Treeduck

With the official launch of Windows 7 just two weeks away, Sony is the latest vendor to announce a new line of laptops using Microsoft's upcoming operating system. With screen sizes ranging from 11.1 to 15.5 inches, the three new portables from the Japanese maker has enough variable in performance and portability to suit a wide spectrum of users.

Sony Vaio X series
The Vaio X is Sony's third attempt at the Atom-based Netbook market. The Sony Vaio P was a premium 8-inch model with exceptional portability, while the Vaio W went for a more conventional 10.1-inch form factor at a more affordable price. The Vaio X follows the current Netbook trend and sports an 11.1-inch HD-ready display. It does, however, sport the latest Atom Z series processors and will run the Windows 7 operating system.

But what sets this minilaptop apart from other Netbooks is that, for an 11.1-inch portable, it weighs a mere 655g and measures only 13.9mm thick. This makes it the lightest and sleekest machine in its class. But unlike the Vaio P, this unit actually sports a pretty decent 3.5-hour battery life with the standard cell. For frequent travelers, an optional eight-cell battery will increase the uptime to an impressive 16 hours. Despite its slim profile, this is no fragile vase as it has been tested to withstand up to 150kgf of pressure and vibration. But don't expect this machine to be cheap. Though pricing has not been announced, the Vaio X series sports solid-state drives only and hence is expected to be priced at a premium.

The Vaio CW series comes in a range of five shades.
(Click for larger image)Sony Vaio CW series
This series is an upgrade of Sony's budget lineup. In this iteration, it foregoes the integrated Intel graphics solution and sports an Nvidia GeForce video card instead. Targeting the fashion crowd, this 14-inch model is available in white, black, red, blue and pink and comes with a multitouch trackpad.

Making their maiden appearances are the Quick Web Access and Display Off buttons. The latter allows the user to quickly turn off the panel to save power when the laptop is performing background tasks. The Quick Web Access bypasses the Windows operating system and starts up a Web browser for almost instant surfing.

Sony Vaio VGN-NW25GF
For those who want a larger screen, the Vaio NW machines comes with a 15.5-inch HD-ready display and ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics processor to fulfil its entertainment role. Designed to look comfortable in the living room, the Vaio NW has a two-tone color scheme and textured surface. Like the CW series, this model comes with a multitouch trackpad and new Display Off and Quick Web Access buttons.

These new Sony Vaio machines will be available in Asia from late October with pricing details to be released at around the same time.

A quick sneak peek at Dell's new Adamo design.

At a press conference to show off new licensed laptop lid designs from Major League Baseball and nail polish brand OPI, Dell teased the audience with a brief peek at the new design for its high-end Adamo laptop.
The system, purported to be only 9.99 millimeters thick, was previously hinted at with a single-shot teaser Web site launched by Dell in September. This time around, Dell VP Alex Gruzen pulled one of the new Adamo systems from a laptop sleeve and, keeping the lid closed, held it aloft for a few seconds before handing it off to be spirited away.
Also onhand were two new partnerships for customizable laptop lids on Dell systems. The Dell Design Studio will offer MLB designs for all 30 teams, with "Fan, Classic, and Die-Hard" versions available. Concurrently, OPI, a leading nail lacquer brand, will offer "26 exciting, high-style OPI fashion shades," as laptop lid design options. On top of that, Dell is adding another 80 designs from artists from around the world to the options available when customizing a laptop.
In keeping with Dell's current premiums for custom lids on most of its laptops, these new designs add $85 to the cost. Basic single-color lids are still an extra $40.
We managed to snap a few photos of the elusive new Adamo's brief appearance--check them out in the gallery below.

While the number of Apple-owning households continues to grow, the vast majority of those Macs are sharing space with at least one Windows-based PC, according to a new study.
The NPD Group said Monday that its online survey found that 12 percent of households with a computer have at least one Mac, up from 9 percent a year ago. Nearly 85 percent of those with a Mac, though, also have at least one Windows-based PC.

(Credit: Apple)
Overall, Mac owners tend to have more computers and more electronic devices than non-Mac owners. Two-thirds of those with an Apple machine have three or more computers, compared with 29 percent of Windows-only houses.
Houses with Macs also tend to be home to twice as many gadgets, including more iPods and GPS systems than are present in non-Mac abodes.
That makes me feel a bit better about my own domicile, which is home to several Macs and PCs, not to mention more gadgets than I care to admit. There's another reason, though, why Apple owners tend to have more digital gear than their non-Mac-possessing counterparts.
"While Apple owners tend to own more computers and more electronics devices, there is also a high correlation among Apple owners and more affluent consumer households," NPD analyst Stephen Baker said in a statement. "Thirty-six percent of Apple computer owners reported household incomes greater than $100,000, compared to 21 percent of all consumers. With a higher household income, though, it's not a surprise that those consumers are making more electronics purchases."
NPD compiled its results from 2,300 responses to its online survey.
Originally posted at Beyond Binary

Dell has come up with a novel way to allow customers to pre-order machines with Windows 7.

Under its Windows 7 Free and Easy program, launched on Monday, customers can order a Windows Vista machine now, but elect to have Dell upgrade the PC to Windows 7 before it ships the computer. As a result, customers can order now and get their machine right around the time Windows 7 ships.
It's kind of the reverse of programs that PC makers did after XP could no longer be sold on most new PCs. In that case, computer makers, including Dell, allowed users to order Vista machines that were pre-downgraded to Windows XP.
Dell's latest offer is more about convenience than price. For some time now, those who buy a Vista machine with Home Premium or above have been eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7. However, that requires a user to sign up and upgrade the machines themselves. The Dell program eliminates that step.
Of course, one could also just wait until October 22 and just get a Windows 7 machine without the semantics. But who likes to wait?

(Credit: CNET News)
Originally posted at Beyond Binary

The Samsung R610 is one of Samsung’s first offerings for the American market, and it makes an interesting statement. For a 16” laptop, it is relatively thin and light, measuring 1.25” at its thinnest point and weighing only 6lbs with a rather stylish design. At the same time, with a rather average Intel T5800 2.0GHz, 3GB RAM, a 250GB HDD and 512MB NVidia GeForce 9200M GS, it is lacking in features and performance that many other 16 inchers have. Read on to see if the R610 has what it takes to compete in the crowded 16-inch multimedia laptop market.

This 15.6" laptop offers exceptional battery life and a large display for an affordable price.

The UL50, which is now available for sale in the US, will feature an Intel SU7300 1.3GHz ULV CPU in tandem with GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics. Up to 4GB DDR2 RAM can come with it, along with up to 320GB of HDD space. The notebook will feature HDMI and weigh approximately 5lbs.

The resolution of this laptop will be 1366x768, and it will come with a DVD burner and run Windows Vista. However, the most notable spec about this laptop is the rated battery life of 11 hours and the starting price of merely $799.

As a master of the build-to-order PC, it's no surprise that Dell has managed to create a reasonably customizable version of the Netbook. While most vendors offer them as one-size-fits-all solutions (or with only very minor options, such as color and hard drive), the Inspiron Mini 10 has plenty of ways it can become the perfect Netbook for you.

Our $593 review unit has some features that are far from the Netbook standard, including a higher-resolution 1,366x768 screen, an HDMI output, a TV tuner, a funky lid design, and an edge-to-edge glass overlay on the display. Shell out even more, and you can get built-in mobile broadband or GPS.

Of course, at nearly $600, this is getting dangerously close to mainstream laptop territory, and we could think of several better ways to invest that kind of money in a laptop. And, if you're just a fan of the wide flat keys and reasonably slim design of the Mini 10, you can get virtually the same experience from the budget-friendly Mini 10v, which starts at just $299.

Price as reviewed / Starting price $593 / $349
Processor 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530
Memory 1GB, 533MHz DDR2
Hard drive 160GB 5,400rpm
Chipset Intel GMA 500
Graphics Intel GMA 500 (integrated)
Operating system Windows XP Home SP3
Dimensions (WD) 10.3 inches wide by 7.2 inches deep
Height 1.0 - 1.9 inches
Screen size (diagonal) 10.1 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 3.0 / 3.4 pounds
Category Netbook
Not as streamlined as Asus' latest Netbooks or the minimalist HP Mini 5101, the Dell Mini 10 instead takes its design cues from the bigger laptops in the Inspiron family, with similar rounded edges and shiny surfaces. It's a smart move for bringing in first-time Netbook buyers, as the familiar look and feel make taking the Netbook plunge less daunting.

There's thankfully little wasted space in the keyboard tray, with wide, flat keys going nearly edge-to-edge. Unlike Dell's earliest 9-inch Netbooks, there are no missing keys or major space compromises, and important keys, such as the Shift, Tab, and Ctrl keys, are relatively full-size. The narrow wrist rest keeps the system from extending out too far and becoming unwieldy, but that requires a long, letterbox-style touch pad, with the mouse buttons integrated directly into the lower left and right corners of the pad. It's far from our favorite Netbook touch pad, but better than the similar long touch pad with buttons on the far sides found on HP's Mini 110.

The 10.1-inch wide-screen display is the systems' most noteworthy feature, with a 1,366x768 native resolution. A standard 1,024x600 is also available on other configs of the Mini 10. We were worried that the higher resolution would make text too small to read, but we quickly got used to it. A handful of other Netbooks, including Sony's Vaio W, also offer these higher-res screens, and we would love to see it become the new Netbook standard. The edge-to-edge glass over the display looks nice, but also adds to the glare--something to be aware of if you're sensitive to that.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Average for category [Netbook]
Video VGA. HDMI VGA
Audio headphone/microphone jacks headphone/microphone jacks
Data 3 USB 2.0, SD card reader 2 USB 2.0, SD card reader
Expansion None None
Networking Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive None None
The HDMI port on the Mini 10 is a nice touch, and may be the first time we've seen that on a Netbook. An optional TV tuner is an interesting idea, but TV tuners in general have never connected with mainstream consumers, and have largely been eclipsed by Hulu, Netflix, Slingbox, and other online TV-viewing tools. Both AT&T and Verizon mobile broadband modems are available for $125.

Unlike most of the Netbooks we've reviewed, the Dell Mini 10 uses the Z530 version of Intel's Atom CPU, instead of the typical N270 version. While both have a 1.6GHz clock speed, the Z-series runs cooler and was intended for handheld mobile Internet devices (sometimes called MIDs). In our benchmark testing it ran slower than the Dell Mini 10v that has the N270 version of the Intel Atom, which was specifically designed for Netbooks.

The difference wasn't severe, however, and the Dell Mini 10 works well for basic Netbook tasks, including Web surfing, basic media viewing, and working on office docs, which is what Netbooks are primarily intended for.

Juice box
Dell Inspiron Mini 10
Off (watts) 0.88
Sleep (watts) 0.71
Idle (watts) 7.6
Load (watts) 15.71
Raw (annual kWh) 28.77
Annual operating cost (@$0.1135/kWh) $3.27
The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 ran for 5 hours and 40 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included six-cell battery. That's fantastic, even for a low-power Netbook. However, the battery is especially bulky, and sticks out from the bottom of the system, raising the rear end. A smaller three-cell battery option is also available.

Dell offers an industry-standard, one-year, parts-and-labor warranty with the system, which includes on-site service (after what the company calls "remote diagnosis"). Bumping that up to two years is a reasonable $40 upgrade. Online support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and driver downloads.

System configurations:

Dell Inspiron Mini 10v
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 120GB Western Digital 5400rpm

Dell Inspiron Mini 10
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 256MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 160GB Western Digital 5400rpm

Lenovo Ideapad S10-2
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 160GB Western Digital 5400rpm

Asus Eee PC 1005HA
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 224MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 160GB Hitachi 5400rpm

Acer Aspire One AOD250
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 224MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 160GB Seagate 5400rpm

HP Mini 5101
Windows XP Home Edition SP3; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 224MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 950; 160GB Seagate 7200rpm