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
David Parish asked:
Laptops were originally designed as niche products to meet special computing needs. These mini desktops distinctively targeted business leaders who are highly on the go. By using laptops, managers can take their job with them and can easily store important data they require for their transactions.
Laptop computers have become very powerful devices that have the ability to perform complicated computing tasks. It is for this reason that laptop computers are now used by almost everybody. A good number of professionals now use laptops to accomplish their job and even students are permitted by the school authorities to make use of laptops.
Looking Into the History of Laptops
NASA used the first laptop for its space missions. The first generation laptops were big portable computers and powered by a mere 340 kilobyte memory. Since these early laptops have folding display screen and portable, historians considered these early laptops as the ancestors of all modern laptops.
As the production of chip technology became sophisticated, laptop computers have become smaller. In 1981 the first book-like laptop computer was created. It includes a small folding screen, an internal modem, and floppy drive. The early generations of laptops also have computer programs installed on their system.
Development and research on computer technology accelerated in the mid 1980s. There was a need for laptops for business and individual use. Since then, laptop computers have become smaller, lighter, thinner and very powerful.
These days, you can put a typical laptop in a small brown envelope. Its weight can also be compared to standard textbook. Most laptops also have mini-hard drives that can store gigabytes of data. Processors of modern laptops have become faster and usually operate with 1 to 5 GB of RAM.
Specialized Aspects of Advanced Laptops
Practically all the standard features of a desktop are available in laptops. Laptops now have fully operating removable gadgets such as DVD / CD ROM drives and burners. They also have hubs for small gadgets such as flash drives, card readers, and mobile telephony devices.
Almost all types of wired and wireless networking devices can be supported by laptops. They have ports available for modem, a network hub, WiFi connection, and satellite connection. These features are extremely useful for professionals, gamers, internetworking, and personal computing.
While videographers and journalists can also use their laptop computer to instantly edit the videos they have captured so they can easily broadcast news through the Internet. This shows the effectiveness of the laptop computer in the quick dissemination of information.
Recent Laptop Innovations
IT companies began to make Netbooks and subnotebooks in view of the fact that high-end laptop computer is too expensive for the general public. These are laptops that can be used for general mobile computing even with limited functions.
By using a Netbook, you can browse Web sites, check email, and carry out tasks online. Though the Netbook have minimum hard disk space they have enough memory speed for convenient web browsing. The Netbook can also be used for online games.
Laptop computer has opened the way for highly mobile computing. With the advancements in computer technology, you will see recent models of laptops with amazing functions.
Alfonso
Laptops were originally designed as niche products to meet special computing needs. These mini desktops distinctively targeted business leaders who are highly on the go. By using laptops, managers can take their job with them and can easily store important data they require for their transactions.
Laptop computers have become very powerful devices that have the ability to perform complicated computing tasks. It is for this reason that laptop computers are now used by almost everybody. A good number of professionals now use laptops to accomplish their job and even students are permitted by the school authorities to make use of laptops.
Looking Into the History of Laptops
NASA used the first laptop for its space missions. The first generation laptops were big portable computers and powered by a mere 340 kilobyte memory. Since these early laptops have folding display screen and portable, historians considered these early laptops as the ancestors of all modern laptops.
As the production of chip technology became sophisticated, laptop computers have become smaller. In 1981 the first book-like laptop computer was created. It includes a small folding screen, an internal modem, and floppy drive. The early generations of laptops also have computer programs installed on their system.
Development and research on computer technology accelerated in the mid 1980s. There was a need for laptops for business and individual use. Since then, laptop computers have become smaller, lighter, thinner and very powerful.
These days, you can put a typical laptop in a small brown envelope. Its weight can also be compared to standard textbook. Most laptops also have mini-hard drives that can store gigabytes of data. Processors of modern laptops have become faster and usually operate with 1 to 5 GB of RAM.
Specialized Aspects of Advanced Laptops
Practically all the standard features of a desktop are available in laptops. Laptops now have fully operating removable gadgets such as DVD / CD ROM drives and burners. They also have hubs for small gadgets such as flash drives, card readers, and mobile telephony devices.
Almost all types of wired and wireless networking devices can be supported by laptops. They have ports available for modem, a network hub, WiFi connection, and satellite connection. These features are extremely useful for professionals, gamers, internetworking, and personal computing.
While videographers and journalists can also use their laptop computer to instantly edit the videos they have captured so they can easily broadcast news through the Internet. This shows the effectiveness of the laptop computer in the quick dissemination of information.
Recent Laptop Innovations
IT companies began to make Netbooks and subnotebooks in view of the fact that high-end laptop computer is too expensive for the general public. These are laptops that can be used for general mobile computing even with limited functions.
By using a Netbook, you can browse Web sites, check email, and carry out tasks online. Though the Netbook have minimum hard disk space they have enough memory speed for convenient web browsing. The Netbook can also be used for online games.
Laptop computer has opened the way for highly mobile computing. With the advancements in computer technology, you will see recent models of laptops with amazing functions.
Alfonso
Comments Off
Jan
04
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
Long asked:
Ok,so l have had my laptop for about 1-2 years and got a new charger a few months ago. The charger wont work,it will just plug in and all it does is keep the battery from running low but it doesn’t charge. How do l fix my toshiba laptop charger?
Simon
Ok,so l have had my laptop for about 1-2 years and got a new charger a few months ago. The charger wont work,it will just plug in and all it does is keep the battery from running low but it doesn’t charge. How do l fix my toshiba laptop charger?
Simon
Jan
02
Filed Under (laptop favorites) by AJS
Coldinfection asked:
I’ve never had any problems before with my laptop connecting to my home network but recently, whenever i turn my laptop on and it goes to my desktop the connection says “Limited connection”. Do you think that User Account Control (UAC) affects this? Because it only occured to me days after i turned off my UAC. Anyone knows why and how do i fix this? I can still connect to my network but i have to diagnose and repair it EVERYTIME. Thanks for the help.
Calvin
I’ve never had any problems before with my laptop connecting to my home network but recently, whenever i turn my laptop on and it goes to my desktop the connection says “Limited connection”. Do you think that User Account Control (UAC) affects this? Because it only occured to me days after i turned off my UAC. Anyone knows why and how do i fix this? I can still connect to my network but i have to diagnose and repair it EVERYTIME. Thanks for the help.
Calvin
