Laptops/PCs/Apple

Recently I told you about the Cool-Er the first such device I had reviewed; here is an even smaller unit from Sony. Sony has the advantage of having produced such devices for a while so this is actually something like generation three.

Over the last months I have requested to look at several of these book reading devices about the size of paperback but definitely lighter than a hardback. This is the first of them to arrive this one is called the COOL-ER.

Some laptops are used as a travelling companion while others are more suited for providing your computing needs in the home. Falling into the latter category is the Asus K50IN.

Earlier this year I saw a demonstration of Solid State Storage demonstrated at an event currently I understand it is available in 64 and 128GB. I was sent a 64GB unit to review by Kingston, their price seems quite reasonable.

Unlike most PC reviews that have to rushed through in only a week or so I have been allowed to keep this unit for an extended period that has allowed me to not only review it but a number of software products with it as the medium.

Better known for its LCD screens and projectors, ViewSonic has recently expanded its field of operation by entering the notebook market. One of the new models bearing the ViewSonic brand is the ViewBook Pro. Now why, I wonder, does that name have a familiar ring to it?

With the large number of pocket sized hard drives on the market it is difficult for the user to choose which set of features is most suitable for them and is thus, as far as they are concerned, the best buy. The Buffalo MiniStation will probably press the right buttons for many people.

Although using a pen or pencil is much more natural than using a mouse, years of using a computer have conditioned us otherwise. The Trust Slimline Widescreen Tablet from Zoombits.com redresses the balance especially for freehand drawing and similar applications.

This is a Netbook from a company who normally – as far as I know – make monitors and panels. However on closer examination I find it is manufactured by MSI for them but HannsNote from Hannspree sounds rather nice

A put-in-your pocket memory card reader from the memory specialist Kingston that supports SD and Memory Stick formats.

When is a laptop not a laptop? A general answer might be when it is a netbook while a more specific answer could be when it is an Aspire One.

There seem to be more new Netbooks around than Notebooks. Here a small offering from Sony, I wonder why part numbers need to be complicated W11SIE is hardly likely to flow off your tongue when you pop down to your dealers.

A trend that is becoming increasingly popular is to use a laptop as a desktop replacement. Falling into this category is the Asus F70SL model.

This is a Netbook but not with the normal 1.6GHz Atom processor. This has a 1.33GHz Atom processor meaning it uses less power so you should be able to get eight hours of battery life. The slightly larger screen displays 1366x768.

Having just reviewed a rather nice Vista PC with a 1.4GHz Intel processor the next unit in has exactly the same processor and memory configuration, this unit also has a very thin screen and is also quite nice and light.

Just as Vistas troubled life comes towards its end comes a notebook that runs well with it, also a notebook that gives a full eight hours of use. Put the two together and you have the Packard Bell Butterfly.

Here I am looking at two different – yet similar – USB hard drives. Not in either case from mainstream manufacturers of this sort of item. The first from Buffalo and the second from Dane-Elec. Both these 2.5 inch drives are 250GB.

First a wireless notebook laser mouse from Kensington with the catchy Ci10 Fit name. Second a keyboard from Brando with Smart Touchpad for those who spend their days typing in figures or using their fingers in controls.

Not as you may think a printer/scanner/copier but a PC that is built into a flat panel. It comes complete with corded keyboard and mouse. Viewsonic are best known for monitors/flat panels and of course the latter is heart of this unit.

As a regular user of an Acer TravelMate laptop, I was pleased to receive one of the company’s 8000 Timeline series for review. This was the slim-line TravelMate 8371 which is aimed at the business users and currently comes with Windows Vista Business.

Not everybody needs a full featured notebook and so the netbook was developed. In the same way not everybody needs a high end desktop computer.

This natty device aims to provide your home computers with safe storage for important documents and a central store for shared media files.

Another in an ever increasing range of Netbooks from Asus, this one (sorry not shaped like a seashell or made from shell although they do make a different unit from Bamboo) promises 8.5hours of battery life between charges.

Two further items from those clever USB people in Hong Kong. First a LED torch that gives a good bright light and it has another big plus. Second for those without a built in web cam. A Minocam that works with a PC or Notebook and as you should expect from Brando it is also something else.

Not one but two Kensington Wireless mice, both using a tiny Nano receiver that fits almost invisibly into any USB port. The two being looked at are the SlimBlade and then the catchily named Ci95m, both of course are free to move without wires.

This is yet another nice Netbook; it boots and shuts down quickly but still runs Windows XP. The finish is nice and all in all it is a rather nice unit that you could whip out of a smallish bag or case without having to grow extra muscles.

According to recent figures, notebook sales are outnumbering desktop systems in some quarters. In many cases the notebook is being purchased as a direct replacement for a desktop system. However this approach could raise a problem with regards to connectivity.

This is very new notebook (well desktop replacement) from Acer. It has almost everything you might want in a single unit. The 18.4 inch screen means you do not need to skimp of image size and you even have a Blu-ray drive inside.

I first saw this unit when it was launched at a show in the spring of 2008, finally I got one to look at in the spring of 2009, however other pressing reviews stopped it being looked at until now with summer flourishing.

Verbatim and Genius have both introduced mid-range mains operated speakers. While the Verbatim Multimedia Audio Bar is an innovative and yet practical design for a 2.1 speaker system with a built-in microphone, the Genius SP-J330 Elegant 2.0CH Multimedia Speaker set is an attractive conventional 2.0 system.