This is especially useful for rich media and gaming apps

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It completed the iTunes encoding test (which measures CPU performance while converting 11 files from MP3 to AAC format) in 24 minutes and 17 seconds, about 3 minutes slower than average for a netbook.

We couldn’t get Futuremark’s PCMark benchmarks to run to completion (HP has a ton of stuff that starts automatically at bootup, and even turning all of it off didn’t make the benchmark happy), but the machine’s Cinebench 9.5 and 10 scores of 608 and 3,571, respectively, show performance that’s fine for the class.

Another option is the available Lenovo Constant Connect ExpressCard ($150), which, thanks to the wonder of Bluetooth, automatically HP HSTNN-IB42 Battery syncs your ThinkPad-resident mail file with your BlackBerry—even if the laptop is powered off.

The CPU is backed by 6GB of DDR3 RAM, expandable to 16GB using a second slot that you can access from the compartment. The platform supports Lenovo’s built-in GPS circuitry and WiMAX.

It also has a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics chip with 1GB of dedicated video memory, providing good midrange performance for gaming and video.

Storage comes from a 500GB, 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive; you can also 411462-141 configure it with a 160GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a 250GB hard drive, or a pair of 160GB SSDs in RAID mode.

SmartCache allows each core to utilize 100 percent of available L2 cache, which speeds up 411462-321 performance. This is especially useful for rich media and gaming apps.

It also came populated with a whopping 8GB of DDR3 system memory and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 280M graphics card with 1GB of DDR3 graphics memory.

Along the top of the screen is an integrated 1.3-megapixel Webcam that rotates 180 degrees. To the left of the screen is a blue, oval-shaped button that minimizes all open windows with a single press.

Beneath this button are the LED indicators, which run down the LCD panel.The sound wasn’t rich with bass, but it was better than most.

Text is sharp, colors are vibrant, and video playback is top-notch. We’re also impressed with the Altec Lansing sound system, which puts out impressively good—and impressively loud—sound for a system this size.

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Missing are an ExpressCard slot or an embedded wireless option

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The bottom cover and keyboard bezel are made out of a magnesium alloy to protect the motherboard against flex. You also get Trusted Platform Module (TPM) circuitry to encrypt your data, plus Lenovo’s management utilities and rescue and recovery tools.

The other notebooks in this roundup have the same problem, but because they have 120GB drives, plenty of room is still left over for files.

If you’re not using the notebook as a primary computer, you can get by with 40GB, but an extra $35 will buy you an upgrade to an 80GB drive.

Missing are an ExpressCard slot or an embedded wireless option, so those looking for mobile broadband will have to use a USB device or tether a cell phone.

Our configuration had a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor and Intel’s 945GSE graphics. Wireless connectivity comes from an 411462-442 internal Intel 5110 card that supports 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth.

As noted, OCZ sent us a 60GB SSD and 2GB of DDR2 RAM to install in our test 432306-001 configuration; the Neutrino supports up to a 5,400rpm, 250GB conventional SATA hard drive or an SSD ranging from 30GB to 250GB.

If a child is spending too much time playing Solitaire, the PeeWee Patrol can store a parent-approved schedule that 436281-251 prevents unlimited gameplay.

Parents can also schedule Internet usage for certain times of the day, to limit usage to when a parent is present, for example (such as before dinnertime, or never after 9 p.m.). You can even control when and how often the kids use the Webcam.

The slick, iPhone-esque interface is optimized for the gesture-enabled touch screen, so you can scroll through photos by swiping your finger or rotate them by spinning two fingers touched to the screen.

You can opt for a memory-card reader in lieu of the ExpressCard slot, but you can’t have both. And as with other recent laptops , a modem is a thing of the past.

The ThinkPad T400s sports a docking connector on the bottom, but note that with this generation Lenovo moves to its new Multidock Expansion format, so your T400 or other, older ThinkPad docks won’t work with this laptop.

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Battery life was comparable with that of other notebooks in its class

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Battery life was comparable with that of other notebooks in its class, which means it’ll get less than two hours on a full charge (1 hour and 41 minutes, to be exact).

For those who want to take advantage of their existing libraries of software and movies on physical media, HP offers both a $75 USB DVD writer and a $225 Blu-ray reader/DVD writer drive.

Just keep in mind that the system does not come with any OS at all, so you’re on your own in this regard. Be sure to factor in that expense, plus about $75 for an external optical drive, if you’re installing from a CD and don’t have access to such a drive.

On the right are an ExpressCard/54 slot, an eSATA port, a DVI video output, another USB port, and headphone, microphone, and S/PDIF audio jacks. Around back are two additional USB ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet connection, and the power input.

Parents can customize the preloaded software depending on the age and interests of their child. Also included are 436281-422 typical PC games like Solitaire and Minesweeper.

But even in apps like iTunes, where the song list is quite tightly 440772-001 packed, the screen did a good job of correctly discerning which line we were poking at.

As with other Windows tablet PCs, you also can use Tablet PC Input Panel for adding handwritten notes to an open document, converting written characters to text, and tapping out URLs and other text via the onscreen keyboard.

In DVD and video playback, we noted natural color reproduction and minimal motion blur, but (as with other panels) a severely constrained viewing angle; moving even slightly off-axis caused an annoying color shift.

Sound quality from the speakers flanking the keyboard is good for a machine this thin. There’s plenty of volume to use the notebook for presentations at a conference table, though music sounded a bit flat.

The keyboard itself is a bit mushy for our tastes, as are the touch-pad buttons, though all are a comfortable size. Speakers at the front of the notebook push out clear, loud sound.

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A fingerprint reader is nestled between the two mouse buttons

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We listened to a number of tunes by Dr. Dre on the Beats headphones that are available with the special Beats Edition of the Envy 15, and the clarity and punch of the tunes was superb.

Even on a pair of stock iPod earbuds, the music sounded great. Hitting Fn-B to toggle off the Beats enhancements shows that the system is adding significant depth and additional bass to the audio.

A fingerprint reader is nestled between the two mouse buttons. Above the keyboard are three touch-sensitive buttons, including e-mail and browser quick-launch keys, plus a Silent Mode switch that dials down the CPU clock and fan speed to conserve power.

Silent Mode helps keep things a bit quieter, but it doesn’t eliminate the constant hum of the laptop’s internal cooling fans, which are a bit distracting.

You can make the taskbar and window skins look more magical than a traditional Windows XP theme by applying an animation-style hypertheme.

An interactive desktop application called Blue Dolphin displays folders and programs 441425-001 for quick, easy access. It also supports gestures (like your iPhone) to make zooming and scrolling faster.

Leave your finger on the screen for a moment and a mouse icon appears, letting you 441611-001 control any Windows app, not just those that are designed to be touch-screen-aware.

To the right is a fingerprint reader equipped with a status LED that flashes green if your finger is accepted or yellow if you need to 454931-001 swipe your finger again.

Most users, however, will be satisfied with the basic array of connectivity here: four USB 2.0 ports, mic and headphone jacks, a VGA monitor out, an SD/MultiMediaCard slot, and Ethernet and modem ports.

The large touch pad supports the standard Synaptics two-finger gestures for zooming, scrolling, and rotating images. The lower third of the pad integrates the mouse buttons; just press down the left or right sides to make selections.

At this point, you place the hard drive in the cage, oriented so the interface and power connectors line up with those on the system, and secure the hard drive to the cage with four more screws, which are included with the Neutrino.

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which are placed above the function key row on the keyboard’s deck

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Because of frequent skipping and lagging with the touch response, quick writing is impossible with the stylus. Clicking and dragging offered up the same sorts of skips and lags, making using the touch interface an exercise in patience.

The S6F also completed our Windows Media Encoder test in 11 minutes and 20 seconds (less than half the time the VAIO took), proving it has multimedia chops as well.

Battery life was less spectacular. We squeezed out 3 hours and 30 minutes of juice in our DVD drain test–a respectable score for an ultraportable, but still more than two hours shy of the VAIO VGN-TXN15P’s excellent battery life.

When the tx2z is in tablet mode, you lose access to the dedicated volume/mute hard keys, which are placed above the function key row on the keyboard’s deck.

The beefy hinge keeps the screen stable as you type in traditional laptop mode yet lets you easily swivel and fold the screen flat against the keyboard for use in slate mode.

And oddly, HP did not include dedicated multimedia control keys (skip, pause, play, and so on), which have been a staple on the 455804-001 company’s consumer laptops for years.

Lenovo has included dedicated volume and mute buttons above the Function key row, as well as a handy Mute button for the 460143-001 built-in microphone. There are no multimedia control keys, however.

Text was sharp, and DVDs and Vista’s Aero interface looked great. An integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 adapter that shares up to 256MB of system memory powers the graphics. Casual gamers won’t be disappointed with this chip.

The VGA Webcam even includes an infrared LED to make it work better in dark environments. But anyone who doesn’t warm to the ThinkPad T400s keyboard is on the wrong side of the debate, plain and simple.

You’ll likely have more trouble finding the right screwdrivers to use with the Neutrino’s case than with installing any of the parts. (You’ll need two small Philips screwdrivers, as there are two different sizes of screws.)

OCZ provides clear instructions on how to remove the bottom cover, install the hard drive into its metal frame, and pop in the RAM.

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There’s nothing flashy about the Lotus, though we mean that in a good way

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We also fired up the game Far Cry 2 and enjoyed a few rounds of smooth 3D gaming with most of the effects levels set to high. Again, the display did an excellent job with detail, and motion errors were nonexistent.

The matte keyboard (also charcoal gray) stands out on the white chassis. When it comes to navigating this cramped keyboard, tiny-fingered children should have an easier time than parents.

The finicky spacebar and the tiny, misplaced right-Shift key make touch typing difficult, but young typists prone to 432307-001 pecking won’t have much trouble.

Networking options include Ethernet, 802.11b/g wireless, and Bluetooth. You also get a convenient on/off switch for the Wi-Fi radio.

The size and weight savings make a difference if you carry a laptop with you all day, letting you step up to a larger screen without the usual heft.

Of course, some buyers might not warm to the signature matte-black, squared-off ThinkPad chassis in this day of high-gloss, colorful notebooks and netbooks 417066-001.

It has a sturdy build, too, and feels like it could take a few knocks. It’s either classic or boring, depending on which side of the 446506-001 debate you’re on.

The laptop measures 1.4×14x10.5 inches and weighs 6.2 pounds, straddling the line between travel companion and stay-at-home desktop replacement.

It’s not an exact copy, though: The Envy’s etched, gunmetal-gray magnesium chassis has a darker look that feels more high-end and less industrial, the frame around the LCD isn’t flush, and the Envy’s keyboard doesn’t light up.

But if they were left over from another upgrade, and all we had to pay for was the $269 base unit, we’d be stoked about the great deal we just got.

The 2-inch-thick frame weighs 7 pounds and 9 ounces, making it a bit bulkier than the Asus G51J-A1 but not nearly as heavy as the Alienware M15x. There’s nothing flashy about the Lotus, though we mean that in a good way.

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which make brilliant use of the touch screen and the tablet form factor

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Even if a child does wander off with the Pivot Tablet, the case is designed to resist some rough handling and spills. Be aware, though, that the battery can get quite hot.

A small button just below the LCD lets you toggle among seven different power modes, including ones for high performance, movie viewing, and conservation.

Like those of many ultraportables, the S6F’s keyboard is a little cramped. Also, the buttons on the mouse pad are somewhat stiff.

But with its MediaSmart multimedia-management applications, which make brilliant use of the touch screen and the tablet form factor, the TouchSmart tx2z is a good fit for anyone who wants a multimedia-savvy ultraportable with a twist.

The ThinkPad T400s is almost a pound lighter and half an inch thinner than the T400, while also delivering impressive productivity performance and every feature a business or prosumer buyer could want.

The $1,599 starting price is fair given the technological advancements the platform delivers, and our fully loaded model 441462-251 came in at a not-unreasonable $2,130.

This $974 laptop does have other things going for it, however—namely, respectable HP EV089AA Battery performance and a superb display.The HP Envy line’s name is wonderfully cheeky.

But while the smaller Envy 13 is similar in performance to its Apple counterpart, the powerhouse Envy 15’s performance, design, and feature set might just turn the tables and have the Mac crowd lusting after HP’s entry.

With a fast CPU, excellent video and audio, slick design, and a price that’s low for a Core i7 notebook, about the only thing that disappoints here is battery life.

You can install any laptop-size 2.5-inch hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD), so long as it complies with the Serial ATA (SATA) standard, and any single stick of SO-DIMM laptop RAM, so long as it’s approved DDR2.

Plus, a few hidden perks like a surprise SIM-card slot for mobile broadband connectivity and a Webcam that finally produced pleasantly ungrainy pictures made this netbook a steal with its low pricetag.

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This speedster took top honors on our productivity-performance tests

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Las Vegas–based notebook manufacturer Malibal makes a good effort with its pricey 15-inch Lotus Steries gaming notebook. And measuring 1×15x9.6 inches and weighing in at 5.2 pounds, it’s very close in size and weight as well.

We looked at a $3,554 configuration of this model, fueled by Intel’s powerful Core i7 processor, a high-end Nvidia GeForce graphics solution, and lots of DDR3 system memory.

This speedster took top honors on our productivity-performance tests, but we expected much better 3D performance from such an expensive gaming rig.

PeeWee PC’s 8.9-inch Pivot Tablet Laptop combines typical netbook features with preloaded age-targeted software (Pre-K, Early Elementary, or Upper Elementary), parental controls, and a tablet interface.

But it also has a bland design and subpar tablet navigation, so the $599.99 price ends up seeming as outlandish as the Mickey Mouse folders on the desktop.

Consider whether you really need all that power on the road, though, because its near-$5,000 price when fully equipped will buy a high-end desktop system with enough left over to buy a lighter, if not as blazingly fast, laptop.

And the sleek design, impressive battery life, and reduced price will make this attractive even to less-demanding users who want a stylish laptop with a bit of muscle.

Though the desktop processor in the Panther outperforms the mobile Core i7-920XM, it also generates more heat and drains the battery faster, so we’d expect most notebooks based on the mobile Core i7 to be smaller, cooler, and have somewhat better battery life.

The MacBook Pro comes with a one-year limited warranty and 90 days of toll-free telephone support. An extended Apple Care warranty will cover your system for an additional two years and costs $349.

There was no bundled software, but you can choose to order the Panther with a variety of Microsoft Office 2007 editions, as well as Norton Antivirus 2009 and Microsoft Flight Simulator X.

With its excellent combination of battery life and performance, the Asus U30Jc-A1 is a top-of-the-class thin-and-light notebook HP HSTNN-IB05 Battery that offers something for everybody, from the casual gamer to the true road warrior.

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the Libre might wind up well below that before the new year rolls around

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Factor in the warranty, and you have a notebook that also gives you peace of mind, wherever you are in the world.The fetching high-resolution screen and its portability make this an attractive notebook for professional designers.

More impressive is the lifetime upgradability: You can choose to upgrade the CPU, RAM, GPU, optical drive, and hard drives in the future. Eurocom offers both self-service and “return to depot” upgrade options.

Some of the more useful applications are the SmartLogon Manager (for logging into Windows using facial recognition via the 0.3-megapixel Webcam), CyberLink Power2Go (for disc-creation tasks), and a 30-day trial of Trend Micro Internet Security.

An Asus representative assured us that the bundled software will get trimmed back when the U-Series is refreshed this fall.Also aboard are an ExpressCard slot and a double-layer DVD±RW drive.

But given its lack of wireless capabilities and its smaller screen, if you’re looking to give a budget-friendly e-reader as a gift for the holidays, we’d recommend waiting a couple of months to see which competing devices dip down to the magical $99 price point in time for the holiday season.

If the Kindle and Nook make it to $99, the Libre might wind up well below that before the new year rolls around.Our HDX also HP PB994 Battery came with 4GB of RAM (the full amount the motherboard can accept) and twin 7,200rpm 100GB hard drives.

That battery result is 20 minutes longer than the previous version and hours longer than all other desktop replacements we’ve tested. (Apple claims that when doing strictly everyday tasks such as Web browsing, the battery can last up to 8 hours.)

There’s also a seven-format card reader (supporting SD/MultiMediaCard, plus Memory Stick in its various permutations) and an ExpressCard slot. A 3-megapixel Webcam sits above HP Compaq 6510B Battery the LCD screen.

The standard warranty includes accidental-damage coverage, which guarantees the unit for a single incident within the first year of ownership HP Compaq 6515b Battery against drops, spills, or similar calamities.

Asus even goes so far as to promise to fix or replace the U30Jc-A1 within the first 30 days if the display shows even one bad pixel. To top it all off, Asus has toll-free phone HP Compaq 6510B Battery support that is available around the clock.

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which indicates it should last over 2 hours for typical computing chores

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If you add additional drives, you can configure them in RAID for additional speed or data integrity.So you’ll need to be more cognizant of power levels with this device than most.

But the smaller 5-inch screen, while making the device more pocket-friendly, means you’ll be turning more pages per book (unless you make the font smaller to compensate), which isn’t a good HP Compaq 6715b Battery thing considering this device’s screen is more power-hungry than the average E Ink reader.

The HDX lasted 1 hour and 12 minutes on our DVD rundown test, which indicates it should last over 2 hours for typical computing chores. One other downside: The whirring of the machine’s fan is noticeable—it could be distracting during silent scenes in a movie.

The E205-S1904 outperformed the Asus U30Jc-A1 on Windows Media Encoder (4:26), but the U30Jc-A1 was, surprisingly, a hair faster than the Toshiba machine on our iTunes test (3:24).

The standard inclusion of the charger is a nice touch, considering the Libre is pushing the lower boundaries of e-reader pricing.

Aluratek also includes a carrying case with a strap, plus a set of headphones. Most e-readers, even the pricier varieties, generally don’t include a case, so the accessory bundle here is a nice bonus.

It is, however, meant for untethered computing, lasting a healthy 5 hours and 3 minutes on our DVD battery rundown test, which means you can expect even longer life while running basic productivity applications.

Better yet, HP claims a 50-percent increase in battery life with its 9-cell battery, a $129 option. HP covers the EliteBook with a three-year warranty that includes 24/7 technical support, but the is covered for only one year.

What’s special about the 9400M chip is that it performs so much better than an integrated solution, without taking up any more space.

This means that even in battery-saving mode, you still get impressive graphics performance, and with the 9600M GT, you get even better performance.

Eurocom says that higher-resolution support will arrive in a couple of months with next-generation mobile GPUs, but this is a glaring oversight for such a high-end system.

In our F.E.A.R. test with settings set to auto-detect, the HDX managed an average frame rate of 25 frames per second at 1,024×768. That’s playable, but hard-core gamers will be disappointed HP didn’t opt for higher-end graphics.

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