Stephen Patrick Reviews Archive

News from Stephen Patrick

Results 1 to 25 of 511.

Toshiba NB200-11H notebook
Does Tosh's netbook impress? 6 July 2009 15:00 GMT

The Good
Improved design, battery life, keyboard, quality

The Bad
Less portable than the original, big battery won’t suit all users

Verdict
A bigger solution than Toshiba’s original netbook, but it’s a better all-round package as a result. Stylish, comfortable and with a great battery life

Price
£367
Sony VAIO VGN-FW41 notebook
Top drawer multimedia machine? 30 June 2009 12:00 GMT

The Good
Bright and colourful screen, comfortable keyboard, distinctive style

The Bad
Quality could be better, office performance is a little underwhelming

Verdict
An impressive multimedia laptop that offers performance, comfort and style, but it could offer a slightly more sturdy design

Price
£867
Acer Aspire 3810T notebook
The choice for portability? 22 June 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Outstanding battery life, slim and portable design, quality

The Bad
Lack of optical drive, keyboard won’t suit all tastes, slow

Verdict
Although not the perfect all-rounder - slightly let down by poor performance - the 3810T is a great laptop, offering good quality and a truly outstanding battery life

Price
£690
Acer Aspire One 531 notebook
Just another netbook, or something more? 17 June 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
Thin and neat design, build quality, bright screen

The Bad
Keyboard could be larger, not revolutionary, average battery life

Verdict
A high-quality and stylish netbook. Battery life could be better, but it’s still highly recommended

Price
£350
Toshiba Portege A600-122 notebook
An office ultraportable? 8 June 2009 13:09 GMT

The Good
Battery life, light weight, small size

The Bad
Poor performance, flimsy build

Verdict
With a low weight and all-day battery life, this is an ideal tool for busy corporate users, but those needing a powerful machine to multi-task on should look elsewhere

Price
£1044
Sony VAIO VGN-Z21ZN/X notebook
Is Sony's Z-series the ultimate ultraportable? 1 June 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
All-day battery life, desktop-replacement performance, exotic materials

The Bad
One of the most expensive laptops currently on sale

Verdict
If you’re in the market for a high-end ultraportable, nothing else on the market can offer the Z-series’ blend of power, portability and features. It’s staggeringly expensive, but it’s also amazingly accomplished

Price
£2499
Dell Studio 1555 notebook
Still one of the best mid-range laptops? 25 May 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Good value for money, excellent quality and usability

The Bad
Still not the cheapest machine, lowish screen resolution

Verdict
A great all-rounder, the Dell Studio 1555 offers excellent performance, quality and usability, making it a machine that’s well worth a second look

Price
£734
Sony Vaio VGN-P11Z/W notebook
Is this really a practical portable device? 20 May 2009 9:09 GMT

The Good
Incredible size, impressive keyboard, high resolution screen

The Bad
Hugely pricey, budget components

Verdict
The P-series is a surprisingly usable proposition, and built-in 3G makes it a great out of office tool, but it costs a lot for what’s on offer

Price
£849
Samsung R522 notebook
An impressive budget laptop? 18 May 2009 9:30 GMT

The Good
Reasonable value, good office performance, comfortable keyboard

The Bad
Integrated graphics, lacks any stand-out features

Verdict
A good all-rounder, and a very capable laptop, but for all it’s usability it remains an uninspiring choice

Price
£600
Samsung Q320 notebook
An impressive portable machine? 5 May 2009 10:18 GMT

The Good
Good quality, strong 3D performance, highly portable

The Bad
Glossy lid is a magnet for prints

Verdict
A compact and well designed laptop that does it all. It’s not the most desirable laptop we’ve seen though

Price
£677
Dell Inspiron Mini 10 notebook
Does the Mini 10 hit the spot? 27 April 2009 16:00 GMT

The Good
Size, outstanding keyboard, great all-round package

The Bad
Very little, no VGA-port

Verdict
A fantastic keyboard, good quality and a sensible design make this an appealing package. Battery life isn’t overly great, however

Price
£299
HP Pavilion dv2-1030ea notebook
Want a compact high-definition notebook? 20 April 2009 9:27 GMT

The Good
Great quality and comfort on offer, stylish, highly portable, affordable

The Bad
Low-powered processor gets overwhelmed easily, battery life could be better

Verdict
Although performance could be better, those seeking a machine for simple tasks will struggle to find a better quality or more comfortable machine of this size and weight for much under £600

Price
£599
Toshiba Satellite A350-11N notebook
A budget multimedia machine? 15 April 2009 9:01 GMT

The Good
Comfort, screen is good for watching films

The Bad
Limited 3D capabilities reduce abilities as a family machine

Verdict
A comfortable laptop that’s great for watching movies, the A350 is let down by its poor 3D capabilities

Price
£529
HP Compaq Mini 703EA notebook
A netbook to keep you connected on the move? 6 April 2009 9:31 GMT

The Good
Huge keys, style, small size

The Bad
Average battery life, compromised touchpad

Verdict
With an astoundingly good keyboard, the Compaq Mini 703EA is one of the most comfortable netbooks you can buy. Other features are less out of the ordinary, however.

Price
£399
Acer Aspire 6930G-583G notebook
Premium features without the premium price? 30 March 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent value for money, great usability, lots of features

The Bad
Bulky, poor battery life

Verdict
An incredible amount of multimedia laptop for the money, and one of the cheapest Blu-ray laptops on the market

Price
£500
Dell Studio 1525 notebook
Can Dell rule in mainstream notebooks? 23 March 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Great screen, ergonomics, build quality and performance

The Bad
It’s not the smallest of laptops

Verdict
One of the best all-rounders we’ve seen so far, the Dell Studio 1525 offers great quality and features. It’s also a more attractive proposition than Dell’s own Studio XPS range

Price
£619
Asus Eee PC 1000HE notebook
Does this really give you over 9 hours of battery life? 16 March 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Outstanding battery life, good usability

The Bad
Bulky chassis, quite expensive

Verdict
A better than average netbook with good usability and a great battery life

Price
£330
Dell Studio XPS 13 notebook
XPS performance at Studio prices? 9 March 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent office and multimedia performance, backlit keyboard

The Bad
Bulky, glossy finish attracts fingerprints and scratches

Verdict
Not as stylish as other XPS models, and lacking a premium feel, but there’s no doubting performance on offer

Price
£799
Lenovo ThinkPad X301 notebook
The thinking man’s MacBook Air? 2 March 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Incredibly light weight and skinny dimensions, excellent quality and ergonomics

The Bad
Looks dull, expensive

Verdict
A highly portable laptop offering practicality and comfort, although it comes at a price

Price
£1922
HP Touchsmart TX2-1015ea tablet PC
A tablet for home users? 26 February 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Nice looking, excellent keyboard, well made, well-specified

The Bad
Too heavy for comfortable tablet use, bulky, hazy screen

Verdict
A great little laptop, packed with features, but it’s too compromised when it comes to use as a Tablet PC

Price
£799
Samsung X460 notebook
Can this challenge the MacBook Air? 16 February 2009 10:00 GMT

The Good
Amazing light weight, comfortable keyboard, power and features

The Bad
Cheap looking plastics, average screen resolution

Verdict
An incredibly lightweight 14.1-inch laptop, with performance, features and comfort. Quality doesn’t prove much better than cheaper Samsung models, however

Price
£900
HP Pavilion dv5-1110em notebook
Blu-ray on a budget? 9 February 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Style, quality, keyboard, features

The Bad
Slower than key rivals, poor battery life

Verdict
A surprising amount of features for the price, and also offering comfort and quality, but it lags behind rivals when it comes to performance

Price
£519
Toshiba Tecra M10-10H notebook
Does this corporate workhorse lack flair? 2 February 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Excellent keyboard and interface, good quality and performance

The Bad
Bulky, lacking desirability, average specification

Verdict
Uninspiring design, but a tough, fast and particularly comfortable corporate laptop. It’s not cheap, however, and is overshadowed by rivals

Price
£700
Dell Inspiron Mini 12 notebook
Do extra screen inches sweeten the package? 26 January 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
Lightweight, thin, good usability, price

The Bad
Larger than average size for a netbook, unexceptional screen resolution, hard drive capacity

Verdict
An oversized but surprisingly portable netbook with a great screen and good quality. It still won’t replace your main laptop however

Price
£329
Lenovo IdeaPad S10e notebook
Will this netbook stand-out? 19 January 2009 9:00 GMT

The Good
That screen, robust quality, highly portable

The Bad
Average battery life, keyboard not as good as we hoped

Verdict
The screen is particularly good, and overall quality is also above average. The S10e is let down by a poor battery though, and the keyboard isn’t quite as good as the best in class

Price
£287