Laptops of the future?

PC Inpact has just published an article very interesting what may be the portable PC of the future. Caution your eyes ... Here, perhaps, future jewelry information:

Designed by Felix Schmidberg, this PC comes in the form of a slide and tactile: the Compenion Concept Notebook.

onçu a V12, Canova, very much like a book because of his two touch screens, it may very well be used in the classical manner to become a laptop. What perhaps delight writers or grandparents readers?

With a touch of a screen, Cario, since it seems rather bold may be used in a car waiting at traffic lights. In addition to çela, it may very well be used on your desktop through its wireless keyboard. Computer very polyvant, is not it?

Obviously, these achievements are purely fictitious. What dream ...

Test Asus F8SP : Introduction

Today's test laptop ASUS F8SP last born from Asus and based on the platform Santa Rosa Refresh.


This computer, though small in size (14.1 "), has a high-end configuration, worthy of 17 pc '.

The program: Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 667 MHz, SATA hard disk of 320 GB 5400 trs / min, Radeon Mobility graphics card HD3650 1 GB dedicated 1 GB HyperMemory, screen 14.1 'WXGA ColorShine a Resolution 1280 * 800, 1.3 megapixel camera, double-layer DVD burner, fingerprint reader (TPM 1.2), card reader 5 to 1, Wi-Fi a / b / g / n, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Firewire, ExpressCard, VGA, S / PDIF, Gigabit Ethernet and not less than 5 USB 2.0 ports.

Muni's operating system Windows Vista Home Premium and a 6-cell battery, it weighs only 2.59 Kg Its price: 1199 €.

Go to the next page to discover this laptop.

HP Shoots a portable chocolate ...

HP launches today a special edition Pavilion DV 2000. After the success of the edition "white", they donate ca with a chocolate version. What be the top of fashion and technology for this fall.



In terms of features, this laptop is worthy of the major chocolate makers: * An Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 * 160 GB hard drive * 2048 MB DDR2 * A DVD double layer / double format Lightscribe * An nVidia GeForce 8400 Gs, accompanied by a screen of 15 inches * Many "incidental" remote control, fingerprint reader, ...



You fear for your regime? No worries, this beautiful object weighs only 2.43 kg .. for a price of 999 €! You can finally (re) become greedy

Acer Aspire One

Pros

Quick bootup; sharp display; includes Firefox browser, multiclient IM app

Cons

Only 8GB of storage; three-cell battery has short life; vexing touch pad

Editors' Take

Acer's entry into the netbook market, the Aspire One, makes good use of its Linux OS, but its specs aren't as good as some of the competition.

Key Specs

Processor: 1.6GHz Atom N270 Memory: 512MB DDR2 Storage: 8GB solid-state drive Optical Drives: None Display: 8.9-inch TFT Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA X3100 Operating System: Linpus Linux Lite

Review

Those who haven't yet tried out a netbook—the new category of cheap ultraportable laptops that have quickly followed on the heels of the Asus Eee PC's runaway success—may not appreciate the appeal of one, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes using a model like the Acer Aspire One to surmise the reasons behind their popularity. Like others in the genre, the Aspire One is a featherweight (tipping the scales at just 2.2 pounds) that's perfect for throwing into a bag or backpack or typing away in bed. And like the original Eee PC and the new MSI Wind U100, it makes use of Linux to keep startup and shutdown times short, though like those others (and HP's 2133 Mini-Note PC), it will be offered in both Linux and Windows XP flavors. The Aspire One is currently offered in blue or white (our test unit came in white), and Acer says brown and black versions will be available later this year. HP has so far marketed the Mini-Note as an educational product, which means Acer is the first top-tier laptop manufacturer taking aim at this nascent consumer market (Lenovo has just announced its forthcoming entry, the IdeaPad S10, and rumors are swirling about Dell and Sony soon joining the netbook fray.) The Aspire One probably won't disappoint the target audience of students or users looking for an inexpensive, highly totable second system, though we found the Wind unit we tested to be a more compelling buy. One reason is that the Windows XP-based Wind packs an 80GB hard drive, whereas the Aspire One we received has just 8GB of onboard storage. That storage does come in the form of a solid-state drive, which can boot faster than a hard drive and lacks moving parts that could get damaged if the laptop takes a tumble. But if you want to place a sizeable multimedia library on your netbook, this Aspire One configuration doesn't offer you a lot of room. (The Windows XP version, however, ups the ante on the Wind by coming with a 120GB hard drive.) Both versions of the Aspire One do offer a dedicated SD memory-card slot, as well as an additional multiformat memory-card slot (which also reads SD cards) and three USB ports, which you can use to attach external storage to the system. The Wind's 10-inch screen is also slightly larger than the Aspire One's 8.9-inch display. Nonetheless, the glossy LED-backlit screen on the Acer has good viewing angles and is more than fine for everyday use, until it gets washed out in bright light; under those circumstances, the display also suffers from a moderate amount of glare. Speaker volume is decent, though audio lacks warmth since there's almost no bass output. Like the Wind, the Aspire One uses Intel's new Atom low-power mobile processor, but because its Linux OS needs fairly meager system requirements to run, the Acer comes with just 512MB of memory. (The Windows XP configuration comes with 1GB of RAM, and Acer also offers a $449 Linux version with 1GB of memory.) It runs Linux, so we couldn't run any of our normal benchmarks, but we didn't experience any hiccups doing everyday tasks like word processing and Web browsing at the same time. Bootup time was indeed impressive, taking only 20 seconds to get to the main interface screen. It did take another 30 seconds, however, for the device to find and connect to our wireless network. As you can imagine with a laptop that measures just 1.1x9.8x6.7 inches (HWD), the Aspire One's keyboard isn't full-size, but it is large enough to make touch-typing possible, though we suffered the occasional spelling mishap with the slightly cramped keys. More problematic was the touch pad, which gave us problems, even after turning down its sensitivity. Acer has gone to great lengths to make sure that the Linux underpinnings have been gussied up enough for consumers used to a Windows-based GUI. The main interface (which can be reached at any time by clicking on the house-shaped icon at the bottom of the screen) is divided into four sections—Connect, Works, Fun, and Files—under which the Aspire One's apps are grouped. The home screen also features an Internet search bar to speed up jumping online even further. Apps grouped under Connect include Browser (Mozilla's Firefox), Messenger (an instant-messaging client that supports AIM, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger), Mail (an e-mail app that supports IMAP4, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange, POP3, and SMTP), an RSS reader, and direct links to Google Maps, Microsoft Hotmail, and Wikipedia. The free office suite OpenOffice.org makes up three of the programs in the Works quadrant, providing a word processor, spreadsheet program, and presentation software; Acer also provides calculator, calendar, contacts, and notes apps. Under Fun, you'll find a media jukebox, photo and paint apps, a utility to make use of the Aspire One's built-in Webcam, and a number of games (including one identified as Tetris, but which is really a knockoff called LTris). Files houses icons that let you access your documents, music, photos, videos, downloads, and miscellaneous files. In addition to its memory-card slots and USB ports, the Aspire One offers VGA out, an Ethernet port, and headphone and microphone jacks. It ships with a three-cell battery, but because it doesn't feature an optical drive, we couldn't formally test its stamina with our DVD-playback benchmark. In our everyday use, however, it lasted roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes per charge. That duration doesn't really jibe with the idea of the netbook as an ideal traveling companion—if you're looking for the Aspire One to stay juiced for a cross-country flight, you'll need to secure the optional six-cell battery for a pretty price. With its availability in Best Buy and Circuit City stores, the Aspire One is going to be successful, especially since Acer has the jump on Lenovo and any other major laptop manufacturers that decide to join the netbook fray. That doesn't make the Aspire One—particularly this configuration, with its puny amount of onboard storage—the best choice in the category. It does have a more appealing price than the MSI Wind, however, and it largely succeeds in showcasing the (albeit limited) charms of the netbook, a laptop that can finally serve as a lifestyle accessory for the masses.

Asus S6F

Pros Excellent design; compact; generous connectivity options; long battery life Cons Expensive; cramped keyboard; stiff mouse-pad buttons; too-reflective screen Editors' Take A stylish, leather-clad ultraportable that's a winner for highly mobile users with deep pockets Key Specs Processor: 1.66GHz Core Duo L2300 Memory: 1GB DDR2 Storage: 80GB hard drive Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW Display: 11.1-inch TFT Operating System: Windows XP Professional Review Reviewed by: Louis Ramirez Review Date: November 2006 One of the best ultraportables we've seen, the $2,699 Asus S6F delivers style and performance—but at a high price. The first thing you'll notice about this 3.3-pounder is its case, which is covered in genuine leather and available in three shades: chocolate brown, camel, and a limited-edition hot pink. Asus also bundles a matching leather-covered mouse and a carrying bag. Thanks to its 1,366x768 resolution, the S6F's 11.1-inch wide-screen display looks nice and crisp, although we found its glossy coating a bit too reflective. A small button just below the LCD lets you toggle among seven different power modes, including ones for high performance, movie viewing, and battery conservation. Like those of many ultraportables, the S6F's keyboard is a little cramped. Also, the buttons on the mouse pad are somewhat stiff. The S6F offers a generous set of connections for a small notebook, including three USB 2.0 ports, a four-pin FireWire port, a VGA out, an ExpressCard slot, and a flash-card reader. Networking options include Ethernet, 802.11b/g wireless, and Bluetooth. You also get a convenient on/off switch for the Wi-Fi radio. In our benchmark tests, the Asus S6F performed very well for an ultraportable. Thanks to its Intel dual-core processor, it outpaced the Intel Core Solo-based Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P on our FutureMark PCMark05 application test, earning a relatively-high score of 2,856. The S6F also completed our Windows Media Encoder test in 11 minutes and 20 seconds (less than half the time the VAIO took), proving it has multimedia chops as well. Battery life was less spectacular. We squeezed out 3 hours and 30 minutes of juice in our DVD drain test--a respectable score for an ultraportable, but still more than two hours shy of the VAIO VGN-TXN15P's excellent battery life.

Toshiba Portégé R500-S5002

Pros Incredibly thin and light; built-in optical drive; impressive battery life; comfortable keyboard Cons Merely adequate performance; no option for built-in Webcam or wireless broadband; only one speaker; case feels too flexible Editors' Take Toshiba's Portégé R500 is an amazing ultraportable laptop with only a couple of minor shortcomings keeping it from perfection. Key Specs : Processor: 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo U7600 Memory: 1GB DDR2 Storage: 120GB hard drive Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW Display: 12.1-inch TFT Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 950 Operating System: Windows Vista Business Edition Review : If you've ever lugged around a 7-pound notebook all day, you've probably dreamed of a smaller, lighter model that gave you all the benefits of a big machine: a roomy screen and keyboard, and a built-in optical drive. Well, you were dreaming about the 2.4-pound Toshiba Portégé R500. A near-perfect road companion with a head-turning design, the R500 (we tested the $2,149 R500-S5002 model) measures a trim 0.8x11.1x8.5 inches and weighs barely more than its carrying case. Even counting its (very compact) power supply, the R500 tips the scales at little more than 3 pounds. Remarkably, you still get a bright 1,280x800-resolution, 12.1-inch wide-screen LCD (backlit by LEDs) and a comfortable, full-size, spill-resistant keyboard. The touch pad and its buttons are a decent size, too, and there's a fingerprint reader between the two buttons. What's more remarkable, though, is what you'll find around the sides of the R500. On the left are a VGA plug, two USB 2.0 ports, a mini-FireWire connection, headphone and mic jacks, and a small volume dial. Along the right is an SD memory-card slot, an Ethernet jack, a third USB port, and an on/off switch for the 802.11n Wi-Fi. Finally, next to the PC Card slot is the pièce de résistance: a very slim, drawer-style DVD±RW optical drive, something you see rarely—if ever—in an ultraslim model. There are a few minor deficiencies in the design, however. There's no option to get integrated wireless-broadband circuitry, something that more business notebooks are offering. You can always pop in a wireless-broadband PC Card, but the omission is still disappointing. Also, there's no built-in Webcam, and Toshiba could find room for only one speaker (positioned above the left side of the keyboard and power button). Finally, though the case is made of magnesium alloy, the body feels a little too flexible, especially right below the optical-drive bay. Toshiba did, however, build in shock absorption and hard drive protection. As for performance, our test model's ultra-low-voltage 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor is more than adequate for office tasks and basic entertainment. But its multitasking is a touch lackluster, no doubt due to the skimpy 1GB of memory on the motherboard. (There's a single open slot for raising the total RAM to 2GB.) On FutureMark's PCMark05 test, the notebook managed a score of only 1,866—and a mere 122 on 3DMark06. On Cinebench 9.5, the R500 scored 363, and it took an interminable 13 minutes and 40 seconds to complete our Windows Media Encoder test. That said, these results are in line with those of other ultraportables. More important, battery life was great, thanks to the miserly CPU and energy-efficient, LED-backlit display. On our DVD rundown test with Vista's power management set to high performance, the R500 lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes, and on balanced performance we got nearly 4 hours. Want to save even more power? Work outside. Above the keyboard on the right is a button to turn off the LCD's backlight. The transreflective screen then uses natural light to brighten the display. Like too many systems these days, the R500 comes bloated with software titles that clutter the desktop with shortcut icons, so be prepared to do a lot of uninstalling. On the plus side, because this is considered a business system, Toshiba includes a three-year parts-and-labor warranty. (Consumer notebooks usually get just one year.) If you don't mind trading some performance for light weight and high style, the Toshiba Portégé R500 is an excellent choice.

Apple MacBook Air Laptop

B&H Photo-Video $1749.95 $1799.00 from Apple Inc. $1639.00 from California Computer Center	Best Buy $1799.99 $1794.00 from Newegg.com $1739.94 from ClubMac

Pros

Amazingly thin aluminum case packs a 13.3-inch LED screen and full-size keyboard; extra-large TrackPad recognizes multi-touch gestures; Remote Disc function lets you access other optical drives; decent performance, battery life for an ultraportable

Cons

Can't use Remote Disc to stream music, movies; only one USB port; lacks Ethernet jack, media card reader, optical drive; no option for WWAN radio; few upgrade options; battery is not user-replaceable

Editors' Take

The thinnest ultraportable on the market, Apple's MacBook Air will win many over with its gorgeous design. But its feature set won't satisfy every road warrior.

Specifications :

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.6GHz)
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Storage: 80GB hard drive
Optical Drives: Double-layer DVD±RW (external)
Display: 13.3-inch TFT
Graphics: Integrated graphics
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Review :

Whether or not it's truly the "world's thinnest notebook," the Apple MacBook Air is certainly a sight to behold and to, well, hold. Pictures and TV commercials—where the Air emerges from a brown document envelope—don't really do Apple's first ultraportable justice. You really have to handle it to appreciate the feat the company's design team achieved in combining a 13.3-inch wide-screen display with a 3-pound aluminum chassis that measures only 0.76 inches at its thickest point. Of course, that unbelievably svelte profile demands some sacrifices, and the Air has quickly become as notorious for what it lacks—an optical drive, connectivity options, and mobile broadband—as for what it offers: a capable computing experience for those for whom style and portability are foremost.

Though just as wide as its mainstream cousin, the MacBook, the Air is unmistakably thinner—just 0.16 inches at its front edge. Apple clad the Air in the same silver aluminum it uses on its MacBook Pro line, which should lend some extra durability on the road. We suspect the sturdy chassis is also why, when held in hand, the Air feels heavier than its 3-pound weight. Carrying the notebook in a messenger bag or backpack, however, was a joy: We could barely feel its weight on our shoulders, and its bulk felt more evenly distributed than other ultraportables we've tested, even the tiny 11.1-inch Sony VAIO TX-N15P.

Open the notebook's slender lid and you're greeted with a gorgeous 1,280x800-resolution display that, thanks to its LED backlighting, is noticeably thinner and brighter than the 13.3-inch LCD panel found on the MacBook. Road warriors used to being saddled with smaller 11.1- and 12.1-inch displays will definitely appreciate the Air's increased screen real estate: We found our eyes lasted longer when watching movies, working on documents, and surfing the Web with the Air than with other ultraportables. The glossy display also features an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the screen brightness to suit the lighting in the room. Embedded in the silver bezel above the screen, you'll find an iSight Webcam and mic. Beneath the display, Apple included a full-size keyboard with backlit keys also controlled by the ambient light sensor. (You can also disable the backlighting all together.)

Second to its thinness, the Air's standout design feature is its excellent TrackPad. Measuring nearly 5 inches diagonally, it's easily the most spacious—and versatile—we've seen on an ultraportable. In addition to the two-finger scroll function we saw on the original MacBook, the Air's pad (as well as those on the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro models) incorporates three of Apple's signature "multi-touch" gestures, first seen on the iPhone. You can "pinch" with your thumb and forefinger to zoom in and out of documents, photos, and Web pages; use two fingers to rotate pictures in iPhoto; and, our favorite, swipe three fingers right or left over the pad to go forward or backward in your Web browser history. The gestures are all very intuitive, and we're psyched that Apple has ported multi-touch over to its other MacBook models. The only thing we would add is the ability to flick through music albums in iTunes' Cover Flow mode, much like you can on the iPhone or the iPod Touch.

As you might guess considering its chassis' size, the Air, like a legion of other ultraportables, does not include a built-in optical drive; if watching DVDs on the road is a must, this system may not be the best buy. Our review unit came bundled with a slim external USB DVD burner (a $99 add-on), but more noteworthy is Apple's software-based solution, Remote Disc, which lets you use the optical drives of other PCs or Macs on the same network. We had no problems setting up Remote Disc on our Windows Vista desktop—once we installed the setup software and enabled "CD and DVD sharing" in the Windows Control Panel, the Air recognized discs in the desktop's optical drive. Remote Disc is a great solution for porting over files and installing applications, but unfortunately, you can't use it to stream DVD movies or music CDs. In lieu of a FireWire port, the Air allows you to use Apple's Migration Assistant to migrate data wirelessly from another Mac.

This brings us to what we consider to be the MacBook Air's biggest shortcoming: connectivity. Though ultraportables rarely have many ports, jacks, or slots, the Air's selection is especially sparse. You won't find usual offerings like an Ethernet jack, a FireWire jack, or a media card reader. The notebook includes just three wired connections—one USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a display port—all hidden beneath a small pull-down door that's slightly recessed on the right side of the case. (The notebook also comes with VGA and DVI dongles that plug into the display port.) On the bottom left, you'll find a three-pin power connector; Apple redesigned its magnetic power cord to be flush with the bottom of the case (a nice touch).

While we're not bemoaning the loss of increasingly outdated connections like modem jacks and S-Video ports, we do think Apple was a little hasty in confining nearly every conceivable accessory—be it an iPod, digital camera, or the $29.99 USB-to-Ethernet adapter that came with our system—to a single USB port. Needless to say, anyone who regularly uses more than one USB device or occasionally needs to plug into a wired Internet connection would be well served to invest in a USB hub—or an ultraportable with a few more ports.

What's more, though the Air was purportedly "designed for the wireless world," Apple did not equip it with all the latest wireless technologies. 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 come standard, but unlike ultraportables from Dell, Lenovo, and HP, you can't configure the Air with wireless mobile broadband (WWAN), an increasingly popular option for users who want to stay connected in the absence of a Wi-Fi signal. An Apple rep we spoke with said the company shunned WWAN so as not to limit its customers to a specific carrier, an odd argument considering Dell currently offers built-in radio options from all three U.S.-based WWAN carriers—AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon—for its Latitude and Inspiron notebooks. Without an ExpressCard slot, the only way to add WWAN to the Air is to connect a USB mobile broadband modem, which would, again, monopolize the system's sole USB jack. Less critical, but still worth noting, is that the Air also lacks built-in GPS and wireless USB, forward-looking technologies that are available on the comparably svelte Lenovo ThinkPad X300, a business-minded ultraportable that's arguably the Air's biggest competitor with its 13.3-inch screen, built-in optical drive, and WWAN options.

Compared to other ultraportables, the MacBook Air is reasonably priced at its $1,799 baseline configuration, which includes a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB hard drive spinning at a sluggish 4,200rpm, and Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics. (Our review unit came to $1,928 with accessories.) By comparison, the Toshiba Portégé R500-S5002 costs hundreds more than the Air and features a slower, ultra-low-voltage (ULV) CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a smaller screen—though you do get a built-in optical drive and a 120GB 5,400rpm hard drive. And like all Macs, the Air comes with a strong software bundle, the star being Apple's iLife '08 suite, which includes the iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD apps, among others.

We wish Apple offered more hardware configuration options for the Air, however, especially in the hard drive department: The only alternative to the smallish 80GB drive is a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD), which costs an outrageous $999. Granted, with non-moving parts, lower power consumption, and increased reliability, SSDs are definitely a top option for on-the-go laptop users who can afford them. But while prices remain high, we would rather Apple included some larger-capacity, 5,400rpm hard drives as upgrade options as well. The only other component you can change is the CPU: You can bump up the clock speed to 1.8GHz for $300.

As for performance, the Air delivers more than enough power for basic tasks like Web surfing, multimedia playback, and productivity chores; in our anecdotal tests, we were able to do several of these activities at once without experiencing any slowdowns. Even with its full-fledged Core 2 Duo CPU and 2GB of RAM, however, the Air showed only marginal performance gains over the ULV-based ultraportable competition. The system needed 6 minutes and 45 seconds to complete our iTunes conversion test (the Portégé R500 took 7 minutes and 36 seconds), and scored a relatively low 405 and 2,728 on our Cinebench 9.5 and Cinebench 10 tests respectively, proving that graphics-intensive tasks won't do well here. Likewise, ultraportables with speedier CPUs outperformed the Air—Asus' 3.6-pound Asus U6S, with a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, needed just 5 minutes to complete our iTunes test.

Using the USB-powered DVD drive, the Air lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes in our harsh DVD rundown test, which is good, but not spectacular for an ultraportable. We also eked out just over 4 hours while typing a text document, Web browsing, and playing videos with the battery set to Normal, which is just short of Apple's 5-hour rated battery life. It's also worth noting that the Air's battery is not user-replaceable; should your built-in pack go kaput, you'll have to send your entire system into Apple to install a $129 replacement battery.

Overall, the Apple MacBook Air is fairly priced and decently powerful, with a killer design that will turn heads in any airport, coffee house, or library. There's no doubt that it's one great-looking piece of gear, but depending on your computing needs and priorities on the road, this notebook's missing features and meager port selection could be deal-breakers. If you're after more power—and you don't mind strapping on a few extra pounds—Apple's original MacBook, with its Penryn processors, bigger hard drives, and more-palatable price tags, could be a better option.

Sony VAIO VGN-TZ298N/XC

Specifications :

Processor: 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo U7700
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Storage: 64GB solid-state drive, 250GB hard drive
Optical Drives: DVD±RW (external)
Display: 11.1-inch LED
Graphics: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Operating System: Windows Vista Business

Review :

The $3,699 Sony VAIO VGN-TZ298N/XC is a 2.7-pound ultraportable aimed at business users who want a stylish, compact notebook with cutting-edge features. Be warned, however: You have to really value small size to opt for the TZ, because its tradeoffs—small screen, tight keyboard, and no on-board optical drive—are notable.

With a footprint smaller than a piece of paper, and measuring about an inch thick, the TZ is easy to slip into a briefcase. Its rigid carbon-fiber chassis lends durability and a sleek look, while the diminutive power brick keeps with the smaller-is-better design theme.

The downsides of downsizing, however, are evident when you flip open the notebook's lid. The keyboard has Chiclets-size keys with a pitch (the distance between the center of adjacent keys) of just 17mm, not the 19mm of a full-size notebook keyboard. The 11.1-inch screen also feels undersize, especially given the panel's 1,366x768-pixel resolution, which makes for some minuscule default text. We defy anyone to select a program from Windows' "All Applications" list without leaning in to read the names.

On the plus side, the LED-backlit screen is bright and particularly sharp, and the panel did a good job of reproducing colors and motion when we watched a DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl via the included external DVD±RW drive. As expected, however, the machine's tiny speakers delivered rather thin sound, although volume was adequate for personal use.

Sony has equipped the VGN-TZ298N/XC with two drives: a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD) to house the OS and applications, and a 250GB traditional hard drive for storing files. The SSD helps the OS and applications load more quickly. Indeed, Apple iTunes launched in a quick 8 seconds, though the machine was still sluggish when booting the Windows Vista Business OS, taking over 2 minutes. Sony doesn't help itself in this regard with the trialware it preloads; the animated AOL Mail icon (one of five AOL items cluttering the desktop) alone added 10 seconds to the boot time. Thankfully, you get full versions of some useful software here, too, including Microsoft Works SE 9.0, Sony's VAIO Video and Photo Suite, and Corel WinDVD.

Sony has made good use of the limited chassis space, delivering three USB ports, a FireWire port, LAN and modem jacks, a VGA connector, a Webcam, and a fingerprint reader, as well as Memory Stick and SD card slots. You even get handy (if tiny) multimedia-control buttons on the front edge, although volume and mute commands still require a Function-key combo. The programmable AV Mode button lets you register application icons—such as Windows Media Player and iTunes—that appear in a quick-launch "ribbon" menu when you press the button. Sony has also included all manner of wireless connectivity, including 802.11a/g/n and Bluetooth, plus wireless WAN through Sprint Mobile Broadband.

The TZ delivered appropriate, if unimpressive, performance for an ultraportable. The 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo U7700 CPU and 2GB of RAM managed a score of 2,376 on Futuremark's PCMark05 and 1,493 on PCMark Vantage. The machine was slow on our Windows Media Encoder test (14 minutes and 24 seconds), but fared better—though still not wonderfully—on out iTunes encoding trial (8 minutes and 55 seconds). But 3D-graphics performance from the integrated Mobile Intel 945GM chipset was downright abysmal: The machine scored just 129 at 1,024x768 resolution on Futuremark's 3DMark06.

More important for this class, however, is the machine's impressive battery life: The TZ ran for more than 4 hours with all its power-saving features turned off and performance set to maximum; more judicious use could net you a full day of AC-power-free computing away.

Sony Electronics,
www.sonystyle.com