GETAC B300

By Cisco Cheng

Fully rugged laptops are built for one purpose: to endure all kinds of weather conditions and survive rough terrain and outdoor environments that generally aren't friendly to electronic equipment. The GETAC B300 ($3,470 street) is built like a tank and can withstand practically anything thrown at it. Because it's fully rugged, it meets MIL-SPEC-810F specifications—a list of military testing protocols that aren't for the squeamish. These laptops might not be as well known in mainstream circles as Panasonic Toughbooks, but technically they're as complete as feature-filled as any mainstream laptop. The B300 has a terrific keyboard, plenty of connectivity options, and insanely long battery life. As with many rugged laptops, though, to afford it you'd need pockets as deep as the government's.

GETAC Inc

http://www.getac.com

• Price as Tested: $3,470.00 Street
• Type: Business, Small Business
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo L7500
• Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 8.4 lb
• Screen Size: 13.3 inches
• Screen Size Type: standard
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA X3100
• Storage Capacity: 120 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW (Plus Minus)

http://www.pcmag.com

HP Pavilion dv5t Review

The HP Pavilion dv5t is the replacement for the ever-popular dv6000 series notebooks. It is a full redesign that includes many new features. The dv5t is based on the latest Intel "Montevina" Centrino 2 mobile technology and is available with powerful dedicated graphics.

My HP Pavilion dv5t notebook has the following specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor (2.26GHz/ 1066MHz FSB/ 3MB L2)
• 15.4-inch WSXGA+ Infinity display
• Nvidia GeForce 9600M-GT w/ 512MB DDR2 dedicated video card
• 2GB DDR2-800 RAM (2x 1GB)
• 160GB 5400RPM hard drive (Fujitsu)
• Broadcom 802.11b/g wireless + Bluetooth
• Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• High-capacity 6-cell Li-ion battery

The price I paid up front was $1,250. A few days after I ordered, HP started offering a $100 instant rebate, so I called and had the difference refunded. HP has a 21-day price protection policy, so if your configuration becomes cheaper during that time period, you can get the difference back. I feel $1,150 was a more than reasonable price for my dv5t configuration.

http://www.notebookreview.com

Lenovo ThinkPad SL500 Review

In the past few months, Lenovo has tried to shake up its product availability a bit with the introduction of new lines of notebooks. The SL series is a budget line of laptops aimed at the small business segment. In fact, they're also the cheapest laptops you can buy from Lenovo, barring their new sub-$500 netbook. Corporations can’t cut costs without cutting features, however, and the SL500 is no exception; there are clear cut differences separating the SL500 from the new T500 line of notebooks. Having said that, is the new ThinkPad SL500 a worthwhile investment?

Our SL500 had the following specifications:

• Screen: 15.4" 1680x1050 (WSXGA+) matte finish display
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz, 1066mhz FSB, 3MB cache)
• Memory: 2GB PC2-5300 RAM (one DIMM)
• Storage: 320GB SATA hard drive (5400RPM)
• Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
• Wireless: Intel 5100 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS 256MB
• Built-in webcam
• Battery: 10.8V, 7.8AH
• Dimensions: 14" x 11.2" x 1.5" (including feet and 9-cell battery)
• Weight: 6lbs, 11.8oz
• Price as configured: $1,393.

Voodoo Envy 133

I wouldn't say that Voodoo PC has been hibernating. But ever since this former boutique company, known for its gaming rigs and luxurious laptops, was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in late 2006, it hasn't launched much of anything (apart from the Blackbird 002 desktop) worth writing home about—until now. Maybe it was just waiting for a worthy opponent. With its sights squarely set on the Apple MacBook Air and the Lenovo ThinkPad X300, the Voodoo Envy 133 ($2,449 direct) is easily the tiniest and prettiest laptop to ever emerge from HP's research and development labs. It's as thin and speedy as the Air, and it even improves on some of the Air's shortcomings, like having a user-upgradable battery and better connectivity ports. The Envy 133 isn't without its problems, though. Its price tag, among other things, makes the MacBook Air look like a bargain.

Read the Voodoo Envy 133 full review

Voodoo Computers Inc

http://www.voodoopc.com

• Price as Tested: $2,449.00 Direct
• Type: Media, Ultraportable, Small Business
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P7500
• Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 3.5 lb
• Screen Size: 13.3 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA X3100
• Storage Capacity: 80 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: External

Taken from: http://www.pcmag.com/

Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra Campus Edition

The art of customizing, configuring, and branding a PC is not an easy task. Boutique vendors like Alienware and Voodoo PC have made a name for themselves by putting together high-end, specialty PCs. A byproduct of their success is that they were acquired by larger companies (Dell and HP, respectively). Independently owned Velocity Micro is another recognizable name in custom building, one known to attract power users and big spenders. Occasionally, though, the company comes out with a bargain aimed at students; one of these is the Velocity Micro NoteMagix C90 Ultra Campus Edition ($999 direct), a desktop-replacement laptop. This tongue twister runs an actual desktop processor, a speedy nVidia graphics card, and a built-in TV tuner. Despite doing all of this for under a grand, the C90 doesn't outperform many of the current laptop models, and its battery life is appalling.

Velocity Micro Inc

http://www.velocitymicro.com

• Price as Tested: $999.00 Direct
• Type: Gaming, General Purpose, Media, Value
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700
• Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 6.9 lb
• Screen Size: 15.4 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 8600M GT
• Storage Capacity: 250 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Taken from: http://www.pcmag.com

Fujitsu LifeBook T5010

Only a handful of convertible tablets are worthy of being called complete. Tablet makers typically make sacrifices to manage the weight, like ditching the optical drive, opting for a smaller screen, or including a low-powered processor. In doing so, manufacturers tend to hamper an important part of the convertible—the laptop part. Fujitsu, however, didn't skimp in outfitting the LifeBook T5010 ($1,869 direct). In addition to a 13-inch widescreen and an integrated optical drive, it's equipped with the latest Intel Centrino 2 parts.

Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation

http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com

• Price as Tested: $1,869.00 Direct
• Type: Media, Tablet, Business, Small Business
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
• Processor Speed: 2.26 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Weight: 4.8 lb
• Screen Size: 13.3 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Storage Capacity: 80 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Taken from: http://www.pcmag.com

IBM ThinkPad® T40 (Thinkpad T40) PC Notebook

Product MPN

MPN :

Thinkpad T40

Key Features

Processor :

Pentium M 1.5 GHz

Hard Drive :

40 GB IDE

Display :

14.1 in. XGA TFT Active Matrix

Operating System :

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Family Line :

IBM ThinkPad

Processor

Processor Type :

Pentium M

Processor Speed :

1.5 GHz

Memory

Installed RAM :

256 MB

Hard Drive

Hard Drive Capacity :

40 GB

Storage Controller Type :

IDE

CD / DVD

CD / DVD Type :

DVD-ROM

Display

Display Tech :

XGA TFT Active Matrix

Display Size :

14.1 in.

Operating System

Operating System :

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Miscellaneous

Product ID :

41844372