Asus Announces Eee PC Netbook with Dual-Core Atom

A few days ago Intel announced their new N550 dual-core Atom processor which is said to deliver faster processing, better graphics and be able to handle 720p video. The 45nm Pineview model is said to run at 1,5GHz, support DDR3 memory, have hyperthreading and support 2GB RAM among other things.

All these specs are coming in at a perfect time for the netbook market which, as many see it, is in need of a boost. The N550 is definitely an interesting product that has the entire tech world talking. But the big question on everybody's mind is, "Which netbook will be the first one to feature this new N550 dual-core Atom processor?"

Well, the answer to that is simple, the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM. The Asus 1015PEM has all the functionality and style that one would expect from the company who is considered to be the one who started the netbook revolution. For them this is a brilliant step forward.

The combination of speedy and portable technologies could easily put netbooks back on top. The biggest thing about netbooks gaining dual-core processors is that you can now get all the portability of a netbook with the power of a bulkier laptop, and at a far more reasonable price.

Many people are interested in how much better the Asus Eee PC 1015PEM performs compared to its predecessors. Another interesting thing is how much improvement the N550 will deliver to the netbook market. The good news is that, thanks to Asus, nobody really has to wait long to find out the answers to these questions.

Alienware's New M17x Gaming Laptop

It isn't a shock to anybody to hear the name Alienware when people talk about gaming computers. Alienware is the top company in the market for computers and laptops specifically designed for gaming glory. Whenever a new product from Alienware comes out, you can almost bet that it will have the very best components needed for making a top notch gaming rig.

Alienware has just released their newest product, the M17x, a gaming laptop that may rival some of the best desktop computers out there. If you consider yourself a connoisseur of competitive PC gaming, then you know that even the slightest lag in gameplay means almost certain death for you or your team. The M17x has the latest Intel Core i7 and i5 processors featuring Intel Turbo Boost Technology giving you dynamic, on-the-fly overclocking.

PC gamers know that the only true way to play any PC game is to play it with the graphics settings maxed out. You also want ultra-fast frame rates and with the M17x you get just that. This laptop offers one teraflop of pure graphics intensity with the ATI CrossFireX.

Alienware's BinaryGFX technology allows users to switch between discrete or integrated graphics and there is also the Stealth Mode feature. In Stealth Mode, discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components are turned down to achieve a 65W power limit.

Another cool feature is the Alienware Command Center which gives you intuitive access to exclusive control and apps including AlienFX lighting effects and AlienFusion power management. These features, as well as others, are updated automatically to the Command Center.

As an added security bonus, Alienware has incorporated AlienSense, a facial recognition software that identifies numerous distinguishing features via the M17x's integrated webcam. The software reads and verifies biometric measurements that can not be stolen or faked allowing only you to access your laptop.

The 17-inch widescreen LCD display features dual CCFL back-lit LCD with higher brightness. This allows the M17x to display a more detailed, higher-quality than a single CCFL display. An added 8ms response time makes ghosting a thing of the past. A 2.0 megapixel webcam and digital microphone allows you to broadcast anywhere with wireless capabilities always keeping you connected.

It goes without saying that this is definitely one of the best if not the best gaming laptop on the market.

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Hewlett Packwards new laptop line: The Envy 14 and 17

Sleek and sexy is as important today as performance. Well, almost, but with its new Envy line, HP is hoping to cash in with a laptop that is both beautiful and substantial.
Let us focus on the appearance first. Both Envy's have a metal casing with subtle machined designs on the casing. The screens for both laptops are glass. The Envy 14 has a 14.5 inch screen, while the Envy 17 boasts a 17.3 inch screen. Both also incorporate backlit keyboards for those late nights. They both are around 1.5mm in size, and while not paper thin, the size is essential for the power these machines are packing.

The basic specs are as follows-

HP Envy 14. 14.5-inch screen, 5.25 pounds, Intel Core i3, i5, i7 CPUs, ATI Mobility Radeon 5650 GPU with 1GB GDDR3 RAM and BEATS audio.


HP Envy 17. 17.3-inch screen, 7.25 pounds, VGA, HDMI & Mini DisplayPort video outs, Intel Core i3, i5, i7 CPUs, ATI Mobility Radeon 5850 GPU with 1GB GDDR5 RAM and BEATS audio.

BEATS audio is an upgrade from previous models, and the Envy's also include a subwoofer, so with these machines there is no reason to worry about sub-par sound. If you need internet on the go, the Envy 14 has the option for built in wireless 3G, making connecting anywhere a breeze. Another new feature that comes with the Envy 17 is the ability to connect to multiple screens for gaming or applications. This feature is incredibly hard to find on laptops, but the Envy 17 pulls it off wonderfully, making it possible to have up to three screens connected! This is a must have for serious gamers. Both laptops incorporate optical drives, which their predecessor, the Envy 13, lacked. The USB and other ports are neatly spaced out, not cluttered in one area. Both models also offer the HP TrueVision HD webcam built it. With these new machines HP also improves their clickpad to recognize gestures such as finger scrolling and pinch-to-zoom.
Overall with its powerful hardware and improved visage, the HP Envy's are top of the line machines offering everything that a laptop user could ask for. The Envy 14 starts out at $999.00, and the Envy 17 at $1399.00. Take a look for yourself here.

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Macbook is the Laptop of Choice for College Students

It's that time of year again! Kids are packing up and heading off to college, and they are taking their laptops with them. According to a recent study by Student Monitor, a New Jersey-based research company, the laptop of choice for college students is Apple's Macbook.

The survey consisted of 1,200 college students from 100 different schools and 83% of those surveyed owned laptops. The most popular laptop, by far, was the Macbook. 27% of laptop-owning college students have one. 87% of the students surveyed said they plan to purchase a new laptop in the future and of those, a whopping 47% of those said they planned to purchase a Mac.

Dell laptops came in second place; 24% of the laptop-owners have one. (In 2005, Dell was the top computer brand for college students.) Hewlett-Packard laptops were third-most popular at 15% and Toshiba laptops came in fourth with 10%.

Microsoft has definitely taken notice of the laptop-owning college students' declining interest in Windows-based computers. This week, Microsoft added a new "PC vs Mac" section to its website. It talks about reasons why PCs are better than Macs, with everything from the ability to play Blu-ray discs to the ability to share Microsoft Office documents. Many of the reasons appear to be aimed at young adults.

According to the website, the top reason for choosing a PC over a Mac is "having fun." It goes on to talk about enjoying "movies, games, and HDTV from anywhere in your home," and says "PCs are ready to play." The website also says, "if most of the computers in your office or school run Windows, you may find it harder to get things done with a Mac," another obvious attempt to attract young people.

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The Dell Inspiron M101z: Netbook or Not?

Dell announced that the new Inspiron M101z is available to order now and will begin shipping soon. This ultra-portable laptop has tons of great features including some that might lead you to believe it is a netbook. It has an 11-inch screen and a price tag under $600 that makes it seem very netbook-like, but if you dig deeper, there is a lot more to the M101z.

With the Inspiron M101z it’s up to you to decide how you want your laptop to look. There are over 200 different designs that you can pick from for the lid of your device. The laptop was designed to be ultraportable so, as mentioned previously, it has an 11-inch screen, and it only weighs 3.4 pounds. The M101z has a fantastic full-size keyboard with keys that are widely spaced apart, and the two mouse buttons have been engineered so that the clicking noise is completely gone.

So, what’s under the hood of the Inspiron M101z, you might ask? Well, it features a dual-core AMD Athlon processor, 1080p HD-capable graphics, 4GB of memory, and 320GB of hard drive. It comes with pretty standard ports including 3 USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, HDMI port, and a media card reader. The only disappointment is that the battery life isn’t as good as it could be. It only lasts about 4 and a half hours, which may not seem too bad, but compared to laptops like the Asus UL80VT-A1 that has close to 10 hours of battery life, the M101z’s battery may seem a bit shabby.

There are several things that really set the M101z apart from most other average netbooks. Its 1.3GHz AMD Athlon K325 dual-core processor is an upgrade from the standard single-core AMD processor that can be found in similar netbook-like devices. The M101z also features 4GB of memory instead of the usual 1GB that can be found in netbooks.

Coming in at $580, the Dell Inspiron M101z is not as cheap as most netbooks, but that’s probably because it isn’t exactly a true netbook. It has some amazing features that put it a step above most netbooks. Although it doesn’t have the best battery life, there are plenty of features that make up for it. The M101z is definitely a good option to consider if your looking for a cheaper laptop with some great features.

Looking for a laptop under $500? Check out a list of the top 10.

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Top 10 Laptops Under $500

Whether it's for school, business, or just at home, a laptop is something that is becoming a staple in many Americans' lives. There are so many companies with so many different models. It can be difficult to figure out which laptop will fit your needs. Well, if you’re looking for a laptop under $500, here are a few to consider.

Lenovo X100e
Starting at $499.99
The Lenovo X100e is one of the very few laptops under $500 to be part of the ThinkPad line. It rides the line between being a netbook and a notebook. It has a 11.6-inch screen, an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 processor, 1GB of memory, ThinkPad keyboard with built-in TrackPoint joystick, and weighs under 3 pounds. If you feel that you need a little more power, for $50 you can upgrade to the dual-core Neo X2 processor.

HP Pavilion dm1z Series
Starting at $499.99
HP’s dm1z is very similar to the Lenovo X100. It has an 11.6-inch screen and AMD Neo processor just like the X100. It is different in the fact that it has a Radeon HD 4225 graphics chip that can handle HD video, 2GB of memory instead of 1GB, and up to 320GB of hard drive space. It is a great laptop for those seeking a little more power than the average netbook.

MSI X Slim X340-021US
Starting at $499.99
The X340 is really a less expensive copycat of Apple’s MacBook Air. It features a 13.3-inch screen that is 0.78-inches thick (only 0.02-inches thicker than the Air). It has a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo chip and integrated Intel graphics. Of course, these don’t measure up to what’s inside the Air, but for the price, who cares?

Compaq Presario CQ62Z
Starting at $379.99
The CQ62Z is a great bargain laptop with some great features. It has a 15.6-inch screen and a Radeon HD 4250 graphics chip. It comes standard with a AMD V Series CPU which isn’t great, so you can upgrade to the much faster Athlon II dual-processor for only $30.

Dell Vostro V13
Starting at $449.99
The Vostro V13 is very similar in looks to Dell’s ultra-premium Adamo XPS. The biggest difference is the price tag. The Vostro V13 features a 0.65-inch aluminum shell, 13.3-inch screen, and weighs less than 3.5 pounds. Now there are sacrifices that must be made because of the price difference between the Adamo XPS and the Vostro V13. The V13 has an ultra-low voltage processor and only two USB ports, but it's still a great choice.

Gateway NV5387u
Starting at $499.99
The NV5387u is one of the most powerful budget laptops available right now. It comes standard with the AMD Turion II Ultra Dual-Core M600 processor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB of hard drive, a 15.6-inch screen, and an ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics chip. The battery life is only about 3 hours, but for the low price tag it doesn’t really matter.

Asus Eee PC Seashell 1005PE
Starting at $377.99
This netbook’s most attractive feature is its 6-cell battery with an incredible 14 hours of battery life. This is the netbook that just keeps going. It also includes a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor and weighs about 2.8 pounds. It honestly is a fantastic deal.

HP Mini 5102
Starting at $415
This netbook is perfect for all of your business needs. It has the same standard parts on the inside for the most part, but it has some great business features. It features a magnesium chassis that is trimmed with aluminum, almost full-sized keyboard, and Corel Home Office already preinstalled.

Sony Vaio W Series
Starting at $449.99
The Vaio W is a slick looking netbook. It features a 1.83GHz Intel Atom Processor and a large battery capacity. It is extremely chic and comes in pink, blue, and white. You can even get the Billabong edition for an extra $50.

Asus Eee PC Sheashell 1201-NPU17
Starting at $479.99
Asus has really stepped it up with the design of their laptops. This netbook is sleek, shiny, and stylish. It comes standard with a 12.1-inch screen, dual-core Intel Atom processor, and Nvidia’s Ion graphics processor. It’s almost $100 more than the Asus Eee PC Seashell 1005PE, but it definitely has a few more features.

These are just a sampling of the many laptops, netbooks, and notebooks available right now. If you’re looking for a great deal, these are definitely some options to consider.

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