Now my younger sister has a faster, cooler laptop than me!
Showing posts with label Laptops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laptops. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Vista and RAM
Here's a quick update on my experience with the Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 after a month. It's a fine laptop... not perfect, but for its low asking price, it's hard to complain. In my usage I found that the screen could be sturdier, the battery life better, and the system, faster.
It came with 1GB RAM, and that's anything but enough for Vista.
I bought a 2GB SD card and used it for ReadyBoost, which didn't give dramatic performance improvements, and also upgrade to 2GB RAM, which gave an INSTANT, noticeable performance hike. It also did push the WEI sub-score for RAM from 4.5 to 4.8, and the graphics sub-score from 3.0 to 3.5. Still, I hesitate running Aero on such laptops.
With 2GB RAM, Vista now breathes much better, and finally I can really multi-task reasonably OK (like running Photoshop, iTunes and Office simultaneously). Lesson learnt: if you're running Vista, you would want to have AT LEAST 2GB RAM!
It came with 1GB RAM, and that's anything but enough for Vista.
I bought a 2GB SD card and used it for ReadyBoost, which didn't give dramatic performance improvements, and also upgrade to 2GB RAM, which gave an INSTANT, noticeable performance hike. It also did push the WEI sub-score for RAM from 4.5 to 4.8, and the graphics sub-score from 3.0 to 3.5. Still, I hesitate running Aero on such laptops.
With 2GB RAM, Vista now breathes much better, and finally I can really multi-task reasonably OK (like running Photoshop, iTunes and Office simultaneously). Lesson learnt: if you're running Vista, you would want to have AT LEAST 2GB RAM!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 first looks
As part of my team's win in the international ThinkQuest website design competition, we each received a laptop from Oracle! This 700USD laptop is a Toshiba Satellite Pro L300, a 15.4 inch widescreen business machine.
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The model name is a bit of a misnomer... although is says 'pro', the truth is this is a simple, no frills, budget notebook. But don't get me wrong, the L300 is an affordable and serious machine with respectable features for its price.
But first, this is how it looks: grey lid, un-funky colours, very typical business laptop...
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The L300 retails with a variety of technical configurations, including an AMD version (yuck) and the normal Intel chips. My model is an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0GHz, with a standard 1GB 667MHz RAM, standard 160GB 5400rpm HDD, and lousy integrated graphics that I can't even remember.
On the Windows Experience Index, the L300 had a (pathetic) lowest subscore of 3.0, thanks to the graphics chipset which won't run Aero well. The harddisk yielded the best subscore of 5.2, while processor got a 4.9. I'll be upgrading this thing to 3GB RAM soon; 1GB is anything but sufficient.
Nonetheless, there are some positive things about this machine. Firstly, the 15.4 inch widescreen is one of the better ones I've seen for this price range. It's big, bright and clear, making it absolutely gorgeous to view photos. There is also a SD/memory stick card slot in front! And it is blessed with 3 USB ports, a well designed keyboard and a DVD RW drive.
Battery life is average at around 3 hours, and so is its weight. While it doesn't feel heavy like stone, it is not very light either. You wouldn't want to use this as a mobile road warrior, as it is quite big in size, but I can imagine this on the office table for general usage. When I start to nitpick, I would wish this was much thinner, the screen less thick, and the mouse button less stiff. Other than that, this is your standard laptop but with solid construction, good ergonomics and some very useful features.
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On the software side, this L300 came pre-installed with Vista Business edition, which is the right way to go. Although Toshiba offers an XP Pro version, I think Vista is the future and everyone should run Vista. It's more secure, has more functionality, and from an aesthetics standpoint, more eye-candy.
What I wasn't too pleased about was the preloaded junk programs. The Toshiba DVD software stuff is fine, but what isn't fine is Picasa 2 photo editing software (I'll never use that), the Google Desktop search and toolbar in IE, and some other crap that I can't remember. This is bad... these unnecessary software clutter up the machine, take up disk space, slow down performance, and I won't use those programs!! It also does come with Norton 360 60 day trial, which is more acceptable since I'd want to use that, and also Office 07, which is fine too, but apart from that, the other bloatware isn't acceptable! Toshiba should learn from Sony and allow customers to opt out of these software and just have the OS installed.
You might feel differently about the extra software, and you may like it for the added functionality out of the box, but not for me. I like to install what I want to use. But overall, this is a truly utilitarian laptop, not outstanding but gets the job done. And for the low asking price, this is perhaps one of the better 15 inch widescreen business notebooks around.
Strictly NOT for gaming!
.JPG)
The model name is a bit of a misnomer... although is says 'pro', the truth is this is a simple, no frills, budget notebook. But don't get me wrong, the L300 is an affordable and serious machine with respectable features for its price.
But first, this is how it looks: grey lid, un-funky colours, very typical business laptop...
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
The L300 retails with a variety of technical configurations, including an AMD version (yuck) and the normal Intel chips. My model is an Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0GHz, with a standard 1GB 667MHz RAM, standard 160GB 5400rpm HDD, and lousy integrated graphics that I can't even remember.
On the Windows Experience Index, the L300 had a (pathetic) lowest subscore of 3.0, thanks to the graphics chipset which won't run Aero well. The harddisk yielded the best subscore of 5.2, while processor got a 4.9. I'll be upgrading this thing to 3GB RAM soon; 1GB is anything but sufficient.
Nonetheless, there are some positive things about this machine. Firstly, the 15.4 inch widescreen is one of the better ones I've seen for this price range. It's big, bright and clear, making it absolutely gorgeous to view photos. There is also a SD/memory stick card slot in front! And it is blessed with 3 USB ports, a well designed keyboard and a DVD RW drive.
Battery life is average at around 3 hours, and so is its weight. While it doesn't feel heavy like stone, it is not very light either. You wouldn't want to use this as a mobile road warrior, as it is quite big in size, but I can imagine this on the office table for general usage. When I start to nitpick, I would wish this was much thinner, the screen less thick, and the mouse button less stiff. Other than that, this is your standard laptop but with solid construction, good ergonomics and some very useful features.
.JPG)
On the software side, this L300 came pre-installed with Vista Business edition, which is the right way to go. Although Toshiba offers an XP Pro version, I think Vista is the future and everyone should run Vista. It's more secure, has more functionality, and from an aesthetics standpoint, more eye-candy.
What I wasn't too pleased about was the preloaded junk programs. The Toshiba DVD software stuff is fine, but what isn't fine is Picasa 2 photo editing software (I'll never use that), the Google Desktop search and toolbar in IE, and some other crap that I can't remember. This is bad... these unnecessary software clutter up the machine, take up disk space, slow down performance, and I won't use those programs!! It also does come with Norton 360 60 day trial, which is more acceptable since I'd want to use that, and also Office 07, which is fine too, but apart from that, the other bloatware isn't acceptable! Toshiba should learn from Sony and allow customers to opt out of these software and just have the OS installed.
You might feel differently about the extra software, and you may like it for the added functionality out of the box, but not for me. I like to install what I want to use. But overall, this is a truly utilitarian laptop, not outstanding but gets the job done. And for the low asking price, this is perhaps one of the better 15 inch widescreen business notebooks around.
Strictly NOT for gaming!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Eee PC 4G: hands-on
The recent trend in mobile computing is to create affordable, portable, and somewhat underpowered ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs). Asus was one of the first to launch a cheap UMPC which sold like hotcakes, and that is none other than the well-known Eee PC.
It has already been on the market for a while, and there are new competing machines such as the HP Mini-note, which is a great road warrior btw. I have been playing with the 7-inch Eee PC in stores before, but today I had the chance to physically interact with it at home for a while. My dad's friend just got a 4G version, and so I explored it. :)
This machine runs on Linux, and uses software such as OpenOffice, SMPlayer and Firefox as alternatives to Office, WMP or IE on Windows respectively.
It costs around S$400, so quality isn't top notch. It is worth your every cent though, despite how 'toy-ish' it feels. It is a no-frills, simple to use, straightforward machine with emphasis on the Internet (web 2.0 stuff such as Google Docs) and also on education (there is a dictionary and periodic table pre-installed).
Extremely portable, the Eee PC is an ideal choice for students, or for casual web-surfing and presentations to clients. I like the 3 USB and VGA ports, but don't quite like the small low-res 7-inch screen. Of course there is the bigger 9 inch model, which promises more screen space. This Eee PC runs on 512 MB RAM, but it feels snappy.
There is plenty of simple games installed too, but too kiddish for adults. This is a potato game that Shawn really enjoyed:
And that's Shawn posing with the 'Penguin Racer' game on screen, which is a lot of fun too!
However, no computer is ever perfect. What I don't quite like is the stiff mouse button, the small trackpad, the small 'backspace' key which I always miss... and to nick-pick, the hinge is a tad too stiff.
Overall, highly recommended as a secondary laptop. Verdict: 4/5
Advantages: very affordable, portable and light. Performs acceptably well and has a neat and user-friendly interface. Also has a handy black casing which fits the Eee PC snugly.
Disadvantages: Screen too small and 4GB flash drive is pathetic (can slot in an SD card to solve that).
It has already been on the market for a while, and there are new competing machines such as the HP Mini-note, which is a great road warrior btw. I have been playing with the 7-inch Eee PC in stores before, but today I had the chance to physically interact with it at home for a while. My dad's friend just got a 4G version, and so I explored it. :)
This machine runs on Linux, and uses software such as OpenOffice, SMPlayer and Firefox as alternatives to Office, WMP or IE on Windows respectively.
It costs around S$400, so quality isn't top notch. It is worth your every cent though, despite how 'toy-ish' it feels. It is a no-frills, simple to use, straightforward machine with emphasis on the Internet (web 2.0 stuff such as Google Docs) and also on education (there is a dictionary and periodic table pre-installed).
Extremely portable, the Eee PC is an ideal choice for students, or for casual web-surfing and presentations to clients. I like the 3 USB and VGA ports, but don't quite like the small low-res 7-inch screen. Of course there is the bigger 9 inch model, which promises more screen space. This Eee PC runs on 512 MB RAM, but it feels snappy.
There is plenty of simple games installed too, but too kiddish for adults. This is a potato game that Shawn really enjoyed:
And that's Shawn posing with the 'Penguin Racer' game on screen, which is a lot of fun too!
However, no computer is ever perfect. What I don't quite like is the stiff mouse button, the small trackpad, the small 'backspace' key which I always miss... and to nick-pick, the hinge is a tad too stiff.
Overall, highly recommended as a secondary laptop. Verdict: 4/5
Advantages: very affordable, portable and light. Performs acceptably well and has a neat and user-friendly interface. Also has a handy black casing which fits the Eee PC snugly.
Disadvantages: Screen too small and 4GB flash drive is pathetic (can slot in an SD card to solve that).
Friday, May 2, 2008
Lenovo X300: The MacBook Air rival
Check out this hilarious video advertising for the Lenovo X300 ultra-portable laptop.
So is this true? I'm afraid so... The MacBook Air is a laptop of trade-offs and a crazy price point. If you've always been wanting a MacBook Air look-alike in terms of form factor, the X300 might just be it. It's cheaper and has an optical drive, but it's a PC and not a Mac.
So is this true? I'm afraid so... The MacBook Air is a laptop of trade-offs and a crazy price point. If you've always been wanting a MacBook Air look-alike in terms of form factor, the X300 might just be it. It's cheaper and has an optical drive, but it's a PC and not a Mac.
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