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MacBook Air - Beauty Has Its Price

As soon as Mr. Jobs pulled that MacBook Air out of the manilla envelope, gadget geeks everywhere started swooning. This ridiculously thin ultra-portable laptop has attracted an enormous amount of attention from everyone – Mac fan, or not.

But is all the fuss worth it? Here’s an overview of the basic features:

- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1.6GHz
- 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
- 80GB 42000rpm hard drive
- 13.3” TFT widescreen (1280×800)
- Intel GMA X3100 graphics with 144MB of shared RAM
- AirPort Extreme WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- iSight webcam
- USB 2.0 port – micro DVI
- Lithium-polymer battery
- MagSafe power adaptor

Weighing in at a hair over 3lbs., it is probably every traveler’s dream. The sleek, clean design with its rounded corners and polished surfaces is hard to resist. It seems so paper-thin and fragile, although it is supposed to be durable (too chicken to do the drop test) and it feels very much so.

The display is excellent – nice vibrant colors and great backlighting. Absolutely nothing to complain about there. The keyboard is a little funky, although relatively comfortable, it misses some of the usual keys like ‘Home’ and ‘End’ which have to be accessed through the function key.

The touchpad is huge and has the cool multi-touch capabilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch – you know, the finger pinching, spreading, circling motions for zooming and rotating items. Once a novelty, this feature is now available on the 2008 edition of the MacBook Pro and will probably become standard on every Apple computer before long.

There’s not much in the way of Ports, but what could you expect? Only one USB port, no Ethernet port, no FireWire, no Mic port, no SD card slot and no Express-Card slot. Apple is far ahead of average consumers here - they need to keep in mind that not everyone can afford WiFi enabled cameras and devices just yet.

What there is – AC power port, one USB port and a micro DVI-out port. The one (yes, one) speaker is hardly worth mentioning, but obviously not intended to be a stellar feature and frankly something most travelers don’t care about – noise-canceling headphones are the thing.

Having no optical drive is something that could be hard to get used to even though it has the ability to transfer data wirelessly - but keep in mind that you will always need to have another computer, or external device, to access.

Battery life claims as any regular laptop user knows, are all relative. You might be able to squeak 4+ hours out of it, with all the extras (Bluetooth, WiFi) off and the screen brightness decreased substantially, but who uses their laptop that way?

The fact that you cannot access the battery is a major drawback. It is sealed into the unit much like the iPod, so there’s no ability to swap out a spare battery. Personally, the battery is the one thing replaced most on just about every laptop.

Prices start at a little over $1700 – it seems a bit steep, since it realistically cannot be the sole computer for many. But if you are in the market for an ultra-portable laptop, if its looks mean everything to you, and you’ve got money to burn - this is your baby. If you take a few minutes to compare what you get for you money in either the MacBook or MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air, the novelty may wear off quickly.

Tags: Small Laptop Computers by admin
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Lenovo’s 3000 Series

If you are shopping around and comparing small laptop computers, take a look at Lenovo’s 3000 series. I purchased one just for travel purposes (and as an alternate/back-up).

Here’s the specs on the one I bought: Model - Lenovo 3000 V100 0763.

 It’s features include:

Intel Core Duo Processor T2500 2 GHz with Centrino Mobile Technology

Screen Size: 12.1? VibrantView TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )

Memory: 1 GB (installed) / 2 GB (max)

Hard Drive: 100 GB

Optical Drive: DVD-Writer

Networking: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth

Weight: 4 lbs. (yes, I could have gone lighter if I could live without the DVD writer, but 4 lbs is pretty darn light!)

Included Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Warranty: 1 year limited

The web cam is one feature I did not choose, which I regret.Anyway, this computer is loaded with features and has been a joy to travel with, weighing in at only 4 lbs. (even the power adaptor is lightweight) and has a battery life of just over 4 hours. Although it is not much to look at, this computer’s performance more than makes up for its lackluster appearance.  The most important features to me when comparing small laptop computers was weight, battery life and wireless capability (bluetooth), as well as the most power I could get at a reasonable price. Since most of the programs I use are Windows XP based, a Mac notebook was not considered.

The choice came down to this model and the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 which weighed in at 3.5 lbs and had a battery life of up to 7 hours, and a number of other features that were nice, but features I could live without, considering the price difference of about $600.

The integrated fingerprint reader seems to be the only inconsistent feature in my opinion, as it seems to be very sensitive and will not work if your finger is dry, or overly moist. When it fails to read the fingerprint as it was originally submitted (after three tries), it prompts you to enter your password manually.

The keyboard is full sized and comfortable, unlike many of the other small laptops I tested, which felt cramped for space. The touch pad is okay, although I usually use a wireless mouse. Above the keyboard are external volume controls and a button to start Lenovo’s MediaNow application, along with a button for the Lenovo Care management and help utility.

The two speakers located at the front of the computer sound tinny, weak and hollow, which is not a problem for me personally, since I usually work with the sound off, or use my Bose . The Wi-Fi on/off switch on the right side of the computer is very handy.

The processing speed is great, even with all of the multitasking that I usually do, it has run very fast, smooth, cool and quiet. Since purchasing the computer I have taken it on numerous cross-country flights, several shorter commutes, along with a number of road trips. The battery had plenty of juice every time, even on the cross-country flights.

There have been no hardware issues and the performance of this small laptop has been nothing short of solid. Yes, there are lighter laptops on the market, but for the price ($1200), it was a bargain. The manufacturer’s warranty is only one year, so if you are into extended warranties – you might consider one.

Tags: Small Laptop Computers by admin
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How NOT to buy a laptop computer

This is a story about how you should definitely not go about purchasing a laptop - but it is something that happens to a lot of people, either when they are pressed for time, or a victim of bait-and-switch sales tactics. If it doesn’t really fit your needs, just walk away - otherwise you could just be wasting your money. Know what you need - and what you don’t - in order to avoid buying more than you will ever use.

The HP Pavilion zd8000. This was the laptop computer I had originally purchased with travel in mind (Mistake #1).  Actually, the purchase was made after being “talked into it” by a salesperson after finding out that the great one that was on sale, was sold out at every store within 100 miles (Mistake #2).  Now, don’t get me wrong, it is a great computer, but it is best described as a “desktop replacement.” Laptop desktop computers are not meant to travel far, being pretty much limited to room-to-room travel, primarily because of their weight. This particular one - a whopping 10 pounds (give or take an ounce or two). 
Mistake #3? Not reading through all of the features. End result was buying a computer that had a lot more bells and whistles than was really needed.  For instance, it is a complete entertainment center and can function as a TV (external tuner and remote control included), DVD, Stereo, and is great for gamers (so say the kids). The full-sized keyboard with number pad to the right was one very attractive feature, a rarity for laptops, and something I really needed. Plenty of slots and ports around the edges, so there is no need to switch out plugs/devices like before. It’s loaded with four USB ports, PC Card slot, along with connections for audio, FireWire, an external monitor, and S-Video. An additional flash card reader works for Secure Digital, Memory Stick Pro, Multi-Media Card and Smart Media. Online capabilities include Gigabit Ethernet, a built-in V.92 modem, and Bluetooth and 802.11b/g.My favorite feature about this computer is the 17-inch wide-screen, with fantastic color and resolution. It has a large touchpad with its own on/off button, but I tend to stick with my wireless mouse (habit). Speaking of buttons, above the top row of keys are buttons for speaker volume, and an on/off switch for speakers, quick launch buttons for the DVD/Media applications and an on/off switch for the Wi-Fi. The Harman Kardon speakers are along the front edge and sound great, in fact they are the best I’ve heard in a laptop so far. The performance is solid and powerful, with its 3.6GHz Pentium 4 processor, 1GB of 400MHz memory, and a 5,400rpm 80GB hard drive.

Now for the negatives - Aside from the weight, a drawback in my case (but may not be for some), I would have to say that the fans are quite noisy and that it runs fairly hot (a good hand warmer in the winter). The AC adaptor is the size and approximate weight of a brick!  In addition, the battery life is just about nil – one and a half hours, tops. I have also had battery issues and have had two replaced in just over a year. HP’s service and support have been excellent throughout - the replacement batteries were sent in a matter of a few days and the telephone service representatives were friendly, knowledgeable and quick to help - one of the reasons I have purchased so many HP products.

Allthough this was way too much computer initially, it turned out to be a happy purchase, only because my regular desktop computer (an old Dell) died a few months after buying this one. A lesson learned for my next “small laptop” purchase.

 

Tags: Laptop Desktop Computers by admin
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