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Thursday, April 14, 2011

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lenovo Ultraportable laptop ThinkPad X220 Preview by www.batteryfast.co.uk

Lenovo Ultraportable laptop ThinkPad X220 Preview by www.batteryfast.co.uk

A business ultraportable is only as good as its user experience, a fact that Lenovo is well aware of. The company has made tremendous strides with its X-Series laptops based on this idea, and it continues to do so with its latest Lenovo ThinkPad X220 ($1,299 direct, 4 stars). An improved keyboard, made up of larger keys, is made possible by widening what is now a 12.5-inch widescreen, yet the X220 is even lighter than its predecessor, the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 ($1,625 direct, 4 stars). Factor in the new Intel Core i5 i5-2520M CPU, basedon Intel’s Sandy Bridge platform (now known as second-generation Core processors) and fantastic battery life and the ThinkPad X220 easily earns an Editor’s Choice in the business ultraportable category.

Design

Lenovo is fortunate in that the bulk of its laptops are bought by IT managers who care more about the specs than the look of the laptop. The all-black frame doesn’t appeal to the senses as much as the aluminum-clad HP EliteBook 2540p ($1,629 direct, 4 stars) or silvery Dell Vostro V130($900 direct, 3 stars). If you’re looking at it from a consumer standpoint, the X220 is too uniform and lacking in color. What isn’t visible to the naked eye, however, is its brawn. The X220 is subjected to a series of military torture tests before it goes out to the customer, involving moisture, vibrations, drops, and extreme temperature resistance, to name a few. Its outer frame and inner skeleton, furthermore, are crafted from solid magnesium, not cheap plastic. Despite its ruggedized exterior, the X220 still only weights 3.3 pounds. It’s lighter than the HP 2540p (3.9 lbs), Dell V130 (3.6 lbs), and Lenovo X201 (3.8 lbs).

The 12.5-inch widescreen is wider and bigger than that of the 12.1-inch screen of the Lenovo X201, resulting in a shift to a 16-by-9 aspect ratio (from 16-by-10) and to the more common 1,366-by-768 resolution. It’s a slightly smaller screen than the 13-inch one found in the Dell V130 and Sony VAIOVPC-Z1390X ($3,800 direct, 4 stars), but a very capable and productive size nonetheless. If past X-series keyboards were considered great in the past, this one will surpass them. The X220′s new keyboard is essentially the one you’ll find in its 14-inch and 15-inch siblings. The Escape and Delete keys are twice their original size. It’s a magnificent typing experience, to say the least.

Features

The X220 is equipped with dual pointing devices—a pointing stick and touchpad—like the Lenovo X201 and HP 2540p. What you’ll notice immediately is that the second pair of mouse buttons is now integrated into the touchpad, like with the Clickpad model Apple made famous (only a lot smaller). The surface area of the touchpad, as a result, has increased significantly so there’s more dragging space from top down and left to right. However, you better get use to navigating with a single finger (for dragging AND clicking). The mouse cursor is unresponsive if you have two fingers on the touchpad at the same time., but that’s if you use the touchpad. Most users will prefer the signature pointing stick, which comes with its own soft, dedicated mouse buttons located above the touchpad.

Two very notable features are now part of the X220 family. The DisplayPort, a cousin of HDMI, is more “about-time” than revolutionary, but it’ll give presenters a way to simultaneously stream audio and video in digital form. There is also VGA aboard as another video output option. The Webcam now has an HD sensor, which lets you video conference in a 1,280-by-720 resolution (720p). That’s three times the resolution of the previous iteration’s Webcam. The EliteBooks have just transitioned to HD Webcams as well. An optical drive is only available as external attachment sold separately by Lenovo (price still pending), unlike the integrated ones found in the HP 2540p and Sony Z1390X. An ExpressCard slot is a rare find these days, but Lenovo somehow found room for it in the X220.

The X220 includes the gamut of wireless connections, including the latest, longer-range Intel WiFi chips, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G (via Gobi), and 4G technologies. It’s equipped with a 320GB, 7200rpm hard drive, the fastest spinning hard drives available on ultraportables, with upgrade paths to higher capacities or solid state drives. Otherwise, the three USB ports, Ethernet, and an SD card slot are common finds in most laptops.

Performance

It’s a big deal when Intel switches to a new architecture, which not only encompasses the processor, but everything around it. The X220 is one of the first business ultraportables to receive a second-generation 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2520M processor. Since it’s the first to arrive on my bench, every ultraportable around it will be that much slower (they all use previous-generation processors). It scored 2:25 on Handbrake and 2.82 on CineBench R11.5 tests—both processor-intensive tests—beating out the Sony Z1390X (Handbrake: 2:49, R11.5: 2.19) and completely dominating the Dell V130 (Handbrake: 4:37, R11.51.29). In an overall test like PCMArk Vantage, the X220 (7,719) beat the Lenovo X201 (7,083) by a 9% margin.

Better yet, the X220 can now handle 3D games without a discrete graphics chip, as the integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 is more than 4 times as powerful as the previous iteration, as indicated by 3DMark06 tests (4,083). With more-advanced titles, like Crysisand Lost Planet 2, however, you’ll need to crank down the eye-candy.

To be a reliable travel companion, the X220, above all, has to make battery life its top priority. With a 63WH battery (6-cell) battery, it scored an impressive 8 hours 40 minutes. Although the Lenovo X201 lasted 9:36, it did so with a much bigger battery (94WH). The X220 sells a separate 6-cell battery slice ($179) that spans the entire base of the laptop and should give you an additional 6 to 8 hours, on top of the 8 hours you’re already getting. With the standard battery alone, it outlasted the Dell V130 (3:02), Sony Z1390X (5:19), and HP 2540p (8:02).

The Thinkpad X220 comes with a standard 1 year parts and labor warranty. Repairs can be done on-site and sent back the next business for an additional $39. You can also extend warranty services from 2 to 4 years.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is an amazing piece of engineering when you factor in all the features it squeezed into a 12-inch frame. It enlarged the keyboard and screen, while shedding some weight in the process. As a road-bound ultraportable, it had to be the most battery efficient in its class—and it was. Until the other laptops in this review transition to new Intel architecture, the X220 is the fastest business ultraportable and in a league of its own.

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Source: Lenovo Ultraportable laptop ThinkPad X220 Preview by www.batteryfast.co.uk

Monday, March 7, 2011

4 reasons why Apple iPad still rule the tablet market by www.batteryfast.co.uk

4 reasons why Apple iPad still rule the tablet market by www.batteryfast.co.uk

When it comes to releasing new form factors for its iPad tablet and other products, Apple not only gets there first; it gets there best.

From the debut of the iPad in 2001 to the launch of theiPhone in 2007 to last year’s launch of the iPad, Apple usually sets a high bar for the rest of the industry when it releases new types of electronic devices. And as this week’s unveiling of the iPad 2 demonstrated, Apple is still well on top of its competitors in the tablet market.

So why is Apple likely to rule the tablet roost for the foreseeable future? Here are four reasons:

1. A one-year head start

Tablets occupy a weird niche market somewhere between smartphones and laptops and it has proven difficult to really get them right the first time around. Think of it like this: The Motorola Xoom, the first device that’s seen as a legitimate contender for the original iPad, was released just a week ago. Meanwhile, RIM’s first crack at tackling tablets, the PlayBook, isn’t due out until April. While these two companies are just dipping their toes into the tablet market, Apple is already on its second generation of the iPad.
And from an engineering standpoint, the iPad 2 has made some significant improvements that should keep it in the lead until its rivals release their own second-generation tablets in the future. First, the new iPad is thinner (0.34 inches) and lighter (1.35 pounds) than the original iPad or any of its competitors. Second, it now has both a front-facing and rear-facing camera that the original model lacked.

2. A more mature app market

Applications have become an increasingly popular feature of mobile devices over the past couple of years, especially with the high-profile launches of application shopping centers such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Market. The most recent survey data from research firm ChangeWave shows that 14% of smartphone users said applications were what they liked best about new smartphones, followed by ease of use (12%) and Internet access (12%).

With that in mind, consider that the Apple App Store already has an estimated 65,000 applications tailored specifically for the iPad while Android tablet users will have to wait until developers become more accustomed to the “Honeycomb” edition of Android before they start churning out apps for the Xoom and other Android tablets at a similar rate. Given the past enthusiasm developers have shown for Android, it’s quite likely that Honeycomb tablets will catch up to the iPad in terms of application offerings, but for now Apple is the biggest game in town.

3. Enterprises are already adapting to it

Yes, this is counterintuitive since Apple has made clear that the iPad is a device for consumers first. And yet the iPad’s success has led inevitably to employees bringing their tablets to work and wanting to use them for corporate e-mail. And while enterprises generally don’t see the iPad as a replacement for a PC or a smartphone, a significant number of businesses are at least intrigued enough by their potential to order some for the workplace.

Research released late last year from ChangeWave found many enterprises are considering taking the tablet plunge. Among business IT buyers surveyed, 7% said their company currently deploys tablets, and 14% said their company planned to buy tablets in the first quarter of 2011. ChangeWave found that the iPad dominated corporate purchasing plans, as more than three-quarters of the businesses who planned on buying tablets reported plans to buy the iPad. So although Research in Motion and Cisco have both developed tablets that are tailored specifically to enterprise users,

it’s the consumer-oriented iPad that most enterprises are looking at first.

4. The price is right

A cocky Steve Jobs bragged at the iPad 2 launch that the iPad “flummoxed” Apple’s competitors and had set the bar for pricing in the tablet market. While Jobs was certainly overplaying his hand as far as future competition goes, for the time being he makes a good point. The iPad 2 not only has lower pricing on its 32GB model than the rival 32GB Motorola Xoom, it also has a far wider array of pricing options for customers to choose from. So if you don’t feel like shelling out $729 for an unsubsidized 3G-capable 32GB iPad, you can get a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 for a mere $499, as well as 32GB and 64GB models that go for $599 and $699, respectively. In other words, people who don’t have heavy-duty data requirements for their tablets will be able to purchase cheaper models while Xoom users so far can only choose the 32GB model.

None of this is to say that Apple is destined to rule the tablet market for infinity and beyond, of course. For example, look at the smartphone market: While the iPhone is still a massively popular smartphone, it’s far from the only popular device in what has become an increasingly crowded market. But just as it took manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung and HTC some time to catch up to the iPhone, so shall competitors struggle initially to match up with the iPad. For the time being, the tablet market is Apple’s to lose.

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Source:

4 reasons why Apple iPad still rule the tablet market by www.batteryfast.co.uk

4 reasons why Apple iPad still rule the tablet market by www.batteryfast.co.uk

When it comes to releasing new form factors for its iPad tablet and other products, Apple not only gets there first; it gets there best.

So why is Apple likely to rule the tablet roost for the foreseeable future? Here are four reasons:

1. A one-year head start

2. A more mature app market

3. Enterprises are already adapting to it

it’s the consumer-oriented iPad that most enterprises are looking at first.

4. The price is right

——————————————————————————————————————–——————

Other Business News:

Source:

4 reasons why Apple iPad still rule the tablet market by www.batteryfast.co.uk

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sony VAIO S Series Exclusive Review | Laptop Battery Review by www.batteryfast.co.uk

Sony VAIO S Series Exclusive Review by www.batteryfast.co.uk

After our exclusive reviews of Sony’s brand-new CA Series notebook and L Series touchscreen all-in-one, Sony’s launch event in London’s Century Club promised to be tinged with an overwhelming sense of deja-vu.

Our eyes soon lit up, however, as Sony unveiled its newly redesigned S Series. As the more affordable, albeit slightly less attractive, sibling to Sony’s mighty Z Series, the S Series was always one of our favourite business ultraportables. Now after a deft nip and tuck in Sony’s design department, the S has emerged transformed: slimmer, sexier, and appealing as much to lap-of-luxury consumers as upwardly mobile business users. In short, the S is ready to provide a Windows-powered alternative to Apple’s high-end MacBooks.

A rigorous weight-loss program sees the S Series now rise a mere 24mm off the desk, while tumbling the S Series in our hands was enough to believe the claimed weight of only 1.75kg — this is onenotebook that’s light enough to carry around all-day long.

Vaio S Series - reinforced hinge

A new reinforced central hinge helps keep the notebook’s clean, crisp lines, and the exhaust vent nestles underneath, blowing hot air to the laptop’s rear.

And despite that lean, lithe figure, the S feels remarkably solid — both the millimetre-thick lid and angular hinge proved surprisingly resistant to our hands tugging it to and fro.

Vaio S Series - keyboard side

The new design carries over the excellent scrabble-tile keyboard we’re used to, and the wide channels between each key and light, crisp key action make for lovely typing. It’s now backlit, too.

The touchpad also feels great; the lightly textured feel and wide clicky buttons adding to the S Series’ luxurious high-end feel.

It comes as little surprise to find Intel’s new Sandy Bridge generation of processors taking centre stage on the specifications. Intel’s 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M is the CPU of choice — although Sony’s configure-to-order service will serve up some more affordable options — and with Turbo Boost 2.0 taking clockspeeds right up to 2.9GHz, the 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Professional felt positively silky-smooth. There was no word on whether Intel’s vPro platform would make a showing in final retail units, however.

Another first for the range is the addition of graphics switching, courtesy of Sony’s Dynamic Hybrid Graphic System. It’s not just a fancy new name for Nvidia’s Optimus, however, as Sony has partnered Intel’s on-chip HD Graphics 2000 with AMD’s Radeon HD 6470M. And as the S Series is graced with a manual graphics switch, swapping from discrete to integrated graphics requires nothing more than the flick of a finger.

Sony claims that the new graphics switching technology allows the S Series to last up to seven hours in Stamina mode (with Intel HD graphics engaged), but an optional battery slice is capable of pushing the notebook’s stamina well over the ten-hour mark.

Connectivity receives a relatively minor update — a single USB 3 port added to the two USB 2 ports — while dual-band 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 are complemented by the optional VAIO “everywair” 3G WWAN card. There are few other surprises: the Sony’s right-hand edge squeezing in those USB ports alongside D-SUB, HDMI and SD and Memory Stick card readers.

With a nod to the S Series’ new dual-personality, Sony is also planning to add Blu-ray as an optional extra sometime in the near future. Our contact couldn’t confirm whether the HDMI output was 1.4 compliant, however, so those hoping to hook the S Series up to their 3DTV will have to hold tight.

The S Series will be shipping in March with a starting price of around £999 inc VAT for the basic 3G-free model. Keep an eye on PC Pro’s website for an imminent review.