Tuesday’s Top Netbook Deals

Tuesday’s Top Netbook Deals

•Toshiba mini NB255-N245 for $289: We were fans of the NB255′s snappy performance sony vgp-bps13b/q battery and stylish, fingerprint-proof design when we reviewed the netbook in August. A lower-cost alternative to Toshiba’s premium mini NB305, sony vgp-bps13a/q battery this machine packs a 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N455 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.

Learn Morehard drive. (Read Review)

•HP Mini 110 for $279.99: This updated HP Mini 110 comes with a six-cell battery, a feature the netbook did not have when we reviewed Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery it in May 2009. Available in Black (default), Pacific Blue ($19) , or Moonlight White ($19), this 10-incher is customizable through the Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery HP website. The base configuration comes with a 160GB hard drive; those who crave more space should spring Sony VGP-BPS13 battery for the recommended configuration (250GB), which ships for $299. (Read Review)

•Samsung NF310-A01 for $399.99: An attractive, lightweight netbook with a hi-res display for its size, the Samsung NF310-A01 boasts sony vgp-bps13/b battery a speedy 1.5-GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. We gave the netbook four stars for its sleek design, comfortable keyboard, sony vgp-bps13/q battery and strong performance. (Read Review)

•HP Mini 210 for $329.99: Hurray for choices! While Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery the HP Mini 210 deal we featured yesterday offered the notebook in a bold shade of fuschia, today’s bargain is available in Charcoal, Crimson Red, Lavender Frost, Luminous Rose, or Ocean Drive. The 3.1-pound netbook features a faster 7,200-rpm Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery hard drive and is slated to last as much as 10.75 hours on a charge. (Read Review)

Tuesday’s Top Notebook Deals

•ASUS N71JQ-XT1 for $899.99: The ASUS N71JQ-TX1 features all the speed and graphics performance Sony VGP-BPS10 Battery you’d expect from a media-centric machine. Boasting a 1.73-GHz Core i7 CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, and a Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery 17.3-inch, 1600 x 900-pixel display, the N71Q is primed to stream all the HD content you can handle. The notebook originally came with a $1,199 price tag, but it can be yours for $899.99.

•MSI S600-017US for $579.99: For $120 less than the listed price, the MSI S600-017US packs a 2.4-GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, toshiba pa3535u-1brs battery and a 500GB hard drive into its 4.7-pound body. Though we haven’t reviewed this particular model, it’s similar to the A6200, Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS Battery which we liked for its classy design and long battery life.

•HP G62-340US for $399.95: A steal at $150 off the list price, vgp-bps21a battery this notebook offers stellar performance. With an Athlon II dual-core 2.2-GHz CPU, 3GB of RAM, and Radeon HD 4250 graphics, the G62 is one of your best bets in the sub-$600 notebook category. (Read Review)

•HP Envy 14-1163SE Beats Edition for $1,031.99: We’re fans of this special-edition HP notebook, which sports a hip, red backlit keyboard vgp-bps21/s battery and a bright 14.5-inch screen. The Envy runs a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i5 CPU under the hood, along with 4GB of RAM, Radeon switchable graphics, vgp-bps21b battery and a 750GB hard drive. (Read Review)

•HP Touchsmart tm2t Touchsmart Tablet for $699: Available vgp-bps21 battery with a Core i3 CPU for $699 or a Core i5 CPU for $799, this tablet boasts a 7,200-rpm 320GB hard drive and 6GB of RAM. This deal gets you as much as $370 off the listed price—plus a free upgrade to a 500GB hard sony vgp-bps21a/b battery drive

Slate tablets like the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab may hold firm ground in consumer r61 battery mindshare right now, but convertible tablets like the HP Touchsmart tm2t offer the best of many worlds: a solid typing experience, the ease t400 battery of touch navigation, and stylus input that pairs well with built-in handwriting recognition software.

Today LogicBUY uncovers several ways to save on the 12.1-inch convertible tablet we lauded for excellent performance, t500 battery strong battery life, and sleek design.

Your options to save include free upgrades to 6GB RAM and a 500GB 7200-rpm t61 battery The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.

Learn Morehard drive, free shipping, half-off two t60 battery 6-cell batteries, and an instant $200 discount from HP.

There’s also a $100 stackable coupon available from LogicBUY for configurations over $1,000. We suggest upping the processor t60p battery from Core i3 to an option that includes a Core i5 CPU and a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon Graphics chips are responsible for processing all images r60 battery sent to your computer?s display.

Learn Moregraphics card to activate the discount r60e battery and max out the specs.

Once the dust settles, the final price on a quick-paced touch tablet with a considerable CPU and discrete graphic power x60 battery will be just $799

When Dell released the business-focused Vostro V13 notebook in March, we praised X60S battery that machine's sleek and stylish aluminum chassis but lamented its lackluster speed and endurance. Now comes its successor, the Vostro V130, t40 battery which keeps the stylish chassis but doubles the performance with a Core i5 processor, adds some ports, and includes new cooling technology. Unfortunately, the battery life is even worse this time around, making this ultraportable not very portable t42 battery at all.

Editor's note: Portions of this review were taken from our earlier review t43 battery of the Dell Vostro V13.

Design

Measuring a thin 13 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches and weighing a studio 17 battery mere 3.6 pounds (just 0.2 pounds lighter than the V13), this ultraportable practically disappears into a messenger bag. Not that you'd want to hide it. For a small business notebook, the V130 is quite stylish. The lid and underside are made of brushed studio 1737 battery aluminum, and the inside is a matte black plastic; neither surface shows fingerprints, and the entire look is quite classy. Combined with reinforced zinc studio 1535 battery hinges, the V13 feels like it can survive the rigors of business travel. Similar to the Adamo and XPS 14 and 15, the V130's lid is hinged about e5500 battery half an inch forward of the back edge of the notebook.

Heat

For such a thin system, the V130 stayed fairly cool during our testing. The notebook is the first to employ what Dell calls e6400 battery Hyperbaric Cooling, which draws cool air into the notebook, rather than pushing hot air out. After playing a Hulu video at full-screen for 15 minutes, the e6500 battery touchpad registered 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys was 81 degrees, and the middle of the underside reached 91 degrees. e4300 battery Those temperatures are all cooler than the V13, which is impressive.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The V130's keyboard is a mixed bag. The keys abut each other at the base, and the top of each is terraced, much like the HP hp battery EliteBook 2540p. The layout is certainly large enough, but the keys made a fair amount of noise while typing. The keyboard also isn't as comfortable apple battery to use as the one found on the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13.

Considering it's such a small notebook, acer battery we were pleased with the size of the 3.2 x 1.7-inch touchpad. While the same color and material as the keyboard

deck, it's slightly recessed, making it easy to find by feel alone. The touchpad itself offered little to no friction, and the discrete mouse sony battery buttons offered just the right amount of resistance

This week I had a nice long look at the Nook

This week I had a nice long look at the Nook Color and I can honestly say that I was impressed. akku r60 Maybe there needs to be a little back story here. You see, since I’ve started doing this column for Laptop Magazine, K. T. Bradford has always pa3535u-1brs been trying to show me various eReaders that come across her desk. And each one I chuck aside and state that I’m not interested. My main issue: no color.

We’ve reviewed 140 notebooks this year and not many of them boast the twin perks of ”incredible performance” and “long battery life”. Then sony vgp-bps8 battery again, I guess an Intel Core i5 machine with a starting price of $1,399 should have a few choice adjectives thrown its sony vgp-bps13/b battery way. It would also be helpful to have another descriptive term stapled to it: Affordable.

Now before you assume that the reason I want Sony VGP-BPS13 battery color was because of the iPad, you must know that this just wasn’t the case. My main gripe was the fact that everywhere now we are blessed with HD color, 3D color, and even IMAX HD 3D Color. So why in the world can’t I get some color for an eReader? Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery And yeah yeah, eInk does a good job of trying to copy an actual book’s likeness, but I embrace tech and I want my color. I don’t care Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery if it is on a LCD screen. So, because of this, I had no love for any eReader. And then the Nook Color came.

I think you know where this is headed.

Not only is Lenovo slashing the price off an extremely capable 12.1-inch business notebook Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery with discounts ranging from $400 – $515, LogicBUY is offering a stackable coupon worth another 20% off.

So say you were to configure the Lenovo ThinkPad Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery X201 to cost $1,899. That would include Core i7 quad-core processing power (which may be overkill considering the X201 is available only with Intel Graphics chips are responsible for processing all images sent to your computer?s 3000 v100 battery display.

Learn Moreintegrated graphics, but follow along with us here, won’t you?), a 500GB The storage 3000 v200 battery device that holds your OS, programs, and data.

Learn Morehard drive, 4GB of RAM, and the long3000 n100 battery -lasting 9-cell battery (just an extra 30 bones to upgrade) in your system. How much would you pay with Black Friday discounts from Lenovo and LogicBUY?

This thing is beautiful! Not only is the Nook Color more stylish on the outside, but that color screen finally does something for me. First 3000 n200 battery off is the new look. Compared to the original Nook, this one definitely has style. Seeing a product in black or graphite always outdoes one 3000 c200 battery that’s in all white. An all white product feels cheap and plasticity; all black it just oozes with chic appeal.

The Nook Color also has a nice rubberized back 3000 y410 battery panel, and products that have rubberized parts are always cool in my book as they just feel great. There is a small hook on the bottom left side, which I’m told is to hook charms into. This is the only part or feature of the Nook Color that it could r51e battery of done without.

And finally there is the screen. LCD, color, sharp, and bright. If there is any eReader r50e battery that would get my blessing and I would want to put the G Style official stamp on it, the Nook Color is it. If you can bare with the LCD screen which can x300 battery possibly be a little tough on the eyes after extended use, then this is the eReader you need

Oh, just $1,200. That’s only $900 back in your pocket. No big deal. That’s not worth a 42-inch HD-television set or a cruise x200 battery for two to the Caribbean or anything like that…

see the Iconia in action.What We Don’t Like

•The Iconia seemed sluggish. We counted six seconds just to launch the photo app, r61 battery though this is not the final product.

•At 6.2 pounds, this is definitely one of the thinkpad t400 battery heaviest laptops with a 14-inch display we’ve seen, but since there’s two screens some people may be willing to live with the heft.

•Battery life is rated at a wimpy 3 hours, which is understandable given the two huge 14-inch screens but still a bummer. Plus, thinkpad t500 battery the battery is sealed in the design so you can’t replace it.

•When using Windows 7 beyond Acer’s own apps, it was difficult to close applications, just thinkpad t61 battery as with other Windows slates. Our demonstrator jabbed at on-screen items multiple times during the video to perform a given action. (See video.)

What We Like

•The dual 14-inch touchscreens felt pretty thinkpad t60 battery responsive, and we like the way the two displays interact, yet are capable of separate operations.

•We also like the thought Acer has put in to the touch programs they developed. Acer’s custom gestures take advantage thinkpad t60p battery of the screens’ remarkable 10-finger capability. For example, placing both palms on the bottom screen launches the keyboard and placing thinkpad r60e battery five fingers on the screen launches a fan-like menu that lets you choose which program to run.

•A special Social Jogger that reminds us of Tweetdeck hp battery delivers feeds from Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr, but Twitter isn’t on board yet.

•The touch-friendly browser allows you to draw a box around areas of web page that interest you and save them in your portfolio. dell battery When you open the portfolio app, that part of the web page can automatically update itself, such as a stock price or weather apple battery update.

•In addition to the built-in gestures, Acer is realing an SDK next month will hopefully result in a lot more great acer battery software at launch. Check out our hands-on below to

das ebenfalls einen Turion II P520 und eine Radeon HD 5650 enthält

Preis-Leistungsknaller. Wer nach einem günstigen Multimedianotebook Ausschau Sony VGP-BPS13 Battery hält, muss meistens mit einer schwachen Grafikkarte vorlieb nehmen. Nicht so bei Toshiba´s Satellite L650D-10H, das bereits zum Sony VGP-BPS13A/Q Battery Preis von ca. 600 Euro mit einer Radeon HD 5650 auftrumpfen kann.

Das 15.6-zöllige Satellite L650D lässt sich momentan in drei Varianten erstehen. Am günstigsten kommt man dabei mit dem ab 560 Euro Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery erhältlichen L650D-101 weg, das mit AMD´s Zweikernprozessor Athlon II P320 (2.10 GHz, 1 MByte L2-Cache) und einer 500 GByte großen Festplatte ausgestattet ist. Als Grafikkarte dient mit der Mobility Radeon HD 5145 ein Einstiegsmodell von ATI. Das von uns getestete L650D-10H verfügt zwar nur über eine 320 Sony VGP-BPS13/B Battery GByte große HDD, hat dank der Mobility Radeon HD 5650 trotzdem deutlich mehr Power unter der Haube. Beim Prozessor Sony VGP-BPS13B/B Battery vertraut Toshiba zudem auf den etwas höher getakteten Zweikerner Turion II P520 (2.3 GHz, 2 MByte L2-Cache).

Den Abschluss bildet das L650D-11G, das ebenfalls einen Turion II P520 und eine Radeon HD 5650 enthält. Die Festplattenkapazität beträgt Sony VGP-BPS13B/Q Battery wiederum 500 GByte. Absolutes Highlight des L650D-11G ist allerdings der integrierte Blu-Ray-Brenner, der einen Komplettpreis Sony VGP-BPS13A/S Battery von mindestens 700 Euro rechtfertigt. In den restlichen Belangen gleichen sich die verschiedenen Modelle. So besteht der Arbeitsspeicher aus zwei Modulen mit jeweils 2048 MByte DDR3-RAM. Als Betriebssystem kommt, wenig überraschend, Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit zum Sony VGP-BPS13/Q Battery Einsatz.

Gehäuse

Auf den ersten Blick macht das „pantherschwarze“ und mit einer feinen Textur versehene Gehäuse desSony VGP-BPS9 Battery Satellite L650D-10H einen durchaus hochwertigen und edlen Eindruck. Das schicke Hochglanzfinish, das einen Sony VGP-BPS8 Battery Großteil der Kunststoffoberflächen überzieht, hat aber einen entscheidenden Nachteil: die extreme Empfindlichkeit. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit sammeln sich Fingerabdrücke und Schmutzpartikel an. Um Kratzer zu vermeiden, sollte man beim Transport oder der Reinigung deswegen höchste Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery Vorsicht walten lassen.

Die Verarbeitung ist insgesamt gut, wobei unser Testgerät einen teils unsauberen Übergang zwischen Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery Displayrahmen und Notebookdeckel aufwies. Bezüglich der Stabilität besteht unterdessen deutlicher Nachholbedarf. Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery Während die Unterseite noch keinerlei Anlass zur Kritik gewährt, gibt die Oberseite besonders im Bereich des optischen Laufwerks merklich nach. Auch der Notebookdeckel ist alles andere als stabil, er lässt sich bedenklich stark verbiegen und durchdrücken. Beim Druck auf den Sony VGP-BPS8A Battery Displayrahmen lassen sich zudem Bildfehler provozieren.

Die grundsoliden und zuverlässig arbeitenden Scharniere sind ziemlich streng eingestellt, beim Öffnen des Sony VGP-BPS2 Battery Notebooks schwingt die Baseunit stark mit. Mobilität ist dem Satellite L650D-10H übrigens kein Fremdwort, mit einer Sony VGP-BPS2A Battery Größe von 380 x 250 x 40 Millimetern und einem Gewicht von rund 2.5 Kilogramm ist das Notebook problemlos zu transportieren.

Ausstattung

Anschlussausstattung

Wie für ein preisgünstiges Multimedianotebook üblich, ist die Anschlussausstattung ordentlich, aber nicht überragend. Angefangen bei der linken Seite, auf der Toshiba Sony VGP-BPS2B Battery ein Kensington Lock, einen VGA- respektive HDMI-Ausgang, Sony VGP-BPS2C Battery einen RJ-45 Fast-Ethernet-LAN-Port (kein Gigabit-LAN!), eine eSATA/USB 2.0-Combo sowie zwei Soundanschlüsse (Kopfhörer & Mikrofon) untergebracht hat. Auf der rechten Seite sind hingegen ein Multi-in-1-Kartenleser sowie zwei weitere USB 2.0-Ports zu finden.

Auf einen ExpressCard-Einschub muss der Nutzer leider ebenso verzichten wie auf einen notebook akku Firewire-Port oder einen modernen USB 3.0-Port. Schwerwiegender ist unserer Ansicht nach allerdings die ungünstige laptop akku Anschlussanordnung. Toshiba hat die meisten Verbindungsmöglichkeiten nämlich arg weit vorne positioniert. Sofern notebook akkus viele externe Geräte (Monitor, Router, Festplatte etc.) angeschlossen sind, sehen sich gerade Linkshänder mit einem eingeschränkten Platzangebot seitlich des Notebooks konfrontiert - der Einsatz einer Maus kann zum Problem werden. Drahtlose Kommunikation wird indes lediglich per WLAN ermöglicht, laptop akkus Bluetooth fehlt.

Zubehör und Softwareausstattung

Einen üppigen Lieferumfang sollten Sie vom Satellite L650D-10H nicht erwarten. Neben notebook einem Netzteil (75 Watt), einem Handbuch und einer Kurzanleitung sind in der Verpackung keine weiteren Beigaben (z.B. Treiber-DVDs) laptop enthalten. Wer das Betriebssystem extern sichern will, muss eigenhändig Recovery-DVDs brennen, akku entsprechende Datenträger zählen nicht zur Ausstattung.

Wo wir schon beim Thema Software sind: Bei der Installation hat es Toshiba (mal wieder) maßlos akkus übertrieben. Dutzende und größtenteils völlig überflüssige Programme und Tools überladen das System und ziehen die allgemeine Reaktionsges chwindigkeit von Windows 7 deutlich in Mitleidenschaft. Boot-, Start- und Ladezeiten leiden ebenfalls über Gebühr. Um das volle Potenzial des Satellite L650D-10H ans Tageslicht zu bringen, führt deshalb akku kein Weg an einer ausgiebigen Deinstallation vorbei.

Eingabegeräte

Tastatur

Bei den Eingabegeräten liefert das Satellite L650D-10H eine gute Vorstellung ab. Die Full-Size-Tastatur kann vor allem mit ihren wohl akku dimensionierten Tasten (16 x 16 mm) und ihrem tadellosen Layout punkten. Über eine Beleuchtung verfügt die Tastatur zwar nicht, dafür hat Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery Toshiba an einen dedizierten Nummernblock gedacht. Bezüglich Akustik und Tippgefühl gibt es keine Auffälligkeiten zu Sony VGP-BPS10 Battery vermelden, Tastendruckpunkt und -anschlag gehen vollkommen in Ordnung. Einzig die Stabilität lässt erheblich zu wünschen übrig. Schon bei normaler Benutzung biegt sich die Tastatur spürbar durch. Bei stärkerem Druck ist sogar ein deutliches Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery Nachgeben feststellbar.

Touchpad

Das 81 x 41 mm große Touchpad dürfte derweil eher Geschmackssache sein. Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery Auf der positiven Seite sind vornehmlich die hohe Präzision und die zuverlässigen Multitouchfunktionen zu nennen. Die Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery leicht strukturierte Oberfläche stellt darüber hinaus einen guten Kompromiss aus Rückmeldung und Gleiteigenschaften dar. Auf der negativen Seite steht hingegen die unzureichende Orientierungsmöglichkeit, da das Touchpad nicht abgesenkt ist und sich auch farblich kaum Sony VGP-BPS2A Battery von der Handballenauflage absetzt.

Um das Touchpad nicht unbeabsichtigt auszulösen, sollte man bei Bedarf von der Deaktivierungsfunktion vgp-bps21a Gebrauch machen (dedizierte Taste oder Fn+F9-Kombination). Die ungemein breiten Touchpadtasten wollten uns vgp-bps21/s aufgrund ihres undefinierten Auslöseverhaltens indes kaum zusagen.

Display

Standardkost wird dem Käufer beim Display geboten. Eine Auflösung von 1366 x 768 ist typisch für ein 15-Zoll Gerät, erfordert bei vgp-bps21/b mehreren nebeneinander geöffneten Fenstern aber viel Scrollarbeit – suboptimal für exzessive Multitasker oder ausgewiesene vgp-bps21 Office-Veteranen. Filmfans freuen sich dagegen über ein Seitenverhältnis von 16:9, da Filmbalken auf diese Weise reduziert werden.

Größte Stärke des Displays ist zweifellos die hohe sony vgp-bps21a/b Helligkeit. Während viele Notebooks hier unter 200 cd/m² bleiben, konnten wir im Test eine durchschnittliche Leuchtdichte von guten 227.1 cd/m² messen. Ansonsten enttäuscht das verbaute Chi Mei N156B6-L06 (CMO 1680) Panel jedoch auf breiter Front. Durch einen mittelmäßigen Schwarzwert von 1.09 cd/m² wirken dunkle Areale beispielsweise recht gräulich. Der Kontrast wird mit 216:1 ebenfalls kaum hp compaq nx7400 akku jemanden vom Hocker hauen. Zum Vergleich: VGP-BPS21A/B Qualitativ hochwertige Displays erreichen zuweilen einen Kontrast hp compaq 6910p akku von über 1000:1 (siehe z.B. DevilTech Fragbook DTX). Zumindest die Farben empfanden wir als ordentlich, was das Display vor einer schlechteren Note bewahrt.

Für den Außeneinsatz ist das Satellite L650D-10H nur bedingt geeignet. Zwar bildet die verhältnismäßig hohe Luminanz eine gute Ausgangslage, die hp compaq 6730b akku verspiegelte Displayoberfläche führt bei entsprechender Lichteinstrahlung allerdings zu erheblichen hp compaq 6730s akku Reflexionen, die nicht nur nervig sind, sondern auch die Augen unnötig belasten. Wer ein Notebook hauptsächlich für Office- und/oder Internetaktivitäten einsetzen will, sollte deshalb eher zu einem Gerät mit mattem Display greifen (z.B. zur Toshiba Satellite Pro-Serie).

Kommen wir kurz zur Blickwinkelstabilität, die nur horizontal als akzeptabel bezeichnet werden kann. Vertikal treten schon bei kleineren Blickwinkeländerungen Verfälschungen von Farben und Helligkeit auf, was zu häufigem Nachjustieren zwingt. Nimmt man alle Einzelaspekte zusammen, siedelt sich das Display qualitativ im Mittelfeld an. Gerade was Schwarzwert und Kontrast angeht, bleibt noch viel Luft nach oben.

Amazon Kindle 3G

The newest refresh to the Kindle line is sleeker and slimmer with a better VGP-BPS13 screen and more wireless options.

Amazon's latest refresh of its popular Kindle eBook VGP-BPS13A/Q reader is leaner, meaner, and now less than $200. For just $189, the Kindle 3G offers improved battery life, display technology, and can connect over Wi-Fi as well as 3G. In almost every way, the Kindle 3G is an improvement over the previous generation, VGP-BPS13A/B with a few minor exceptions. Regardless, bookworms will find the Kindle 3G to be one of the best eReaders on the market.

Design

Aside from the graphite paint job, Amazon also brought some significant design VGP-BPS13/B changes in the Kindle 3G. Overall, this new generation is thinner and lighter and has a smaller footprint. At just 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.34 inches and 8.7 VGP-BPS13B/B ounces (compared to 8.0 x 5.3 x 0.36 inches and 10.2 ounces for the previous model ), it's almost as small and light as the Kobo Reader. The Kindle shares one other similarity to the Kobo: The back of the device, which used to be metallic, now VGP-BPS13B/Q has a soft-touch coating.

In making the unit thinner, it looks like Amazon had to shuffle some internal VGP-BPS13A/S components around. Now the On/Sleep/Off slider is on the bottom--less convenient, but only a minor annoyance--along with the microUSB VGP-BPS13/Q port, headphone jack, and volume toggle. The buttons on the sides and lower portion of the device's face are more streamlined and, in some cases, smaller.

The page turn buttons are one of the more obvious changes, being only 0.16 inches thick instead of the 0.4-inch thickness VGP-BPS9 on the Kindle 2. We had feared that the narrower buttons would affect ease of use, but all four are easy to press, yet firm, making for good feedback VGP-BPS8 and a sturdy feel. There are now both Next and Previous Page buttons on both sides, so both left and right-handed readers can use their dominant VGP-BPS9A/B hand. Plus, the Next Page buttons remain the same length as before, allowing users to rest their thumbs comfortably on them no matter what size hand they have. We had no trouble keeping our thumb in place and our eyes on the display VGP-BPS9/B as we read.

The joystick of Kindles past has been replaced with a directional pad that sits VGP-BPS9/S next to the keyboard instead of under the page turn buttons on the right side. We're not fans of this change, as the arrow keys here are very narrow, VGP-BPS8A and occasionally caused us to accidentally hit the Menu and Back VGP-BPS2 buttons, which have moved down to the keyboard area along with Home.

The keyboard remains usable, but we're not sure why Amazon got rid of the number VGP-BPS2A row. To access numbers, users have to press the SYM button, then use the D-pad to select. When entering Wi-Fi passwords or location numbers VGP-BPS2B in books, this quickly becomes tedious.

Display and Reading Experience

Amazon claims that the e-Ink screen on the Kindle 3G has 50 percent more contrast than the previous generation. Comparing VGP-BPS2C the two side by side, text on the 3G is darker, which makes reading easier. Images benefit from this improvement as well: pa3535u-1brs The cover for N. K. Jemisin's "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" is crisper on the 3G, and slightly more detail is visible. The greater contrast also makes reading outdoors easier and more pleasurable.

Users have more control over how the text looks on screen. As before, there are eight font sizes to PA3534U-1BRS choose from, but now you can also choose between three typefaces: regular, condensed, and sans serif. Users can also fit more text on PA3399U-1BAS a page by shortening the space between words, as well as condensing the amount of space between the lines. We would have appreciated an option that allowed us to increase the space at least one notch as well. There's no built-in accelerometer as with the PA3399U-1BRS Kindle DX, but you can manually change the screen orientation in all four directions.

Page turns on the 3G are a hair faster than the Kindle 2, coming in at just under a second.

Apple TV (2010)

Apple's slimmed down set-top box sequel makes it dead simple to rent movies vgp-bps13b/q and TV shows, as well as stream content from PCs and (soon) iOS devices.

In the battle to dominate the living vgp-bps13a/q room, the new Apple TV doesn't seem to have a lot of firepower. It doesn't boast as many content partners as Roku, nor is it as ambitious as the upcoming Logitech Revue with Google TV (which has a full web browser and an HD webcam connection) or the Boxee Box (which plays every file vgp-bps13/b known to man and has social networking integration). No, Apple's $99 set-top just provides a simple way to rent movies vgp-bps13/q and TV shows, and it's much smaller and runs cooler than the first version. Plus, Apple has added Netflix to the content mix, so VGP-BPS13 you're not locked into the iTunes universe. So is the new Apple TV too simple, or is it just the right product for the masses?

Design

When you put the Apple TV in your hand--yes, the whole thing fits in your palm--you can't help but be impressed with just how compact VGP-BPS13A/B this device is. (You also realize just how easily Apple could build its technology into a big screen, should it decide to take that whole VGP-BPS9 Apple TV name literally.) This 0.6-pound device is 80 percent smaller than the original model, which means it will take up very little VGP-BPS10 room in your entertainment center. It's so compact, in fact, that we had no problem packing it on a recent trip and plugging it in to our hotel room's TV. Unlike the first Apple TV, the new version doesn't get disturbingly toasty VGP-BPS9/B either.

Part of the reason the new Apple TV is so svelte and cool is that Apple ditched VGP-BPS9/S a mechanical hard drive for flash memory. This ultra-minimalist black box sports a power connector on the back along with an HDMI port, Optical VGP-BPS9A/B Audio connection, and Ethernet (though there's 802.11n inside). And that's it. A power-efficient A4 processor runs the show, and Apple claims that the box eats less power than a night light.

We have good news and bad news about the new aluminum remote control. On the plus side, it's longer and sturdier than the Dell Vostro 1510 Battery plastic remote on the first Apple TV. Unfortunately, we found the slightly recessed action button in the middle to be too easy Dell Inspiron 1545 battery to press, which resulted in some unwanted selections.

Software and Interface

The Apple TV interface continues to be Dell Latitude E6400 Battery super sleek and intuitive. There are five main categories going Toshiba PA3399U-1BAS Battery across the screen--Movies, TV Shows, Internet, Computers, and Settings--and you just scroll across and down to make the Toshiba PA3399U-1BRS Battery desired selection. Under Movies, for example, you'll see Top Movies, Genres, Search, and In Theaters (previews). TV Toshiba PA3451U-1BRS Battery Shows is similar. The Internet category includes Netflix, YouTube, Podcasts, MobileMe, Flickr, and Radio.

Under Computers, you can stream music, movies, TV shows, photos, and more from your PC or Mac to Apple TV. This Toshiba PA3450U-1BRS Battery worked seamlessly on our home network once we turned on the Home Sharing setting, but having to Toshiba PA3465U-1BRS Battery ensure your PC is turned on and iTunes is open is a bit of a pain. That was one of the benefits of the old Apple TV; its hard drive made it easy to fire up a slideshow or start playing music without needing another device. In addition, you'll need to have your PC Toshiba PA3457U-1BRS Battery on to stream photos using the cool screen saver feature, unless you have the Apple TV connected to a Flickr account. You can Toshiba PA3475U-1BRS Battery do this under settings.

Our biggest pet peeve with the Apple TV's included software is how tedious it is to enter text Toshiba PA3478U-1BRS Battery with the on-screen keyboard, whether you're entering passwords or conducting searches. Fortunately, the Remote app for iOS devices has a keyboard that will make your life a lot easier.

Content Selection and Pricing

You can rent fairly current HD movies for $4.99, Toshiba PA3479U-1BRS Battery and older titles run $3.99. SD titles cost $2.99. How current is the selection? As of the time of our review, Just Added rentals included Get Him to the Greek, Iron Man 2, and Robin Hood. That's pretty much in line with what was available from Toshiba PA3480U-1BRS Battery our cable provider's on-demand menu, and two out of the three titles had debuted the previous week on DVD. You can watch titles as Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS Battery many times as you want, so long as it's within the 24-hour viewing window.

You have 48 hours to finish watching 99-cent TV show rentals, but right now Apple TV is short on Toshiba PA3593U-1BRS Battery content. So far Apple only has deals with ABC/Disney, Fox, and BBC. And these partners don't refer to channels Toshiba PA3591U-1BRS Battery but studios. We looked in vain for House, which airs on Fox, only to realize that it's produced by Universal Studios (owned by NBC). NBC and CBS are not on board, though you can download and then stream these shows to Apple TV, Toshiba PA3594U-1BRS Battery which we did for an episode of House. While we understand that there are business reasons behind not everyone being on board, consumers Satellite a200 battery will likely be frustrated by having to purchase different shows from ostensibly different iTunes stores.

The PC version of the iTunes store comes in handy with the ability to purchase full seasons good battery of shows you've missed. We question the value of 99-cent TV rentals, especially for those who have a DVR. (On Roku you can purchase-to-own battery certain shows for 99 cents, while others cost $2.99). At least the episodes on Apple TV are commercial-free.

If you're a Netflix subscriber, you can tap into TV shows and movies right on the Apple TV. Apple designed the interface batteries to closely resemble the rest of the experience, and it's fairly easy to navigate. Plus, unlike Roku, you don't need to complete the setup battery process on your PC by entering a pin. You just enter your account info and you're good to go. We decided to watch Dexter, but there were tons of other selections available. As with Netflix on Roku and other services, don't expect to watch good batteries current movies. The New Arrivals during our testing included Star Trek and GI Joe.

Although it's nice that Apple TV has branched out to include Netflix, Roku's boxes offer a lot battery more content and apps, such as Amazon Video on Demand, Pandora, Flickr, MLB.TV, UFC, and Facebook Photos

Sony’s Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 Are The Company’s First Interchangeable Lens Cameras

You know a category’s going mainstream when Sony jumps on board. That’s how Akku Sony VGP-BPS8 we felt when the company debuted its first, er, netbook the original Vaio P, and it’s how we feel now about interchangeable lens digital cameras. These cameras have the guts of a point-and-shoot, but take removable lenses, just like a DSLR. Olympus and Panasonic pioneered this hybrid style of camera, and Samsung recently jumped on the bandwagon, but now that Sony has released the Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5, the category seems to be picking up momentum.

And having spent a little time with the Akku Sony VGP-BPS8a NEX-3 (pictured) and NEX-5, we can tell you these aren’t just me-too cameras. They’re by far the smallest and lightest cameras in this class, so people looking for DSLR quality but not DSLR heft might actually find the right combination of photo quality and camera size. While both are small, the NEX-5 has a bigger hand grip, while the NEX-3 has a more rounded design, reminiscent of a point-and-shoot.

The two 14.2-MP cameras use in-lens image stabilization (right now, there are three options: an 18-55mm, 18-200mm, Sony VGP-BPS8 Battery and a 16mm wide angle lens). For $200, Sony is selling an adapter that will allow Sony’s Alpha DSLR lenses to work with these cameras. The company will also sell ultra-wide and fish-eye converters for $139 each. Both cameras also have 3-inch LCDs with a high resolution of 921,000 pixels.

Both cameras have a user interface that’s designed to be novice-friendly; instead VGP-BPS9/B of cramming in lots of buttons, Sony added soft keys, like the kind you’d find on a phone, whose functions vary depending on the menu you’re in. In our brief hands-on, we especially liked a mode that lets you use the scroll wheel on the back to adjust the sharpness of the background. We think achieving that depth-of-field effect is the number one “artsy” thing amateurs want to pull off, and Sony makes it foolproof.

Finally, both cameras record HD video, VGP-BPS9A/B Battery except that while the NEX-5 records 1080p video using the advanced AVCHD codec, the NEX-3 records 720p video using the simpler MP4 codec. These specs more closely match what you’d find in a pocket camcorder.

Oddly, you’ll pay a premium for an 18-55mm lens, the standard size that comes with any DSLR kit. The NEX-3 starts t $549 VGP-BPS9/S battery with a 16mm lens and costs $599 with an 18-55mm. The NEX-5 starts at $649 with a 16mm lens and costs $699 with an 18-55mm lens. Look for them in July.