Lenovo Ideapad Y530

The sweet-sounding Y530 all-purpose laptop is good for work and play.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 isn't exactly made for kids, but it sure can kick out the tunes. You can tell it was designed to be a sleek all-purpose laptop that knows how to get down to business and play around a little without costing a fortune (our review unit was $829 as of 2/26/09). Though the Y530 can't run modern games at a screaming pace, it still packs a decent amount of power for its sub-$1000 price tag.

• Lenovo Ideapad Y530 Test Scores

• Overall83
• Performance67
• Features82
• Design83

Full Test Report »

Along with an Intel P7350 2GHz processor, it has 2GB of DDR3-1066MHz RAM. And though it doesn't carry a market-leading discrete graphics card, it does have an nVidia 9300M GS, which should help when the machine is running graphics-intensive programs such as Adobe Photoshop. In our WorldBench 6 tests it earned a score of 82, a little on the low side for laptops in its class, but the result makes sense considering it's one of the few laptops priced below a grand. Just don't try to use it for anything more than playing older or casual games (or playing newer games with very tempered expectations). When we put it through our gaming tests, it performed well enough with older titles such as Far Cry and Doom 3, but had a hard time breaking the coveted 30-frames-per-second barrier for newer games like Unreal Tournament 3 and Quake Wars. Then again, the $999 Gateway MC7803u didn't fare much better.

At least it doesn't kill batteries in a hurry. Our review rig ran for just over 3 hours in tests.

The Y530's 15-inch screen provides solid 1280 by 800 resolution--when you can see the panel, that is. The glare is a pretty significant problem. Even in a room with the blinds closed and only indirect light sources, I could see my reflection staring back at me as I tried to work. Moreover, the colors are muted, with everything looking more opaque than it should. Not that big of a deal when you're listening to tunes, but the color issues and the glare combined can be a big downer when you're trying to get into a movie playing on the laptop's DVD-ROM drive.

Thankfully, the keyboard on the Y530 works splendidly. It has ample room, as well as an array of function buttons (including a ten-key) that make adjusting your brightness and other settings a simple task. And if you love music, you're in for a real treat, as the Y530 features a touch-inductive panel that allows you to control media and even tweak equalizer settings easily. (I'll delve deeper into this audiophile's dream in a second.) The touchpad is standard, and it lacks the scroll bar that numerous other laptops include. It performs just fine, however, and it's positioned far enough from the keyboard that it never gets in the way when you're working hard and your fingers are flying.

Unlike a lot of other laptops these days, the Y530 doesn't go for a glossy exterior. Instead, the machine's visual appeal banks on the notion that matte black can look dead sexy--and it does. The lightly textured exterior feels like that of a lovely old book, and that idea translates to more than just aesthetics. The machine closes tight without the use of locks to hold it in place, and it snaps closed with a satisfying sound that is reminiscent of the closing of a heavy hardcover novel.

The inside of the Y530 is made of a beautiful nonshiny metallic surface that blends perfectly with the exterior of the machine and contrasts nicely with the dark black keyboard and the backlit touch-inductive surface that sits above it. Along with the standard audio, ethernet, and three USB ports, you get a lot of other connections that give the Y530 many more potential uses, including an HDMI audio port, a VGA port, a PCI Express card slot, a multiformat media reader, and a FireWire (IEEE 1394) connector that will allow you to hook up special cameras and external drives. That's a lot of interface options, and they're especially useful since Lenovo managed to fit them all along the sides and on the front of the machine only. And expansion doesn't look like it'll be too hard of a task for the enthusiast tech-head: The battery is easy to take out, while the RAM and the 250GB, 5400-rpm hard drive are easily accessible after you remove just a few screws.

Audio is where this IdeaPad excels. The Y530 features four speakers and a tiny little subwoofer built into the bottom. The result, on music at least, is surprisingly crisp quadraphonic sound. At full volume this laptop gets much louder than others do, but a lot of background noise can still drown it out fairly easily. The system doesn't do nearly as well on movies: In our tests, DVDs that we played in Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center (the only DVD-playback software included) were annoyingly quiet. Still, if the ability to listen to music while working is what you're after, the Y530 would be an excellent laptop choice.

The documentation included with the Y530 is pretty extensive, and it makes the laptop extremely user friendly. From a pullout poster that breaks down all the small things that you'll need to know as a first-time user, to a user guide that explains all the nitty-gritty details about the rig, you'll have more than enough information to get acquainted with your new work partner. The software bundle, on the other hand, is abysmal: This laptop comes with almost nothing besides Windows and CyberLink software for burning CDs and DVDs. Would it have been too much to toss in some awesome DVD-playback software to support the wonderful speakers?

With the Lenovo IdeaPad Y530, "You get what you pay for" isn't a bad thing. The Y530 is a good laptop built for anyone who needs to work and to sneak in a little play time on the side. And, for under a thousand bucks, it is a solid counterpoint to Gateway's MC7803u series.

MSI Wind U123-003US

MSI's second Wind (netbook, that is) offers more of the same: Decent performance, value, and a hackable Mac OS X box.

It's been a year since the Wind U100, the "big" sibling to the MSI Wind U123, came out--and the similarities between the two netbooks are eerie. Both run Windows XP Home Edition, and both carry 1GB of RAM, a Webcam and mic, and essentially everything else, except the U123 features a bulbous nine-cell battery and the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280 processor (versus the U100's N270 CPU). In short, same stuff, different day.

• MSI Wind U123-003US Test Scores

• Overall79
• Performance76
• Features75
• Design74

Full Test Report »

That CPU upgrade doesn't amount to much of a difference. Oh, sure, the U123 will finish tasks a hair faster, but it's still in the same ballpark. While the U100 earned a mark of 36 in WorldBench 6 (about the average), the U123 barely edged ahead with a score of 37. As for the U123's large nine-cell battery, however, the PC World Test Center found that it lasted for 4 hours, 34 minutes under constant use, whereas the three-cell battery on the U100 survived for a little over 2 hours less--that's an obvious improvement over last year's model. (Of course, netbooks with longer battery life and more features, like the Toshiba NB205-310, are on the market too.) The only drawback to the U123's beefy battery is that it makes this netbook weigh as much as anultraportable laptop--3.6 pounds, to be precise.

The 10.2-inch LED screen is crisp, and a tad larger than the 10-inch screen found on the U100. Though the workspace is a little tight, Excel spreadsheets seem clear and Web browsing is easy enough to handle. The matte screen allows for fairly crisp colors indoors; though the antiglare surface is nothing special, it does its job well away from direct sunlight. Once outside, however, the 1024-by-600-resolution display appears dull and mediocre. At least it's viewable--most netbook makers prefer to go with a glossy screen that's barely visible outdoors.

The touchpad is extremely responsive, allowing your finger to slide effortlessly across its surface. The one downfall is that the mouse buttons are resistant, a little too stiff and clicky for my tastes. Translation: It's a less-than-ideal choice for use in quiet places such as a library or classroom.

The keyboard is 92 percent of standard size. Of course, while that is common to netbooks, it doesn't take away from the fact that such keyboards are still a little tough to use. Case in point: After an hour of almost constant typing, my small hands started to cramp up and I had to stop. If you put the U123 side by side with a netbook such as the HP Mini 5101, you can see that the U123's keys are just a hair shorter.

Layoutwise, the U123 doesn't veer too far from what you'd expect. The U123 has three USB ports, two on the left side of the unit and one on the right. You'll also find a video port and an audio port for headphones and a microphone, plus a multiformat reader that supports four different types of memory cards (SD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro). The 1.3-megapixel Webcam is slightly better quality next to the Webcams on other netbooks in this category; it records video well and captures footage with only a few minor color and sharpness issues.

The only unadvertised feature of the U123 (and one that matters to 0.05 percent of the public) is the machine's openness to hacking. The U100 is a good "hackintosh" box, one that allows users to download drivers in preparation for installing and using OS X on a netbook. Hackers, now you have a newer version to consider ripping apart.

In the end, the MSI Wind U123 will receive compliments on its sleek looks from coffee-shop hipsters. After all, the U123's exterior is eye-catching--even sexy, considering the glossy deep-blue finish of our review model. Look a little closer, however, and this netbook rates as fairly average. In fact, the identically priced Toshiba NB205-310 is equally attractive and offers an impressive number of unique features, and it lasted more than twice as long as the U123 did in our tests. You just won't be able to run OS X on the Toshiba--if that matters to you at all.

Alienware M17

Alienware gaming laptops are built to incite envy. Their designs, which resemble a coat of armor with gill-like ridges, topped off by the signature alien head logo, are sleek and otherworldly. Traditionally, these rigs are limited to those with deep pockets, with don't-even-ask price tags. The new Alienware M17 gaming rig takes a slightly different, more affordable approach. At $2,060 (direct), this 17-inch behemoth can be heavy at times, but its sleek Stealth Black case and ATI CrossFireX dual-GPU configuration are well worth the price.

The M17's design—almost an exact replica of theAlienware Area-51 m9750—has moved away from the flashy neon paint jobs found on other Alienware laptops in favor of a stealthier look Batman would love. Its "Stealth Black" frame, as Alienware calls it, is reminiscent of Batman's rubbery yet bulletproof ensemble, complete with a rib cage or what Alienware refers to as its "skullcap gills." The texture feels like rubber, but the material is actually a matte-finished plastic that does a nice job of warding off fingerprints and minor scratches. Of course, the lid wouldn't be complete without the signature alien head logo, illuminated and enhanced by blue LEDs.

I'm hopelessly smitten with the 17-inch widescreen and its 1,920-by-1,200 resolution, but a big screen has its drawbacks. The M17's 9.4-pound frame is a burden on mobile LAN gamers, while the huge AC adapter alone tips the scales at almost 3 pounds. Although it's lighter than the 10.4-pound Dell XPS M1730 (Penryn), its weight exceeds those of the Gateway P-171XL FX and the Alienware m9750 by 3.2 ounces. Alternatively, because of its smaller 15-inch screen, the Alienware Area-51 m15x is a lot lighter at 7.8 pounds but can only house a single GPU.

The full-size keyboard is fantastic for maneuvering through shoot-'em-up games like Crysis, and World in Conflict. Instant messaging and typing up long e-mails were a breeze. The keyboard's LED backlights give gamers a huge advantage during nighttime sessions. By pressing the Fn and the F10 keys, the illuminated keyboard can change colors (red, green, or blue) or be turned off completely—a unique feature. The mouse buttons, however, felt a little loose, and the clicking noises can be loud at times, but most gamers will be using an external mouse, anyway.

Features-wise, you're well taken care of despite the value price. The M17 comes with four USB ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA port for storage expansion. You can also find a FireWire, VGA-out, and Gigabit Ethernet ports. Unlike the Dell M1730, the M17 doesn't have DVI-out, but its HDMI-out port is a worthy replacement, since it carries both audio and video streams. (Another option would be to purchase an HDMI-to-DVI conversion cable.) Other valuable features include a TV tuner that receives over-the-air HD signals and an optical-out port for standalone devices that have this feature.

The speedy (7,200-rpm) 160GB hard drive can be upgraded to larger capacities, and the M17 supports a second hard drive that can potentially bring capacity up to a terabyte. At this price point, a Blu-ray reader would be nice, but you'll have to settle for a dual-layer DVD burner.

As with all Alienware laptops, the M17 comes with a "command center"—a software suite made up of three parts: Fusion, Sense, and Touch. With Fusion, you can create a power management scheme for the system. Though the host of settings it manages is available in Vista, Alienware places them in one convenient location. Sense uses the embedded 2-megapixel webcam as a facial recognition device. The webcam and a fingerprint reader are two extra layers of security that back up passwords in Windows and the system's BIOS. Lastly, Touch alters the sensitivity levels of tapping and scrolling with the touchpad. Overall, the command center places all your settings into one convenient location, but there's nothing revolutionary about it.

A gaming system doesn't necessarily require the fastest processor to score well on gaming tests. The 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor is modest at best, reflecting the system's price. It comes up well short of the faster Extreme processors found in the Gateway P-171FX XL, the m15x, and the Dell M1730. The M17's 3GB of DDR3 is enough to run any task, but if you intend to use a 64-bit operating system, upgrading to 4GB is better in the long run. I should also note that it's been a while since I updated the Dell M1730 review, so its benchmark test scores don't reflect the latest parts. Still, the Dell M1730 managed to beat the M17 by 9 percent on the SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score, thanks in large part to an Extreme processor. By the same token, the Gateway and the Alienware m15x delivered higher scores as well. On Windows Media Encoder tests, the M17 couldn't keep up with the pack, and its CineBench R10 score was no match against those of the Gateway and the Alienware m15x. Even battery life, despite a big (96-Wh) battery, was unimpressive, with a MobileMark 2007 score just shy of 2 hours. But this is a minor nit, considering its amazing performance at this price point.

Gaming tests, on the other hand, were the bright spots in the M17's performance. CrossFireX, a brand well known in desktop circles, is ATI's answer to Nvidia's SLI technology, linking dual graphics cards. The M17 is one of the first laptops to use ATI's CrossFireX technology, housing twin ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 GPUs. For the most part, the M17 performed valiantly on my gaming tests. At native resolution (1,920-by-1,200), its 3DMark 2006 score surpassed those of the Gateway and the Alienware m15x. Even at 1,024-by-768, its 3DMark scores beat those of the Gateway and the m15x, since low resolutions generally favor the faster processors. The M17 performed well at native resolution on both Crysis and World in Conflict tests but showed some weakness at low resolutions. The Dell M1730's one-two punch—a 2.8-GHz Core 2 Duo X9000 Extreme processor and Nvidia SLI GPUs—were too much for the M17 on all facets of 3D gaming.

The Alienware M17 may not have the gaming prowess of the Dell XPS M1730, but it fulfills its purpose as a gaming laptop. Keep in mind, too, that you're paying half as much. Despite the use of a midrange processor, the CrossFireX technology delivered terrific gaming scores and is capable of handling some of the more demanding games in the industry. Add to it a proven design and you have yourself a winner.

2009 Super Zoom Shootout

2009 Super Zoom Shootout

One of the fastest growing segments in digital photography is the "super zoom" category. These cameras, with lenses greater han 18X, offer an incredible zoom range in fairly compact bodies. If you even could, an equivalent lens for a digital SLR would not only be very expensive, it would weight a ton. Other common features on super zoom cameras include large LCDs, manual controls, and all the usual point-and-shoot features (face detection, scene modes, etc.).

In this article I will compare four super zoom cameras: the Kodak EasyShare Z980, Nikon Coolpix P90, Olympus SP-590 Ultra Zoom, and thePentax X70. This review will be different than what you're used to seeing on the DCRP site. It will be higher level, with very little time spent on mundane details like software bundles and menu options. I'll compare and contrast the four cameras in several areas, including what's in the box, design and ergonomics, features, performance, and photo quality.

Let's start with an overview of the four cameras:

Kodak EasyShare Z980 Nikon Coolpix P90 Olympus SP-590UZ Pentax X70 Street price (at time of publication) $374 $368 $439 $393 Sensor resolution (effective) 12 MP 12 MP 12 MP 12 MP Lens focal range 26 - 624 mm (24X) 26 - 624 mm (24X) 26 - 676 mm (26X) 26 - 624 mm (24X) Lens max aperture F2.8 - F5.0 F2.8 - F5.0 F2.8 - F5.0 F2.8 - F5.0 Image stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift Sensor-shift Sensor-shift LCD size / resolution 3.0" / 201k pixel 3.0" / 230k pixel 2.7" / 230k pixel 2.7" / 230k pixel LCD position Fixed Tilting Fixed FIxed RAW support Yes No No No Hot shoe Yes No No No HD video recording Yes, 720p No No Yes, 720p Onboard memory 47.5 MB 47.0 MB 22.0 MB 33.6 MB Conversion lens support No No Yes No Other features Vertical grip included - Wireless flash support; HDMI output - Battery used AA x 4 EN-EL5 AA x 4 D-LI92 Battery life (CIPA standard) 400 shots * 200 shots 340 shots ** 170 shots Dimensions (W x H x D) 4.9 x 3.5 x 4.1 in. 4.5 x 3.3 x 3.9 in. 4.3 x 3.5 x 3.9 in. 4.4 x 3.2 x 3.9 in. Weight 415 g 460 g 373 g 391 g * Test performed with 2100 mAh NiMH batteries ** Test performed with alkaline batteries

Don't worry, there will be a lot more comparison tables as this article progresses. Ready to see these four Super Zooms go head-to-head? Then keep reading, our special review starts right now!

What's in the Box?

Not surprisingly, all four cameras have similar bundles. Here's what you'll find in the box for each:

Kodak EasyShare Z980 Four 2100 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries NiMH battery charger Detachable vertical grip Lens cap w/retaining strap Neck strap USB cable CD-ROM featuring EasyShare software and full manual 27 page basic manual (printed)	Nikon Coolpix P90 EN-EL5 lithium-ion battery Battery charger Lens cap w/retaining strap Neck strap USB cable A/V cable CD-ROM including Coolpix Software Suite 179 page manual (printed)
Olympus SP-590 Ultra Zoom Four AA alkaline batteries Lens cap w/retaining strap Neck strap USB cable A/V cable MicroSD adapter CD-ROM featuring Olympus Master software 87 page manual (printed)	Pentax X70 D-LI92 lithium-ion battery Battery charger Lens cap w/retaining strap Neck strap USB cable A/V cable CD-ROM featuring ACDSee software 269 page manual (printed)

None of the cameras include memory cards. Instead, they have memory built right in, ranging from 22MB on the Olympus to 47MB on the Kodak and Nikon. You'll certainly want to add more memory, and all of the cameras except for the SP-590UZ support SD and SDHC cards. Olympus is still stubbornly hanging onto the slow, low capacity xD Picture Card format, though you can use MicroSD cards via an included adapter, if you wish. Regardless of which camera you pick, I'd suggest a 2GB card at the minimum. Spending a little extra on a high speed card isn't a bad idea, though there's no need to go overboard.

Two of the cameras in our group are powered by AA batteries, while the other two use proprietary lithium-ion batteries. Olympus includes alkaline batteries in the box, which will quickly run out of juice and end up in your recycling bin. That means that you'll need to buy a set or two of NiMH rechargeables, plus a charger, in order to get the most out of the camera. Kodak, on the other hand, includes rechargeables in the box, plus a charger. The batteries aren't the most powerful out there, and the charger is very slow, but it's better than nothing. The Nikon and Pentax both use lithium-ion rechargeables, with 4.1 Wh and 3.5 Wh worth of energy, respectively. It takes about two hours to charge each of the camera's batteries using their included chargers. Keep in mind that unlike the AA-based cameras, you can't use an off-the-shelf battery when the lithium-ion battery on the P90 or X70 dies.

Here's a look at how these four cameras compare to other super zoom cameras in terms of battery life:

Camera Battery life (CIPA standard) Battery used Canon PowerShot SX1 IS 420 shots 4 x 2500 mAh NiMH Canon PowerShot SX10 IS 600 shots 4 x 2500 mAh NiMH Casio Exilim EX-FH20 430 shots 4 x 2500 mAh NiMH Kodak EasyShare Z980 400 shots 4 x 2100 mAh NiMH Nikon Coolpix P90 200 shots EN-EL5 Olympus SP-590UZ 340 shots 4 x alkaline AA Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 460 shots CGR-S006 Pentax X70 170 shots D-LI92 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 390 shots NP-FH50 Battery life numbers are provided by the manufacturer

As you can see, the Pentax and Nikon are holding up the rear in the battery life department. It's hard to compare the Olympus with the other cameras, since they used alkaline batteries to come up with the 340 shot number. If history is any indication, using powerful NiMH batteries should yield numbers of over 500 shots per charge, though.

The Kodak EasyShare Z980 with its included vertical grip attached

The other accessories that come with each of the four Super Zooms are standard issue. The one exception is the vertical grip that comes with the Kodak EasyShare Z980. Just screw it on to the bottom of the camera and you can now shoot a bit more comfortably in the portrait orientation. You will have to flip a switch in order to activate the vertical buttons, though -- why they couldn't use an orientation sensor is beyond me. I should also point out that you won't have access to the memory card slot when the grip is attached.

There are just a couple of optional accessories worth mentioning. For the Kodak EasyShare Z980 there's an external flash (priced from $110) as well as an A/V cable (should be a standard feature, but it's not). The Olympus SP-590 is the only one of the cameras that supports conversion lenses, with an available 1.7X teleconverter lens available ($150). This adapter (TCON-17) brings the telephoto end of the lens up to an incredible 1149.2 mm! You'll need to buy the CLA-11 conversion lens adapter (priced from $30) as well, which also allows for the use of 55 mm filters. All four cameras have optional AC adapters as well as the requisite camera case.

Toshiba NB205-312

Toshiba's NB205 is a great value, packed with a collection of fantastic features and a marathon-ready battery life.

• Toshiba NB205-312 Test Scores

• Overall89
• Performance90
• Features79
• Design90

Toshiba may be new to netbooks, but the company is no stranger to small. Toshiba's NB205-N310 ($400) jumps into the market and claims a top spot in our rankings. This primo portable not only delivers where it counts with the longest battery life to date, it does so with panache and some great design decisions. In short, Toshiba has come a long way since blazing trails with its Libretto subnotebooksin the 1990s.

I'm going to start this review with the NB205's only real "downer": its pedestrian speed and guts. The guts are a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB 5400-rpm hard drive, which together earned the NB205 a rather standard performance score of 36 in PC WorldBench 6. But that's about the only thing that I'd classify as "average" about the NB205-N310.

Toshiba spokespeople say that the NB205-N310's six-cell battery can last for almost 9 hours. Wrong. In our tests, the NB205 survives a staggering 9 hours, 53 minutes. For a little perspective, that is easily the longest time so far that a netbook has been able to run--and this is with the standard battery on board. That alone catapults this netbook's worth to a top pick on the charts.

A killer keyboard and a touchpad to match are essential for a champion netbook. After all, how useful is a machine if you can't type on it without hurting your hands? Toshiba scores by making the Chiclet-size cutout keys just big enough, and by dropping down a huge touchpad. This is simply the best netbook mouse pad to date. For starters, the surface area of the strike zone is larger than that on many full-size laptops! Next, the beefy mouse buttons camp at the southern edge of the machine--easing hand strain. My physical therapist would approve.

The N310 has good (though occasionally muted) color reproduction and supports a reasonably precise resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels on its glossy 10.1-inch screen. I noticed some dark spots that got washed into a splotch or two--but otherwise, the images looked plenty sharp.

Its configuration looks fairly standard on the surface: three USB ports, an SDHC card reader, a Webcam, one VGA-out, ethernet, and headphone and microphone jacks. But it's put together in a 2.9-pound package and with a sense of style that doesn't look or feel cheap at all.

Toshiba also adds a few extras to the NB205-N310 that are sure to appeal to folks on the go--and even more so to IT departments looking to deploy cheap PCs to a mobile workforce. One notable perk is a pass-through USB port that enables users to charge USB-powered devices while the computer is off. This netbook also provides an internal accelerometer to protect the hard drive in case of falls (much as the HP Mini 2140 does)--and it offers wireless WAN support as an option.

As a quick heads-up, another version of the NB205 is waiting in the wings--the lighter, scrappier NB205-N210. The big differences between these sibling Toshiba netbooks boil down to price (the N210 costs $350, $50 less than the N310), key shape (the N210 has flat, wide keys, as opposed to the N310's cut-out style), and the N310's bluetooth support (the N210 doesn't have it).

But considering all the features packed into the N310--and how well it performs in a pinch--this is an easy-to-recommend netbook that's perfect whether you are a budget-minded businessman or you just need a flexible minimachine for a long day of note-taking. If this netbook ponied up a little more horsepower (a discrete GPU wouldn't hurt), I'd probably use this as my go-to gadget.

IdeaPad Y450 all-purpose laptop

The IdeaPad Y450 all-purpose laptop offers good looks and a surprising number of features at an attractive price.

Though Lenovo's ThinkPad business laptops have a reputation for no-nonsense design, the company also produces low-priced, consumer that look as good as they feel. Just take a look at the IdeaPad Y450, a 14-inch multimedia laptop that's visually striking yet carries a price tag of just $800 (price as of 7/13/09). In some respects the Y450 is a leaner, meaner version of the IdeaPad Y530, which we reviewed a few months back.

• Lenovo Ideapad Y450 Test Scores

• Overall81
• Performance70
• Features75
• Design74

Powering the Y450 are an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 CPU (2GHz, 800MHz frontside bus, 2MB Level 2 cache), 3GB of RAM, and Intel's GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics chip (a discrete nVidia GeForce 105M GPU is available as an option--which we recommend if you want even a glimmer of hope for playing games on the Y450). Earning a respectable WorldBench 6 score of 86, the Y450 has more than enough juice for handling everyday tasks and playing high-def video content. The score puts it in the middle of the pack. Its battery life is also quite good, as it lasted a comfortable 4 hours, 28 minutes in our stress tests.

Though the Y450 is only a 14-inch laptop, its port and communications selection is comparable to that of larger machines. Included are two USB ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, a four-pin FireWire port, an ExpressCard/34 slot, a five-in-one flash reader, headphone and microphone jacks, HDMI- and VGA-out, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, ethernet, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, a DVD burner, and an infrared port compatible with Lenovo remote controls.

But even with that dizzying assortment of jacks, ports, and drives, the Y450 doesn't look or feel cramped at all, thanks to clever design and color choices. The overall build quality is excellent, as well, with the only weak area being the flimsy plastic lid, which flexes quite a bit under light pressure. Considering the sturdiness of the rest of the body, it's a shame that Lenovo chose not to use a harder, thicker plastic to protect the back side of the screen. A couple other minor quibbles: The right side of the palm rest can get really warm even when the machine has a light workload, and the power brick's L-shaped connector can block the DVD drive from opening if it's facing the wrong way.

Since Lenovo is marketing the Y450 as a multimedia machine, I was glad to see a crisp and colorful, 720p-friendly screen with a native resolution of 1366 by 768. While I would've preferred a slightly higher resolution, given the screen's 14-inch size and the low cost of the laptop itself, I can't complain too much. Though the screen features a glossy coating, surprisingly the reflections on the plastic cover are fairly subdued. Horizontal viewing angles are excellent, but the shallow vertical viewing angles make it difficult to have color and contrast look even across the screen; that isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but worth mentioning.

Also worth noting is the keyboard. Though the full-size keys here feel a little cheaper than those of the gold-standard ThinkPad keyboard, they have just the right amount of travel and their placement is standard. There's very little flex when you're typing, too. Above the keyboard is a touch-sensitive area with volume buttons, a unique strip for switching applications, a button that activates a "movie" mode (warming the screen colors), and a button that opens the included Dolby Control Center application (more on that in a minute). The touch response is great, though Lenovo made a quirky design decision: A Wi-Fi status LED that looks exactly like a button--but isn't one--sits in the same row as the touch controls. Yes, it's very confusing.

The textured touchpad works reasonably well; because it feels slick to the touch, however, it sometimes seems less responsive than it is. The pad also supports multitouch gestures for actions such as zooming in on pictures and changing text size, but since that works only in some applications it feels more like a novelty than a real feature. The plastic buttons are definitely the weakest link--I'm a little concerned about their long-term durability.

Given that the Y450 has a Dolby-specific shortcut button above the keyboard, a Dolby Home Theater badge recessed into the case, and speakers made by JBL, I had some pretty high expectations for its sound. While the speakers definitely get loud enough, they lack even a modicum of low end. Activating the Dolby bass boost via software helps considerably, but at the expense of a little distortion, even at lower volumes. To get the most out of the laptop, a good set of headphones is the way to go, allowing you to enjoy the substantial benefit of Dolby's software, sans distortion. Overall, though, the system has more than enough power and volume for daily use.

Unfortunately, the Windows Home Premium-powered Y450 also has more than enough bloatware to drive you up a wall. Some of the software seems useful at first, but the implementation is poor. The unintuitive but good-looking MediaShow media organizer, for instance, bogs down system performance and defeats its own purpose. And don't get me started on the VeriFace facial-recognition system--its inability to recognize my face in anything but the most ideal situations renders it as irritating as the antivirus, Microsoft Office, and online-backup trials. Regrettably, the worst software comes from Lenovo itself, the prime example being Idea Central, a confusing application that attempts to meld RSS feeds, online videos, an online store, and paid-for links into one unified interface. The results are not pretty.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y450 is a well-built all-purpose laptop whose only serious drawback lies in the graphics department. With a price that starts below $600 and tops out at about $900, this is a great-looking and full-featured laptop for everyday home, school, and work use. Just don't expect much more.