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AMD, who acquired GPU manufacturer ATI for $5.4 billion (£3.48 billion) in 2006, has announced it will retire the ATI brand name from all of its graphics cards. The big question, of course, is whether this will help sales of the chips, and whether there will be a halo effect for the AMD brand in general.

What next?

Upon retiring the ATI brand, the Radeon graphics chips (and all other ATI, urm, AMD GPUs) will be preceded by the AMD brand. What will remain, however, is the red branding – so GPUs will be red and CPUs will be green. So now you will have AMD graphics, and the AMD Radeon, and so on, but no longer will you see the letters ATI anywhere.

AMD-free branding

AMD graphics has also announced that there will be instances where you don’t even see their name on the branding. In other words, you’d just have the graphics series name on the branding, with the same consistent red look and feel – a la Radeon graphics. It’s a very strange move, with the company saying it’s intended for OEMs who want the change to be transitional, instead of instant. But this is weird to us, in that surely AMD would want the firepower of their AMD name on the stickers that litter laptops nowadays. It just seems too conservative if AMD, as a whole, really wants to have a swing at Intel and Nvidia both.

The thinking behind the decision

Photo: ீ ๑ Adam / Flickr

During a conference call, TechRadar had a chat with John Volkmann, who is AMD’s vice president of Strategic Communications. He told the publication that: ‘we’ve looked very hard at is the role of the ATI brand. We [previously] chose not to change for very good reasons.’ Clearly their tune has changed, with Volkmann hypothesising whether they now have ‘permission to do that’ before adding that AMD’s ‘partners and our customers also have a role to play’.

AMD graphics is long overdue, with ATI becoming more and more obscure as the years have ticked on. But why is AMD being so conservative about getting their name out there? Considering Radeon graphics are widely thought the best on the planet, Surely OEMs won’t pull support just because you might see the words AMD graphics right next to Intel processors? Or do we not understand the politics of it all? Strange, indeed.

In this era of ever growing mobility you want a laptop that not only provides great features but also look graceful when you carry it along with you. Looking at the rising demands of such laptops Sony has launched Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/P that perfectly fulfils both these desires of laptop users. This laptop is known for it impeccable performance as well as eye catching designs. It is highly compatible with Windows 7 Home Premium Operating System and comes in pink casing that is made from very high quality material. The Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/P has got powerful Intel premium dual-core processor that provides great speed and helps you to run various applications at the same time. The Vaio NW series computer has a possible memory expansion of up to 8GB and a hard disk memory of 320 GB that allows users to store a lot of files of different formats.

Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/P laptops have got optical disc drive with DVD writer feature and have got 15.5” LCD display that provides you sharp pictures. It is like a boon for Internet surfers as it gives one touch access to Internet. It has also got a web cam attached to it that facilitates users to live chat with their loved ones. The Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/P weighs just 2.7 kg that helps users to easily carry it along with them. It has got Wi-Fi access, 3 USB ports for fast data transfer and LAN port. All these features of Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/P are simply unparalleled and make this laptop the best buying choice for the customers.

Acer is a renowned brand in laptop production and each of its models are known for its high quality and great features. The case of newly launched Acer Aspire 7535G (LX.PCE0X.140) is no different and this is the reason why in the very short span since its launch this notebook has become one of the most sought after notebooks in the market. The AMD Turion 64×2 Ultra ZM82 processor of this notebook provide it great speed and help it to easily run multiple applications. This notebook comes with 17.3” display that has HD 1600 X 900 resolution. This gives amazing picture quality to this notebook and you would love watching movies on this notebook. This notebook has got an optical disc drive that not only plays CD as well as DVD but also has got DVD writer.

Acer Aspire 7535G (LX.PCE0X.140) comes with graphics card ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 that facilitates users to view even heavy graphics file as well as play games that involve great graphics. It has got 4 USB connection port for fast data transfer and has built-in webcam. The Acer Aspire 7535G (LX.PCE0X.140) weighs just 3.9kg that helps users to easily carry and easily work on this notebook by placing it on their laps. It has got amazing 500GB of hard disc memory and 4,096 RAM that helps you to store as many files as you can and even download different software. It is also known for its great battery back ups as its battery last for nearly 2.5 hours giving you the convenience of working for that much time without any power connection. All these features make it the best buy for customers.

Toshiba Corp. is one of the biggest multinational conglomerate companies in the world based in Tokyo, Japan. The main business of the company includes infrastructure, consumer products, electronic devices and components. It is considered to be the manufacturer of some of the diverse and advanced electronic and electrical products. One of the latest developments of this world class manufacturing company is the Toshiba Satellite L500-128 (PSLJ3E-00K00GEN) notebook.

The notebook has a stylish steel grey display cover, Snow silver top cover and silver keyboard. The Toshiba Satellite L500 notebook notebook is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor which has a clock speed of 2.16 GHz. It comes with a 2 MB cache and 4 GB RAM and the hard drive included has a storage capacity of 320 GB. The display of the Toshiba Satellite L500-128 (PSLJ3E-00K00GEN) includes a 15.6 inch Toshiba TruBrite HD TFT high brightness screen that displays with amazing sharpness and detail. It has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and the aspect ratio is 16:9. The optical drive incorporated into the Toshiba Satellite L500-128 (PSLJ3E-00K00GEN) notebook is dual layer DVD Super Multi drive which has a maximum reading speed of 24x CD-ROM and 8X DVD-ROM. The graphics card included is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 and the total graphics memory is 512 MB. The memory card reader in-built in the Toshiba Satellite L500-128 (PSLJ3E-00K00GEN) is compatible with SD/ MMC/memory stick. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports included in the Toshiba laptop and 1 10/100 Ethernet port. In addition to the Ethernet, you can also get connected with rest of the world with the integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n.

Sony Corp is manufacturing world class electronic products for a number of years so you can blindly rely on the product that it offers. The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/S is a very advanced notebook that is offered by the company and is in great demand all around the world. The device is available in a stylish white colour which gives it a sophisticated and stylish look. The NW series notebook is manufactured using cutting edge technology and is fitted with all latest features as well. The laptop can play all sorts of Blu ray disks also which further enhances the functionality of the device.

The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/S is installed with an Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor which ensures a hassle free performance for a number of years to come. The clock speed of the device is around 2,130 MHz and is also fitted with 4096 MB of RAM which provides swift performance. The hard disk memory of the device is a whopping 500 GB and is more than enough to store all sorts of files. The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/S laptop is fitted with a 15.5 inch large display which provides breathtaking pictures. The display provides a resolution of around 1366 X 768. The device is also fitted with ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics card which enables you to play PC games.

The Sony Vaio VGN-NW21ZF/S is also fitted with Bluetooth which enables you to connect it with various other Bluetooth enables devices. The device is also fitted with USB 2.0 ports which allow you connect various other devices as well.

Vaio is a sub-brand for many of the products of the market leader Sony’s computers. The brand was launched in 1996 with the PCV series of desktops, but now Sony Corp. has expanded the use of the Vaio label. You can now see the label on a number of notebooks, subnotebooks, desktop and media centers.

Sony Vaio laptops are considered to be the best quality laptops in the market owing to the superb features included in the laptops. Along with a package of attractive features, Sony Vaio laptops also carry a reasonable price tag. Some of the cheap Sony Vaio laptops available in the market include the Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/S, Sony Vaio VGN-FW48E/H, Sony Vaio VGN-FW51ZF/H and Sony Vaio VGN-NW11S/S models.

The Sony Vaio VGN-NW20EF/S has an Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4300 that provides a clock speed of 2100 MHz with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. It comes with a hard disk of 320 GB and a RAM of 3072 MB. Additional attractions of the laptop are a built-in webcam and a DVD writer. Another cheap Sony Vaio laptop is the Sony Vaio VGN-FW48E/H which is powered by the Intel Core2 Duo T6500 processor and a 16.4 inch display. Of course, as far as cheap laptops go, the VGN-FW48E/H is rather impressive with its ATI Mobility Radeon HD3470 graphics card. It also includes a Blu-ray ROM drive and Bluetooth, Wireless-LAN and Modem connectivity. The webcam integrated into the Sony Vaio laptop has a resolution of 0.3 Megapixel and the battery life provided by the laptop is 3 hours.

Tags for this article: sony vaio, sony vaio laptops, sony laptops

Electronic notebooks are so commonly found everywhere. Literally everyone has a use for them. Professionals, students, officers, housewives, whoever it is, they all have notebooks for their personal use or official use. It is easier to store data and also move around anywhere in the world with it since it is so light-weighted and compact.

The Pavilion dv6-1210sa (VE750EAABU) from Hewlett Packard is a notebook that is powered by AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core processor QL-65 and has Windows Vista Home Premium as the operating system. This provides you with the latest features of Microsoft operating system which makes browsing much safer and also swifter. Also, the HP Pavilion dv6-1210sa (VE750EAABU) notebook comes with a 250 GB hard drive which means that you can store anything and everything without having to worry about the memory space. Also, it comes with 3GB RAM that ensures quicker accessing and response times.

It comes with a 15.6 inch LCD widescreen display which is fairly enough to view all your pictures and videos in high quality. ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 graphics card ensures a terrific gaming experience. Now you don’t have to depend on your PC or PlayStation to play games anymore. It also comes with a built-in webcam and also a microphone that lets you keep in touch with your near and dear ones who are at the other side of the globe or just away from you. There are also built-in speakers that are powerful enough to output quality sound while watching movies or listening to songs.

The HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EAABU) is another incredible notebook manufactured by HP, which belongs to the HP Pavilion dv7 series. Hewlett Packard is renowned for creating machines with high efficiency which provide better performance throughout. The HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EAABU) has a 17.3 inch display screen which allows the user to view clear pictures and videos. The HP Pavilion dv7-2070 includes an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor which ensures better and faster performance. The notebook has a processor bus of 2600 MHz that allows the laptop to receive quick information. The HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EAABU) has a RAM memory of 4096 MB and has a 500 GB hard disk. The inclusion of the 500 GB hard disk in this HP notebook means that it has gained capacity to store a huge amount of data, songs and movies. 1 GB memory can store near about 200 MP3 songs, so just imagine how many songs and videos can a 500 GB hard disk store?

HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EAABU) uses the ATI Mobility Radeon HD4530 graphics card to provide better quality graphics layout. The notebook also includes DVD-ROM and can play CDs and DVDs as well as write and label them. The HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EAABU) notebook also includes 4 x USB 2.0 connection ports along with HDMI and VGA D-Sub (HD-15) video output for providing the user with a high quality video viewing. The notebook has in-built speakers and webcam. It also has integrated security system like the Kensington lock support and finger-print reader. The HP Pavilion notebook uses Windows Vista Operating System and weighs approximately 3.52 kg.

Tags for this article: laptop, intel, hp dv7

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N (LX.PE70X.082) is one of the latest and most advanced laptops from the PC supplier Acer. The Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N (LX.PE70X.082) is the slimmest notebook and is less than an inch thin. The laptop is compact but provides great multitasking features. The Acer Timeline laptop in question is offered in a stylish glossy colour that gives a stunning and attractive look.

The laptop is fitted with an Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 processor and has 4,096 MB RAM. The Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N (LX.PE70X.082) has ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 graphics card already installed in it, that provides amazing graphics. The hard disk has a storage capacity of 500 GB that provides more than enough space to store movies, games, documents, songs, etc. The most amazing feature is that this laptop provides battery backup of more than 8 hours. The new touch pad provided in the laptop works amazingly well compared to others in the market.

Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N (LX.PE70X.082) uses Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium as the operating system. It has a 13.3 inch LED WXGA crystal bright display that provides astonishing picture quality. The laptop is equipped with an Integrated Crystal Eye webcam that enables you to video chat without any hassle. There is an integrated microphone in the laptop as well. The Acer Aspire Timeline 3810TG-944G50N laptop is WiFi enabled and enables mobile internet from a very far distance. It provides better, faster and energy efficient performance in comparison with other laptops. Additionally the laptop comes with a one year warranty.

Those who love their laptops because of the games they can play on them as and when they want to, know what they want in their laptops. High performance, big screen, high end graphics card are just some of the factors that would define a good gaming laptop. And there are many laptops that can lay claim to being a desirable gaming laptop but only few which can be counted among the best.

HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EA#ABU) is one of the most impressive gaming laptops. It features Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor with a clock speed of 2,400 MHz. It has a RAM of 4 GB, hard disk storage of 500GB and uses ATI Mobility Radeon HD4530 graphics card. This 17 inch laptop is one of the best mobile gaming systems around. However, for those who would like a slightly larger screen size, then the Sony Vaio VGN-AW11M/H with its Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, RAM of 4 GB, hard drive of 320GB, 18.4 inch screen and NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics card comes along as an excellent option. And because it is Sony so it has durability and offers complete value for money too.

Another strong contender for the best gaming laptop is MSI Megabook GT725-087UK which uses Intel Core 2 Duo processor and has a storage capacity of 500GB. A 17 inch screen and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 make sure that you can have remarkable experience while playing your favourite games on the laptop.

In addition to these three there are some other gaming laptops that make strong claims to be counted as the best gaming laptops of 2009 like Dell Studio 1737, Advent 6552, Apple MacBook Pro (MB604B/A) and a few others. The best thing is you can pick any of these and be sure that you won’t be disappointed.