The first thing you’ll notice opening the Latitude E5410 up is the screen. It’s 14.1 inches (measured at a diagnol), supports a native resolution of 1440×900 pixels, and is LED-backlit, so colors appear clearly and contrast is consistent across it. We’re very happy to see that this is becoming more standard on portable computers these days.

The heavy lifting is handled primarily by an Intel Core i5 520M dual-core chip at 2.4 GHz, with a 3MB L2 cache. Multitasking on the machine is smooth, and due to its clock frequency, it stacks up well against typical desktops. Heat output is fairly low compared to the higher-clocked i7 parts, and as you might expect, this also keeps battery life from being impacted too harshly under heavy load.

Our review model came fitted with 3GB of RAM, which is a slightly odd number to see. However, it makes no noticeable performance impact in most applications, even using the memory-hungry Windows 7. Since a Core i5-series CPU is being used, it’s no surprise to see that the memory employed here is the newest available, DDR3.

Our model came with a 250GB 7200RPM hard drive by Western Digital. Some other storage options are available, but for a cheap laptop like this, we wouldn’t expect an enormous amount of storage. 250GB should be more than enough for most users, and will hold a substantial library of music, photos, movies, and standard office documents with room to spare.

Wireless is of course included, and we’d be quite concerned if it weren’t. The model on offer is an Intel chipset, model 6200AGN. It supports Draft-N, so it will be compatible with the latest other Draft-N access points you may wish to use in your home, as well as the standard A/G/B points you are likely to find at coffee shops, libraries and the like. We found range to be about on par with notebooks, maintaining a stable connection at the other end of the office with 2+ bars, well within usable range. Using wireless knocked about 90 minutes off the battery life of the laptop.

While we are on that topic, the included battery on our test unit was 9-cell, with the typical Lithium-Ion battery chemistry. This battery protrudes a little from the back of the unit. This machine can also be purchased with a standard 6-cell battery that will sit flush with the edge of the unit. This will of course yield less battery life, but reduces cost. The included one has a capacity of 85 Watt Hours (WH), and yielded about 5.5 hours of life in our web browsing test with the wireless enabled. Very impressive!

From a physical standpoint, build quality of the unit appeared quite high. Measuring at 13.3 long by 9.6 wide by 1.31 inches thick and weighing 5.21 pounds, the unit is small enough to tuck under your arm and take to and from work or school every day, but not nearly as light as a netbook would be. You can decrease the weight a bit by using the 6-cell battery instead, but it’s not a huge difference.

The Latitude E5410 is a cheap laptop clearly designed for business, that packs a punch in a very reasonably sized package. ITCSales sell a range of different Latitude E5410, all of which come with 3 year warranty and next day delivery in the UK.

The 15.6 inch Chronos packs a punch with the performance it provides, so whether you’re looking for something for the business user, hardcore gamer or just for recreational purposes this quality laptop could suit you.

With 8GB of memory and an impressive Intel Core i7 2675QM processor it delivers speed and performance, and also includes an AMD Radeon HD6750M graphics card to keep gamers happy. The Chronos resumes from sleep in just two seconds and boots up in an impressive 20 seconds, so if you’re on the go and need to get something done quickly, it could be ideal for you.

The screen has a resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels which is not enough to qualify as HD but gives you excellent clarity and makes your videos and pictures look great.

It’s packed full of storage and features. As well as a 750GB hard drive, it also includes a DVD drive (sadly, not a Blu-Ray drive), two USB 3.0 connections, a USB 2.0 connection, a multi-SD reader, an Ethernet port and a HDMI connection so you can hook it up to your TV.

The main negative aspects of the Chronos are more in the aesthetics rather than the performance. Unlike the MacBook Pro it’s made of aluminium and plastic, giving it less of a luxury feel. There are also some issues with the keyboard and trackpad area – the sharp edges can get uncomfortable on the wrists and the trackpad has built in buttons which some may find annoying (but there are enough USB ports to use a mouse with the device instead!)

On the whole, the Samsung Chronos includes enough features to stop it going out of date quickly and the superb performance and battery life make it a worthwhile investment.

Produced by Samsung, the first version of the Chromebook to go on sale in the UK is a unique product as unlike a PC or a Mac, it doesn’t use a traditional operating system which takes time to load.

Instead everything is run through Google’s browser, Chrome, and the laptop boots up in just 8 seconds. Everything is store on the Cloud instead of on your computer, so if you lose your Chromebook or are without it, you can log onto another one and access all your files.

It only works with programs created by Google, which has positives and negatives. You can’t download viruses for example, but you also can’t install anything which isn’t in the Chrome Web Store. Although the store is quite extensive, it doesn’t feature everything so if you’re a Skype lover or an avid Spotify user, you’re out of luck for the time being.

However, it requires internet access for it to work. So if you’re out and about with it and find yourself in a location without Wi-Fi, you are unable to access any of your documents or files.

Some analysts think that the Chromebook might be a bit too ahead of its time as not everyone is completely comfortable with the idea of having their important documents stored somewhere other than their own private PC but as the technology behind it becomes more widespread this could see a significant shift in the way we use computers.

Design
The MSI Wind has soft rounded edges with a glossy texture making the grip comfortable and giving it a very professional yet sleek look. Another great feature is that it doesn’t look gaudy flashy making it a hands down winner amongst users from different age groups and professions.
The build is superb with top notch finish, beveled edges, recessed hinges, smooth and tight plastic seams etc. The plastic in the body is thick enough to avoid flex even under a strong grip.
Keyboard
The Wind has the largest possible keys on such a small machine and occupies almost every inch of space. But the “,”, “.”, and “/” keys are super narrow almost 2/3 the width of standard letter keys which might be a little problematic.
The touchpad is a little raised from the palmrest by about which is extremely convenient as it lets users keep their fingers inside the detection zone. It is touch-sensitive, without requiring excessive pressure for tracking.
The touchpad buttons consist of a single see-saw bar, with shallow feedback.
Screen

The Wind has a 10-inch, 1024-by-600-pixel display: an LED backlit matte-textured LCD that is very bright and easy to read
But it also has a shiny texture to it, making the solid colors look messy, and on high-backlight settings you can see some backlight bleed and almost make out each individual LED.
Viewing angles are wide in both vertical as well as horizontal directions. Horizontal viewing angles were not as good though, with the screen appearing dark during side viewing.

Audio Quality

Speaker quality is average and works well for watching a YouTube clip or for listening to system sounds, but volume levels can’t get high enough, and all midrange are missed without even a hint of bass. So use of headphones are recommended.

The MSI Wind U100 has a laundry list of features, including everything you would expect to find on a full-size notebook. Key features include 802.11b/g wireless, Bluetooth 2.0, with USB, VGA-Out, Ethernet, and audio making notable appearances.
There’s even a 1.3 MPx Webcam and a 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MSpro).
While FireWire would have been nice to see, it was understandable to be missing, with an already crowded port selection on each side.

• The laptop boasts of  a glossy 14.1-inch screen WXGA (1280 x 800) with XBRITE-ECO.
• It is painted in dove white color.
• The processor is the high-performing 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 with 120 GB hard drive (SATA, 5400RPM)
• It has a 1GB RAM (PC5300, 667 MHz, DDR2 SDRAM, 2 x 512 MB) and 4GB max memory
• The optical drive is a DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive
• The laptop is fitted with three USB 2.0 ports , one MemoryStick Pro reader, one SD card reader, one FireWire 400 port, one ExpressCard 34, one S-Video, one VGA, headphone / line-out, microphone-in, modem, 10/100 Ethernet. Other ports and switches are like the battery, DC power jack, and the modem port, access to the memory slots, the battery lock and release switches etc.
• For proper connectivity it is equipped with wireless: Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (965 Express chipset with up to 358MB of shared RAM) provides excellent gaming opportunities.
• The Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium is installed in it
• Laptop dimensions are 13.2” x 1.67” x 9.8” weighing 5.5 pounds

Design

A wide range of available colors, polished metallic body makes it look very attractive. The lid has an elegant glossy texture with the VAIO logo embossed on it. In spite of the plastic built of the CR it is very sturdy with thick plastic and metal interior reinforcement for proper support. Some flex is found in the lid though.

Display

The display provides some brilliant color and contrast with bright features, even backlighting etc. Horizontal viewing angles are fit enough to make the screen ideal for two or more people to watch a video. But vertical viewing angles are not so impressive.

Keyboard

The keyboard is incorporated with some unique features. The keys are flat, cushioned properly, responding to light touch. The keyboard feels solid with zero flex.

The touchpad is large and comes with an easy-to-use and responsive surface. The mouse buttons are likewise decently sized, but have quite a shallow feedback with noisy click making usage uncomfortable.
It also comprises of dedicated media buttons right at the front beneath the touchpad buttons. On inserting a DVD, these controls make the CR work like a DVD player. An “AV Mode” along the top of the keyboard quicklauch button allows activation of the media player functions without loading Windows. Next to this key, a mute button, web camera “capture” button, volume down and up, and display backlight on/off are present.
Audio quality
The stereo sound via speakers located on the left side and right sides of the keyboard provide some amazing listening experience as well. Temperature while using also remains quite comfortable due to the large copper heat sink.

1> CPU: 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2>RAM: 3GB
3>Hard Drive: 250GB (5,400 rpm)
4>Display: 16 inches/1366 x 768 pixels
5>Size: 14.9 x 10.4 x 1.5 inches
6>Weight: 6.0 pounds

Design

The black glossy lid is embossed with a small central silver Samsung logo and looks extremely classy. The integrated webcam is hidden well by a black trim bordering the screen. A small blue light on the power button is the only light above the keyboard to make it look uncluttered. The keyboard  is black with white lettering; the touchpad is a normal looking black square bordered in silver. Along the sides, there are some simple port marks with you’ll find a group of blue and green status lights in the front.

Size & Weight
The laptop is a 16” model weighing only 6.2 lb so that it’s not too difficult to carry.

Keyboard and touchpad
The keyboard is full sized with a full numeric keypad. A second function key is located above the right arrow but it is inconvenient, as the home/end and pgup/pgdn keys are forced to share space with the numberic pad. There is almost no flex anywhere with a comfortable touchpad which doesn’t support multi touch functions though. The button presses are a bit noisy.

Display
The R610 has a 1366×768 resolution, suitable for widescreen. The display quality is good enough with a bright LCD and good horizontal viewing angles and average vertical viewing angles. The glossy screen goes great with the glossy appearance of the laptop. It also has much improved color quality especially when the brightness is set high enough to reduce the glare.

Connectivity
For connectivity, an array of ports is present in a conventional fashion. There is an HDMI port and enough USB ports, but no FireWire, Blu-ray. The ports are  well distributed, with the left side carrying the 1USB and the VGA with the exhaust between itself and the HDMI port, audio in/out, and an ExpressCard 54 slot. The right side carries another USB port and the optical drive. The front part has snagged the multi card reader, and the back houses the power jack along with the Ethernet/modem and 2 more stacked USB ports.

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA (Seashell) comes with a one-year standard warranty and a whole lot of other exciting features like:

1>: Genuine Windows XP operating system
2> The powerhouse performer Intel Atom N280 Processor 1.66GHz (667MHz FSB) with 1GB DDR2 SDRAM (667MHz) memory, an internal storage of 160GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD plus 10GB Eee Online Storage
3> The display is a fascinating 10.1-inch diagonal WSVGA (1024×600)  with Intel GMA 950 graphics
4> For better connectivity, the laptop comes with a wireless: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
5> There is a 4-in-1 media card slot and other ports and connectors like (3) USB 2.0 ports, VGA OUT, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet (Gigabit), stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, 1.3 megapixel webcam
6> The dimensions are (H x W x D): 0.89-1.40 x 10.2 x 6.9 inches (including feet) with a weight of 2.8 lbs (not including weight of AC adapter).
7>It has a 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery (5600mAh, 63Wh) fitted to it. It is a high-capacity removable battery.

Design

The Eee PC has a clamshell chassis design with a solid built, is a little thicker with a removable battery. All its ports are easily accessible. The plastics in glossy black doesn’t suffer from flex and the keyboard is very firmly built.

There is an easy-access RAM cover. For upgrading the RAM in the laptop all that is required is the removal of one screw on the access panel on the bottom of the netbook.

Screen

The machine has a display panel with a 1024×600 native resolution with standard LED-backlights. The glossy screen provides a good color scheme and excellent contrast, but glare and reflections occurring indoors in strong lights and outdoors in direct sunlight can be problematic. Average vertical viewing angles, with minimal color distortion when observed from below and some over-exposed colors observing from above are also experienced. Horizontal viewing angles are better with colors staying accurate at extremely wide viewing angles.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The 1005HA Seashell has a 92% of full size keyboard where keys are slightly smaller than the keys on an average notebook with the spacing between them limited.

The Synaptics touchpad allows users to use multi-figure gestures. The Synaptics control panel in Windows also lets them customize these gestures. The touchpad surface is covered in dots making it too rough for fast finger movement. The touchpad buttons have extremely shallow feedback, so it isn’t always easy to detect whether you have pressed a button or not.

Audio Quality

The in-built speaker is excellent producing good volume with minimal distortion even at higher volume levels. The speakers lack much bass, but the range of highs and midtones are decent.

2>Memory : 4 GB (DDR2 SDRAM)

3> Operating System : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

4> Hard Drive : 320 GB Serial ATA, 5400 RPM

5> Display : 16.4 in. XBRITE-ECO LCD

6>It is designed with a glossy and HD-ready 16.4” screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The screen resolution is 1600×900. It supports HD but it’s only 720p  and it is only 1080p when connected to a compatible HDTV. Thus it can be used as a Blu-ray player. A bright back light is present which when set to maximum settings reducing the striking glare of the shiny screen. The large screen contains superb horizontal viewing angles, making it possible for more than one person to easily watch a video simultaneously.

Design

The FW-270j model is an epitome of Sony’s trademark minimalist sense of style. The machine comes in a sleek silver chassis. The webcam has a reflective gray location, but looks out of place with the fluid silver color of the chassis. It is an integrated camera which can be used very well with Skype. The large speaker bay with some small media control buttons in colored silver lie in between the hinges. The keyboard has a trackpad is present on the large palmrest. The lid is black with a large silver VAIO logo in the middle, but Sony has left out the sleek look by giving it a grainy matte finish which might feel uncomfortable to the touch.

Weight and Size

The Fw-270j laptop is quite compact measuring about 1.1” thick at the tip and 1.5” at the hinge. The dimensions of the laptop are 15.1 x 10.3 x 1.1-1.5”, reasonable for the form factor. The 6.4lbs weight is impressive for a laptop of that size.

Keyboard and Mouse

The keyboard comes with black pebble design, making it look stylish. It is without a numeric keypad though there is enough space for it. The keys are designed with gaps to compensate for the space. The trackpad, comes with a rather smooth touch making typing very comfortable during long usage.

Upgradation

The FW270j has the max 4GB RAM (usable on 64bit Vista) and a 320GB HDD, but can be upgraded to 400GB.
Cons
A major problem is with the mouse performance – the electrostatic track pad is sensitive, causing the cursor to detect false presses, changing position while typing.
The sound quality of speakers is far from excellent.

Specifications

1>  Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
2>15.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 WXGA Anti-glare
3>Intel Core i3-350M processor (2.26GHz, 3MB cache)
4>3GB DDR3 RAM (2GB x 1GB)
5>250GB Hitachi 5400RPM Hard Drive
6>Intel 6200AGN, Bluetooth, Realtek 1Gb LAN
7>  Intel GMA HD Integrated
8>Built-in 2.0M web camera
9>6-cell 10.8v 48Wh
10>Dimensions: (LxWxH) 14.96 x 9.72 x 1.26-1.42 inches
11>Weight: 5.63lbs

Build and Design
The ThinkPad L512 has a very user-friendly laptop for the corporate world. The L- series ThinkPads lacks the trademark rubbery black paint around the chassis, and has a smooth black plastic in place for a cleaner exterior which will not wear off easily. The interior has a  slightly rough black plastic palmrest and keyboard surround in the same smooth finish plastic.
The screen protection in the laptop is also quite good with no distortion on the LCD on application of heavy pressure.

Screen and Speakers

A matte-finish LED-backlit display with a 1366×768 WXGA resolution makes the look and feel very eye-catching. But colors and contrast are slightly below average. Viewing angles were good to about 15 degrees forward or back Horizontal viewing angles were much better.

But surprisingly the speaker performance is very average when compared to most consumer notebooks. Bass and midrange are very weak, although volume levels are fine for a small space. The speakers face forward, from directly underneath the screen and so the sound is louder.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard provides a very comfortable typing experience. The layout has been slightly tweaked from other previous models, with changes like a single row of function keys instead of the two rows as found in higher models. The keys give excellent tactile feedback and soft key-presses produce a very soft clicking sound. The media buttons have been moved from above the top row to the left side of the keyboard with buttons for microphone mute, speaker mute and volume up and down which is a trademark Lenovo feature.

Lenovo uses a Synaptics touchpad on this laptop model which is a nice update from the previous ALPS model. Multitouch gestures control are available including two finger tap, with pinch zoom, rotation, three finger press and three finger flick. The touchpad is also very touch-sensitivity with a very fluid cursor movement. Tap and drag movements are also flawless. A pointing stick with proper feedback is also fitted over the touchpad.

Ports and Features

The ThinkPad L512 has three USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, VGA and DisplayPort-out, and LAN, expansion slots like a SDHC-card reader and ExpressCard/34 slot, DisplayPort connection in place of HDMI port etc.

1> Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit)
•  Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8700 (2.53GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
•  16.0 ” TFT Widescreen display with LED backlighting (1366×768)
•  4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz System Memory
•  NVIDIA GeForce G 105M graphics with 256MB discrete memory
•  320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
•  Dual Layer CD/DVD Recordable
•  1.3 megapixel integrated camera
•  JBL stereo speakers (Dolby Home Theater)
•  Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5100 and Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR
•  Weight: 5.8 lb. including battery
•  Dimensions: 390 X 260 X 26.1 mm
•  Warranty: 1 year system and 1 year battery
•  6-cell 2000mAh 42Wh battery

Design

The IdeaPad Y650 has a completely different look and is touted as one of the thinnest and lightest laptops in its class. It is made mostly of thin metal, solid plastics and carbon fiber matte black exterior looks extremely classy. Inside the notebook, there is a glossy white surface surrounding the keyboard and touchpad. The large palmrests provide excellent support with reduced flex.

Build quality is excellent with a very rugged feel for a consumer multimedia notebook. When closed the Y650 feels almost as sturdy as the business-class ThinkPad notebooks with very little flex in the screen cover under strong pressure. On closer inspection of the lid, the matte black surface has a honeycomb pattern for subtle styling and easy gripping thanks to the rubberized paint. The body gives the notebook a great deal of support and the combination of metal and plastics used feel rugged enough to withstand regular day-to-day abuse without showing much wear. The only area that could see some mild improvement is the keyboard which shows some flex under heavy typing pressure.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard has a unique design it is much smaller keyboard than conventional notebook keyboards to accommodate a large multi-touch touchpad.
Unfortunately, it turns the palmrests into armrests. In spite of that, the keyboard is quite comfortable for typing with acceptable key size and spaces. Some flex is involved on applying heavy typing pressure though.
The Synaptics touchpad is quite large and comfortable for using. It is touch-sensitive, tracks finger movements without much pressure. The multi-touch gestures are easy to handle, but these controls have limited use until more software recognizes them. The touchpad buttons have excellent feedback with a deep throw but they do produce a rather loud “click” when pressed.

Display
The 16-inch screen shows vivid colors with excellent contrast. The LED backlighting, though slightly uneven in the upper right corner, works fine. Horizontal viewing angles are extremely good and the upper vertical ones are moderately good.
A drawback of this screen is the 16:9 ratio which loses some vertical resolution.