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Laptop Reviews Here at PC Perspective

Laptop Reviews Here at PC Perspective

CloudTags: Laptop , Reviews , PC , Perspective , laptop battery , Dell inspiron 1525 , Hp 4310s batteries

We have a lot of laptop reviews here at PC Perspective. As you’d expect, we generally use the same benchmarks and use the same principles whenever reviewing a laptop.

Yet we’ve never before put all of this down in writing so that our readers could understand exactly what we’re doing. Since this is a new year with new laptops to review, now is a good time introduce new benchmarks and get rid of old ones – which also makes this a good time to share information with our readers.

Design 

The first page of any laptop review here at PC Perspective is dominated by some very subjective criteria.

Design comes first, and is also the most subjective. It refers to a laptop’s build quality, general layout and attractiveness. This is where we comment on a laptop’s aesthetics, and it’s also where we comment on a laptop’s perceived durability. We look at details like the display hinges, the chassis, the display lid and overall material quality. An ideal laptop design is attractive to the eye, pleasurable to touch, and feels sturdy in normal use.

While opinion plays a part here, it doesn’t rule entirely. There are specific qualities that we don’t want to see. These include chassis flex, groans or creaks from the chassis, display wobble (defined as a display that moves forward and back while the laptop is in use due to a poor display hinge design), and large gaps between body panels.

It’s important to note that we comment on “perceived” durability. Robust build quality is a good sign, but it doesn’t guarantee long-term reliability. That topic is beyond the scope of any individual review.

Because we comment on the general layout of a product in this section, connectivity is discussed in this section as well. Usually this requires little more than a listing of ports, but some laptops do have unusual methods of covering ports, or will have ports placed in poor locations. If we encounter such issues, they’re noted.

User Interface 

Here we talk about the keyboard, touchpad and any other methods of input provided to the user. Although perhaps a bit less subjective than design, there’s still a lot of room for user preference here.

We prefer keyboards that offer good key travel and large keys with a conventional layout. Many laptops built today have to sacrifice travel to allow for a thinner laptop profile, and we note that when it’s a problem. We also note any unusual changes to the keyboard layout, such as undersized or oversized keys. If backlighting is provided, we prefer solutions that offer even lighting while also minimizing the amount of light that escapes from around the keys. Manual control of the backlight via function keys is a plus, as well. 

Bigger is better with touchpads unless the size causes problems with unintended cursor movement. We like to see a premium touchpad surface that is distinguished from the rest of the laptop’s interior either by texture or by an obvious border. We prefer touchpads that provide two individual buttons, but other solutions can work well so long as they don’t have dead-zone issues or require excessive force to activate.

Display And Audio Quality 

We test display quality by examining the laptop using the Lagom LCD test images. After that, we watch high-resolution YouTube videos and play a few games (usually our benchmark titles) on the laptop. This helps us form an overall judgement.

Some specific areas we pay attention to are black levels, vertical viewing angles and backlight brightness. We believe these are the areas that laptop displays most often fall short, and they’re also important contributors to the display as a whole. As such, we are sure to give them attention and highlight any unsatisfactory results.

Audio quality is extremely subjective. Still, we are most concerned with distortion (noise that occurs when a speaker is attempting to produce sounds outside of its range) and volume. Laptop speakers that cause distortion can quickly become a problem when trying to enjoy music, though they might sound fine when watching a YouTube video. Volume is important because it’s difficult to produce a lot of sound from small speakers, so a laptop that can easily fill a living room with sound is exceptional.

Basic Tips to Monitor and Optimize your Laptop Batteries Life

Basic Tips  to Monitor and Optimize your Laptop Batteries Life

CloudTags: battery , batteries life , Battery Optimizer ,  Monitor , nc10 battery , Dell latitude d630 batteries , Acer aspire 6935g

Is your laptop’s battery life too short?

Are you looking to monitor your battery’s performance and get the best results? 

The Basics

With laptops getting faster and more portable, their battery life becomes an important factor in terms of usability.

Ideally, you should be able to get the best battery backup from your laptop, by using your laptop’s features and functionality wisely.  In doing so, you stand to reduce the power consumption of your laptop, increase its battery life and work longer when you’re on the go. It is crucial that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the charge and discharge cycles to slow down the wear rate of the battery.

Laptop batteries, like other rechargeable batteries, start losing their maximum charge capacity over time. The older your battery is, the lesser your battery backup time from a full charge (100%), eventually leading to a dead battery that cannot hold the charge.

 

The Answer to your Laptop Battery Woes?

A smart, all in one Windows utility program called Battery Optimizer from ReviverSoft.

At first glance, it appears to be a simple utility program to help you optimize your laptop’s battery life. However, there’s more to the name, than the basic functionality you would expect from the program.

Battery Optimizer is an advanced laptop optimization utility that uses advanced diagnostics and testing to determine the status of your laptop, the battery and help you optimize the battery life in a few easy steps. The program also allows you to create custom power saving profiles to help you switch between them, as and when you need the extra bit of battery life or performance.

ReviverSoft also claims that the Battery Optimizer program offers features that no one else does:

- Accurate estimates on how much battery life can be gained/lost by changing laptop settings

- Advanced monitoring of battery usage over time

- Shows exact time left on your battery

- Easy battery usage management

 

What we like about Battery Optimizer

A quick look at the host of features included with the program:

1. Accurate indication of your battery’s charge level and status

2. Real time diagnosis of your laptop’s battery life (Quick and In-depth scan)

3. Determine your Battery’s Health and Current Battery Life

4. Get accurate estimates on Potential Battery Life With Maximum Optimizations and Potential Gain In Battery Life With Maximum Optimizations

5. Carry out a number of optimizations in a few easy steps (Bluetooth, Wi-fi, Peripherals, Brightness, Mem/CPU consumption etc.)

6. Intelligent profiles to facilitate quick changes in optimizations and settings

7. Create custom (user-defined) battery profiles for different environments and situations ; instant access to these profiles when you need them

8. Battery usage warnings to warn you when your battery usage extends beyond a certain level

9. Advanced monitoring of battery usage over time

10. Light footprint and super easy to use

 

Ready to see the difference?

ReviverSoft offers a free diagnosis to help laptop users determine the Health of their battery and the Potential battery life with all optimizations enabled.

Although, you will need to sign up for a license to completely unlock the program and use it to get the best out of your laptop’s battery.

Battery Optimizer is perfect for Laptops, Netbooks and Windows Tablet computers.

Online discount laptop battery store : http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/ 

 

Asus EEE PC 1225C Reviews , Bigger Atom Powered Netbook

Asus EEE PC 1225C Reviews , Bigger Atom Powered Netbook

CloudTags: Asus laptop ,  netbooks , EEE PC 1225C , asus batteries uk , Asus batel80l9 batteries , Asus a32-f5 laptop battery

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• Asus Eee Pad Transformer Preview, Android 3.0 Honeycomb-based tablets
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Microsoft Suspends Background Windows 8 Apps to Increase Batteries Life

Microsoft Suspends Background Windows 8 Apps to Increase Batteries Life

CloudTags: Microsoft , Windows 8 , Apps , Battery Life , Asus A2 Batteries , Asus A2000 Battery life , A22-p701 Battery

Microsoft has announced it will suspend Windows 8 apps that are not visible onscreen its Metro user interface to boost battery life.

The Redmond-based company’s upcoming Windows 8 OS will have to build upon a power efficient system, especially when most developers and manufacturers plan to place the operating system on tablets.

With that in mind, Microsoft intends to create Windows 8 apps that do not dissipate the juice out of the battery if these are only running in the background.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system will need to work on providing good battery life, as many system builders intend to put the heavyweight operating system on tablets. To help matters, Microsoft claimed its goal is to make Windows 8 Metro applications that are not visible on screen not use any battery power.

According to Microsoft, Windows 8 will bring improvements to background code execution, which Microsoft claims will minimise impact on battery life while maintaining multitasking. Microsoft has created new application programming interfaces for background processing, which the firm claims will be able to provide the multi-tasking abilities that users expect but minimise battery drain.

Based on the company’s statement, Windows 8 is set to enhance code execution of background applications, which allegedly will reduce the rate of power consumption while keeping the multitasking function in hand.

“Minimizing the power consumption of your PC while maximizing the responsiveness and utility (making it “fast and fluid”), is a significant engineering challenge,” said Sharif Farag and Ben Srour, Lead Program Managers on the Fundamentals and User Experience teams of Microsoft, respectively.

“While it starts with the work we do in Windows to provide support for the right level resource usage, this work requires developers to take resource utilization into account as they develop their apps.”

Microsoft built a new set of APIs (application programming interfaces) dedicated to background processes that will give multitasking abilities for users to minimize power consumption.

Both managers said that the company’s aim is to get the processor into much lower power states for most of the time, which means suspended apps will stack away in cache.

“Power efficiency applies to all form factors and all usage scenarios—using less power is the right thing to do for everyone. This is an area of significant innovation for Windows 8 PCs, and builds on the foundation of the new runtime model in WinRT—it is not the sort of thing you can retrofit onto existing desktop applications while still maintaining functionality and compatibility,” they added.

According to Microsoft, the switch for a suspended app happens automatically such that it saves the last state for the next use.

However, not all applications will go to the main memory’s cache because of storage space limitations, so the memory manager of Windows 8 will have to choose on sticking seldom-used applications back to the disk, which is likely to be a solid-state disk (SSD) instead of a conventional hard drive for tablets.

Farag and Srour said, “To this end, we have added a new component to Windows 8 called the “Desktop Activity Moderator,” which only runs on these new connected standby-capable platforms. This component is designed to help reduce the resource utilization of desktop apps when the device goes into connected standby. If we allowed apps to continue running unchecked in this low-power mode, the PC would run down the battery more quickly. Instead, we suspend desktop applications, stopping their resource use and maximizing battery life. From the applications’ perspective, it will appear as if the PC has simply been put to sleep. When the PC is woken from connected standby, the app will resume as if the PC had been woken from a sleep state.”

To maximize the Windows 8 potential, Microsoft needs to find the right tablet makers who can unleash the full potential of its upcoming OS in order to rival the Apple iPad and Android tablets.

Related Articles:

• Windows 8 Joining on ARM , Prepares to Power Cheap Ultra-Thin Laptops
• Windows 8 Tablets: What’s to Come?
• Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga Convertible Tablet Review, Runs Windows 8 and Long Batteries life
• Windows 8 Plans to Better Power Management, Provide Improved Battery Life

 

HP EliteBook 8560w Reviews

HP EliteBook 8560w Reviews

CloudTags: HP laptop , EliteBook 8560w , hp battery uk , Hp probook 4310s laptop battery , Hp pavilion dv6 batteries

• Pros Intel Core i7-2630QM processor and ISV-certified AMD graphics. Business-rugged construction. Touchpad is large and luxurious. Multiple options for connecting external displays. HP packs a battery of tools to manage and protect your laptop.
• Cons Pointing stick is stiff, lacks traction. Mediocre audio.
• Bottom Line The HP EliteBook 8560w is the go-to workstation laptop when you need performance and power to spare. It offers quad-core processing, ISV-certified graphics, and a laundry list of top-notch features.

HP’s newest mobile workstation, the HP EliteBook 8560w ($1,579 direct), proves that there’s just no replacement for a fully featured workstation laptop. Plenty of professionals can get by with a standard business laptop, but engineers, architects, and digital artists quickly find that run-of-the-mill just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you need better, more powerful tools. The HP EliteBook 8560w is packed to the gills with powerful components like a quad-core processor, ISV-certified graphics, and everything you need to keep a system safe and secure, and it takes the top spot among mobile workstations as our new Editors’ Choice.

Design

The EliteBook 8560w has HP’s DuraCase, a durable aluminum skin covering a magnesium alloy chassis, and featuring a smudge-resistant finish. The chiseled good looks of the gunmetal grey belie the fact that this system is built tough, meeting MIL-STD 810G standards for shock, vibration, temperature, and altitude—the only laptops with more durability are fully rugged systems like the Dell Latitude E6420 XFR ($5,612 direct, 3.5 stars). The EliteBook 8560w is also spill-resistant, complete with a drain in the bottom of the chassis to remove any potentially damaging liquids.

 

The laptop measures 1.5 by 15 by 10.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.1 pounds—significantly thicker and heavier than a top-of-the-line consumer laptop like the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Late 2011 Refresh) ($1,799 direct, 4 stars), which weighs only 5.2 pounds and is 0.94 inch thick. Compared with other mobile workstations, however, it’s a featherweight—the Editors’ Choice Lenovo ThinkPad W700 ($4240 direct, 4.5 stars) tipped the scales at nine pounds.

The lid is covered with aluminum, with a hairline brushed finish radiating out in concentric circles from the blue-white glowing HP logo in the center of the lid. The lid is attached with a beefy-looking metal hinge that runs most of the laptop’s length. The hinge holds the screen steady, with little to no flexing even when pressure is put on the lid. Just above the screen, HP includes a 720p webcam. The 15.6-inch widescreen display is no joke either, with 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, LED backlighting, and a matte finish. The backlighting could be just a bit brighter, but it still offered lively colors, deep blacks, and crisp details. The accompanying SRS Premium Sound produces passable audio, but when I turned up the speakers to enjoy some Jimi Hendrix, the sound thinned out at high volume.

The EliteBook 8560w has a full-sized keyboard, with black tile keys and a full numeric pad. The whole thing is backlit, with bright white LEDs and very little light leakage. In the center of the keyboard is a bright orange pointing stick, similar to that seen on the Lenovo W700, but with a bumpy concave surface instead of a textured, rounded nub. Made of a harder rubber, the stick tended to be rather stiff and didn’t adequately grip my fingertip during use, making it one of the few details that fell flat. The touchpad, on the other hand, is a pleasure to use. The glass-surfaced touchpad is 4.25 inches wide. There are three buttons (right, left and a center scrolling button), with a set below the touchpad and above for use with the pointing stick.

Features

The EliteBook 8560w bristles with ports and connectors, with connections for USB 3.0, USB 2.0, eSATA/USB 2.0, and FireWire 400, along with jacks for headphones and microphone and a media-card slot on the front. Connecting to an external monitor or projector is simple with the inclusion of both VGA and a full-sized DisplayPort, and with AMD’s Eyefinity technology, you can connect and run up to five displays at once. You’ll also find an ExpressCard/54 slot for expanding your hardware capabilities and a case-lock slot that lets you lock the whole thing down when needed.

On the right of the laptop you’ll find a dual-layer DVD+-RW optical drive. On the back of the laptop, in addition to Gigabit Ethernet, you’ll find a modem connection. The 56Kbps modem might be a bit of a throwback, but the built-in 802.11n WLAN worked just fine in our tests, and Bluetooth 3.0 lets you sync your wireless peripherals with ease.

Internally, you’ll find a 500GB 7,200-rpm hard drive, along with an embedded TPM security chip, a smart card reader, and HP ProtectTools. The last is a suite of tools designed to provide IT-friendly security, with everything from drive encryption and credential management to facial recognition and remote lock-down tools should a laptop be lost or stolen. Intel vPro provides remote IT assistance, even over corporate wireless networks or outside corporate firewalls through a wired LAN connection. It allows everything from maintenance and management to security (such as wiping a drive full of sensitive information) remotely.

HP provides plenty of other tools as well, from HP Power Assistant, which lets you manage your power usage, to HP DayStarter, which displays your calendar and laptop battery uk level during boot-up, and HP QuickWeb, which gives you near-instant Web access without having to wait for the system to boot up. Other bundled software includes Microsoft Office Starter 2010, Roxio MyDVD, PDF Complete, and a 60-day trial subscription to Norton Internet Security. HP covers the EliteBook 8560w with a three-year warranty that offers not only parts and labor coverage, but three years of labor on-site.

Performance

ISV (Independent Software Vendor) certification means that the graphics hardware, an AMD FirePro M5950 with 1GB of VRAM, has been tested and shown to be compatible with a broad array of software for engineering, design, digital content creation and more—Autodesk AutoCAD, DS Solidworks, Siemens PLMS Solid Edge, Adobe After Effects, and a laundry list of other programs that would cripple most consumer-grade systems.

In our 3DMark 06 graphics tests, the EliteBook 8560w scored 12,981 points at standardized settings (1,024-by-768 resolution, no anti-aliasing), and 7,471 points at native 1,920-by-1,080 resolution with 4X anti-aliasing. By comparison, the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch scored 11,180 at lower settings, but the tricked-out Alienware M14x R3 ($2,002.99 direct, 3.5 stars) gaming laptop cranked out 13,543 points at the same resolution. Though no one is likely to be buying the EliteBook 8560w for gaming, the heavy-duty graphics processor produced impressive scores in our gaming tests, hitting 86.8 frames per second in Crysis (at low resolution) and 11.8 fps at native resolution. In Lost Planet 2, it managed 78.9 fps at medium quality and 26.0 fps at 1,920-by-1,080.

Graphics aren’t the only part of the equation, however, and the real test of any workstation is its ability to crank through a heavy processing load. The EliteBook 8560w is equipped with a 2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-2630QM processor paired with 8GB of DDR3 memory. As a result, the EliteBook 8560w scored 2,589 points in PCMark 7, putting it in the midst of leading consumer laptops, like the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (2,235 points) and the Samsung Series 7 (NP700Z5A-S03) ($1,299 list, 4 stars) (2,697 points). It also produced top scores in processor-intensive media tasks such as Photoshop CS5 (3 minutes 57 seconds) and Handbrake (1 minute 36 seconds). These scores beat out last year’s HP EliteBook 8740w ($1,999 direct, 4 stars) (Photoshop 4:27, Handbrake 2:52), and rank alongside the best-equipped civilian laptops, like the Series 7 (Photoshop 3:39, Handbrake 1:37).

Despite all of the high-powered hardware, the EliteBook 8560w’s 83Whr battery managed to provide 3 hours 30 minutes of life in our MobileMark 2007 test. It may not take you through a full workday without plugging into wall power, but the 8560w is large enough to be more of a deskbound device anyway. That 3:30 time actually makes the HP one of the longer-lived entries in the mobile workstation space—the Lenovo W700 lasted 2:31 (with a 96Wh battery), and the EliteBook 8740w only 50 minutes (with a 73Wh battery)—and HP offers additional power management that will extend the battery life even further, as well as letting you track your power usage and potentially reduce your fleet’s carbon footprint.

In the mobile workstation category, where top-of-the-line components are tweaked and optimized for security and IT-friendly operation, the HP EliteBook 8560w is clearly the laptop to choose. With quad-core processing, ISV-certified graphics, a choice display and HP’s extensive collection of tools and utilities, the HP EliteBook 8560w replaces the aging Lenovo ThinkPad W700 as our Editors’ Choice for mobile workstations.

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• HP ProBook 4430s Reviews
• HP Envy 15 Reviews (2012)
• HP Redefine Envy Series Laptops For Longer Battery Life
• Toshiba Qosmio F755-3D 290 Glasses-Free 3D Gaming Laptop Reviews

Ten Ways to Increase Your Mac’s Laptops Battery Life

Ten Ways to Increase Your Mac’s Laptops Battery Life

CloudTags: Mac , Laptop , Battery Life , laptop batteries uk , NP-FH60 sony battery , Hp probook 4310s batteries , Lenovo thinkpad t61

Mac OS X Lion was designed to save time with its Mission Control view, iOS-like Launchpad and ability to run several apps at full screen. Apple put a lot of thought into how the hardware and software work together to maximize user productivity and minimize extra work. With these battery-saving tips, you won’t have to worry as much about your Mac running out of juice when you need it most. 

1. Turn Off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Disabling your notebook’s wireless radios is one surefire way to eke out more juice. While turning off Wi-Fi may not be practical in every situation—especially if you need to access the Internet often—it will give you more endurance if you’re using your laptop to watch a movie on an airplane.

To turn Bluetooth off:

• Click the Bluetooth icon in the upper right-hand corner of the desktop.
• Select Turn Bluetooth Off. The icon should now be grayed out.

Alternatively:

• Select System Preferences > Bluetooth.
• Uncheck the box marked On.

To turn Wi-Fi off:

• Click on the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right-hand corner of the desktop.
• Select Turn Wi-Fi Off. The icon should change from a number of concentric arcs to an outline that looks like a baseball diamond.

Alternatively:

• Open System Preferences > Network.
• Uncheck the box marked Turn Wi-Fi Off.

2. Adjust Screen Brightness.

At full brightness, the 13-inch MacBook Air’s screen measures an average of 285 lux. At 40-percent brightness (6 bars), it’s just 29 lux, but still very viewable. And brightness eats power.

To lower screen brightness:

• Tap F1 repeatedly until the brightness is at a level just tolerable enough to view comfortably.

Alternatively:

• Open System Preferences > Displays.
• Adjust the Brightness slider to the level you’re most comfortable with.

 

3. Tweak Energy Saver preferences.

Changing these settings will cause your Mac to power down energy-consuming components—such as the screen and the hard drive—sooner during periods of inactivity.

• Click System Preferences.
• Open Energy Saver.
• Select the Battery tab.
• Move the slider bars for Computer Sleep and Display Sleep as far left as you believe is comfortable. You probably don’t want your computer going to sleep after just one minute but don’t want to leave it on indefinitely either.
• Below, select the following checkboxes:
• Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible.
• Slightly dim the display when using this power source.
• Automatically reduce brightness before display goes to sleep.

 

4. Quit runaway applications.

Occasionally, an app will consume an inordinate amount of system resources even when not in use. Not only does this impact your notebook’s performance, but it also seriously degrades batteries life.

• Open the Applications folder > Utilities folder.
• Click Activity Monitor.
• Select the CPU tab.
• Select All Processes in the drop-down menu.
• Sort the apps by CPU percentage.
• Look for any app that is consuming a large percentage, such as more than 70 percent.
• Select that app and press the Quit Process icon.

Alternatively, if you know an app is hanging, you can force-quit the app.

• Press Command + Option + Esc.
• In the window that appears, select the app that’s not responding and force-quit.

5.  Turn off backlit keyboard.

While it’s a great feature, the backlit keyboard on Macs can shave precious minutes off your runtime.

To turn off the backlit keyboard:

• Hit the F5 key repeatedly until the on-screen icon shows no bars lit.

Alternatively:

• Open System Preferences.
• Select Keyboard.
• Uncheck the box marked “Automatically illuminate keyboard in low light.”
• Underneath where it says “Turn off when computer is not used for,” move the slider to 5 secs.

 

6. Turn off Time Machine.

Time Machine makes it very easy to back up all the data on your Mac, but copying that data to another drive consumes system resources. Fortunately, you can turn off Time Machine while your laptop is running on battery power.

• Select System Preferences.
• Select Time Machine > Options.
• Uncheck “Back up while on battery power.”

 

7. Enable private browsing.

Believe it or not, private browsing will let you squeeze out a bit more battery life, because the browser is no longer accessing the hard drive to cache pages and images. Of course, Safari won’t remember your search history or autofill forms, so you have to balance its convenience with the potential battery savings. 

• In Safari, tap the Safari tab.
• Select Private Browsing.

8. Turn off Spotlight indexing.

Apple’s Spotlight, which instantly returns search results of everything on your hard drive, is very useful. But the way it works consumes CPU resources. You can prevent Spotlight from searching your drive.

• Click System Preferences.
• Select Spotlight > Privacy.
• Press the + button and add your hard drive, or drag the hard drive into the list.

9. Choose Automatic Graphic Switching (MacBook Pros only).

MacBook Pros have both integrated and discrete GPUs and can switch between the two seamlessly, so you can get better battery life or increased performance, depending on the task. However, the discrete GPU can seriously cut into battery life.

• Select System Preferences.
• Select Energy Saver > Automatic Graphics Switching.
• On MacBook Pros from 2008 to 2009—those with Nvidia GeForce 9400M and 9600M GPUs—Select Better Battery Life in the Energy Saver control panel.

10. Eject optical disks if you’re not using them/disconnect unused peripherals.

Even when not in use, whenever you have an optical disk in your notebook, the system will occasionally spin up the drive (and the laser) to check the disk. While this isn’t an issue for MacBook Airs, which lack optical drives, you can save battery life by disconnecting any peripherals, such as external hard drives and mice. These devices don’t draw a ton of power, but every little bit helps.

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• MacBook Pro Battery Replacement Instructions – Simple Ways
• 5 secrets every PC and Mac Stay safe online, owner should know (I)
• Apple News update: Apple wins in Mac-vs-PC satisfaction study

 

 

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Fujitsu LifeBook TH701 laptop Reviews

Design and features 

It’s the type of product that will have more appeal for professionals rather than home users, yet the finish of the TH701 is very “consumer”. Not only is it glossy and slippery to touch, it also has sparkles, although they are subtle. It’s a very reflective finish that can be annoying when used in an area with lots of light sources and the smooth and slippery palm rest can feel uncomfortable while typing. Furthermore, the finish can be relatively easily scratched and if the scratch is deep enough if it will expose the metal underneath. We’d much prefer a tougher matte finish for this laptop’s lid and palm rest. In contrast, we like the finish of the Fujitsu LifeBook battery for SH771 a lot better, even though it isn’t fingerprint resistant.

The TH701′s screen measures only 12.1in, so the footprint of the notebook is compact. It’s also a bulky notebook, but it does have a lot of features. You get a built-in DVD burner in addition to a comprehensive set of connections: three USB ports (including one USB 3.0 port), HDMI, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and microphone jacks, an SD card slot and a mini-Firewire port. There is also an ExpressCard/54 slot for expansion, a slot for the stylus (and a facility to tie it in place) and you also get a convenient, front-mounted physical Wi-Fi toggle.

The notebook weighs 2.1kg, which is a little heavy for such a small unit, with some of the extra weight coming from the touchscreen. When the screen is folded over to make a tablet form factor, the thickness of the unit is approximately 40mm and it can be tiring to hold for a long period of time. You can reduce the weight a little by replacing the DVD burner with a plastic weight saver module. 

Tablet functions 

The screen rests on a single hinge that provides both tilting and swivelling actions. It’s a bi-directional hinge, which means you can turn it left or right, but it’s a somewhat loose hinge. When using the TH701 in its laptop form factor, simple actions such as tilting the screen can cause it to swivel slightly out of place. This is because the hinge doesn’t really lock, and there also aren’t any locks at the sides to hold the screen securely in place, only a couple of flat resting spots. When you turn the screen around to make the tablet form factor, you can use the latch to lock it into place.

The dual digitiser touchscreen is capacitive, supports multi-touch and it also works with the supplied stylus.

On the bezel of the screen you can find the sliding power button, speakers, a webcam, a fingerprint reader and five buttons. One is a function button that brings up the “Fujitsu Menu”, which allows you to control the screen brightness, sound and power saving settings conveniently when in tablet mode. Another button is for quickly accessing the Windows lock screen, two are shortcut buttons, and another is for rotating the screen manually. If you’d prefer the computer to detect the screen orientation automatically, then you can enable the “Auto Rotation Utility” from Windows’ All Programs menu.

The shortcus buttons that can be used when in tablet mode.

Once you calibrate the screen, writing, drawing or just pointing on the screen to navigate Windows will be a pleasure. The accuracy of the pen position on the screen was high and it worked even when we used the pen very close at the edges of the screen. That said, we couldn’t produce marks at the very bottom edge of the screen as it was off by around 3mm. You can use the pen to write on the screen and you can rest your hand on the screen while you write or draw, mostly without marking the screen if you’re in a drawing program.

The TH701 uses Windows 7′s built-in tablet features, so it’s adept at recognising handwriting and correcting spelling mistakes. Running writing can be handled by the tablet fairly well, and most times it will understand even the messiest excuses for writing. You’ll have to get used to the limited space of the writing interface and make sure you insert your writing into your target application regularly. 

Specifications and performance 

On the inside, the Fujitsu has plenty of power for processing the handwriting, facilitating multitasking and being generally quick when running office applications and media encoding. It uses an Intel Core i5-2430M CPU, which runs at 2.4GHz, has two cores plus Hyper-Threading, and takes care of the graphics (Intel HD 3000). It’s joined by 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM and a 7200rpm, 500GB hard drive. In our Blender 3D rendering and iTunes MP3 encoding tests, the TH701 recorded times of 43sec and 51sec, respectively, which shows that it’s no slouch. This was also shown in the AutoGordianKnot DVD-to-Xvid file conversion test, which took a respectable 53min to complete. Compared to the similar LifeBook TH700 tablet that we reviewed in 2010, which used a first generation Intel Core i3 CPU, this model is significantly faster.

In 3DMark, a score of 3568 was reached, which means that there is plenty of graphics processing power for high-resolution photos (although the 1280×800 screen resolution and visual quality of the screen aren’t conducive to photo editing). Its hard drive recorded read and write times of 95 megabytes per second (MBps) in CrystalDiskMark, and a more modest 31MBps in our own test, in which we duplicate 2.1GB worth of files from one location on the disk to another. During regular Web browsing, document creation, and other everyday tasks, the laptop felt responsive and we never noticed a slow-down in performance, despite the huge amount of software that Fujitsu has pre-loaded and which runs in the background.

The laptop didn’t get too warm while being used for Web browsing and office tasks. It has a heat sink and fan on its right side and it isn’t all that noisy either. There is a removable compartment next to the heat sink, which allows you to easily clean lint and dust that can accumulate over time. 

Battery life 

Unlike most laptops, the battery on the LifeBook TH701 is not on the spine. Instead, it sits in a compartment in the base under the right palm rest and it can be removed by manipulating two little clips. It has a 67 Watt-hour rating, but it didn’t last as long as we’d hoped it would. In our tests, in which we disable power management, enable Wi-Fi, maximise screen brightness and loop an Xvid-encoded video, the notebook ran for only 3hr 15min. For comparison, the Samsung Chronos, which is a 15.6in notebook that we tested with the same CPU, lasted over four hours in this test. That notebook also has a sealed battery design. Compared against the last generation LifeBook tablet, the standard battery life is about 30min better on this model.

Fujitsu allows you to increase battery life by adding a second battery to its modular bay, in place of the DVD burner or weight saver. Furthermore, there is a power utility that allows you to switch off many of the system’s devices (such as the network features, FireWire port, DVD burner and ExpressCard slot) in a bid to get as much life out of the battery as possible. You can also set the battery charging utility to only charge the battery up to 80 per cent of its capacity in order to prolong its life (in terms of the number of charging cycles it can handle). 

Other features 

The keyboard on this laptop is not backlit, but it feels very comfortable to type on — the keys are soft and possess good travel and bounce. There are a couple of keys in positions that need some getting used to, such as the delete key being one in from the top-right corner and the page up and page down keys being right above the left and right arrow keys, although these are convenient.

The touchpad is way too small though and it doesn’t support gestures such as two-finger scrolling or three-finger flicking like many other Synaptics-based laptops that come through our Test Centre. However, the fact that it doesn’t support two finger scrolling or three-finger flicking probably doesn’t matter too much because of its small size. It would be very hard to perform these functions on a pad this size.

A mobile broadband module is installed in the unit, there is an antenna that can pop up of the screen, and a SIM card can be inserted in the battery compartment. It worked perfectly with our iiNet SIM card and we were able to use either Windows’ networking or the supplied mobile broadband software interface to get online without using our phone as a hotspot. 

Conclusion 

The Fujitsu LifeBook TH701 is a good laptop in terms of what you can do with it. However, the design and finish on this unit could stand to be better. The hinge, in particular, was very loose on our test model, the touchpad is way too small and the finish is too glossy and feels slippery. Its performance is very good for a small laptop though and it supports plenty of connectivity features that can be very useful — even integrated 3G. Check it out if you want a well-featured laptop that can also supply a versatile touch interface.

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Top 10 Tips Boost Your Battery Life for Android

Top 10 Tips Boost Your Battery Life  for Android

CloudTags: Battery , Saving Tips , Android , Acer travelmate 4200 battery , Acer um08a31 , Compaq tc4400 batteries

The average smartphone run by the little green robot lasts for 5 hours and 38 minutes on a charge, but the average Android tablet stays juiced up for 6 hours 38 minutes. Neither of those runtimes equals a full work day, assuming you spend all day on the phone. You can add some time with a portable power pack, but those will cost you at least $20. Boost your battery life for free by following these 10 simple tips. 

 

1. Turn off those wireless radios.

Just because you’re not using your device’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or hotspot features doesn’t mean they aren’t sucking up precious battery power. Flip the switch on those bad boys and you could save a decent chunk of battery life.

To turn off your Wi-Fi radio: 

• Open your Android device’s Settings menu and select Wireless & Networks.
• Uncheck the box next to Wi-Fi, and your Wi-Fi antenna will shut down.
• Next, deselect the Bluetooth box to turn off your Bluetooth connection.

To disable your phone’s mobile hotspot:

• Open your device’s Settings menu and select Wireless & Networks.
• Select “Tethering & Mobile Hotspot.”
• Uncheck USB Tethering and Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot to turn off both.

 

2. Turn off location services.

GPS and location services such as Google Maps come in handy when you want to find directions or search for local businesses, but they can also use up lots of juice.

Here’s how to turn off location services:

• Open your device’s Settings menu and select Location & Security.
• Uncheck the boxes for Google Location Services and Standalone GPS Services.
• Be sure to also uncheck the box for any proprietary GPS service, such as Verizon’s VZW Location Services.

 

3. Turn off background data.

Some Web-connected apps, email services such as Gmail and even the Android Market will continuously collect data in the background. Although convenient, this can put a serious strain on your device’s battery.

Follow these steps to switch off background data:

• Tap Settings and select “Battery & Data Management.”
• Press the Data Delivery tab and deselect Background Data.

 

4. Switch from 4G to 3G.

Switching from 4G to 3G when not using data-hungry apps or downloading large files can save you serious battery life. Unfortunately, the steps for switching from 4G to 3G differ from device to device and carrier to carrier. Below are the two most common ways to deactivate 4G data on your Android device. Note that if these steps do not work for you, your device may not allow for 4G to 3G switching.

• Tap Wireless & Networks under the Settings menu.
• Select Mobile Networks and press Network Mode.
• Select CDMA Only, and your phone will begin using 3G instead of 4G.

Alternatively, your device may allow you to disable 4G from the Wireless Settings menu. To do this:

• Tap Wireless & Networks in the Settings menu.
• Uncheck the box next to 4G.

The next time you access the Web, your device will tell you that it doesn’t have an Internet connection and then will immediately connect to 3G.

Certain devices also allow you to turn off your 4G connection in favor of a less power-intensive 2G connection.

To do this:

• Tap Wireless & Networks from the Android Settings menu.
• Open the Mobile Network Settings menu.
• Check the box next to “Use only 2G networks.” Note that you will be unable to access data while in 2G mode.

 

5. Zap haptic feedback.

Haptic feedback gives touchscreen keyboards the sensation of a physical layout through tiny vibrations. While this feature can make typing feel more natural, it can impact battery life.

How to disable haptic feedback:

• Tap Settings and select Sound.
• Tap Vibrate and select Never to turn off the Call Vibration function.
• Scroll down to Feedback and uncheck Haptic Feedback or Vibrate Feedback to disable feedback for soft-touch keys.

 

6. Dim that display.

One of the biggest battery hogs on a mobile device is the display. That’s why dialing down the brightness (to a level that’s comfortable) is so important.

• Tap Display from the Settings menu.
• Select Brightness and deselect Automatic Brightness. This will prevent your device from varying the brightness based on the level of ambient light.
• Slide the brightness dimmer to the left until the display is at roughly 30 percent brightness, or whatever level is just bright enough for your needs.

If you really want to save power, you can move the slider all the way to the left. However, this will make it harder to view your display under bright lights and outdoors.

 

7. Set a shorter screen timeout.

Even with your display brightness turned down, your screen will still burn through your battery if it is left on for too long. Reducing your screen timeout is an easy way to conserve power.

• Select Display from the Settings menu.
• Choose Screen Timeout and select 30 Seconds.

 

8. Opt for a plain black background.

AMOLED and Super AMOLED displays provide users with deep, rich colors. Naturally, you’ll want to take advantage of that ability by sticking a colorful wallpaper on your home screen. But the truth is, the more colorful your wallpaper, the more batteries life it will use. The same goes for Android’s animated live wallpapers. If your battery is on its last legs, you can change your wallpaper to a plain, black background. The less color displayed, the less power used.

Unfortunately, there is no default black background for most Android devices. But that doesn’t mean you can’t download one from the Android Market.

• Download and install the No Wallpaper app from the Android market.
• Once the app is installed, tap the Android Settings button from your device’s home screen.
• Select Wallpaper > Live Wallpapers.
• Scroll through the list of wallpapers and choose No Wallpaper. Your home screen will now be completely black.

 

9. Shut down instant messaging.

Google Talk and other instant-messaging clients can put unnecessary stress on your battery. Compounding that problem is the fact that Google Talk’s default setting automatically signs you into the app when you turn on your phone.

To disable automatic sign in, follow these steps:

• Open Google Talk and press Android Settings.
• Uncheck the Automatically Sign In box.

If Google Talk is already running, you’ll have to sign out and close the app. To do this:

• Open Google Talk.
•  Tap the Android Settings button and press Signout.

 

10. Disable automatic updates for widgets.

Live home screen widgets, such as those that provide automatic news and weather updates, get their information by pinging a corresponding website. Some widgets allow you to disable automatic updates, while others have to be removed entirely.

To disable a widget’s automatic updates:

• Open the widget and press your device’s Settings button.
• From here, you should be able to update frequency. For example, the news and weather widget on the LG Nitro allows users to set the update interval from manual mode to as frequently as every 15 minutes.

If you can’t adjust the widget and it’s something you can live without, we suggest deleting it from your home screen. To do that:

• Long-press the widget until it is highlighted.
• Drag the widget to the trash can icon to remove it from the screen.

 

Related Articles: 

• Simple Tips to Get Longer Battery Life out of Your Android Phone or Tablet
• First successful Android tablet, Why Amazon’s will be ?
• iPhone4S Battery Life Beats HTC Android Phones, Why ?
• Top Tips on Battery Life Considerations?

 

Sony Vaio F Series Reviews

Sony Vaio F Series Reviews

CloudTags: Sony , Vaio F Series , Reviews , sony laptop battery uk , Sony vgp-bps2c battery life , Sony vgp-bps5 batteries

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• The Most Anticipated Ultrabook of 2012
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