Laptop Reviews

Dell Studio 15

You can usually predict solid, reliable performance from a Dell; that's why so many businesses use them. We got our hands on the latest in a long line of of laptops, the Studio 15. Keep reading to see whether it lives up to Dell's reputation.

Introduction

According to theDell website, the company’s new Studio 15 notebook is a 15.4” widescreen laptop devoted to serving the typical consumer’s multimedia needs at a reasonable price. As the industry has come to expect from Dell, they have produced a product here that lives up almost exactly to its expectations, which are reasonably set. With a price tag of $1,200 (though it starts at only $800), this first product in the Studio line is certainly not the cheapest laptop ever made. At the same time, it is reasonably affordable and does not bring any of the ultra high-tech features that you can associate with an overly priced $3,000 machine.

The concept behind Dell’s Studio line is that it takes the more affordable features of the Inspiron line and mixes them with some of the high class features of the XPS line, such as design and media performance. To be precise, according toPC Magazine, the Studio 15 is a mixture of the Inspiron 1525 and the XPS M1530. Basically, the Studio 15 takes the design look and feel from the M1530 as well as its powerful capability to display media. From the Inspiron 1525, it borrows the more generously sized chassis and the slightly under-par performance. The overall effect is that you will be buying a nicely styled large laptop that has a respectable, but not incredible, ability to do just about whatever the average consumer could want.

When it comes down to it, you are left with plenty of choices. The Studio is really a specific line that caters to a specific type of user, just as the Inspiron and XPS lines are. With that being said, if you are looking for a computer that is relatively inexpensive but sports a bit of style while also being able to display some power, then the Studio 15 is a good bet. If you are only concerned with price or only concerned with style and power, then you should either downgrade to the Inspiron or upgrade to the XPS models. If you are concerned about the size of this model, then you might consider waiting until a later date; Dell is said to be considering the release of a 13” model in their Studio line.

Dell Studio 15 Laptop Review - Design

Much of the design of the Studio 15 is almost directly borrowed from its higher class cousin, the XPS M1530. This includes a tapering design that thins down the front of the laptop, as well as numerous other features. One aspect that differentiates the XPS’s higher quality is that it comes with aluminum accents, as opposed to the relatively cheap ones offered on the Studio 15. However, most will not find the difference in quality worth a considerably higher price tag.

One feature that the Studio 15 offers that is better than either the Inspiron or the XPS models is an improved ability to customize the color of the laptop. Dell offers seven separate colors with which to customize, including some very outrageous colors that are sure to make your laptop stand out. Further, you are also able to choose whether the entire laptop should be a solid color or a primary color with different kind of accents. Although this is no new feature to laptops, it is a nice option that will allow each consumer a relatively custom experience.

Although there is not much to say about the keyboard and mouse on the Studio 15, that is a good thing. You will find the experience very straightforward, and not at all cramped or confusing like some laptops. This makes the experience of switching from a desktop PC to a laptop quite a bit easier for many users. If you are one of these users, then this is actually a considerable highlight of the design.

The one flaw in the Studio 15’s design is its slightly larger-than-average weight for its size. Any 15.4” laptop is going to be fairly heavy, and not the greatest choice for those that are all about mobility. However, at 5.9 pounds, it is not really all that close to the 5.3 pounds of the record setting MacBook Pro. Interestingly, the Studio 15 does weigh in a bit better than its richer counterpart, the XPS M1530, which weighs a respectable 6.2 pounds. You probably will not notice the difference between the two just by picking them up, but it is still there. The XPS model does appear to be more sleek and lightweight, but I have to assume that that is a result of the aluminum accents and higher class design in general.

Dell XPS M1330

Finally! Having waited for what seemed like an age to get our mucky paws on Dell's latest and possibly greatest consumer notebook, we can bring you a review of the XPS M1330. Doubtless anyone who has already ordered one will be able to substantiate this frustration, because Dell has been struggling to fulfil orders of its latest consumer notebook due to some well publicised production issues. Thankfully, those issues seem to have been alleviated somewhat, though that'll be of little consolation to those who've been waiting for theirs to arrive.

Putting these issues aside for a moment: what's all the fuss about? Take a look at the pictures and you'll begin to understand, because the XPS M1330 is without a doubt one of the best looking consumer notebooks Dell has made in…well, ever actually. Built around a 13.3in display, the chassis measures a sleek and slender 318 x 238 x 33.8mm (WxDxH) at its bulkiest points and weighs 2kg with a 6-cell battery. Dell also claims that this is the thinnest notebook in its class, though this is somewhat disingenuous because the 22.1mm at its thinnest is only possible thanks to the wedged shaped design.

Ultimately this dubious claim isn't especially important, because it does nothing to add or detract from the M1330s undeniable good looks. On the outside Dell continues its use of the Microsatin finish we've previously seen on the Inspiron 1520, which is reputedly a source of Dell's production problems.

In any case, these finishes are both very attractive and very durable, proving predominantly scratch proof unlike the glossy finishes we see on many notebooks these days. Our unit came in a fetching Crimson Red, while the M1330 is also available in "Tuxedo" Black - it's remarkable how many kinds of black there are. This coloured trim is framed by strips of silver either side, while the silver XPS lettering and inset Dell logo are a vast improvement over the rather clownish logos found on the company's other consumer offerings.

Clearly then, the M1330 is something of a departure for Dell. Moreover, as a design it strikes a lovely balance. Elements such as the outer finish give it a striking visual appearance; while the simple metallic silver and charcoal grey combination on the inside give it a classy and understated look. It's a powerful combination, making the M1330 ideal for both consumers and the business user who wants something a little out of the ordinary but not too garish at the same time.

There are plenty of other nice touches too, such as the slot loading optical drive, the touch sensitive media keys and the media remote, which slots discreetly into the 54mm ExpressCard bay. Also worthy of note is the display, in this instance a 1,280 x 800 resolution LED backlit panel. Dell also provides a standard panel that's cheaper, but the LED backlit version is truly superb thanks to superior brightness levels, vibrant colour production and razor sharp detail. A glossy high contrast coating helps in this regard too and it's not the most reflective finish we've seen either, which is a significant bonus.

Getting a bit more technical, Dell provides a plethora of options in keeping with the XPS brand that's reserved for "performance" products. Our sample unit came with an Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, which clocks in at 2.00GHz and features 4MB L2 cache and an 800MHZ Front Side Bus. Alternative options, in order of speed and expense, include the T5250 (1.5GHz), T7100 (1.8GHz), T7250 (2.0GHz) and T7500 (2.2GHz).

Of all these options, we'd say the T7250 is worth a look if you're after the best balance between performance and value. It features the same clock speed as the perfectly able T7300, but has half the amount of L2 cache and costs a good deal less. Indeed, it seems as though Dell and/or Intel are trying to phase out the T7300 since, if you spec it, you pay the same price as you would for the faster T7500. Because of this the price we're quoting in this review uses the T7250, since it's a more realistic option and the performance will be near to that of our system which uses the T7300.

This is supported by the obligatory 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM, with graphics processing provided by an nVidia 8400M GS with 128MB of dedicated video memory. This particular choice of GPU is always a source of frustration because it's potentially more power demanding than Intel's X3100 solution, but it isn't powerful enough to be a truly compelling gaming option. For sure, it's significantly better than integrated options and will give you more gaming headroom, but that doesn't change the fact that it isn't and never will be a genuine gaming option.

Dell does allow for a model without an 8400M GS but, due to the vagaries of Dell's configuration system, you'll actually pay more for a system that's identical but for the lack of discrete graphics. Whichever way you look at it, Dell has probably missed a trick by not adding a switching capability as per the Sony SZ or upcoming Asus U3.

Our sample unit came with a 160GB 5400rpm SATA drive, which is ample for most peoples' needs. Options run up to a 250GB 5400rpm drive, while you can also specify faster 7200rpm drives in 160GB and 200GB capacities. Optical storage is fixed and cannot be configured, with all systems coming with the same 8x DVD+/-RW slot loading drive.

For network connectivity the M1330 won't disappoint. There's 10/100 Ethernet as standard, while Draft-N Wi-Fi is available as an extra on most models. Our sample also came equipped with embedded HSDPA, making this a genuinely mobile machine. Bluetooth 2.0 EDR is also available, with our sample unit coming with a set of Dell's surprisingly decent Bluetooth headphones.

In addition to all these features our system also shipped with some extra features, including fingerprint reader and a nylon carry case. These are quite useful and smart features respectively, but they do add approximately £70 to the overall price of the machine. Moreover, currently Dell is quoting a seven week delay for any system equipped with a Fingerprint reader, so it's probably worth avoiding unless you absolutely must have one.

Most notebooks come with a six-cell battery as standard, however for the purposes of this review we were sent both six-cell and nine-cell extended batteries. As previously noted, with the six-cell battery the XPS M1330 weighs just a fraction over 2kg. This is a nice portable weight for a notebook of this size, though it doesn't quite match Sony's SZ in this respect, which comes in at under 1.8kg with the same capacity of battery. In cheaper configurations Dell also allows for a four-cell battery that reduces the weight to 1.79kg, though you'll take a significant hit in the battery life department with this option.

Interestingly the nine-cell battery shares a similar design to that found on the MSI PR210, with a ridge shape that acts as a stand. This actually provides a very nice angle for using the notebook, while the nine-cell only increases the total weight of the notebook to an acceptable 2.15kg. As such, for those who require longer battery life this is quite a compelling option and although you can't specify both six-cell and nine-cell batteries at point of purchase, you could buy them separately.

For battery testing we've run a couple of tests, including a DVD playback test and one based on general real world usage. For the DVD Playback test screen brightness was set to around 70 per cent, which proved to be a nice balance between the brightness required to bring out enough detail, while maintaining decent black levels.

With the six-cell battery this produced a total of two hours and 23 minutes playback, which is a good return and will ensure you can watch most films on a single charge. With the nine-cell this was extended to just under four hours, at three hours and 58 minutes -- more or less double that of the six-cell. Overall these results were very encouraging, proving that you can watch DVDs at acceptable brightness levels and not resort to mains power halfway through a film.

To gauge battery performance under more typical conditions the M1330 was used for word processing and Internet browsing, in this instance using the six-cell battery with display brightness set to its maximum and with Wi-Fi enabled. While conducting our test it was very evident that as well as being great to look at, the M1330 is also a great notebook to use. It runs quietly and coolly during normal use, while the keyboard layout is truly excellent with none of the annoying issues one sometimes finds. Keys themselves are crisp and responsive, making typing a pleasure; while the touchpad below the keyboard is well placed and doesn't obstruct typing.

After two hours and 55 minutes the system ran out of juice, shutting down completely. This is an acceptable result, but its slightly short of the Sony SZ61VN which managed around 25 minutes longer thanks to its ability to use Intel's integrated graphics. Obviously reducing display brightness will improve things slightly, but the cumulative difference in battery life will always remain in favour of the SZ and the gap would likely increase given identical conditions. Of all things, this is one of the few areas the M1330 doesn't match its nearest competition.

Apple MacBook Air

It fits in a manila folder, you can slide it under a door, and if you threw it hard enough you could probably chop someone in half with the thing. It's the thinnest, and if we may say so, sexiest laptop around today: the MacBook Air. But looks aren't everything to everyone, and despite all the rhetoric about being a no-compromises ultraportable, Apple did leave plenty on the cutting-room floor in its quest to make an absurdly thin ultraportable that doesn't skimp on a full size keyboard or roomier 13-inch display. But, as many potential buyers have been asking themselves since last week, is the Air right to be your next machine? Read on, we'll tell you what we think.

Hardware
It's hard to take lightly (har) the purposeful design that went into the Air, it's simply and without a doubt the most beautiful laptop we've seen in a while. Sure, there have been thinner, lighter laptops that take up fewer cubic centimeters -- but that's not really on trial. The goal of the Air was clear: create a Mac that frequent fliers wouldn't be ashamed of, or in physical pain to lug around. But therein lies the rub. The Air simply doesn't have the power to be many users' primary machine, while also lacking many of the features considered necessity by business travelers. More on that in a minute, though.

There are a lot of things that the Air gets right, and a decent amount of horsepower is one of 'em. Apple didn't take the easy route and go with an etiolated Ultra Low Voltage (read: ultra low performance) chip, they actually pushed Intel to repackage a slower version of its full-on Core 2 Duo processor. We were a little disappointed when Steve announced this wasn't the new power-efficient, lower-heat 45nm Penryn chip design, but in the time we've played with the Air, it's still rarely managed to output enough heat to raise an eyebrow. This is actually a laptop that belongs on your lap -- without any fear of sterility. Of course, as our Mac-on-Mac benchmarks showed, the 1.6GHz chip is still a little on the slow side, but the Air is by no means unusable. It's not really one of Steve's "screamers" -- but ultraportables aren't really intended to be.

The 13-inch LED backlit screen not only sips power where larger CCFL backlit displays guzzle, it also looks amazing: crisp, bright, and vibrant. Where other small laptops use 8-11-inch screens that are nigh-unreadable by many a squinty Engadget editor, for a laptop of this size the Air gives plenty of screen real estate to get things done. Unfortunately, Apple only offers this display with a glossy finish, so if you're fond of the matte or work outside or near a window, be forewarned. The bezel around the display is a little thick for our tastes, and the lid might not tilt back as far as we'd like due to the physical constraints of the joint design, but these are relatively minor complaints.

Also rare for an ultraportable is the Air's full-size keyboard, which adds some (worthy) width to the body. Those fond of the ridgeless, separated key design as found in MacBook and iMac / Mac pro keyboards will feel right at home. We're not too into this design, but unlike almost every ultraportable we've owned, the Air's keyboard feels thoroughly solid and sturdy. The keys are tactile, not at all mushy, and backlit to boot. Typing on the Air is a pleasure, not a chore. The keyboard also happens to be where the MacBook Air emits audio -- beneath right home row keys (k, l, ;, ') is the Air's tinny mono speaker, which seems and sounds more like an afterthought.

The Air's integrated 802.11n worked well with our stock D-Link 802.11n router, and transferred data at about 3-4MBps -- we were certainly satisfied with its wireless performance. The Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR as a standard option is also nice, but it's immediately clear the Air needed some integrated 3G, especially considering its lack of an ExpressCard slot.

Where a lot of other machines might have ports and protrusions along their edges, the Air has none -- it swoops inward from the edge to the base with only two spots for plugs, a new, 90-degree angled MagSafe power connector on the left underside, and a clicky, extremely sturdy-feeling foldable door that is impossible to open while resting on the table, and basically requires picking the entire machine up. This exposes the Air's only three ports: one USB 2.0, one micro-DVI, and one headphone. But here we begin with the design sacrifices, and at the top of the list is the lack of a user replaceable battery.

For some this might be an issue, but for others -- especially those on the road for long periods of time without access to a power outlet -- a deal-breaker. The Air uses a 37 Watt/hour lithium polymer (compared to the MacBook Pro's 60WH lithium-ion), and using our normal tests -- full screen brightness, WiFi and Bluetooth on, no attached peripherals -- under medium usage (light browsing and watching a 1:20 h.264 movie) we got a mere 2 hours and 25 minutes. Under lighter usage (browsing, some audio playback, no movies) we got closer to 3 hours and 35 minutes. Not bad, but still nowhere near the 5 hours Apple promises (under ideal conditions, surely).

Thankfully, the Air's power adapter is as impressively proportioned as the laptop, so taking it with you won't be much of an issue. But users of current generation adapters be warned: the Air's MagSafe implementation won't always work with your current MagSafe adapters simply because the angle and location make it physically impossible to accommodate when used on a table. Hardly a huge issue, we know. But things get worse on the connectivity side. The USB port is recessed enough that, while we're sure it meets USB Implementers Forum's design spec, it realistically won't accommodate most 3G modems without a USB extension cable, and some flash drives, as we learned yesterday. Even the headphone port had a difficult time accommodating our Shure E4C phones. We got stereo audio, but a high pitched hissing from not being fully plugged in and grounded. (This went away when we used a better-fitting audio extension cable.)

The micro-DVI port is also not physically compatible with the mini-DVI port on your MacBook and previous Apple laptops, so it requires some new connection accessories for VGA and DVI out, which are thankfully included in the box. Since the Air doesn't have a powerful (but space and power-consuming) discrete graphics adapter, you'll only be able to drive a 24-inch display, although for many that should probably be sufficient. (Games and movie watching also suffer because of the integrated graphics, since some of that visual load is taken on by the CPU.) Also integrated is the Air's 2GB of RAM, built directly into its insanely small motherboard; processors rarely need to be swapped in laptops, but are you willing to bank on a couple of years' use without having to upgrade your RAM? Perhaps a lot of people are, but we're not.

The Air also uses a slower 80GB 1.8-inch drive, the same kind that powers many portable media players. While probably sturdy enough to withstand normal use, it's nowhere near as fast as your average 2.5-inch laptop drive, and will always be behind in storage should you chose to upgrade later. If you can afford to spring for the 64GB SSD option, we highly suggest it -- your machine's reliability, performance, and battery life will all get a boost (at the expense of 16GB of space and a ton of cash, naturally). Oddly overlooked for inclusion is the Apple Remote; the Air certainly has the necessary sliver of an IR sensor for making use of one, but the remote isn't included, despite being found in the box of just about every other Apple machine. Oh, and for those wondering, the Air's built-in iSight is the VGA variety.

Despite its shortcomings on the hardware and specs side, though, it's hard to say enough about how well made the Air feels -- a particularly important point when you're taking your machine everywhere. Whereas most smaller laptops try to cut weight with inner metal frames and flimsy plastic bodies, the Air bulks up a bit with an all-metal enclosure that looks and feels like it was carved out of a single piece of aluminum. Only time will tell if metal in the Air's wrist rest area will pit out and blacken like MacBook Pros and PowerBooks of years past, but the machine definitely gets extremely high marks for its the physical engineering. And no, we're not at liberty to drop test Apple's review unit, sorry!

Software

Just like every other Apple machine, the Air runs Leopard -- albeit a slightly different build (9B2324). The only changes made have to do with taking advantage of the machine's oversized touchpad, which now supports multi-finger gestures in system prefs. Apple thoughtfully actually includes in-line instructional videos for learning how the gestures work (and how to make them), like the three-finger sweep for backward and forward in Safari, or using two fingers to rotate an image in iPhoto. This is just the beginning of touchpad-based multi-touch, and while it's not always the most practical way to do things (cmd+R or L seems to us an easier way to rotate a photo), it's intuitive and well-integrated.

Apple also hasn't released any information for third party developers on how to integrated touch gestures into their apps, so until they do, only Apple apps will be able to take advantage of the new input methods. It's obvious that, with time, Apple will be rolling out multi-touch on their other machines, but for now they claim that current hardware cannot support this input, so don't expect to see any (official) software updates to enable multi-touch.

Another feature rolled out is Remote Disc, Apple's new system for sharing the optical drives of networked Macs and PCs with the drive-less Air. As we quickly learned, you should be prepared to have as much bandwidth as possible between the Air and your host machine, -- and don't be disappointed when you can't do everything with Remote Disc that you can do with a regular drive. There's no commercial media playback, no HD support, no ripping, no burning -- it's really only meant for installing apps, downloading data, or reinstalling the OS (more on that in a second). On the upshot, it did work seamlessly when we tried it.

Still, we think the Air's external USB SuperDrive (which only works with the Air, mind you) is a necessity. There simply isn't any way to transparently replace all the functionality of an optical drive yet, so we're kind of bummed Apple didn't just include the thing in box. [Also, disclosure: we had a pool running and I bet against a non-bundled optical drive and lost ten bucks. Thanks, Apple!] There's no question that a laptop really doesn't need an optical drive at all times, and we've always been happy to omit them. But having to shell out $99 to buy the drive separately just doesn't sit well with us.

Wrap-up
The Air is a tough call. On the one hand it proposes to be a no-compromises ultraportable, but on the other hand it compromises many (but not all) the things road warriors want. We're all about removing unnecessary frills and drives (we rejoiced the day the original iMac bucked the floppy), but laptops are increasingly becoming many users' primary -- often only -- machines, which is why the Air's price doesn't do it any favors, either. It's hard to justify almost two grand for a second laptop (or a third machine) just for travel needs -- and even then, that's only easily done if all your data lives in the cloud. Given those sacrifices and that higher-end sticker, it's more than likely not going to replace most peoples' current workhorse laptop.

This all might look a bit different if the Air was a little closer to MacBook price range, though. We're thinking $1500 could be a sweet spot, especially if bundled with the wired Ethernet dongle and SuperDrive. But we're not going to kid ourselves, either; the Air isn't supposed to be everything for everyone. For those in need of a machine that masters basics in a super thin, light form-factor, and who have the coin to pay for that ultraportability, the Air absolutely nails it like few others.

Given its stripped down, one-piece design, some are calling the Air the iPod of laptops. The point is debatable as to whether this machine could have the same appeal to computer users, but if there is one clear upshot to the Air, it's that Apple's learned to take the next step in miniaturizing their portable computers. While not all Mac users are going to stand in line to get this latest machine, Apple is doubtless welcomed back into the ultraportable laptop market by the technology world. Perhaps the largest side-effect of the Air won't be ditching optical drives, though; for the rest of Apple's consumer base it's now just a matter of time before other Mac laptop lines benefit from the technical and engineering advances that made this thing so thin and light. Give us the lovechild of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, and it's all over.

Lenovo s10 Review

Lenovo didn't waste any time launching its own netbook when ASUS, HP, and Acer first introduced theirs. That first version of the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 possessed many desirable netbook traits, including an ExpressCard slot and a 10-inch widescreen, that kept the other three from running away with this category. But that was six months ago. Since then, netbooks have been evolving at a furious pace, with manufacturers improving aesthetics, slashing prices, and bridging the features gap between them and mainstream laptops. New to the IdeaPad S10 (Red) ($410 street) are a Linux pre-boot environment and several color options, and it's still one of only two netbooks (the other is the HP Mini 2140 with an ExpressCard slot. The additions, unfortunately, are overshadowed by a small keyboard and a pricing strategy that lacks aggression.

Lenovo didn't really go out of its way to spice up the S10's design. While adding an array of color options (for $10 more) that include red, pink, and blue is admirable, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12 now offer seven color options for buyers, and netbooks like the HP Mini 2140 and the ASUS EeePC 1002HA are wowing customers with metallic designs. Granted, concocting a winning design is guaranteed to drive up prices, but Lenovo isn't going to win over new customers by slapping colors on a netbook. I'm sure it's already in the road map, but Lenovo needs to expand its netbook lineup beyond colors; perhaps an 11-inch or a 12-inch model such as the ones that Acer and Dell recently launched, or even a netbook tablet—a field Lenovo knows very well, given the success of the ThinkPad X200 Tablet.

The S10 (Red) tips the scales at 3 pounds, slightly heavier than the original S10 (2.7 pounds) because of a heavier, six-cell battery (the latter was reviewed with a three-cell battery). The Acer Aspire One (10-inch) and the Samsung NC10-14GB are slightly lighter at 2.9 pounds with their six-cell configurations, while the ASUS EeePC 1000HE is the heaviest at 3.2 pounds. The extended battery sticks out an inch from the back and elevates the rear of the S10 about a half an inch from a hard surface. Though the battery is a small bump in the road on design, that's outweighed by the fact that it's larger, with plenty of battery life. ASUS, on the other hand, designed its EeePC 1000HE so that its big battery is flush against the base. Little design details like these count when there are so many similarities among netbooks.

Six months ago, the S10's 10-inch widescreen and 1,024-by-600 resolution were the cream of the crop. Now, larger netbooks like the Dell Inspiron Mini 12, the Samsung NC20, and the HP Pavilion dv2 are deploying 12-inch widescreens and higher resolutions. Though the Dell Mini 9's screen, at 8.9 inches, is even smaller than the S10 (Red)'s, Lenovo needs to raise the stakes in screen size. More important, the S10 (Red)'s 89 percent keyboard is less than perfect to me, as others like the ASUS 1000HE, the NC10-14GB, and the HP Mini 2140 have bigger keyboards. The typing experience is crucial, and right now the S10 (Red) is losing significant ground in this area (which is ironic considering Lenovo's ThinkPad keyboard expertise). Furthermore, the pair of mouse buttons are noisy and hard to click, and the touchpad is small relative to those of the Acer One (10-inch) and the HP Mini 1000.

The feature set is the S10's saving grace. Even though it doesn't offer an embedded 3G modem like the HP 1000 and the Dell Mini 12, or have an HDMI port like the HP dv2, an ExpressCard can fill these voids. By adding this slot, Lenovo limited the S10 to two USB ports, while other netbooks like the Acer One and the ASUS 1000HE have three. Otherwise, the 160GB hard drive matches those of the One and the 1000HE, and standard netbook features like VGA-out, a 5-in-1 card reader, headphone and microphone ports, and webcam are also present.

A new software feature in the S10 (Red) is a pre-boot Linux environment, powered by a company called Splashtop. A Linux splash screen appears as soon as you power up the system, giving you to either enter the environment or boot into Windows XP Home Edition. Within the environment, there are options for a Web browser, music and photo manager, games, and Skype's video chatting software. You also have access to your 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connection, which connected flawlessly to my home router. The music and photo manager can sync to their respective folders (My Music and My Pictures) in Windows XP Home Edition, but that's it—there's no file manager that lets you access other file types. Overall, though, this Linux pre-boot is a neat little addition that can save time and battery life (since it consumes less power than Windows).

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Red)As for parts, the S10 (Red) uses the same processor as the configuration from six months ago. The 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and 1GB of memory are standard parts for netbooks. The Atom N280 processor found in the 1000HE is slightly faster, but you wouldn't be able to distinguish performance differences in the real world. In video-encoding tests, the S10 (Red) finished in 5 minutes 7 seconds, which was actually slower than the original S10. The ASUS 1000HE and the Acer One (10-inch) finished in less than 4:30. SYSmark 2007 Preview testing is a better measure of overall performance, and the S10's overall score was in line with those of the Samsung NC10-14GB and its predecessor. The 52-Wh battery delivered a smidge over 5 hours, according to MobileMark 2007 tests; both the Acer One (10-inch) and the ASUS 1000HE easily surpassed 6 hours in the same test.

Since Lenovo is known for its business laptops, the presence of an ExpressCard slot makes it a compelling netbook, say, for small businesses that need to support features like 3G, extra USB ports, or even a Serial port. While the IdeaPad S10 (Red) seems inexpensive, netbooks like the HP Mini 1000, the ASUS EeePC 1000HE, and the Acer One (10-inch) are about $25 to $50 cheaper. The additions of a bigger battery, colors, and a Linux environment in this version of the S10 are modest, not groundbreaking advances. Overall, unless Lenovo provides some siblings for this netbook, preferably ones with bigger screens, higher resolutions, and sleeker exteriors, it risks falling behind in the one category where it cannot afford to do so.

Lenovo ThinkPad T61

The ThinkPad T61 14.1" widescreen notebook was recently released by Lenovo as an update to the T60 series. The T61 uses the new Intel Centrino Duo platform (Santa Rosa) and offers a number of design updates.

Important to note is that this review covers the 14.1" widescreen version of the T61 series. As with any laptop model series, there are going to be widely varying configurations you can choose that will greatly affect system performance. For this review, we're dealing with a T61 with the following specifications:

Design and Build

The ThinkPad T61 is a premium product with a durable build, it is geared towards business users or simply those willing to pay a bit more to get something that won't fall apart after 1-year of use. For somebody that travels a lot or relies on their notebook to earn a livelihood, the build and reliability factor is probably more important than having the latest and greatest components inside.

So how does the T61 excel build-wise? Basically the same as its predecessor T-series notebooks did. The T61 body is a rugged plastic that does not flex. Inside the stiff and thick plastic casing is a magnesium roll cage in both the lid and main chassis. The lid on the previous T60 was a magnesium material, while the lid on the T61 is a plastic composite with a magnesium "roll cage" plate inside. The reason for plastic now being used in the lid is to allow better penetration of radio waves, such as 802.11 and WWAN, thus providing greater wireless range and signal strength.

The keyboard remains the same between the T61 and T60 -- meaning it's once again excellent. The only difference is that now there's more room on the keyboard side areas since the notebook body is wider, the speakers have been relocated to this extra real estate. The keyboard is spill proof and has two drain holes to make sure if you do happen to spill your morning Starbucks coffee, the liquid is carried away from sensitive components and out through the bottom of the notebook

The thick metal hinges that attach the screen are very rigid and ensure the screen does not wobble. You'll need two hands to adjust and open the screen as the hinges are very tight. The double screen latch system locks securely to make sure the screen stays down when being carried around.

The hard drive is protected within the magnesium roll cage and shock mounted. Even if your T61 is dropped the included Active Protection System (APS) software will work with the on board accelerometer to detect a fall situation and end hard drive activity to prevent data loss.

Dimension wise the ThinkPad T61 14.1" certainly changes from its predecessors, it is wider but not as deep since it has shifted to widescreen. The dimensions of the T61 (assuming 4-cell battery that does not stick out) are as follows: (WxDxH): 13.2" x 9.3" x 1.09 - 1.26" (335mm x 237mm x 27.6 - 31.9mm)

The T61 is actually thicker than the T60 was, which is a little disappointing, here’s the dimensions for the 14.1” T60: (WxDxH): 12.2" x 10.0" x 1.0 - 1.2" (311mm x 255mm x 26.6-31mm)

So the T61 is about .1-inches thicker than the previous T43 and T60. A picture demonstrates this difference in thickness between the T43 and T61:

ThinkPad T43 on the left, ThinkPad T61 on the right -- the T61 is about .1-inch thicker (view large image)

While the shape has changed, aesthetically the T61 is pretty much the same as past ThinkPad T series notebooks -- just wider. It is an all black look with the iconic red trackpoint. Black is a fine look, it never goes out of style, just ask Steve Jobs.

One subtle change that may rattle some is the new ThinkPad logo you see pictured in this review. But don’t get too excited, those ordering over the web are still going to get the same old IBM logo on past ThinkPads, the logo change is an option for business channel buyers.

Input and Output Ports

The port layout of the T61 has also changed quite a bit, and mostly for the good since we now have a standard FireWire port and optional media-card reader port. I’m not so thrilled with the fact that all of the USB ports are vertically oriented; I find this more awkward than horizontal.

The media-card reader is an option, but it replaces the ExpressCard slot if you go for it. You can also get a Smart Card slot in place of the ExpressCard if your company needs that. Let’s take a tour around the T61 to see all of the ports that you get.

On the left side of the T61 from back to front is the main heat vent and fan, monitor out port, modem and Ethernet LAN port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard and PC card slot. The ExpressCard can be swapped for a media card reader or Smart Card reader if you so choose:

On the right side of the T61 from back to front is a USB 2.0 port, then the ultra-slim multi-bay drive. This drive is hot swappable and can be removed and replaced with an extra hard drive or battery:

On the back side of the T61 you can see the 6-cell battery protruding, and then the power jack and another heat vent. Notice how thick those hinges are:

On the front side of the T61from left to right is the IEEE 1394 port (FireWire), Wi-Fi on/off switch, headphone jack, microphone jack, and the screen opening latch:

Screen

The new widescreen format screen for the 14.1” T-series is either good, bad or somewhere in between depending on your personal preference. Lenovo will try and convince you widescreen offers more screen real estate and so it’s better, the reality is the guys making the LCD screens are forcing it down the throats of the PC manufacturers because it’s cheaper to make widescreen LCDs. For a more complete look at the benefit of standard versus widescreen read the review I did of the initial rollout of a ThinkPad T60-Wide here.

Rest assured, Lenovo will offer other formats of the T61 so you’re not in a widescreen or nothing situation. It will be interesting to see if the standard screen costs more; it will almost certainly be less available.

The particular screen I got is a WXGA+ resolution (1440 x 900). It provides easy viewing and you can fit a good amount on the screen, so no complaints on that front. The screen is crisp and there are no issues with graininess. The matte finish ensures there’s little to no glare in office lighting situations.

What the T61 screen lacks is brightness, which has always been the case with ThinkPad notebooks. I wish the screen would go about two notches brighter than it does, Fujitsu and HP definitely do a better job offering brighter screens on their business notebooks.

When toggling screen brightness I didn’t get a heads up screen display of current system screen brightness level. I found this annoying as this was always included on past ThinkPads, maybe it’s a Vista driver issue still to be ironed out.

Some will be disappointed to know that the popular FlexView option in the T60 series will no longer be offered for the T61. This is a shame. The vertical viewing angles on the T61 are, like most laptops, poor. A video of the T61 executing graphics benchmark program 3DMark05 in which I tilt the screen to different vertical angles gives you an idea of how coloration varies greatly depending on how you view the screen.

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Protecting the Security of your Laptop
When people entertain laptop computer security measures they entertain matters like Trojan Horses, computer computer viruses, spyware, worms and other awful matters that hackers can send to you across the World Wide Web.

Disregarding however firewalls blocks you've in place, or how many firewalls you put up, though, there is a case of security measures that you're probably leaving out while it comes to your laptop computer.

Tips to Extend Your Laptop Computer Battery Life
1. Defrag your computer on a regular basis
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