Big Buy - Product Reviews

Buyers guide for printers

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

There are a wide range of monochrome and color laser printers available today to fulfill the needs of virtually any computer user. Because there are a number of well appointed monochrome and color laser printers to choose from, you can easily find a model to fit the needs and budget of any home, office or corporate user.

Label Printer
If you need to print cost effective professional paper labels quickly and easily then a label printer will meet your needs. Perfect for creating pres-sized easy-peel labels for envelopes, packages, file folders, CDs, binders and a variety of other uses.

Color Inkjet Printer
If you need to print "photo quality" images and your print volumes are relatively low, this is a task best handled by a color inkjet printer.

Color Laser Printer
If your output needs require greater flexibility, then you may want to consider a color laser printer. While color laser printers are more expensive than monochrome lasers, they do allow you the versatility to rapidly produce color documents, reports, presentations, and other materials whenever you need to. In addition, color laser printers can easily handle higher daily print volumes as well as deliver a lower cost per page vs. other color printing technologies.

B&W Laser Printer
If the majority of your printing is in black and white, a monochrome laser printer may be your best choice. These printers excel at delivering fast, high quality text printing, as well as a low cost per page. A monochrome laser printer is also a solid choice when you have daily print volumes that are more than a few pages per day.

Print Speed
A printer's speed is described in terms of ppm (pages per minute). More expensive printers have faster print speeds, while many entry-level laser printers today have a print speed of around 20ppm, which is usually fine for personal use.

Monthly Print Volume
Your print volume determines which printer class to consider. Personal printers are designed for users with lower print volumes. For individuals with higher print volumes, or small groups sharing a printer, an office printer is suitable. Heavy volume users require a heavier duty office printer.

Print Quality
Print resolution is always stated in dots-per inch (dpi). Most laser printers today have a default resolution at 600x600dpi, which is fine for everyday text printing. For sharper output when printing photographs or documents combining text, photos, and charts, a higher resolution, such as 1200x1200dpi or 2400x600dpi, is preferable. 1200x1200dpi is recommended when your materials need to look their very best, but choosing this resolution can significantly reduce your print speed. Certain printers offer up to 2400x600dpi print quality and are capable of printing at their best output quality while printing at or near their highest-rated print speed.

Compatibility
Check to see if the laser printers is compatible for either Windows and Mac computers. If you have a legacy application that runs under DOS, consider a printer with both a Parallel interface and PCL® emulation.

Memory
Most printers have sufficient standard memory for everyday office printing. If you are printing more complex documents such as graphics, photographs, charts, or specialized fonts, consider a printer with upgradeable memory. In general, the more memory a printer has, the better it can handle larger, more complex documents.

Connectivity
Most laser printers come standard with USB and Parallel interfaces† for maximum flexibility. If you have a network or plan to share your printer, consider a printer with a built-in Ethernet or wireless network interface. Wireless-ready printers eliminate the need to connect the printer using a cable, and allow you to locate it where it is most convenient.

Paper Capacity
If your printer will be on a network, or if you have large print volumes, consider a printer with a large paper capacity to avoid paper outages.
Different Paper Sizes
Consider whether you will be printing on different paper sizes. You can print up to legal size paper with many laser printers. If you frequently print on both letter and legal size paper, consider a printer that offers two lower paper trays. These models allow you to store letter size paper in one tray and legal in the other and automatically select paper from either tray.
Most laser printers also offer a manual feed slot or multi-purpose tray for printing envelopes, labels, custom paper sizes and heavier media.

Emulations
If you have applications that require DOS support, you'll need a printer with PCL emulation. Some laser printers offer PCL emulation, which is generally used for everyday office document printing. If you are printing graphics, photos, special fonts and charts, or if you are a Mac user, consider a printer with PostScript®.

Duplex Printing (2-sided)
If you want to print two-sided documents, consider a printer with built-in automatic duplex printing. This feature saves time, reduces waste, and can decrease your printing costs.

Secure Print
To password protect confidential documents, choose a printer with a Secure Print capability. This feature allows you to password protect your print jobs, and helps ensure that only the people that should see a document actually do.

Additional Features
Printers offer either a monochrome or 3-color LCD display to enable users to easily modify settings or to determine the printer's status. In addition, several printers also offer other standard features such as N-Up, Watermark and Poster Printing that may be required for some printing applications.

Expandability
If your business is rapidly growing, consider a printer with expansion options such as paper trays, output bins, duplex printing, and upgradeable memory. If you want to store forms, or fonts, and commonly used files on a CompactFlash® card, consider a printer that accepts one of these cards.

Warranty, Service and Support
Carefully review each manufacturer's warranty as some offer various terms and conditions. Length or warranty period. Carry-in or on-site repairs. Which components the warranty covers. It may be a good idea to consider getting an extended warranty on your printer.

Buyers guide for Laptops

2011-10-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

Notebook systems have grown in popularity due to their increasing performance and portability. Many systems are even now being marketed as replacements for desktop systems, but few can perform at the same level as a desktop system particularly when it comes to graphics. This guide will help you to look at some of the key items you want to look at before you purchase your next PC notebook system.

Size and Weight
Obviously the size and weight of a notebook is important. Ultraportables offer light weight and sizes but sacrifice items such as drives. Desktop replacements have equivalent power to desktop systems, but they are heavy and bulky making them difficult to carry around. When shopping for a laptop, make sure to pick up the systems and verify its something you are willing to carry. Don't forget to also consider the weight of accessories such as AC adapter when carrying around the notebook.

Processors (CPU)
Notebook processors typically were slower than desktop CPUs, but that has changed. Dual-core processors are starting to become common and help with multitasking. The type of processors found in the notebook will vary based upon the size and purpose of the notebook. They have a direct impact on performance as well as battery life so comparison can be difficult. Check out my listings for suggested processors for the various types of notebook PCs available.

Memory (RAM)
Notebooks are generally more restricted in the amount of memory they can have compared to desktops. When looking at computers you want to make sure to check out the maximum memory the system can handle as well as the amount that is installed in the computer. It's also useful to find out if a memory upgrade can be done yourself or if it has to be done by a technician. 512MB should really be the minimum amount of memory to consider with at least 1GB for improved performance.

Displays and Video
The video on a notebook computer is comprised of the display and the video processor. The display is comprised of the screen size and the native resolution. The larger the display, the higher the resolution will typically be, but it also will impact how portable the system is. Wide screen displays are also becoming more popular. The graphics processor will determine the performance of the computer in things such as 3D graphics and PC gaming.

Drives
How much storage space will you need? Hard drives are fairly straight forward in terms of the size and the performance may be impacted by the rotational speed. Optical drives play a more important role when purchasing a notebook PC. These can either be fairly simple CD-ROM drives for installing software all the way up to the latest high definition DVD burners. In most cases, it is best to at least get a drive that is capable or reading DVDs and burning CDs or DVDs.

Networking
The ability to connect to the net is integral to most notebooks today. Look for systems that include a built in 56Kbps modem and Fast Ethernet. With the rise of wireless networking, this is also found in most new notebooks. For the minimum amount of wireless connectivity, look at getting a notebook with 802.11b/g. Systems with an 802.11a/b/g will give you the most amount of connectivity.

Battery Life
How good is a portable computer going to be if you are only able to get 30 minutes of computing time on a single charge? Try to find the manufacturers listed battery life for the standard battery. Look to get a system with at least 2 hours of battery life under normal conditions. If you need extended time unplugged, look for laptops with media bays that can double as extra battery slots or have extended life batteries that can be purchased.

Warranty Plans
Laptops take a lot of abuse and are more prone to breakdowns due to their portability. When buying a system, make sure to get at least a 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. If you will be using the system heavily, a system that comes with a 3 year warranty might be a better choice but it will cost more. Third party extended plans are not a good choice unless service is done through the manufacturer.

Acer Aspire 5742 reviews

2011-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Dell Inspiron 15R review

2011-05-01T07:20:00.001-07:00

Lenovo z560 laptop review

2011-05-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sony Microsite

2009-09-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.sony.co.in/microsite/vaio/products/vaio_w/w_series/360.html

Laptop Buyers Guide

2009-08-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

Type of Processor (Pentium iii , Pentium 4 , Via , Amd etc) :
One of the most important factors in deciding your laptop .The processor is the heart of your laptop .The right processor can make it a work horse of a slow machine . There are different brands of c.p.u that laptops come with namely : Intel, Amd athlon , Via c3 etc.

Screen :
Most screens sold today are TFT active matrix LCD screens. TFT active matrix is a technology in which each pixel has a transistor attached to it to control the backlight shining through it. Each pixel is made up of 3 sub-pixels (red, green and blue) with each having its own transistor. Each of these pixels turns on and off and filters light through colored sub-pixels which results in an image. The more pixels or higher the resolution a screen is the crisper the image. In addition, higher resolution screens allow more of an image to be viewable.

Laptop screens are usually of the following sizes (in inches) 12.1, 13.1,14.1, 14.4 (wide screen ) , 15, 15.4 (wide screen) , 16, 17 .You may take a screen size of your choice , the advantage of choosing a larger screen is in terms of the resolution support you get on them , to state , the bigger the screen the higher resolution it supports .More than the size of the screen it is important to see the brightness and the resolution aspect ratio .Most manufacturers offer bright screens at a premium. They have different names xbrite in sony ,Clear Super View (CSV) in Toshiba etc. Here are two charts below that tells you about screens sizes and resolutions

Optical Device (cd, dvd, dvd cd r/w ,dvd writer) :
Most laptops these days come with a dvd cdr/w commonly called as a combo drive .This is considered a bare essential these days .Indeed a writer is must these days since it comes in very handy to backup or carry data along. The latest laptops these days come with a Dvd R/w .They usually come with a slower speed as compared to desktops as on date the maximum speed available is 8x while on desktops speed of 16x is also available .Look for dual layer support which will help you write dvds up to 8.4 gb capacity against the normal 4.7 gb capacity .

Pointing Device (Stick /Touchpad) :
Look for the following:

1) Does it have a touchpad a pointing stick or both ?

2) Does it come with horizontal and vertical scroll support on the touch pad ?

Battery :
Battery is one the most important consumable of a laptop . Check if the battery is li-on or ni-mh( only for old laptops as all new laptops come with li-on battery) .In new laptops check if the laptop comes with a 6-cell ( most common) or 9 -cell ( some laptops) or 12 cell (very few laptops) battery , naturally the more cells the more battery life you get. Also if you are a very mobile user check if the laptop has an option to take in additional battery .You may also want to check the price of additional battery pack .

Wireless lan :
Wireless lan of wi-fi as it is commonly called these days is getting very popular .But the popular misconception is that once you have a wi-fi you can connect to internet wirelessly without any additional accessories which isn't true. Wi-fi only means the capability to connect wirelessly to your local area network which too will require additional accessories like Wireless router oraccess point .Wireless comes in three speeds ( the speed with which u can access your local area network) and are represented by different letters. The least of them is 11 Mpbs written in spec sheet as 802.11b, 'b' indicates it supports up to 11 mbps , next is 54 Mpbs and written as 802.11g , 'g' indicating 54 Mbps speed , now by firmware upgrade speeds up to 108 Mbps can be achieved usually laptops don't come with 108 Mbps speed. All these are mutually compatible meaning you can have one laptop with 'b' standard card and other with 'g' standard and they will still work on a network .To understand wi fi in detail

Weight :
Another very important consideration . The weight of a laptop is inversely proportional to the price .The lighter the laptop the heavier it is on your pocket. Heavy laptops usually are loaded with features and are made to be desktop replacements .The major weight adding components are the processor and the size of the screen .Usually the normal Pentium 4 based laptops are very heavy due the amount of the heat sink material. that goes along with it .The latest mobile series of processors like the Pentium M processor are made specially for laptops and are lighter in weight. The screen size also adds to the weight. Usually laptops weigh around 2.5 kgs , the heavier ones weigh around 3.0 kgs , and the lighter ones weigh around 1.5 kgs.

Speakers :
For music lovers an important criteria .The best speakers for laptops are Jbl pro or harman/kardan, Altec lansing and others are also fairly good . Try the sound quality of the laptop before you buy .

Keyboard :
Before buying a laptop look for the keyboard .A keyboard failure can be a messy problem later .The quality of the keyboard can be made out by mere inspection .look for the print quality of the letters on the keyboards. The letters will fade on low quality keyboard. If your are buying an used laptop check all .the keys if they are working before buying.

Looks :
Here we dont think you need a guide because you can look at the laptop yourself and decide . While considering the looks , one thing to remember is the quality of the body. You can feel it by touching it , One the spec sheet You can check if the body type is mentioned Usually magnesium alloy bodies are very good , they are lighter and look beautiful too.

Warranty and Service :
One very important criteria. The warranty on a laptop is a very crucial criteria .Try to buy a laptop with 3 years warranty since servicing a laptop can be usually very expensive ,if you are buying a one year warranty laptop , ask about what are the charges per year for extended warranty .Usually such extensions are expensive so try to buy a laptop with 3 years warranty. Also check if the warranty is global or local .Most laptops come with global warranty which is preferable over local.

Dell Inspiron Mini

2009-08-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

Dell Studio 1537

2009-08-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sony VAIO Pocket

2009-08-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

The Sony Vaio P, promoted as a Pocket Style PC, has a dimension of 9.6x4.7x0.9inch and weighs just 594 g. The model we got was garnet red on the outside with metallic silver inside (three more colors are available). We were impressed by the stunning design and solid build quality.

Its glossy finish also means it’s a fingerprint magnet. The keys are well built and spaced apart making it easy to type on. There is no touchpad but there is a pointing device which takes some getting used to. The touch buttons for left, right, middle mouse click and two shortcuts for windows arrangement and Quick boot are conveniently located. Web camera at the top right. Powered by the Z530 running at 1.60 2GB RAM and 64 SSD for storage, the Vaio P is quite wellspeced. The 8-inch TFT screen has an unusual resolution of 1600x768 pixels. While text and graphics were super sharp, they were tiny. Changing the DP large helped a bit. It also has 802.11 LAN b/g /Draft N plus Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity. A clever Ethernet LAN/ external Display adapter is included. Two USB ports, headphone port, Ethernet/ Display adapter and slots for SD card and Memory Stick are placed on the sides.

The Vaio P came preinstalled with Windows vista Home Premium and Vaio Media Plus which has a cross bar interface similar to the one found on PS3 and PSP.

The instant Mode feature that worked without Vista is quite handy for basic usage like Web browsing and playing media files. Sony also bundles McAfee Security Suite and a host of useful applications.

Performance

We were let down by the miniscule text and graphics. We got used to the pointing device that also enabled smooth vertical/horizontal scrolling. We wished it came with Windows XP as the vista OS executed operations at a crawling speed. With our Firefox browser opening not more than 10 tabs while running office 2007 (preinstalled Trial version), the system struggled. For basic usage, instant Mode worked much better overall. For entertainment, the onboard speakers sounded weak and lacked punch. But the noise canceling inear headphones delivered decent audio output. Video playback was smooth too. The main drawback was the slow operation speed.

The Vaio P also struggled with our benchmark tests. Despite the 2GB RAM, Worldbench score was as low as 29. This might largely be because it runs Windows vista Basic. if this machine came with Windows XP instead, it might have scored anywhere between 3040 on the same test, along the lines of other netbooks that have passed through the PC World Test Center. ultimately, the sluggishness and unusual resolution spoiled the whole experience. The battery lasted nearly 2 hours under normal browsing over WiFi with its screen at its maximum brightness.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a stylish mobile laptop, the Vaio P fits the bill.

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Lenovo Ideapad Y430

2009-08-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Lenovo’s Idea series of notebook PCs modeled for home usage are known for having distinctive designs and a mix of multi media and entertainment features. True to tradition, the Ideapad Y430 laptop is no different.

Design and Usability

On the exterior, with its characteristic textured red screen cover coupled with a dropped hinge, the Y430 is a stylish laptop in terms of looks and design. When propped open, it’s washed over completely in black, and the gloss is restricted minimally to the screen bezel only. The 14.1inch widescreen display, with a maximum screen resolution of 1280x800, is glossy, bright and sharp, but has poor viewing angles; it’s integrated with a 1.3MP webcam on the top. Lenovo’s renowned for impressive build quality and excellent laptop keyboards, and the Ideapad Y430 continues that tradition. it’s built like a tank and its keyboard’s a treat to work on, with comfortable full sized keys and no hint of flex whatsoever. The touchpad, with its twin mouse buttons, is fairly responsive, and there’s ample palmrest to work with. above the keyboard, there’s a panel of touch sensitive multimedia buttons with a volume control knob placed on the right. Similarly, Lenovo’s one Key system recovery software launch button is placed on the left, and all these buttons come very handy in performing quick operations. We also like the convenient placement of the WiFi switch and memory card slot on the front edge, below the touchpad.

Features and Specs

The Ideapad Y430 is based on a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor and the Intel PM45 chipset. There’s 2GB DDr3 RAM, 320GB hard drive (5400rpm), and a GeForce 9300M GS 256MB graphics card. Along with all that, you get 3 USB ports, a DVD writer, draft-N Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity; and HDMI, Firewire, SPDIF, and VGA ports round up the gamut of entertainment and multimedia related connectivity options. Surprisingly, however, the Ideapad Y430 doesn’t support gigabit Ethernet, a minor disappointment amidst the abundance of riches on offer.

Performance

The Ideapad Y430 comes with Lenovo’s veriFace face-recognition technology, which lets you login to your laptop without having to type a password. it also has Dolby Home Theater Surround Sound speakers, placed on the front edge of the laptop, and a subwoofer tucked away on the bottom. Sound output is good, but nothing we haven’t heard. WorldBench 6 pegged the Ideapad Y430’s overall performance at 81, a notch below the Dell XPS Studio we reviewed last month. Gaming performance’s good, too, as we found out with F.E.A.R and DOOM 3 at High Setting, with the games running handsomely at 34 fps and 41 fps, respectively. High definition movie playback, both at 720p and 1080p video, was smooth and an enjoyable experience. Cell battery lasted an acceptable 2 hours 50 minutes in Mobile Mark 07’s battery benchmark, but it could have been better. However, the laptop has an annoying little alarm every time the battery drains below 10 percent, and try as much we did, we couldn’t quite find a way to mute it.

Conclusion

The Lenovo Ideapad Y430 is a decent midsized laptop with two of Lenovo’s hallmark qualities: exceptional build quality and a very good keyboard. Priced attractively, too, for Rs. 51,990 with a year’s warranty. If you are looking for a good looking laptop, with decent overall performance and gaming capability, then you can’t go wrong with the Ideapad Y430.

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HP Pavilion dv2

2009-08-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

With the HP Pavilion dv2, the latest in the Pavilion series of notebooks, HP tries to bridge the gap between inexpensive, performance-stripped netbooks and expensive, high-end ultraportable laptops. Some of its highlights include AMD's new Athlon Neo processor (AMD's rival to Intel's Atom processor), dedicated graphics, and a slim 12-inch form factor.

Design and Usability

The HP Pavilion dv2 has a sleek design, and sub-2 kg form factor. The laptop's body is smooth with curved edges, and it feels comfortable while carrying around. From its exterior lid to the interior screen, bezel, and palmrest, there's tons of black gloss adorning the laptop - a fact you regret given the fingerprints it attracts. But, overall, the Pavilion dv2 is good-looking. However, the good looks don't compromise on build quality, with its metal-alloy chassis holding good, despite the laptop being less than an inch thick.

The 12.1-inch glossy screen (screen resolution of 1280x800) is very good. It's bright, vibrant, and good for watching movies. Viewing angles are average, but not a big concern. The keyboard is a pleasure to type on - the keys have a slight inward curve, all tightly knit and well-positioned, and there's no flex to speak of. Same holds true for the mirror-finish touchpad and mouse buttons. There's a button above the touchpad to toggle it on or off, which comes handy while you're busy typing. Placement of ports around the chassis is good, however the front-edge placement of speakers is unconventional.

Features and Specs

The HP Pavilion dv2 has an interesting combination. It's comes with an Athlon Neo 1.6-GHz processor. You also get 2GB of DDR2 RAM (expandable to 4GB), a 320GB (5400rpm) hard drive, and an ATI Radeon Mobility HD3410 graphics card with 512MB of video memory. This is much better with respect to most netbooks in the market. It comes with an external LightScribe DVD writer. And though it's not quite in the league of high-end ultraportables, it is enough for a respectable performance, whether you're watching movies, or playing the occasional game.

Apart from the regular input-output ports, inclusion of an HDMI port, Wireless draft-N connectivity, and a 5-in-1 card reader is commendable. However, lack of Gigabit Ethernet is still disappointing. For an operating system, the HP Pavilion dv2 has Windows Vista Home Premium.

Performance

As expected, the Pavilion dv2's performance is better than any current netbook. We got a WorldBench 6 score of 44, that's 25-30 percent more than a netbook. Similarly, a PC Mark 05 score of 2061 and 3D Mark 06 score of 1306 is significantly better. We also found, owing to the dv2's inclusion of a graphics card, that HD movie playback was smooth and enjoyable. Audio playback was good, as well, and with 34 fps on DOOM 3 -- at medium settings, the thing is capable of casual gaming, too. All this for less than half the price of a high-end ultraportable is commendable. In Mobile Mark 2007's productivity test, the 6-cell battery lasted for 2 hours 55 minutes.

Conclusion

The HP Pavilion dv2 does a very good job in terms of performance compared to a netbook. It is aimed towards an audience that isn't happy with the compromises a netbook makes, and for those who desire an affordable ultraportable notebook with decent performance. For Rs. 44,990, we think the Pavilion dv2 is a very good candidate.

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Acer Aspire One

2009-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Following in the footsteps of Asustek, MSI and HP, Acer has entered the lucrative ultraportable laptop segment with its Aspire One AOA 150 netbook. Not just the unbeatable price, but one quick look through its entire package and you know the Acer Aspire One is going to give the other netbooks a serious run for their money.

Sporting a polished blue-colored exterior and inside bezel, the Acer Aspire One is attractive and doesn't compromise on style. And for a pretty laptop, it offers one of the best configurations currently available in the mini-laptop segment. The Acer Aspire One is driven by the inexpensive Intel Atom 1.6-GHz processor, has a 120GB hard drive spinning at 5400 RPM, and 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM (expandable to 1.5GB), and has Microsoft Windows XP Home edition pre-installed (there's a different model that has a flavor of Linux operating system).

The 8.9-inch screen panel, that supports a 1024-by-600 pixels resolution, is completely washed over with gloss. A 0.3-megapixel webcam and a microphone are inlaid at the top of the screen. The speakers are situated on the base of the chassis, like the MSI Wind. Hence, the audio can be a little muffled at times. A standard set of input-output ports consisting of three USB ports, VGA, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, microphone and headphone jacks, multi-card reader and a storage card slot make up the essentials. All this in a minuscule form factor makes it all the more impressive. Weighing in at just 1.05 kg, the Aspire One is one of the smallest and lightest mini-laptops out there.

The chassis is well built and its overall smooth finish makes it a pleasure to work with. And once you are in tune with the smaller form factor, working on the Aspire One is a piece of cake. I had no problem typing out this review on MS WORD using the compact keyboard, while simultaneously surfing the Web through Wi-Fi with music in the background. Quite frankly, that is all these netbooks are designed to handle, and the experience was pretty good.

Also the Aspire One's a silent machine, you can barely hear it running while you work; plus it runs fairly cool. Booting up took about 45 seconds, and with the Wi-Fi turned on and with normal Internet usage and screen brightness on max, the 3-cell battery lasted for three hours. The glossy screen, as expected, proved disastrous outdoors. Unless looking at your own face while typing makes you feel good. Acer should have included an option for a non-glossy screen for the non-narcissistic among us.

But ultimately, the Acer Aspire One's keyboard proved the most surprising revelation. As is the case of any other mini-laptop, it takes getting used to; but once that is out of the way, it is unlike any other laptop keyboard from Acer. The keys are well-defined and quite responsive, and there is no discernible key-flex whatsoever. I certainly rate the Acer Aspire One's keyboard higher than the MSI Wind. The touchpad is cramped and lacks palm-detection, while the left-right mouse keys are aligned vertically along its side - this undesirable design adds another unnecessary learning curve. Not much detracts from the overall impression the Aspire One creates barring the glossy screen, absence of Gigabit Ethernet and draft-N wireless. It is unreasonable to expect any mini-laptop to have an optical drive at this point.

The ultraportable laptop market is bubbling with products to choose from and the Acer Aspire One AOA 150 is priced attractively at Rs. 20,000 and offers great value for money. Don't expect it to do a lot, but if you need a trimmed down laptop which is convenient to carry around, surf the Web and multitask with simple software, this Aspire is the One.

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Acer Aspire Timeline

2009-08-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

The Acer Aspire 4810T—the T stands for Acer's Timeline series—is less than an inch thick, with its screen lid closed. And it also comes with a DVD writer in that slim form factor. Weight isn't an issue as well, as the thing weighs just 2-kg, by far the lightest laptop in this category. It just looks like an ultraportable laptop more than a mainstream, bullky laptop.

The picture at its processor level isn't very rosy. The Aspire 4810T runs off an Intel ULV (ultra-low voltage) Core 2 Solo 1.4-GHz processor. To complement the processor, there's 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. Due to the slow processor alone, nothing can save the Aspire 4810T from nose-diving into the performance charts, in comparison to the others. A WorldBench score of 56 is slower than the slowest ULVs we've reviewed. But there's a better flip-side to the slow processor bet. It's 6-cell battery lasts well over its claimed mark of 8 hours, which is simply excellent coming from a mainstream laptop. Acer's focus is clear: the Aspire 4810T is meant for people with more than 8 hours of battery life and easier portability with a slim laptop. You can still do most day-to-day work on it, and watch movies. Just don't do too many things at once.

The 14-inch screen can display a maximum screen resolution of 1366x768. It has all the input-output ports, a DVD Writer, Gigabit ethernet, Draft-N Wi-Fi, HDMI, even an SPDIF port. The Aspire 4810T has a very good chiclet-styled keyboard and a multi-gesture touchpad that is very convenient to use.

Bottom Line

The Acer Aspire 4810T is easily the most slimmest and lightweight notebook of the bunch. Performance is not its strongest point, but buy this for its unmatched battery life of over 8 hours.

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HP Pavilion dv4

2009-08-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

A mainstream laptop needs to be a bit of a jack of all trade—and master of most of them. That's exactly what our winner does pretty well. In fact, all the laptops we compared in this category had a close tussle to the finish. The Dell Studio XPS 13 outclassed everyone with its performance; Lenovo Ideapad Y430 is best in terms of build quality; Acer the most inexpensive and lightweight. But in terms of overall appeal, performance, features, and price, the HP Pavilion dv4 is the undisputed winner.

It is a very pretty laptop, sporting a metallic finish keyboard and palmrest, and an attractive screen cover with an illuminated HP logo. Between the keyboard and the hinge, there's a set of LED-powered touch sensitive multimedia buttons which are hard to see when the laptop is off, but light up when powered on. The keyboard is a beauty to type on, and so is the touchpad—it comes with a nifty on-off toggle button. The 14-inch screen displays 1280x800 screen resolution. The innards are well looked after as well, there's an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2-GHz processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 320GB hard drive, GeForce 9200M GS: decent specs.

It also comes with a unique feature set: an HDMI, eSATA and a TV tuner combo—no other laptop comes with all three. As a result, the HP Pavilion dv4's multimedia potential sky rockets above the rest. The onboard Altec Lansing speakers are also better than the rest. If you have Rs. 52,000 stashed somewhere, and you need a laptop for decent gaming and multimedia purposes, look no further than the HP Pavilion dv4.

Bottom Line

A stylish, elegant laptop, the HP Pavilion dv4 sets the pace for the rest of the pack. It delivers on its promise of decent all-round performance, unmatched feature set, and an attractive price makes the Pavilion dv4 a deserving winner.

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Compaq Presario CQ40

2009-08-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Compaq Presario CQ40 is another budget laptop contender vying for your hard earned money. It's a petite 14-inch laptop, breaking the monotone of 15-inch notebooks thus far. It has a black screen lid with a characteristic Q fashioned across its face. The innards are two-toned, with the black pronounced on the bezel and keyboard, but the palmrest and touchpad are washed with silver. It is a no-nonsense laptop, and looks the part as well.

It has a standard hardware configuration: a Core 2 Duo T6400 2-GHz processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 250GB hard drive, along with three USB ports, onboard Altec Lansing speakers, a DVD writer, and an HDMI port. It also lacks Gigabit Ethernet and Draft-N Wi-Fi, a trend synonymous with all the budget laptops except the winner, the Aspire 5738. Its 14-inch screen supports a maximum screen resolution of 1280x800 pixels, and it comes with a 1.3MP webcam grooved at the center of its top screen bezel. The keyboard is one of the best of the lot, and it has a responsive touchpad as well. What's more, there's a small button placed between the touchpad and the keyboard that lets you switch off the touchpad for uninterrupted writing—a nifty feature that. There's also a Wi-Fi toggle switch placed next to the power on button, above the keyboard.

Performance isn't much different from the rest, as the Compaq Presario CQ40 has hardware similar to others. A WorldBench score of 82 and a battery life of just under 3 hours from the CQ40 is admirable. It is also the lightest laptop in the comparison, weighing just a paltry 2.2-kg. If you want a 14-inch budget laptop with good performance and at the right price, the Compaq Presario CQ40 is definitely worth a shot.

Bottom Line

The most petite 14-inch contender, the Compaq Presario CQ40 has one of the best keyboards in the lineup, and has all the requisite features you would expect from a budget laptop that is priced at Rs. 36,500.

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Dell Inspiron 15

2009-08-13T04:08:00.000-07:00

One of the best value for money laptops out there, the Dell Inspiron is still a good choice for your money. The looks have changed from a year ago when we last reviewed the Dell Inspiron 1525—the silver bezel, keyboard, palmrest and touchpad has been changed to a glossy black. However, the design has remained unchanged. The 15.6-inch glossy screen is capable of displaying a maximum screen resolution of 1366x768. The build quality is decent, and Dell can't do much wrong with its entry level contender.

For the money you pay, the features are good on the Inspiron 15. A Core 2 Duo T6400 2-GHz processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 250GB hard drive are at the heart of the setup. There's Windows Vista Home Basic thrown in as well. However, there were the obvious disappointing omission of Draft-N Wi-Fi and Gigabit ethernet. It did come with a multicard reader, a DVD writer, and the regular headphone and microphone jacks for audio ports. The whole unit weighed in at 2.5-kg, except the power adapter—the second lightest laptop in the pack.

Performance wasn't an issue with the Dell. We knew it had the necessary features to deliver an above average performance score through our slew of benchmarks. And a WorldBench score of 81 is vindicative of that fact. Similarly PC Mark 05 score of 4359, PC Mark Vantage score of 2291, are pretty good, while a battery life of 2 hours 35 minutes is acceptable from its 3-cell battery. You can't ask for more from a budget laptop.

On the usability front, the Dell Inspiron 15 is a good laptop to work on. Keyboard's good, screen is nice and even, touchpad is good, and the price is unmatched at Rs. 33,999.

Bottom Line

The Inspiron 15 is a very good balance between price and performance; most inexpensive at Rs. 33,999. Dell's website lets you pick and choose the Inspiron 15's configuration before placing an order.

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Source : PC World

Acer Aspire 5738

2009-08-13T04:04:00.000-07:00

There are some realities associated with buying a laptop on budget: the attractively low price tag always corresponds to low-level innards, mediocre build quality, and performance always comes at a price. This fact resonates true with our winner, the Acer Aspire 5738. But at Rs. 40,000, it is merely 15% more costlier than the most inexpensive Dell Inspiron 15, and yet outclasses every single one of our budget contenders in every other aspect: performance, features, design and usability.

After the success of its Aspire One netbooks, last year, Acer has recently shifted focus to its notebook lineup. And with the Aspire 5738, it is well and truly back in the game. The notebook has a 15.6-inch glossy screen (1366x768 screen resolution), and runs on Windows Vista Home Premium. The innards are a notch above the rest, with a Core 2 Duo T6400 2-GHz processor, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, and a whopping 320GB hard drive. All the others come with a mere 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. It has an HDMI port, and the only laptop to have Gigabit ethernet and draft-N Wi-Fi. As a result, a WorldBench score of 83 is a mere formality and reflects the Aspire 5738's superior hardware.

And it is far from disappointing when you sit and use it. The Aspire 5738 has a chiclet-styled keyboard and a dedicated number pad, along with a multi-gesture touchpad that lets you pinch and zoom images (like on an iPhone), scroll through a long web page, etc., with extreme ease. The thing can play Blu-ray rips without a hitch, has very good onboard sound, and is an unbeatable laptop at the price point.

Bottom Line

If you want your laptop to do pretty much everything with , the Acer Aspire 5738 is for you Period.

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Source : PC World

Big Buy - Product Reviews

2009-08-13T03:36:00.001-07:00

This is a blog site for Big buy - One Stop E-shop, created to provide reviews of latest computers, laptops, components and peripherals.