By Lincoln Spector
March 10, 2010

By Rick Broida
February 25, 2010

By Rosemary Hattersley
February 9, 2009

LONDON - X2 Technology has capitalised on Apple’s decision not to call its tablet the iTablet. Its X2 iTablet will run Windows or Linux and support Flash.

Apple may have eschewed the obvious moniker for its new tablet PC and chosen instead to call it the iPad, but laptop maker X2 has been keen to seize the opportunity and brand its new touchscreen devices the iTablet range.

The Windows 7- and Linux-based portable devices will be offered in 10.2in and 12.1in widescreen versions with up to 250GB hard disks and 1.6GHz Intel processors. They will have multi-touch screens, 3 USB ports and a 1.3Mp webcam. HDMI output is offered as an option, while 802.11 b and g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and stereo speakers are part of the standard specification list. A 3G module will be a further option.

Interestingly, X2 says the iTablet will natively support Adobe Flash - something the Apple iPad does not. The 102.in X2 iTablet weighs a fairly portable 1.1kg and is 35mm thick.
The 252×192x35mm tablet computer will be offered in a choice of black, white, blue, pink, yellow, red or grey. Accessories will included battery packs, mains adaptors and a stand, while X2 will also produce a screen suitable for use in bright daylight and other challenging light conditions.

“iTablet will empower users with unlimited technology and advanced multimedia access across multiple platforms without being restricted to exclusive content providers,” added Jonathan Wharrad, R&D Director of X2 Computing. “This new breed of Windows-based computer takes design, functionality and solution fit to new and higher levels.”

X2 is an industrial product design company whose technical director, Robin Daunter, was formerly the head of R&D at Evesham Technology.

August 12, 2009

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e
Starts at P28,990
www.lenovo.com

Lenovo announced the ThinkPad X100e, the company’s first professional-grade ultraportable laptop starting at PhP28,990. The introduction pioneers a new category of PCs for today’s business users that blends professional performance, usability and design with new color options at an extremely affordable price. The X100e also represents the first time Lenovo and AMD have collaborated to offer AMD processors on ThinkPad laptops and to leverage AMD’s VisionPro branding.

“By listening to our customers and observing market trends, we identified an opportunity to create a new type of ultraportable laptop for business users,” said Vicky Agorrilla, country general manager, Lenovo Philippines. “Customers asked us for low cost and extreme portability without sacrificing usability or the manageability needed to run a business. By expanding the ultraportable ThinkPad X Series to reach prices of about PhP28,990, the X100e delivers on all counts.”

The ThinkPad X100e excels in the areas important to business users with professional-grade features, exceptional usability and outstanding mobility.

Professional-Grade Features
Equipped with choices of AMD Athlon Neo single and dual core processors and Turion dual core processors1, the X100e provides strong performance needed for multitasking and running typical office applications. It also has the performance needed to support corporate operating systems like Microsoft Windows 7 Professional. The X100e comes with Lenovo’s ThinkVantage Technologies, hardware-software tools that help customers deploy, manage and maintain their PCs. The laptop features global availability and technical support along with a variety of warranty options.

Exceptional Usability and Design
Lenovo designed the small and compact X100e to be incredibly comfortable to use. An 11.6 inch high definition display provides ample screen real estate, and an ISO full-size keyboard with a multitouch touchpad and Trackpoint make navigation easy. The new contemporary keyboard design features

enlarged keys, removal of rarely used keys like System Request and the embedded number pad. The X100e also brings color to ThinkPad with a new choice of heatwave red in addition to midnight black models.

Outstanding Mobility
The X100e maximizes mobility with models starting under three pounds. For wireless connectivity on the go, the laptop comes with 802.11n WiFi and optional Bluetooth and 3G.

Based on VISION Pro Technology from AMD, the X100e delivers outstanding value and performance on visual productivity applications vital to today’s business.

“The X100e delivers the full promise of VISION Pro Technology from AMD,” said Leslie Sobon, vice president, Product Marketing, AMD. “It delivers the visual experience necessary to leverage most of today’s collaboration tools, strong battery life and unbeatable value, all in a sleek, durable ultrathin laptop. With out-of-the-box support for dual monitors to enable greater productivity, the ThinkPad X100e defines what a commercial ultrathin laptop should be and sets the bar for future products based on VISION Pro Technology from AMD.”

Business-Class Service and Support
Lenovo offers a full portfolio of service and support offerings to protect the ThinkPad X100e and the data on it and also to give IT departments the technical support they need. To keep business productivity high and to protect from unexpected repair costs, ThinkPad Protection cover repairs resulting from accidents, drops and spills. ThinkPlus Priority Support provides 24×7 business-class technical support for IT professionals responsible for maintaining these PCs. Lenovo Hard Disk Drive Retention lets customers keep their hard drive in case of damage or failure, ensuring that their data remains safely in their hands.

By Paul Trotter
January 11, 2009

By PC Advisor Staff
January 10, 2009

By Darren Gladstone
November 12, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - Last week, while I was jet-setting off to Dell HQ to get a gander at the Adamo XPS (you did read our exclusive look at prototype laptops that’ll never make it to market, right?) I found myself with a lot of free time at the airport. I could have been productive and done some writing–but that was prime time to marry my love of laptops with my love of goofing off. This week, I’m telling you how to make the most of a low-powered PC, be it a netbook or humbly equipped business machine.

Pre-Flight Check

Before I do that, though, one bit of advice: Be prepared. Make sure that you have the right gear stowed in your laptop bag–and that you have the best bag for the job. I brought along HP’s Pavilion DM3, which runs Windows 7 Home Premium and has a spacious 500GB hard drive–but guts-wise, it’s a little on the gimpy side. Point is, I loaded this modest machine up with music, videos, and games and entertained myself for hours in various airports.
Another piece of the pre-flight puzzle: Wireless. Every current laptop has built-in Wi-Fi, but how do you plan to get online? Aside from looking up The Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory, you could always sign up for a wireless data service. Personally, I’ve been eyeballing the Novatel MiFi. Through Sprint, it costs $60 a month (for up to 5GB of bandwidth), but it’s effectively a portable wireless router.

Small-Screen Video

The jump to Windows 7 has done the Windows Media Center justice. Internet TV streaming is now fully realized. Plenty of current and classic TV shows (I say more MacGuyver!) are easily accessible. And that’s saying nothing of all the online video options cropping up (PC World Senior Editor Melissa J. Perenson put together a great feature covering TV on the Web last year) and Netflix is directly streaming into Media Center.
But you aren’t always going to be online. When you touch down and drop your bags, set aside a few minutes to set up your PC while you clean off the travel funk.

First, plug in a USB tuner. My go-to choice for the time being is the AverMedia AverTVHD Volar MAX. I wanted something that doesn’t require me to install proprietary software or a driver disk or any extraneous BS–Windows has enough of that already! Plug it in and Windows 7 Media Center recognizes it as ClearQAM tuner (with Dolby Digital decoding, no less). So long as you get signal at your hotel, you’re seeing quality HD (up to 1080i).
Next, configure the local TV guide in Media Center and have it set to record over-the-air HD shows. That way, while you’re gallivanting around town in the name of work, the computer is pulling down your favorite shows to watch after-hours or on your next flight.

Sound Advice: Buy Good Headphones

Most MP3 players come with a pair of earbuds: Throw them out. I’m serious. Earbuds are potentially bad for your hearing. Jam these things into your ears and crank up the volume, and you’re begging for a busted eardrum.

What you really want is noise-canceling headphones. As for what you want to go with, that’s a personal choice, of course. I suggest that you go to a controlled environment, like an audio specialty store, to try out various headphones. Bring your own music and see if your favorites sound right to you. And make sure the headphones will feel comfortable for long periods of time.

I fancy myself a bit of an audiophile, but I also like the idea of headphones that also work as a headset for my cell phone. I’m currently toying with a pair of Beats by Dre headphones. They look cool and sound good, sure, but they also come with a cable that works with phones such as the iPhone and Palm Pre.

Shall We Play a Game?

Laptops, of course, vary in power and size–with wimpy netbooks and business boxes at the bottom of the gaming food chain. But if you’re stuck with one of these machines, all hope is not lost. Take, for example, Good Old Games. This site offers DRM-free old-school PC games optimized for XP, Vista, and Windows 7. If you still own some classic titles, emulators can also do the trick; my favorite is ScummVM. And there are tons of great freeware games that should work on your micro machine.
The best piece of advice I can give otherwise is to set up a Steam account. Steam offers a wide variety of modern games, from multigigabyte first-person shooters to tiny casual games. Everything you get is linked to a single account; there are no discs to worry about losing. When you need to hit the road, click the File, Go Offline option before you disconnect so your downloaded games work on the go.
The most recent game I can recommend: Torchlight. If you’re a fan of the classic PC game, Diablo, this is a $20 must-buy. (It’s created by a couple of the guys behind Diablo and Diablo II). More interesting is that the game offers a Netbook Mode setting. It’s a little misleading because the game doesn’t become instantly playable on every netbook. However, it does speed things up enough so that the HP Pavilion DM3 I used,, which lacks a discrete GPU, played the game smoothly.

August 12, 2009

Lenovo has unveiled a lineup of new IdeaPad laptops and IdeaCentre desktops designed to meet the performance, style and usability standards of today’s multi-tasking consumers.

The new Idea PCs combine stylish designs and innovative features enabled by the ultra low power Intel Core processor family of products and improved performance with an Intel Core i7 processor. These new products ship with Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and also include the unique Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 - the result of joint engineering by Lenovo in collaboration with Microsoft to provide users with faster system boot and shutdown, richer multimedia features and easy system maintenance tools.

“Our Idea products are designed with the user experience in mind - every aspect of product design and technology is engineered to improve how consumers seamlessly use these products to enrich their daily lives,” said Liu Jun, senior VP, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. “Today’s additions to the Idea product portfolio are among Lenovo’s most feature-rich and powerful PCs to-date, providing our customers more choices to find the PC that best meets their unique digital lifestyle.”

“Lenovo and Intel share a vision to create products that are faster, lighter, thinner and with longer battery life and delivering them to consumers in the quickest and most cost effective way,” Gregory Bryant, VP Sales and Marketing Group,Intel Corporation. “Whether you are looking for ultrathin, stylish laptops with exceptional performance or beautiful and powerful desktops, Lenovo and Intel are working together to deliver Idea products with the right Intel processor technology inside to meet your needs.”

“As a result of our joint engineering investments, Lenovo is demonstrating their commitment to Windows 7 by making significant improvements in important areas like start-up, shutdown and resume times. We congratulate Lenovo on its work, as we think it will help business customers and consumers benefit from a better computing experience on Lenovo’s leading products,” said John Kalkman, VP of OEM Engineering and Services at Microsoft Corp. “With Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience, customers can be confident that their new PC delivers more of the exciting benefits that Windows 7 has to offer.”

Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad laptops and IdeaCentre desktops meet consumer demands for mobility, added power to effectively multitask, flexibility to support professional and personal computing needs, data security, stylish designs and the latest multimedia features.

IdeaPad Y550P - Cutting-edge power for multimedia on the go

The Y550P is ideal for today’s multi-tasker and the most powerful laptop in Lenovo’s consumer portfolio. The Y550P is Lenovo’s first notebook to use the new Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology1 that automatically speeds up the processor when the PC needs extra performance. This high-performance laptop also features powerful NVIDIA discrete graphics, a 15.6inch HD widescreen display, Dolby Home Theater surround sound, and unique Lenovo tools like SlideNav - a touch-sensitive bar above the keyboard that makes it faster and easier to navigate programs, documents and shortcuts, or even quickly change the desktop wallpaper on users’ systems.

IdeaPad U150 - Slim and chic portability

The U150 is just 13.5mm thick and weighs only 1.35kg, yet under the textured red or black cover lies a range of features designed to strike the right balance between mobility and functionality. The ultraportable U150 with an energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processor offers up to 8GB DDR3 memory, 11.60-inch HD widescreen display and long battery life. The Active Protection System on the U150 helps protect the hard drive if the laptop is dropped or gets bumped. A new version of OneKey Rescue System, Version 7.0, performs data backups up to twice as fast and includes more powerful antivirus scanning that can be run even before loading the operating system.

IdeaPad U550 - Ultraportable with added flexibility for the office and home

At just 24mm thick and with a 15.6in wide HD wide screen display, the new IdeaPad U550 laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo processor includes a range of features that make it easy for users to transition between work and home use. For example, switchable graphics let users turn their discrete graphics card on and off at the press of a button to better manage PC battery life. Dolby Sound Room surround-sound via the laptop’s large, integrated speakers brings presentations to life and makes games and movies more enjoyable. The Ambient Light Sensor automatically adjusts screen brightness based on light conditions, reducing strain on the eyes. An integrated DVD drive delivers added flexibility to access and share content. The integrated fingerprint reader and VeriFace facial recognition software on the U550 provide additional ease of use when logging onto the PC.

IdeaCentre B500 - High performance all-in-one, immersive entertainment

Featuring an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, powerful discrete graphics, up to 8GB DDR3 memory and 1TB HDD storage space, the IdeaCentre B500 all-in-one desktop is the ultimate PC for serious gamers and multimedia users. The 23in Full HD screen and high-quality JBL-brand integrated speakers provide a quality viewing experience. Coupled with a 4-in-1 remote control that acts as a motion-drive games controller, VOIP handset, air mouse and media remote, the B500 supports a dynamic multimedia entertainment experience. Additional unique Lenovo features on the B500 include CamSuite, a tool that helps to keep users in the center of the Web camera’s focus and adds special effects to live video feeds.

IdeaCentre K300 - Desktop PC with optimized power and control

The IdeaCentre K300 with the Intel Core 2 Quad processor is a performance desktop loaded with powerful technologies including high-performance RAID configured hard drives for added storage and peace of mind. It also includes the Lenovo Power Control Switch, which makes it simple for users adjust the level of power they need - from all-out performance to more energy-efficient modes.

Lenovo H230 - Functionality at a value price

Available starting at $299 and equipped with a range of HDD and DDR3 memory configurations, the H230 is designed to offer consumers the perfect mix of performance and value. Integrated tools such as Lenovo Rescue System provide users a worry-free experience by enabling quick and easy data recovery and advanced antivirus technology.

Lenovo IdeaPad U350 & S10-2 - Eye-catching new textures and patterns marry fashion with functionality

The IdeaPad U350 ultraportable laptop and S10-2 netbook are now available in a range of new textures and colorful patterns. The U350 can be purchased with a cool, eye-catching cover texture such as brown lizard print, white lamb skin print and red light weave. Using the latest PC cover-painting technology, the popular S10-2 comes in new colorful designs such as pop art, violet floral, red floral, green floral, phoenix, garden, sailing and origami.

By Agam Shah
IDG News Service
October 28, 2009

Dell Latitude XT2 XFTR
$5,599
www.dell.com

Dell on has started shipping its first rugged laptop with a multitouch display, which can operate in extreme environments and withstand drops, dust and spills.

The Latitude XT2 XFR is also the company’s thinnest and lightest rugged touch-screen laptop, the company said. The laptop measures 38.1mm at its thinnest point, and weighs 2.45kgs with a four-cell battery and solid-state drive. Dell already offers a rugged single-touch-screen laptop, the Latitude E6400 XFR, which has a 14.1-inch screen and weighs 3.87kgs.

The Latitude XT2 XFR laptop, priced starting at US$3,599, comes with a 12.1-inch four-finger-input multitouch display that can be used to record data, manipulate images, zoom into maps or scroll through documents. The screen has a protective layer so that it resists impact damage.

The laptop is designed to meet the US military’s MIL-810G standards, which define a minimum set of conditions under which such laptops can operate. The laptop can withstand rain and a three-foot drop and will operate in temperatures ranging from -10 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 degrees Celsius) to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). The screen also can be flipped for use like a tablet PC.

Touch and stylus interfaces could help field workers such as sales and service technicians complete forms, create status reports or obtain customer signatures, said Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman.

“Touch screens come in very handy in patrol cars and service vehicles where users can easily interact with the system without it becoming a distraction, unlike a keyboard or mouse,” Bolen said. “Essentially, touch makes data accessible and collection faster in many cases.”

Companies like Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard are shipping PCs with multitouch displays for businesses. The laptops are designed to input or retrieve customer data or manipulate objects that require higher levels of precision, such as sharply edged images in engineering and design applications.

Dell’s laptop is powered by an Intel ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo SU9600 chip, which runs at 1.6GHz and includes 3MB of cache. It supports up to 5GB of RAM with solid-state drive storage of up to 160GB. With a six-cell battery the laptop can run for up to six hours. The laptop includes multiple wireless communications options including Wi-Fi networking, mobile broadband options and GPS.

The laptop comes with Microsoft’s Windows Vista OS for now, but the recently released Windows 7 will be added as an option “very soon,” Bolen said.

The XT2 XFR has started shipping in US, Canada, France, Spain, the U.K., Germany and Italy, Bolen said. Dell did not immediately comment on worldwide availability.

HP ProBook 4410s
P54,950
www.hp.com

The HP ProBook 4410s Notebook PC boasts a sleek design that packs an array of features normally reserved for more expensive notebooks. Available in a new Merlot or glossy Noir finish with a more spacious keyboard layout, it delivers refined simplicity and a clean design using the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors. It retails locally at P54,950.

With the low-profile 14-inch diagonal, 16:9 LED-backlit HD display, you get improved brightness, contrast and clarity from a screen that is more power-efficient than regular LCD screens. Choose between high-performance ATI discrete graphics, featuring dedicated video memory, or integrated Intel UMA graphics that balance memory usage between graphics and the system.

Whether you’re across the street or across the country, Wi-Fi Certified WLAN and Bluetooth help you stay connected.

Built to protect. Integrated, customizable security solutions help defend your network, your applications, and your data. File Sanitizer for HP ProtectTools can permanently delete individual files, folders and personally identifiable information from your notebook.

Built to simplify. HP QuickLook 211 provides read capability of email, calendar, task and contact information in seconds at the touch of a button, without having to boot up.

Built to last. HP 3D DriveGuard helps protect your notebook’s hard drive against impact, bumps, or drops using a three-axis accelerometer which detects any sudden movement and initiates protective action, so your critical information is easily protected while you are on the move.

Built to conserve. HP Business Notebook PCs are designed to reduce their impact on the environment by eliminating or reducing substances of concern, using fewer resoures, reducing energy consumption, and designing for recyclability.