Laptop Magazine has published their review of Lenovo’s 12-inch (1280×800) S12 Netbook with nVidia’s ION GPU:
We recently celebrated the second anniversary of the netbook, and in that relatively short period of time, the systems in this class have grown from cramped 7-inch machines with short battery life to 12-inch laptops that blur the lines between mini-notebooks and full size portables. Now the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, the second Nvidia Ion-powered netbook to hit the U.S. market, is continuing that evolution. Priced at $649, the S12 is more expensive than many other systems in the category, but with the premium you get ample graphics capable of playing HD video and mid-range games, 3GB of RAM, good ergonomics, an instant-on OS, and surprisingly loud speakers. We just wish that this version of the S12 was cheaper and could crank out longer battery life.
Pros
- Good graphics performance
- Crisp, colorful display
- Spacious keyboard
- Instant-on functionality
Loud speakersCons
- Short battery life
- Expensive for a netbook
- Dark webcam visuals
You can read the entire review of the Lenovo S12 at Laptop Magazine.
PC Magazine has published their review of the 13.3-inch Toshiba Satellite T135-S1300 ultra-thin laptop:
Despite being a latecomer to the netbook market, Toshiba found success in the seemingly cut-throat niche. This time, it didn’t wait as long to enter the increasingly popular CULV-laptop segment of the market. (CULV stands for consumer ultra-low voltage CULV processor.) Like all other CULV-equipped laptops, the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1300 ($600 street) runs on a low-powered processor and measures less than an inch thick. Performance, though, is this systems biggest compromise, as it uses a single core Pentium processor instead of a dual core like that found in its peers, the ASUS UL30A-A1 and Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T. At $600, though, it also costs $150-$300 less than its dual-core rivals, and that’s very reasonable.
BOTTOM LINE
Laptop Magazine has published their review of the Toshiba T135 Ultra-Thin Laptop:
Although Toshiba made a late (but worthy) entry into the netbook market, the company has jumped right into the Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) category: affordable thin-and-lights that are slightly larger and more powerful than mini-notebooks. The $709 Satellite T135-S1310WH, a 13.3-inch configuration from the company’s new T Series of ULV notebooks, is one of the most stylish we’ve seen, and offers faster performance than many of its more expensive competitors. We’re not fans of the single touchpad button, and we wish the speakers were louder, but overall the T135 is a good value.
Pros
- Attractive design
- Fast performance for its class
- Slightly less expensive than competing models
- Strong wireless range
- HDMI output
Cons
- Stiff, narrow touch button
- Long boot time
- Weak speakers
You can read the entire review at Latopmag.
Toshiba has introduced it’s latest line of Ultra Low-Voltage laptops, the T100 Series. First off, the Satellite T115 is an 11.6-inch 16:9 LED-backlit widescreen laptop that comes available with either an Intel Pentium SU4100 processor or Celeron 743 processor. The second model is the Satellite T135, which has a 13.3-inch 16:9 diagonal widescreen LED Backlit display. The T135 is available with the Intel Pentium SU4100 (T135-S1310) or Pentium SU2700 processors (T135-S1300). Both laptops have a native 1366×768 resolution and include:
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- DDR3 memory, starting at 2GB (maximum of 4GB)
- Intel 4500M integrated Graphics with HDMI and RGB monitor outputs
- 250GB HDD (5400rpm) on up
- 802.11b/g or 802.11n wireless
- 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery (5600 mAh)
- eSATA/USB combo port [which allows for a fast eSATA flash drive that gets it’s power from USB] with USB Sleep-and-Charge and two USB 2.0 ports
- Built-in Webcam with Toshiba Face Recognition and microphone (mono-only)
- 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, xD Picture Card)
Laptop Magazine has published their review of the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T-6415 Laptop. With it’s 13.3-inch LED LCD display, Intel’s Core 2 Duo SU9400 Ultra-Low Voltage Processor, and eight hours of battery life, the Acer AS3810T-6415 received an Editor’s Choice:
Pros
- Thin, lightweight design
- Extra-long battery life
- Fast hard drive
- Excellent HD webcam
- Strong wireless range
Cons
- Lacks optical drive
- Stiff touch button
- Speakers not very loud
The Aspire Timeline 3810T is a flagship member of Acer’s new Timeline series, which offers consumers inch-thin, long-lasting notebooks with starting prices well under a thousand dollars. It’s part of a rapidly growing trend in notebooks that are smaller and cheaper than mainstream ones, but larger and pricier than netbooks. For $899 (starting at $599), the 13.3-inch 3810T outshines most value-priced notebooks with an outstanding eight hours of battery life, and an extremely slim profile. You also get a big, speedy 500GB hard drive, and performance that’s more than good enough for everyday computing. If you can live without an optical drive, which might be a deal breaker for some, the Timeline 3810T is a great buy.
You can read the entire review of the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T-6415 at Laptop Magazine. You can find more 3810T Netbook Dad articles here. For those of you wondering about the real price, it’s available at Amazon, and Newegg for less.
The Timeline 3810T is Acer’s latest 13.3-inch laptop which uses Intel’s Ultra-Low Voltage platform. The 3810T does not include a DVD drive, but it does provide a nice compact package with excellent battery life. With it’s six-cell lithium ion battery, Acer is claiming over 8-hours of battery life. Now, not many Netbook Dads are going to see that kind of time, but a solid 5-hours-plus on a regular basis should be possible. All Acer Timeline 3810T laptops are available with the following features:
Netbooks are really good at what they do: provide a very portable, long-lasting small notebook at a very low price. However, what if you really need some additional horsepower? What if you want more than a 10-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel LCD screen? What if you actually want to view some of that 720p video footage that you just shot on your new Nikon D300s dSLR Camera? And what if you want to do all of that but still have a light and compact laptop with great battery life that doesn’t cost too much more than a high-end Netbook?
