Averatec 4200 13" Widescreen Notebook

Who says a widescreen Centrino notebook with a bright, glassy display weighing less than 5 lbs. has to cost $2,000 or more? Averatec has a way of bringing notebooks to market that cost far less than competing brands. While Averatec's very first notebooks sold several years ago were light but average in looks and specs, their latest offerings have great specs and the looks to match, targeting potential Sony Vaio and Apple iBook buyers. Their 10.6" Averatec 1000 notebook, a part of their new lineup is also an excellent choice if you're looking for the smallest possible subnotebook, while the 13.3" 4200 fits more mainstream subnotebook tastes.The 4200's interior is finished in matte white, while the outside cover is a deep blue. Averatec plans to offer a selection of very attractive top cover colors and we saw a range of those colors in person, some of which you can see below. In addition, they'll offer a send-in service for those who wish to change their notebook's cover color.

But a pretty face isn't everything, and the Averatec's 4200 Mobile Pentium M 730 processor, Centrino architecture, 512 megs of DDR RAM, 80 gig hard drive and integrated DVD burner mean this notebook is ready for real work. It features Averatec's widescreen 13.3" AveraBrite™ display which is similar to Sony's XBrite and Fujitsu's Crystal View displays. The display is bright, sharp and has that glassy look which makes photos and movies look great.

Averatec 1000 Series Notebook: AV1050

Subnotebooks have never looked so good. A few years back, they were few and far between with prices that were as heavy on the wallet as the units were light on the back. Now Averatec, known for their affordable yet stylish and technically competent notebooks, brings us the 1000 series which have looks to die for at a modest 3.6 pounds and $1,150 to $1379 list price.

The 1000 brings to mind the venerable but now discontinued Sony Vaio TR2A and TR3a which received our Editor's Choice award in November 2003. It's similar in size, also features an internal optical drive, bright and glossy display, Intel Centrino technology and good looks. The TR2A and TR3A sold for approximately $2,200 in the US, $1000 more than the Averatec. Of course, you were paying the early adopter price for the Vaio which was available nearly two years before the Averatec, but Sony's current subnotebook, the T350, still costs nearly $1,000 more.

Features at a Glance

There are two 1000 series models, the AV1050, which we received for review, and the AV1020.The AV1050 is more commonly available and is the better choice in terms of CPU: it has a 1.1 GHz Intel Centrino Pentium M 733 processor, while the 1020 has a 1 GHz Celeron. The 1050 has an 80 gig hard drive and the 1020 has a 60 gig hard drive. In all other respects, features are the same: 10.6" WXGA AveraBrite display (similar to Sony's XBrite), 512 megs of DDR RAM, WiFi 802.11b/g and an internal DVD/CR-RW drive.

In the Box

The notebook and its compact charger: that's all! Inside the small box you'll find a sheet of paper explaining that the manual can be found in PDF format pre-installed on the notebook and that you'll need to make your own recovery CDs. We're fans of included recovery media, but alas, they're becoming increasingly rare. Even Sony, a tier one pricey manufacturer, doesn't include the disks. Should you need to wipe your notebook clean and re-install the OS and included applications you can do so from the recovery partition, though we suggest making those recovery CDs just in case your notebook won't boot from the hard disk.

ASUS S5Ne subnotebook

Subnotebooks often cost twice as much as standard sized notebooks. While many of us would like to take a load off our feet and backs when traveling or simply have no need for a large notebook, high prices mean that the average 8 lb. notebook is what we'll end up with. Enter the attractive and affordable ASUS S5Ne, which you can find at more competitive online retailers for around $1,400. The ASUS weighs a mere 2.8 lbs., making it one of the lightest notebooks available. This model boasts a 1 GHz Centrino processor, WiFi, 12.1" XGA display, an SD/Memory Stick slot and plenty of ports. Not only that, it comes with an external slim DVD/CDRW and a wireless mouse. The ASUS S5Ne, DVD/CDRW drive and wireless mouse. Design The S5Ne is an ultralight with a lovely looking pearl white and silver casing. The top is pearl while, and the rest of the notebook is silver. A translucent white plastic strip inset into the top front edge of the lid covers indicator lights for power, charging, hard disk access and WiFi. The same indictor LEDs can also be found on the front edge of the bottom clamshell on the wrist rest area, as can a single speaker. Though this is a subnotebook, it has a full size notebook keyboard, standard trackpad and an ample wrist rest area. The ASUS is a good looking unit: you don't have to buy a tier one brand to get an elegant looking, cleanly designed notebook. The PCMCIA slot, Firewire port, a USB port, modem and 10/100 Ethernet jack are located on the right side of the unit. On the left you'll find two more USB ports, a standard VGA port, DC-out (for the DVD/CDRW drive), a fan grill, SD card slot and audio in and out jacks. Other than the DC-in jack, there are no ports on the rear of the unit, and a removable Lithium Ion battery runs across the length of the back and functions as the notebook's rear feet. Horsepower Like most ultralight and subnotebooks released in the past year, the ASUS features an Intel Ultra Low Voltage Mobile Pentium M processor running at 1GHz. That's plenty fast for even demanding applications and the ASUS was faster than some of the other 1 GHz Centrinos we've reviewed. The Intel Centrino technology improves speed while keeping power requirements low. What is Centrino? It's Intel's name for their new notebook architecture released last year which combines their new Pentium M processor, 855 chipset and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 WiFi 802.11b (or g) network interface. The Pentium M is supposed to be significantly faster than mobile Pentium 4 processors, yet it uses less power. The M was designed from the ground up as a mobile processor where low power, heat dissipation and excellent speed performance were the goals, rather than being a shrunk down desktop processor. Centrino definitely hit the mark, and represents a very exciting technology. Top view, closed.

Apple MacBook

Preface

A truly well-written book is one that captivates your attention and empowers your imagination. When you find a real page-turner, it's almost impossible to put down. Although it may not be what you're thinking of, Apple has expertly authored their new 13" MacBook. The notebook retains design advantages evolved from generations of PowerBooks while also addressing some of the most serious issues that have sometimes surfaced with previous models. With its versatile functionality and strong performance, the MacBook is certain to be a best-seller.

Chapter 1: Design

This reviewed is based on the mid-level MacBook model, which comprises the midrange of the three versions available. The physical design is identical to the low-end model: a widescreen white laptop with a 1280x800 screen (which is larger than the 12" PowerBook G4's screen in both size and resolution) on one side, and a keyboard on the other with a trackpad surrounded by wrist rests. The trackpad features the two-fingered scrolling capability present on other recent Apple notebooks.

The high-end model also uses essentially the same physical design as well, except that it is black in color. The battery is located on the bottom of the MacBook, and it can be removed by the user via the same "coin-operated switch" (a rotating switch designed so that only a coin or similarly shaped object can be used to turn it) as recent PowerBooks. In short, the basic layout of the MacBook is essentially the same as Apple's previously laptops, a design that I have always found to be about as comfortable as possible for a compact laptop.

One difference between the MacBook and previous models is that instead of a physical latch, the MacBook is kept sealed when closed by a magnetic system. In my testing, the system worked well and actually seemed more reliable than the previous latches, with small moving parts perpetually at risk of breaking. The power adaptor has also been replaced by the much-advertised MagSafe connector, which is designed to stay connected firmly unless it is abruptly pulled for some reason (like tripping over the cable), in which case it snaps free to avoid taking the MacBook with it. Although there have been rumors that the MagSafe connector can become disconnected too easily under normal use, nothing like this happened during my testing, and in fact, in my opinion, it actually stays connected more securely than the power connector on my old PowerBook.

Apple has also redesigned the keyboard to try to lessen the possibility that dirt or debris can sink into the keyboard and become stuck. I found that the new design is fairly effective at achieving this goal while still remaining comfortable to type on. The keyboard has 78 keys, including an eject key and an "fn" key that enables the embedded numeric keypad.

As with other recent Apple laptops, the MacBook's MagSafe and other ports and connectors are located on the left-hand side of the unit (from the perspective of someone facing the screen and using the unit). The other connectors include an RJ45 Ethernet connector, a video-out connector, two USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 400 port, audio in and audio out, and a Kensington-standard locking connector (used by some third-party security devices that tether a laptop to your desk).

The device measures 12.78 inches by 8.92 inches, and when it is closed, its total height is just 1.08 inches. Including the battery, the MacBook weighs 5.2 lbs. Although it is slightly larger than the 12" PowerBook G4, it retains the thin and light feel that makes it a cinch to carry.

If you already own a previous Mac, Apple has included a truly impressive migration assistant, as long as your previous Mac is new enough to support Firewire connections. Simply boot up your old Mac in Firewire target disk mode (connect it to the MacBook via Firewire, and then boot the old Mac while holding command-T), and then the migration assistant can transfer over your documents, preferences, and applications. You can choose to transfer all of these categories, or only some of them - just be sure you realize that you might be transferring a lot more data than you realize (for example, don't forget that your user folder contains your desktop folder). Firewire is fast, but if you are transferring several gigabytes, you can still expect to wait for a bit.

Chapter 2: Intel Inside

The middle and high-end MacBook models each contain a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo dual-processor system; the low-end model uses a 1.83 GHz Core Duo. Although Steve Jobs made some of the Mac faithful a bit nervous when he announced the transition to Intel, using the MacBook has convinced me that he made the right choice.

The MacBook's performance is simply stunning. The benchmarking software XBench gave my model an overall rating of 80.61, which is consistent with the average performance data provided by XBench's developers. By contrast, the average performance score for an aluminum PowerBook G4 is reported by XBench to be 43.18, and even an iMac G5 scored only 62.85 (although XBench's averages indicate that the Power Mac G5 and, of course, the Mac Pro are still faster than the MacBook).

Some testers have questioned the validity of XBench's techniques and results, but the proof is in the computing: the MacBook is simply a joy to use. Whereas ripping a DVD with HandBrake on my PowerBook G4 usually scored an average of about 0.11 frames per second, my MacBook usually hits about 70-80 fps. Whereas playing an "iPod Style" MP4 on my PowerBook would cause everything else on the system to grind almost to a screeching halt, I can comfortably play them in the background on my MacBook while continuing to work on other tasks. Windows, tabs, and other interface items respond much, much faster, and overall, the many lags I had become accustomed to on my PowerBook are almost entirely eliminated.

The low-end MacBook uses Apple's combo drive, which reads CDs and DVDs but burns only CDs, but the midrange and high-end models feature a 4x/4x/8x SuperDrive that can read and burn CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, and DVD+R/RW discs. The amount of time required to burn a full CD-R is fairly close on the MacBook to the amount of time it took on my PowerBook G4. Both the combo drive and SuperDrive are slot-loading, so there's no tray to break off, but you'll need an adaptor to play mini CDs or DVDs with smaller-than-standard diameters.

All three MacBook models come with 512 MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM on two SO-DIMMs, and support a maximum of 2 GB of RAM. The default configuration of 512 MB of RAM is just not enough. Modern operating systems are RAM-hungry, and adding RAM can make a much larger improvement to performance than you may have realized. Although you can build-to-order a MacBook from Apple's online store with 1 GB of RAM for $100 (like I did), or 2 GB of RAM for $500, this still leaves you in a bind if you are planning to buy a pre-configured model from a local store or don't have much time to wait for custom upgrades to be installed. For years, computers have come with insufficient RAM while computer makers blamed the issue on the high price of RAM and the need to keep the base price low. However, RAM prices have been plummeting for years now, and Apple should've included more RAM by default, at the very least in the high-end model.

The high-end model includes an 80 GB internal hard disk, whereas the other two models include a 60 GB drive. In both cases, the drive is a Serial ATA model spinning at 5400 rpm. As with the RAM, Apple's online store allows you to custom order larger hard drives for an additional cost.

Based on the Intel "stereotypes" that Apple once used to promote PowerPC chips, I was pleased to discover that the MacBook actually runs much more quietly and at a much cooler temperature than my PowerBook G4, which is the opposite of what I thought would happen. In fact, if the screen's brightness is turned completely off, I find it difficult to tell if the MacBook is running or sleeping, since it is virtually silent either way. It is possible that my PowerBook's excessive heat emission is caused by its battery, although my serial number was not within Apple's recall, but whatever the cause may have been, it has been fixed for the MacBook.

Whining noises, overheating, spontaneous shutdowns - the Internet seems flooded with horror stories about MacBooks having these or other problems. I did not experience any of these in testing, not even once. Although the sheer volume of these complaints implies that they probably have at least some validity, I believe that these problems are not nearly as widespread as some people seem to think they are.

Intel-based Macs also include Rosetta, Apple's emulation layer that seamlessly runs applications that are still only available in PowerPC versions. Although they are noticeably slower than native Intel applications, their performance is comparable to their performance running natively on a PowerPC Mac. Classic mode has finally gone by the wayside, though, so if you need a program that is not even native to Mac OS X for any processor type, you can pretty much forget about it.

Don't worry, though - this is still Mac OS X. Even though it is now running on an Intel processor, the user interface and design are still exactly the same as on Mac OS X on a PowerPC Mac. I also found system stability to be comparable to Mac OS X on a PowerPC (which was pretty much rock-solid), although apps running under Rosetta do seem to be a bit more resource-hungry and crash-prone than other programs.

Chapter 3: Multimedia

All three MacBook models use an Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64 MB of shared video RAM. Though not ideal for advanced gaming, the graphics system is more than enough for almost all other tasks. The video output port is a mini-DVI connector, which can be adapted to DVI or VGA, although in both cases, you will have to purchase the adaptor separately.

The MacBook has an iSight camera built-in above the screen, with a resolution of 640x480. This is both less intrusive and higher quality than most other available webcams. It also features built-in stereo speakers and an omnidirectional microphone, as well as audio-in and audio-out minijacks.

When you first open the MacBook's packaging, you might be a bit surprised to see a small object resembling an iPod shuffle tumble out of the box. However, it's not really an iPod at all, but rather Apple's infrared remote. With the included FrontRow software, you can navigate music and video menus from across the room, using an interface that is overall very similar to that of a video-capable iPod. This is a handy addition if you would like to watch video (or listen to audio) on your MacBook without sitting at your desk. You can even wake the MacBook and put it back to sleep right from the remote! (Oddly, the remote's functionality is much more limited when using it to control an actual iPod via Apple's Universal Dock.)

The screen itself uses a new "glossy" technology that I found to be a major improvement over my PowerBook G4. Although the contrast on my PowerBook's screen was always a bit weak, the colors on the MacBook's screen are far more vibrant. The MacBook's screen also seems significantly brighter than my PowerBook's, even when set to a fairly low brightness setting.

Additional bundled software includes iLife 06 and Quicken 2006, although Quicken 2006 is actually not yet Intel native. The included versions of Microsoft Office and iWork are both only 30-day trials, so I didn't find these to be particularly useful.

Chapter 4: Networking

As with other recent Mac laptops, the MacBook includes a built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking card, compatible with both 802.11b and 802.11g, as part of the standard configuration. The AirPort Extreme card supports speeds up to 54 Mbps. It also features a standard RJ45 wired Ethernet connector, supporting 10/100/1000BaseT. The built-in Bluetooth is now compliant with the Bluetooth 2.0 standard, boasting speeds of up to 3 Mbps.

The standard 56K dial-up modem is located... on Apple's store, for $49. Yes, the modem is really gone. If you really need one, you'll have to use Apple's external USB model, which is not included. Although I feel like I should be disappointed about this, I have to say that if you have enough patience to deal with 56K, you probably don't even need a fast computer like the MacBook - for that matter, anyone who really has that much patience would probably be happy with a PowerBook 160!

Although there is no included dial-up modem, all the included networking options worked reliably with good range and solid performance in my testing.

Chapter 5: The Power To Be Your Best

The MacBook's battery is a 55-watt-hour lithium polymer, featuring built-in LEDs to indicate charge status. Apple estimates that the battery will last 3.5 hours while using WiFi, or 2.5 hours for watching DVDs. My testing indicates that these estimates are accurate or perhaps even conservative, with the MacBook potentially outlasting Apple's own estimates in some cases.

Chapter 6: Have Your Cake, And Crash It Too

Now it's time for "one more thing:" the MacBook runs Windows too. In the past, some people were hesitant to purchase a Mac because they perceived the inability to run Windows natively as "giving something up." Well, so much for that excuse!

Most people have already heard of Apple's Boot Camp, which enables you to create a separate partition on your hard disk (without erasing existing data) and install Windows XP (sold separately, of course) onto that partition. You can then hold the option key at startup to choose which operating system you want to boot into. So does it actually work?

Apple currently bills Boot Camp as a prerelease, unsupported beta, and you will indeed have to download it separately (the download is about 200 MB) since it is not yet included by default. It is important to follow Apple's directions to the letter: you absolutely must have a installer disc for Windows XP SP2. No earlier versions will work, not even Windows XP SP1, and you cannot install an earlier version and run the updater either. If you have an installation disc for an earlier version of Windows XP, and you want to create a proper SP2 disc for use with Boot Camp, you will have to use a Microsoft technology called slipstreaming, which is similar to sticking your head in a food processor, but less fun. (Slipstreaming will also require you to have access to a PC that is already running Windows XP and can burn a CD.)

However, once you get the system working, it really does live up to the hype. Mac users may be inclined to ask, "How close is it to a real PC?" - but the answer is that it is a real PC, and in fact many users report superior performance to other laptops running Windows. Apple graciously includes drivers to enable the AirPort card, Bluetooth, iSight, the eject button, and various other features. For some reason, Apple neglected to enable two-fingered trackpad scrolling in Windows, although you can connect a standard USB mouse with scroll wheel and use its scroll wheel just as you would with any other Windows machine.

Rather than trying to explain everything you can possibly do with Boot Camp and how you go about doing it, let me just explain that everything that works with a regular PC also works under Boot Camp (even ActiveSync 4!), and thanks to Boot Camp, your really are running Windows XP on a standard Intel notebook PC.

Epilogue

What more can I say about the MacBook? I just plain love it. The performance is almost shockingly fast, the screen is a major improvement, and the elegant design nuances from previous Apple notebooks remain intact. I'm impressed at the MacBook's ability to run quietly without generating excessive heat, and at Apple's continued dedication to detail, with even more "nice touches" than ever, such as the MagSafe power adaptor. If you have ever liked any Apple laptop before, you and the MacBook are sure to live happily ever until an even faster model comes out.

Pros: Amazing performance; excellent screen; light, compact design; well-designed MagSafe power adaptor; handy migration assistant; convenient combination of remote and FrontRow; built-in iSight; Boot Camp works well except for lack of trackpad scrolling; very competitively priced.

Cons: Default configurations need more RAM; a more powerful graphics card would have earned the MacBookk 5 stars.

MacBook Air

When a new notebook model or line comes out, it rarely raises a cacophony of debates between lovers, haters, pundits and grandmas. Such is Apple's ability to engage the emotions. For the January 2008 MacWorld trade show in San Francisco, Steve Jobs announced the world's thinnest notebook. Indeed it's hard to imagine a notebook could be so thin. It makes the Sony X505, that once incredibly sexy, thin and expensive notebook (two varieties sold for $3,000 and $4,000 back in 2004!) look dated and chubby.

And at the sweet spot of 13", the Air is mainstream ultraportable: its light and small but still usable. It didn't replace the MacBook or MacBook Pro line of computers, it's simply a new option for those who need or love ultra-light computers. But folks were up in arms, or in love just a bit too early for Valentines Day. Those who wished for a revival of the 12" Mac notebook complained that 13" was just too wide and tall for an airplane coach seat, those who wanted it for cheap complained of the price, especially the SSD version. And all the while, veteran Mac users who hadn't perused the Windows ultraportable price tags lately were suffering sticker shock. I suspect that Windows users, including would-be switchers who hadn't yet done so because they wanted an ultralight, were thrilled. Put me in that camp.

We review a good number of notebooks, generally Windows models. Our specialty has been ultralight and subnotebook models, from that X505 to the seriously tiny Fujitsu U810. I'm a Mac person and have been since the late 80's, but I don't have the back or the desire to carry a 15" notebook or even a 5 pound 13" MacBook. Frequent business travelers and students already overburdened with books will tell you the same. A few pounds makes a ton of difference. So, like many Mac users, I instead toted a Sony Vaio TX850 or Vaio SZ650, and hoped some day Apple would take care of me. It seems they finally did.

MacBook Air

Features at a Glance

The MacBook Air comes in two stock flavors: the 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with an 80 gig hard drive ($1,799) and the 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with a 64 gig SSD (solid state drive) for $3,098. We got both models in house for review. Both run on the Intel Santa Rosa chipset with a specially shrunk-down but full-spec Core 2 Duo. They have Intel X3100 integrated graphics with 3D acceleration (there's no dedicated graphics option) and single-link DVI support (monitors up to 23"), an LED backlit display, backlit keyboard controlled by an ambient light sensor, an oversized multi-touch/gesture-aware touchpad, 2 gigs of DDR2 RAM, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, WiFi 802.11n (also compatible with 802.11a/b/g) and an iSight web cam. The Air has Front Row but you must purchase the $19 remote separately. There are build to order options so you can mix and match the CPU speed with the 80 gig or 64 gig SSD drive. There are currently no other drive or CPU options.

What's Cool?

The Air's incredible thinness, lightness and drop-dead good looks stand at the forefront. The oversized trackpad that supports multi-touch and gestures just like the iPhone and iPod Touch is fantastic: you can zoom simply by pinching two fingers in and out, even icons in the Finder, Safari web browser windows, PDFs and images. You can rotate images with a twist of the fingers, and move forward and back in documents and web browser windows by swiping right or left with 3 fingers. Use 2 fingers for a right-click since the Air, like all Mac notebooks has only a single trackpad button. The iSight camera works well with Skype and iChat and the backlit keyboard is as always something we wish all notebooks had.

Last but certainly not least is the relatively fast CPU by ultraportable standards. While the Air might not be as fast as the MacBook, it's much faster than most ultraportables on the market today weighing 3 pounds or less. For those on the forefront of mobile technology, the SSD is an exciting option that's light years faster, uses less power (for an average 20 minutes longer runtimes in our tests) and is silent. And like all Intel Macs, you can run Windows on the MacBook Air if you wish.

Design and Ports

Hands down, this is the most breathtaking machine I've ever seen. High end Vaio notebooks, once the bastion of understated modern elegant design, now look downright dull. And until you see and feel it in person, you can't get a true sense of just how thin it is. The casing is aluminum and it looks like a member of the MacBook Pro line. It weighs 3 pounds and measures 12.8 x 8.94 inches. The thickness is 0.16 to 0.76 inches-- it's thinner than a CD jewel case at it's thinnest points. That aluminum casing and relatively wide bezel around the display make for a very sturdy and rigid computer. The display has virtually no flex and there's no light pooling if you press the display from behind. Quality oozes out, suitable for the higher-end BMW and Mercedes crowd. This looks like a machine that should cost far more than $1,799. In fact, it doesn't really look like the notebook computer as we know it.

Like the MacBook Pro, the MBA has an LED backlit display that's downright gorgeous and extremely bright with no color cast. It's easy to read text thanks to the relatively roomy 13.3" display running at 1280 x 800 (same as the MacBook and Sony Vaio SZ). Unlike the MacBook Pro, there's no matte screen option, the Air comes only with a glossy display. Again like the MBP, the keyboard is backlit, though the keyboard feels more like the MacBook's, which isn't a bad thing. Key travel is good, though shorter than the MBP's and the size is just perfect unless you have really large mitts. The large display and keyboard (by ultraportable standards) make for a perfectly usable machine. Yes, the 11" Vaio TX and TZ series notebooks and the Fujitsu LifeBook P1510 and P1620 aren't as wide or long but their displays are harder to read and the keyboard is sub-normal sized. The MacBook Air gives a big nod to usability and ergonomics, unlike many subnotebooks. It doesn't feel like a stop gap measure that sends you running to your desktop or larger notebook ASAP.

The MBA's 3 ports are on the right side of the notebook, under a small door that drops down. The MacBook Air's edges curve to a thin point, and that leaves space for the door to drop down, like the cargo door on a military aircraft. Space is tight as we mentioned, and fat USB connectors might not fit. We had to use a USB extension cable for our Yego Y, but our DVD drive's cable, mouse cable and flash drives fit just fine. The 45 watt MagSafe power connector is on the left side near the rear, and Apple's designed one that fits in that tight spot. For those new to Mac portables, the charger is incredibly small and light and adds little overall weight and bulk to the travel package.

When working with MS Office documents, browsing the web and doing email, the notebook stays fairly cool and the fan rarely comes on. Play a game Like Age of Empires III and you'll feel a hot spot about the diameter of a golf ball just left of center toward the rear of the computer on the underside. The fan will also run continuously quite audibly. The Air runs cooler than the MacBook Pro and Sony Vaio SZ series, but there's little space between the CPU and the case so you can feel it when the machine is working hard. This is true of both the 1.6 and 1.8GHz models.

MagSafe port on the MacBook Air.

Extremely light and compact charger.

Is the MacBook Air a design and engineering marvel? Certainly it is. But so are the Sony Vaio TZ series (for squeezing so many features into such a small package) and the Fujitsu U810 for shrinking a notebook down to a 7" x 6", 1.56 pound package. Which is better? There is no right answer: it depends on your preferred OS, size, weight, screen viewablity and keyboard needs. Has Apple started a trend? Definitely. Some folks have compared it to the ill-fated Mac Cube and that's wrong-- the world wasn't looking for a small Cube-shaped desktop PC. Ultralight notebooks and subnotebooks are in contrast an established market. Will the MBA do for notebooks what the RAZR did for phones? It could very well be. After all, the RAZR didn't even do much of anything-- it was a basic phone with a great design. The MacBook Air, despite its tradeoffs, is still a powerful and capable machine.

What's vanished into thin Air

Subnotebooks make compromises-- the CPU is usually slower, there are fewer ports and the optical drive is often not internal (though that's slowly changing since Sony raised the bar and found a way to squeeze a DVD drive into slim but still much thicker subnotebooks). As you've probably read or heard by now, there is NO CD or DVD drive built in.

Instead Apple sells a very light and compact USB external SuperDrive (dual layer DVD burner) for $99. Or you can use your own USB optical drive if you have one-- it needs to be the kind that provides its own power (plugs into an AC outlet). We tested two different external drives (a Sony external drive and the compact Ridata Quattro drive) and they worked fine.

We used the Sony external dual layer DVD drive to install Windows Vista via Boot Camp with no problems. Alternatively, the MacBook Air's Mac OS X DVD comes with Mac and Windows drivers that allow you to share any machine's optical drive that's on the same network (this won't work for installing Windows or playing music or movies but it does work for everything else, including installing software and Mac OS X).

If you need to burn DVDs on the road, the Air isn't the best machine for the job unless you want to carry the Apple SuperDrive and bring your total toting weight closer to 4 pounds. But if you're the kind of person who rarely uses the DVD drive when traveling, it makes more sense. And of course, Apple wants you to buy or rent iTunes movies for those plane rides.

There is no built-in Ethernet port. Apple sells a $29 USB Ethernet dongle adapter that handles 10/100 Ethernet with a standard RJ45 jack. We've seen other tiny notebooks and ultralights with no built-in Ethernet port, but the required dongle is usually in the box-- stingy Apple. WiFi is the way to go, or a USB WAN (cellular data) stick like the Sierra Wireless Aircard 595U on Sprint. Speaking of which, we don't mind the lack of a built-in WAN card. We'd rather choose our carrier and not be tied to an internal WAN card that may become outdated.

Port door dropped down.

There's 1 USB port, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and a micro-DVI monitor-out port. That's it. If you use a Bluetooth mouse, life will be easier since that frees up a USB port. If you need to use 2 USB devices at the same time, you'll need a USB hub or a Y-adapter (we used Ridata's Yego Y adapter, which is compact and has a 1 gig flash drive built in). Serious musicians won't be happy with the lack of a 3.5mm line in-- only USB mics and converters will work.

There's no battery door or latch because you can't swap the battery. That requires some disassembly and you can take it into an Apple store where they'll replace it for $129. That does little good for cross-country and trans-Atlantic travelers sitting in an airline seat with no power outlet. Apple claims the MacBook Air can run up to 5 hours on a charge, which is optimistic: so far we've been getting 3hours and 40 minutes on the "normal" power setting at mid-brightness under Mac OS and the "balanced" setting under Vista on the HDD drive model, and 4 hours with the SSD. This is with WiFi and Bluetooth on doing light web browsing and working with Office documents. Streaming video and playing video from the drive reduce runtimes and does gaming.

Bottom of the Air: look ma, no battery compartment!

Clearly, the MacBook Air isn't meant to be a desktop replacement. If you need all the ports, drives and integrated card readers of a full size notebook, then consider a MacBook, MacBook Pro or Windows notebook. This is a travel and couch machine, a secondary or tertiary machine. If you want something incredibly light and thin that doesn't compromise on the display and keyboard sizes, with a much faster CPU than most ultralights and subnotebooks, then consider the Air.

Horsepower and Performance Here's a touchy subject: ultraportables almost universally run on slower CPUs. The MacBook Air is definitely the slowest Mac in the current Apple lineup, but it's nonetheless a powerful machine that's faster than competing 3 pound and under notebooks. The MBA is available with either the 1.6 or 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo and this is not the ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) CPU that runs slower. Intel designed a shrunk down 65nm Merom processor (the Intel P7500) to fit in the Air and it runs on the Intel Santa Rosa 965GMS platform. The CPU has 4 megs of level 2 cache and an 800MHz FSB just like the MacBook, MacBook Pro and Santa Rosa Windows notebooks. The MacBook Air is about as fast as the last generation MacBook and is similar in CPU and chipset specs to Windows notebooks released in the spring to summer of 2007. That means it's no slouch and both models are extremely responsive using the Finder, playing iTunes content including 720p streaming QuickTime content, surfing the web, using MS Office 2008 and working with 10 meg images in Photoshop CS3. This is not a desktop replacement or power user's notebook suitable for serious movie making, 3D design and CAD work, but it's fine for lesser tasks. Streaming QuickTime trailers in 1080p is decent in terms of playback, though pointless unless you're using an external monitor since 1080p's resolution at 1900 pixels wide doesn't fit on screen. There's quite a bit of buffering even over 802.11n for 1080p, so we suggest downloading the trailer to the drive first rather than streaming.

We were concerned that the 4200 parallel ATA drive would be deadly slow but we've experienced no lagging launching applications, loading large game resources from the drive or playing movies stored on the drive. It is a bit slower than other current Mac notebooks installing software and deleting large numbers of files (3,000+) from the trash, but not horrendously slow. Why does the MacBook Air use a 1.8" low RPM PATA single platter drive? Because that's all that would fit. The drive formats to 74 gigs with 56.8 gigs free from the factory (iLife 08 uses a few gigs). There's enough space to install Vista and still have room for apps on both partitions and some multimedia files but not a 30 gig iTunes library.

The 64 gig SSD drive version with the 1.8GHz processor is obscenely fast launching applications-- nothing comes close in the world of conventional hard drives and even the Mac Pro seems slow in comparison. The SSD drive is comprised of memory rather than hard disk platters and that's why it's so fast. It won't help speed up processor-intensive tasks like encoding a song or video however. But it doesn't care if you shake the computer up and down all day long since there are no moving parts. SSD drives are found in some ThinkPad, Vaio and Dell notebooks but they're still relatively new to the market. They cost an arm and a leg: the 64 gig drive used in the Air costs between $900 and $1,000 if purchased separately. Is it worth it? At the current price point, it's not worth it to me, but for those who literally use the notebook on the go bouncing and bumping or need that speed boost, the answer might be yes. 64 gigs is currently the highest capacity drive available in the 1.8" size as of Feb. 2008, and that's tight. For those who need to install Windows, you won't have room for more than a set of core applications (Office, Adobe Creative Suite) on each partition and a bare minimum of music and videos. The drive formats out to 55 gigs with 38 gigs free from the factory. You can get rid of any Apple apps you won't use (say some of the iLife 08 suite) to recover up to a gig.

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/MacBook-Air.htm

Alienware Aurora m7700

What's big, blue and fast? In the world of notebook computers, the answer is the Alienware Aurora m7700. This desktop replacement targets the gaming market with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual core processor, 256 meg Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra PCI Express graphics card and a 17" WXGA display. That's our $3,000 review unit, but Alienware is all about build-to-order, so you can go with an AMD Athlon 64 FX-60, Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX and a 17" wide UXGA (1920 x 1200) display if you're hankering to beat the pants off of your buddies' desktop rigs and can shell out the $2,000 additional. Alienware has several lines of notebook computers, but their most well known are the gaming-oriented, desktop replacement Area-51 (Intel CPU) and Aurora lines. The two are nearly identical to the naked eye, except for casing color. In terms of components, they are identical, except the CPU (Intel vs AMD desktop CPUs). Since Athlon processors are the current kings of gaming, the Aurora gaming line runs on AMD. In the Box The Alienware Aurora m7700 arrives in a large black box, befitting a desktop machine. Inside you'll find the notebook, a large mouse pad with rigid plastic platform, recovery media, an Alienware tee shirt, brick charger, a USB floppy drive and a soft nylon case with strap that's big enough to hold both the computer and the large charger along with small items. Design and Ergonomics: Livin' Large Keep in mind that the m7700, like most Alienware notebooks, isn't about portability. Our machine weighs in a 12 pounds 5 ounces and feels heavier, possibly because we've never toted a notebook this hefty. The imposing Toshiba Qosmio averages only (did we really just say only?) 9.5 pounds in comparison. Unless you're looking for a good replacement for that free weight session at the gym, you'll probably leave the Aurora on your desk, toting it up to the bedroom perhaps, but likely not to the local Starbucks or to classes. And you'll want a good sized desk at that: the m7700 measures 15.6" x 11.7" and is 2.1" tall. Our large coffee table lost significant real estate to the Aurora, especially after we plopped the included luxury mouse pad beside it (that mouse pad is larger than the Toshiba P1500d subnotebook).

Above: the Aurora m7700 bottom, 17" Powerbook and the Fujitsu P1500d top

But the m7700 is considerably smaller than the desktop and 17" monitor it can easily replace. Not bad. It all depends on what you're looking for in a notebook. This machine is perfect for space-constrained households, those who need to travel overseas and bring a desktop experience with them (it has that carry on appeal) and above all, those who love gaming but don't want to be tied to a desktop.

The m7700 has an attractive dark blue gloss paint job, with a contrasting black keyboard and track pad. Alienware's signature alien head graces the top lid just below their logo (yes, both light up in bright blue when the notebook is on) and large black rubber grip areas on the top help you keep a tight grip on this hefty beast. The lid is secured with two latches up front and the hinges are appropriately beefy, maintaining the big display at just the angle you left it at. The bottom has no less than four fans and there's a large fan outlet on the left side which will keep lefties' paws warm. The 4 slot flash card reader (SD/MMC/Memory Stick/CF type I and II/Smart Media) lives on the left side and is protected by a removable rubber cover. The PCMCIA slot is just above the card reader and four USB 2.0 ports, an SVideo port, two four pin unwired FireWire ports, an IR window and four audio in and our ports round up the left side amenities. The right side is much simpler, with only the CD/DVD drive door located near the front. On the back you'll find a standard VGA port, DVI video port, parallel port, PS2 port, modem, Ethernet, power and a very large vent with a lovely copper heat sink behind the grille.

Open up the m7700 and you'll be greeted by a lovely 17" display and a large keyboard with dedicated number pad and 4 arrow keys in a cluster of their very own (nice for gaming). The track pad's non-skid surface is perfect for exuberant, sweaty-palmed gaming, and the keyboard is seemingly durable. Unless you're the kind of guy or gal who regularly trashes keyboards in the heat of battle, this one should hold up. The Aurora m7700 has 5 speakers: two on the front edge, two that surround the keyboard and a subwoofer on the bottom. Front-facing media playback controls are handy

The Aurora's brick-like AC adapter is an impressive 220 watt power supply that weighs a few pounds and is actually longer than bricks of the building supply kind. Since this desktop replacement runs for an hour to 1.5 hours on a charge, count on taking the brick with you.

Horsepower and Performance

This is the good stuff! The m7700 kicks the posterior of most business and multimedia oriented notebooks for any and all computing tasks. While desktop replacement Windows Media Center Edition notebooks from competitors can keep up with the lower and mid-optioned Aurora m7700, few if any can offer the Alienware's gaming performance. And if you have the bucks to spend, Alienware's $1,000+ AMD Dual Core Athlon 64 FX-60 top-of-the-line option will beat other notebooks and a variety of desktops too. Since Alienware PCs are built to order, you can select from a variety of AMD CPUs for the Aurora line. Currently the base model is the Athlon 64 3200+, with the afore mentioned FX-60 at the top and Athlon 64 FX-57, Athlon 64 X2 Dual Cores from 4200+ to 4800+ and Athlon 64s up to 4000+ filling in the middle. All use the VIA K8T890 chipset with the VT8237A South Bridge. The notebook has two SODIMM slots for 400MHz PC-3200 memory, and you can order it with a single 256 meg DIMM or max it at 2 gigs (no one ordering this system should go with 256 megs— get a gig of RAM).

How did it benchmark? We tested the m7700 with Futuremark's PC Mark 05, and here are the results.

PC Mark score: 4677
CPU: 4377
Memory: 3413
Graphics: 4498
HDD: 4123

Those are good numbers for a high end desktop with a recent PCI Express video card, and great numbers for a notebook.

Our m7700 came with the standard 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD combo drive (software MPEG2 decoder), and Alienware offers an 8X dual layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW combo drive for those who wish to burn DVDs too. In fact, you can order your m7700 with two optical drives if you wish to duplicate CDs and/or DVDs.

Display, Graphics and Gaming

More good stuff, really good stuff by mobile and even desktop standards. The base video card on the Aurora m7700 is Nvidia's GeForce Go 6800 Ultra with 256 megs of RAM. That's an impressive desktop graphics card. If you're a serious gamer worried about the number of polygons the future will bring, go with the $130 256 meg Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX card. Our test system had the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra and nothing scared it, not even Alma in the most terrifying (to PCs) game, F.E.A.R.. I played F.E.A.R. from start to finish (looking for a plot) and the m7700 kept the frame rates up even when 10 baddies were in the room with guns blazing. Yes, frame rates dropped about 12 times (to approx. 10 fps) for a few seconds, but that's not much in over 40 hours of gameplay. In comparison, our desktop rig with an Intel P4 Extreme HT 3.2GHz , ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 (AGP 8X on a pre- PCI Express Intel motherboard— so last year, I know) and 2 gigs of RAM lost it by chapter 3, and that had nothing to do with the creepy little girl lurking in the corner. We tested the m7700 with the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra using 3D Mark 05 and the unit scored an admirable 4841.

The display is large and lovely. Though not one of those glossy displays a la Sony's XBrite, it also lacks the annoying glare. The standard WXGA + LCD has a resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels (16:10 aspect ratio), and it's bright with strong colors and a very good viewing angle. For those of you with good eyesight, Alienware offers a 17" ClearView panel with 1920 x 1200 which comes with a built-in camera.

Sound is unlike most notebooks: it's loud, in fact it can get really, really loud, and quality is good thanks to the four speakers and bottom-firing subwoofer. Two large speakers flank the keyboard and another two are located on the front edge of the Alienware, surrounding the multimedia playback controls and digital clock. That digital clock only displays 24 hour time, and you can turn it off in bios should you prefer to lose track of time when gaming. For even better sound, plug your notebook into a 5.1 surround sound system which the integrated sound hardware handles nicely.

Gaming, as you've no doubt surmised, is awesome on this machine. It can handle the most demanding titles well, has a super screen for high res action and sound that's loud enough to drown out the army of fans that come on when the action gets hot.

Ports, Networking and Expansion

Like any super-sized notebook, the Aurora m7700 has a plethora of ports. These include: One parallel port, one serial port, one DVI connector, One S-Video out connector, Video-IN Ports (TV-Tuner required, not included), two PS2 connections, two mini IEEE 1394a (4-pin unpowered) ports, 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0, one headphone jack, 5.1 channel out (S/PDIF) / Line-in, microphone in, gigabit ethernet RJ-45, 56K V.92 modem RJ-11, Infrared port for Data transfer. Anything missing there? We don't think so. Of course, the blue beast has a PCMCIA type II card slot with CardBus support and it even has a 4 slot card reader that's compatible with 7 media types including CF, SD, MMC, Smart Media and Memory Stick/memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Duo.

For networking, the Aurora m770 sports gigabit wired Ethernet (Realtek RTL8169/8110), a 56k v.92 softmodem and Atheros mini-PCI 802.11 a/b/g WiFi. WiFi behaved reliably and had good range in our tests with speeds that are suitable for multiplayer gaming and streaming media. Bluetooth isn't included, but you can pick up the USB Bluetooth dongle of your choice.

Battery Life

Desktop replacement notebooks are not all about great battery life. Get a lightweight Centrino notebook if that's your goal. The Alienware is not the kind of machine you'll tote everywhere, so you'll likely be near an AC outlet. The device's 220 watt power brick supplies juice to the 12 cell 6,600 mAh hour Lithium Ion battery in the m7700, and you will need to plug it in after an hour to 1.5 hours of use. We consistently got an hour of heavy duty gaming on a charge, and an average of 1 hour 20 minutes when using the notebook only to work on MS Office documents and surf the web.

Conclusion

If you're a hard core gamer looking for a notebook that can handle today's cutting edge games, Alienware should be on your short list. With killer graphics cards and two excellent LCD options, the Aurora m7700 is ahead of the desktop replacement pack. Throw in AMD's notoriously excellent for gaming CPUs and the m7700 will put some FEAR in your gaming buddies hearts. Though not for the faint of muscle at over 12 pounds (crank that up a few pounds for the AC adapter), and not small desk friendly, the Aurora notebook is certainly much more portable and space saving than the desktop it replaces. Few of us have the pleasure of gaming 24/7, and the m7700 proves equally capable of handling MS Office work, Photoshop and software development.

Pro: Fast at all tasks. Haven't found a game it couldn't handle. Excellent high resolution display. Large selection of ports and slots. Good build quality with attractive gloss finish casing. Carry case, USB floppy and cool mousing surface included. Large and roomy keyboard that's well laid out for gaming. Strong networking included and good array of fast drives available. The graphics cards are excellent choices for gamers and those who work with 3D apps.

Con: Very large and heavy. Expensive. Fans are noisy when the CPU is running full bore.

Price: starting at $2,329 up to approximately $5,000 depending on the build to order options you select

Toshiba Satellite P205-S6267

If you’re looking for an all around notebook that can replace your desktop computer, the Toshiba Satellite P200/P205 series has a lot to offer. This 17” notebook has plenty of power for productivity tasks and offers some advanced multimedia features including an optional internal $199 HD DVD drive. For just over a $1,000, you can get a P200 that has an Intel Core Duo processor (not the more current and faster Core 2 Duo), a gig of RAM, a 160 gig hard drive, a SuperMulti DVD optical drive and a glassy, bright display. That’s a bit cheaper than the HP Pavilion dv9000t 17” notebook we reviewed, though the HP has better specs and is more multimedia-oriented. Build a P205 that matches HP’s specs, and the Toshiba is a just a bit pricier than the current Pavilion dv9500t (while still lacking the HP’s HDMI port and remote). Our review unit shipped with the standard dual layer DVD drive (with Labelflash upgrade), a 1.86GHz Intel Core Duo T2350, 2 gigs of DDR2 RAM, a 120 gig hard drive and WiFi 802.11a /g/n. It costs approximately $1,210.

Features at a Glance

As with many of today’s notebooks, Toshiba offers customizable Satellite P200/P205 models and quite a few pre-configured models. It offers a 17” widescreen TruBrite display in WXGA+ resolution, an Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2GHz for both CPUs). You can choose a 64-bit or 32-bit system and up to 250GB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics or for some extra money you can get ATI dedicated graphics. The Toshiba comes with a DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash on most models and the afore mentioned HD-DVD drive is optional. The notebook also comes with a built-in web cam and a built-in microphone for Skype, Intel or Atheros WiFi, wired Ethernet, a modem and an ExpressCard/54 slot as well as a 5-in-1 card reader.

In the Box

We received the Toshiba Satellite P205-S6267 pre-configured model for this review. The package comes with the Toshiba Satellite notebook, AC adapter and power cord, Lithium Ion battery, warranty document, Quick Start/Quick Tour guide, Recovery CD and Windows Vista Home Premium and drivers CD, Labelflash CD and documents.

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Toshiba-P205.htm

Acer Shows off Gemstone Blue Design on the Aspire

Acer announced two new notebooks with the Gemstone design, the Acer Aspire 8920 and the Aspire 6920 with Blu-Ray Disc drive and high def LCDs. Here is the press release from Acer:

"Based on the original Gemstone design, this time the research went much further, with a clear objective in mind: develop a unique HD notebook PC concept, pack it with exclusive features and clothe it in an exclusive design of the very highest caliber.

The result is simple and stunning: Acer is, once again, first to market with the Acer Aspire 8920 and Aspire 6920, two new notebook families built on a unique 18.4” and 16” footprint, equipped with Blu-Ray Disc™ drive, Full High Definition LCD screens and native 16:9 resolution

The design of the two new notebook lines is characterized by a dominant feature that animates the product: blue, colour and light, is the element that identifies the design of this new series, named appropriately Aspire Gemstone blue.

Blue is a naturally cool, calming and universal colour. It is often associated with intelligence, stability, unity and control. The blue light that runs across the new Gemstone series instantly distinguishes the new product identity and illuminates its many elements of style:

the Holographic 3D cover radiates true elegance. The starlit backlight shines below the floating Acer logo, positioned in the center of a sparkling blue sub-layer

Acer CineDash media console
a touch-sensitive interface that gives you a new way to manage entertainment and launch Acer Arcade in seconds, as well as navigate menus, adjust volume and control your media on the fly.
The two notebook series integrate the second generation Dolby Home Theater technology with powerful audio technologies – CineSurround, Tuba CineBass booster, and True5.1 output – that set a new standard for the notebook sound capability

Acer Tuba CineBass
World’s first, unique tube-type bass booster design

Larger subwoofer capacity with tube design for smooth sound wave flow to get best resonance performance

DiamondBlack eKey
A shining legacy of the original gemstone design, the DiamondBlack eKey flaunts the classic appeal of precious stones and forms the gateway to a world of empowering technologies

The intricate texture of the NeoWeave palm rest is both refined and rugged, providing a comfortable, ergonomic area for your hands.

The Enlightener media flow shows how high definition entertainment was built right into the Aspire Gemstone Blue, tracing a path between the power button and the world-class digital sound of the Dolby certified Tuba bass in one uninterrupted path of pure entertainment. Simple, direct. Pure enlightenment."

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=29821

Laptop Mini Under $300

How low can they go? Since The ASUS Eee PC got super popular, competitors have been coming out of the woodwork, including Elonex, Everex, ECS, Acer, MSI, HP and others. Most of these companies have introduced aggressive pricing, but have struggled to approach ASUS's $400 entry-level price point. Now, another "killer" is planning an under-$300 laptop.

The company is Norhtec, a systems integrator based in Thailand, of all places, that specializes in tiny servers. The company is working on what they call the Gecko Laptop. The tiny system will be built by Quanta, and is powered by Linux Lite from Linpus Technologies.

The laptop probably has a seven-inch screen, possibly smaller. It has a pretty big keyboard and a touchpad. It's powered by a Via C7M ULV chip. Not much else is known about the Gecko.

According to reports, the company will announce the laptop soon, and it will sell for less than $300.