Acer TravelMate 8371 is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 that is fast and efficient. Capable of handling multiple programmes at once, the processor continues to operate smoothly. This means you can listen to music, work and play games at the same time. It has a 4GB RAM and a hard disk memory of 320GB. The hard drive is spacious enough to store all your files, photos, documents, software, music and media. The notebook from Taiwanese manufacturer Acer has a 13.3 inch display screen which offers realistic and bright images. Offering sharp and vivid images and videos, the glossy screen works well in all kinds of light. Also, the notebook has Bluetooth, LAN 10/100/1000, Modem and Wireless LAN wireless networking and data communication.

The notebook has Free DOS as its operating system. An efficient notebook, it allows the user to complete more tasks in less time. However, it does not have an optical drive. Featuring Intel GMA X4500HD (IGP), the notebook supports most graphical applications. For enhanced connectivity to external devices, the Acer TravelMate 8371 (LX.TTK0Z.001) has 3 USB ports, 2.0/Gb LAN, WLAN 802.11abgn and Bluetooth. Also, it has a 5-in-1 card reader that can read SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro and xD cards. For safety and security of your data on your system, it has FingerPrint Reader. Featuring an integrated 1.3 mega pixel web cam, the laptop has a 13.3 inch WXGA Non-Glare TFT with a maximum resolution of 1366×768. Running on lithium-ion battery, the Acer notebook weighs 1.65kg and comes with 2 years warranty.

An ultra fast and ultra portable laptop, Advent 5712 is an efficient laptop that offers best of both the worlds. A well-balanced combination between price and performance, it is a value for money laptop that you will never let you down. It has a 15.4inch widescreen display that lets you all your favourite movies with ease. The glossy screen has an aspect ratio of 16:10 and offers a maximum resolution of 1280×800 pixels. You can also enjoy video chat using its built-in webcam that is located on the screen panel. Weighing a mere 2.7kg, the notebook is an ideal travelling companion and ultra portable. Easy to carry from one place to another, the Advent laptop is ideal for home as well as office use. A value for money laptop, it is powered by a dual-core processor that is fast and efficient. Capable of multitasking with ease, the laptop allows you to work fast and effectively without slowing down the performance. Supported by versatile Dual Core family of processors from Intel, the laptop is durable, efficient and value for money.

A good buy for price-conscious users, its Intel processor runs at a clock speed of 1.66 GHz and performs all tasks without any glitch. It has a 2GB RAM that supports the processor to work even better. Equipped with UMA Intel GL40 graphics chipset, it has sufficient power to run multimedia applications smoothly. As for hard disk capacity, Advent 5712 notebook has a huge 250GB hard drive which can store all your documents, data files, multimedia applications and photos. Loaded with many other useful features as offered by expensive high-end laptops, the Advent 5712 comes at a reasonable price. The laptop has an integrated Intel chipset, so that it does do a good job of playing games but it good enough for watching movies and editing photos.

Compact and extremely portable laptop, the Packard Bell EasyNote BG45-U300 offers value for money. Weighing a mere 1.6kg, it is a highly portable laptop and easy to carry from one office to another. Designed to attract attention, it is a stylish machine with a black matt and gloss, brushed aluminium finish. Since it is a single-spindle machine, it does not have a built-in optical drive. Right above the keyboard are touch-sensitive buttons for switching Wi-Fi on and off and a second button for dropping the laptop into Eco mode. A truly mobile laptop, it has a 12.1 inch Super-TFT screen that swings back on rear-mounted hinges. The screen is wide and bright enough to be used in a variety of locations. Good value for money, the notebook from Packard Bell offers a glossy screen and a resolution of 1280×800 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:10. The keyboard is slightly crowded though the build quality is fine.

The laptop is powered by Intel 1.86GHz Pentium Dual Core T2390 processor and supported with just 1024MB of memory. Thus, the notebook is not meant for multimedia purposes. The Pentium Dual Core processor is efficient and fast and capable of running multiple applications at once. The Packard Bell EasyNote BG45-U-300 notebook has Windows Vista Basic as its operating system, which anyways lacks many of the multimedia features found in other versions. As for expansion ports, the notebook has the most basic ports, all of which are located on the sides of the notebook. There are 3 USB ports and a VGA-out port. On the front there is a SDHC card reader. Ideal for people who need to use an ultra portable laptop for short periods of time, this notebook has basic performance and battery life.

Redefining computing experience, the mini Toshiba NB200-11L has a generous 10.1 inch TruBrite display that is contemporary. The netbook from Japanese firm Toshiba offers enhanced protection and a super-build that is befitting for a Toshiba brand. The keyboard is almost full-sized and makes it very easy to type on the NB200’s keyboard. Ideal for use as a secondary laptop and perfect for web browsing, the notebook is an ultra portable laptop ideal for home use. It is equipped with an Atom processor that runs at a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. It has 1 GB RAM (DDR2 SDRAM) and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as it operating system. Its 10.1 inch WSVGA TFT Active Matrix display screen offers sharp and vivid images that are realistic. The laptop is equipped with Intel 945GSE Express chipset. Also, it has a hard drive capacity of 160 GB and a hard drive rotation speed of 5,400 RPM. The hard drive offers ample storage space for all your storage needs for files, photos, music, media and other stuff.

The laptop has Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 as its graphics processor while it has a installed video memory of 512 MB. The laptop has a host of expansion ports that enhance its connectivity like 3 USB 2.0 ports, one VGA out port and RJ-45 (NIC). Also for enhanced networking, the 2009 netbook has integrated 10/100 network card and integrated Wireless LAN. Running on lithium-ion battery, the notebook has a maximum running time of 9.15 hours. Weighing only 1.3kg, the laptop is lightweight and easy to carry from one office to another. Travel-friendly, it makes a perfect travelling companion. An ultra portable netbook, the Toshiba NB200-11L has keyboard and a touchpad as its input devices. It has many interfaces like Connection Audio – Line In, Line Out, Ethernet – RJ45 and USB – Universal Serial Bus 2.0. It also has slots like MultiMedia Card (MMC), SD Card and SDHC Card slot. With an aspect ratio of 16:10, the netbook’s LCD Display screen is glossy and has an LED backlight.

A mini notebook with a real-wide screen, Sony Vaio VPC-W11S1E/T is ideal for multimedia and Internet. Available in a brown colour, the laptop has a Intel Atom N280 processor with a clock speed of 1660 MHz. A fast and efficient processor, it can handle multiple programmes with ease. Equipped with a RAM of 1,024MB and hard disk space of 160GB that has a speed of 5400rpm, the laptop offers ample space for all your files, photos, media and music. The laptop has a WXGA display screen of 10.1 inches that offers sharp and vivid images that are realistic and true-to-life. The screen has a display resolution of HD Ready 1366×768 and as aspect ratio of 16:9. Equipped with a Intel GMA 950 graphics card, the laptop has Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000, Modem and Wireless LAN for data communication. It has Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as its operating system. Also, the Intel Atom Processor N280 has Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, which makes the laptop even more efficient.

Along with so many features, the Sony netbook also has a host of expansio ports and slots like a Memory Stick Slot, a SD Card Slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, a USB Connector Type A, one VGA Connector for Monitor, one audio out, one micrphone jack, one RJ-45 Direct Port but it does not have Express Card Slot and RJ-11 Direct Port. For connectivity, the Sony Vaio VPC-W11S1E/T laptop has Integrated Wireless LAN, Integrated Bluetooth (Version) 2.1 + EDR and Ethernet network 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX. Supporting high-end multimedia applications, the laptop is compatible with Intel High Definition Audio. It also has a built-in camera and a built-in ‘Motion Eye’ digital camera. It has one touchpad and keyboard for input while Kensigton Lock offers protection for the laptop.

The e-book reader from Sony uses an electronic paper display that has 166 dpi resolution, eight levels of greyscale and is viewable in direct sunlight. It allows the user to connect to an e-book store and displays Adobe PDFs, ePub format, personal documents, blogs, RSS news feeds, JPEGs, and Sony’s proprietary BBeB (“BroadBand eBook”) format. The e-book Reader can also play unencrypted MP3 and AAC audio files. The Sony PRS-505S E-Book Reader has a protective cover and has a sleek, muted metallic finish that is pleasing to the eye. Weighing as much as a DVD case-sized unit, it is durability and value for money. The PRS-505 has a standard USB 2.0 connector that can be used for both data transfer as well as charging.

The e-book Reader from Sony also accepts pictures in JPG, GIF, PNG, and BMP formats and it can play back MP3s and unencrypted AAC files, thus you can listen to music as you read. However playing music drains the battery quite a bit. However, the Reader doesn’t have a speaker, but it has a headphone jack and two types of memory card slots. The Sony PRS-505S has 200MB of internal storage space that shows as an externally manageable device in Windows. When a song is popped into the drive, it shows up on the Reader in a single long list. When the user begins to play the song, it plays through the list completely and then over again until the battery has been drained completely. As an e-book reader, reading text on the Reader is pleasant experience. The background is not white like in real books but a light shade of grey. There is a choice of three font sizes that allow the user to scale the text to the most comfortable level. It also has bookmark feature that helps the user continue reading from where he had left off without having to remember the page number.

An impressive design and high quality finish, both hallmarks of Sony laptops are present in this netbook as well. Weighing a total of 650 gm, Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/R is extremely portable though it is slightly unusual in shape. A good looking net book, Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/R comes with Windows XP as its operating system. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z520 processor which runs at 1.33GHz. With 2048MB of memory, it offers sufficient storage and is just about fine to work while on the move. It has an 8-inch X-black LED-backlit display screen with a resolution of 1,600×768. Light and portable, this machine is good value for money. Though the screen is great for surfing the Internet and typing documents, it is small to watch movies on. It has an installed memory of 60GB, which is slightly less than the storage capacity of your standard netbook.

A good flat keyboard and well-spaced keys are other helpful features of this compact machine. It is a pleasure to type on these keys. With dimensions 245×120x20mm and weighing 636gm including the standard battery, the Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/R is certainly one of the lightest notebooks in the market. Also one of the smallest, most compact and extremely portable, the P-series netbook uses a completely fan less design. The only moving part inside the machine is the 60GB mechanical hard drive. It has 2 USB ports, one headphone jack and port replicator connector (for Gigabit Ethernet/VGA). Bluetooth, an integrated 0.3 mega pixel webcam, built-in stereo speakers and microphone along with memory Stick and SD card slots are its other features. A stylish device, its battery runs for a maximum of 3 hours or so when on the go.

Belonging to the versatile range of Satellite notebooks, Toshiba Satellite L300-1FL is a flexible and practical note book. An ideal replacement for desktop computer, it is a high performing machine from Japanese firm Toshiba that caters to the most demanding executive. With ample storage space offered by its 120GB hard disk, the Toshiba Satellite L300-1FL is a multimedia notebook that allows multiple tasks to be performed at the same time. It can store all you media, documents and software and still have space to fill. The DVD Supermulti ensures that the Toshiba Satellite L300-1FL has everything a user will need and helps increase productivity with its amazing range of features.

Ideal for small offices, it comes with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition (pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery). Its 2.16GHz CPU Intel Pentium Dual Core processor is fast-working. It also has built-in wireless networking. Its 15.4 inch WXGA Display with a resolution of 1280×800 is impressive. An all-rounder in the true sense, Toshiba Satellite L300-1FL is good value for money. Running on Lithium-ion battery, the note book has a maximum run time of 2.3 hours. Stylish and smart, the notebook is has a system standard memory of 1GB which can be extended up to 4GB. The machine is compatible with CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD-R, DVD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD-R(DL), DVD-RAM, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD+R(DL) and is compatible with wireless communication. It has wireless LAN and is Wi-Fi enabled. It also has a host of software included like Toshiba Disc Creator, Toshiba User’s Manual, Supervisor Password Utility, Toshiba DVD Player, Toshiba Assist, McAfee Internet Security Suite – Toshiba Edition (includes free Internet updates for 30 days), Google Software, Connectivity Doctor, ConfigFree and Toshiba utilities and drivers.

Data storage has become an essential part of our everyday life, not only at work but also at home. It is a must to have a storage device handy to provide a backup for your gaming consoles and other home entertainment devices. To fulfill the data storage needs of the modern consumers, Toshiba has introduced a new hard drive that is not only competent but also very compact. The new 500 GB External Portable Hard Drive is a perfect solution for most of the users.

The palm-sized Toshiba hard drive looks smart with its black finish and coloured wavy pattern. It is lightweight and protects your data even if you drop it. Yes, it is shock-resistant. Moreover, there are two rubberized feet that enhance its stability in case it is dropped or knocked on the floor. Well, we have talked enough about the looks, so better shift our focus on the functionality. The stylish Toshiba portable external hard drive 500 GB does not display any controls on the exterior and has just one option for connectivity. This will definitely delight the people who do not prefer to have lengthy cable wires. However, this device is not very suitable for those who are interested in a efficient backup tool for their PC.

You can go for it if you can do without the alternative connectivity and the shortcut controls. Overall, it’s a reasonably good piece that is versatile too, but the user must buy it after considering the limitations.

In such a tough economic times the mobile computing services are being perceived as the major source of increasing productivity and enjoy economies of scale. Many organisations (especially small businesses and medium sized businesses, SMBs) prefer mobile computing services, like business laptops, over desktop PCs because these add to the flexibility and adaptability of the business.

Access Markets International (AMI) has conducted a research and concluded that nearly half of small businesses and about nine-tenths of medium-sized businesses employ workers who need to travel for their work at least four to five times per month. Whilst travelling the workers need to a have a suitable mobile computing solution, like being supplied with the Sony Vaio VGN-Z21WN/B business laptop, for instance. This way the workers can work seamlessly irrespective of their location. SMBs believe that the mobile computing services can contribute a lot in enhancing the productivity in more places. AMI expects a rise in the demand for mobile computing services in the next five years. It expects the US SMB mobility market to grow from $1.8 billion to $2.6 billion by the end of 2013. SMBs are willing to spend on portable PCs, conferencing services and smartphones-solutions even in the times of recession as these services are deemed as critical for smooth business operations.

According to AMI analyst Chad Henry, “Mobile data access will enable agility and quicker response times – critical factors in today’s environment. Our research shows while layoffs are on the rise, SMBs will hold on to their rainmakers and will continue to provide them with tools that help them deliver business. Even though travel has increased in the past couple of years, firms will begin to reign in unnecessary travel in this economy and look to technology solutions, like conferencing, to pick up the slack.”

Tags for this article: mobile, Laptops, netbooks