The Samsung QX411-W01UB features an up to date Intel Core i5 processor equipped with Turbo Boost Technology that accelerates PC performance by efficiently and intuitively allocating CPU processing power, when it is required, whether you are multitasking, playing 3D games or compressing and editing full size high definition videos and images. With optimized power management, the QX411 uses power only when it needs. The QX411-W01UB’s SuperBright display is 50 percent brighter as compared to usual screens and boasts 16 million colors, along with outstanding text readability and picture quality. Non-glossy screen offers vibrant and brilliant color without glare. The shiny screen is best suited for movies and games, and further provides brilliantly vivid and clear images.

The Samsung QX411-W01UB’s NVIDIA Optimus Graphics card with energy efficient NVIDIA GeForce GT525 for superior graphics and outstanding multimedia performance for intense 3D gaming while extending battery life. For complete set of features in Core i5 notebook in the $600 price range, it is really very difficult to beat the QX411-W01UB, which stands out for impressive extras and great keyboard. This notebook is a wonderful combination of aggressive price range of $800, cutting edge features and stellar design. It continues that design trend with 2011’s upgraded processors and other specifications such as USB 3.0 connectivity. The second generation Core i5 processor, 640GB hard disk drive and 6GB RAM are bargain for this price.

The main rival of Samsung QX411-W01UB is Dell Inspiron 14Z that offers similar specs but for $749. The Samsung offers excellent battery life is amongst the best mainstream notebooks. It is available for the price of $649 and comes equipped with Intel Core 2.4GHz i5-2430M processor, 1333MHz 6GB DDR3 RAM, 640GB 5400rpm hard disk drive, Intel HM65 chipset and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. The aluminium clad and often sleek bodies recall Sony Vaio and certain models of Asus. The all new QX411-W01UB feels solid with curved metal exterior, which is impressive to hold and is gunmetal in color.

The Samsung QX411-W01UB’s clean; slate gray interior provides abundant palm rest space, where you will find the Synaptics clickpad. Its rectangular, curved space is smaller as compared to MacBook Pro, but there is abundant room. The island-style keyboard is quite intuitive and comfortable to use like the one found on Asus U46E-BAL6. The edge to edge glass 14 inch display boasts 1366 x 768 pixel resolution. The stereo speakers fire from grille above keyboard, while the web camera is decent enough for standard Web chats. Some of the connectivity options on Samsung include video: HDMI, VGA, audio: microphone/headphone jacks and stereo speakers; data: two USB 3.0 ports, SD memory card reader and a USB 2.0 port; networking: Ethernet, Wi-Fi and WiMax and optical drive: DVD burner.

In terms of features, the Samsung QX411-W01UB is a funny notebook that offers two USB 3.0 ports, Intel Wireless Display 2.0 and WiMax antenna to connect to local 4G Ethernet. However, it doesn’t provide Bluetooth functionality. The Intel Core i5 second generation processor is quicker as compared to previous model; one of the most important features is the multitasking speed. It has one of the longest lasting batteries for six hours and five minutes that surpasses the impressive performance of Gateway ID47H02 and Dell Inspiron 14Z. It is a very good and highly affordable notebook with Core i5 processor and more than enough features to make it feel high end.

The Novatech Nspire Pro 2540 has an impressive set of quick components, and that showed clearly in our performance testing where the system performed exceedingly well. The Nspire Pro 2540 is powered by the fastest Intel Core i5-2540M processor in Intel’s range of ‘Sandy Bridge’ line and it means that the computer performed exceedingly well in most of our performance tests and successfully handled a lot of programming at once.

The Nspire Pro 2540 comes with a hard disk which we haven’t seen in many of the models in recent times. The 500GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid model of the system is a blend between a fresh solid-state drive (SSD) and a conventional hard disk. The system comes with standard hard disk storage of 500GB and 4GB of quick SSD storage in one piece. The SSD card of the system results in quick program loading and starting, and the hard disk of the system keeps the cost down and at the same time gives bigger hard disk capacity.

For the Nspire Pro 2540 users it means that the laptops will operate fast, and it actually was pretty fast in general office and internet related task, even some of the intensive tasks were performed exceedingly well. The Nspire Pro 2540 is also capable of handling rather demanding games; the Nvidia GT520M graphics card in the system was more than capable of handling the PC game titles.

Knowing that the laptop performs great is always great news, especially when you look at the price of the system. So finally we would say that the Novatech Nspire Pro 2540 is a really impressive laptop which makes use of some of the finest mobile computing technology around.

So if you are looking for a powerful system that will not cost you a fortune then the Nspire Pro 2540 definitely is a system worth considering; find out more about it here.

The Samsung Series 9 NP900X3A is a luxury system, which is equipped with 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 1333MHz DDR3 4GB RAM, 128GB solid state drive, Intel HM65 chipset, Intel HD 3000 graphics card and Windows 7 Professional operating system. It has an eye catching design with its sleek brushed black metal (duralumin, material used in airplane construction) with elegantly curved edges at the back. The Series 9 is thicker and measures 0.64 inch at its thickest, while the MacBook Air measures 0.68 inch at its thickest. The Samsung looks and feels thicker, but these differences are small quibbles. It comes with a brushed metal along with shiny plastic trim around keyboard and screen area. It features a 13.3 inch screen and has a matte finish, which definitely helps text and images pop in bright light areas. The screen boasts 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, but the viewable angles and brightness surpass many other models.

The multitouch large keypad of Samsung Series 9 NP900X3A’s features a Synaptics Series 1.5 technology and image sensing technology, which makes it one of the better laptops in the market. The matte surface feels quite great and is adequately sized for multifinger gestures. Some of the connectivity options on Series 9 include Mini-HDMI, Stereo speakers, microphone/headphone combo jack, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, micro SD card slot, Ethernet with plug-in dongle, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Overall, Samsung Series 9 is designed with mobility in mind with dramatic duralumin enclosure complete with remarkable durability and arching curves.

The Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B is a powerhouse computer that comes in a light and ultra-thin package. The system looks impressive and comes loaded with features that surely will blow your mind.

Cons:

Ungodly expensive. Ultra-dim display is baffling and wrong. Wireless toggle switch is easy to bump off. Keys are a little small, touch-typing can be rocky. LCD is disconcertingly floppy.

We’ll be pretty honest with you people and would like to tell you pretty straightly that there’s quite a number of things to like about the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B.

To start with, we would like to make it pretty clear that as far as performance is concerned ist just superb, almost on top of every laptop that’s as small as this one. The Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B is a 13.1 in notebook, weighing only 3.1 lbs, but the system still comes loaded with features such as a 6 GB of RAM (yeah, you read it right 6 GB it is), high-end 2.4-GHz Core i5 CPU, optical drive, an Nvidia GeForce GT 330M that could be attributed for the switchable graphics of the system. All these features not just provides the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B with the power to tear up a spreadsheet, but also gives plenty of power for gaming, as well. If truth be told, we would like to tell that the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B is capable of outdoing some of the severe and the most dedicated gaming systems in the market.

Is that it? If that’s what you thought then wait, because Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B has a lot in stores for you. Some other highlights for the Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B includes the likes of an included Verizon WWAN, a 256 GB of solid state hard drive, a backlit keyboard finally, a battery pack that can run the system up to three and half hours, Memory Stick and SD slots and finally upgraded screen resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels.

Seeing at all the specifications of the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B, that one almost forgets to have a look at the flaws of the Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B, and that’s when its flaw comes and hits you right on your face.

As a matter of fact, the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B suffers from two major flaws. First being in the display, and while we appreciate the LED backlighting and the enhanced resolution of the screen we just cant figure out why even at the full brightness, the screen remains one of the dimmest screen that we’ve reviewed till date. Even at full resolution, the display of Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B beams a dry gray-blue color instead of vibrant white that is expected from it. The display is just unacceptable on such a great system.

The second flaw in Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B is as bad as this one, and as a matter of fact it’s of greater concern to the sub-billionaire buyers. Priced at $2,349, this laptop clearly is one of the most expensive laptop that we’ve tested till now, and while it delivers the performance that you expect from a high-end gaming notebook, but it will be placed as an executive toy, and that is what makes it a tough sell. But if you still want ultimate power at an absolute minimum weight, the Sony Vaio Z-Series VPCZ125GX/B is just the laptop that you should be looking at.

The only explanation behind the horrendous look of the MSI GX660 could be that the MSI Engineers were determined to design the ugliest possible computer in the world, except for this we don’t think there’s any reason one would design a computer as horrendous as the MSI GX660.

The good news for the MSI engineers is that they have succeeded in attaining what they wanted to, and we would like to mention that since the original Dell Inspiron XPS, we haven’t seen any computer as ugly as this one.

The MSI GX660 is a toss back to an age which only existed in the minds of sci-fi enthusiasts of 1970s. The GX660 comes with callous angles, a blend of automotive inspirations, bizarre textures and ludicrous octagonal designs, and MSI tries to help them all live together.

The worst thing here is that despite such a hideous look MSI wants you to spend $1,750 over this system.

Leave the design, and what MSI has to offer to you for your money includes a high-resolution display having native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 1.73 GHz Core i7 Q740 CPU; a 15.6 in LCD; 6 GB of RAM; two 320-GB hard drives fitted in a RAID 0 pattern; and an ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. Now, at least the configuration of the system looks decent to us.

The MSI GX660 was designed to be a gaming laptop, and hence is powerful with arrows on the WASD keys of the keyboard, but the still the GX660 still is not a record-setter. Considering the fact that it’s a high-end machine, we expect it to deliver better number but we haven’t got better numbers on both the general apps and games.

We are more than happy to see MSI including a real battery in the laptop, and considering the fact that the battery set of the system delivers battery life of 1 hr and 51 mins, we think that the MSI actually is a portable, considering the fact that not many of the gaming rigs are capable of delivering performance as good as this one. The MSI GX660 weighs a meager 7.6 lbs, which is absolutely delicate for this class, as well.

We also appreciate the touch-sensitive control panel of the system. The icons of MSI are actually easy to comprehend and they perform just as expected.

The disappointment came in the form of Dynaudio speaker setup, which were a lot talked about. The oversized speakers for the system have been placed on both corners of the base.

Finally we would like to sum up the MSI GX660 by saying that it’s quite an affordable laptop for a gaming notebook, but the performance still is not the best in the class.

However, things have changed a lot in the second generation. I got the 13.3 inch version of Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 and was glad to see that the manufacturer has answered a lot of requests from the Air fans. There is a second USB port now which lets you connect one more peripheral. The earlier one had just one and if you connected something like an external mouse, you couldn’t connect anything else. The presence of a second USB port will answer a lot of issues. The number of USB jacks is still less than typical laptops but I won’t complain about that here since the Apple had to do a few sacrifices to keep the chassis thin. Speaking of thin chassis, the Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 is as thin as the original one and hence frequent travelers will be glad about it.

Apart from the addition of a USB port, the manufacturer has put in an SD card slot too. It was available on the MacBook Pros but didn’t find its way in the original Air. The processor too is faster now and this will delight people who lack patience. With the faster processor, I certainly won’t hesitate recommending the Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 as an alternative to any standard laptop. Previous version had a much slower CPU.

The screen resolution on the Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010 has been improved to give you more real estate to work on. You get a resolution of 1,440×900 pixels which is quite good for a 13 inch system. All these new features make the new Air a much more universal system but still it is not as good as the 13 inch MacBook Pros as they are much faster. Even the classic 13 inch Apple MacBook model is better in terms of speed but I am still glad that Apple put in this new bunch of goodies in the system.

Sony VAIO Y Series VPC-Y218FX has a good amount of connectivity options especially for wireless. There isn’t eSATA but you get three USB 2.0 ports and HDMI port along with VGA jack for computer monitor connections. There are also two media card slots (MemoryStick and SD) and 34mm ExpressCard slot. Apart from 802.11n Wi-Fi, this notebook offers mobile broadband (you will need to subscribe with Sprint or Verizon for this). There is also Bluetooth antenna which is another wireless option. A tiny on/off toggle for the Wi-Fi is located on the laptop’s front edge.

Apart from the flimsy built quality, there is another drawback on the Sony VAIO Y Series VPC-Y218FX – slow performance. There is Intel Pentium U5400 which is a dual core ULV (ultra low voltage) processor having a clock speed of just 1.2GHz. You won’t find a lot of advanced features of Core i3/i5 chips like Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. Hence I wasn’t really surprised to see that this laptop was nowhere close to any of the Core-i series laptops in terms of speed. For instance, there is the Asus U35Jc-A1 which costs $849 and comes with a Core i3 chip. This laptop completed all the tasks in half the time that it took on the Sony VAIO Y Series VPC-Y218FX. I also saw frequent lags in my anecdotal testing especially in multitasking tests. There are Sony Vaio Y-series laptops having faster ultralow voltage processors. Upgrading to 1.2GHz Core i3-330UM processor will cost you $20 and 1.73GHz Intel Core i5-430UM CPU will put you back by an additional $100.

The main reason why manufacturers put in energy efficient ULV processor is because they give a bigger battery life. But in my lab tests, the Sony VAIO Y Series VPC-Y218FX didn’t really impress me. It was the same as the faster Core i3 laptops. I got a little over four hours in my battery challenging video playback drain tests. The battery life isn’t awful but I expected better because of the slower processor.

The 13 inch model costs $1,499 and the 15 inch one costs $1,799 and if you are wondering whether to spend the extra $300 on the bigger version, I would say that it is totally worth it. But the bigger model is not recommended for frequent travelers.

In terms of design, there is not much difference about the Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011. In fact, it is really hard to tell if the new version is indeed the ‘new’ Mac. It has the same unibody construction and iconic design. The port layout too is the same. They are located on the left side and on the right, there is the slot loading optical drive. This laptop is like a big aluminum chunk in the hand but in the hand, it feels really good. They same great keyboard has been retained and I was delighted to see such plain looks in these days where other laptop makers are over-designing their products. The multitouch pad is the largest I have ever seen in a laptop. The quality of construction is good – it is rock solid as always.

That said, I would still like to see some improvements in terms of design especially in terms of weight and thickness. The 13 inch MacBook Pro is really thin and compact but it is still heavier as compared to other Apple products like MacBook Air or the iPad. But if the thickness really bothers you, get the Air.

The new Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 still comes with a backlit keyboard even on the entry level model. This will come handy while typing in dim light conditions. There are ambient light sensors which automatically control the brightness of the keyboard according to the light in the environment. The ergonomics are pretty good and the palm rest zones too are deepest and largest ones that I have ever seen on 13 inch laptops.

The 13.3 inch screen of the Apple MacBook Pro Winter 2011 still has the edge to edge glass frame and the manufacturer still hasn’t given an option for matte screen but there is antiglare available on the 15 inch version.

HP ProBook 5310m has sleek and clean looks and there are just three shortcut buttons. They are for activating wireless radios, QuickLook 3 and HP QuickWeb functions. HP ProBook 5310m laptop doesn’t have an optical drive but there is external DVD burner option included in the configuration. I was given the optical drive too with my review model and I really liked it. The drive is sleek, can easily slip in to the laptop bag and runs on USB power. But I was disappointed to see that there is just a single jack for microphone/headphone; I would have liked different ports for each of the functions.

HP ProBook 5310m laptop is the first installment in the M series and it also the first one to have QuickLook 3 and HP QuickWeb. The startup times are pretty fast, during my tests, the machine started in about a minute. Through HP QuickWeb, you can do Web browsing with Firefox browse in the prebook environment. For QuickWeb, users get choice of 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity to choose from.

HP ProBook 5310m is using 3rd iteration of proprietary HP QuickLook app. It is for opening the contact and calendar application without booting Windows. You can sync it automatically or manually with Microsoft Outlook. Previous QuickLook was just read only but this one lets uses add, edit the new appointments or contacts.

Business portable laptops are increasingly using glossy displays these days and I am happy to see that HP ProBook 5310m has broken this trend with 13.3 inch matte display. Inside, there is Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics chipset which lets you play HD video but don’t expect great gaming performance. The resolution of the screen is 1,366×768 pixels and the display looks bright.

My review model had an Intel Core 2 Duo LV SP9300 2.26 GHz chip along with four gigs of RAM and a 320 GB hard disk. The latter has a spin speed of 7,200 rpm which is better than what the traditional 5,400 rpm speed.

LG X120 has sturdy feel and will fit in nicely in your gadget bag. It is not as light and thin as other competitors in the market and the chassis has been made a bit bigger in order to accommodate the six cell battery. This is not a big deal and I think that most users will be happy to accept the bigger battery life for a bigger chassis.

When it comes to Netbooks, most of my reader as me – what about the keyboard? Earlier Netbooks have had shrunken keyboards which was fine for punching in a URL or for quick emails but you couldn’t do any serious writing on it. Netbook keyboards have come a long way since then owing to the bigger ten and nine inch screens. But I won’t say that you can type long emails on this keyboard without any problems. The comfort level is nowhere close to that on a full fledged desktop keyboard.

My review unit of the LG X120 had a bilingual keyboard and it has a skewed layout. You will still get used to it quickly; it has non-squishy feel but the same cannot be said about the trackpad. It has a good tactile feel but is too small to be comfortable and I have always been against single rocker buttons. They cause a lot of misclicks. Two separate mouse buttons are always the best.

Connection options on the LG X120 are fairly good, you get three USB port, easily accessible memory card bay for increasing the storage space from 1 GB and SD card slot. There is also a 3G version of LG X120 netbook available in some parts of the world. Noteworthy here is that you don’t get an ExpressCard slot.

LG X120 comes with Windows XP as the pre-installed OS but one big asset here is the Splashtop-based Smart-On interface. There is a dedicated power button for it for allowing easy and quick access.