The MSI X-Slim X340 is quite a proficient notebook PC which has a luxurious aluminum packaging. The 13.4 inch monitor helps the viewer see the best of images and videos and the visuals produced are very energetic and bright. The backlit logo keeps sparkling all the time. As far as connectivity goes, provisions are in place in the form of a couple of USB ports, a line in and a line out, Ethernet and HDMI ports a piece, a VGA port and finally a memory card reader. The basics are taken care of and with the X-Slim X340 from Micro-Star INT’L at the helm of affairs simplicity will be at its best. All the facilities that are required by a commoner will be met and all this comes at a cost that is negligible.

The battery that has been used in the MSI X-Slim X340 is very sturdy and is fixed at the back of the notebook PC. It can be switched, moved and easily replaced. The four cell battery with 2,150 mAh units will be enough to keep it going for hours at a stretch. The MSI X-Slim X340 laptop with its modest configurations and meagre pricing is good for those who need one for small purposes like presentations and college projects. You can install a lot of software and can also add extendable memory. It will benefit the user in the sense that maintenance costs are almost zilch and the longevity is commendable. Buy the MSI notebook and use it for as long as you want.

Tags for this article: laptop, notebook, battery

Offering the user unique computing experience, Asus Eee PC 1000H-WHI066X in pearl white colour has 7 hours of battery life. Its exclusive Super Hybrid Engine ensures that the battery lasts long while its Super Hybrid Engine offers performance and power consumption modes that allow easy adjustments in accordance to various needs. Ideal for travelling, the netbook from Taiwanese manufacturer Asus comes with an exclusive 10GB Eee Storage. The file-encrypted Eee Storage with 5GB worth of downloads has easy accessibility from both Windows and Linux platforms. An exciting machine, it has a large 10 inch screen that allows comfortable viewing of documents and web pages. Its keyboard is almost the same size as standard keyboard size and is very convenient to use. You can choose from a total of 4 custom-coloured designs to suit your personality. The Eee PC’s surface has inlaid motifs that are beautiful and do not fade with time. A robust machine, it has a scratch-resistant surface.

Weighing a mere 1.45kg, it is truly a portable notebook with an Intel Atom N270 processor that runs at a speed of 1.6 GHz. The Asus Eee PC 1000H-WHI066X Pearl White netbook has high speed connectivity with Wi-Fi 802.11n and built-in Bluetooth that allows easy data transfers between devices. It comes loaded with a full range of applications that enhance communication and computing experiences. Its built-in devices include stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial and Bluetooth aerial. It has a card reader and a 160GB hard drive, which can store all your data, files, music and other media. Equipped with a 1GB RAM, it also has a Sound card and an integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera. With Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as its operating system, it comes with a 2 year warranty.

Hewlett Packard’s HP 550 is Wi-Fi enabled and runs on Core 2 Duo T5670 1.8GHz processor. Available in a fresh new look, it weighs a mere 2.49kg and is the perfect travelling companion. It has a 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen HP BrightView display with improved brightness, contrast and clarity that displays more vivid images that resemble results on a plasma display. It has Windows Vista Home Premium as its operating system and is capable of running multiple applications smoothly and at once. High performing, it has set new standards in computing performance and has extended battery life that allows it to last long.

Loaded with a 4GB RAM, it has 250GB Hard Disk Drive capacity that can store all files, photos, music and media and still have plenty of space to fill. A DVD+/-RW and integrated Bluetooth technology are its other useful features. With Wi-Fi Certified WLAN, the user can send and receive e-mails or access the Internet whether at work or at home or even at hotspot. The Bluetooth feature provides wireless short-range communication and connectivity with other Bluetooth devices such as printers, mice and headsets. The Hewlett-Packard HP 550 (NN313EA#ABU) laptop also has a Device Access Manager for HP ProtectTools that helps protect your network applications and your data by controlling ports and removable storage devices on your system so as to prevent unauthorized users from fiddling with your data. It also includes an integrated Secure Digital Card reader that boosts productivity and HP DriveGuard that reduces shock to the hard drive. Its HP Fast Charge recharges the battery up to 90% in 90 minutes so you get back to work faster. Available with a 1 year warranty, this HP laptop is ideal for business use.

The Asus Eee PC 900 20G Linux weighs less than a kilo and offers a wide range of options of mobile computing. Equipped with an Intel Celeron M 900 MHz processor Eee is shockproof and has dimensions of 22.5×17X2cm. Compact in design, this laptop has an energy-saving Solid State Disk (SSD) technology, which makes it very suitable as a travel companion. The ASUS Eee PC 900 20G also has a 8.9″ widescreen, a 1.3 mega pixels integrated webcam and 20GB storage capacities for GNU Linux operating systems. Available in a beautiful pearl white colour, it takes to 20 seconds for the laptop to start as it operates on Linux as oppose to Windows where it takes a minute to start the Window and wait for the pop-ups to load. The battery lasts for a maximum time of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Also, the Asus Eee PC 900 20G Linux comes with a 5800 Mh battery, which is great as it increases the life of the battery and allows greater productivity. Not only does the laptop battery last longer, it even works quietly. A cooler and quieter machine, this compact netbook has a smaller and slimmer air vent than its predecessors. Especially when running on power saver mode, it runs silently.

Incredibly well-made, Asus Eee PC 900 20G Linux has a small and compact chassis that is strong and well put together. The screen hinge feels chunky and is secure as the screen stays well protected. Since the laptop comes with a slip cover, the Asus Eee PC 900 20G Linux can be put in any bag without any worries. Loaded with a powerful processor, the lean machine can take on any computing task with ease. Durable and chunky, the Asus Eee PC is compact at the same time and very well-suited for travel. The only possible drawback is its small keyboard, which could be uncomfortable for some users.

The Asus Eee PC 904 HD 80GB has been designed for users who want ample storage space combine with the portability that the ASUS Eee PC series is known for. This net book has an Intel Celeron M 353 processor with a clock speed of 900 Mhz. It has a huge internal storage as it has a 80GB SATA hard disk drive option. This allows users to carry more data and also helps in fast data transfers. Pre-loaded with XP, the Windows netbook has 1GB RAM and is available in a white colour.

It has a 8.9″ WSVGA screen with 1024×600 resolution. With more viewing area, the user’s eyes will feel comfortable to view a single A4 page without scrolling left or right too much. Thus, a bigger screen means easier reading and editing of documents. Though it does not have an optical disc drive, the Asus Eee PC 904 HD 80GB Windows netbook does have wireless LAN. Other features include 3 USB ports, an integrated webcam and a 3-in-1 card reader. It runs on 6 lithium-ion cells that provide a maximum battery life of 5 hours. It has ASUS exclusive Super Hybrid Engine that gives it a longer battery lifespan and also offers an option between performance and power consumption modes for easy adjustments as per different needs of the user. The netbook’s big screen allows the user to enjoy ample viewing area and that too with the convenience of being on the move. Easy to use and loaded with exciting features, this Asus netbook weighs a mere 1.40 kg.

The Sony Vaio VGN-BZ11XN is a business notebook which offers advanced security to the user and a longer battery life. Its 15.4” X-black LCD with LED technology with resolution 1440 x 900 uses less energy thus encourages longer battery life. The bright and evenly lit 15.4-inch glare screen display brings alive your photos, videos and presentations. High performance and loaded with features, this notebook is ideal for businesses and professions. Robust and sturdy, the Vaio laptop is easy to carry around. Its stylish magnesium look makes it look smart and at the same time make it sturdy enough to be carried around. To protect your data, it offers fingerprint recognition, HDD protection and Trusted Platform Module. Its Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 3GB RAM encourage this laptop to become a high performing machine.

The laptop has a built-in web cam which can be connected internally via USB and is also available as a fingerprint sensor. The DVD burner, WLAN and Bluetooth are other features included in the Sony Vaio VGN-BZ11XN laptop. The processing of this laptop is excellent, typical of Vaio laptops. The keyboard is pleasant to touch, the touchpad and mouse buttons are large and easy to find.

The shock-proof hard drive has a 200 GByte capacity with 3 Gbytes of memory. The Sony laptop’s other exceptional features include an integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera for high resolution face-to-face videoconferencing. This gadget has two built-in card reader slots. One card reader slot is a Secure Digital slot, while the other is a Sony MemoryStick slot. The SD is especially helpful as it works seamlessly and without any need for special configuration. Moreover, this laptop from the Sony Corporation has a number of special function keys.

The N120 is another latest addition to the Samsung’s netbook product line. It was announced at the same time the new N110 was revealed. The N120 offers some really nice upgrades in terms of design, battery life, functionality and performance. It offers a whopping battery life of 10.5 hrs while on the move. The N120 is a slim line model and can be easily packed and carried along anywhere. Unlike the N110, the Samsung N120 offers rich sound, better graphics and speedier processing. The built is also little bit sturdier and the device is shielded via robust Samsung Duracase. Thus you need not worry about bumps, punches and drops. The N120 has successfully passed rigorous quality tests, ranging from rapid temperature change to electrical surges.

The main attraction of the N120 is its 6 cell battery that can keep going on for extended hours; otherwise it is fairly similar to the successful Samsung NC10. T Samsung N120 netbook also promises to offer a nice multimedia experience on the go. It has got a power efficient LED display and an integrated SRS 2.1ch system which consist 2 x 1.5 Watt stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer. Coming to the styling, just as the N110, the N120 also offers a large sized keyboard with groovy touch pad and optimally spaced keys. The netbook also uses the latest medical technology that prevents germs from getting on the keypad. This gives you a hygienic workplace wherever you go.

N120 Tech Specs

• Large Anti-bacterial keyboard
• Powered via Intel Atom processor
• Packs genuine Windows XP Home Edition
• Rich sound effects and vibrant graphics
• Stereo speakers with dedicated sub-woofer
• 10.5 Hrs battery backup
• Rugged casing
• 1.3 mega pixel digital motion camera
• 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 built-in USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Laptops are the life line of the mobile computing market. Almost everybody prefers laptops as their main computing unit for use on the go. Often laptop owners face issues with regards to power adapter malfunctioning. Usually it is impossible to troubleshoot the laptop problem and you must purchase a new AC adapter. Imagine yourself working on something really important and suddenly your power adapter becomes good for nothing! And the worst thing happens when the battery also reaches an alarmingly level level. It becomes very hard to find a new power adapter that is fit to use with your machine.

The ultimate solution for this is the new PC Line Universal Laptop Power Adapter. It is the right charger for all the laptops. The main attraction of this universal charger is that it can be used with various laptops including Acer, Advent, Asus, Compaq, Dell, EI Systems, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lenovo, Packard Bell, Philips, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. Usually a laptop power adapter will only work for certain models. For instance the Toshiba PA3467E-1AC3 works only for Toshiba Satellite laptops, however, the PC Line power adapter is universal and carries no such restrictions. In the box you will get the main power cord and 11 connectors that can be connected to the transformer. The transformer has got a rotating switch that can be used to set different voltages. You have to check the ideal voltage for your laptop by checking the manual. The transformer can be set to 15V, 16V, 18V, 19V, 20V, 22V and 24V.

This makes the PC Line power adapter compatible with almost any laptop available in the market. Another useful feature of this adapter is that it comes with both UK and European plug that can be easily screwed or unscrewed off the main plug.

Tags for this article: laptop, computing, adapter

The most frustrating issue with portable computing devices, such as laptops, is the poor battery run time and overall short battery life. This is the reason why many laptop owners keep additional battery packs with them while on the move. They can also be seen hunting for a new battery pack when their old battery crashes after just a few recharges. In response to such issues, Apple has come up with a new technology that, it claims, not only enhances the battery run time, but also offers a huge increase in the number of recharges.

The company has developed a new non-removable battery for laptops that offers 8 hours of juice to run the device on a single charge, even when the display size is 17 inches and some power hungry goodies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on. Apple has installed the new mighty battery in its Apple MacBook Pro 17. According to the company, the new battery has got 40 percent more capacity than the legacy batteries and can be recharged 1000 times (3 times more than the current standard).

How Apple made this possible is simple. The company is now using lithium polymers to make the new batteries that offer many advantages over conventional batteries. Besides this, the company has also introduced the concept of ‘Adaptive Charging’ that incredible improves the battery life. Instead of charging the battery at a constant rate the adaptive charging charge the battery after calculating how much recharge each individual cell needs. This directly prevents premature death of the battery.

The New Year was not a happy one for most Zune owners. There was a global Zune device failure on 31st Dec 2008. The Microsoft Zune media player suddenly suffered from a crippling glitch and got rebooted and finally froze. Alas! No more excitement after that. The global failure of Zune media players has been named Zune2K9 by the Zune owners with obvious references to the less serious Y2K bug. The main reason behind this global failure was that the Zune’s internal clock was not able to handle leap years.

If you are one of the victims of the Zune2K9 then no need to loose hope as Microsoft has posted instructions on its support site on how to recover the Microsoft Zune from its frozen state. Below are the simple steps you need to take to get your Zune in working condition again:

• Disconnect the Zune from any power source, either AC or USB. This will drain out the battery.
• Wait till the battery completely goes off and the Zune’s display turns black.
• Wait till after noon GMT on 1st Jan 2009.
• Connect the Zune again to the power source, charge it and it’s ready to perform normally.

The best thing is that your rights-managed content will not be affected. However, after the Zune gets fixed sync it with your PC to assure that your rights are up to date. It is advised not to open the Zune and remove the battery. Let the battery discharge normally.

Tags for this article: battery, microsoft, media