Honest Laptop Reviews

The HP Envy 14 Spectre

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:23:56 +0000

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is one of the most exciting laptop models that have been released this year so far thanks to its bold departure from the cookie cutter mold in terms of design. It had received lots of buzz since even before its release, and we must say that it did very much live up to its hype.

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is a 14-inch ultrabook model that is not too common in the market thus far. Weighing in at just 4 pounds and measuring 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.79 inches in dimensions, this laptop is much lighter than the standard 14-inch laptop affair. Before we proceed to the essentials of the laptops, we just must state in advance the features that make this laptop model stand out from the crowd.

For starters, this is a glass-clad laptop model. Yes your heard right; glass! Instead of the meta-finish found on many high-end laptops, which is a little of a yawn by now, the screen, upper external lid and the palm rests on the Spectre has a glass finish to them. Whether when it is in use or closed up, the laptop has a very unique to it, resembling nothing in the market so far! When folded, it looks like your laptop is made of polished marble of some sort of stone, which is really cool!

While the word glass is synonymous to the word ‘fragile’, the glass finishing on the laptop are made from corning Gorilla Glass, which is extremely tough and durable. With that said, the element of vulnerability does, strangely enough, adds to the laptop appeal.

Audio fans will also be glad to know that the HP Envy 14 Spectre comes with Beats Audio, complete with a very handy physical volume control button, Beats Audio software, a built-in subwoofer and 2 high-end speakers.

As if there isn’t enough, the laptop also has another cool feature in the form of a built-in NFC (near field communications) antenna. This feature is meant to be used with a compatible smartphone. With the right app installed, all you have to do is to place the smart phone on the palm rest of the laptop for syncing or data transfer. This is uber- cool!

The HP Envy 14 Spectre comes with an Intel Core i5-2467M, a 128 solid-state drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1600 x 900 display screen. It currently retails at around $1400 per unit, which is a little steep, but absolutely worth every penny for those who have some extra cash to spare.

click here for full product details and customer reviews >>

Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook Reviewed

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:12:47 +0000

Before we proceed to the usual tests and analysis of the Samsung Series 5 laptop model, it is best that we set expectations straight. The Series 5 is marketed as a ultrabook model, but we must state in advance that it is not as slim nor as light as we expected for a 14-inch ultrabook model. Although there are no hard and fast definitions as to what ultrabooks really are, there is a general consensus, that it should be very thin and very light compared to a regular laptop.

It is best that we view the Samsung Series 5 as an ultrabook with an optical drive (something that is not found on most ultrabook models). In light of a 14-inch laptop model with an optical drive, the size of the Series 5 laptop would then seem more reasonable. It measures at 13.1 x 9 x 0.82 inches in dimensions and weighs 3.9 pounds, which is lighter than your regular 14-inch laptop with an optical drive.

With that out of the way, we should note that the Samsung Series 5 is a pretty good mainstream laptop in its class. Its specs include an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, a 500GB SATA hard drive and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. There is also a small, built-in 16GB solid-state hard drive that helps with a quick system startup.

Design wise, the Series 5 sports the usual high-end finish with its matte aluminum lid. It generally has a very professional and sleek vibe to it to looks set to win over some style-conscious consumers. The keyboard uses matte, island style keys that were relatively quiet and comfortable to use.

Overall, the Samsung Series 5 is a pretty decent mainstream, desktop replacement laptop model. We really liked the quick start-up time on the laptop and also its nice external design. At the time of writing, the Series 5 is selling for around $900 per unit.

click here for more product details and customer reviews >>

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Full Review

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:03:47 +0000

The Dell XPS 13 is finally here! While other brands have already rolled out their own ultrabook models quite a while ago, Dell took their time with the XPS 13 and it shows. This svelte little ultrabook would make a pretty decent buy whether it is in terms of design, specs, features or pricing levels.

The most noteworthy feature on the Dell XPS 13 is that it is actually smaller than most other 13-inch ultrabooks in the market. Dell managed to fit the 13.3-inch display into a 12.4 x 8.1 x 0.5 inch body, which is pretty close to the dimensions of an 11 or 12-inch ultrabook. Yes you heard right, it actually has a smaller foot print that many of its competitors, including the 13-inch MacBook Air.

Some of the other features that are worth mentioning would be its extremely sturdy design and the Gorilla Glass finish on the screen. It looks extremely suave where sophisticated design is sure to turn heads every now and then. The Dell XPS 13 weighs in at just 3 pounds. The laptop is also made from variety of ‘high-end’ materials such as the aluminum finish on the upper external lid and carbon fiber on the bottom. Then there is also the very comfortable backlit keyboard and the huge glass touch pad. Another cool feature is the physical LED-lit battery indicator on the side of the laptop that lets you check the battery levels when the laptop is folded close.

This ultrabook comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB solid-state hard drive and runs on the 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium OS. The screen has a 1366 x 768 resolution and the usual slew of connectors (2 USB ports, Bluetooth, 802.11n wi-fi). The XPS 13 however is missing a HDMI port and a memory card reader. The official specs sheet states that the battery can last up to 8 hours and 53 minutes on one charge. In reality it lasts close to 5 hours on regular use, without the need for it to be plugged in. The Dell XPS 13 is reasonably priced at around $1000 each.

The Asus Eee PC 1015PX Netbook Reviewed

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:54:32 +0000

Wait, are you hearing right? Did you just hear the word ‘netbook’ in 2012? While many critics have declared that the netbook genre is officially dead thanks to the rise of tablets and ultrabooks, we personally feel that netbooks are here to stay for many reasons. While laptop models today have become lighter than ever before, it is worthy to note that ultrabooks sometimes cost almost 3 times the price of a regular netbook.

Tablets are very practical, ultra-light and extremely fun to use, but no one would recommend it for getting any serious work done. Because of that, there are netbooks to fill the void between ultrabooks and tablets. It many not be as powerful as the average ultrabook model, but netbooks are powerful, large and comfortable enough to get some light work done while you are one the go. While it is true that all the netbooks do come with virtual keyboards, but really, it is a far cry from the experience of using a physical keyboard and mouse/track pad.

Specs Summary:

Processor: 1.66Ghz Intel Atom N570 dual-core
Memory: 2GB DDR3 RAM
Storage: 320GB SATA hard drive
OS: 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium
Graphics: Intel UMA
Screen: 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 screen
Connectivity: 802.11n wifi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3 USB ports, memory card reader

At the time of writing, the Asus Eee PC 1015PX is one of the hottest netbook models in the market. This netbook comes with a dual core Intel Atom N570 processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 320GB hard drive. This set of specs is good enough to perform light computing needs such as surfing the web, watching movies, checking emails. It is also good enough to carry out any Microsoft Office software tasks.

We will be the first to admit that netbooks are not meant to replace full-featured laptops and desktops, to be fair, they were never meant to do that. They are designed to give users a very affordable and portable computing platform while you are on the go. If you have some extra cash to spare, ultrabooks would make excellent buys as they are much more powerful but just as possible.

One of our favorite features on the Asus Eee PC 1015PX is its impressive battery life. While Asus claims that it can last up to 11 hours on one charge, in reality, you are more likely to get 4 or 5 hours out of it with regular use and settings, which is still pretty decent by any laptop standards. This netbook measures around 10.31 x 7.01 x 1.2 inches in dimensions and weighs just 2.76 pounds. The Asus Eee PC 1015PX currently retails at around $430 each.

Click here for more product info and customer reviews>>

HP Folio 13 Review

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:38:54 +0000

If you are shopping around for an ultrabook, you must consider the HP Folio 13. It is currently one of the best ultrabook models in the market, with an excellent combo of great design, competent specs, great feature set and a reasonable price tag.

The Folio 13 is labeled as a business style ultrabook; probably explaining is rather formal, yet very elegant and simplistic exterior design. It is just 0.7-inches thick and weighs in at 3.3 pounds, which is really very light for a 13-inch laptop model. This model comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD hard drive and a 1366 x 768 pixel 13-inch screen. This set of specs would easily take care of most of the heavy computing tasks that you would need to perform on a regular basis.

Summary of specs and features:

Processor: Intel Core i5 Second Generation
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 Professional
Storage: 128GB SSD hard drive
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM
Graphics: Intel HD 3000
Display: 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 LED backlit screen
Connectivity: HDMI, Bluetooth 3.0, Wireless N 802.11n
Dimensions: 0.7 x 8.67 x 12.54 inches
Weight: 3.3lbs
Keyboard: Backlit, island style keys

The Folio 13 is just a little heavier (almost negligible) than the Macbook Air of the same size, but considerably cheaper. The HP model currently retailing at just under $900, which is significantly cheaper than many of its competing models. The battery life is also very impressive, lasting up to 9 hours on one charge. In fact some tests has shown that it has the best battery life among all of the Windows ultrabook models in its class so far.

As mentioned above, the HP Folio 13 has a rather professional demeanor to it, thanks to the brushed aluminum external casing and symmetrical lines. It is very solidly constructed, which is quite a pleasant surprise coming from its slender profile.

Overall, the HP Folio 13 is an excellent ultrabook laptop. It may not be the sexiest, thinnest nor fastest model in its class, but the combination of a modest price tag, practical design and decent feature set makes the Folio 13 a proposition that is hard to resist.

click here for full product info and customer reviews >>

How To Make Your Laptop Run Faster

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:21:43 +0000

When your laptop becomes slow and sluggish, many people may take that as a sign for them to buy a new laptop. In truth, sluggish laptops are often caused by rather simple issues that can easily be fixed in a matter of minutes. So be sure to go through the checklist below before you decide to trash your laptop.

Step 1: A slow running laptop may be caused by a congested hard drive.

Try deleting all old and unused files from your internal hard drives. You can make also make use of an external hard drive to free up some space on your laptop. In addition to that, you should also uninstall programs that you seldom (or never) use. Very often, programs take up a lot of space on your hard drive. As a rule of thumb, you should always have at least 3GB of free space on your C: drive at all time. After you have done all that, restart your laptop and see if it runs faster now.

Step 2: If you laptop is still sluggish, the next thing to do is to check if there are any softwares running in the background.

Expand the software tray on the right side on your windows bar (on the bottom of your screen). Check on all the programs that are running. If they are not essential, you should either uninstall them or change their setting so that they will not run on startup. Try to keep the number of start-up programs to the minimum.

Also check if your anti-virus is running a scan. Most anti-virus programs run automatic scans and this can slow the system down. Go to you anti-virus program’s settings page and turn of the automatic scan option. This allows you to can your laptop only when you choose to. After you have done this, restart and see if your laptop has sped up.

Step 3: If you did not witness any improvements, go to download.com and download the Ccleaner software.

This is a very useful software that cleans up your laptop by removing unused files, clearing your temporary folder bins and there is also an option to clean your laptop’s registry. After you performed a ‘cleaning’ with that program, restart your laptop.

Step 4: If that fails to speed up your laptop, you should then try to use the Smart Defrag software.

This software improves the fragmentation of your laptop’s hard drives. This process is known to dramatic speed up the performance of a PC. After running the software to de-fragment and optimize you laptop, restart your system.

When all of the steps above fail, it may be a strong indicator that it is time to replace your laptop, but before you do that, you might want to consult a computer technician first above all else.

Should You Use A Laptop Fan?

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:11:53 +0000

If you had to buy just one laptop accessory, let it be a laptop fan or cooling pad. Laptops (especially full-sized, desktop replacement models) are notorious for run hot after prolonged use. There are below laptop keyboard often gets so hot that it becomes unbearable to type with your palms resting on those areas.

Laptop cooling pad from Targus

Besides, getting a laptop fan will not only make the laptop much more comfortable to use, but also prolong the lifespan of the machine. Laptops that are overheated can cause permanent damage to some of the internal components that can either affect the laptop’s performance, or render the whole laptop useless altogether.

For us, the vital question is not of whether you should get a laptop or not but rather which one to get. There are many laptop fan and cooling pads on sale out there, many of which serve distinctive purposes.

Folding laptop fan from Ceivio - great for travel

The most important part of the laptop fan pad is in its design. Most laptop cooling pads and laptops fan pads are elevated, lifting your laptop an inch or two above the table surface when in use. In this configuration, it is important to note that your hands will also be elevated when typing on the keyboard. While some people can get used to this new typing posture, many might find it uncomfortable. Because of that, you might want to take extra care in choosing the laptop pad design that is most comfortable for you.

If you often travel with your laptop, you might wan to get a smaller laptop fan, or a cooling laptop desk as they are much more portable and easier to use. If your laptop seldom leaves your home or office, you should invest in full sized laptop pad with powerful cooling fans.

Besides cooling your laptop, many of the newer laptop fan pads serve several other functions as well. For instance, some can convert into a mini laptop desk that allows you to use it in bed or on the couch. Some advance models even double as laptop docking stations. Prices of laptop fans also vary greatly. Prices start from and affordable $5 per unit, going all the way up to $70 or more.

Charger For Acer Laptop

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:56:43 +0000

Like everything else in life, nothing lasts forever and Acer charger laptops are no exception. But thank heavens for replacement parts.

While there are many different types of chargers out there that you can buy for your Acer laptop, we highly recommend buying a charger from Acer themselves. As much as possible try to get an original Acer charger from a reputable dealer. A faulty or low quality charger can, not only be dangerous, but permanently damage (read fry) your Acer laptop.

With that said, here is a list of chargers from various manufacturers that are compatible with Acer laptops.

Genuine OEM Charger from Acer

Details: 19V, 60 watt, 3.42A

Compatible laptop models: Acer Aspire Acer Aspire 1680 3000 3500 3600 3680 3935 4520 4530 4730 5000 5050 5100 5315 5335 5515 5520 5530 5530z 5535 5535z 5570 5580 5580z 5720 5730 5730z 5735 5735z 6530 6920 6930 6935.

Price: $15.28

Charger from Generic

Details: 65W, 19V, 3.42A ouput

Compatible laptop models: Acer Aspire 1640Z 1650 1680 1690 2010 2020 3003LCi 3004 3025 3030 3630 3650 3660 4315 4720 4920 5030 5040 5051 5315-2142 5315-2940 5510 5610AWLMi 5630-5633wlmi 5670 5680 5735 5735z a110l and the a150.

Price: $3.06

Charger from DekCell

Details: n/a

Compatible laptop models: Acer Aspire 3600 3680 SERIES 3650 and 3610.

Price: $2.41

Charger Techo Earth

Details: 65W, 19V, 3.42A ouput. Dimensions: 1.5 x 5.5 inches.

Compatible laptop models: Acer Aspire One series

Price: $13.80

Charger from BetterStuff LowerPrice

Details: Switchable Voltage Options: DC15V / DC16V / DC18V or 18.5V / DC19V or 19.5V / DC20V / DC22V / DC24V

Compatible laptop models: Please check before purchase (different tip for different models)

Price:$12.86

Charger from Brainydeal

Details: 40W, 19V, 1.58A output, 5.5 x 1.7mm connector

Compatible laptop models: Acer Aspire One series

Price: $6.93

Charger SIB

Details: : 65W, 19V, 3.42A ouput

Compatible laptop models: cer Aspire 1410 1640 3000 3050 3100 3500 3600 3610 3620 3680 4520 4620 4710 5000 5001 5050 5102 5315 5315-2153 5500 5520 5570 5570Z 5572 5580 5600 5610 5610Z 5630 5720 7100 zg-5 and zg5.

Price: $7.09

Toshiba Notebook Malaysia Price

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:48:49 +0000

Toshiba P745-1011X 14-inch Laptop

Category: Mid-range, full-sized laptop
Processor: Intel Core i5-2430m
Storage: 640GB hard drive
Memory: 4GB of DDR3 RAM
Display: 14-inch 1366 x 768 pixel display
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GT525M
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Price: RM2899

Toshiba TECRA R840-2002U

Category: Mid-range, full-sized laptop
Processor: Intel Core i5-2410M
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM
Display: 14-inch HD screen
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
OS: Windows 7 Professional
Price: RM3499

Toshiba L745-1138X 14-inch Laptop

Category: Entry level, full-sized laptop
Processor: Intel Core i3 2330M
Storage: 640GB hard drive
Memory: 2GB DDR3 RAM
Display: 14-inch HD screen
Graphics: Nvidia GT525M
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Price: RM1899

Toshiba PORTEGE R830-2014U 13-inch Laptop

Category: High-end, ultra-light laptop
Processor: Intel Core i7-2620M
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM
Display: 13.3-inch HD display
Graphics: Intel HD graphics
OS: Windows 7 Professional
Price: RM5999

Toshiba Satellite C640-1057U 14-inch Laptop

Category: Entry-level, full-sized
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor B950
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Memory: 2GB DDR3 RAM
Display: 14-inch screen
Graphics: Intel HD graphics
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Price: RM1549

Toshiba Qosmio F750-1013X 15.6-inch Laptop

Category: High-end, gaming laptop
Processor: Intel Core i7-2670QM
Storage: 640GB hard drive
Memory: 8GB DDR3 RAM
Display: 15.6-inch HD display
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT540M 3D
OS: 64bit Windows 7 Home Premium
Price: RM5999

The Lenovo IdeaPad U400 14-inch Laptop

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:37:38 +0000

In recent months we noticed a slightly disturbing trend in the laptop market that has been developing at a steady pace. With every laptop that we have reviewed, we noticed that more and more of the higher-end laptop models began the dubiously resemble the design of the MacBook Pro laptops. Some are so similar that you might just think that it is a MacBook Pro at first glace, the Lenovo IdeaPad U400 for instance, is one of such laptops.

With that out of the way, we must note that the Lenovo IdeaPad U400 is a very respectable 14-inch desktop replacement laptop model. This laptop is a full-sized model measuring at 13.4 x 9.0 x 0.9 inches in dimensions and weighing 4.3 pounds. Design wise, the U400 sports a rather minimalist and business like, clean design, with great balance and symmetry. The metal finishes to the laptop adds to its high-end looks. It is easily one of the best-looking Lenovo laptops that we have seen thus far.

The keyboard consists of island-style black keys, set against a brighter background, much like those on the MacBook Pro models. That is where the similarity ends. Lenovo laptops are famous for their excellent keyboard ergonomics and it shows on this model.

Other than the noteworthy features above, the Lenovo IdeaPad U400 is topped off with some high-end specs and features that includes a 1366 x 768 pixel display screen, an Intel Core i5-2430M processor, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, and a huge 750GB hard drive. This laptop is designed for those who are looking get a little more computing power from their laptop during their everyday use.

The batteries on this model lasted close to 5 hours in our test, which is an above average performance for a 14-inch Intel Core i5 laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad U400 currently retails at around $900 per unit. Overall, the U400 is an excellent high-end 14-inch laptop with a combo of good design, powerful specs and decent performance. It is the perfect machine for anyone who is looking for a full-sized, full-featured laptop model with a little kick.

click here for full product details and customer reviews >>