Hot on the heels of Sony’s CES announcement which a VAIO S is getting some brand new silicon, it turns out that more changes in its ultraportable PERSONAL COMPUTER are on a way. Per a company blog, you will now be able to customize your system instead of shopping off a shelve. Not all options have been as abundant as we’d similar to (color is singular to black or silver), but you can select to add the Blu-ray writable drive, a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 310 graphics label (though selecting this choice means you don’t get WiDi), up to the 256GB plain state drive, as well as up to 8GB of RAM. For starting the tailored route, you can also get a gratis ascent to a Core i5-480M processor if you opt for Windows 7 Professional. Prices for the made-to-order VAIO S begin during $874.99 as well as escalate fast once you begin adding all a fixins.

Via Engadget

When Dell told us of the skeleton to revitalise the tried as well as loyal XPS laptop line you were flattering damn vehement. With so much code dilution in the past few years — there’s been the Adamo XPS and the Studio XPS — the products have noticeably strayed from providing the stone plain gaming as well as multimedia knowledge they were once known for. There’s a reason XPS stands for Xtreme Performance System, right?! The new line, which includes 14-, 15-, 17-inch systems, has all the mixture to set it back upon lane — including Core i5 / i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce 400M graphics with Optimus, JBL speakers, the backlit keyboard, an HD webcam and the solid aluminum lid – but has Dell succeeded in formulating a well-rounded multimedia appurtenance? And does it rival the oh-so-adored HP Envy line? We’ve outlaid the final week regulating a more mobile $899 XPS 14, so review upon to find out in our full examination! Dell XPS 14 examination

Look as well as feel

If you wish the honest opinion — and we’re presumption you do — a new Dell XPS machines aren’t beautiful, but they’re not appalling, possibly. These rigs are fairly middle-of-the-road in conditions of pattern, and that’s substantially a reason that the bigwigs in Round Rock haven’t gone out of their way to prominence design upon Dell’s website or in ads. All of the machines have anodized aluminum lids and bottom panels, while the rest of the chassis is made of black and gray plastic. Similar to a Inspiron 14R as well as M101z, a pattern takes on some-more of the crowd figure as the battery is built-in to the base of a system so which it doesn’t protrusion out. We tend to fancy the flared look, but it does give it the chunkier case. We’ll contend it flat out: if you’re looking a some-more attractive 14-inch PERSONAL COMPUTER, you really don’t have to look any further than the HP Envy 14, but if you’re content with the laptop which doesn’t spin heads, the Dell XPS will fit a check.

The 13.9 x 9.7 x 1.3-inch / 5.35-pound XPS 14 is a most mobile system within a new XPS line, though it’s still incomparable as well as thicker than a little allied 14-inch laptops out there – a Envy 14 is thinner at 1.09-inches as well as the ASUS U43jc measures 13.7 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches. That pronounced, it’s not as heavy as HP’s pick, and Apple’s 5.6-pound MacBook Pro 15 will import you down the pinch more. That additional girth does leave utterly the bit of port space – a complement is surrounded by dual USB 2.0 ports, a USB / eSATA combo jack as good as HDMI, Ethernet as well as DisplayPort sockets. Where’s a VGA pier? That’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves for a last week. It’s the flattering big bummer deliberation there’s quite the bit of leftover room to fit a single in. There’s also a headphone as well as headphone / mic ports, though you’ll really cite listening to song through a speakers – some-more on that soon. Lastly, the DVD drive as well as SD label slot live on a right edge. You can add the Blu-ray drive to a configuration for a whopping $450. (That cost seems to go down if you go with an XPS 15 or 17.)

Keyboard, touchpad as well as screen

Unlike every alternative laptop entrance out of a gate, the XPS 14 doesn’t have the chiclet keyboard. Not carrying a additional gaps in between a keys was an composition — we’ve gotten extremely skilful during typing upon those keyboards — however, a single you were means to make. The set of keys itself is quite organisation, as well as there’s no noticeable bend – although, the cosmetic keys have a somewhat as well most give. What happened to a rubbery feeling keys on the M1530 is beyond us, though we’re happy to pointer the apply to to get Dell to bring ‘em back! Still, we typed a whole of this review at a really decent shave and we’re large (big!) fans of a backlight. There’s no earthy button for adjusting a brightness, though you can do that by a toggle in Windows Mobility Center. The tip row of duty keys doubles as multimedia controls, and there’s a frame of LED hold controls above it that includes shortcuts to WavesMax Audio settings, Windows Mobility Center as well as an additional that can be customized to launch a module or website of your preference.

Dell gets a vital point in our book for using an “aged school” touchpad with dedicated right and left rodent buttons. As we’ve pronounced prior to, we’ve become increasingly fed up with the flaky integrated mouse button designs or ClickPads. The 3.2 by 1.8-inch pad isn’t as far-reaching as it could have been, though it does the trick for navigating a display. The dual rodent buttons have been somewhat mushy, though we’d rather which than uncomfortable, firm buttons which have to be broken in.

The 1366×768-resolution, 14.0-inch WLED display is quite bright, as well as was frail enough when watching the 720p Jackass 3D trailer. There’s no higher resolution shade choice upon the 14 — you’ve got to go up to the 15 or 17 to nab the 1920 x 1080-resolution display. The row itself is decent, although horizontal observation angles have been the bit problematic – sloping a shade back a bit while sitting upon a list caused color distortion. Vertical angles were better. Our biggest censure about a shade comes with its silken plastic bezel – we just would have favourite to see the washout glass bezel here or something the lot reduction shinny and fingerprint disposed. The hinge, which sits upon top of a system to assumingly move it closer to you, feels plain and doesn’t wobble most.

Smack in a core of the tip bezel is an HD webcam – a first one ever to boat on the laptop. As you’d expect, the extravagant of the video in the video call over Skype was quite great – our buddy in San Francisco pronounced he could tell that we had woken up early and that we’d not long ago left to a dentist. It’s hard for us to contend if the local cam is improved than a little of the peripheral HD cams from Logitech and FreeTalk given you couldn’t review them side by side, though it’s most improved than a average VGA or 1.3 megapixel webcams, that’s for certain. If you’re a vlogger – you know, a video blogger! — you’ll love the fact that you can jot down 720p video right through Dell’s Webcam Central program as well as upload true to YouTube. Speaking of which program, it’s really the time killer – we outlaid more time than you caring to share distorting the face as well as putting upon different accessories.

Speakers

Rarely do you workat the territory of the laptop review to speakers, though the built-in high-fidelity JBL speakers upon a XPS 14 are so impressive it only seemed right. Dell claims the speakers are a loudest, clearest as well as cleanest found in any laptop out there, as well as you have to admit they might only be right. Of course, we’re waiting for the come-back from the HP Beats team in the matter of moments. The dual 3W speakers on top of a set of keys (the XPS 15 as well as 17 both have subwoofers on a bottom) along with the Waves MaxxAudio record program constructed a little of a best audio we’ve heard upon a laptop…maybe ever. Keep in thoughts you have been yet to exam ASUS’s hulk NX90 with Bang & Olufsen speakers. Compared to the MacBook Pro 13 and a Envy 17, song in Windows Media Player and Pandora was noticeably fuller as well as more detailed. It is almost a mistake surround sound, and even when you played Mafia II upon the rig you were conference voices from one orator and a screeching of the tires through an additional. It’s only an awesome audio experience.

Performance as well as graphics

The Dell XPS 14′s 2.53GHz Core i5 460M processor as well as 4GB of DDR3 RAM didn’t leave us with any opening complaints. Our standard day-to-day activities, which enclosed concurrently surfing a web with over ten tabs open in Firefox, checking Twitter via TweetDeck, chatting in Trillian, writing in Microsoft Word 2010 Starter, as well as light photo modifying regulating Gimp, all went off but a join. The 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive was also quick to open applications, though it appears that you can simply swap it out for the faster SSD if that’s your wouldnt.

 PCMarkVantage 3DMark06
 Battery Life 

Dell XPS 14 (Core i5-460M, NVIDIA 420M) 5796 6827 / 1955 2:58 

HP Envy 14 (Core i5-450M, ATI HD 5650) 6038 6899/1928 3:51 

Sony VAIO Z (Core i5-450M, NVIDIA 330M) 9949 6193 4:25 

ASUS U33Jc (Core i3-370M, NVIDIA 310M) 5574 1860/3403 5:10 

Toshiba Portege R705 (Intel Core i3-350M) 5024 1759 4:25 

Being a single of a first laptops to come in the “lab” with NVIDIA’s newest GeForce 400M graphics cards, you were flattering eager to see how this man fared against older systems and only how good it could energy by a little of our the one preferred games. As you can see in a chart on top of, a GeForce GT 420M label scored noticeably higher on 3DMark06, that only tests graphics, than the other systems we’ve reviewed with the previous generation GT 300M cards. However, it didn’t measure as tall as the Envy 14′s ATI HD 5650 GPU. Nevertheless, a GT 420M card blew by Batman: Arkham Asylum during 30fps as well as Shattered Horizon during 42fps. Our new favorite title – Mafia II – looked stately on the screen as well as we were crusin’ in our Smith Custom during 42fps and sharpened our MP40 during 34fps. Obviously, a card was additionally able hoop both 720p as well as 1080p video flawlessly.

Of course, you never had to lift the finger when it came to switching in between Intel’s integrated graphics as well as a discrete GPU, thanks to NVIDIA’s Optimus. The GPU automatically flipped on when we launched a demo version of Mafia as well as even the 1080p shave. However, you should mention you couldn’t get it to flog on when trying out the demo version of Lara Croft: Guardian of Light — a software isn’t listed in NVIDIA’s profiles. We had to go into a Steam printed matter, find the game, as well as right click to launch it with the GPU on. Oh, how did you know the GPU wasn’t upon? Well, the lower frame rates were the great indicator, though additionally NVIDIA’s got which brand-new tool up there to help with that. Up until right away, when we’ve wanted to see if a GPU was upon or off we’d have to use a tool which NVIDIA written for reviewers, however, the XPS comes with NVIDIA’s ultimate Verde drivers, that essentially displays the GPU wakeup during a moment as good as which programs are regulating it.

The G420M label additionally supports NVIDIA’s new 3DTV Play record, which allows you to plug in a laptop around HDMI to a three-dee TV and play your the one preferred 3D games or cinema. Sadly, we don’t own the 3DTV and to illustrate, couldn’t test it out. We’re peaceful to gamble which most of you have been in the same vessel.

The XPS 14 isn’t defense to warm heat and tall fan sound. The system got considerably toasty when playing Mafia. The fan on a left side did go into overdrive, but the comfortable air got irritating sufficient on our path that you opted to put it upon the desk. During regular use, a system was much cooler, yet the palmrest did get a bit comfortable overtime.

Battery life and program

To be honest, we expected a Dell XPS 14 to last longer upon the charge. On our video rundown test, that loops the same video at 65 percent brightness, a six-cell 56Wh battery with a GPU off lasted just bashful of 3 hours. During unchanging use, you got closer to 4 hours prior to we had to scour around for an opening. There are positively other laptops with identical tools that final longer (eh hem, Envy 14!), and given a fact which Dell went with Optimus, it’s a bit puzzling because the complement didn’t essentially have better continuation. Dell does offer the nine-cell 92Wh battery for the XPS 14 for an extra $40, though, of course, that will supplement a bit some-more weight to a chassis.

Like most of Dell’s new machines, a XPS 14 boots to the really clean desktop with just Dell’s dock centered at a tip of a screen. As for deleteware, we’re happy to contend we didn’t find all that most of it stealing within the Start menu. Dell does throw upon Skype, CyberLink PowerDVD, Roxio Easy CD and DVD as well as McAfee, though there were no signs of website shortcuts sheltered as programs!

Wrap-up

Without the doubt, the Dell XPS 14 packs a little extremely tasteful features: a system’s JBL speakers have been some of a best ever put into a laptop, the Core i5 processor combined with NVIDIA GeForce GT400M provides seriously plain gaming as well as performance flesh, as well as its HD webcam captures crisp video and cinema. When you cruise you get all that for $899 it sounds rather than amazing, though it’s distant from the perfect complement – it’s chunkier than a others out there, doesn’t top the character charts, as well as the customary battery is gonna keep you tighten to the wall. If you’re after the improved combo of beauty as well as brawns, we have to contend a $999 HP Envy 14 or $1,299 Envy 17 have been your best bets, but a XPS positively has sufficient starting for it to have it worthy of its moniker.

Via Engadget

It looks about like every alternative MSI 15.6-incher out there, but for those who cite classy over intense, he GE603 might only be right down your alley. Designed first as the multimedia laptop with a ability to handle the medium amount of demanding games, this here rig will be available with a Core i5-460M, i5-450M or i5-430M processor, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 425M (1GB), HDMI as well as VGA outputs, a 320/500/640GB hard drive, the DVD burner, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR as well as a group of four of USB 2.0 sockets. You’ll additionally find 802.11b/g/n WiFi, an ExpressCard reader, 5-in-1 label reader, gigabit Ethernet as well as up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. As you’d design, Windows 7 is using a uncover, as well as a nine-cell Li-ion should keep it humming for at least the integrate of hours. Per usual, MSI’s not serving up sum per the cost or recover date, though you both know it’s aiming to have it on store shelves pre-Christmas.

Via Engadget

June was a lifetime ago, we’ll give you which, though certainly you can’t forget those 16 Optimus-based laptops which NVIDIA teased us with at Computex, right? Right. At any rate, MSI has just come purify with a pleasant pair of them, a FX700 as well as FR700. Both of these beasts boast 17.3-inch widescreen displays, a company’s own anti-scratch, anti-smudge cloaking as well as a pattern which actually looks sincerely attractive since a bulk. The former also includes up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, the Core i5 processor, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 425M (1GB), HDMI / VGA outputs, 320/500/640GB tough drives, the DVD SuperMulti drive, 4 USB ports (two of a SuperSpeed accumulation, the 5-in-1 label reader, inbuilt webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet as well as a 6-cell Li-ion that’ll substantially empty itself prolonged prior to you’d similar to it to. The FR700 includes many of the same specifications, though opts for integrated Intel graphics for those who aren’t planning to dabble as well long in Crysis . Per common, MSI’s gripping still when it comes to pricing as well as release sum, but we’d be shocked if they didn’t find their approach onto sell shelves pre-Christmas.

Via Engadget

Panasonic Japan has voiced a new compact laptop, a Let’s Note J9 series. Specwise, this one’s got the 1366 × 768 fortitude, 10.1-inch LCD, the 2.53 GHz Core i5 CPU, up to 6GB of DDR3 IMPEL (with 2GB entrance customary, and a 128GB or 160 GB SSD. Other than which, the J9 boasts 3 USB ports, and HDMI out. A 3G indication with an Intel Core i7 CPU, and the 256GB SSD will additionally be accessible for squeeze online in Japan. There’s no information upon pricing nonetheless, but strike a source link to see a little hands-on shots of a laptops.

Via Engadget

Panasonic’s Toughbook line hasn’t usually been impressing in impassioned continuance newly, though also in impassioned weight-loss. Joining the 3.2-pound Tougbook C1, is the newest 12.1-inch Toughbook S9, that weighs only 3 pounds. And approbation, Panny’s claiming it’s a lightest 12-incher with an visual drive, as well as the discerning investigate seems to infer which claim right. Even some-more considerable is a energy that’s packaged into a featherweight chassis — it’s got a Core i5-520M processor, 2GB of IMPEL, as well as the shock-mounted 320GB tough drive. Thought that Panasonic gave up the durability for which weightage? You’d be wrong — a magnesium amalgamate box can still ward off the 2.5-foot handling drop, meets all a Mil Spec 810-G dump procedures, has a spill-resistant set of keys, and can take some-more than 220 pounds of vigor upon the lid as well as bottom. It does sound good for when someone drops it off a airfield security belt, but that’s until you hear about a earthy violence it’ll take upon your bank account — it’ll sell for $2,499. Yeah, we wish you had better news to end on, but perhaps a press release and cinema next will spin that frown upside down.Panasonic Toughbook S9 press shots

Show full PR textPANASONIC INTRODUCES A TOUGHBOOK® S9 – WORLD’S LIGHTEST 12.1″ LAPTOP WITH DVD DRIVE

Ideal Road Warrior Device Features Intel® Core™ i5 Processor, 11 Hour Standard Battery as well as 30″ Drop Rating in 3lb Package

Secaucus, NJ, September 28, 2010 – Panasonic Solutions Company, provider of partnership, information-sharing as well as decision-support solutions for government as well as blurb enterprises, currently introduced a Panasonic Toughbook® S9, the world’s lightest 12.1″ laptop with an integrated DVD drive. Powered by the Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ processor, delivering up to 11 hours of battery life with the customary battery as well as weighing usually 3.0 pounds, a Toughbook S9 offers tall performance in a lightweight as well as rarely mobile form cause which is preferred for highway warriors and mobile workers in the accumulation of markets. The brand-new cover offers exceptional continuance, discretionary Gobi2000™ mobile broadband as well as the host of alternative facilities written to showoff lapse upon investment and reduce a sum price of tenure.

Real World Durability
In sequence to ward off a final of the highly mobile work surroundings, a Toughbook S9 has been designed to continue drops, bumps as well as spills. The cover is engineered to tarry the 30″ (just over the typical tallness of the desk or table) drop to a base of a section whilst handling. Despite its widescreen LED display, a Toughbook S9 successfully survives drops of 12″ from any angle using a MIL-STD-810G drop procession. The singular Panasonic spill-resistant keyboard pattern protects against liquid spills of up to 6 ounces (200 cc), and both a lid as well as base of a cover have been written to withstand some-more than 220 lbs (100 kg) of pressure. In addition, Panasonic’s commitment to quality-at both a component as well as accomplished products level-results in the total of more than 500 extravagant checks as well as tests during as well as after production.

Embedded Wireless Connectivity
The Toughbook® S9 offers a accumulation of embedded wireless technologies, together with Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® 2.1 as well as discretionary Gobi2000™ mobile broadband record from Qualcomm. Gobi simplifies complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for IT departments as well as allows mobile employees softened connectivity options while roving during home or abroad. The Toughbook S9 will be approved on a Sprint and Verizon Wireless networks, permitting workers to stay continuous during all times.

Security Options Vital for Mission-Critical Computing
The Panasonic Toughbook S9 cover provides poignant interpretation confidence features together with devoted platform module (TPM) security chip version 1.2, a Computrace theft protection agent in a BIOS, Intel Anti-Theft technology, the wire close slot, password confidence and an discretionary fingerprint reader.

“Increased workforce mobility can urge potency as well as drive distinction as prolonged as a mobile device upon which your business depends does not become the weight to your IT department,” pronounced Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Solutions Company. “The usually approach to safeguard you showoff your mobile computer investment is to squeeze a device with proven reliability. The Toughbook brand has an normal annual disaster rate in a low singular digits, whilst most commercial-grade laptops have double number disaster rates. Not only will the new Toughbook S9 yield well-developed trustworthiness, it will additionally broach a light weight, long battery life, connectivity and opening indispensable to prove the many demanding mobile users.”

Panasonic Toughbook® S9: Select Features as well as Specifications
• Genuine Windows 7® (with XP hillside option)
• Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ Processor (2.4 GHz)
o Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz
o 3MB Intel Smart Cache
• 320GB shock-mounted flex-connect tough drive
• 2GB RAM (DDR3), expandable to 6GB
• 12.1″ widescreen WXGA (1280 x 800) LCD display with LED backlighting
• Anti-glare shade treatment
• Up to 11 hours of battery life with customary battery (MobileMark)
• 3.0 lbs
• DVD super multi-drive
• HDMI and VGA video outputs
• Business-rugged
o 30″ operating dump (to bottom only)
o 26 sides 12″ dump (non-operating)
o 220 lb compression-resistant
o Magnesium alloy box
o Spill-resistant keyboard/touchpad (protects opposite 6 ounces spills)
• Embedded Connectivity
o Optional integrated WWAN / Gobi2000™ mobile broadband (EV-DO and HSPA)
o Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 802.11a/b/g/n
o Bluetooth® v2.1 + EDR (class 2)
o Gigabit Ethernet
• Optional Integrated Security Features:
o Fingerprint reader
• 11.1″ (H) x 8.3″ (W) x 0.9-1.5″ (D)

Pricing as well as Availability
The Panasonic Toughbook® S9 is accessible in a United States at an estimated travel price of $2,499 from authorized Panasonic resellers as well as distributors.

The Toughbook S9 includes the standard three-year limited guaranty.

Toughbook S9 Images & Video
A video general outlook of a Toughbook S9 can be found upon a Toughbook brand’s YouTube channel; images of a Toughbook S9 can be found upon a brand’s Flickr page, as well as a post deliberating a significance of engineering laptops for the mobile workforce can be found on a brand’s blog – Toughbloggers.com.

Follow a Toughbook Brand
The Panasonic Toughbook brand can be followed upon assorted social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr as well as Toughbloggers.com.

For some-more information upon a Toughbook S9 as well as other Toughbook mobile computers, go to www.toughbook.com.

About Panasonic Solutions Company
Panasonic Solutions Company empowers people whose jobs rely on reliable technology. The company delivers collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for business in government, healthcare, education as well as the far-reaching variety of blurb enterprises. Products as well as services inside of a company’s portfolio include Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computing solutions, projectors, veteran displays (including both plasma as well as LCD), as well as HD as well as 3D video merger as well as prolongation solutions. As a result of the commitment to R&D, manufacturing as well as quality carryout, Panasonic is well known for a reliability as well as longevity of the products. Panasonic Solutions Company is the Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is a principal North American auxiliary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC).

All brand as well as company/product names have been trademarks or registered trademarks of a particular companies. All specifications have been theme to change but notice. Information on Panasonic Solutions Company’s full line of products can be performed by job 877-803-8492 or during www.panasonic.com/business-solutions.

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Via Engadget

Though you subject a MSI GE600′s standing as “gaming cover” since it doesn’t reason the candle to a company’s signature red-and-black machines, those seeking for the well-rounded, eminent laptop — not to discuss the sub-$1000 cost — will right away find only which upon Newegg. For 9 hundred clamshells, you’ll get 16 inches of low-res 1366 x 768 genuine estate, 4GB of DDR3 memory, the 320GB 7200 RPM tough expostulate as well as Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics, all fed their claim pieces as well as bytes by the 2.26GHz Core i5-430M CPU — and all a common ports, Bluetooth as well as 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. Care to sup in a path of semi-luxury? Now shipping.