Acer Aspire Z5610: Desktop PC Touch Screen Era

Acer Aspire Z5610 - An All in One Desktop Acer's new, sprawling 23-inch screen combined with the Core 2 Quad processors and features a touch screen with the Windows OS 7 invites the viewer to try.

When I first saw this desktop, desktop again about the series all-in-one from the Intel Atom-based Lenovo named C300. If the C300 can only be used for entertainment and productivity lightweight, not with the Acer Aspire Z5610. Section All-in-one desktop features a high specification for the size of all-in-one desktop.

Acer Aspire Z5610 has now been completed for the touch screen 23-inch, 4GB RAM memory, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, and 750 GB hard drive. Darling big desktop modem is not equipped.

Judging from its shape, all-in-one desktop feels elegant with silver color cast in all parts, except the center back of a dark red. Which makes more futuristic Aspire Z5610 is because the white LED light that lights the lower limit and monitor speakers, and the footstool. With the white light beam, making it look like a big-screen desktop is floating. Adding fun Z5610 Aspire operate in light conditions of minimal space, even though dark.

Views Acer Aspire Z5610

At the top there is the power button, a webcam and dual HD mikrphone, each of which is located on the right and left webcam. HD quality webcam it was good enough to identify a user movement through one of the congenital Acer application.

In the back of the desktop there are 4 USB ports fruit, Keningston Lock Slot, audio out port, IR port, eSATA port and power port. On the left a silver-plated desktop is still there more USB 2 ports, as well as reader BCAS (Special SKU Japan).

While on the right side there is an optical disc drive, beneath which there is a card reader and mic jack / phone. There's a button that serves more LED lighting throughout the body Z5610 Acer Aspire desktop display that adds silver added 'shine'.

Touch Portal Interesting, On-Screen Keyboard No

The most interesting part of this desktop is nothing but the interaction of the fingers of our hands, when touching it and moving the monitor every application in it. When tested, with a gesture which supports touch screen 2 fingers, the operation of each apikasi was very responsive and did not see any problems. For example when used for shifting, rotating, or zooming in an application. Existence Acer Touch existing portal as a desktop plus value-added is.

Acer Touch Portal itself is a portal that provides a variety of entertainment into a single container. As observed, Touch the portal to the desktop version is different from the version on the Acer Aspire notebook 5738PG. If the notebook version of the portal design shaped rack that provides many applications for the drag to the middle of the screen, it displays the desktop version of the wooden plank on top which is spread a variety of applications to run. Unique indeed.

Generally touch the portal is fun to use, especially for all kinds of entertainment features in it. But do not try to type using the on-screen keyboard (touch-screen virtual keyboard) to type a document. For those not familiar, would be very hard to try to type an article for example, with the virtual keyboard. Especially for users who have a relatively large fingers. Guaranteed hard to type.

Maybe in the past, touch screen feature can only be run with only 1 finger gesture. Now with multi-touch gesture, users can move all his fingers to operate a PC like a mouse. Related to this, Microsoft was buried Globe feature called Surface, which allows users 'navigate' all over the world with their fingers. When dijajal, acceleration and the effects of the globe, whose function is similar to Google Earth it feels smooth, smooth as applications on Apple's iPod.

Performance Audio and Video

With ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 (512 MB) Acer Aspire Z5610 proved not meet any obstacles in carrying HD format movies. Also the sound generated from 5W stereo speakers located at the bottom, too bad. Not impressed dry and empty. With the addition of headphone port, microphone and audio-out port-related, silver desktop from Acer is indeed superior in terms of entertainment facilities. Even for users who want to do video conferencing or webcam to ria, would be satisfied with this size screen.

Conclusion

The combination of design and excellent multimedia features is probably one of the reasons if you want to woo your desktop all-in-one from Acer is the latest. This desktop can be one means of entertainment for families exciting. Suppose placed in the family room, to share entertainment between parent and child.

Although the concept of touch screen is very user friendly and easy to operate, Acer is also adding a wireless keyboard and mouse in the box Aspire Z5610, which provides options for users to interact with the desktop. For the issue price, Acer membanderolnya with a range of U.S. $ 1399.

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Acer Laptop Review - Acer Aspire 6930G-6723

Acer Aspire 6930G-6723

Attractive Design

Similar to the 8930G, the 6930G sports Acer’s Gemstone design, which is an attractive mix of varied textures, illuminated buttons, and glossy finishes. The bluish black lid of the 15.7 x 11.5 x 1.7-inch system looks sharp, and we like the silver Acer logo and its white backlighting. It’s a fingerprint magnet, so you may want to keep a cloth handy to maintain the pristine out-of-the-box look.
While it weighs 1.8 pounds less than the 8930G, the 6930G checks in at a still-chunky 7.2 pounds. The 16-inch Samsung R610-64G, for example, weighs only 6 pounds. So while the 6930G is somewhat portable, you’re not going to want to travel with it.
Upon opening the lid of this notebook, you’ll find a glossy black keyboard above a silver, textured palm rest. The full-size keyboard has a good feel and offers plenty of real estate for lion-pawed users, and there’s room for a separate number pad to the right. The blue backlit multimedia touch controls are serviceable but sit left of center, so getting accustomed to their location takes a bit of time. Unlike the 8930G, this system lacks a biometric fingerprint reader.
On the right side of the 8930G are two USB 2.0 ports, a Blu-ray drive, modem, and Kensington lock slot, which is slickly built into the hinge. On the left side of the system you’ll find ports and connections for the power adapter, Ethernet, DisplayPort, VGA, HDMI, two USB 2.0 (one of which is eSATA-enabled), ExpressCard/54, and headphone and microphone jacks. A 5-in-1 memory card reader is housed in the unit’s front edge.

Audio, Video, and Webcam

The glossy 16-inch (1366 x 768-pixel resolution), 16:9-ratio display is bright and colorful, which made watching the Blu-ray version of Top Gun pleasurable. As the display isn’t full HD, we extended the visuals to a 32-inch external monitor using the HDMI port to watch the movie in 1920 x 1080p and enjoyed rich colors and quality skin tones.
Sound mavens will love the system’s crisp, rich audio, which comes courtesy of Acer’s CineSurround set up (which utilizes virtual 5.1 surround sound) and Dolby’s second-generation Home Theater technology. The Tuba CineBass booster provided plenty of low-end thump.
Acer’s 1.3-megapixel Crystal Eye webcam is one of the best integrated notebook cameras that we’ve ever used. Unlike the vast majority of webcams on the market, it delivered a super-crisp image that exhibited natural colors. Users have the option of taking photos or videos in two different resolutions (320 x 240 and 640 x 480), both of which looked sharp even in low light. The included webcam utility is very basic, however, and lacks such extra features as face-tracking and special effects.

Performance

The 6930G offers good all-around performance, thanks to a 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. The system notched a PCMark Vantage score of 3,252, just below the desktop replacement average, but nearly 900 points less than the HP Pavilion HDX 16, another 16-inch, 16:9 multimedia machine. Still, this notebook was able to output a Blu-ray movie via HDMI in full HD, compress a 4.97GB folder, and stream shows on Hulu.com with only minor visual hiccups.
The 6930G booted Windows Home Premium in a molasses-slow 87 seconds, which is 15 seconds slower than other desktop replacements. On the plus side, Acer includes the 64-bit version of Vista, which enables users to upgrade to a whopping 8GB of RAM.
The system comes with a 5,400-rpm, 320GB Western Digital hard drive, which offers plenty of storage space for photos, music, video, and other files. On the LAPTOP Transfer Test, the drive copied a 4.97GB folder of mixed media in 3 minutes and 58 seconds—a rate of 17.0 MBps, or 8.1 MBps slower than the category average.

Graphics

The 6930G’s Nvidia’s GeForce 9600M GS graphics card (with 512MB of memory) performed respectably. It scored a solid 11,835 in 3DMark03, about 1,600 points below average, and 4,275 in 3DMark06, nearly 970 points below average. However, the 6930G notched 74 frames per second in autodetect mode (1024 x 768-pixel resolution) when playing F.E.A.R., and 59 fps at maximum resolution (1366 x 768), which makes the machine suitable for all but the most demanding fraggers. By comparison, the HDX 16 notched frame rates of 77 fps and 27 fps, respectively.

Battery Life and Wireless

Although most desktop replacements with discrete graphics don’t make it past the 3-hour mark, the 6930G lasted 3 hours and 33 minutes on a charge, which was nearly one hour longer than the category average. Wireless throughput from Intel’s 802.11a/g/n radio was good at 15 feet from our router (20.0 Mbps) and at 50 feet (18.2 Mbps).

Software and Warranty

The 6930G comes with Acer Arcade Deluxe (Acer’s multimedia center), Acer Empowering Technology (system backup and management tools), CyberLink PowerDirector 6, the eSobi Lite RSS reader, and a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office 2007. Acer covers the system with a one-year warranty and 24/7 phone tech support.

Verdict

Priced at a very wallet-friendly $999, the Acer Aspire 6930-6723 provides an excellent all-around multimedia experience for the movie buff, music fan, or gamer. Granted, a full 1080p display would be the optimal resolution for a system with an integrated Blu-ray drive, but even without it, the Acer Aspire 6930G-6723 is a winner.

Technical Specifications

Acer Aspire 6930G-6723 Notebook

http://us.acer.com/

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Acer Laptop Review - Aspire Timeline 3810T (6415)

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T (6415)

Super-thin Design

With the lid closed, the Timeline 3810T’s matte gray, fingerprint-proof plastic lid is similar to the company’s business-oriented TravelMate series. In contrast to the $899 Aspire 3935, which, for the same price, sports a more attractive golden brown brushed-metal chassis, and an integrated optical drive. On the other hand, the 3810T is significantly lighter at 3.6 pounds (vs. 4.2 for the 3935) and marginally thinner (0.9 inches at its thinnest point vs. 1.0 inches).
This machine is no MSI X340, which weighs 2.9 pounds, but it’s still refreshingly light to carry. Overall, the matte gray-and-black color scheme is a bit conservative, but the keys’ finish and island–style layout keep it current.
You won’t find any multimedia controls, touch-sensitive or otherwise, on this notebook—just a strip of LED lights above the keyboard indicating Wi-Fi connectivity, BackUp Manager, battery power, and hard drive. A small button next to the touchpad deactivates it (a feature more commonly found on business notebooks, which have both a touchpad and a trackball in the center of the keyboard).

Keyboard and Touchpad

The arrangement of the 3810T’s keys is unusual: they’re closer together than a typical island layout (think Apple’s MacBook line or any Sony VAIO notebook), but there’s still enough space between them that they look, at first glance, like a more traditional keyboard. Nevertheless, our hands settled comfortably on the soft keys, and we made few typing errors as we surfed the Web, and responded to e-mail. We also warmed to the keys’ low pitch, and their minimal sound.
Hands down, our least favorite feature is the 3810T’s stiff single mouse button. We would have preferred two separate buttons. That said, the touchpad was large enough, and provided just the right amount of friction.

Display and Sound

The LED-backlit 13.3 display was exceptionally bright when we bumped the brightness to its maximum settings. Although the screen was washed out when we pushed the lid forward, we were able to comfortably watch from the sides, despite the glossy finish. The 1366 x 768 screen resolution (standard for a 16:9 13-inch notebook) was sufficient to watch a Saturday Night Live clip on Hulu at full screen.
Not surprisingly, given the notebook’s size and price, the speakers were weak. When we watched clips online and streamed music from Slacker, the music and dialogue sounded distant, and never very loud. With music, in particular, bass and percussions in everything from MGMT to The White Stripes got lost in the tinny shuffle.

Ports and Webcam

Unlike most 13-inch notebooks, the Timeline 3810T has no optical drive. While it’s true that you can download movies and software from the Web (instead of using DVDs or CD-ROMs), some users may prefer a DVD drive. We’re of the opinion that you don’t need one, unless you like to burn movies or back up to DVDs. Plus, the lack of an optical drive helps this notebook achieve its slim profile and light weight.
Otherwise, the 3810T has all the ports you could need: three USB ports, HDMI and VGA output, an Ethernet jack, headphone and mic ports, and a Kensington lock slot. It also has a 5-in-1 memory card reader. All of these openings are divided evenly between the two sides; none are on the back or the front.
The 720p webcam is one of the best we’ve tested on a notebook recently. While some laptops’ 1.3-MP cameras struggle to produce smooth video at even VGA resolution, the 3810T’s high-def video looked fluid, with little, if any, lag. Likewise, our still photos showed lots of detail. Our only gripes: the lighting was dim, and both our photos and videos had a subtle yellow cast to them.

Performance

Our Timeline 3810T configuration packed a 1.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit). This combination produced a score of 2,678 in PCMark Vantage, which measures application performance in Vista. That result is less than 100 points short of the ultraportable category average but nearly 200 points less than the Aspire 3935, which is equipped with a more powerful 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo T7350 CPU.
The 500GB, 5,400-rpm drive on this notebook is fast: it transferred a 4.97GB mixed-media folder at a rate of 24.8 MBps. The average notebook in this weight class completes the same test at a rate of 19.7 MBps. The notebook took one minute to boot up, which is standard for a Vista machine.
While the 3810T’s slow clock speed doesn’t make much difference for everyday computing, intensive multimedia chores will prove challenging. For example, it took 22 minutes and 18 seconds to transcode a 5-minute-and-5-second MP4 clip to AVI using Handbrake. The average ultraportable, meanwhile, takes 16:41 seconds to complete the same task. Even the $899 MSI X340, which has a 1.4-GHz Intel Penryn Core 2 Solo SU3500 ULV processor and 2GB of RAM, took 18:12; and the Aspire 3935 took a brisk 7:56.

Graphics

When it comes to performance, graphics power is the 3810T’s only glaring weakness. Its score of 698 on 3DMark06 falls short of the still-weak category average of 862, but is right in line with the X340’s score of 643, which means you can forget about playing graphically demanding games. On Far Cry 2, this notebook managed just 3 frames per second with the resolution set to 1024 x 768, and 1 frame per second with the resolution cranked to its highest setting, 1366 x 768.
Despite its shortcomings, this machine comes with demo versions of 19 casual games (such as Puzzle Express and Parking Dash by Oberon Media) that are fun and easy to play. And we flew from the United States to Japan’s Yokohama Beach in Google Earth with barely an onscreen blip.

Heat

In addition to long battery life, and its thin yet affordable design, the Timeline series promises to run cool, thanks to Acer’s new Laminar Wall Jet technology. The result of a collaboration between Acer and Intel, this technology redirects air along the bottom of the notebook. We tested the heat while performing the same transcoding test described in the performance section.
While the temperatures ranged from cool to warm toward the beginning of this test, they rose from warm to hot by its end. The keyboard, touchpad, and bottom of the notebook were all 88 degrees to start (the bottom of the notebook got as cool as 82 degrees). Any temperature below 90 degrees is fine. But as time went on, the temperature in these three places rose to between 92 and 93 degrees (the bottom of the notebook even got as hot as 100 degrees). Despite these temperatures, though, both the keyboard and bottom felt more warm than hot.

Battery Life and Wi-Fi

The Timeline 3810T's extra-long battery life is one of the best reasons to buy it. The six-cell battery lasted an incredible 8 hours and 5 minutes on the LAPTOP battery test, whereas the average ultraportable lasts five hours and nine minutes, to be exact). However, it was about 40 minutes shy of the 8-cell battery on the X340, which lasted 8:48. Still, the Timeline also offers nearly double the endurance of the Aspire 3935.
Its Intel WiFi Link 5100 wireless-N radio delivered throughput of 20.0 Mbps and 17.5 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively. Again, that bests the category averages of 18.6 Mbps and 15.6 Mbps, respectively.

Configurations

In addition to our $899 configuration, the 3810T, you can also buy the 3810TZ, which costs just $599. But, the $300 dollar price drop comes with some pretty big compromises in terms of specs and performance. The 3810TZ has a 1.33-GHz Intel Pentium SU2700 CPU, a 320GB hard drive (by Hitachi, not Toshiba), and an Atheros wireless-G radio. It, too, however, has 4GB of RAM, and even claims a few more minutes of battery life than the $899 3810T.

Software and Warranty

The 3810T’s bundled software and trialware include many of the usual suspects: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day trial) with a PowerPoint 2007 viewer, and the Compatibility Pack; Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer; McAfee Security Center; Windows Live Essentials; and Yahoo Toolbar.
We do welcome one piece of bundled software: Acer’s BackUp Manager, which lets users designate a device (say, a portable hard drive) as their backup location, and allows them to schedule backups. Its neat UI lets users check boxes to back up videos, photos, music, pictures, browser favorites, e-mail, and Office files.
This system comes with a one-year limited parts-and-labor warranty, including 24/7, toll-free phone support. To find out how Acer's tech support fared, check out our annual Tech Support Showdown .

The Verdict

As long as you don’t need an optical drive, we highly recommend the Timeline 3810T. In an increasingly crowded 13-inch notebook category, the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T stands out, thanks to the combination of its low $899 price tag and astounding eight-plus hours of battery life. Consumers should also consider the $799 MSI X340, which doesn't perform as well, but is less expensive and has a longer battery life.
Of course, we’d never hesitate to recommend the $999 entry-level MacBook (whose specs have just been refreshed), which will surely offer more power; however, that machine is heavier, and it won’t match the Timeline’s endurance. In fact, we think the Timeline’s biggest competition is the $899 Aspire 3935, which sports an optical drive, and a more luxurious design, but has only a little more than 4 hours of battery life. Either way, you can’t lose.

Technical Specifications

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T (6415)

http://us.acer.com

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Lenovo Laptop Review - ThinkPad T400s

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

Design

The T400s’s matte black chassis, green indicator lights, and bright red trackpoint are similar to those found on every ThinkPad since 1992, but the slim lines and carbon-glass fiber lid are reminiscent of the sleek X300 series. And, identical to the X300 series, the T400s’ battery attaches to and sits flush with the bottom of the system, rather than sticking out of its back.
While the 14.1-inch screen makes it a bit larger than the 13.3-inch X300 series, at 3.9 pounds and 0.8 inches thick, the T400s is 0.3 inches thinner and a full pound lighter than the original T400. And, unlike the X300, whose keyboard and screen can feel cramped, the T400s offers a better balance between comfort and portability.
As with the X300 series, the T400s’ chassis feels extremely firm and durable. Solid contact bumpers on the lid help protect against bumps and drops. Tight metal hinges give the lid a more solid feel than other notebooks. A magnesium alloy keyboard bezel and bottom cover add to the strength.

Keyboard and Touchpad

On the surface, it seems as though Lenovo made only minor tweaks to its industry-best keyboard design, adding larger Escape and Delete keys, and reducing the empty spaces between keys to prevent crumbs and dust from falling into them. Keyboard aficionados will also notice the unmistakable lack of flex, and the strongest feedback they’ve ever encountered in a notebook keyboard.
On the Ten Thumbs typing test, we achieved a high 84 words a minute, 5 percent faster than our 80-word average, but a typing-test score alone doesn’t take comfort into account.
We’ve always liked the accuracy offered by Lenovo’s trackpoints, and this machine’s is no different. Those who prefer a touchpad, however, will be pleasantly surprised by the wide, textured surface on the T400s’s pad. In addition to its accurate surface, the new touchpad also supports multitouch gestures: A two-finger pinch, let uszoom in and out on Web pages and in photographs. Using our fingers while browsing photos in Windows Picture Viewer allowed us to rotate the images. Sliding two fingers up or down in Internet Explorer enables scrolling.

Display and Audio

The 14.1-inch LED-backlit screen provides a native resolution of 1440 x 900, which is the same as the 13.3-inch X300 series. However, the X300 series screens are a little small for that much screen real estate, so the additional 0.8 inches of panel on the T400s make it much easier on the eyes.
While the screen is bright and images are sharp, viewing angles leave something to be desired. At 45 degrees on either side, the colors wash out significantly. If you’re planning a presentation, you’ll surely want to use an external monitor or projector. Also, DVD playback was lacking. While watching Dark City, we noticed quite a bit of pixelation in all scenes and noise in night scenes. Still, quality should be acceptable for business travelers. Our test system came with a standard DVD burner, but the T400s can be configured with a Blu-ray drive ($560).
When listening to music, the sound from the stereo speakers was clear and distortion-free, though not very loud, even at maximum volume. Sound from videos, including DVD movies, was also clear though quiet. We recommend turning up the volume to full blast if you’re sitting more than a few inches away.Smart Fingerprint Reader
Like many business notebooks, the ThinkPad T400s sports an integrated fingerprint reader, but unlike any other we’ve tested, the reader remains on, with its green LED lit, even when the system is asleep, or powered off. After configuring the bundled software and storing an impression of our index finger, we booted the system, bypassing the Windows login screen and going straight to the desktop, with just one swipe. The scanner was also highly accurate, rarely requiring multiple swipes to register. For added security, any user without administrative rights can also be forced to log in via fingerprint rather than password.

Ports and Webcam

The T400s packs plenty of ports into its compact frame. For video connectivity, it has both VGA and DisplayPort. For peripherals, it offers two USB, one eSATA/USB port, an optional ExpressCard/34 slot (which was present on our test unit), Ethernet, and a combined microphone/audio-out port.
A 5-in-1 memory card reader is available as a $10 option (our test system didn’t have one). When you consider that even $350 netbooks have card readers, it seems odd that Lenovo didn’t make one standard on its pricey T400s. The integrated 2.0-megapixel webcam provided clear, sharp images on a Skype call from our office, which has good overhead lighting. When performing the same test in a dim bedroom with just one table lamp for light, the webcam produced a sharp image, with some noise.

Heat

Many thin-and-light notebooks do a poor job of dissipating heat. The ThinkPad T400s manages to stay cool, however, registering low temperatures even when performing CPU-intensive tasks. While transcoding a video, the T400s measured a temperate 91.5 degrees Fahrenheit between its G and H keys. The touchpad was an absolutely chilly 85.5, and the bottom back was 94.5 degrees, a bit warmer but still very comfortable for what is typically the hottest area on most notebooks.

Performance

The T400s’ 2.53-GHz Core 2 Duo SP9600 CPU and speedy solid state drive allowed this notebook to break benchmark records, despite our configuration’s 2GB of RAM. On PCMark Vantage, which measures overall system performance, the system scored 5,893, which is the highest we’ve ever seen on any laptop we’ve tested, and almost 3,000 points above the category average for thin-and-light notebooks (those with 13- to 14-inch screens that weigh less than 6 pounds). That score was also more than 50 percent greater than the ones received by the original T400 (3,576) and such 14-inch business notebooks as the HP EliteBook 6930p (3,749) and Toshiba Tecra R10 (3,490).
The T400s completed our video transcoding test, in which we convert a 5-minute-and-5-second MP4 to AVI using Handbrake, in a speedy 6:10, more than 1:30 faster than the category average (7:42). Performing the same test under stress (zipping files in the background), the T400s shined more brightly, finishing in 9:04, more than 7 minutes faster than the category average (16:45).
The lightning fast Toshiba SSD booted Vista Business in just 44 seconds and completed our LAPTOP Transfer Test, in which we copy 4.97GB of mixed-media files from one folder to another, in just 77 seconds,—a rate of 66.0 MBps. That’s the fastest score achieved on a notebook, and it’s nearly 4 times the category average (17.7 MBps).

Graphics

Unfortunately, the T400s wasn’t as dominant on 3DMark06, which measures graphics performance. The notebook’s integrated Intel 4500MHD graphics chip produced a weak score of 989, well below the category average (1,435), and far behind the HP EliteBook 6930p (1,792) and the Toshiba Tecra R10 (1,643). The original ThinkPad T400 we tested back in December 2008 had switchable graphics and scored a lower 753 in integrated graphics mode, but a much higher 2,557 in discrete graphics mode. Don’t plan on gaming with the T400s, either, as it provided a slideshow-like 6 frames per second at 1024 x 768 resolution in Far Cry 2.

Battery Life and Wi-Fi

On the LAPTOP Battery Test, which features continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi, the T400s lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes, which is 19 minutes longer than the category average for thin-and-light notebooks, and on a par with the 4:23 minutes provided by the Toshiba Tecra R10.
That said, the ThinkPad T400 lasted 6:26 in integrated graphics mode. The HP EliteBook 6930p lasted 5:24 minutes with its default battery and a whopping 14:05 minutes with an extended battery.
Lenovo doesn’t make an extended battery for the T400s. A 3-cell bay battery, which can be swapped into the optical drive bay, will be available for $119 and promises an additional 2 to 3 hours of endurance. We’ll update this review when this battery becomes available.
The ThinkPad T400s’s Intel WiFi Link 5300AGN wireless card delivered strong transfer rates of 20.7 Mbps from 15 feet and 19.2 Mbps from 50 feet, each above the category averages of 18.9 and 15.4 Mbps, respectively. The original T400 got a similar rate of 20.7 Mbps from 15 feet, but a lower 16.3 Mbps from 50 feet.
The ThinkPad T400s is also available with integrated mobile broadband and GPS from AT&T or Verizon Wireless ($80 and $150, respectively). Our sample unit came with an integrated AT&T card, but it was not activated for testing.Configuration and Upgrade Options
Our configuration of the T400s costs $2,130, but the ThinkPad T400s starts at $1,599 with fewer features, most notably a slower 2.4-GHz processor and a 5,400-rpm, 120GB hard drive. You can spend far more on the system, too, if you move up to 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD ($110 for the RAM; pricing for this SSD option was not available at review time). We recommend that highly mobile users purchase the $119 UltraBay battery, which promises to increase the system’s endurance by 50 percent.
Both the RAM and the hard drive on the T400 are user-accessible. The two RAM slots are located behind an upgrade pane and can hold up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM. For storage, the system has one 1.8-inch SATA drive, which slides out from a compartment near the battery. While 1.8-inch hard drives and SSDs can be found on the aftermarket, they are much harder to find and are more expensive than their 2.5-inch counterparts.

Software and Warranty

The T400s comes with the standard suite of Lenovo ThinkVantage utilities, including backup, connection, password manager, and power management applications. Intervideo WinDVD 5 is preinstalled for watching DVDs. The system also comes with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip to help protect your data.
Lenovo backs the T400s with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor. You can purchase up to three years of warranty protection, and add such extras as same-day service.

Verdict

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s is no bargain, but if you want an incredibly powerful business notebook in a remarkably thin design, it’s worth every penny. This system’s sleek looks, top-notch keyboard, blindingly fast performance, and durable chassis allow the T400s to earn an Editors’ Choice Award. This system would be even more compelling if it offered longer endurance without an extra battery, but most users will find its better-than-average runtime more than adequate.

Technical Specifications

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

http://www.lenovo.com/us

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Toshiba Laptop Review - Satellite L355

Toshiba Satellite L355

Spartan Design

Although Toshiba has gone to great lengths to modernize its design over the past year, adding slick finishes, Harman Kardon speakers, and USB ports that charge gadgets even while a notebook is asleep, the L355 is a basic-looking system. It combines a matte, fingerprint-resistant lid and keyboard deck with a matte black keyboard.
In addition to the color scheme, the complete lack of frills and features gives away the L355’s budget price tag. There’s no webcam, and the space above the keyboard is devoid of any launch keys or multimedia controls; there’s a thin, unused panel that houses such buttons on more expensive configurations of this system.
Measuring 15.6 x 11.4 x 1.6 inches and weighing 7 pounds, the L355 is not unreasonably heavy for a notebook this size; in fact, it feels lighter than you might think when you pick it up. We found it easy to shuttle from room to room, which is about how far you’re likely to transport it.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the L355 has a full number pad along the right hand side, as you’d expect in a 17-inch notebook. The keys’ matte finish felt comfortable underneath our fingers, and we appreciated their large size. The keyboard’s panel felt sturdy, even if it was a bit noisy. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test (http://www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com/), we were able to type at 86 words per minute, which is close to our all-time high of 88 wpm.
The 1.8 x 3.0-inch touchpad was plenty large, and has low friction, making it easy to drag the cursor across the screen. While the buttons are a tad noisy, they’re easy to press, although their shallow pitch is surprising given their size.

Display and Sound

The bright, 17-inch widescreen display has a glossy finish that makes colors pop, but limits viewing angles. When we watched an episode of Mad Men on DVD, the picture looked crisp and vibrant head on, but as soon as we dipped the lid forward the screen appeared washed out; when we tried watching from the side (as if we were part of a group crowded around the screen), the contrast was too low.
Although the 1440 x 900 resolution is low compared to other desktop replacements, it was still high enough to make our standard-def DVD look sharp. Once buffered, an HD program on Hulu ran smoothly, and showed lots of detail.
The speakers, located on either side of the strip above the keyboard, produced loud sound when we streamed songs on Slacker, but our air conditioner easily drowned out dialog in a movie. As for the quality, tracks by Oasis and Beck sounded minimally tinny. In a nod to older notebooks, the L355 has a volume wheel on the front edge, as opposed to individual buttons.

Ports and (Lack of) Webcam

One of the few disappointing things about the L355 is that this pre-configured version doesn’t have a built-in webcam. Although we’re sure some customers can easily live without one, even comparably priced netbooks have webcams these days.
The L355’s array of ports are equally simple: Three USB 2.0 ports, VGA (but no HDMI) output, and an Ethernet jack. On the front side is a Wi-Fi switch and headphone and mic ports. On the right side is an 8X DVD drive (you can use it to play back and watch DVDs, as well as burn in a variety of formats), and on the left is an ExpressCard 34/54 slot. The L355 lacks a memory card reader which is a minor annoyance considering its ubiquity on other notebooks.

Performance

So how well does the L355’s dated 2.2-GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor and 3GB of RAM perform? That depends, somewhat, on what machines you compare it to, but the short answer is: The performance is more than acceptable considering its rock-bottom price, and more powerful than 15-inch ULV notebooks, which are thinner and more expensive, but run on weaker Core Solo processors.
The L355’s PCMark Vantage score of 2,035, for instance, is almost half the desktop replacement category average (3,789), but is nearly twice what the $548 Acer Timeline 5810T, a 15.6-inch ULV system, scored (1,368).
Not surprisingly, the L355’s multitasking performance wasn’t impressive. When we had four open tabs in Google Chrome, reading blogs and scrolling through our Twitter feed, the machine always paused a second before switching between tabs. However, we were able to download and install Google Earth while enjoying smooth DVD playback at full screen.
While its overall performance is relatively good, the L355’s 250GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive is slow: it transferred a 4.97GB mixed media folder at a rate of 13.4 MBps, while the average desktop replacement’s speed is 22.6 MBps. However, the machine booted in 54 seconds, which is somewhat fast for a Vista notebook. It should be noted, though, that the L355 comes with Windows Vista Home Basic, and not the Premium version found in most notebooks.
For evidence that the L355’s Celeron processor isn’t ideal for intense multimedia, however, look no further than our transcoding test: the notebook took 12 minutes and 33 seconds to save a 5:05 MPEG-4 clip to the AVI format using Handbrake, whereas the average laptop this size does completes this task in less than half the time (5:02).

Graphics

The L355’s integrated Intel GMA 4500M graphics scored 772 on 3DMark06, which is paltry when you compare it to other desktop replacements (including many a gaming rig), which notch 6,164 on average. Then again, this machine is still punchier than what you’d get with a ULV notebook: the Aspire Timeline 5810T, for instance, scored 574.
As expected, the L355 choked on graphically demanding games: with the native resolution, it barely budged in Far Cry 2, squeaking out 2 frames per second; that number rose slightly to 4 fps when we lowered the resolution to 1024 x 768.
The graphics even stuttered slightly in Google Earth. Our trips from San Francisco to Orlando to New York City felt slightly jerky, and each time it took a few seconds for the detailed maps and, when applicable, 3D buildings to load. The graphics card’s limitations were most obvious not when we traveled the globe, but when we zoomed in on our current location; even though we weren’t changing locations, the screen briefly lost focus and had to reload the finely drawn maps as it gave us a closer view.

Battery and Wi-Fi

The L355’s six-cell battery lasted 2 hours and 33 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery Test, which is right in line for a desktop replacement; these machines are so heavy you’re not likely to unplug or travel with them anyway.
The 802.11b/g radio delivered strong throughput of 18.2 Mbps at 15 feet, but this number dropped to a more modest 14.4 Mbps at 50 feet. The average desktop replacement’s Wi-Fi range is a bit stronger: 19.7 Mbps and 16.3 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively.
For a desktop replacement machine, the L355 is fairly green. The model received a Gold rating of 22 (out of 27) from EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool). Also, the L355 was fairly efficient when recharging: It took 1 hour and 54 minutes to fully recharge, which is fast for a desktop replacement (the ASUS G51Vx, a gaming rig, took 2:22 minutes to fully recharge). Meanwhile, the L355 used an average of 57.9 watts while charging (the total came to 6,600.6). Using this information, we derived the LAPTOP Battery Efficiency Rating (dividing the total wattage by the battery life in minutes), which came to 43.1. That’s about 10 watts per minute more than the desktop replacement average, and slightly less than the Toshiba Satellite A355 (44.9 watts per minute).

Configurations and the Competition

Although this preconfigured version of the L355 is available exclusively at Wal-Mart, other configurations of the L355 are available through online retailers. For example, the L355-S7902 ($649) features a 2.16-GHz Intel Pentium Core T3400 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive.
So how does this $348 system stack up against budget desktop replacements made by other vendors? Right now no one else is even close. The $499 Dell Inspiron 17, for instance, has a 2.0 GHz Pentium CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a 802.11g radio, and Intel’s integrated X4500HD graphics card. The $599 HP G70t, similarly, has 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a wireless-G radio, and a webcam. However, it starts with a Core 2 Duo CPU (not that we think this will make up for the not-so-winning combination of Vista and 1GB of memory).

Software and Warranty

The L355’s bundle of software includes Google Picasa 2, Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, a 25-use trial of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Works, a 60-day trial of Symantec Norton 360, and a shortcut to a free download of QuickBooks Financial Center.
The L355 has a standard one-year warranty, including 24/7, toll-free customer service. To see how Toshiba fared in our annual tech support showdown, click here.

The Verdict

The Toshiba L355 (S7915) isn’t sexy, and we wish it had a webcam, but at $348 this notebook offers good-enough performance for people with simple computing needs who also want a big screen. Given the fact that Toshiba offers better specs for about $250 less than the competition, we don’t expect supplies of this desktop replacement system to last very long.

Technical Specifications

Toshiba Satellite L355

http://www.walmart.com

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