Orange has announced two new "connected laptops", the Asus 1005HGO and the Compaq CQ61 and two new mobile broadband dongles.

The 10.1-inch Asus 1005HGO with embedded SIM card is an Orange exclusive. Offering Windows 7 starter and weighing 1.27kg, it's angled as the on-the-go option.

The 15.6-inch Compaq CQ61 is bundled with an Orange e1752 dongle and comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.

The Asus netbook will cost from ?25 to ?35 a month on 18-month and 24-month mobile broadband contracts with 1GB, 3GB and 5GB options available.

The Compaq laptop is offered on the same contracts but also requires an upfront pay-out of between ?65 and ?130 depending on which contract is taken, although it is free on a 5GB, ?35 per month, 24-month contract.

As far as dongles go, the new Orange e1752 dongle will be bundled with mobile broadband packages while the Option 515M, which will come with a free 8GB Micro SD memory card, will be charged at around ?20.

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Tags: Hardware Phones Orange Laptops Mobile broadband USB modems Tariffs Asus Compaq Netbooks Software Asus 1005HGO Compaq CQ61

Orange offers two new "connected laptops" originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:34:14 +0000

Asus has dropped us word of its latest Eee Box, the 1501. The Eee box series are nettops - tiny, cheap, relatively low-power machines that are designed as secondary computers (perhaps for use in a media centre setup) or for those who don't use their machine very much.

The 1501, Asus reckons, is one of the world's smallest computers that features both a dedicated Nvidia ION graphics chip (most nettops have less-powerful integrated graphics) and an optical drive for DVD playback. It can also output full 1080p from an HDMI-out port.

Elsewhere in the spec sheet, there's a dual core Intel Atom 330 processor, 2GB of memory (expandable to 4), a 250GB hard drive, 5.1 speaker support, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port. It comes with Windows 7, an upscaler and a built in IPTV player, and can be either mounted on the back of a monitor or on its stand.

The device claims to be 50% quieter than most desktop PCs, and has 70% less power consumption to boot. It measures 193 x 193 x 39mm, which is 1.5L of volume. It costs ?340 and is available now.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Asus Asus Eee Box 1501 Eee HD Nettops Video

VIDEO: Asus reveals Eee Box 1501 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:54:17 +0000

Asus has announced the launch of the world's first Nvidia 3D Vision notebook, the G51J, that offers a 3D experience on the small screen with the help of special glasses.

A niche offering to say the least, it's notable for offering a 120Hz 3D Vision-capable display for on-the-go 3D, although how much the bragging rights to owning that tech will cost when it goes on sale in December is still TBC.

The Nvidia 3D Vision set-up comprises of wireless glasses, a wide-range IR emitter, and what's said to be "advanced software that transforms hundreds of PC games into full stereoscopic 3D experiences".

Owners of the laptop can get boggle-eyed with more than 400 PC games that work out of the box with Nvidia system including such titles as Resident Evil 5, Borderlands, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Star Trek D-A-C.

Other features of the G51J, aside from its obvious USP, include an Intel Core i7 processor, 64-bit Windows 7 and Altec Lansing speakers.

Nvidia says it's also working with the likes of LG ad Samsung on 3D displays with both companies promising products coming soon, while in the wider 3D laptop market, Acer has gone down a different route with its Aspire 5738DG 3D notebook.

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Tags: Hardware Laptops Asus Nvidia 3D Nvidia 3D Vision Gaming

Asus G51J Nvidia 3D Vision notebook announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:26:18 +0000

Thanks to its Intel Atom 330 dual core processor and Nvidia ION dedicated graphics with full HD media support, Asus is claiming unprecedented netbook performance for its new Eee PC 1201N multimedia netbook.

Said to be "breaking the boundaries of what is possible on the netbook platform", other features for the new Windows 7, 12.1-inch device include a LED-backlit, 1366 x768 WXGA display, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, webcam, HDMI port and a memory card reader.

Asus is claiming up to 5 hours battery life for the 120IN and it offers a 250GB hard drive plus 500GB online Eee storage, 2GB RAM, measures in at 296 x 208 x 27.3-33.3mm and weighs 1.46kg.

The Eee PC 1201N will be available in black or silver in the UK around mid January for ?399.

Tags: Hardware Netbooks Laptops Asus Eee Nvidia Intel Windows 7

Asus Eee PC 1201N multimedia netbook announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:21:39 +0000

Asus has announced the launch of the SDRW-08D1S-U external slim DVD writer, angled as ideal for use with netbooks that have no optical drive of their own as well as for home users wanting to back data up to DVD.

With sleek, glossy black or white looks, the upright drive is USB-powered, portable and offers what's said to be an easy to use drag and drop interface.

Boasting low power consumption, write speeds are up to 8x and it offers disk encryption for added password security on files.

The drive is available now on the high street and online priced at ?49.99.

Tags: Hardware DVD Asus Optical drives

Asus SDRW-08D1S-U slim DVD drive launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:57:39 +0000

With laptop innovation moving faster than just about any other area of consumer technology, it seems rather unfair to do a best laptop of the year category. Anything released back in January is comparatively obsolete next to anything from the last few months. The arrival of both Windows 7 and CULV technology in the latter half of the year has distorted matters even more. That said, 2009 started with some memorable moments at CES and a definite clutch of landmark releases that have managed to stay in contention for the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Award for Best Laptop. Here's a little reminder of some of the highlights for you, and don't forget to tell us just which would get your vote.

Multimedia & Games

The laptop industry has moved into three clear areas of machines over the last 2 years although more recently it's threatened to fragment even further. One of the sectors beginning to divide in 2009 is the multimedia notebooks which, since the rise of the netbook and the slimline PC, now consists of just about anything over 2kg in weight with a 15-inch or more screen size. The point is that whereas once they might have been considered portable, the only moving anyone would do with them now would be short distances within the home. And, as for them being lap-tops, well there's now a select few of them that would crush your thigh bones even if you thought about it.

As a consequence of being housebound, these have predominately become entertainment units fit with powerful graphics cards, Blu-ray players, quad core processors, HDMI ports and, of course, HD quality widescreens. Some of the better examples of the year include the Samsung R720, the Asus F70, the Acer Aspire 7540 & 5542, MSI GX723, HP Pavillion DV8, Packard Bell EasyNote DT85 and the Sony Vaio NW series. That's been pretty much the middle bench of this category.

However, beyond these entertainment machines are the slightly lower spec and more portable professional type traditional laptops in the same vein as the MacBook Pro range which was itself refreshed right from the beginning of the 2009. The addition of a 17-inch model and later the 15-inch and 13-inch upgrades helped to remind us that although their specs may be lower, these are still machines to be reckoned with. Toshiba very much has its own take on the market with the Satellite series as re-released throughout the year, Dell has its Studios with an impressive update to the Studio 15 seen in 2009 and the one that got most tongues wagging was the HP Envy laptops with their Core i7 processors and enormous wedges of RAM available up to a slightly insane 16GB.

At the very other extreme of this category is a growing number of monster machines for gamers. It's a tricky area given that most self-respecting VG-heads will build their own PCs, but there is an ever-growing PC gaming market once more and plenty of consumers who want to buy something tailor made. What 2009 has continued to show here is that even this end of computing is moving away from desktops, which were normally classed as the only machines to offer the necessary power and screen size.

The minimum you'd expect to pay for these mostly 17-inch beasts would be a cool ?1000 like we saw in the Packard Bell iPower GX at the beginning of the awards year and the budget but effective Advent 6555 which has arrived since. However, Dell's Alienware, the Demios X-10 and the Asus G60 were also there in case you really wanted to start splashing the cash on dual GPUs and more lights, bells, whistles and sub-woofered sound hot-rods. Hard to tell how big this niche will get in the future but it's certainly been a feature this year.

Finally, and just to be typically awkward Apple finally brought us a new version of their ?799 entry level machine - the 13-inch unibody white MacBook. 2006 was the last time the company refreshed that model and we were beginning to think they would leave it at that.

Ultra Slim

By far the biggest growth area in laptops has been the thin, slim, ultra-portable, ultra-stylish machines. Consumers have been crying out for something with the portability of a netbook but with the battery and processing capabilities nearer the multimedia muthas as well as larger screen sizes to match - typically between 13 and 15 inches. We'd already seen the beginnings of this with the MacBook Air and the Toshiba Porteges but it was at CES 2009 when the fashion really hit home as MSI released their X-Series of laptops with the X320, which has now matured through the X400 and X600 too. Dell managed to eke out the tease on the style-conscious Adamo for nearly 6 months before more recently blowing us all away with even thinner and more unique Adamo XPS and it's the launch of the Intel CULV platform that's really produced the gold rush we're seeing right now.

Asus were quick to move from the already good looking brushed aluminium UX series to the new low voltage, longer lasting system take on the same design with the near enough Asus UL series. There must have been a secret meeting in a darkened smoky room between the marketing chiefs a few months back because it seems X-series has become synonymous with this laptop form. Samsung's X-series arrived with typical gusto in October after the announcement at IFA and once Sony had decided that the trend was here to stay, they produced an Vaio X-series of the company's very own too. And, just to prove they're not all about stacking them high and selling them cheap, Dell produced a slightly less premium take on the trend with both the Inspiron and Lattitude Z-series. Presumably, there were no Xs left. Finally both Toshiba and Acer, with the Timeline range, went about more portable solutions although in a slightly more sedate and less thin-crazed way.

Interestingly, because of the focus on efficiency and form, what we haven't seen, and perhaps for the first time, is any significant increase in RAM and processor cores - typical signs of raw power. Instead 2009 has given the consumer laptops with a definite purpose. We have more battery power, a lighter load, more power-friendly LED screens, often with SSD internal storage solutions as well. Throw Windows 7 into the mix and there's never been a better time to buy a laptop.

Netbooks

If 2008 was the arrival of the netbook, then 2009 has most certainly represented its peak. According to Samsung, Q4 of 2009, now, is when we should expect to see the largest sale in netbooks worldwide. Simply everyone makes them including Orange, LG, Nokia, BlackBerry and even Hello Kitty. There is some suspicion that the wave will roll back once more with the ultra-slims taking a lot of that market share away, with a solution that most people were probably after in the first place, but it seems there will always be a place for devices like these that simply need to be carried in a smaller space.

That said, there have been one or two standout innovations in the netbook field starting at the very beginning of the year in Las Vegas with the arrival of three very important machines. The first was from the inventor of the netbook, as Asus held aloft the touch and swivel screen Eee PC tablet, the T91. The second was the HP Mini 2140 and its near full size keyboard and, perhaps most famously, was Sony's half admission that netbooks were here to stay with the release of the Vaio P not-netbook. The company has since gone the whole hog with the Vaio W.

It's almost seemed that the manufactures themselves have sensed that the traditional netbook might have been a fad. Most have ditched the early 8.9-inch models with 10-inch machines being the baseline these days, the best of the current crop are the Dell Mini 10v, the Toshiba NB200, the Medion E1312, HP Mini 5101, Asus Eee PC 1008HA, Samsung N510 and the Acer Aspire One D250, many of which now come with 2GB of RAM, near full QWERTYs and better graphics than ever before. There's been a recognition that it's hard to get much done on such small machines so we've seen the addition of the Nvidia ION platform to allow gaming and HD video playback to help bolster the trade too. The other way to go has been the blurring of the very definition of the category by creating a series of 11-inch not-netbooks, which straddle the gap in machine class, and often come with non-Atom processors like the HP Pavillion DM1 and the Packard Bell dot m/u.

Aside these small boosts and the touchscreen capabilities, perhaps the only real innovation has come from Acer who has brought out a version of the D250 that comes with both Android and Windows operating systems installed as well as, of course, the offering of a 3D laptop too. It'll be interesting to see how Google's desktop OS takes off and who'll choose to run netbooks on Windows 7. But, most of all, it'll be interesting to see what's come of the netbook in 2 year's time.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our readers have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Laptop 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - digital cameras
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - car gadgets
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets

Tags: Hardware Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Features Asus Acer Samsung Laptops Netbooks Dell Dell Adamo XPS

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - laptops originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:10:45 +0000

The launch of Microsoft Windows 7 sees the first raft of touchscreen PCs come to market and the place they're coming fastest of all is in the all-in-one desktop space. It's easy to spend a lot on what are sometimes items of design and luxury rather than machines of multi-touch multimedia, so to help sort the sheep from the goats, here's five Windows 7-toting winners to look out for.

HP Touch Smart

Price

?900

Screen size

20"

CPU

AMD processor

RAM

4GB

Graphics

ATI Radeon

Storage

500GB

HP has announced two new models of its HP TouchSmart all-in-one PC but while the higher end 600 comes with a 23-inch screen, it's the more modest 300 unit where you'll find the value. Both variants run version 3.0 of HP's TouchSmart software. Its highlights include the TouchSmart Canvas, which will let you organise and edit photos by touch, and TouchSmart Live TV which gives you the sort of functions you'd expect from a PVR, with the ability to pause live TV and record from the EPG. There's no Blu-ray drive with the 300 but there's still Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a wireless keyboard and mouse. Naturally, it's HDMI port happy for all the Xboxes, PS3s and whatever other kinds of AV devices you want to add in. At ?900 it's well within the range of a normal person having a bit of a splurge.

Asus Eee Top ET2203

Price

?820

Screen size

21.6"

CPU

2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

RAM

4GB

Graphics

ATI Radeon 4570

Storage

500GB

The ET2203 is not the first time Asus has gone touchscreen with plenty of experience already in the stylish Eee Top range. This time, the company has launched a unit to go with Windows 7 and while cheaper than the HP model, it still manages to have a bigger screen and BD player to boot. It has HDMI-in ports, b/g/n wireless and an SRS sound card with two 3W speakers. There's also a webcam and wireless keyboard and mouse. What's missing here is the TV tuner functionality which might well be central to the positioning of machines like this but, if that's not a function you're after, then the Asus is a very good choice.

Dell Studio One 19

Price

?799

Screen size

19"

CPU

2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

RAM

3GB

Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce 9400

Storage

500GB

Aimed at the family's living room, or even kitchen, the Studio One 19 is made of aluminium, glass and fabric and comes in white, blue and grey. It's the cheapest of the lot, but only just, and it's actually been on the scene for a little while now. It does well in the graphics department and has a pacey CPU but there's no optional extras at that price in the shape of a Blu-ray drive and webcam. It also has the smallest screen and someone seems to have run off with a gig of memory too. It's hard to see why someone would opt for it ahead of either the HP or the Asus but expect to see a more competitive price to make you think a little longer in the weeks to come.

Sony Touch Vaio L Series PC/TV

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Price

?1,399

Screen size

24-inch

CPU

2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad

RAM

4GB

Graphics

GeForce G210M 512MB

Storage

1TB

So, that's the affordable ones out of the way. If you really want to treat yourself, then the recently announced 24-inch Sony Vaio L all-in-one would certainly be a most enjoyable way to go. It has a Full HD, WUXGA 1920 x 1080 widescreen panel with a built-in TV tuner a huge bank of storage and, of course, Sony's Blu-ray support as well. The quad core processor is a very welcome step up in performance and power and, being a Vaio, it also looks damn good too. It comes with Sony's media gallery software and despite all the luxury features, is still relatively good value.

Medion Touch

Price

?2,000

Screen size

24"

CPU

Intel CoreTM2 Quad Q9000

RAM

4GB

Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce GT240M graphics card

Storage

1TB

Surprisingly, it's Medion that has taken a slight leave of its senses by coming up with the most expensive of these Windows 7 all-in-ones. The 24-inch Touch X9613 is designed as a wall mounted unit to be used as an always connected secondary screen for the family home. On the surface it has a similar spec to the Vaio but it's packed with features including twin DVB-T/DVB-S tuners, a full Dolby Surround sound bar and HDMI-in and outputs. It's a technological statement from the company normally associated with budget PCs but it'd certainly be a fun statement to be a part of. It? features voice control, has a wireless mouse and keyboard and an RF remote. It also happens to look pretty swish too.

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Related links:

• News - HP TouchSmart PC
• PHOTOS - Getting the touch on the Medion X9613 all-in-one
• News - Dell Studio One 19 launches in UK
• News - PHOTOS: Asus Eee Top ET2203

Tags: Hardware All-in-one PCs HP HP TouchSmart PC Sony Vaio Windows 7 Dell Studio One 19 Dell Sony Asus Asus Eee Top ET2203 Medion Medion Touch X9613 Features

Five touchscreen Windows 7 PCs to look out for originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:40:18 +0100

Here's Asus' Eee Top ET2203 desktop PC. Like other Eee Tops, it's a touchscreen computer, but this is the latest in the range. It's being launched in conjunction with Windows 7, which comes with plenty of tools for touchscreen users.

The machine has a Core 2 Duo processor, running at 2.2GHz, a 21.6-inch display, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard disk, an ATI Radeon 4570 graphics card, HDMI-in, b/g/n wireless and an SRS sound card with two 3W speakers. There's also a webcam, Blu-ray drive and wireless keyboard and mouse included.

The Eee Top ET2203 will be released on 22 October ?(the same date as Windows 7 is released) and will cost ?820.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Desktop PCs Asus Asus Eee Top ET2203 Touchscreen

PHOTOS: Asus Eee Top ET2203 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:57:24 +0100

If you do a lot of video calls across the Web, you'll be aware that they can be a bit of a pain sometimes. Between lossy connections and flaky webcam drivers, it can be a little tough to get things working how you want them to.

Asus is trying to simplify that process with its Eee Videophone, which also seems to go by the name of the AiGuru SV1T Skype Videophone. It has a 7-inch touchscreen interface and lets you use Skype to make unlimited free video calls to other Skype users. You can also make voice calls if you buy Skype credit.

The Videophone is available now, and costs ?240.

Tags: Hardware Asus Skype Video conferencing Videophones Asus Eee Videophone Photos

PHOTOS: Asus Eee Videophone Touch originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:41:23 +0100

Asus has rolled out a couple of kiddie's netbooks, both complete with Disney branding. They're pretty similar to Asus' "Seashell" Eee PC, coming as they do with an 1.6GHz Atom Processor, Windows XP, 8.9-inch display and 1GB of memory.

There's no SSD option, only a 160GB hard disk, but it does have n-standard Wi-Fi, as well as b and g. There are 3 USB ports, a card reader, and plenty of parental controls and Disney software onboard.

The Disney netbook comes in either princess pink or magic blue and costs ?300. It's available now.

Tags: Hardware Netbooks Disney Asus Photos

PHOTOS: Asus Disney Netbook originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:25:45 +0100

The blurb on the Amazon website describes the Asus Eee PC S101 as an "exquisitely designed netbook for fashion forward individuals who view style as much of a factor of success as substance".

However, if you are not one of those "fashion forward individuals" then it may interest you instead that they are selling the previously-priced ?479 netbook for a rather more palatable ?279.99.

This "ultra-portable" netbook gets a 10-inch screen with an Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive. Battery life seems decent, giving you over 5 hours of use between refills, whilst the 4-in-1 card reader will help make sure all your data is backed up.

Connectivity is catered for with Bluetooth, 802.11 a/g/n along with three USB 2.0 ports, and a headphone port while you'll be using Windows XP Home Edition as your OS.

Amazon is also offering free delivery and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

Tags: Hardware Laptops Netbooks Asus Asus EPCS101 Amazon Daily Tech Deal Eee

Daily Tech Deal: Asus Eee S101 netbook from Amazon originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Asus has launched a range of thin and light notebooks that it's calling the "UnLimited" series. They come in a range of screen sizes, with a brushed aluminium chassis, 12-hour battery life and ultra-low-voltage processor.

There's three options, the UL30, UL50AG and UL50VG. The UL30 has a 13.3-inch screen, whereas the UL50s both have 15.6-inch displays and differ in that the VG has a dedicated graphics option (an NVIDIA GeForce G 210M). All three have an Intel Core 2 Duo CULV SU7300 processor.

They also have Dual Altec Lansing speakers and the upper end of the range has an AI light sensor, full numpad, and the ability the switch off dedicated graphics to save power and therefore battery life. The machines come with 250-500GB of storage, a/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, upto 4GB of RAM and a 0.3-megapixel webcam.

All three will be on sale from 22 October, indicating that they'll arrive with Windows 7 installed. The UL30 will cost ?600, the UL50AG is ?700 and the UL50VG is ?800.

Read

Related links:

• News - Five ultra thin, ultra light and ultra portable notebooks
• Reviewed - Asus UX30 notebook review

Tags: Hardware Laptops Asus Asus UL30 Asus UL50AG Asus UL50VG

Asus announces UnLimited laptops originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:19:56 +0100

So, Sony is the latest to be breaking records today with the official launch of what the company considers is the world's lightest notebook. Naturally, that all rather depends on whatever woolly boundaries there are between net and notebooks but the fact remains that an 11.1-inch screen, 0.72kg and 13.9mm is pretty damn ultra portable. Naturally, not everyone's going fancy the Vaio side of the equation, so here are five other options for computing on the go.

MacBook Air (19.4mm, 1.36kg, ?1349)

Yes, it's an obvious one so let's get it out of the way now. The Air was one of the first laptops to tell optical media that it just didn't care any more and whatever you say about the machine and the annoying envelope ads, it does have a lovely form factor. Unlike the Vaio X, it comes with a proper processor - an Intel Duo Core 2 - at either 1.86 or 2.1GHz, integrated 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, 2GB of DDR3 and a 120GB SDD if you want to go for the top end model. The full dimensions are 227 ? 325  ? 19.4mm and even though it's still a squeeze of a little backpack, you do get the benefit of an LED backlit screen with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

Dell Adamo (16.5mm, 1.81kg, ?1899)

Until the Adamo came on the scene, it was Apple who held the crown for the thinnest. The luxury branded Dell has now set the bar at 16.5mm thick. Again, there's an Intel Core 2 Duo at the heart with a 1.6GHz clock speed and up to 4GB RAM to back it up. Keeping toe-to-toe with the Air, it has a 256GB SSD and a larger 13.4-inch LED backlit screen with 1366 x 768 resolution. Dell has obviously had complaints about the Adamo just not being thin enough, damn it, so, the company has being showing off the next generation in the saga. It's the truly size zero, 9.9mm Dell Adamo XPS. There's very little else known about it either because the Texas company can't work out how to fit anything inside it yet or because there's a long campaign of photos with it next to pencils planned. Again.

MSI X340 (19.8mm, 1.3kg, ?720)

For those who aren't made of cash, one good option of a similar size is the MSI X340 - the current best combination of power and size that the company does. It houses a 1.4GHz Intel CULV processor, just the 2GB RAM and rather than an SSD, gives you 320GB of the old spinning disk kind of storage. It's no frills on the screen with a straight forward 13.4-inch LCD but the real weakness is probably the battery pack, which only offers 2-3 hours away from the wall. There's always the option of an 8-cell battery that's obviously going to add to its vital statistics.

Asus UX30 (19.6mm, 1.45kg, ?999)

Asus has come up with a very similar proposition to the X340 with another CULV machine using the same Intel chip. It's a 13.3-inch machine - this time LED backlit and with a full 4GB RAM compliment to keep it running. Still, no optical drive but it does have a very decent array of ports on offer and up to 500GB of HDD which probably accounts for the added weight. Lovely simple form factor going on with a brushed aluminium finish. The only downside is that it's quite expensive given the lack of power on the graphics side. Just an integrated Intel GMA 4500M to play with.

Toshiba Portege R500 S5007V (19.6mm, 1.08kg, ?950)

Not the world's snappiest name and perhaps not quite as stunning as some of these other models but for size and weight, it's up there with the Adamo and Air. That said, it is a smaller screen device and at a more comfortable 12.1-inches with an LED backlit screen. As a slightly older computer it comes with just 2GB of RAM and a 1.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7700 processor. However, the real bonus here is that you also get the benefit of optical drive that'll re-write DVDs and anything easier.

If that lot doesn't tickle your fancy, then you,re probably after a netbook. That or a desktop PC.

Related links:

• News - Sony Vaio X Series announced

Tags: Hardware Sony Vaio Laptops Laptops Dell Dell Adamo XPS Adamo MSI MSI X400 Apple MacBook Air Toshiba Toshiba Portege Asus Asus UX30 Features

Five ultra thin, ultra light and ultra portable notebooks originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:11:22 +0100

One man's urge for a computer in his kitchen has pushed him into gutting an Asus Eee netbook and fitting it in his kitchen cupboards.

No doubt baulking at the price of the LG or Samsung "connected" fridges that feature built in computers, a gadget fiend from Germany has modded an Eee PC 701 into not only being touchscreen, but also featuring a TV tuner as well.

The end result, which the video guides you to, shows that he can then watch and control his computer while mincing around the kitchen.

As for the crazy music soundtrack, we aren't sure. Probably one for the mute key.

Read

Tags: Hardware Laptops Netbooks Kitchen gadgets Asus Asus Eee 701 Video

Asus eee 701 gets modded into kitchen cupboard originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:55:02 +0100

Not only do we have news of a new Asus product for you, but also a video of the new device as demonstrated by a charming Aussie nymph.

The new O!Play HDP-R1 is a networked, high-def capable media player and NAS storage device that can hook up to your television for video and music playback.

It offers an "ultra-fast eSATA interface", Ethernet, a music shuffle function and extensive file support.

Hit play now to see the device being unboxed and in action, while it's on sale now in the UK for around ?85.

Read

Tags: Hardware Asus Home Cinema NAS Networking Video Media streaming

VIDEO: Asus O!Play media player demoed originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:10:33 +0100