Computer, Electronic, and Freeware » Notebook

Four Things to Use Your Mini Notebook For

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 03:11:21 +0000

Most people are unaware of the full capabilities of the netbook. They know that these are smaller laptops with supposedly slower hardware, but they don’t know if it will run their favorite programs, or will it be just a sluggish nightmare to use them.

Mini notebooks are good for a great variety of things, and you should know about these applications before buying one so that you don’t regret paying money, even if it was cheaper than a normal computer would have been.

1. Browsing the net. This is where these computers find their element. With the great variety of available connections you are never going to run out of informational highway. Wireless network of 802.11b/g/n are almost always available, you couldn’t find one without the G variation even if you looked. Bluetooth is almost always an integrated part, but you should look if you need this sort of wireless connection, since not all manufacturers choose to use it. Infra-Red is often missing, but you are going to purchase anything with an USB connector.

2. Checking e-mails. Even though most people are now on Facebook and all sorts of instant messaging service, they still demand to be available via e-mail. You can use webmail services or run a pop3 client, all netbooks deal with this sort of load just fine, and thanks to the big – at least compared to smartphones – keyboard you can quickly answer too, without using your nails to type on some tiny buttons.

3. Playing games. Some of you are now shocked, because it goes against everything you’ve heard about netbooks, but you can play games on a netbook without a problem given that you choose the game well. Standard, non ION based notebooks run flash games fairly well, and you can play older titles without having to worry. Once it is up a level, and you want to check in with the friends in WoW, you will need at least an ION enabled netbook. They are available for $450-$500, so barely any extra cost, and for the extra power the extra Nvidia 9300m chip gives it is really not all that much.

4. Watching movies. There is no DVD drive, and the screen seems really small, but more and more films are available in online stores and rental places so you should have no problem getting your favorites on the hard disk drive. You can use local network and transfer them from your main computer, too. The components are fast enough to play DVD quality movies, and watching the latest series you will most probably be satisfied with the result.

Netbooks are good for a great variety of things, even ones you didn’t know it would handle well. If you don’t buy a mini laptop with really high expectations, you will always be positively surprised at what the technology can put in such a small case these days.

HP (Hewlett-Packard) Compaq Presario CQ61Z Notebook Review

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:47:15 +0000

This HP laptop has more useful features than ever before. This laptop specializes in graphics and display. You do not even need to know much about modern technology to easily use this netbook. This laptop is good, affordable and dependable. It has everything integrated that you might need to email, communication, or other work.

Here are some more features:
o 2 GB ram
o AMD processor
o 160 GB hard drive
o 15.6 inch screen
o Windows 6 Home Premium 64 bit
o 128 MB Graphics Ram
o 8.75 pounds weight
o HP manufacturer
o 2 GHz processor speed
o Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Multimedia Card (MMC), SD Card, xD-Picture Card

This product also does support the popularity. Laptops are unusually much more expensive although HP has decided to make this one a lot cheaper. It also has all the functionality of a normal laptop. Many laptops start at the price range of $600 while hp has done many of us laptop buyers a huge favor by only making the price a really affordable $400. With all the above features, this laptops holds it’s name very high. All the features are very useful in the growing and advancing technology.This new laptop will keep its price until the end of 2009 and maybe even surprise us with a better price in 2010.

This laptop may not be the best one for games or intensive tasks, but for many of us laymen, this is worth the buy. The battery life is also very large. All in all this entire inexpensive notebook computer lives up to the high expectation.

Jay Z – In My Lifetime Vol 1 – Rap Music CD Review

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 04:05:27 +0000

In My Lifetime Vol 1 is the latest Rap CD put out by the extremely talented Jay Z who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident jay Z fans, and Rap fans alike will be pleased with this one.

Unfortunately, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with In My Lifetime Vol 1. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

jay Z possesses the characteristic of being able to win you over with him talent alone. The kind of artist I frankly just flat out enjoy listening to.

I’m of the opinion that In My Lifetime Vol 1 is certainly jay Z’s best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Rap fan can appreciate and enjoy.

While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 3 – I Know What Girls Like, track 5 – Sreets Is Watching, and track 14 – You Must Love Me.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Intro / A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More. Wow!

In My Lifetime Vol 1 Release Notes:

jay Z originally released In My Lifetime Vol 1 on November 4, 1997 on the Def Jam label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Intro / A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More

2. City Is Mine, The – (featuring Blackstreet)

3. I Know What Girls Like – (featuring Puff Daddy/Lil’ Kim)

4. Imaginary Player

5. Streets Is Watching

6. Friend Or Foe ’98

7. Lucky Me

8. Sunshine, (Always Be My) – (featuring Babyface/Foxy Brown)

9. Who U Wit II

10. Face Off – (featuring Sauce Money)

11. Real Niggaz – (featuring Too Short)

12. Rap Game/Crack Game

13. Where I’m From

14. You Must Love Me

Personnel: jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Lil’ Kim, Too Short (rap vocals); Babyface, Karen Anderson, Kelly Price (vocals); Teddy Riley, Stevie J (various instruments); Chad Hugo (saxophone); George Fontenette (keyboards); DJ Premiere (scratches); Earth (background vocals); BlackStreet, Sauce Money. Producers include: Premiere, Teddy Riley, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, Daven “Prestige” Vanderpool. Engineers include: Eddie Sancho, Teddy Riley, S. Ghenea. Principally recorded in New York, New York.

Toshiba Satellite L500 Review – A Good, Reliable Notebook For Everyday Use

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:41:44 +0000

The Toshiba Satellite L500 is an affordable laptop that is designed for general home or office use. It is available with a variety of display sizes, ranging from 14″ to 17″. Each display is equipped with LED-backlight and TruBrite technology. It can also be configured with an HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV. If you are looking for a good, inexpensive laptop to keep around the house or office, then this is a good choice for you.

It comes with Genuine Windows 7 and plenty of power to handle most uses. You can also configure the specifications to suit your needs. When shopping online, look for Toshiba Satellite L500 coupon offers that will help you save on your purchase. This way, you will be able to afford more. Try using stackable coupons and discounts if you find any, so that you can save in more than one way.

This laptop comes with a full sized keyboard, including a numeric pad. The keys are well-designed and smooth, so you shouldn’t have any problems with typing. Key specs include: Pentium Core 2 Duo or Intel Celeron, 500 GB HDD, SuperMulti DVD player and burner, VGA and HDMI ports, eSATA/USB combo port, discrete ATI video, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, and more. This portable Toshiba computer also comes with Eco utility options you can configure for reducing electricity consumption.

If you want to take this laptop with you as you travel, you will be able to do so without any problems. The built-in webcam, microphone, and videoconference software will help you stay in touch. You can stay connected with Wi-Fi, which will work anywhere just as long as there is a wireless connection available. Overall, the Toshiba Satellite L500 is a good, reliable laptop. It’s affordable and you can customize it in a number of different ways just as long as you shop at a reputable computer store. You can use coupons to upgrade the hard drive if 500 GB isn’t enough, get a larger widescreen display if the 14″ isn’t big enough, or add on extra goodies.

The Acer Aspire ONE Review

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:16:25 +0000

Four to five years ago, the business world has seen a big increase in demand for this new computer technology called a laptop. However, times are starting to change and maybe in the past year or less, we have seen an increase in demands for a newer smaller computer type called notebooks. As a university student, I always have friends and classmates telling me how heavy their laptop is and that they would love to have a small notebook, like an Acer Aspire ONE 532h-2588.Some friends even go on to buy one and have said that it is one of the best purchases they’ve had all year. My family owns two Acer Aspire ONE because my father and mother usually go on business trips and would require their usage. I would sometimes test it out for myself. This is my personal review on the Acer Aspire ONE.

Firstly, this notebook is very cheap, only $300. This was a key component to my father’s assessment as to whether or not he should buy a notebook. Once we made up our decision to go buy the Aspire ONE, I tested it out, and it was a pretty good notebook for such a low price. We rarely had to endure long loading periods or the notebook freezing. It was even fast enough to run one of the most enduring games for computers, World of Warcraft. This game was able to damage my ASUS A7J laptop partly because the game was so damaging to the laptop. However, the Aspire ONE was able to handle the game just fine for the most part. Soon it began to deteriorate.

The one weakness about a notebook is that people believe it is just like a laptop because of its similar features and style. However, do not make that same mistake. If this notebook is handled poorly, the software and speed will slowly deteriorate as well. This is a key weakness because many people who do not know about computers will make the very same mistake I did and overuse the notebook and it will begin to be very slow. Also another weakness in the notebook is its battery life. My father’s notebook is already showing signs of this. In fact, the software itself cannot detect its battery and requires it to be plugged in all the time until we can find a replacement battery for it.

All in all, if you can keep the notebook in good condition, I do not see a reason why you should not buy it.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 Notebook Review

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:05:53 +0000

If you are looking for a laptop notebook then a recommended one is the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2. This is Lenovo’s third attempt at netbooks. This version has improved in design with rounded edges compared to the older S-10s. It also feels like it is higher quality and has been built better. This netbook is on Windows XP.

Looking at it from the outside you can see that it does not show up fingerprints at all. This is great comapred to a lot of the netbooks out in the market. The right side has 2 USB ports and a Wi-Fi switch. The left side has an ethernet port, VGA input, microphone and headphone ports. When you take the battery out you can see a sim card slot. There is no 3G modem at the moment but you maybe able to add one externally.

When you open it up you can see the nice 10.1 inch display. It is a bright glossy display and it is more than adequate. It is glossy so you may have trouble using it outdoors but for indoor purposes it is fine. The sound is suprisingly good especially coming out of a very compact machine. This is one of the best I have heard on a netbook. This is also one of the smallest netbooks on the market.

The touchpad is a bit small but it takes up as much space as it can. It does feel good and is responsive. There are 2 separate buttons and they are easy to press although not exactly quiet. The overall machine is very quiet though and most of the time you cannot hear anything at all. Another great thing is that you have access to all the components at the back such as memory and can easily upgrade. There is no warranty seal on them so you can upgrade with ease of mind.

This is a highly recommended notebook and is available in white and black.

Book Review – Descartes’s Secret Notebook

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0000

“Descartes’s Secret Notebook” by Amir D. Aczel

Amir D. Aczel is the kind of writer I love to read; a “science popularizer”, that is, a scientist who can write about science in terms that someone like me, a person who is not a professional scientist yet loves to learn more about science, can understand.

But that’s not all. Aczel could’ve been a great mystery or thriller writer if he didn’t write about science since all his books have that page-turner quality to them. Once you pick up an Aczel book it won’t be easy to put it down.

Descartes’s Secret Notebook: A True Tale of Mathematics, Mysticism, and the Quest to Understand the Universe, as well as his two other important books (The Jesuit and the Skull and Fermat’s Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem) all provide a delightful reading experience while teaching a lot about history of science.

Aczel excels in taking us back to the early 17th century and bringing to life the social milieu in which the seeds of Rene Descartes’ ideas originated, broke ground and then bloomed into full flower as a new paradigm, i.e. the Cartesian System, that changed our world forever.

However, if all Aczel did was to “explain” Descartes’ ideas there would not be any need for the subtitle of the book: “A True Tale of Mathematics, Mysticism, and the Quest to Understand the Universe.” He does more than that.

Descartes was a very private and “masked” man who led an eventful life and left behind a mysterious “Secret Book.” Aczel unfolds for us the significance of Descartes’ unpublished notes which were preserved and deciphered thanks to another scientific giant of that era, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who made a personal visit to Paris to handcopy Descartes’ secret book long after the death of the French Master in 1650.

Throughout the book we are treated to one delectable morsel from history of science after another including Descartes’ love of travel and interest in battles and warfare; how Italian mathematicians held public quadratic equation “duels” in the 16th century for fame and riches; the importance of the “Rosicrucian connection” in Descartes’ life and work; why Descartes could not publish everything he wrote during his very productive career; his trials and tribulations during his Dutch exile; his constant balancing act between the Catholic and Protestant factions of his day; why the ancient Greeks could not have solved the “Delian puzzle” by using only a straightedge and compass; importance of Kepler in the Descartian world; Descartes’ love life; Descartes’ unacknowledged contribution to topology (about 100 years before Euler); his Swedish tenure as private tutor to Queen Christina; his death and the strange fate of his skull; and much more…

After reading this book you’ll feel enriched by an intimate understanding of one of the most important eras in the development of Western science as we know it today and the incomparable role Rene Descartes played in it.

If you’d like to understand the world we live in at a much deeper level you owe it to yourself to read this book because, as Aczel reminds us, even the GPS system that we use today in our cars and airplanes would’ve been impossible without Descartes’ principles of analytical geometry and his Cartesian System. (Did you know that?)

I can’t wait for Aczel’s other books on other giants of the history of science. He is the perfect author for the right topic.

Gateway P79003FX Core 2 Quad – Laptop Review

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:02:57 +0000

The Gateway P79003FX Core 2 Quad Notebook is a laptop that is built for the Japanese market. It is manufactured by a subsidiary of ACER, a company called Gateway. It has a lot of good features which American consumers may not get to experience since it has yet to be sold in US markets.

Specifications:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 2 GHz

RAM: 4GB DDR3

Screen Size: 17.1-inch 1440×900 LCD

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista

Battery Life: 3.5 hours

Graphics: 1 GB GeForce GTX 260 GPU

Pros:

For users who want their laptops to have amazing raw processing power as well as top of the line graphics capabilities, then the P79003FX is a good option.

With a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor, there is nothing more you can ask. This processor can give you what you need to finish your work and maybe even a whole lot more. As with more notebooks that has this processor, Gateway did not hesitate to make this a possible gaming machine. Well, it has a 4 GB RAM, which is larger than even some desktops available out there.

However, hardcore gamers don’t just rely on RAM or processor. Gamers also don’t have just games on their laptops. They also put in movies and music. As if to answer that question, Gateway put in a 500 GB hard drive. If you were satisfied with 160 GB, think of what you can do with 500. To further sweeten the deal, Gateway also made sure that you have the choice to put in another 500 GB hard drive. That’s 1 terabyte total.

The display screen of the P79003FX is also ideal for gamers at 17 inches. With this size, you will be able to appreciate even the minute details of the game. It’s just like playing on a regular desktop.

Gateway didn’t stop there. The P79003FX also has a feature that allows you to plug the laptop into an HDTV. What this means is that every time you have an HD content, you can always put it out in an HDTV for better viewing.

Just imagine, the power of the P79003FX paired with HDTV.

Cons:

While the P79003FX sounds more and more like a gamer’s dream laptop, it has a short battery life. It can run for a maximum of 3 hours only. Better than the P-7808u FX which only runs for an hour. This is however very short compared to what Acer releases on the market. For example, the Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 can run for seven straight hours.

Although the size of the screen is okay for movie or gaming, the LCD screen of the P79003FX isn’t as good. It only has a resolution of 1440×900. It’s a far cry from the 1920×1200 resolution that the Asus G71 Quad Core can give on screens of the same size.

Conclusion:

With its power and performance, the P79003FX is indeed one of the best gaming laptops out there. The low resolution of the display screen is balanced by its ability to be connected to HDTV. The short battery life may also not pose that much of a problem for gamers since most of them won’t probably mind plugging their laptops. Over-all, the P79003FX is a good choice for gamers and professional computer users.

Apple Laptops Review – Latest Laptop Series, History, Trend, Strengths and Weaknesses

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:27:45 +0000

Apple Inc., formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., can be referred to as one of the multinational corporations based in America with focus on manufacturing and designing consumer electronics, along with closely-related software products. Established on 1st of April, 1976 in Cupertino (California) and having incorporated on 3rd of January, 1977, company was named ‘Apple Computer, Inc.’ till the year 2006, but had the word ‘Computer’ dropped on 9th of January, 2007, in order to have ongoing expansion of company in to market of consumer electronics, apart from conventional focus on the personal computers. Apple can boast of having strength of 20,000 employees all over the world. The time period between 1989 and 1991 was known as the ‘Golden Age’ in the expansion of Apple. Apple went on with the introduction of ‘Apple Portable’. It was, however, not accepted by the masses. Later on, Apple went for its advanced version called ‘Powerbook 100′. It was then that Apple notebooks started gaining recognition. Apple’s reputation started growing and there was no looking back after that. The nineties were a very difficult time for apple due to strategic decisions and for many customer confusion, Apple market share and results plunged to an almost extinction. It took the return of Steve Jobs and his vision to resuscitate the brand through a series of innovations and complete redesign of the product offering and marketing.

Apple Laptops

Apple is amongst the most renowned words in the computer industry. Products manufactured by Apple benefit from an amazing aura and in general are superior to its competition both from the technical and software aspect. The principal reason behind the success of Apple products is that they are innovative, intuitive and different than the rest of the marketplace. Their ranges of desktops, laptops and the popular iPods have made Apple one of the most trustworthy brands in the electronics market. Lately iPhone has been added to this successful product offering (although some technical issues have shown that even Apple can have some issues with its products).

Today, Apple notebooks are called ‘MacBooks’. In the year 2005, apple went on to join hands with Intel Corporation in order to opt for dual core processor technology. Intel 950 media accelerator motherboards were also used for this purpose. These processors are amongst the most sophisticated ones with 2 cores on one chipwhich has translated in less power usage and speed increase.

Apple notebooks are proposed in three lines, they are the MacBook which are the cheapest models designed for everyday users, the MacBook Air for the road warriors and MacBook pro for the heavy users.

The MacBook is equipped with 13.3 -inch TFT display. The frequency of its processor is either 2.1 or 2.4 GHz based on the model you choose. The RAM is either 1 GB or 2 GB. The hard drive space goes from 120 GB to 250 GB; there is a DVD burner, built in camera, wifi, Bluetooth and all the necessary connections. The cost goes from $1,099 to $1,499. For a Mac that’s as cheap as it gets. If you are used to Windows laptop pricing, that may seem like a lot of money, but you are buying a MAC, that means top product, top software at a top price. Just suggest to a Mac user to switch to windows laptops and you will understand why Apple can charge premium pricing, Mac does not have customers per say, they have raving fans.Anyhow, this “entry level” laptop gives you plenty of power for most regular computer use; If you are a heavy gamers or a heavy database programmer, this laptop is probably not for you.
The MacBook Air. like the MacBook, comes with a13.3 -inch TFT display. It has 1.6 GB processor and 2 GB of RAM. The hard drive has a capacity of 80 GB, there is a DVD burner, built in camera, wifi, Bluetooth and a few peripheral connections. Why buy the MacBook Air? First, ultra portability; at 3 pounds and a maximum thickness of 0.76 inch, this is currently the thinnest/lightest laptop with a 13.3 display screen. Second, let’s face it, it’s about style and status. This laptop is not very fast, has limited space and peripherals, but if you are a light user (i.e. email, web surfing…) who wants to make statement about style, look no further, this is your laptop. Price is either $1,799 or $2,598 based on the model you are looking for.
The MacBook Pro. This laptop is the work horse in the Mac family; it has a 15.4 or 17 -inch TFT display. The frequency of its processor is either 2.4, 2.5 or 2.6 GHz based on the model you choose. The RAM is either 2 GB or 4 GB. The hard drive space goes from200 GB to 250 GB; there is a DVD burner, built in camera, wifi, Bluetooth and all the required connections. The cost goes from $1,999 to $2,799. This is the Mac that you want to use if you are a graphic artist, programmer, gamer or simply like speed, space and big screen.

Mac laptops are in a different category from all other laptops, that is both their strength and their limitation. Their operating system is still at that time far ahead of Vista in terms of ease of use, dependability and versatility. The equipment is controlled 100% by Apple and their quality is truly exceptional. On the downside, if you want use windows or have a lot of windows software you need to buy an additional Windows license on top of the regular cost of the laptops. Macs are expensive but they deliver an outstanding customer experience and for many, it’s well worth the price.

Toshiba Tecra M10 Review – A Notebook Designed For Business, Security, and Performance

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:52:33 +0000

The Toshiba Tecra M10 is a portable laptop that provides users with connectivity and performance. It not only works great as a mobile device, but as a desktop computer as well. It’s not the best looking machine on the planet, but it’s great at what it does. To make up for a lack of design, the M10 provides excellent performance and security to users. It’s especially designed to handle all the communication and business needs for professionals.

The Toshiba Tecra M10 is great at multitasking. Users can run a virus scan in the background while working without any problems. It can handle just about every business application imaginable, making it a great choice for all types of professionals. Everyone from a small business owner to a corporate CEO can benefit with this system.

The base specs include: