Apple’s recent MacBook Pro update brought a long awaited processor update and new GPU options, but much of the attention was lavished on the larger models in the company’s professional notebook range. In contrast, the 13-inch MacBook Pro saw a more modest refresh; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
It’s taken Apple nine long months to update their MacBook Pro range, and most people would agree that the Intel Core i5 and Core i7 refresh has arrived not a moment too soon. Intel’s latest processors bring with them a new, intelligent graphics system and a slightly higher price of entry – $1,799 rather than $1,699 – along with the promise of greater battery life and better performance. Hyperbole or must-have? Check out the full SlashGear review to find out.
In the grand scheme of netbooks, Hercules probably isn’t a name you associate with budget ultraportables; the company is taking their first step into the market with the eCAFÉ EC-1000W. A 10-inch Atom N270 machine, there’s little on the spec list that makes the EC-1000W stand out among the rank and rile, so is this yet another me-too model or a netbook worth considering? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
It’s usually pretty straightforward: an 11.6-inch notebook will deliver battery life but lack grunt, while a larger machine is more likely to pack performance at the expense of liberty from a power point. The Alienware M11x promises to change all that; while it may have the diminutive dimensions of a CULV notebook, its overclocked processor and switchable discrete graphics claim to make it a gamer’s machine where longevity is a choice. Is the M11x really the best of both worlds? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Having been reasonably surprised by the baby Lenovo ThinkPad X100e, it’s the turn of its larger, Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 to hit the SlashGear test bench. As with the X100e, the Edge 13 trades some of Lenovo’s traditional styling in favor of a cheaper price tag and the possibility of a few more mainstream consumer sales. Has it lost its way in the process? Check out the full SlashGear review to find out.
While Lenovo have long offered tablet PCs in their ThinkPad range, CES 2010 saw the surprising debut of several more consumer-focused touchscreen devices. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t lacks the eye-catching removable display of its U1 sibling, but still promises the company’s legendary build quality along with the benefits of capacitive multitouch. Does the IdeaPad S10-3t tick all our tablet boxes? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
There’s no mistaking Viewsonic’s design inspiration. From the Apple-style packaging to the brushed-metal finish of the VNB131 itself, this is most definitely a MacBook wannabe. Still, if you’re going to base your product on a rival, you could do far worse than choose Cupertino’s finest, so the question has to be whether the Viewsonic VNB131 lives up to the standard. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Intel’s Atom N270 processor – and the surrounding limitations on specifications – had a lot to answer for: over a year of cookie-cutter netbooks. With the advent of Pine Trail, Intel look to be loosening their grip on the segment a little, at least, but does the Atom N450 offer a genuine improvement over its well-worn predecessor? Toshiba sent over their latest netbook, the Mini NB305; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad range has a new baby brother, and while the company is now several generations through its IdeaPad netbooks, the ThinkPad X100e is the first CULV-style machine intended for mobile pros. It’s an ambitious undertaking, certainly: can the company deliver the traditional build-quality, reliability and performance expected from a ThinkPad, along with the low price expected for an 11.6-inch ultraportable? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
While many scoffed at the idea of Nokia building a netbook, the idea does have its share of merits. After all, the Finnish company knows a few things about eking out runtimes from compact batteries, and with netbooks being perhaps the most likely of computing devices to be in search of mobile connectivity, stuffing them with the sort of wireless access your high-end Nokia boasts certainly makes sense. Throw in eye-catching design and you’re onto a winner, right? Unfortunately, we’ve found the Nokia Booklet 3G falls short in other areas; check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
It used to be that only the smallest, most frugal of netbooks – paired with huge, 9-cell batteries – could offer the reassurance of a full day away from an outlet. Now, with the advent of Intel’s consumer ultra-low voltage processors, notebooks that wouldn’t look out of place on a regular desk can now boast lengthy run-times too. Into the fray steps the Gateway EC5409u, distinguishing itself not only by virtue of healthy battery life predictions – up to 8hrs, Gateway ambitiously suggest – but a reasonably-sized 15.6-inch display. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.
There’s no doubting that multitouch is a key buzzword of today, and with the arrival of Windows 7 PCs gain at least software support for two-fingered control. Lenovo have responded by updating their well-esteemed ThinkPad X200 Tablet with Windows 7 and a new, multitouch-friendly display, the former as standard and the latter a paid option. Has the technology come of age, or is it a case of hype overtaking substance? Check out the SlashGear review after the cut.
