Lenovo Thinkpad X61 76744NQ

This laptop comes with Intel 2GHz Core2 Duo Processor; 2GB RAM which is upgradeable upto 4GB and 120GB HDD. It has a 12.1-inch display. This Thinkpad laptop also has an integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 video card, integrated modem and sound card, Wi-Fi, Point Stick mouse, inbuilt speakers, Fingerprint Reader, PCMCIA slot, three USB ports, Firewire port, inbuilt Bluetooth adapter and Infrared port. It comes with Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Business Edition. 

Apple MacBook Pro

This laptop comes with Intel 2.33GHz Core2 Duo Processor, 1GB RAM upgradeable up to 3GB and 120GB HDD. It has a DVD writer and a 15.4-inch widescreen display. This MacBook laptop also has an integrated ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 video card, integrated modem and sound card, inbuilt camera, touchpad Mouse, inbuilt speakers and microphone, S-Video port, two Firewire ports, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It comes in black with Lithium Polymer and Mac OS X Tiger. 

Design and Build

The design and build of the MacBook Pro is top notch.  For someone who has used and handled (although admittedly never owned) several Dells, HPs, and Compaqs (dang their University contracts) the step up in quality was very much appreciated.

Screen

 The Apple engineers made a tough choice to shave 60 precious vertical pixels off an already widescreen aspect in order to integrate the high quality iSight cam.  It still isn't as wide as the 16:9 movies I like to watch so it doesn't bother me at all that this was done.  I'm one of those crazies who actually uses the web cam so I consider it a fair trade.  The resolution is way better than the one found on the W3J, which was one of the things that bummed me about that notebook (1440x900 vs 1280x768)

Battery Life

Battery life is good but not great.  I get about 3 hours and 15 min with half brightness (more than adequate) when I am using my laptop to type stuff up and browse the web.  I haven't tried to play WoW on the battery, but I never plan to so I am pretty pleased with it.  It is pretty good juice for such a slim notebook.

Wireless

Wireless works great and has decent range as far as I know.  My apartment is pretty small so the "Airport Extreme" has no problems dropping out of strong signal strength.  It does seem to have better pickup than my wife's IBM T40.  I do appreciate that in OS X it automatically connects to the strongest available wireless network.

Sound

The speakers dominate the left and right side of the keyboard.  Bass is obviously not great, but it is pretty decent sound for a laptop if you ask me.  The placement of the speakers helps to project the audio so you don't have to worry about your belly blocking the sound (like front mounted speakers found on the HP line). Volume is fine for the movies (divx) I've seen and the audio output with headphones is great.

Pros:

• Very well built
• Great overall performance
• Smaller dimensions and weighs less than other laptops in its class (1lb less than the Acer 8204 for example)
• Can run Windows XP or OS X (and potentially Linux)
• Very quiet
• Amazingly bright non-glare type screen
• High quality web cam
• Decent battery life
• Plays WoW like a champ
• Comes with a remote for media and powerpoint

Cons:

• Somewhat hot when plugged in
• Boot Camp not quite ready for the masses
• Underclocked GPU

Acer Ferrari 1005WTMi

This laptop comes with AMD Turion 64x2 2GHz Processor, 1GB RAM upgradeable up to 4GB and 160GB HDD. It has a 12.1-inch TFT display. This Acer laptop also has an integrated Radeon Xpress 1150 video card, integrated modem and integrated Sound Blaster Pro sound card, Built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Touchpad mouse, inbuilt speakers and Microphone, PCMCIA slot, inbuilt Bluetooth adapter and Infrared port, three USB ports and 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader. It comes with a Firewire port, Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Business Edition. 

Sony VAIO VGN AR49G

Thisl aptop comes with Intel 2.22GHz Core2 Duo Processor, 2GB DDR2 RAM and 240GB HDD. It has a Blu-Ray Disk Writer and a 17-inch wide screen display. This Sony Vaio also has an integrated NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video card, inbuilt 1.3 megapixel Camera, integrated modem and sound card, Wifi, Touchpad mouse, inbuilt speakers and microphone, PCMCIA slot, Express Card slot, Firewire Port, S-Video port, 3 USB ports, integrated Bluetooth adapter and 5-in-1 Digital Media Reader. It comes with Lithium Ion battery and Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. 

Dell Latitude ATG D630

This laptop comes with Intel Core2 Duo 2.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, upgradeable up to 4GB and 80GB HDD. It has a DVD Combo Drive and a 14.1-inch wide screen display. This Dell laptop also has an integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 video card, integrated modem and sound card, Wi-Fi, dual point mouse, inbuilt speakers, Fingerprint Reader, PCMCIA slot, Serial Port, Express Card Slot, four USB ports, integrated Bluetooth and Infrared adapter and Media Card Reader. It comes with Windows Vista Business Basic Edition and Lithium Ion battery. 

Build and Design:

This thing feels like a tank and is extremely sturdy. The hinges on the machine are stiff but not difficult to open and the screen will not wobble. There is no flexing of the screen and you truly have to try to press the back to see ripples. When closed, a small, shiny hinge holds the screen locked. The top and bottom of the machine are made of magnesium. I still wouldn’t recommend dropping the machine in order to test if the material is durable.

The speakers are (I think) inside the laptop because I saw no openings for them. The battery sticks out in the front rather than the back. You are also able to add another battery to the DVD bay or replace the drive with something updated down the road. It is very simple to replace the drive in case something happens.

I do have one complaint: I frequently use my USB slots and I dislike having the other two ports in the back. I prefer them on the side. The USB slots are also a bit stiff. Sometimes you have to try to jam the connector into the slot.

Alienware Area-51 m17x

Build and Design

This all-black monster is one of the largest notebooks I have tested. It is 2.1 inches thick and tips the scales at 11 pounds. The physical design of the m17x is traditional – there are no fancy curves or other design elements. It has a box-like design with rounded edges. The rubberized matte black finish of the m17x lends it a high-end feel and look. The only glossy finish to be found on the m17x is on the borders of the LCD.

In addition to being one of the largest, this notebook is also one of the most solidly-build notebooks I have tested. The entire base of the notebook is inflexible. The palmrests do not budge under pressure, and neither do the other surfaces surrounding the keyboard. The base of the notebook does not bend when twisted, and the lid resists twisting better than the majority of 17-inch notebooks. The m17x’s lid is thicker than most. Pushing in on the back of the lid does not yield any ripples on the screen unless extreme pressure is used. The hinge holds the display in place well; there is some display wobble, though it takes effort to induce (such as shaking the table where the notebook is sitting). Given the size and weight of this display, I think the wobble is reasonably kept under control. The display does not have any latches but is instead held closed by a pair of small magnets.

The lighting system, called AlienFX, is what makes the m17x stand out from the crowd. Five areas of the notebook feature LED backlighting:

• Keyboard
• Touchpad
• Touch buttons
• Alienware logo below display
• Alien head power button and emblem on back of display

Each zone can be changed independently to one of 12 colors. In addition, it is easy to completely disable AlienFX by pressing [Fn] + [F11].

Display

The m17x comes standard with the only display available, a 17-inch glossy widescreen with a WUXGA resolution (1920x1200 pixels). The picture quality of this display is stunning – colors are vibrant and the brightness level is high. This screen is ideal for gaming, high-definition video, and general use. The crisp contrast makes reading text easy. Viewing angles are excellent from above and side-to-side, however like a typical LCD, the picture darkens viewed from below. The backlighting is generally even, with only a hint from the bottom of the screen.

Speakers

The m17x has two stereo speakers and a two-inch subwoofer. The sound quality is slightly above average for a notebook, and they get reasonably loud. The subwoofer adds some needed low-end. The sound system on the whole is unremarkable however not disappointing.

Heat and Noise

The cooling system is important on any notebook, but on a notebook packed with high-powered components like the m17x, it is mission critical. Fortunately the m17x’s system is up to the task. The notebook has several rather large fans that draw air in from numerous perforations on the bottom of the notebook and two additional air intakes under the palmrests.  The entire back of the notebook is lined with exhaust vents, which throw out extraordinary amounts of hot air. The cooling system does a remarkable job of keeping two video cards, a high-powered processor, and two hard drives under control:

Conclusion

The Alienware Area-51 m17x is a remarkable gaming notebook and a clear step forward for Alienware in terms of design and performance. It is packed to the gills with top-shelf equipment, most notably a pair of Nvidia 9800M-GT video cards. This is one of not even a handful of machines that can comfortably max out Crysis. It has the typical downsides associated with a portable desktop – loud cooling system, dismal battery life, and hefty weight, but it does everything else well. The $3,849 starting price is steep and out of reach for most, though the baseline configuration has the components that make the system worth buying. In this reviewer’s opinion, more could have been thrown in for the money, and for such an expensive system, not having a more comprehensive warranty is disappointing. To those who do have the cash for a system like this, you are getting an awesome machine that will get envious looks anywhere you go, but be prepared to sign a mortgage for it.

Pros:

• Phenomenal gaming performance
• AlienFX LED lighting system
• Solid build quality
• Fantastic screen
• Good keyboard & touchpad
• Input & output port selection
• Modular bay (SmartBay)

Cons:

• Sky-high price
• Loud fans
• Keyboard flex
• Weight (11 pounds)
• Dismal battery life (66 minutes as tested)

Lenovo N100

The Lenovo N100 is a new mid-sized offering from Lenovo in the 3000 series line of notebooks. The N100 will come in 14.1" and 15.4" widescreen sizes. Prices will start at $999 for Core Duo based models. Lenovo is positioning the notebook as one for small business and mobile professionals. To me it looks more like a consumer notebook with the silver skin, glossy screen and plastic case. There are plenty of people who are mixing business with pleasure today or people who use business notebooks for personal use, like me. The fact that Lenovo is going after both segments with this notebook makes sense. The N100 has lots to offer and a few less worthwhile qualities, all of which we will get into in more detail in this review.

Build and Design

When I first saw the N100 on NotebookReview.com, I thought it would be black being from the new maker of ThinkPads, but the pictures I saw of it only showed the inside. When I opened the box I found, much to my surprise, the outside is almost all silver with a strip of black along the sides and on the front. I prefer darker colored notebooks so the N100 didn't do a lot for me. I like the color scheme on something like the Fujitsu N3530 better, but it is a personal preference. Aside from the color, I found the shapes and curves to be pleasing. One thing I noticed about it right away is how thick it is, coming in at around 1.7" including the feet on the bottom.

Conclusion

The N100 has lots to recommend about it. From my vantage point, it looks more like a consumer notebook with the glossy screen and plastic case. A dash of the business side has been thrown in with the fingerprint reader, DVD-RAM and more extensive software bundle. I think the $64,000 question for the N100 is going to be price. If Lenovo can keep the price down for N100, it should do well. If the price starts to go too high, like over $1500, it is going to be a harder to justify the N100. At that price point there are notebooks, even Lenovo's own Z60, which will have better construction and features for the same price. It will be interesting to see when the Z60 gets Core Duoized how it stacks against the N100.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
• Speedy Performance
• Glossy WSXGA Screen
• Excellent Burn Quality From LG Drive
• Decent Battery Life
• Cool & Quiet
• Software Bundle
• Easy To Upgrade(Not The Video Card)
• Bluetooth
• Cons
• Scratchable Case
• WiFi Card Dropouts
• Poor Speakers
• Thickness
• Missing Home/End Keys

Lenovo W700

As a photographer (and a longtime dual-platform user), I was intrigued by the announcement of Lenovo's new ThinkPad W700. With Lenovo's reputation for building ultra-reliable business notebooks, the decision to dive head-first into a high-end mobile graphics system like the W700 may seem like a strange one. And if Lenovo's targeting any single market with this device, it's unquestionably photographers: sure, if you work in any kind of design the W700 could be a great workstation companion, but with copious storage space, an excellent screen, a built-in digitizer, and an on-board color calibration system, Lenovo is clearly taking a direct shot at the relatively closed and insular pro photo market. To my knowledge, nothing else on the market offers the W700's concentration of photographer-friendly features.

Lenovo ThinkPad W700 Specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme Q9300 (2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 12 MB L2 cache)
• Memory: 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM
• Screen: 17" 1920x1200 WUXGA TFT LCD
• Storage: 160 GB HDD (7200 RPM) x 2, RAID 0 configuration
• Optical Drive: DVD recordable
• Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n), Bluetooth 2.0
• Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M with 1 GB
• Battery: 9-cell lithium-ion (84 Wh)
• Dimensions: 16.1" x 12.3" x 1.5"
• Weight: 8 lbs, 10 oz (with battery)
• Price As Tested: $4,333.30
• Starting Price: $2,531.30

Design and Build

We've jokingly billed the W700 "the laptop designed to make normal people feel small," and the name fits. With a footprint measuring a generous 16 by 12 inches, working with the W700 actually on your lap is not really advised. And forget trying to take it on a plane – we're not sure that the Lenovo would fit in the overhead compartment of a regional jet, much less on the tiny tray table. Likewise, finding a case for the W700 will almost certainly require shopping at the laptop bag equivalent of "big and tall" stores.

Build quality with the W700 is everything Lenovo is known for, with tight fitment all around and an impressively small measure of panel flex for a laptop this large. A bit of time hauling the W700 has confirmed initial impressions: while large notebooks rarely rival their smaller counterparts in terms of ruggedness, this is one heavily built, robust laptop in spite of its size.

Keyboard, Touchpad, and Digitizer

Input options abound with the W700. For many diehard Lenovo fans, though, the world of input devices begins and ends with Lenovo's legendary keyboards. And the W700's equipment in this area is just as we've come to expect, with smooth key action and a quick, short stroke that makes typing on the W700 a pleasant experience. There's a hint of flex at the top right corner of the our review unit's 'board – up around the Backspace key – but otherwise the full-size keyboard and num pad feel securely anchored to the W700's subframe. Compared to other Lenovo keyboards we've looked at, key presses on the W700 may be just a bit noisy, but as with calibration concerns, the fact that the keyboard itself feels nice in use makes this secondary concern a minor issue for most.

Battery Life

The W700 sports a nine-cell lithium-ion battery. With a screen this size, we weren't expecting much in terms of battery longevity – though the question of how often you'll be taking this notebook away from a desk, and thus away from a power outlet, is a fair one.

In spite of low expectations and a high-power screen, the ThinkPad actually performs surprisingly well "off the plug." Some light web browsing, word processing, and photo editing with the screen at a still relatively bright half power yielded 2 hours, 23 minutes of use time before the first battery warning advised me that it was time to reconnect to the grid. For a business notebook, we'd admittedly be disappointed by this performance, but for a behemoth like the W700, two-plus hours of unconnected computing isn't bad at all.

Playing a DVD at maximum brightness puts a serious dent in this time, however. Even with Wi-Fi disabled, we were only able to get just over an hour of playback (1:03) before Vista forced a shutdown with these settings. What this suggests is that the settings you choose and the processes you run have a serious impact on battery life in this case, and while it can perform better than anticipated if you're conservative, the W700 is still a huge notebook with a lot of power-hungry accouterments. And if you plan to make the most out of what this highly capable graphics machine can do, proceed into the field without a charged spare battery, a charging plan, or a backup generator at your own risk.

Heat and Noise

For a machine with this much power, getting hot is almost a given. And that's where the W700 surprises: even under the heaviest graphics loads we could throw at it, chances are you'll find the weight of the Lenovo on your lap unbearable long before you'll be offended by how much heat it's giving off.

Conclusion

In my not so distant professional past, I worked as a graphic designer creating corporate marketing collateral. I was often on the road, working face-to-face with clients to put the finishing touches on print and web projects, and hence I speak from experience in saying that attempting to do any measure of serious design work on most notebooks – even larger desktop replacement models – is usually an exercise in frustration. Questionable displays, limited storage space, and poor processor responsiveness were my day to day headaches back then. The fact that the ThinkPad W700 squarely addresses every one of these concerns – and several others – will likely make it the workstation that many mobile graphics pros have been waiting for, even with its heavy price tag. After all, the productivity increases afforded by a machine like this ThinkPad, a laptop capable of taking on serious graphics production tasks, will be invaluable for many companies and users.

On the other side of the coin, it's only fair to expect a lot of a machine that costs as much as a used compact car, and to this end not everything is completely sorted with the W700. The tablet surface certainly isn't as good as a third-party unit, though to be fair, as a compromise solution for mobile use it's not a bad one – meaning your Wacom is one less thing you'll be packing along next time. Given the cost of the W700's high-end screen upgrade, we would have liked to see at least a vertical alignment panel type as well. And the calibration system, though effective, is limited enough in functionality that it may prove to be more gimmick than substance for this user set, who are for the most part both proactive and opinionated about color management.

What can't be disputed, though, is that a quad-core processor, serious RAM potential, and a high-end graphics card make this one of the most powerful workstations, mobile or otherwise, currently available off the shelf from an OEM. If Lenovo set out to dazzle us with power, they've certainly succeeded on that score. So is it worth the price?

Like so many things in life, it all depends on who you ask.

Pros:

• Quad-core performance offers a desktop-esque experience
• Solid Lenovo keyboard, touchpad
• Built-in digitizer a handy addition
• Color calibration console couldn't be simpler
• Impressively rugged build for a 17 inch system

Cons:

• Display doesn't quite meet lofty expectations
• Speaker audio makes everything sound like a Paul Harvey broadcast
• Supplied pen is small, feels cheap
• I don't have a spare $4,333.30

HP Compaq 2230s

The HP Compaq 2230s is an ultra-portable consumer notebook that is targeted towards small businesses similar to the Dell Vostro or Lenovo SL series line of machines. This notebook gives consumers a less expensive option than the HP EliteBook series, with a starting price of $999 instead of $1,679

Build and Design

The design of the HP Compaq 2230s is somewhat like a black Apple MacBook, with a clean all-black plastic exterior. As far as business notebooks go, it is HP’s attempt to compete with the Dell Vostro line, offering a more consumer look and feel to a business notebook. The all-black color scheme continues into the interior of the notebook, with the palmrest, touchpad, keyboard, and trim all covered in matching black. An interesting design change over a consumer notebook is the touch sensitive controls above the keyboard which normally activate media functions. On the HP 2230s, these control system functions such as external displays, wireless on/off, and volume.

The build quality turned out to be very unappealing and unlike what we've come to expect from a business or even small business grade notebook. The moment you pick up the 2230s you'll notice a great deal of flex in the screen cover from very thin unsupported plastic. Opening up the notebook you find the same thing around the main chassis, with weak plastic surrounding the keyboard. The palmrest has plenty of flex on either side, with the side above the optical drive being the worse of the two. On the optical drive side you have flex on the palmrest as well as the bottom shell when gripping the notebook from the side. The notebook feels more like a budget consumer notebook than a small business notebook with a starting price of $999. The only real advantage of the thin plastic material used is the total notebook weight is kept at a minimum. Unfortunately, the thin plastics don't give this notebook a feeling of durability.

Display

The glossy WXGA display on the HP Compaq 2230s is pretty nice, with vibrant colors and high contrast. Black levels are average with some grey apparent in dark settings depending on the angle you are viewing the panel. Vertical viewing angles are adequate for regular day-to-day use, but colors invert when outside of the 10-15 degree up or down sweet spot. Horizontal viewing angles are better, keeping colors true even to the very edge of being able to still see the screen from the side of the notebook. Brightness levels are above average, enough to comfortably view the screen in a bright office setting. Using the notebook outside would be limited with the glossy display because of reflections, but should be fine as long as you are under shade.

Conclusion

The HP Compaq 2230s is a conservative-looking notebook with some features targeted towards small business users. Unlike most business or small business notebooks, this notebook doesn’t offer the rugged feel, only a rugged look. The plastic used throughout the design is weak even when compared to the HP Pavilion lineup. While the keyboard is impressive, it doesn’t outweigh the lackluster build quality. For small businesses my best recommendation would be to look at notebooks such as the HP Pavilion tx2500z or stepping up to the HP EliteBook series.

Getac A790

This is a review of the GETAC A790 fully rugged notebook computer, a machine specifically built to provide maximum performance and utility under the harshest possible environmental condition. Also, right upfront, if you wonder why the system unit part of the machine shown in the picture below is so thick, that is because it is one of the very few notebooks that can handle two 3/4-length desktop-style PCI cards in an optional PCI Expansion Unit that's bolted onto the bottom of the notebook. The machine shown in this picture has the PCI expansion unit installed. Why is this important? Because while today's notebooks come fully equipped, some functionality is only available via standard PCI expansion cards, and if an application requires that functionality, the GETAC A790 is one of the very few state-of-the-art rugged notebooks that can deliver. And not just PCI cards. GETAC has expansion units for older legacy ISA cards and the new PCI Express cards also.

Existing and potential GETAC customers are likely familiar with the company background and so I'll only state the basics: General Electric-Aerospace and Mitac Group of Taiwan founded GETAC back in 1989. Ever since, GETAC has been at the very forefront of ruggedized mobile and portable innovation for military and other demanding markets worldwide.

By now, the company is closing in on 20 years of experience in building water-tight enclosures, thermally efficient no-vent equipment, resistance to shock and vibration, accommodating operation in very wide temperature ranges, and whatever else it takes to building computers that can handle dust, sand, snow, water, hazardous materials and other environmental conditions.

The A790 benefits from all this experience. It also benefits from the numerous man-years of testing and using the platform in military, industrial, and extreme commercial applications. That's because the A790 is the latest version of a field-proven, reliable platform that builds upon the success of the GETAC A770, A760, and going all the way back to the A740 running on a Pentium 200MMX chip. From a design standpoint, this machine has been a success from its inception. And GETAC made sure it kept the technology of the A-Series up-to-date.

GETAC A790 highlights:

• Full size, rugged computer with up-to-date technology
• Massive battery power (well over 200 watt-hours) via main and two auxiliary batteries
• Extensive onboard connectivity, including advanced optical drives
• Availability of ISA, PCI, PCI Express expansion units
• Availability of all current and advanced wireless options
• Beefed-up security with fingerprint reader and TPM chip
• No fan = virtually silent operation

But keep in mind:

• Fairly large and heavy, especially with expansion unit
• Rubber keyboard takes getting used to
• Touch screen option only on smaller 12.1-inch screen