Apple MacBook Pro 15 reviewed

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The allure of the MacBook Pro is simple. With power enough to please performance die-hards, and the poise to please fashionistas, Apple's flagship laptop was always destined to impress. But, with previous models still chugging along on Core 2 processors, many will have been holding off for this inevitable Core i7 upgrade.

Performance

The price is still enough to put a lump in anyone's throat, but the outlay rewards with the usual Apple delights. The major news is that the slick aluminium chassis is now joined by some up-to-date internals - but, although it's definitely fast, it isn't quite as fast as you might expect. Intel's Core i7-620M is teamed with 4GB of DDR3 memory, propelling it to a fine 1.75 in our benchmarks, but it's still a whisker behind two other recent i7 converts - Sony's VAIO Z11 on 1.80 and Lenovo's ThinkPad T510 (PC Authority, July 2010) on 1.91. The 5400rpm hard disk shares some of the blame; at this price, a 7200rpm disk would seem more appropriate.

Graphics

More interestingly, in a first for Apple, graphical duties are handled by dual GPUs comprising the on-CPU Intel HD graphics and Nvidia's discrete GeForce GT 330M chipset. The burlier chipset of the pair, the GeForce GT 330M, fired through Crysis at 1280 x 1024 and Medium detail with a borderline-playable average of 26fps. Intel's HD graphics, meanwhile, proved man enough for HD video playback.

The duo works wonders in Apple's OS X Snow Leopard, with Intel's HD graphics taking the reins most of the time and the Nvidia chipset automatically stepping in when more graphical muscle is required. Unfortunately, it's a great trick that you'll only appreciate in OS X. It's painfully absent when running Windows.

Battery Life

Boot Camp works as simply as ever for Windows installation, but the Nvidia chipset takes a serious toll on battery such as apple PowerBook G3 Battery, Apple PowerBook G4 Battery, Apple PowerBook G4 15inch Battery, Apple A1012 Battery, Apple M8511 Battery, Apple M8244 Battery, Apple A1079 Battery, Apple A1078 Battery, Apple A1148 Battery, Apple M6091 Battery life. The Intel HD chip is efficient, and allowed the MacBook Pro 15 to idle for 8hrs 15mins in OS X; by contrast, with the hungrier Nvidia chip permanently engaged, it managed only 3hrs 35mins in Windows. Push the MacBook Pro 15 hard and you'll be dashing to the mains after just 1hr 25mins.

Features

The frugal sprinkling of two USB ports, one FireWire 800 connector, Gigabit Ethernet and an SD card reader proves as limiting as ever, and although the miniature DisplayPort socket accepts a flexible array of adapters - including DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and D-SUB - the need to shell out for each one is galling.

Screen

Our hope that this, the most expensive MacBook Pro 15, might stretch to a high-definition display was dashed, too. Image quality is superb, with vibrant colours, good contrast and impressive brightness, but the native 1440 x 900 resolution is disappointing. We wouldn't hesitate in upgrading to the HD-capable 1680 x 1050-pixel display for AU$140.

Design

Spending this much, we'd expect unparalleled levels of comfort, but we were a little disappointed. Admittedly, the glass multitouch trackpad is responsive, but the backlit keyboard isn't on the same level. The crisp action makes the short-travel keys palatable, but the chiselled front edge of the laptop dug into our wrists.

If that wasn't enough, the combination of Intel's Core i7 and the MacBook Pro's aluminium construction causes the chassis to reach worrying temperatures. Light usage heated the wristrest enough to leave our palms sweaty, and heavy multitasking had the underside at scorching temperatures.

Conclusion

Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes, and Apple's latest proves a perfect illustration. From afar it's the usual lovely thing, with power and aluminium-framed panache in equal measures. But the specification is stingy, the keyboard mediocre, the lack of graphics switching in Windows is a killer blow, and the cooling system borders on the unworkable. We're long past the days when Apple did style like no other, and have seen too many far better laptops in recent months - such as the VAIO Z11 - to recommend this one.

Acer announces four new tablet devices for home and business

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Acer today announced fresh details on its four tablet products for 2011: the Iconia Tab A100, Iconia Tab A500, Iconia Tab W500 and Iconia dual screen touchbook

Four new products will soon be jostling for space in the overcrowded tablet market courtesy of Acer: the Iconia Tab A100, Iconia Tab A500 and Iconia Tab W500 and Iconia dual screen touchbook.

The Acer Iconia Tab A100 is an ultra-portable 7in Android tablet in the mould of Samsung’s first Galaxy Tab. Product highlights include a (1024x600) 16:10 aspect ratio full touch screen, a Nvidia 1GHz Dual Core processor, a rear-facing camera, Adobe Flash Player 10.2 and a solid array of connectivity options; including HDMI.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is a 10in tablet boasting a Dual Core Nvidia Tegra 2Wi-Fi CPU for speedier load times and Web browsing. Featuring a 10in capacitive touch screen, HD video playback, an in-built HDMI port, and 3D video support, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is primarily designed for mobile entertainment.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 runs on the latest Android operating system; 3.0 Honeycomb. We’ve played around with this OS on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v and can report that it is very user-friendly.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 will be available from mid-April from $579.

The Acer Iconia Tab W500 is an intriguing tablet device that consists of a 10.1in display and a detachable keyboard. The screen can be removed from its docking keyboard and carried around like a regular tablet.

According to Acer, the Iconia Tab W500 boasts a battery life of up to 6 hours in-between charges like Acer TravelMate 240 Battery, Acer BTP-52EW Battery, Acer BTP-63D1 Battery, Acer BTP-42C1 Battery, acer BTP-44A3 Battery, Acer BTP-550P Battery, Acer BTP-73E1 Battery, Acer BATCL50L Battery, Acer TravelMate 290 Battery, Acer TravelMate 4000 Battery. Other features include two 1.3MP cameras, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and Windows 7 operating system preinstalled.

The Acer Iconia Tab W500 will be available from May for an Australian RRP of $899.

Perhaps the most intriguing product at the launch was Acer's Iconia dual-screen touchbook - a desktop replacement-style laptop that comes with two all-point multi-touch displays in lieu of a traditional keyboard.

Users can use each screen to multi-task in any way they see fit; browsing a website on the top screen while viewing folders and documents on the bottom screen.

The Iconia touch-book is based on the Intel Core i5 family of processors and runs on the Windows 7 platform. You can read our first impressions of the device here.

The Iconia dual screen touchbook will be available in April, for a recommended retail price of $2499.

Power Adapter Technology

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Power supplies can be used to convert one form of energy into another. Power supplies may take the form of adapters, a kind of technology that enables current voltage and direction to be modified.

Definition

Power adapter technology rectifies one type of current such as AC (alternating current) voltage input to obtain DC, or direct current voltage output. Rectification is the process of converting AC current, which can reverse direction, into a current that flows in one direction, or direct current (DC). Inverting a current via a power adapter changes DC current to AC current.

Switching-Mode Power Adapter Technology

Alternating current, or AC, contains both positive and negative polarity, which enables it to change current direction.

Switching-mode power adapter technology uses rectification to force both polarities move in one direction to output DC voltage via diodes, or components designed to enable electrical currents to flow in one direction and block current flowing in the opposite direction.

Linear Power Adapter Technology

Linear power adapter technology uses large mains-frequency transformers to convert AC voltage to DC voltage. Transformers send out electrical energy from one current to another via conductor coils. These conductor coils are composed of material that enables the free flow of electrical current.

Power adapters (or power supplies) like Apple iBook G3 14-inch Adapter, Apple M8576 Adapter, Apple MacBook 13-inch Adapter, Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Adapter, Apple PowerBook 1400 Adapter, Apple M8243 Adapter, Apple M8942 Adapter, Apple A1021 Adapter, Apple A1184 Adapter, Apple A1036 Adapter, Apple iBook G4 14-inch Adapter are a ubiquitous part of our electronics-laden lifestyle.

A power adapter takes the output of one power source, like a 120-volt AC wall socket, and converts it to a different output, for example a 19.5-volt power supply for a laptop computer. Usually these devices work dependably and without worry. But if you find the electronics devices that you have connected to a power adapter are not working properly or that their batteries are not charging, there's always the possibility that the power adapter is not doing its job. With the right tool, however, you can check the output of your power adapter and see if that's the source of the problem.

Examine your power adapter. Every power adapter will have the input voltage and amperage requirements printed on it, as well as the output voltage and amperage rating. We'll be testing the output of the power adapter, so write down the specs. An example would be this, taken from a laptop power adapter: Output - 19.5V....3.34 amps. We'll measure the output of the power adapter with a multimeter -- a very handy tool for anyone working with electronics. A multimeter can measure voltage, current, power output and resistance of electrical circuits by touching the electrical circuits or device with a set of probes. See Additional Resources for a good tutorial on multimeters.

Set your multimeter to the proper range for measuring the output of your power adapter. Take into account the voltage and the amperage you'll be measuring. Consult the manual for specifics on how to set your particular model of multimeter.

Check the data plate of your power adapter to find out which portion of the plug is positive and which is negative. For example, on some power adapter plugs, the outer shell of the plug is positive, while on others it's negative.

Touch the probes of your multimeter to the corresponding portions of the power adapter's plug and note the readout. Compare that with the rated output of the power adapter. If it varies significantly, replace the power adapter.

Dell Inspiron E1405

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Dell has just informed us that the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500(1.6Ghz) processor is in short supply. As such, Dell plans to begin offering the E1405 with a higher Core 2 Duo processor beginning in the last quarter of this year. We anticipate the E1405's performance will improve as a result of this processor upgrade, but battery life might also be impacted.



When I reviewed the Dell Inspiron E1505 last May, I didn't hesitate to give it the Editors' Choice award for offering incredible value at a budget price. The only thing that could've made it better was a lighter chassis and better battery life. Now, there is a "Mini-Me" version of the E1505, the Dell Inspiron E1405 ($1,106 direct; E-Value Code: 9-D81012M). If its size and 8 hours of battery life do not capture your attention, perhaps the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor will. The E1405 will be one of several Inspirons to get the new processor upgrade, and it's priced with frugality in mind. But the performance gains I had expected from the processor upgrade really didn't come to fruition.

If it weren't for the 85Whr (9-cell) battery sticking out from the back, the E1405 would actually be over a pound lighter than the E1505, instead of just 0.8 pounds lighter. Despite the heavier battery such as dell Vostro 1510 battery, dell T112C battery, dell Vostro 1310 battery, dell Vostro 1520 battery, dell Vostro 2510 battery, dell Vostro 1000 battery, dell Vostro 1000 battery, dell T116C battery, dell Y022C battery, dell Latitude E6400 battery, the 5.8 pound system is still easy to tote around. I think the 14-inch widescreen is the perfect size for work and play, and it's one of few 14-inch displays to sport a 1440-by-900 resolution. Most budget systems with a 14-inch screens (and even budget systems with 15.4-inch screens, like the E1505) usually max out at 1280-by-800(WXGA) resolution. As a matter of fact, except for the weight and the screen, the two systems offer the same features, just at different dimensions.

Like its predecessor, the E1405 also has a 1.6-GHz processor. The main difference, of course, is that while the E1505's chip was an Intel Core Duo T2300, the E1405 has the new Core 2 Duo T5500. (Keep in mind that the E1505 will also get the processor upgrade in the future). On the SYSmark 2004 SE Internet Content Creation tests, I saw an 11% performance increase over that of the E1505. Office Productivity tests, surprisingly, were dead even. This tells you that media related tasks will benefit more than office applications will from an upgrade to a system with the T5500 chip. Photoshop tests were nearly neck and neck, so you won't see much of a performance gain there. Even video encoding tests improvements were minimal. In contrast, systems using the higher-clocked Intel Core 2 Duo processors (such as the Dell XPS M1710 with its Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 mobile processor, and Gateway M465-E with its Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 mobile CPU) saw 20% improvements in performance on the tests over the 1.6-GHz Core Duo mobile processor-equipped E1505.

The E1405 uses integrated graphics, which might have some people yearning for the discrete ATI graphics on the E1505. Discrete graphics is simply better for gaming, and spec-wise, it'll be ready for Windows Vista, Microsoft's next-generation operating system. The advantages of going with integrated graphics, you ask? Well, insanely long battery life for one. The 8 hours and 9 minutes that the E1405 achieved in MobileMark 2005 tests is the most impressive battery score to date on all laptops. The 85Whr (8 Cell) battery was a big factor, and low powered components contributed to the system's score. You also end up with a cooler system because of this. Using an infrared thermometer, temperatures barely climbed to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to triple digit temperature readings on systems running higher clocked Core 2 Duo processors. Ultimately, battery life makes the E1405 a better traveling companion than the E1505.

More In the end, there are certainly performance gains for the E1405, with its Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor, over that of the E1505, with its Intel Core Duo mobile CPU, but not as much as I would have hoped. You'll see better gains in systems using higher-clocked mobile Core 2 Duo CPUs. Performance is still top-notch, and if battery life and portability are at the top of your list of priorities, the Dell Inspiron E1405 is a solid notebook for frugal shoppers.