Last week Apple announced plans to release a new, smaller Apple Mac Book. According to AppleInsider, Apple has been trying to come up with ways of making their notebook PCs smaller. One such way that they have come up with, and will soon be patented, is to place the balky optical disc drive(ODD) at the very bottom of the laptop, instead of along the side edge of the laptop like is typically done in laptops.

Some people have questioned this idea, as it makes it somewhat harder to use the ODD. However, whatever small inconvenience this causes users, Apple more than makes up for it with a thinner laptop that is easier to handle.

(read more)

Dell is obviously one of the big boys when it comes to the production of PCs. So it’s not surprising that they have released yet another PC that is capable of high quality gaming. The Dell XPS M1710 is the latest in a long line of premium gaming laptop PCs. Dell’s PCs are, of course, known for their outstanding quality and value, and the XPS is no different, although it is a bit pricey because it is premium

The XPS M1710 has an absolute plethora of features, making it a very flexible PC for gamers and regular PC users alike.

Best Features:

• A top of the line 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor, making it a very fast, powerful laptop.
• nVidia Go 7900 GTX graphic card, the most current and best graphic card around. This gives the Dell XPS M1710 incredible graphics for games played on the laptop.
• nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics processor with 512 MB of DDR3 memory. The PC is capable of easily running both high-powered games and Microsoft’s operating system Vista.
• 17 in wide-screen which comes in two colors: Red or Black. Both look very sharp.
• High resolution LCD screen that is bright and easy to see.
• Very nice keyboard that is comfortable to type and game on. It’s also very durable, as it is made of a thick, tough plastic.
• 2GB of memory, with the capabilities to be expanded to a whopping 4GB of memory.
• 100GB SATA hard drive. More than enough space for business documents, music and games. You shouldn’t run out of space with this drive.
• The hard drive is quite durable, as it has a StrikeZone shock absorber to withstand small drops and bumps.

(read more)

Recently, Computer manufacturer Acer decided to shed its image of being a second-tier player in the PC business. They hoped to do this by partnering with high-end car maker Ferrari. When they announced the partnership, they announced that a new series of Acer PCs, called the Acer Ferraris, were to be released shortly. These PCs were set to feature the Ferrari logo and racing colors, plus great speed.

Much like the Ferrari vehicles, the Acer Ferraris don’t come cheap. However, if you have a deep enough pocket, the price spent is well worth it.

One of these PCs is the Acer Ferrari 5000, a premium laptop PC. It has many great features, making it easily one of the best laptops on the market.

Best Features:

• Turion 64 X2-Twin Processor. The 64 X2 is the latest and best processor on the market. Having such a high powered processor makes the Acer Ferrari 5000 an ultra fast laptop.
• 160GB SATA harddrive. Lots of space for multimedia, as well as documents for business. Very flexible in this regard.
• 15.4 inch screen with great colors. The resolution is 1,680 by 1,050. Sharp looks.
• 2GB of memory. The Acer Ferrari is capable of running Microsoft’s new operating system, Vista, at a high level.
• Excellent battery life. The Ferrari 5000 can go 3 hours and 21 minutes, approximately, without needing to be recharged. This allows students and business people alike to use the 5000 unplugged for a good bit of time.

(read more)

Toshiba announced plans this week to bring out new laptops that come loaded with Microsoft’s new Vista operating system.The Satellite A135 laptop series are said to be affordable, making them stick out in comparison to many other notebook PCs.

According to Jeff Barney, VP of marketing at Toshiba, the new laptops feature dual hard drives which offer consumers advanced multimedia performance, as well as maximum storage capacity. The Satelite A135-S4499 has two 120gb ATA hard drives, which allows customers to have space for both music, photos, and documents. This allows consumers to use one drive for multimedia, while the other can be used strictly for business. Additionally, the S4499 features 2GB of memory and a Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500.

The Satelite S4499 is set to be released to the public on February 20, 2007. Other models in the series include the Satellite A135-S4427–with a 160GB hard drive and 1024mb of memory–and the Satellite A135-S4467, which has a 120GB harddrive and 1GB memory. Every laptop in the series is equipped with a 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen display, which comes with TruBrite technology.

(read more)

Taiwanese PC manufacturer Acer has long been thought of as a “second-tier” PC company. Sales tend to confirm this thought, as Acer is currently ranked no. 4 worldwide.

Previously, Acer used their low prices and close relationships with distributors to create market-share gains, but now, according to Businessweek, they are trying to shed the image of not being a major player in the PC industry by teaming up with Ferrari, a well-known car maker.

Ferrari and Acer are collaborating together to create fresh designs for Acer’s PCs. LCD monitors have been updated with the innovative use of the Ferrari logo and racing colors. Acer monitors for desktop PCs aren’t the only thing to see this change–Acer is also using Ferrari on laptops.

(read more)

According to AppleInsider, Apple plans on releasing a new MacBook pro line. The new notebooks’ display screen will feature new backlight technology.

Previously, Apple’s MacBooks featured cathode fluorescent backlights, also known as CCFLs. The use of LED backlights in the MacBook should mark the gradual end of the use of CCFLs. At present time, Apple only plans on implementing the newer technology in the 15-inch MacBook Pro. However, it is expected that Apple will eventually use the LED backlights on the 17-inch and 13-inch models of the MacBook.

The LED technology is more expensive than traditional CCFLs, but according to AppleInsider Kasper Jade, makes up for it in terms of better lighting and less consumption of power. In fact, the LED-based screens have more battery life, run cooler and last significantly longer than do the CCFLs.

(read more)

This week Dell unveiled a laptop to compete with Panasonic’s Toughbook laptop PC. The Dell Latitude ATG D620 is designed to work in even the most extreme environments and to not break down like other laptops would. For Dell, this marks their first venture into the rugged laptops department.

“The Latitude ATG is a prime example of Dell’s commitment to customer-driven innovation,” said Jeff Clarke, senior vice president Dell Product Group. “We have heard from customers loud and clear that a tougher, highly protective notebook with a screen that is easy to see outdoors is necessary in many lines of work. We’re glad that we could meet that customer request with a product distinguished by industry-leading features.”

The ATG D620 has a shock-mounted hard drive and spill-resistant keyboard. It also features port covers and specially hardened paint so that it will hold up in even the harshest conditions.

(read more)

This week Toshiba revealed plans to release the very first notebook that can write HD DVD-Rs. The Qosmio G30/97A has been hinted at for months now, but this week’s announced laptop is the first laptop that is able to burn not just HD DVD-R discs, but also regular DVD-Rs and CD-Rs.

HD DVD-Rs burnt by the Qosmio are able to hold 2 hours of footage, which translates to about 15GB of space, a huge amount for a DVD-R. This allows for even bigger backups of data, as well as users being able to create and burn movies at a high resolution.

The Qosmio is loaded with a 2GHz Core Duo, as well as a GeForce Go 7600 graphics card. Additionally, the Qosmio is capable of holding as much as 320GB of files, making it one of the first laptops to have the capabilities of holding 320GB of space.

(read more)

Dell is being sued again, this time by a group of Canadian customers who claim that the notebooks they purchased from the Round Rock, TX based company are defective. In a suit filed on Friday, in the Ontario Superior Court, the plaintiffs accuse Dell of selling laptop computers that were suspect to motherboard failure and overheating problems.

This isn’t the first time that Dell has been sued for faulty products. In the U.S., Dell was sued for selling a model that overheated and had motherboard failure. Dell also has four cases pending against them.

Just last year, Dell recalled more than four million laptop batteries manufactured by Sony because the batteries overheated and were at risk to catch fire and cause injuries.

(read more)

This week Toshiba announced plans of releasing a new laptop on January 31, which is a collaboration with software giant Microsoft. The Portege R400 notebook computer is being billed as the Windows Vista signature computer. It is scheduled to retail at around $3499 USD.

Microsoft and Toshiba are billing the R400 as the signature Vista PC because it has all the technologies necessary to run Vista in an efficient and fast manner-plenty of speed, hard drives space and a good video card to boot.

Features on the R400 include the ability to automatically synchronize email and calendar events using Microsoft’s Active Notifications and Toshiba’s ConFig free, which is able to detect and connect to the strongest network connection available.

(read more)