Laptop and Computer Reviews

Acer has always been a global powerhouse, but the company has had a relatively anemic presence in the United States. Now that it has merged with Gateway (the two brands are still being treated as separate), we are seeing some inroads from Acer in this country, starting with a particularly bold move, the launch of the first laptop we’ve seen with an 18.4-inch display. The display has the same native resolution as a 1080p HDTV, and coupled with a Blu-ray drive and a unique set of touch-sensitive media controls, it’s an impressive package for moviewatchers.
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The Gateway M-1626 is a fixed configuration version of the manufacturer’s midsize M series and is currently available through Office Depot. As with the M-1618 we reviewed last summer, we like the design of the Gateway M1626, which combines a lovely display and a comfortable keyboard inside of a relatively sleek and stylish case. We like the laptop’s price tag even more: at $850, the M-1626 undercuts similarly configured Toshiba Satellite A305D ($999), Dell Inspiron 1525 ($949), and HP Pavilion dv6700z ($915) models. As with any low-cost laptop, you will have to make concessions; in the case of the Gateway M-1626,
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Most low-priced laptops are bulky midsize systems with 15.4-inch screens. But the Gateway T-6828 offers a slightly more portable thin-and-light form factor with a 14.1-inch screen that’s still comfortable enough for a full day of work. Aside from portability, the $799 T-6828 offers a beautiful display and performance that matches more expensive laptops, all wrapped up in an attractive, glossy, red package. Our primary complaint about the T-6828 is its keyboard, which to us felt flat and stiff; we recommend giving the board a try before making a purchasing decision. If the keyboard doesn’t bother you, there’s no reason not to purchase the Gateway T-6828, especially considering that it costs less than a similarly configured Dell Inspiron 1420 and Toshiba Satellite M305.
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The ThinkPad brand is an iconic image in the corporate world, but Lenovo has been absent from the U.S. consumer laptop market—until now. The company’s recently launched the IdeaPad line as its first set of non-business models to debut on these shores. Think of the 15.4-inch IdeaPad Y510 as the ThinkPad T61 Widescreen’s alter ego, albeit with some trendier features, such as a fabric-like cover, a “frameless” widescreen, and five speakers, including a subwoofer.
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Acer Ferrari 3000 to a more conservative—but just as sleek—black checkered design. It retains some of the cool-looking red streaks along the side and front edge of the notebook, and yes, the yellow prancing horse emblem still graces the center of the notebook. The cover is made from carbon fiber, which is stronger and lighter than aluminum. (Acer uses it only in its Ferrari line.) The interior of the Ferrari 4000 has a rubberized coating, perhaps emulating the look of Formula One tires. The keyboard has an ergonomic smile contour to it, which is okay for typing but takes a few minutes to get used to. The only real design complaint we have is that the mouse buttons are a bit noisy when pressed.
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Dell XPS laptops have been known to pull off performance feats usually associated with desktops. The Dell XPS M1210 (Vista), for instance, has embodied what performance should be like in an ultraportable. But what started off as a stylish design two years ago is now quickly losing ground to trendsetters such as Apple, HP, and Sony. Clearly, it was time for Dell to spice things up. The Dell XPS M1330 ($2,200 direct) is both refreshing and really quite amazing once you factor in both design and performance. Dell slips all the latest technology trends into a very sleek crimson unit while keeping its performance ahead of the competition. It’s a breakthrough improvement, which is why I’m giving it the Editors’ Choice in the ultraportable category.
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The XPS M1730 is Dell’s new 17-inch high-performance gaming notebook, the replacement for the aging M1710. It is based on the latest Intel Santa Rosa platform and features cutting-edge Nvidia GeForce SLI graphics.

Before I start this review I would like to thank Dell for sending us a test unit.
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Toshiba’s business-oriented Tecra line is far from flashy, but the company’s self-described flagship model, the 14-inch Tecra M9, makes up for its thick, unwieldy design by offering semi-rugged features including a shock-absorbing chassis and a spill-resistant keyboard. Our $1,794 review unit conforms to the Centrino Pro platform, which uses Intel’s Active Management Technology (AMT) to provide for remote updates and troubleshooting, even when the system is powered down–but less expensive models are available without Centrino Pro. This may be one of the ugliest laptops we’ve seen in a while, but if you’re a business user who needs both AMT and semi-rugged construction, this is the only laptop we can think of that fits the bill.
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The Dell Inspiron 1420 is destined to populate the homes of school-bound teens, sophisticated and unsophisticated computer users, and just about anybody who is looking for a terrific deal. The laptop’s look has changed (for the better), and just because it’s priced at $1,099 (direct) doesn’t mean you’ll get shafted with cheap processing parts. It’s one of the few laptops, if not the only one, that gives you discrete graphics, a surplus of memory, different-color frames, and a host of other features that usually cost extra. For this, Dell can easily add another Editors’ Choice notch to its belt. Just make sure you punch in the E-Value code (1-DNDMJA1) to get this awesome deal.
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The Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E/S is Sony’s new entry into the low price notebook market. It boasts such fancy features as a Core 2 Duo processor and a large hard drive. It has a slim design and comes in three eye-catching colors: Granite, Wenge, and Silk. However, the most attractive feature of the new Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E/S is its price tag.
At $829, Sony’s new laptop will no doubt turn the heads of those looking to buy a budget entry level notebook. It’s sleekly designed and features a crisp 15.4-inch WXGA XBrite-Eco LCD monitor. It has plenty of USB inputs (four in total) and accepts both Memory Stick and SD cards. [Read the rest of this entry…]