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Macbook Air

Apple defined what a music player must be. It defined what a smartphone should do. And now the company could be setting the bar, very high again, for what an ultraportable laptop should be like with its MacBook Air. All within less than an inch of metal, 3 pounds of total mass, and the starting price tag of $1,799, Apple has managed to deliver what all consumers have come to expect from their laptops, and much more.

The 13.3-inch backlit LED display does not compromise on resolution (1280x800) or performance. The keyboard is full-sized. The battery doesn't weigh the Air down, yet still motors on for as long as five hours. And somehow in its narrow confines, the MacBook has room for an iSight camera as well.

And then there's the innovation that we've all come to expect from Apple. The trackpad features Apple's multi-touch input, made famous by iPhones, where you can pinch and spread your fingers to zoom in and out of your display. Then there's an innovation truly MacBook Air: the laptop has no optical drive and instead forces you to rely on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to backup files on Time Machine, download music and movies, and communicate with others.

Its environmental advances will become industry standard and are numerous enough to deserve their own article.

"No optical drive?!" you might be able to hear an old-timer choking in panic and disbelief, unable to get over the previous paragraph. "How can I upload a driver or a new app, huh, huh, huh!?"

MacBook Air has this covered. Say you need to install a driver via a CD. The laptop has what's called Remote Disc, a wireless process that allows your Air to "borrow" the optical drive of a nearby computer with a drive. It's so freaky it's almost parasitic.

But it's progress, right? Sort of like the advanced human life forms that will thousands of years from now whose brains will be five times as big as ours and whose bodies are lifeless, useless spleen-like appendages.

But I digress. Back to the MacBook Air. If there ever was a weakness, it could be its 80GB of hard drive. A quieter 64GB solid state drive is optional as well as an external USB SuperDrive. Or the built-in mono speaker. But am I being picky here?

Otherwise, the hardware in this 3-pound package is Apple up-to-snuff. A 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo is standard, with 1.8 optional. The RAM is a standard 2GB.

Perhaps you'll never look at your old ultraportable the same way again.

Macbook Air Technical Specifications

• Processor 1.6-1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 800 MHz FSB
• Memory 2 GB DDR2 667 MHz
• Harddrive 80 GB 4,200 rpm P-ATA (Optional 64 GB SSD)
• OS Mac OS X
• Weight 3 pounds (1.36 kg)
• Screen 13.3 inches
• Screen resolution 1280x800

Source : laptopical.com

Dell Vostro A860

An affordable option that will fit into any budget, the Dell Vostro A860 Laptop offers great mobility and connectivity for the individual who needs a little more versatility from a work computer. Recently offered at $399 through Dell as part of a late 2008 push, there's arguably no better computer for your buck.

The Vostro A860 offers three upgrade packages for more user customization. However, no unnecessary trial software is in the mix to clutter the hard drive or the desktop. The amply spaced 15.6-inch widescreen LCD display offers enough room to view multiple tasks and projects, with the ability to stream media or DVDs on the standard drive.

Dell Vostro A860 Tech Specs

The Vostro A860 comes with a lower-end Intel Celeron M processor at 2.16GHz and Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1. The optical drive offers a 24x CD Burner/DVD combo, with the option to upgrade to an 8x DVD+/-RW drive. The basic package offers users 1GB of memory, a 160GB SATA hard drive and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. Out of the box, the laptop is wireless capable, and includes the standard one-year basic limited warranty.

Features

Ultimately, the Vostro A860 is perfect for transitioning from a desktop to a capable laptop, catering to those in need of the technological mobility. Aesthetically, the computer offers a low-profile look, without the overly glossy finish found on many black laptops. The full keyboard allows for maximized user efficiency and comfort, and with the four-cell battery, the weight is just over 5 lbs.

The only real drawback, when considering the unbeatable price, is the size and the power-pull of a four-cell Li-Ion battery. Yet, when reviewing the pros and cons, an under $400 price tag far outweighs the drawbacks to this entry-level laptop.

Dell Vostro A860 Technical Specifications

• Processor Celeron M 2.16GHz
• Memory 1GB DDR2
• Harddrive 160GB
• OS Vista Basic
• Weight 5.4lbs
• Screen 15.4 inches
• Screen resolution 1366x768
• Graphic Card Intel GMA X3100
• Battery Life 2.5 hourPros

Source: www.laptopical.com

Asus Eee PC 1000HE

Asus started the netbook craze with its tiny, 7-inch Eee PC. Shortly thereafter, every notebook manufacturer except Apple produced at least one tiny and inexpensive laptop just like it. Nowadays, netbooks are not that tiny anymore - little by little they have increased in size from 7" via 9" and now the standard screen size of a netbook is 10 inches. Even a couple of 12-inch models have been released.

Hardware

What they all have in common is the hardware - with a few deviations it consists of an Intel Atom CPU at 1.6GHz, 1GB or RAM, a 160GB hard drive and integrated GMA950 graphics. The Eee PC, however, has been upgraded with an ever so slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom processor and a higher 667MHz FSB speed instead of earlier models which had 533MHz.

The speed increase is not big enough to be noticeable, but you might feel better purchasing an upgraded model. Asus' main selling point with the 1000HE is the battery life. According to the manufacturer, you should be able to keep it alive for 9.5 hours without resorting to an outlet. To achieve this formidable battery life, you need to use aggressive power-saving schemes, no Wi-Fi and turn the brightness all the way down. In our general usage test it still delivered more than 7 hours, which is still more than acceptable.

Design

As far as the design goes, the Eee PC 1000 HE stays with the concept we've seen in previous Eee netbooks. The keyboard is almost full size (92%) and the trackpad buttons are slightly tilted in the front. The entire casing of the netbook is glossy, which enhances the overall look but also attracts fingerprints easily.

On the whole, the design of the 1000HE focuses on usability; it's not spectacularly thin like some of its siblings, such as Asus S101 netbook, but it certainly gets the job done with flying colors. Besides, keeping the design simple also helps keep the price to a minimum, which is often the deciding factor for a netbook buyer.

Connectivity and Features

The ports have been placed on the left- and right-hand sides of the laptop - none at the back. On the right is a memory card reader, 2 USB and VGA and on the left is another USB port, Ethernet, and audio line in/out.

Summary

While there are better looking netbooks on the market, the Eee PC 1000HE comes at a very attractive price point and offers excellent battery life. It's also very easy to use thanks to the large keyboard, and has all the features that the competition offer plus a little extra. Combine these aspects and you have one of the best netbooks currently available.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE Technical Specifications

• Processor Atom N280 1.66GHz
• Memory 1GB DDR2
• Harddrive 160GB
• OS Windows XP Home
• Weight 3lbs
• Screen 10 inches
• Screen resolution 1024x600
• Graphic Card Intel GMA 950
• Battery Life 7.5 hours

Pros

• Slightly Faster
• Very Affordable
• Excellent Battery Life

Cons

• Glossy Surface
• Not much Faster than Previous Models

Apple MacBook Air

Overview & Features

Apple’s much anticipated and much talked about ultra-portable notebook computer has arrived and it’s definitely a looker. This incredibly razor-thin computer is quite possibly the sexiest little laptop to come around. Ever. With a height of just 0.76 inches at its thickest (0.16” at the tip), the MacBook Air is the thinnest notebook on the market. And with looks that Paris Hilton will certainly love, the MBA is going to attract attention wherever you tote this 3 lb. aluminum beauty around…even inside a manila folder!

While this is Apple’s first ultraportable, it is still considerably larger sitting next to the sub notebooks from the likes of Sony and Fujitsu. The glossy 13.3” widescreen LCD, borrowed from the consumer MacBook line, displays bright and crisp visuals with plenty of real estate. At 12.8” wide by 8.94” deep, the MacBook Air even has dimensions that are near-identical to the “regular” MacBook’s. In fact, aside from the weight and depth factor, the MacBook Air is literally just a really, really thin MacBook. Moreover, it’s even 2” wider than the now-defunct PowerBook 12”, hardly “ultraportable” in comparison. Sorry, but once you go beyond 13 inches, the computer is no longer ultraportable to me.

Features & Technology

At $1799 starting, you don’t get a lot of features or performance compared to comparably priced notebooks, but it is amazing how much Apple was able to cram into such a thin frame. The base model comes with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Low Voltage processor with 2GB of DDR2 RAM (which is not user replaceable or upgradeable), 802.11b/g/n WiFi, iSight camera built-in, illuminated keyboard, and a 60GB 1.8" hard-drive running at 4200RPM. Unique to the MBA is the large multi-touch touchpad with technology borrowed from the iPhone for finger gesture commands within applications The three-finger scroll is particularly useful, allowing the user to scroll forward or back in-between web pages, and pinching allows for zooming functionality. Expect this technology to make its way across future Apple laptops.

Those with extra money to burn can option for the 1.8GHz processor and ridiculously expensive $1000 "upgrade" for the faster yet smaller 64GB solid state disk (SSD) drive, which we strongly urge against as the performance gains are minimal. Fully loaded, you're looking at a $3000 laptop that doesn't really do much for you other than lighten your wallet. But then again, value isn’t the name of the game here. The MacBook Air is a status symbol; kind of like a tiny, expensive purse. It isn’t practical, but damn does it look good under your arm out & about.

Intel went to great lengths to engineer a micro-sized version of the venerable Low Voltage Core 2 Duo processor exclusively for the MacBook Air. The CPU is 60% smaller than the standard C2D laptop processor which is no easy feat, and thus for the lucky MBA buyer, much of the development costs get passed down in the price tag. The re-engineering was necessary to meet the real estate demands of this diminutive system.

Connectivity, Performance, & Conclusion

Those looking to find a fully featured multimedia notebook will certainly have to look elsewhere. There's just ONE USB 2.0 port available to connect an external device and FYI: not all USB devices may fit into the port - a major design flaw. There is an audio out jack and a micro-DVI port, but that is all! No Ethernet jack, no 56K model, no media card reader or firewire ports. Nothing. Not even stereo sound! This is definitely a companion laptop for the fashion conscious mobile user, but that is about the limit of its practicality. Out of the box, you will have rely on WiFi only to access data without a USB cable. To install off a CD or DVD, a special utility allows the MacBook Air to remotely access a nearby computer’s optical drive and stream the data over WiFi. However, the utility cripples the drive’s capabilities, limiting the user to read/write capabilities only, meaning no remote video viewing, music playback or disc burning. Bummer. If you desperately need dedicated optical support, you'll have to shell out another $99 for the external SuperDrive, which of course only works with the MacBook Air. There is also a USB Ethernet adapter available for $29. At least these “optional” accessories are priced fairly reasonably.

Performance

Performance-wise, the MacBook Air is decent at best. It works wonderfully like any Mac would, with the excellent and swift Leopard OS X, but it lags behind the considerably cheaper MacBooks and upmarket MacBook Pros. 3D performance is a non-starter of course, with integrated graphics. Worse, the fixed battery only manages a disappointing 3-4 hours of juice under normal usage.

Specs	MacBook Air	iMac	PowerBook 12"
Specs	Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 1.8" 4200rpm HDD, GMA X3100 graphics, OSX 10.5.2	Core Duo 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM, 3.5" 7200rpm HDD, ATi Radeon X1600 128MB, OSX 10.5.2	PowerPC 1.33GHz, 512MB RAM, 2.5" 5400rpm HDD, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 64MB, OSX 10.4.10
CPU Test	85.14	85.97	54.39
Memory Test	139.41	134.26	33.80
Quartz Graphics Test	97.63	137.66	65.97
OpenGL Graphics Test	17.15	145.39	67.33
Disk Test	26.29	78.73	20.28

As you can see from the table above, the Intel processor platform has a significant processing advantage over the old PowerPC days. Even more interesting is the fact that despite being higher clocked, the Core Duo is about as fast as the lower clocked Core 2 Duo.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Incredibly thin and light
• Incredibly sexy
• Multi-touch trackpad
• Multi-finger scrolling for web browsing
• Illuminated keyboard
• Gorgeous widescreen screen
• Impeccable build quality

Cons:

• Incredibly expensive
• External optical drive is an optional purchase
• Only 1 USB port - doesn't fit all devices
• No additional ports nor expandiblility
• So-so battery life
• So-so performance - slower than MacBook
• No stereo sound (mono speaker)
• Large for a ultra-portable class laptop
• Did I mention it's incredibly expensive?

So is the MacBook Air worth the hype? Sure, the super thin profile is very unique and eye catching, but once the eye candy wears off you aren’t left with much. If you are purely out on the go, perhaps with a desktop to handle connectivity and storage needs, the MacBook Air will fit anywhere, but will leave you wanting with no replaceable battery for additional runtime and no integrated mobile broadband; you would have to occupy your only USB port if you needed connectivity other than WiFi. For users who have a notebook as their primary computer, they will have to buy a plethora of accessories just to make the MacBook Air usable. The MBA-specific optical drive, USB Ethernet adapter, and a USB hub come to mind as the bare minimum one would need to run the MBA at a desk without feeling constrained. Did I mention you can’t add any more memory?

Now does all this mean it is a terrible notebook? Not at all. It does succeed in its goal: to be the ‘halo’ product for Apple, the uber-high end machine that isn’t incredibly practical – think of it as using a Lamborghini to get groceries. But true mobile computing users need to carefully consider their needs before making the plunge with the MacBook Air. When you consider that the MacBook Pro is 1.0” thin with far more practical features and a similar starting price, you might wonder if a 0.16-0.76” thickness is all it’s cracked up to be. Well, at least it brings a whole new meaning to the term, "I got an MBA."

Source: laptoplogic.com