Toshiba Satellite P755-3DV20 Review: Affordable 3D Fun

The Toshiba Satellite P755 is part of the P750 series and is designed to strike a balance between a budget 15-inch laptop and a powerful multimedia PC. Is it possible to deliver a great 3D entertainment PC for an affordable price? Keep reading to find out.

Build and Design
There is little to separate the design of the Satellite P755-3DV20 from other Toshiba Satellite notebooks ... for better or worse. The entire machine is constructed of relatively thick plastics with rounded edges and corners. The screen lid and top half of the chassis use glossy plastics covered in the Toshiba "Fusion X2 Platinum" finish; essentially a faux metal paint job. Like most Satellite notebooks, the glossy surfaces act like a magnet for fingerprints and dust so your new laptop won't look clean for very long. Even the keyboard keys are glossy ... probably to help CSI figure out which keys you press most frequently.
The notebook also comes with a set of Nvidia 3D Vision glasses so you can watch 3D movies and still photos directly on the screen or a 3D Vision compatible HDTV when connected via HDMI. More on that later.
Build quality of the P755 is reasonably good for a budget 15-inch laptop but this particular model comes with well-equipped hardware and a more expensive price tag. While the supporting chassis structure resists twisting, most of exterior plastics show visible flex when you press down on them. Again, that is normal for a budget laptop but notebooks in the $800+ price range should feel more durable.
The display has a strong backing which prevents any distortion from showing on the screen when pressure is applied to the lid, but the lid plastics do flex inward when you press down. The screen hinges provide adequate resistance although we did notice that the hinges and screen assembly move slightly from side-to-side if you jostle the screen.
Like the Satellite L755 that we previously reviewed, the P755 is simple to upgrade thanks to two access panels on the bottom of the chassis. You can replace the RAM or the hard drive with little effort.

Ports and Features
The P755 includes a reasonable number of ports for a modern multimedia machine. This notebook includes a single USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port, three additional USB 2.0 ports, HDMI and a memory card reader. Although an ExpressCard expansion slot would have been a welcome addition, fewer 15-inch notebooks include them today. The optical drive in this configuration of the P755 is a Blu-ray player and DVD burner that is, of course, also compatible with 3D Blu-ray movies. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Lenovo IdeaPad V470 Review: The Home and Office Hybrid Notebook

The Lenovo IdeaPad V470 is an ideal choice for users who want a budget-conscious notebook with both home and office features. It's equipped with a second-generation Intel dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, Intel HD graphics, and an HDMI port. Keep reading to find out more about this notebook, including full specifications, an overview of its build quality, and more.

BUILD AND DESIGNThe first thing you'll probably notice about the V470 is that it's an extremely attractive-looking notebook. It has a clean, dual-color scheme of metallic gray and black, as well as a glossy screen bezel. The look appears business-casual and classy. And, at 4.8 pounds with a 14.0-inch screen and just over an inch thick, it's portable, too.
The display cover and palm rest consist of brushed aluminum while the base is made of hardened plastic. Hardly any flex was seen when we pressed down on the palm rests with considerable pressure; it's constructed very well. The display cover isn't constructed as well, though -- it's just too thin to be considered sturdy. I could break it easily if I tried. Ripples appear on the screen when both top corners are bent inward. The chassis is much more durable; it doesn't flex much at all. Overall, we would consider the V470 to have good build quality if the display cover was thicker and less worrisome.
The hard drive and memory can be swapped out from the bottom panel. To replace the hard drive, simply remove a few screws as well as the drive compartment. The memory can also be increased up to 8GB (dual-channel) as there are two SO-DIMM sockets. If desired, the mini PCI Express card and optical drive can also be removed.

PORTS AND FEATURES
The V470 has a great port selection; above average for its price range. Even though it doesn't have USB 3.0, it has a total of four USB 2.0 ports, along with a 6-in-1 memory card reader, VGA, HDMI, eSATA, separate headphone and mic jacks, and an optical drive with CD-RW/DVD-RW/DVD-Multi capabilities. The memory card reader is compatible with SD, SDHC, MMC, MS, MS Pro, and xD-Picture memory cards. The V470 also has a fingerprint reader to the right of the palm rest.

Compaq Mini Netbook with Verizon 4G LTE Review: A Good Deal?

This 10-inch netbook features built-in Verizon 4G LTE wireless and is available exclusively from Verizon for $149.99 with a two-year contract. Our review looks at the netbook itself and the Verizon wireless network to help you find out if this is a good deal for your budget.

Build and Design
The Compaq Mini has an unassuming black plastic exterior. The anti-glare chassis is nice however the glossy screen lid gets fingerprinted up immediately and looks unclean. There's little to say about the design overall; it's utilitarian with no extras and similiar to the design of HP Mini line of netbooks.

The netbook feels relatively solid and is easy to carry around thanks to its weight of 3.1 lbs and small footprint. It should stand up to the rigors of everyday travel assuming it isn't tossed around; I highly recommend a protective sleeve or bag even though it's tempting to toss such a small laptop in a backpack or purse.

The Compaq Mini wasn't designed to be upgraded; there are no user-accessible panels on the bottom of the chassis. The battery is the only component that can be removed and replaced easily.

Ports and Features
This netbook includes a respectable number of ports including three USB 2.0 ports and a media card reader. It has a VGA port for connecting to projectors but lacks HDMI and DisplayPort. All picture descriptions are left to right.

HP Pavilion dm1-4010us Review: Better Than A Netbook

If you're trying to find a travel laptop with decent multimedia performance and good battery life that won't take up much room in a carry-on bag then the latest HP Pavilion dm1 (dm1z) might be just what you need.

Build and Design
The new HP Pavilion dm1-4010us ($480) is a simple and straightforward update to the dm1 series laptops from early 2011. You get an 11-inch netbook with a traditional rounded clamshell design. The biggest design change here is that the new generation of dm1z laptops feature mostly black plastics with silver accents rather than mostly silver with black accents.
Build quality is on par with other HP Pavilion notebooks and HP mini netbooks ... meaning slightly above average for a budget laptop. The plastics used in the chassis are durable and thick enough to prevent flex or cracking under pressure. The plastic screen lid provides adequate protection for the screen, but the middle of the lid does bend inward under firm pressure (be careful jamming this into overhead compartments on your next flight).
The lid features a plain matte black paint job which keeps the outward appearance clean and professional. Opening up the screen, the silver-painted hinges have enough tension to hold the screen in place, but the plastics surrounding the hinges "float" around the actual metal hinges themselves. This was probably done so that the hinges won't sustain a sharp impact if the laptop is dropped with the screen in the open position. However, the flexing plastics around the hinges don't inspire the same confidence in build quality as the rest of the laptop.
The bottom of the notebook has a clean look with no screws in sight. If you want to upgrade the RAM, replace the hard drive or the wireless card, all you have to do is remove the battery and push the battery release switch all the way to the left as you pull forward on the bottom of the notebook. The entire bottom half of the laptop comes off and you have access to two RAM slots, the hard drive, the wireless card and even the fan and heatsink.

Ports and Features
Port selection on the new dm1-4010us is virtually identical to the older dm1z we reviewed in early 2011. HP gives you three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, VGA, Gigabit LAN, a headphone jack and a microphone jack. It also features a SDHC-card slot for loading images off your camera while traveling or expanding your available storage. The only difference between this model and previous versions of the dm1 series is that the old dm1 models have a single headset jack that works for a headset, headphones or microphone and the Ethernet jack on earlier versions was covered by a rubber door. The dm1-4010us still lacks a Super Speed USB 3.0 port for fast data transfers. Most consumer notebooks now have at least one USB 3.0 port so there's no excuse for the lack of one here.

ASUS N55S Review: Great Multimedia Laptop With Some Issues

This multimedia powerhouse has a full HD display, Blu-ray writer, Bang & Olufsen speakers, plus a 2GB Nvidia graphics card for playing the latest games.

Build and Design
ASUS got more right than wrong with the N55S' design. The exterior is an aesthetically pleasing mix of black and silver. The lid is a glossy black which looks great at first glance but quickly becomes an eyesore thanks to fingerprints. I like the silver trim piece going around the lid and the brushed aluminum piece right below the screen - they give the notebook that extra high-end look.
The N55S is constructed of plastic and reasonably strong plastic at that; the palm rest barely flexes when pressed down upon. I'm greatly appreciative that ASUS used anti-glare plastic instead of glossy plastic, which is all too common on consumer notebooks. Chassis flex is average for a consumer notebook; nothing alarming, however. Fit and finish is good; there are no uneven gaps between parts or sharp edges.
Those looking to upgrade the N55S will find it straightforward to do so; two removable panels on the bottom of the chassis provide access to the hard drive and memory slots (RAM).

Ports and Features
The N55S has an average selection of ports for a multimedia notebook although it is good to see two USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports. It lacks eSATA, an ExpressCard expansion slot, and DisplayPort. The absence of those ports might bother some shoppers.

Lenovo IdeaPad U400 Review: The Latest MacBook Pro Challenger

The 14-inch all-metal IdeaPad U400 is an impressive MacBook Pro competitor that offers good performance and six hours of battery life for $879. Keep reading to find out if Lenovo can deliver a killer premium notebook at a fair price.

Build and Design
The IdeaPad U400 is a departure from the standard Lenovo IdeaPad notebooks of the past; it has a metal exoskeleton instead of the plastic (albeit sturdy) shells that have dominated this line for a long time. As few pieces of metal as possible were used in the construction, lending the U400 a clean look. At less than an inch thick and 4.3 pounds the U400 is easy to carry around.
The actual design of the U400s is reminiscent of the Apple MacBook; it's a little too similar for my taste. It's clean but not sophisticated. The build quality is excellent overall; there is no chassis flex. The metal lid provides good protection; pressing in on the back doesn't yield any ripples on the screen. The lid can be opened with one hand and that is very convenient. Something I don't like about the design is the rather sharp edge around the display and bottom of the chassis; a more rounded-off design is preferred.
Those planning to upgrade the U400 should think again; this notebook has no user-accessible panels for changing out the memory or hard drive. Additionally the battery is not removable. If you're looking at this notebook as a Apple competitor then it makes sense: Most MacBook owners don't upgrade components.

Ports and Features
The U400 has a scant selection of ports; it has three USB ports (one of which is USB 3.0), HDMI, and a slot-load DVD burner. It lacks VGA (remember this if you need to hook up to projectors), DisplayPort, and shockingly enough, there's no media card reader; I can't remember the last time I reviewed a notebook (or even a netbook) without one. Those of you with digital cameras – be prepared to carry around a USB adapter for your SD cards.
Lenovo is taking a gamble that most of its customer base will not need extra ports – it's a rather risky gamble in this reviewer’s opinion. Something else I'm not sold on is the lack of status lights; there is no hard drive or wireless indicator lights. There is a very faint power light on the front of the chassis; the power button itself is not illuminated. All picture descriptions shown below are listed from left to right.

Toshiba Portege Z835 Review: The Best Ultrabook

This $899 Best Buy exclusive features a 13.3-inch display, 128GB solid state drive, backlit keyboard and six hours of battery life. Read our take to find out what makes this Ultrabook really impressive.

Build and Design
The Portege Z835 (also called the Z830) is an Ultrabook, a new class of notebook computers characterized by their thinness, light weight, and use of Intel Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processors. These are essentially the Windows alternatives to the Apple MacBook Air.
The Z835 has a professional-looking design with normal straight lines and squared-off edges; Toshiba’s Portege line of notebooks has typically been business oriented so this makes sense. The Z835 will most certainly draw wandering eyes despite its utilitarian appearance due to the sheer thinness – it really is that thin at only 0.63 inches high. The chassis is constructed entirely of magnesium alloy, a lightweight yet strong material. As a result the Z835 feels like almost nothing at 2.4 pounds.
The chassis is remarkably stiff and hardly flexes; it is almost a necessity for Ultrabooks to be built as such since they are designed for constant travel. If the chassis allowed flex, the internal circuit boards could bend and increase the likeliness of failure due to stress cracks over time. The fit and finish is good; all areas of the notebook seem to have received about the same attention to detail. The corners of the chassis are a bit sharp as is the cut-out for the Ethernet port on the back of the notebook.
Upgradeability is not something Ultrabooks are designed for; there are no user-accessible panels on the bottom of the chassis. The entire bottom of the chassis needs to be removed to get at any of the internals. An additional impediment to upgradeability is the non-standard SSD; you can’t simply put a normal SSD or hard drive in this notebook as the chassis is not thick enough to accommodate them.

Ports and Features
The thinness of Ultrabooks prevents them from packing much beyond the bare essentials. Fortunately the Z835 makes what space is available count; it has full-size HDMI and VGA-out ports as well as a single USB 3.0 port. The Z835 lacks ExpressCard and DisplayPort. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Toshiba Satellite L755 Review: Basic Home Essentials

The Satellite L755 (also sold as the L750) is a 15.6-inch budget notebook with a good keyboard and satisfactory overall performance. With the holidays fast approaching, is it worth recommending this laptop at nearly $700?

Build and Design
The Toshiba Satellite L755 manages to look respectable despite its budget notebook classification. That is, until you start using it. Every visible inch of the notebook has a glossy surface which attracts fingerprints and dust like no other; it quickly turns into a mess. Notebook makers use glossy plastic solely as a means of making the notebook look more attractive on a display shelf. Glossy plastic fails the practicality test and is the worst characteristic of this notebook. Even the keyboard keys are glossy.
The build quality of the notebook is satisfactory; it feels sturdy enough and the chassis resists twisting rather well. Most of the plastic surfaces visibly flex when pressed down upon, however. The plastics used have adequate quality but aren't robust as would be expected on a business notebook, for example.
The display has a surprisingly strong backing which prevents any distortion from showing on the screen when pressure is applied from behind. The screen hinges seem a bit weak as the anchor points are quite small and the display can actually move side-to-side a bit.
Upgrading the L755 is a relatively simple task; two access panels on the bottom of the chassis provide access to the memory and hard drive.

Ports and Features
The L755 includes the bare essentials and nothing more as is the case with most budget notebooks. This notebook lacks the new USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port, eSATA, and DisplayPort; they can't be added either since the L755 also lacks an ExpressCard expansion slot. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Alienware M14x Review: The Best or Worst Portable Gaming Laptop?

Alienware shocked many gaming enthusiasts earlier this year when the company discontinued its popular M15x gaming notebook and replaced it with the slightly smaller M14x. Did Alienware make a good call replacing a 15-inch laptop with a 14-inch laptop? We took an in-depth look at the M14x to find out if it indeed is "The most powerful 14-inch laptop in the universe."

Build and Design
Love then or hate them, Alienware notebooks feature one of the best known designs among gaming laptops. The M14x might be a new notebook for 2011 but it incorporates all of the key elements that make the Alienware notebooks unique. Combine a stealth fighter with a H.R. Giger drawing and mix in a generous helping of multi-colored LEDs and you'll get something that starts to look like an Alienware design.

The build quality of the M14x is very good with a combination of metal and plastic parts. Most of the exterior contact points (lid, palm rests and keyboard surround) are plastic. Nevertheless, the M14x feels solid ... in no small part due to the unusually thick design. Alienware's designers make no apologies for the roughly 1.5-inch thickness of this laptop; this gaming PC needed to take up less space in a bedroom or dorm room. One of the common complaints from owners of the old 15-inch Alienware m15x was that it was as large as most 17-inch laptops. Alienware decided to make a high-performance gaming notebook with a smaller footprint on your desk, but in order to make it smaller they had to make the chassis thicker to accommodate the cooling system needed for the processor and graphics.

And so the Alienware M14x was born: A 14-inch gaming notebook that takes up roughly as much space as a 15-inch laptop.

Despite the unique lines and thickness of the chassis, it's the AlienFX LED lighting system that most people usually notice first. The colors of virtually every light on the notebook can be changed to virtually any color. In fact, you can even set the lighting to a combination of multiple colors or strobe between the entire rainbow of colors. Of course, you can also shut off all of the lights if you don't desire unwanted attention.

The bottom of the M14x takes a page from the design playbook of the Alienware m11x with a fully integrated battery and no easy access to system RAM, hard drive or wireless cards. In short, you'll have to spend some time disassembling the M14x if you want to upgrade it yourself.

Ports and Features
The M14x has a very good selection of ports for a 14-inch laptop; no doubt a benefit of the unusually thick design. This Alienware laptop includes two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, Ethernet, memory card reader and slot-loading optical drive. The only item that's missing is an ExpressCard expansion slot ... but, for better or worse, very few modern gaming notebooks include an ExpressCard slot anymore. All picture descriptions are left to right.

Acer Debuts Its First Ultrabook, the Aspire S3-951

It's finally official: Acer revealed its first Ultrabook to North America today, the Aspire S3-951. The S3-951 is a 13.3-inch, half-inch thin ultraportable notebook weighing just under three pounds. The notebook sports a 20GB solid state boot drive and 320GB 5400rpm hard drive, a second-generation Intel Core i5-2467M processor at 1.6GHz, (2.3GHz with Turbo Boost) Intel HD Graphics 3000, and 4GB DDR3 memory.
Among some of its features include the ability to perform tasks within seconds, such as connect to the Internet in 2.5 seconds with Instant Connect and resume from sleep mode in less than two seconds with Instant On. Acer claims up to six hours of battery life with the S3-951, and up to 50 days of "stand-by time" when the notebook is not in use.

The Aspire S3 has an aluminum and magnesium chassis, weighs 2.98 pounds, and has a half-inch thin design. Its exact dimensions are 12.59 x 8.52 x .51~.68 inches. The display cover carries a fingerprint-free finish in metallic silver. The display itself is 13.3 diagonal inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio and has 1366 x 768 resolution.
The notebook also has an integrated 1.3 HD webcam, Bluetooth 4.0, a 2-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader (SD/MMC), HDMI and VGA, and two USB 2.0 ports.
Pricing and Availability
The Acer Aspire S3-951 will be available in select stores in the US and Canada. It has an MSRP of $899. More Ultrabook models will be announced in the months to come and Acer states that the notebooks will include Intel Core i3 or i7 processor with higher capacity SSDs.
More Specifications and Features:

• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel UM67 chipset
• Multi-gesture touchpad
• Chiclet-style keyboard
• Dolby Home Theater v4
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• 3-cell Lithium polymer battery (3280mAh)

Toshiba Satellite L735-S3220RD Full Review: A Good Deal on a Budget Laptop?

On the bright side, the Toshiba Satellite L735-S3220RD is an entry level notebook with good performance thanks to the Intel Core i5-2410M dual-core processor and enough memory. It also has a fashionable design that's light enough to travel with. On the other hand, the notebook was only able to provide about three and a half hours of battery life and has an all-plastic, somewhat flimsy construction.
Build and Design
Like most of the entry level notebooks in the Toshiba Satellite series, the new 13.3-inch Satellite L735-S3220RD is made almost entirely out of molded plastics and has the familiar rounded clamshell construction on the display lid and around the chassis. This notebook sports a red and black dot matrix design with a glossy Toshiba Fusion finish. The glossy finish embodies the display cover, screen surround, keyboard, and palmrests. To add a touch of style, the area just below the LCD has a bumpy textured feel to it along with the dot matix design. The overall dimensions are 12.95” x 8.7” x 1.10”~1.45”, and it weighs 4.6 pounds without the battery. This notebook is meant to appeal to those who want to have a travel-friendly notebook with a slightly bigger screen size than your typical ultraportable netbook.
All in all, the structure and design of the Toshiba Satellite L735-S3220RD is made to fit the average budget-conscious consumers' needs while on the go. The design is quite stylish, even though the glossiness tends to collect fingerprints easily almost entirely throughout. Our only question now is, how will its build and construction hold up while traveling?
Pressing down with a good amount of pressure in the center of the keyboard resulted in the chassis giving way; this is due to the all-plastic construction. Although it didn't dip down horribly, it was certainly still noticable and might be a problem with users who normally press down hard while typing. The area above the keyboard and beneath the display gave way even more when we pressed down on it, which may cause problems while traveling. Likewise, the display lid flexed too much for comfort and caused "ripples" when bending the corners inward. The palmrests and bottom of the notebook were the only areas with firm construction. Overall, though, the build quality is not what we would call travel-friendly and it is of questionable durability--the notebook could be easily scratched or beaten up if you are a heavy traveler.
The L735 is somewhat upgradeable and getting to the hardware that you can upgrade is simple: remove two screws and pull upward on the access panel and you can remove the Toshiba hard drive and RAM. The L735 has two RAM slots for up to 8GB of memory.
Ports and Features
The ports and features selection on the L735 is considerably above average. It has HDMI, VGA, three USB 2.0 ports, and an 8-in-1 memory card reader (not to mention a Blu-ray player). On the downside, it does not has a USB 3.0 port or eSATA. The memory card reader supports SD, SDHC, SDXC, miniSD, microSD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and Multi Media Card formats. Strangely enough, you will not be able to notice the memory card reader unless you lift the notebook up...it's nearly beneath the chassis.

ASUS U36S Full Review: Better Than A MacBook Pro?

The ASUS U36S is a 13.3-inch ultraportable featuring a magnesium-aluminum chassis that weighs just 3.1 lbs. At just 0.75" thin and with over 8 hours of battery life, could this laptop be one of this year’s best buys? Here's a tip: Keep reading if you are thinking about buying a MacBook Pro for Christmas.

 

Build and Design
The ASUS U36S ($899.99) has a rather unsuspecting gray and black exterior. The surfaces of the notebook are made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy which is strong and extraordinarily light. The whole notebook including its large 8-cell battery weighs just 3.11 lbs. Additionally the notebook is exceptionally thin measuring just three quarters of an inch with the lid closed.

The build quality is excellent; the chassis is nearly inflexible and the lid has strong protection from the metal alloy backing. I like how the top of the chassis is molded from a single piece of metal alloy including the keyboard surround. Finally, the anti-glare properties of the metal alloy do not show fingerprints or dust and should resist scratches fairly well. The only area of the build quality that could use improvement is the screen bezel; the glossy plastic is difficult to keep clean as is the glossy screen surface.

Unlike many other metal-clad laptops (the ones with fruit logos on the lids), upgrading the RAM inside the U36S is easily accomplished by removing the user-serviceable panel on the bottom of the chassis. Getting to the hard drive is another matter; the whole chassis needs to be taken apart. This is a shame; I imagine a good number of customers will want to upgrade to an SSD or at least a faster hard drive.

Ports and Features
The ASUS U36S has a standard array of ports for a 13.3-inch notebook including a single USB 3.0 port. It does not have an internal optical drive, an ExpressCard slot, DisplayPort, or eSATA. All picture descriptions are listed from left to right.

ASUS U36S Full Review: Better Than A MacBook Pro?

The ASUS U36S is a 13.3-inch ultraportable featuring a magnesium-aluminum chassis that weighs just 3.1 lbs. At just 0.75" thin and with over 8 hours of battery life, could this laptop be one of this year’s best buys? Here's a tip: Keep reading if you are thinking about buying a MacBook Pro for Christmas.

Build and Design

The ASUS U36S ($899.99) has a rather unsuspecting gray and black exterior. The surfaces of the notebook are made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy which is strong and extraordinarily light. The whole notebook including its large 8-cell battery weighs just 3.11 lbs. Additionally the notebook is exceptionally thin measuring just three quarters of an inch with the lid closed.
The build quality is excellent; the chassis is nearly inflexible and the lid has strong protection from the metal alloy backing. I like how the top of the chassis is molded from a single piece of metal alloy including the keyboard surround. Finally, the anti-glare properties of the metal alloy do not show fingerprints or dust and should resist scratches fairly well. The only area of the build quality that could use improvement is the screen bezel; the glossy plastic is difficult to keep clean as is the glossy screen surface.
Unlike many other metal-clad laptops (the ones with fruit logos on the lids), upgrading the RAM inside the U36S is easily accomplished by removing the user-serviceable panel on the bottom of the chassis. Getting to the hard drive is another matter; the whole chassis needs to be taken apart. This is a shame; I imagine a good number of customers will want to upgrade to an SSD or at least a faster hard drive.

Ports and Features

The ASUS U36S has a standard array of ports for a 13.3-inch notebook including a single USB 3.0 port. It does not have an internal optical drive, an ExpressCard slot, DisplayPort, or eSATA. All picture descriptions are listed from left to right.