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  • HP Compaq Presario Media Center Sr1750nx Desktop Review
    By PCMAN on September 30th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Product Features:

    * Ensure system stability and enjoy a user-friendly interface with genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

    * Get great performance from the 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor with enhanced virus protection, 2000MHz system bus, and 512KB L2 cache

    * Organize photos and video clips plus edit, print, share, and store with HP’s exclusive Photosmart Premier software

    * Create your own DVDs and CDs with the double-layer DVD+-R/RW drive with CD-RW capabilities and LightScribe - Up to 16x DVD+R, DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+-RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CDR, 24x CDRW, 40x CD-ROM / Label your discs with HP LightScribe labels featuring your unique text, photos, and designs

    * Store more music, videos, and data on the roomy 200GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive

    Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

    * Hardware Platform: PC
    * Processor: 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2
    * Number of Processors: 1
    * RAM: 1000 MB
    * RAM Type: DDR DRAM

    Hard Drive

    * Size: 200 GB
    * Type: Serial ATA

    Review By Shopping.Hp

    Looking for a great value? The refurbished Presario Media Center SR1750NX packs in the components—including a robust processor, plenty of hard drive space, and an HP LightScribe media drive—all at a nice price and accompanied by the reassurance of a one-year warranty.Ensure system stability and enjoy a user-friendly interface with genuine Windows XP Media Center 2005

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Amazon

    The easy-to-use Compaq Presario SR1750NX Media Center PC is the complete home PC system that delivers more entertainment choices, and brings them together in one place with easy access from anywhere in the room. With the SR1750NX you can watch, record, and pause live TV programming as well as schedule the PC to record upcoming episodes or entire series. And you can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. This affordable, family-oriented desktop offers room to grow–including available PCI and expansion slots and a 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. This desktop comes with a large 200 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM, 2.2 GHz AMD Sempron 3500+ processor, Lightscribe dual-layer/multi-format DVD drive, and a memory card reader that’s compatible with a wide range of formats.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcmag

    The SR1620NX’s black-and-silver chassis follows Compaq’s design philosophy: It won’t win any beauty contests, but it isn’t unattractive, either. We particularly like the sleek Compaq keyboard, which looks better than the clunky ones typical of this price category. The small tower is ideal for people who may want to add expansion cards or extra drives in the future. In fact, this expansion space is the SR1620NX’s main advantage over similarly priced compact desktops, such as the Apple Mac mini or the HP Pavilion Slimline s7210n PC (On the other hand, the Mac mini fits in space-constrained environments better.) You can even add a modern PCIe x16 graphics upgrade card to get the best performance from 3D games like World of Warcraft, Age of Empires III, and Doom 3.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • NEC MultiSync 90GX2 Review
    By PCMAN on September 29th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    The NEC MultiSync GX2 Series delivers the utmost in quality and performance to your desktop and adds excitement to all of your applications, from gaming and surfing the Internet to digital photo/video editing and watching DVD movies. The MultiSync 90GX2 features the super-bright OptiClear DVM screen technology, which delivers true-to-life images with remarkable clarity and color. Dynamic Video Mode further enhances full-motion video and still image graphics with real-time adaptive optimization of brightness, color and contrast. A lightning-fast response time (4ms) ensures interruption-free viewing of high-speed video and games, while the 4-port USB 2.0 hub makes it easier than ever for you to connect to peripheral devices such as MP3 players, digital cameras, storage devices, game controllers and more. Ambix technology allows you to work seamlessly in either digital or analog environments, and a dynamic cabinet design featuring tilt, swivel, cable management and NaViKey image controls adds flexibility and comfort to your viewing preferences.

    Review By Pcmag

    The 90GX2’s off-white case and thin silver bezel provide a welcome change from the standard black color scheme found on many of today’s LCD monitors. Less welcome, in some situations, is the panel’s high-gloss, antireflective coating (similar to that found on many laptops lately). It helps produce a crisper image but is too reflective under bright lighting—to the point of being distracting.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Ecoustics

    The 90GX2 improves on its predecessor’s looks and maintains the same useful design elements. The silvery bezel dresses up a dull gray cabinet, and the more rounded lines of the 90GX2 make a welcome change from the hard edges of the LCD1970GX. More important, digital photographers and other USB-hungry users will like having two USB 2.0 ports on the left side of the bezel and another two stowed in the back of the cabinet. The 90GX2 comes with NaViKey, an eraserhead-like button that’s much more comfortable than buttons for scrolling up and down the colorful screen-adjustment menus. NEC doesn’t include its NaViSet screen adjustment software on CD, but does offer it for download from a Web site.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcworld

    The 90GX2 claims a 4-millisecond response time. In theory, screens with lower response times deliver smoother movement with less motion artifacting. However, our real-world motion tests detected no discernible difference in motion quality between the 90GX2 and products with an 8ms or even 12ms response time.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcpro.co.uk

    There are plenty of plus points when it comes to design. The four-port USB 2 hub and swivel base - which rotates through 340 degrees - are useful additions, and it does look very stylish. We also found the menu system intuitive, even if the buttons themselves are plasticky and the joystick controls fiddly.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • Gateway Profile 6C Review
    By PCMAN on September 28th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Powering the Profile 6C is the older Pentium D 930 desktop processor. While it isn’t the latest processor from Intel, it does perform well for average computing tasks. One drawback though is the 512MB of PC2-4200 DDR memory that comes with it. This is below the more standard 1GB that most manufacturers are offering in similarly priced systems. It may cause slowdowns when running multiple applications.

    Storage wise the Profile 6C is average. It uses a full desktop sized DVD burning allowing for 16x recording speeds with DVD media and it also supports dual layer media. The hard drive is a bit small at 160GB but it is still above what most mini PCs offer using notebook drives over desktop sized drives.

    Being an all-in-one system, the Profile 6C comes equipped with a 17” LCD monitor built into the package. It is driven by the Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics that do well for standard graphics but lacks performance for 3D applications. It is disappointing that Gateway designed the Profile to be accessible for upgrade but not include a PCI-Express graphics slot.

    Description

    * Intel Pentium D 930 Desktop Processor
    * 512MB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
    * 160GB 7200rpm 8MB SATA Hard Drive
    * 16x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Burner
    * Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics and 17″ Built-in LCD Monitor
    * AC’97 Audio with Internal Stereo Speakers

    Review By Gateway

    Altogether smart… all-in-one! The space-saving Profile® 6 fits neatly on any desk and is easy to set up and use. This efficient system utilizes standard PC components, easy-access USB ports, audio jacks and a cable management system to keep your desktop clutter-free. Plus get the latest technology and features you expect from a standard desktop—without compromising on performance. Available with your choice of 17″ or 19″ height-adjustable LCD.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    In addition to its upgradability, the Profile 6SB tries to bridge the gap between the all-in-one PC and the standard desktop, and the resulting miscegenation looks like a minitower mounted onto the back of an LCD, much like the small-form-factor Dell OptiPlex GX620. The resulting system is heavy, bulky, and unattractive, and Gateway’s claims of heightened ergonomics, reduced cable clutter, and space savings are overstated.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Review.Zdnet

    On the plus side, you can configure the Profile 6 to a greater extent than we’ve ever seen from previous all-in-ones. Choose from among a handful of processors, including dual-core Pentium D, hyper-threading Pentium 4, or budget Celeron CPUs, as well as various hard drives and optical drives. The consumer model, the Profile 6C, offers only the higher end of the CPU spectrum, but both models let you choose from a 19-inch LCD (like the one we tested) or a 17-inch model. You can only downgrade the graphics from the Nvidia GeForce 7300 LE in our review unit. And we were surprised to find that while minimizing desk clutter is a main target of an all-in-one PC, Gateway offers no wireless keyboards or mice.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • IBM Lenovo ThinkPad R60 Review
    By PCMAN on September 27th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Meet the ThinkPad R60 series notebook. It has everything you expect from a ThinkPad packed into a sturdy, lightweight container. So you can log on and do business just about anywhere.

    The ThinkPad R60 can handle the rigors of use in the office and on the road. It features a magnesium alloy roll cage and shock-mounted hard drives to help reduce some system failures and help increase durability. Add high-speed processors and an advanced graphics solution, and you get a notebook fully equipped to grow your business, not your overhead.

    Weighing 3.5 pounds, the ThinkPad X41 Tablet is significantly lighter than the HP Compaq tc4200 and similar in dimensions to the Motion M1400 Tablet PC. It also offers the kind of features you can find in today’s slimmest ultraportable laptops: current-generation Centrino processors in 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz; hard drive capacities ranging from 20GB to 60GB; and a suite of connectors, including VGA, modem, Ethernet, and three USB ports, as well as PC Card and SD card slots. Add in the fingerprint reader and the Embedded Security Subsystem, and you have a machine that’s well suited for the conference room or the field.

    Features

    * Intel Centrino Core Duo T2400 Processor 1.83 GHz
    * 512 MB DDRII-667MHz SDRAM
    * 80 GB Hard Drive
    * DVDRW± Drive - To read DVDs and CDs and write CDs and DVD+ and
    DVD-
    * 15″ XGA TFT Screen
    * ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 PCI-E 128 MB HyperMemory graphics
    * Integrated wireless 802.11 LAN a/b/g

    Review By Notebookreview

    The ThinkPad R60 from Lenovo was recently released and is an update to the ThinkPad R52. The R60 can be thought of as a budget version of the ThinkPad T60. Many options on the T60 are available on the R60 and sizes are very similar. However, the T60 is thinner and has a more durable casing. Those differences aside, if your cost sensitive and don’t crave the thinner more solid case of the T60 then the still very respectable (and cheaper) R60 might be for you.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    The plain black case of the midsize R series may not elicit excitement, but its broad range of configuration options–with prices starting at $799–provide tremendous flexibility for businesses looking to make the most of their tech dollar. With the ThinkPad R60, Lenovo loaded up the solid R-series case with new parts, such as Intel’s newest Core Duo processors, fast 667MHz RAM, and ATI’s latest Mobility Radeon graphics chips. The result is a well-made laptop with enough oomph to tackle any basic business task.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcworld

    The ThinkPad R60, like the R52 it replaces, offers classic ThinkPad features and extremely flexible configurations starting at a budget-conscious $700. However, some of the changes, such as a new, stiff keyboard, may disturb fans of older ThinkPads.

    Chief among the new features is the option to connect with Verizon’s wireless WAN (WWAN) service. While WWAN networks are still slow compared with Wi-Fi networks, they expand wireless connectivity to cell-phone ranges to minimize dead spots.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Misco

    Featuring the latest Intel Dual Core technology, this 15”, 1.83GHz laptop is a high performer capable of outstanding results. Featuring a generous 512MB of memory and ATI HyperMemory graphics this laptop is ideal for all your digital media such as videos, music, films and pictures. A 80GB Hard drive provides ample storage space while the DVD writer offers further options. Integrated wireless using the latest protocols and Bluetooth connectivity opens a host of networking and accessory options while the pre installed version of Windows XP Professional provides a familiar working environment as well as easy integration into established networks.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • LG Flatron L1980Q Black-Silver Review
    By PCMAN on September 26th, 2006 | 1 Comment1 Comment Comments

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    Introducing the new 80 series LCD Flatron monitor from LG; the slimmest flatscreen in its class. Its f-ENGINE technology features the first LCD picture-enhancing chip to provide.

    The Flatron 1980Q combines style and quality. With a resolution of 1280 x 2024 pixels and a contrast of 500:1, you will get unrivalled image quality. The mirror and Pivot Forte functions are unique characteristics of this model which includes a DVI input for high definition peripherals. The 8 ms waiting time makes it highly adpatable for professional and leisure applications.

    Review By Epinions

    L1980q’s strong point is its low response time (8ms) but it also has more nice features. It has a very flexible stand. Actually it can bend over backwards, making it useful for shopping counters or conference tables, but I doubt I will ever use this feature, unless the wall facing me is interest in watching a DVD sometime. The screen can also be rotated to a portrait or landscape view. Of course there is an automated function that switches the display accordingly, or else it wouldn’t be too useful.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Techtree

    This monitor supports an interesting feature called Auto Pivot. This isn’t the first time we are seeing something like this but the way it’s implemented in this model is quite interesting. Generally in monitors supporting similar feature, the screen can be tilted sideways and the matter on the screen adjusts accordingly. LG seems to have taken this a step further. This screen can flip backwards by almost 180 degrees and the matter on screen does a 180 degrees somersault too. So you wish to show something to the person sitting behind your monitor, just flip it over and the monitor adjusts automatically. Neat, isn’t it? However you will need this software called LG Forte Manager installed on your PC which is bundled along with the monitor or can also be downloaded from the LG website. The Auto Pivot feature can also be disabled from the software.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Hardware

    The LG’s other specifications are middle-of-the-road rather than best-of-breed: Its pixel pitch is average at 0.294mm, but it’s not hard to find flat screens that best its rated contrast ratio of 500:1 and 250 nits of brightness. Resolution is the usual 1,280 by 1,024 pixels, at either the usual 60Hz or a higher refresh rate of 75Hz; to our eyes, the latter helped deliver a crisp, rock-solid image if not a particularly bright one (perhaps a factor for gamers seeking enemies lurking in shadow). Both analog VGA and digital DVI-D interfaces are built in.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • Dell OptiPlex GX620 Review
    By PCMAN on September 25th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    The OptiPlex GX620 packs a lot of power into a fairly small minitower case.
    With a 3.6-GHz Pentium D 960 dual-core processor and 1GB of 533-MHz DDR2 RAM, the GX620 broke the bank for performance, scoring an amazing 10,523 and edging the tricked-out Alienware system.

    In terms of power consumption, the GX620 proved full of surprises. It had the most efficient idle power consumption rates in the review. Idle, the GX620 took up only 83 watts per second. It remained efficient while in action working, spending only 102 watts on our Excel chart and 398 watts opening applications, which put it well above average.

    Of course, its feature set couldn’t touch that of the MJ-12 7550a from Alienware, but no office system really needs to. The GX620 came to us with an 80GB SATA drive—a bit small for high-end applications, perhaps, but more than enough storage space for wider deployment—and spinning at a high-speed 10,000 RPMs.

    The GX620 Mini-Tower has plenty of expansion space, including two PCI slots, a full-height PCIe card slot filled with an ATI Radeon x600 PCIe x16 graphics card plus a smaller PCIe x1 slot. The Small Form Factor GX620 model, understandably, has room for only half-height expansion cards. Unfortunately, the Radeon x600 card requires an included adapter cable/dongle to connect to your monitor. The Radeon graphics card doesn’t have the usual VGA or DVI connectors on it, so you must use the dongle to connect monitor(s) to the proprietary connector on the graphics card. This is inconvenient, to say the least. One positive is that the video card supports dual displays, which is very useful for business.

    Review By Hardwarecentral

    Unlike the ultra-small case, it makes room for an internal, 275-watt power supply instead of a laptop-style external brick. It also holds twice as much memory (up to 4GB of DDR-2/533) and has expansion slots — one PCI Express x16 for a graphics upgrade and one PCI for older I/O cards, although both are low-profile or half-height slots. Our test system filled the PCIe slot with a 128MB ATI Radeon X600 SE card, as a step up from the 945G chipset’s Graphics Media Accelerator 950 integrated video.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Itreviews

    The first thing you notice about the new DT chassis - apart from the fact that it’s not finished in Dell black but a pleasant shade of dark metallic grey instead - is that it can either be set up as a normal desktop or, if space is at a premium, stood on its side as a thin mini-tower.

    The front fascia contains a panel in which sit two audio and two USB 2.0 ports (the rear panel contains another six USB ports) and something Dell calls DirectDetect; an LED panel that displays hard drive activity, network function and other systems status.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    All four OptiPlex GX620 case designs share the same dull black-and-gray design and blunt, squared-off front panel. But at least you can tuck the small-form-factor and ultra-small-form-factor cases out of view if you use Dell’s nifty optional telescoping LCD-monitor stand, which we received as part of our review system.

    Our test system, running Windows XP Pro, included a USB keyboard and optical mouse plus a 17-inch LCD monitor, the Dell UltraSharp 1704FPT. It also included a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive and a floppy drive. You can opt for a double-layer DVD burner or a basic CD-ROM drive, but Dell does not offer an optional flash-card reader.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcpro.co.uk

    In fact, the three cases that make up the GX520 range - Small Form Factor (SF), Desktop (DT) and Mini-tower (MT) - are also used in the GX620 range, but the GX620 gets a pint-sized fourth member too called the Ultra Small Form Factor (USFF).

    Combining both series gives you four chassis and seven basic models to choose from, with image and BIOS compatibility throughout. The GX620 devices, with their bigger designation number, are the high achievers of the family. The difference, says Dell, is that the GX520s are for deployment as mainstream PCs, with perhaps a three-year lifespan before disposal, whereas the GX620s, with more complex motherboards higher specifications and better upgrade possibilities, are destined for more demanding environments and longer deployment.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcmag

    The overall system response and performance is fairly good. Business Winstone scored 21.8 points while Multimedia Content managed 29.7 points. The webpage rendering in PCMark05 managed an impressive 3.05 pages seconds. The file decryption test managed a impressive bandwidth of 74.07 MB/s. The memory intensive performance could have been better overall, but was held back but the single channel (512MB) memory, not particularly a negative in our view as it does leave an option of upgrading the memory. Well spaced out keyboard with large keys is a joy to use and this turned out to be a really efficient PC on the whole. In our view, the Dell OptiPlex GX620 is one of the most impressive and professionally built Business PCs we have come across.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D Notebook Review
    By PCMAN on September 24th, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Versatile Design
    The LifeBook P1510D notebook is one of the most versatile mobile computing products ever designed for the mobile professional. its compact size, extreme light weight (just over two pounds), innovative touch screen technology, and ability to easily convert from a standard notebook to a slate tablet makes it a “must-have” for on-the-go computing. You can effortlessly transform a standard notebook into a slate tablet configuration by rotating and folding down the screen. Navigate through forms-based or menu-driven applications with your finger or with the included stylus. For entering data using the keyboard, simply rotate the screen and tilt it up into a notebook configuration.

    Boundless Connectivity

    Being able to conduct business in real time is crucial for maximum productivity. You need to have access to business-critical resources at all times regardless of your geographical location. The LifeBook P1510D notebook lets you access your office network or the Internet with ease. The integrated 10/100 Base-T/TX Ethernet, modem, and Wi-Fi Certified Atheros Super AG 802.11a/b/g gives you all the options you need to stay connected. With excellent connectiity and data transfer rates, the built-in diversity antenna lets you take full advantage of being wireless.

    Mobile Performance
    Equipped with a bright, compact 8.9″ wide SVGA with touch screen display, a high-performance Intel Pentium M Processor ULV 753 and the full power and enhanced functionality of Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Tablet PC Edition, the LifeBook P1510D notebook delivers big when it comes to mobile productivity in a small package.

    Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D Specs:

    * Hard Drive: 30GB (4200RPM)
    * Ports:
    * 2 x USB 2.0
    * 1 x Docking
    * 1 x DC Power Input
    * 1 x RJ-11 Modem
    * 1 x RJ-45 Network
    * 1 x VGA
    * 1 x Microphone
    * 1 x Headphone(s)
    * Package Contents:
    LifeBook P1510D, Lithium Ion battery, AC Adapter, Fujitsu Recovery CD’s, Stylus (Pen)
    * Network: Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Mbps, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g 54Mbps
    * Manufacturer: Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp.
    * Case Style: Portable
    * Standard Memory: 512MB SDRAM
    * Display Screen: 8.9″ 1024×600 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
    * Optical Drive: none
    * Sound Card: Integrated
    * Standard Warranty: 1 Year(s) Limited - Worldwide
    * Expansion Slots: 1 x Compact Flash
    * Operating System: Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
    * Processor: Intel Pentium M 753 (1.20GHz, 2MB L2-Cache, FSB 400)
    * Batteries: 1 x 3-cell Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Standard 2600 mAh
    * Modem: V.92 56Kbps Fax Modem
    * Maximum Memory: 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
    * Graphics Controller: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 Up to 128MB VRAM
    * Parts Warranty/Labor: 1 Year
    * Dimensions: 1.46″ Height x 9.3″ Width x 6.57″ Depth
    * Weight: 2.21 lbs.

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    The tiny Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D convertible tablet delivers a great compromise between a handheld form factor and laptop-quality performance. While its cramped keyboard makes extensive typing challenging, its size makes it extremely portable. And though the tablet runs on Windows XP Professional, included software lets you convert handwritten notes to text with remarkable accuracy. If you’re looking for a small tablet–or an extremely lightweight laptop–the $1,649 Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D is a good choice.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Laptopmag

    The slim stylus fits into a pop-up receptacle on the side of the base. The P1510D records penstrokes as images, but it does have the components necessary to convert ink to text. Because this isn’t a typical Tablet screen, it does not recognize stylus hovering. Nevertheless, the stylus works well for all drawing and inking tasks, and it handles the usual interface interactions without issue. As long as buyers don’t expect the full range of Tablet functionality, the P1510D succeeds in making keyboardless computing viable in a tiny package. One of the advantages of a classic touchscreen over a standard Tablet is that this display responds to the touch of a finger, so that you don’t even need to pop out the stylus to open and close programs or click on a Web link.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Mobiletechreview

    The machine is about the same size as a hardback book, measuring only 9.3″ x 6.57″ and 1.4″ thick. It literally will fit in a large purse and get lost in a briefcase but its lightness won’t be lost on those with tired backs who make frequent long hauls in coach class. The P1510D looks small next to Sony’s diminutive TX series notebooks. The Fujitsu features a convertible tablet design, which means you can use it like a traditional notebook or swivel the display and use it as a tablet with the pen and touch screen as your navigational aids.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Tabletpcreview

    The Fujitsu LifeBook P1500 series notebook / Tablet PC is an ultralight and ultra-portable wonder. This 2.2 pound featherweight boasts a surprisingly usable keyboard, a clear 8.9″ touchscreen and battery life that hovers almost three hours (real use) with a standard battery. Although this tiny machine won’t deliver jaw-dropping graphics or house a spark-wielding 7200RPM hard drive spindle, it does deliver surprisingly responsive performance. In a nutshell, the P1500 is no PDA disguised as a notebook. This is a notebook that delivers all the performance one would expect that has been miraculously engineered into a ever so slightly large PDA-sized device.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcpro.co.uk

    The Lifebook could be just the thing for digital photographers in the field: on one side of the chassis you’ll find a CompactFlash card reader; on the other, one for SD cards. There’s not much else; just modem, network, a USB port either side, audio and VGA ports, plus a welcome hardware switch for the 802.11a/b/g WLAN and Bluetooth. Also in the box is a simple but effective docking station, replicating two USB 2 ports, VGA out and Ethernet.

    When it comes to using the P-Series as a tablet, limitations of the miniaturisation become clear. It has a passive touchscreen, so you’ll need to hover your hand awkwardly above the display to avoid touching it and confusing the sensor. The keyboard is a better bet, despite its tiny size and consequent two-finger operation.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • HP Pavilion s7210n Slimline PC Review
    By PCMAN on September 23rd, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Announcing all the power of a traditional PC . . . in one-third the size! The new HP Pavilion s7210n Slimline sports a fast processor with plenty of memory and hard drive space, plus a 9-in-1 digital media card reader for transferring photos, videos, and music. Yet it’s so sleek and compact that it’s ideal for family rooms, kids’spaces, and cramped home offices/guest bedrooms. Put it in the kitchen for quick recipe lookup and checking the news while eating breakfast or making dinner. It’s compact, powerful, and reliable , it’s compatible with your home.

    HP’s innovative Pavilion s7210n Slimline PC ($499 direct, without monitor) is one of those systems that you stare at for a moment, then say “awww, that’s cute.” It evokes the same emotional response as the Mac mini. The s7210n Slimline is perfect as a desktop PC for the bedroom or the space-constrained apartment dweller. It can serve equally well as a home server or as a new computer for someone who needs a Web-surfing station that can also handle day-to-day computing tasks.

    Review By Review.Zdnet

    It’s no secret that small cases please the crowd, and frankly, it’s about time that a major Windows-based computer vendor got onboard. The HP Pavilion s7200n series comes in a case that measures 9.7 inches high, 4.4 inches wide, and 13.1 inches deep, which is small enough to fit pretty much anywhere.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcmag

    The s7210n’s strength is its small size: It is a bit larger than the Mac mini, but it also has some expandability that the mini doesn’t have. There are more USB ports (five vs. two), and the s7210n has a 7-in-1 (SD, MMC, MS/Pro, SM, XD, CompactFlash I/II, and MicroDrive) digital media card reader, which is very handy, especially for families with more than one digital camera. It also has digital audio out and analog audio out for surround sound (the mini only has stereo out).

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    The HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline ships with an Internet keyboard, which features Web buttons and media controls, as well as dual eject buttons when the computer includes only one optical drive. The eject command is a nice thing to have at your fingertips, although in this case, the operation takes a while, leading the user to press the button several times in frustration. This causes a backlog of commands, and the drive continues to open and close until all the commands are executed. It’s annoying. Equally annoying is the bundled PS/2 rollerball mouse; we expect an optical mouse with even the cheapest PCs these days. The PS/2 peripherals allow you to keep all five USB 2.0 ports free (four back, one front).

    Read Full Review Here

  • Dell Latitude D820 Review
    By PCMAN on September 22nd, 2006 | No Comments Comments

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    Like all Dell Latitude notebooks, the D820 features a durable design, including a magnesium alloy casing, steel hinges, and StrikeZone protection for the hard drive. ExpressCharge technology enables you to recharge the battery to 80 percent capacity in about an hour. Dell backs this business system with a three-year warranty.

    Security-conscious business users will appreciate the integrated fingerprint reader, and we love the Dell Wireless Broadband option, which lets you connect at near-DSL speeds wherever there’s a Verizon Wireless EV-DO signal. In our Manhattan offices, surfing the Web didn’t feel quite as fast as Wi-Fi, but it was nonetheless more than adequate.

    The Core 2 Duo processor showed its stripes on our MobileMark 2005 test with the highest score to date of 308. Battery life was also impressive for this class of machine at 4 hours and 10 minutes, about 40 minutes above average for mainstream systems. The 512MB Nvidia Quadro NVS 120M TurboCache graphics pushed the D820 to a score of 3,927 on 3DMark03, making this rig appropriate for occasional gaming (when work is done, of course).

    Sure, the D820 isn’t cheap when fully loaded, but given its performance and features, power users will be more than satisfied with this system.

    Dell Latitude D820 Features:

    * Core Duo T2400 CPU @ 1.83 GHz, 667MHz front side bus, 2MB L2
    cache
    * 15.4″ WSXGA+ (1680×1050) display
    * 1024MB DDR2-667 RAM (2×512MB DIMMS)
    * NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120 graphics solution with 512MB TurboCache
    * 60GB hard disk @ 7200RPM
    * 8x CD-RW/DVD RW dual layer drive
    * Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN (802.11b/g 54Mbps) Mini Card (Broadcom)
    * Bluetooth radio (Toshiba stack)
    * 6-Cell/56 WHr Primary Battery
    * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    * 3-year Economy Plan warranty
    * Weight: 6.17lbs
    * Dimensions 1.39 in (H) x 14.21 in (W) 10.34 in (D)

    Review By Dell

    The Latitude D820 is equipped with the latest Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology: an available dual-core Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo processor, choice of Intel 945 GM or 945 PM chipset and Intel PRO/Wireless 9345 Wi-Fi® mini-card.
    These components ensure that you get the best possible mobile performance while using less battery power than previous-generation technologies. Dual-core processors allow your D820 to split tasks between two separate processor cores so that they can share the load and get more done in less time. The processors do more work per second, allowing you to run multiple applications with noticeably quicker results.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Reviews.Cnet

    Latitude D810 was more of a desktop replacement, the 6.5-pound D820 approaches the more portable thin-and-light territory. The D820 is also about 0.3 inch thinner than the D810, putting the D820’s overall dimensions at 1.4 inches thick, 14.2 inches wide, and 10.3 inches deep. Still, the D820 is the largest system in the Latitude lineup, with the closest runner-up being the 6.1-pound Latitude D510. Though the D820 is also slightly larger than the ThinkPad T60 and the HP Compaq nc6320, it’s about the same size as the 6.6-pound Acer TravelMate 8200. All in all, the Latitude D820 may not be the lightest laptop around, but it’s not so burdensome that semifrequent fliers shouldn’t consider making it their travel companion.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Pcmag

    The Dell Latitude D820 is a portable desktop-replacement notebook capable of strengthening any workforce. It has a roomy widescreen and options for either Verizon EV-DO or Cingular HSDPA, and is an all-around great piece of hardware for both the deskbound and the occasional traveler.
    At 6.5 pounds, the D820 is slimmer than its predecessor, the Latitude D810 (which weighs 7 pounds), yet it has the same brightly lit 15.4-inch widescreen display.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Notebookreview

    Dell has designed the D820 for excellent heat dissipation. There are two exhaust vents: one on the side and one on the rear. The left wrist rest heats up a tiny bit after a long period of operation and the right wrist rest stays completely cool throughout. Touching the underside of the laptop after the ~2 hour Battery Eater Pro stress test I found that the laptop was warm but certainly not hot enough to preclude lap-top usage for an extended period of time. The power brick stays cool even after days of keeping the notebook plugged into the wall. In short, Dell has done a superb job of managing the heat emitted by the D820’s high performance components.

    Read Full Review Here

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  • Alienware Area-51® 7500 Revolutionary Performance Review
    By PCMAN on September 21st, 2006 | No Comments Comments

    tn_Alienwares Area-51 7500.jpg

    Alienware, the leading manufacturer of high-performance desktop, notebook, media center, and professional systems, announced the availability of the new Alienware Area-51 7500 desktop system, which features breakthrough advancements in graphics and processor technology.

    As the newest addition to the award-winning Area-51 line of systems, the Area-51 7500 is Alienware’s first system to feature both NVIDIA SLIT technology and Intel dual-core technology.

    Area-51 7500 systems powered by SLI technology utilise two NVIDIA-based graphics cards that work together to form a single image. This delivers a remarkable increase in performance at even the highest resolutions for graphics-rich games and applications. With SLI technology, Area-51 7500 systems provide up to twice the graphics performance of non-SLI systems.

    Available with the powerful Intel Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840, the Area-51 7500 delivers cutting-edge performance for data-intensive applications by providing two processing cores on a single chip. Featuring Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, Area-51 7500 systems with dual-core processing support up to four processing threads at once to greatly enhance users’ multitasking potential.

    Review By Alienware

    The Area-51 7500 enables gaming performance beyond the combined capabilities of CPUs and GPUs by integrating a third element vital to realistic gameplay: the highly innovative AGEIA PhysX™, the first-ever physics processing unit. The PhysX adds a level of dynamic motion and interaction never before experienced in gaming by accelerating the scale and quality of real-time physics. With PhysX, visual effects such as how fluids flow and how explosions scatter debris are portrayed much more realistically to greatly enhance gameplay on PhysX-enabled games.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Alienwaresystems

    Showcasing tremendous graphics power, Area-51 7500 systems are available with highly advanced NVIDIA® GeForce® 7900 series graphics cards. Loaded with the latest in graphics technology, the Area-51 7500 allows you to experience the ultimate level of performance on demanding games and applications. Take advantage of a dramatic increase in graphics processing speed and double the memory of previous-generation graphics solutions for lightning-fast frame rates and superb image quality.

    Read Full Review Here

    Review By Gameplanet

    With 1GB of onboard graphics memory, the GeForce 7950 GX2 ably delivers visual effects from the complex worlds of the latest games. The GeForce 7950 GX2 also includes dual dual-link DVI connectors to power high-definition displays at resolutions up to 2560×1600. Ideal for video as well as games, the new card comes loaded with Nvidia PureVideo technology, which provides a fully HDCP-capable solution that supports HD DVD and Blu-ray disc playback.

    Read Full Review Here


    Review By Gear.Ign

    Alienware provided us with one of the very first units of their new Area-51 7500 to come off the assembly line so we could put both the Core 2 Duo Extreme Edition and their new P2 chassis to work, and we were certainly impressed. Our review machine is based upon the Core 2 Duo Extreme Edition running at 2.93GHz with 4MB Cache and 1066MHz Front-Side-Bus on an Alienware NVidia nForce 4 SLI X16 mobo. System memory consists of 2 GB of dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800Mhz (4GB max) and while mass storage is a fat 300GB on two 150GB 10,000 RPM SATA hard drives in RAID 0. Two GeForce 7900 GTXs (512MB) in SLI do the heavy graphics work. Alienware installed its AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling solution on the GeForce 7900s, as well as its liquid cooling system on the CPU.

    Read Full Review Here

    Price on Alienware

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