Posts tagged "Gadget Review"

ASUS G51JX-A1 GAMING NOTEBOOK NVIDIA GTS 360M VIDEO REVIEW & BENCHMARKS

Asus G51Jx-A1, Intel Core I7-720qm, 6gb ddr3, 500gb 7200rpm, NVIDIA GTS 360M, DVDRW, 15.6″ FHD (1920X1080), Windows 7 home pre 64, www.btotech.com Powerful gaming laptop notebook

Asus Transformer, Acer Iconia, Asus Slate Win 7 Tablet Review

This is a review and comparison of the Asus Transformer, Acer Iconia A500, and Asus Windows 7 tablets. The Asus Transformer is a nice tablet with great graphics screen picture. The processor works extremely well within this tablet. It doesn’t play all movies as you would expect. It plays most MP4 and some .avi but it’s hit or miss with .avi even after installing codec pack. Not able to read or write to added storage space even after last Android update. The Acer Iconia is a nice tablet as well. You can read and write directly to added storage space after last update from Android. iconia will play most movie formats after codec installation. have not tried .MKV files. the Iconia is about a second slower than the ASUS. a second to a split second I guess. This could however be attributed to the fact that I have twice as many, if not 3 times the apps installed on the Iconia vs the Asus Transformer. Both Asus Transformer and Iconia will identify network and stream media to or from device or to any PC connected to the network. Both these cost about the same at 8 Iconia and 9 Asus Transformer. Lastly we have the ASUS SLATE Windows 7 Home Premium. This is the best tablet I’ve bought and the most surprising of all. i was pleasantly surprised to find that it is a fully functioning PC in tablet form. This machine works better than most Windows Desktops. It does exactly what you’d expect to, and better than you would expect. I expected to get a machine that at least would do …

This video was uploaded from an Android phone.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Meizu MX Review

While the Meizu electronics brand isn’t that well known outside of China at the moment, they’re certainly a brand to be reckoned with in the smartphone market, and if the Meizu MX is any indication, they’ll be a whole lot more well known in the very near future. The device you see before you is a high-end Android device made for release in China only, but because of its 2G and 3G network bands, we’re able to use it here in the USA with a micro SIM card from T-Mobile or AT&T, whichever we so choose to pop in. Because of this, the review of this device makes for a rather interesting exercise in testing Meizu on a global scale: can this MX smartphone stand up to the rest of the Android devices here in the USA?

This device is currently available in China and can readily be purchased through carriers and resellers of hardware if you’re in the area. Should you want to use this device in the United States, you’ll want to make sure it’s set for English right out of the box or you may have a bit of trouble (provided you aren’t able to read Mandarin) working with this device’s many interfaces – each of them available in several languages, thus is the power of Android. What you receive here in this unique handset is a high-end experience in both a unique piece of hardware and a unique custom-made user interface working over Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread – with a planned upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in the future.

Hardware

Though there was a very early report of a chipped case in one of the first review models that was released, Meizu has since replaced the back cover with a more substantial back battery cover – you wouldn’t know the difference unless you had both covers in your hands, and even then the differences are next to impossible to spot. So we’re fully confident now that the phone is solid all the way through. The way the back cover attaches to the bulk of the device is unique in that it clips on throughout but has two metal pins that are spring loaded at the bottom of the phone. There’s no chance this back cover is coming off unless you want it to come off, I can say that with confidence.

The white back and black front of the device give it a lovely two-tone look that’s rare in the market today, with a set of light-up arrangement-switching lights surrounding the center Home button – which sticks outward instead of the usual inward we see with such smartphones as the iPhone. The Home button does just that, brings you back to your main home screen from whatever app you’re in, and is also able to wake the device up. Because the button is out rather than in, it poses the risk of you hitting it often when you do no intend to – more than likely we’re seeing reduced battery time because it’s on in our pocket so very often unintentionally.

The lights on either side of the Home button are capacitive and can represent a number of different functions. When you see three lights in a row, you know that it’s a menu button. When you see three lights in a triangle, you know that it’s a back button. When you see one light, you know that your device is awake, but that the button will not do anything except give you haptic feedback. When the phone is asleep, these light-up buttons serve as notification lights, “breathing” in and out whenever you get a notification – be it for a message, an email, or whatever else you’ve got hooked up to give you notifications all the live long day.

The front panel is some sort of unnamed reinforced glass over a 4-inch 960 x 640 pixel resolution ASV display (aka Advanced Super View TFT LCD). This display has a 288 ppi pixel density – this compares with the 330 ppi pixel density of the iPhone 4/4S and the 316 ppi pixel density of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Note that though these displays cannot be directly compared with pixels per inch alone, it is interesting to see how close to one another they are simply based on that one count. Set them next to one another and you’ll be able to tell the difference – alone they’re all more than sharp enough for any discerning smartphone lover.

Software

This device runs on Android 3.5 Gingerbread with Meizu’s custom user interface “Flyme” running on top. You’ll get a good look at how this version of Android works in comparison to both Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and iOS 5.0 on the iPhone 4S in this hands-on video:

There’s another China-based app store here that’s not affiliated with Google but, strangely enough, can view your downloads folder and tell you which apps you’ve downloaded for the official Android Market – which is also on the device out of the box. Take a peek at a few other screenshots of modified applications included in this build in the gallery below, but note most what the Music application looks like here. There’s an equalizer in there! It works pretty good too, for what it is. It’s no ultra-advanced set of modifications for your tunes, but it does adjust well enough for the headphones, built-in speakers, or speaker jack you’ll be using.

Also feel free to take a glance at a set of benchmark tests done on the phone here, and note that this is the early-release developer/reviewers edition of the device, it appearing in forums across the web as having benchmarks just about 85% as good as the final release of the device. This device is, again, already available in China now. SunSpider is run on the stock web browser with T-Mobile 3G:

Camera

The camera interface you can also take a peek at in the hands-on video above, it having a decent amount of ability to take modified photos right out of the box, but not having the most extensive set of effects out of the box. Both videos and photos are at least decent and the interface created by Meizu for Flymm functions, but does have some oddities we’re not a big fan of. One example is once a photo is taken, previewing the image displays a cropped image – you’ve got to pinch to zoom out to see the full image. Have a peek at some 8 megapixel photos and a 1080p video here to make your own judgements:

The video above shows how terrible the camera can be in a dark environment, then this next video comes from someone in China using the final version of the device (and the camera) on a relatively clear day on a road. It should be pretty clear here that this camera can create big range of qualities in video.

Photos on the other hand are pretty darn nice. Check these examples out:

Battery and Phone Quality

The battery inside this device lasted us about 8 hours with medium use, needing just one charge a day if you’ve not been playing video all day. Have a peek at this indicator of how long the device will last if you’re only using it for email, a map or two, and photography: more than a day, easy.

Wrap-Up

This device appears more than ready to take on the top-tier market in China, but certainly isn’t something you’ll want to pay several hundred dollars to import here to the United States. It works with micro SIM cards from T-Mobile and AT&T, but the coverage limitations and the specs which are essentially equal to phones such as the Galaxy S II make this a device you’ll be better to pick up if you actually live in China.

The software is interesting, but does not seem to offer any large benefits over iOS or Android besides the fact that it looks just a bit different. It essentially functions the same as Android, doesn’t have an apps drawer so reminds one of iOS, and sits at about equal or a little less powerful a device on the whole mainly because of the software. This is certainly Meizu’s best effort to date, and if you do get the chance to play around with one, take it: it’s a sign of what might be coming eventually to the United States if a manufacturer here can make it profitable to offer such a different take on Android.

Take a peek at the images and video above and below, and if you’ve got any questions on the device in the near future, do not hesitate to ask!

[via SlashGear]

Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79 Review 2011 Sandy Bridge-E Rampage 4

Asus Rampage IV Extreme X79 Review 2011 Sandy Bridge-E Rampage 4 Review Full Review Here: www.overclock3d.net TTL Facebook: www.facebook.com

www.ncix.com Everyone keeps asking me about this thing. Let’s see if it’s as cool as all the hype!

Tom Bihn Cadet Laptop Bag Review

Laptops by their nature are portable devices. Things that travel frequently tend to be abused more often.  You’ve just spent a nice chunk of your hard earned money on a new laptop, the next logical question after “when will I get it” is “how should I protect it when carrying it?”  The Tom Bihn Cadet could be the answer to that question. Tom Bihn has been designing and making high quality bags in Seattle since the 80s. The Cadet is their newest offering. Below we’re going to take a look at pros and cons of the Cadet to see if it lives up to the Tom Bihn name.

Features & Specs

• Material: 1050 denier Basllistic Nylon Exterior/Dyeema Ripstop Nylon Lining
• Zippers: Splash-Proof
• Dimensions: Width – 16.25” x Depth – 4.5” x Height – 12.5”
• Weight: 2.0 lbs
• Comes with the removable Cadet Cache Notebook Sleeve
• Removable Organizer Cube(s)
• Padded Should Strap
• Ergonomic Handle
• M.S.R.P: $ 170

The Cadet can only be purchased via TomBihn.com or their Seattle retail store if you happen to be in the area.

Design

Upon first glance the Cadet looks like just another 15” notebook bag, which it is, but a closer inspection reveals the care and attention to detail that went into the design and manufacture of the Cadet. Our review unit is the Steele (kind of a silver gray thing) colored version of the Cadet. The interior is a bright yellow. There are several other color combos if that doesn’t work for you. The Cadet was designed with Apple laptops and the iPad in mind, but I’m pretty positive Mr. Bihn wouldn’t mind if you toted a lowly PC around in it.  There two sizes of the Cadet – a 11/iPad version, which is designed for use with the 11” MacBook Air and the iPad. We’ll be reviewing the 15/13, which is made for the 13”/15” MacBook Pros and the 13” MacBook Air.

The Cadet is well made and you can tell a lot of thought went into its design. The exterior of the Cadet is made from 1050 denier Ballistic Nylon. It’s tough, and resistant to scrapes and scratches. It also has a nice soft tactile feel to it. The interior is lined with Dyneema Ripstop Nylon. It’s light, and doesn’t tear or rip easily. The Cadet uses splash-proof zippers, which should be a no-brainer for a bag from Seattle. The handles are soft and stay together, making it easy to pick up. The bottom of the Cadet is flat, but one issue I had with it is depending on how it’s loaded, it doesn’t always stay upright when placed on a flat surface. It has a tendency to fall over, which might be annoying if it’s next your chair in a meeting and you need access to it.

The review unit also came with the Absolute Shoulder Strap, which is a $ 20 upgrade over the standard strap. It’s an upgraded shoulder strap with extra padding that’s supposed to be more comfortable. I didn’t carry it around all day with 25 pounds of stuff in there to truly test it out, but it certainly felt more comfy than the standard strap in every day use. Our review unit also had one 3D Clear Organizer Cube (more on that below).  Oddly the cube included was green, while the Cadet was steel colored.  The Cube is a $ 22 add-on accessory piece.

Pockets

Starting from the front and working our way to the back, we’ll take a look at the each of the pockets on the Cadet.

Front Pocket

The front pocket, as the name implies, is a small pocket that sits on the very front of the bag. It’s lined with ultrasuede and makes for an ideal spot to place your phone, hard drive or MP3 player without it getting scratched. Anything bigger than those and it’ll probably have to go elsewhere. My wallet, which is average sized, sticks out the top.

Organizer Pocket

The organizer pocket sits on the front of the Cadet. It has dual zippers that go about half way down to gain access. It’s the second largest pocket after the main pocket. It has an assortment of pouches for pens, hard drives and other essential knickknacks. There are also two o-rings at the top of the pocket. They can be used to clip Organizer Cubes to the bag so you don’t forget them. Organizer Cubes are small zippered containers with clear sides. They’re nice for putting small objects into, but since they’re clear you can still see what’s in there when attempting to fish something out. The nylon lining inside is bright yellow. The yellow makes small things stand out and easy to see. It could use a few more pouches, I noticed no pouch was big enough to accommodate an optical drive. That might be of concern for MacBook Air users who might carry an external optical drive as the Air does not have one built-in.

Main Pocket

This is where the laptop goes. The pocket is large. It swallowed up my 15” ThinkPad R60e with plenty of room to spare. I’m betting a 17” laptop would fit too. It has a divider made from the ripstop nylon. You could put larger items that wouldn’t fit in the organizer pocket in the front of the main pocket. There’s another two o-rings at the front of the main pocket for more Organizer Cubes.

The main pocket also contains the Cadet Cache. The Cache is a foam sleeve intended to provide an extra layer of protection for your notebook. There are two sizes for the Cache – one for the 13” Macs and one for the 15” models. You’ll need to choose that when you buy one. Our unit has the 13” Cache. Both the 13” Air and my ThinkPad X220 fit nicely. The Cache is removable from the Cadet if you want to take only your notebook, but the removal process is not the most intuitive I’ve seen. The odd part about the Cache is there’s no way of securing the flap to the the sleeve. Velcro or perhaps a button would seem like a good choice, but I think you’re supposed to tuck the fold into the sleeve. It would be tragic if your notebook slid out while your mind was elsewhere.

Rear Pocket

The rear pocket is more of a sleeve. The top does not have a zipper. It would make a good place to store magazines, some folders or a spiral notebook. The bottom does have a zipper, which allows access to the lower portion of the sleeve. It would make a good place to put an AC adapter or something similar.

Conclusion

There’s no question the Tom Bihn Cadet is a very nice laptop bag, but quality and inexpensive do not usually go together. Is it a good fit for you? If you have indeed spent a nice chunk of change on your laptop and want to invest in protecting it, then the Cadet is a very good choice. It’s well built and should last a long time. It affords a fairly high degree of protection and has some nice organizational touches, which make it easy to pack. If you just got the $ 300 Wal-Mart laptop special and need a bag, that buyer probably isn’t going spend a couple hundred dollars on a laptop bag.  But if you like something unique, high quality and need a professional looking bag to carry your premium laptop to work, take a close look at the Tom Bihn Cadet.

Pros

• Attractive Design
• Built to last
• Some Nice Design Features
• Made in the US of A

Cons

• Cadet Cache removal process could be simpler
• At times does not stand up when placed on the floor
• Could use a few more organizer pouches
• Price

[via ]

HP Pavilion g6z Video Review

The HP Pavilion g6z is a budget home laptop offered via HP.com.  The g6z is equipped with an AMD Fusion processor as opposed to the similar g6x and g6t laptops equipped with Intel processors.  The particular g6z we have under review has the budget friendly AMD A4 processor inside.  With the AMD A4-3305M processor the g6z starts at a price of $ 449.99 on HP.com before any coupons or discounts.  However, as we all know there are always HP coupons available to knock the price down, so make sure to check out coupon codes before buying.

Below is a 6 minute video review of the HP Pavilion g6z:

We’ll have a more in depth written review to follow, but for those that just need a quick look and tour of the laptop the video might be enough to convince you this either is or isn’t the laptop for your needs.

The g6z is what HP classifies as an “Everyday Computing” laptop, which is to say it gets the job done but won’t allow you to get your gaming on and the design won’t turn any heads on the fashion catwalk.  The g6z is built with a plastic casing, no fancy aluminum or metal like you get with higher priced laptops.  The case is quite strong despite the use of plastic, the palm rests and other important structural areas are firm with no flex.

When configuring the g6z on HP.com you get a choice of colors: charcoal grey, sonoma red, pacific blue, pewter, or sweet purple.  The default color is charcoal grey and what you see in the pictures and video here.  Any other color is a $ 25 upgrade.  There are no fancy design touches, it’s pretty much just a glossy plastic finish in whichever color you pick all over with a black rim around the edges.  It’s a minimalistic type of design that certainly won’t offend anyone yet won’t stun anyone either.

The performance of the g6z of course varies based upon how you configure it.  You get a choice of the following AMD Fusion processors:

• AMD Dual-Core A4-3305M Accelerated Processor (2.5GHz/1.9GHz, 1MB L2 Cache)
• AMD Dual-Core A4-3320M Accelerated Processor (2.6GHz/2.0GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
• AMD Quad-Core A6-3420M Accelerated Processor (2.4GHz/1.5GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)
• AMD Quad-Core A8-3520M Accelerated Processor (2.5GHz/1.6GHz, 4MB L2 Cache)

Our review model has the base level A4-3305M processor.  The performance boost from the A8 quad core processor would be significant, but it costs $ 105 more.   If you want a laptop for everyday tasks such as web surfing, editing office word processor or spreadsheet documents, watching online video, video chat or even outputting 720p video to your TV then the AMD A4 processor is just fine.  Since the HP g6z is intended as a laptop for basic home or school use most people will not pay to upgrade the processor.

Though there’s nothing particularly outstanding about the HP g6z, the one thing we did find outstanding was the low amount of heat and fan noise.  The g6z was very quiet in operation and simply did not get hot.  Even when running benchmarks the laptop didn’t break a sweat.

We’ll have a more in depth written review to come, but for those that have arrived here and are looking to buy now it’s suffice to say that the HP g6z is a reasonable budget laptop that can serve well for users that are not overly demanding and want a simple laptop for web surfing, video watching and chat and basic productivity tasks.

[via ]

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Keyboard Dock Review

A video review and demo of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer keyboard dock. It’s still hard to find it in stores, so we demo the keyboard that can easily turn the tablet into a productive notebook or netbook replacement. It sells for 9 and has a chiclet style keys, two USB 2.0 ports, a full size SD card slot and built-in battery.

Hardcore is Back! With a reputation of extreme performance and innovative features, ROG has yet again delivered the ultimate motherboard that’s ready to shatter yet more world records. Built on the success and innovations of its predecessors, the ROG Rampage IV Extreme (R4E) is ready to take you to new levels in extreme overclocking and gaming. A result of the continual feedback with the ROG community, the R4E has imbued those needs and ideas, resulting in the best X79 chipset motherboard ever created.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Lenovo ThinkPad X130e Review

The Lenovo ThinkPad X130e laptop is specifically designed for Elementary aged children and is equipped with the technology needed for an educational laptop.  That said, the X130e may appeal to some business buyers or home users.  It’s a small and portable laptop with a rugged build, comfortable keyboard and budget friendly price.  All characteristics that might appeal to a crowd other than 8 year olds. When purchasing the X130e you have a choice of an Intel Core i3 or AMD Fusion E300 series processor.  The Intel processor is better performing, but also costs around $ 100 more.  Pricing on the ThinkPad X130e AMD model starts at $ 469 while the Intel model current starts at $ 589.

The ThinkPad X130e we have under review is the base AMD model with the following specs:

• Processor: AMD Fusion E300 1.30GHz
• OS: Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• Memory: 4 GB DDR3 – 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
• Screen: 11.6″ HD LED 1366 x 768 resolution
• Weight: 3.9 lb (1.78kg)
• Wireless: 802.11 Wi-Fi
• Storage: 250GB HD
• Ports: VGA, HDMI 1.4, Gigabit Ethernet, Mic (microphone)/speaker combo jack, 3 USB 2.0 (including 1 powered USB), 4-in-1 media card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC)
• Weight: 3.93 lbs
• Warranty: 1-year

At the time of purchase this configuration cost $ 429 via Lenovo.com.

ThinkPad X130e Video Overview

For those who don’t like to read dense text, here’s a quick video overview of the X130e I did:

Design and Build

The ThinkPad X130e can be considered a derivation of the X120e, I like to think of it as an armored version of the X120.  Here are the important ruggedized improvements the X130e offers over the X120e:

• A top cover rubber bumper to absorb impacts to the side of the laptop
• 33% stronger corner to reduce the chance of damage when dropped at an angle
• Stronger reinforced hinges, tested to last up to 30,000 opening and closings
• Reinforced and recessed ports to decrease the effects of wear and tear
• Stronger Bezel (area around the laptop screen) with 1.2mm thick plastic to protect the LED panel

All that reinforcement is designed to make sure kids using these in school don’t break the equipment easily and create a hardware support headache.  The rounded off front corners also help to prevent young ones from injuring themselves on any sharp corners.  The difference in build quality over the X120e is substantial.  The hinges absolutely feel more rigid and are as stiff as those on the ThinkPad X220 I own.  The lid feels so thick it could take a bullet, no amount of pushing or knocking is able to cause ripples in the LCD screen, a sure sign there’s some thick protection in place.  The rubber bumper lip around the lid is substantial enough that you could put wheels on the X130e and play bumper cars with other X130e’s in the room.  Even the rubber bumper feet on the X130e are thicker than normal, dropping the X130e onto the table from a height of around 1” provides a fun bounce, not a clunk of plastic on wood.  There is no doubt this is the most rugged and durable $ 400 laptop on the market.

From an aesthetic design perspective the X130e looks a lot like any other ThinkPad — it’s all black, has a red trackpoint, a ThinkPad logo, matte screen and a case made of hard durable plastics.  A couple of differences to the Enterprise targeted ThinkPads such as the X220 is the chiclet style keyboard and a blinking red “i” on the ThinkPad logo on the lid and right palm rest.  Those design touches are borrowed from the ThinkPad Edge line.

One interesting note in terms of design of the body is that the battery actually plays a role in the overall structure of the laptop, take the battery out and you have a gaping hole in the X130e at the top of the keyboard:

If you use the machine plugged in and with the battery removed it could be a fun place to store pens and knick knacks, the screen uses a drop hinge design so it’s a nice little enclosed space back there when the screen is open!

Screen

The X130e has an 11.6” screen with 1366 x 768 resolution.  The screen layer finish is matte so to avoid reflection and glare.  The screen sports 200 nits of brightness, that’s not very bright but adequate for indoor use though certainly nowhere near bright enough for outdoor usage.  At the top of the screen is a built-in web camera with a rather low 0.3-megapixel resolution.  The camera does offer low light sensitivity, which is generally more useful than more megapixels.  Kids in class will now be able to interact with other students around the world if teachers allow such things, or use Skype to call home and let mom know they forgot to bring lunch.

As far as screen viewing quality, there’s nothing exceptional here.  The screen seemed a little grainy to my eyes, but colors were fairly accurate.  The screen viewing angles were typical for a TN panel technology display, you’d have to pay much more for a laptop to get a higher quality IPS display with wide viewing angles and more accurate color representation.

For kids, the X130e display is just fine.  If you’re extremely picky about screens you need to be spending more money, you won’t find a premium screen in this buying category.

Keyboard and Touchpad

It would of course be criminal to sell a ThinkPad without a top notch keyboard and trackpoint so you already know that the X130e is going to have one of the best keyboards in its size class.  Which it does.  The X130e has a chiclet style design, but still manages to stay close in feel to other ThinkPad notebooks.  The X130e keyboard doesn’t have quite the same stiffness and firmness of press the keys as on the X220 I use, they’re a little lighter to the touch.  Traditional ThinkPad typists will certainly notice this keyboard is different, and maybe not up to snuff, but it’s certainly a better keyboard than any other 11” laptop I’ve used.  The Delete and Backspace keys have increased in size from the X120e, which is a user friendly touch, even us non-students make a lot of typing mistakes and have to correct ourselves.

The touchpad on the X130e is also different to the X120e.  Instead of using dedicated lower mouse buttons they have now been integrated into the touchpad, the same way they are on the X220.  The touchpad has a textured surface so it’s easy to feel without having to look down.  Because the touchpad is so small you tend to run out of room to move the cursor around and make scrolling or zooming gestures.  The trackpoint supplants anything you would use the touchpad for and is easy and more efficient to use, whether kids will master using a trackpoint is questionable.  An external mouse is probably the most intuitive and easy to use thing for the elementary aged crowd.

Performance

I know when I used to use a computer in school the only concern was how well it ran Lemonade Stand, Oregon Trail or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  But back then each room got one computer and not one laptop per child as I guess is the standard being pushed for today.  However, one thing that hasn’t changed is kids will (or should) be using computers for educational means, and the standard productivity program or educational games a 4th grader will use doesn’t require much performance.  The AMD E-300 1.30GHz processor on board this X130e is certainly not a performance beast, it’s a low voltage processor and doesn’t create much heat, meaning it’s battery life friendly.  If you’re an educator using laptops in a classroom then battery life is more important than extra performance, you can’t have 30 kids all plug-in to an outlet, a laptop needs to potentially last an entire class day to avoid the hassle of plugging in.  And so the AMD E-300 processor makes sense, it allows the X130e to achieve battery life levels of just over 7 hours and has enough performance for web browsing, watching videos, playing educational games, email, or taking online practice tests.   And it has enough power for using the HDMI port to output video to TV to watch movies on a larger screen after school work is done.

With that said, what’s a review without benchmarks?   Here’s how the ThinkPad X130e scored on PCMark Vantage and its score relative to other laptops:

As you can see, compared to more powerful laptops with an Intel Core i3 processor or above the overall system performance falls far short.

How about a comparison to the X120e?  Running PCMark 7 yielded a score of 856 on the AMD E-300 equipped X130e and 874 on the AMD E-350 equipped X120e:

Specs wise at the base configuration the X130e is fairly similar to the previous X120e offering either an AMD E-300 1.3GHz processor in the X130e or E-350 1.6GHz processor in the X120e.  Graphics are served by the same AMD HD 6310 in each, a hard drive is standard for storage and you can configure memory up to 8GB.   In terms of perceived performance, the X120e and X130e aren’t going to be noticeably different, even though the X120e with its base configuration E-350 processor does get slightly higher benchmark scores.

Weight

The X130e is unsurprisingly quite a bit heavier than the X120e due to all the extra armor protection it has on.  The X120e weighed in at 3.28lbs while the X130e weighs 3.82lbs according to the scales I have on hand.  That’s a half pound difference, and certainly you can feel that if you pick it up with one hand.

The ThinkPad X130e can be carried with one hand if you’re an adult, but it’s definitely not a good idea for a kid to carry this with one hand.

Ports

The X130e comes with a nice selection of ports for this sized laptop.  It even has an HDMI port, not necessarily something you’d expect in a laptop targeted at academia.

On the right side you get the 4-in-1 media card reader, powered USB 2.0 port, regular USB 2.0 port, power jack:

On the left side you get a VGA monitor out port, HDMI port, USB 2.0, Ethernet jack and microphone / headphone combo jack:

On the front side there are no ports, the speakers are located on the underside of the front:

On the back there are no ports, just the area where the battery can slide in:

Heat & Noise

One thing the X130e with the AMD E-300 processor does really well with is staying cool and quiet.  Even when running benchmarks the X130e was fan was virtually inaudible in a room with ambient noise and heat is just not an issue, everywhere on the laptop surface stays cool under any usage scenario.   The laptop did get warm on the bottom when running demanding benchmark applications, but nothing terrible and under regular usage the bottom stayed just luke warm.

Battery Life

Lenovo claims up to 8.5 hours of battery life on the X130e.  That’s probably achievable if you dim the screen all the way down and take some other battery saving measures such as turning off wireless.  Under a more realistic usage scenario with screen brightness set to medium, wireless on and the power setting set to the Windows “Balanced” mode battery life was right around the 7 hour mark.  That’s enough to get you through a day of classes, or if you’re a business person that will see you through a New York to San Francisco flight.

Conclusion

The ThinkPad X130e is an interesting little laptop, it certainly fits well as a computer for kids in the elementary school age group due to its durable design, nice keyboard and battery life long enough to last a school day.  The X130e performance is so-so with the AMD E-300, it’s well suited for everyday work tasks but beyond that you’re going to be limited in the applications it can run well.  It is noticeably slow relative to say an Intel Core i5 desktop replacement style laptop.  If you’re looking for a small laptop that’s very durable, has a nice keyboard and is budget friendly at under $ 500 then you’ve found the huckleberry you’ve been looking for right here with the X130e.

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Galaxy Note for AT&T Review

The Galaxy Note is no stranger to SlashGear: we reviewed the international version back in November 2011, finding it a curious – and in certain ways compelling – anomaly on the mobile landscape. Since then we’ve had plenty of experience with the oversized smartphone, most recently the arrival of AT&T’s LTE version. Differences between the two are slight, so a full re-review isn’t in order. However, read on for our latest thinking on this smartphone/tablet hybrid, where it stands up, and where – despite what Samsung insists – it falls flat on its 5.3-inch face.

I’ve been carrying both the original international and the new AT&T versions of the Galaxy Note for some time now, and they’re certainly relatively unique in the mobile space. Samsung believes that we’re moving towards a two-handed society, though my own experience is that we’re not there yet. As Samsung sees it, most BlackBerry users are two-handed typers, though I’d argue that the difference there is that RIM’s phones are small enough to still type with one hand, or at least securely grip it without fear of dropping a very expensive device.

Differences between the two models are small. The AT&T Note drops the physical home key and uses the space to accommodate four capacitive buttons, which I’m assuming will be still in play even after the phone gets its Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. Cosmetic differences include the lock screen: you no longer slide to unlock, but instead touch anywhere on the display and slide it in any direction.

A useful improvement is the ability to set a timer delay on PIN/pattern security being enabled. When you press the power button to turn off the display, you can have a grace period – say, five minutes – within which time you won’t need to re-enter the PIN/pattern. AT&T isn’t supplying a memory card with its version of the Note, though it does come with 16GB of integrated storage.

Inside, there are some minor changes. The AT&T Galaxy Note has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, while the international version is clocked at 1.4GHz instead. Nonetheless, the bump in speed is negligible: about 400 points delta according to the new version of benchmarking tool Quadrant (which takes into account the dualcore chipset). What’s more interesting is the memory Samsung and AT&T use on the US LTE version, versus the international version. Quadrant shows a delta of around 1000-1200 points, with the international Note scoring nearly 6000 points versus the AT&T’s 4800. Memory throughput is key to saving files and faster recall of data, so the higher the better. Still, the AT&T Note does feel a little faster in rotating from portrait to landscape orientation and vice-versa.

As for LTE, it’s very much dependent on what network you’re connected to. While I was in San Francisco, despite using AT&T’s LTE, I saw generally the same data speeds between the HSPA+ and LTE versions. Nonetheless there were pockets within San Francisco and Phoenix where LTE spiked to 6 or 7Mbps. Your experiences of 4G speeds are always going to vary based on how AT&T’s roll-out is progressing.

The first generation of LTE Android phones have earned a reputation for poor battery life, though there’s little to write home about in-between the AT&T Note and the HSPA+ model. Over a six hour period, the LTE version dropped to 84-percent while the HSPA+ international version remained at 90-percent. Bear in mind that’s with little usage; when I started actively using the AT&T model the battery gage dropped more readily. The LTE Note did seem more capable of keeping hold of a signal, however, reporting 0-percent of time without service while the international version had 4-percent of time without service.

The big story with the Note, beyond the stylus, is the screen real-estate. It’s certainly amazing: the combination of Samsung’s excellent Super AMOLED HD panel and the 1280 x 800 resolution add up to a tablet-style browsing experience but on a device that will fit into many pockets. Sites frustratingly default to their mobile versions initially, more often than not, and we wish Google had released its Chrome for Android browser for more than just Ice Cream Sandwich devices. The main downside is that, when using it as a phone, you simply look silly; still, you also look pretty foolish when using a bluetooth headset, and in the end it doesn’t really matter as long as the call quality is good. Thankfully, the Galaxy Note delivered on really good quality calls.

Once the novelty of the stylus wore off, shortly after getting the Note, I haven’t even pulled it out. I just don’t feel the need for it. As for the size, while Samsung believes that we’re migrating towards a two-handed typing society, the bottom line is that it’s not just about typing: it’s about using the Note in a way that doesn’t risk dropping it.

Samsung wants people to buy this as a primary all-day, everyday devices. I fear that’s not going to happen. It’s too big and the risk of dropping it is way higher than with a regularly-sized phone. Samsung also thinks that once we use the Note long enough we’ll get use to it. I’m afraid the jury is still out on this, though I’ll keep carrying it to see if my experience changes. As a parent, I constantly have a child in one hand or, if my wife has her, I’m carrying something for her. Or, when I’m traveling, I’m either pushing a stroller, holding a cup of coffee or a bag. It’s possible to use the 4.65-inch Galaxy Nexus one-handed, and it’s doable with the 5.3-inch Note, but you run a high risk of dropping it.

Galaxy Note for AT&T (LTE) Hands-on

Bottom line: the Galaxy Note is either a very large “super” phone or a pocketable tablet that happens to make phone calls. That’s great, but if you buy the Note you need to know that there will be roughly 20-percent of the time when you won’t be able to use it. The scale of the device demands a two-handed grip or, if you attempt to go one-handed while walking, driving or otherwise distracted, it will slip through your fingers, I guarantee it. The AT&T Galaxy Note LTE does what it does very well, but those who can handle it are likely few and far between.

[via SlashGear]

Michael Jackson: The Experience HD review

When a dancing game cuts out the dancing, something is wrong in the world.

Michael Jackson: The Experience is a game for fans of Jacko. That might seem somewhat obvious, but it is truer than you might think. The previous incarnation of this game for the consoles was a dancing game, so even if you were only a mild fan of Jackson, you could still get into the dancing mechanics of the game. You didn’t need to even have a familiarity with the music to get some enjoyment out of it. Like the 3DS version before it, the Vita version is different.

You know you are in for something odd when you take a dancing game and remove the dancing. It would be like taking a first-person shooter and removing the gun. There’s just something fundamentally wrong with it.

With Michael Jackson: The Experience on the Vita, the dancing is entirely self-inflicted. In other words, you can dance if you choose to, but you won’t get any points or anything. You may receive a few awkward stares, but that’s about it. No, for the Vita, this game has morphed into a rhythm-based game, where you are tasked with using the touchpad to tap in sync with the on-screen icons, mimic certain prompted movements, and try to keep the timing in line with the prompts. So basically you push and swipe on the screen, and there’s your game. To make sure you hit all the prompts, your best bet will be to set the Vita down in front of you and use two fingers, which can be awkward, and somewhat contradicts the nature of handheld gaming.

The game also offers a meager 15-song track selection, and there aren’t many modes. You have the “HIStory” faux-campaign, a battle mode for multiplayer, and a few challenges. If you really wanted to, you could complete everything this game has to offer in a few hours, tops.

If you are a fan of Jacko, the music alone might be worth the purchase. Each song plays out like a music video, and some have cut scenes in the middle of a handful of songs that you can view and enjoy. As you watch Jackson dance, you are treated with a digital take on some of his most famous pieces of music. The movements on the screen that you accomplish also affect the way Jackson moves, so you do have a modicum of control over the choreography, but it is minor. For fans, it’s novel. As a game though, it’s lacking.

Besides the shallow nature of a game that requires you to just mimic a few movements with your finger and call it a day, the prompts occasionally are occasionally out of sync with the music, especially on the harder settings. For a rhythm game to actually lose the rhythm of the music is hair-pullingly annoying. It is infrequent, but it happens.

Conclusion

If you played the 3DS version, you know what to expect. The stereo sound and the graphics are better, but the game is pretty much the same shell of its console counterparts.

This is a game for fans of Michael Jackson, and only fans of Michael Jackson. And not just fans, but hardcore fans willing to shell out $ 40 for what amounts to a collection of digital music videos that you can punch the screen to. And really, that is where the biggest problem lies: the value. Strip everything away, and even if you love the finger-swiping controls, there are still only 15 songs included.

The console version was a fun experience that allowed you to immerse yourself in the world of Jacko’s music and dance. Even minus the music, it was still a decent dance game. The Vita version takes that away and replaces it with the ability to tap a screen while listening to music. Yay?

Score 4 out of 10

[via Digital Trends]