Three Full HD Capable Laptops

One of the most interesting developments in the field of computers has been the percolation of HD into the mobile computing markets. Thanks to the ever-increasing graphical/processing capabilities now available in this area, laptops are able to offer full HD capabilities. Furthermore, with Blu-ray emerging as the HD format of choice, it's led to more and more manufacturers releasing solutions that are fully HD ready and also offer Blu-ray support.

Acer Aspire 8920G

Acer, which has been riding strongly on the success of its Gemstone series over the last few quarters, recently launched its new Gemstone Blue lineup. This latest series looks to offer laptops with HD/Full HD capabilities, with Blu-ray support, on a 16:9 resolution. The 8920g is Acer's flagship model.

The Acer 8920g is an 18-inch laptop with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5 GHz) Penryn CPU, 3GB of system memory, and a 320GB HDD. Its graphics are powered by an Nvidia 9650M GS chipset. This 8920G also ships with a Blu-ray drive and possesses Dolby 2.0 home theater support. It expectedly sports an HDMI slot for external connectivity.

When you factor all this in, you get a very well-designed machine that can be had at a relatively cheaper price than other solutions in this roundup. Prices for this model start at Rs 79,000.

Dell XPS M1730

No list of laptops is complete without a Dell. This time around it's the XPS M1730, the flagship model in Dell's XPS range. The M1730, easily emerges as the most customizable and powerful machine in this lineup. Not only does it support some of the fastest Intel mobile processors available, ranging from the T9300 to X9000 Extreme, it also comes with 4GB of DDR-2 667 RAM, Dual-8700 M GT GPUs with SLI support, and includes the new AGEIA PhysX mobile PPU.

In terms of storage it offers a variety of options, ranging from a single 200GB solution to RAID 0/1 setups of 500GB (2x250). Though it does not offer HDMI natively, it bundles a DVI-HDMI convertor and offers a Blu-ray drive as an optional install. Though its screen size is only 17 inches, it does squeeze in a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1200.

For further details, check out this page. Prices for the M1730 start at Rs 99,000. Look out for our review of this laptop.

SONY VAIO VGN-AR69

It is perhaps with a touch of irony that a Sony product has found its way into this lineup. As the founder and chief promoter of Blu-ray, it goes without saying that the company would naturally have Blu-ray enabled products.

The Vaio AR69 is Sony’s current flagship model. It is built on an Intel C2D T8300 processor, comes with 4GB of system memory, offers 500GB of HDD space (250x2 GB Raid 0), a Blu-ray drive, 8600M GT graphical chip, and a 17-inch LCD panel with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200. The AR69 has a native HDMI output and this is a plus point.

Prices for the AR69 start at Rs 1,69,000.

HP DV6846

HP’s DV series of laptops have in the past offered a very good mix of multimedia features along with a great finish and good performance. The DV6846 is the latest addition to this lineup. Does it live up to the standards set by its predecessors? Let's find out.

While many people aren't too happy with the smooth finish of the DV series, I think it strikes a perfect balance between slick looks and sturdy construction. Allow me to explain. HP traditionally uses what it calls the 'HP Imprint' – which involves a silver-and-black chassis, a glossy black LCD panel, a silver accented keyboard area with jet-black keys, and an art-deco harsh glossy finish to the lid.

The DV6846 is no different. As always, the construction is excellent, with sturdy hinges and a tough body that can take a lot of beating. Its profile too remains unchanged. Rather surprisingly, the DV6846 is a bit heavier than previous models in the series and heats up a lot more as well. This could cause some issues if you use it literally as a 'laptop'!

Another thing that remains unchanged is the keyboard. As with its predecessors, the keyboard offers a very comfortable working experience. The keys themselves are well-spaced out and offer good tactile feedback, and their smooth textured finish make short work of long hours of typing.

The touchpad is also well-designed. Unlike other manufacturers that tend to deploy a textured finish for the touchpad, HP offers a smooth finish. This allows for quick manipulation of the mouse cursor, and when you combine it with its larger-than-average size and the satisfying 'deep-click' feel of the mouse buttons, it certainly scores.

The screen is a positive step forward. The resolution remains the same as expected (15" panel with a native resolution of 1280 x 800), but it offers far richer color, and better contrast and brightness ratios. Black levels are much deeper too, which makes it a pleasure to watch movies. One drawback, however, is that the screen itself is extremely glossy and reflective. This can sometimes hinder legibility, especially in brightly lit areas.

Connectivity-wise, the laptop is strictly average. It offers three USB slots, the standard selection of Ethernet connectivity (Ethernet/ telephone modem jack), a 4-in-1 card reader and a LightScribe dual-layer DVD writer. In terms of wireless connectivity it offers 802.11 a/b/g and Bluetooth.

The DV6846 is quite healthy when it comes to its system specifications. It has an Intel T5550 processor, an Nvidia 8400M GS graphical chipset, 300GB of storage space, and 3GB of RAM.

In our PCMark test, the laptop managed an average score of 4410. This is very good, and only held back by the baseline C2D processor. The 3DMark06 score, however, was a none too impressive 1601. When you combine the two, what you get is an excellent laptop that is sadly held back by baseline specifications.

However, this does not impact on the multi-tasking capability of the laptop. The generous 3GB RAM and ample storage imply that the OS (Windows Vista Home Professional) runs smoothly, and one can easily use the laptop as a full-blown desktop replacement.

Our final test involved checking the battery life of the DV6846, and it proved to be quite a revelation. On a simple 6-cell battery, the laptop lasted nearly 3 hours before shutting down. This was a full-stress test; on a more sedate setting it reached 3.15 hours. Overall this is very good for a laptop in this segment.

The DV6846 retails at Rs 55,999 + 4% taxes. Considering the price and the bare-bones specifications, one would be better off looking at Dell’s XPS M1530, which offers significantly better looks and a sharper screen. I'd recommend the DV6846 only you if must get an HP... but even then, earlier models in the DV range are still around – and at their reduced prices offer better value for money.

Dell Latitude D410

The Dell Latitude X1 and was quite impressed with the simple non-flashy design. But I really dig a bit of a darker look to a laptop, and the Dell D410 with its dark charcoal grey and silver finish is rather striking. It reminds me a bit of the Fujitsu LifeBook styling, which I like a lot. The dark finish and industrial looking fan vent also gives the D410 a bit of a muscular look, the Ford Mustang of notebooks if you will. The silver latch on the screen adds a nice finishing touch and professional look. The build is sturdy, this notebook doesn't flex. The chassis uses a tri-metal blend of aluminum, magnesium and steel while the case shell is constructed of a very rigid plastic on the body and keyboard area. The lid is constructed of magnesium alloy that offers great protection of the screen and a great look as well. So the build is overall good, This shouldn't be the case with a business notebook, that's a cheap finish solution and it kind of ruins a perfect 10.0 on the overall build.

Specification of dell latitude D410 OS Provided--------- Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 Service & Support -------3 year warranty Modem type-----------Fax / modem Available Memory --------512MB Processor Frequency------1.6GHz , 0.2GHz , 1.9GHz , 2GHz , 1.7GHz Hard Disk -------------- 60GB Input device type--------- Keyboard , Touchpad Modem speed-------------- 56kbps Battery technology -------- Lithium ion Processor Name------------ Pentium M USB Port ---------- Yes Weight ------- 1.77kg

Hewlett Packard NW9440 Laptop

Hewlett Packard NW9440 Wi-Fi laptop is proudly introduced to the market by the laptop giants HP with a wide range of improved specifications. The machine is designed with Core 2 Duo processor type and with Intel model T7600, which makes the machine work faster and smoother. The speed of the machine always depends upon the disk capacity it contains. The DVD RAM speed is 5 X (DVD, DVD-R). The graphics card of this laptop is Quadro FX which is more ideal for presentation type of work. The USB ports in this machine is 4 x Hi-Speed USB with 4 PIN USB Type A.

The optical drive that is designed in Hewlett Packard NW9440 business laptop is DVD writer that is double layered. It has floppy disk drive, which is a removable media slot that can support a size of 3.5 inches. The machine is manufactured with lithium ion battery type that can support the machine for 3 hours. It comes with mouse touchpad, keyboard and pointing stick that are the input devices for this system. It comes with wireless networking system, which helps in easy access of the system.

The speed of the modem available along with the system comes with a speed of about 56 kbps and supports operating systems such as Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Windows Vista Business. It is available with S-Video card, Wi-Fi capability, CD/ DVD Read/write facility and Firewire port. It also comes along with memory sticks. The machine is designed with built-in Devices like wireless LAN aerial, stereo speakers and Bluetooth aerial. This machine comes with 3 years warranty.

Features

Hard disk capacity and RAM capacity

The hard disk capacity of Hewlett Packard NW9440 notebook is 100 GB and RAM capacity is 2 GB that is expandable up to a maximum of 4 GB.

RAM

The RAM type of this machine is DDR II SDRAM with a speed of 667 MHz.

Screen size and Screen Resolution

This model comes with a wide screen size of 17 inches with a perfect screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA).

Weight and Dimension

This laptop comes with 3.4 Kg and dimension 393mm (W), 275mm (D) and 33mm (H).

Samsung Q70 Laptop

Samsung Q70 Business Class Laptop, according to its manufacturer, judiciously maintains the balance between premium performance and mobility. Samsung further promises that this model of theirs would increase the productivity of the most exacting customer. The dimensions of this model that amounts to 312 x 220.7 x 39.2 mm along with its condonable weight of 2.03 kg refers to its portability. This smart aspect of portability here is well qualified by a 13.3 inches Ultra Sharp display of widescreen properties. This LCD display holds a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels that makes it capable of receiving even high-definition images.

Back bone of the System

This portable notebook from Samsung proudly exhibits the agility of the latest sensation platform from Intel; Intel Centrino Duo Processor. A RAM memory of 1GB explains the speed of this system. Hard drive of this laptop PC is a S-ATA HDD of 160GB storage capacity. The principal chipset of this system is the Mobile Intel 965PM chipset. This laptop also presents a NVIDIA GeForce G Dedicate graphic chipset apart from 2 slot SODIMM’s memory banks.

Multimedia Advantage

This notebook PC also excels in the multimedia sector with the main attraction being a couple of embedded stereo speakers of 2W each. This portable laptop system is more than capable of conceiving high definition audio with its HD digital 7.1 channel audio. Apart from this, the sound ports in this system is materialised by three ports such as a built in mono mic, a head phone out and a microphone in port.

Input devices and Power Features

Samsung Q70 Portable Notebook, comes with an eighty three keys supported keyboard that is shrouded by one of the most advanced technology relevant, called Silver Nano Anti-Bacteria technology. Apart from this, this portable laptop pc also presents a scroll scope touchpad. This notebook draws its power from a 6-cell 2400 mAh/cell Li-ion battery that gives it a single charge life of over 6.5 hours.

Apple MacBook Pro 15” Laptop

Apple MacBook Pro 15” Silver Laptop comes with an increase battery life, compact dimensions and light weight makes it a satisfactory travel mate. When you think about the portability aspect of this notebook PC just consider its dimensions and weight; 357 x 26 x 243 mm and 2.45 kg respectively. This laptop PC in either silver or grey shade, however complies with the style, largely. The display of this model is of 15.4 inches in diagonal size and its resolution
refers to 1440 x 900 pixels that says, you have an HD image conceivable display. Apple claims that they have loaded this model, their latest gizmo, with a larger hard drive, tons of memory and a galaxy of features.

Among this laptop’s interface features, stands tall an advanced trackpad supported by Multi-touch technology. By this, you not only can flip through your pictures but also can enlarge or adjust your text as well as images simply with your fingers. You can also work on it in low light condtions as in the aeroplane or a conference room, thanking the integrated ambient backlight sensor of this system’s keyboard that adjusts the keyboard’s brightness according to the available light, with intuition. An iSight web camera is intelligently embedded on the centre of this laptop’s bezel that allows you video conferencing with iChat.

Apple MacBook Pro 15” Notebook is supported by a much hyped Intel Core 2 Duo processor that runs at a speed of 2.6Ghz, a serial ATA hard drive that sports the storage capacity of up to 160GB, a RAM of 4GB maximum and the three ‘R’s of optical storage; CD/DVD read, write and rewrite. A NVIDIA
GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor adorns the graphics field of this machine as well.

Other Significant Features

USB and Firewire interfaces
Wireless networking
Bluetooth
Ethernet
Expresscard
Integrated Speakers
5.5 Hours Battery Life
Remote Control

Durabook S15ST2 Laptop

Durabook S15ST2 Laptop is designed with an elegant look which offers mobility along with efficiency. It has come with distinct advantages that make the use of the laptop easy and at the same time fascinating.

Technical Specifications

Durabook S15ST2 Laptop can offer high speed processing up to 2.4 GHz as it has been featured with Intel Core2 Duo T8300 processor. You can store up to 4 GB in RAM and the installed size of RAM is 2 GB. DDR2 memory technology is use in the device. It also comes with a HDD that has a permanent storage capacity up to 160 GB. You can run programs and software in Windows Vista Business or XP Professional platform. DVD-RW Dual drive is an added advantage in the new device.

Screen Properties

Hard Protective Acrylic LCD Sheet has been used for designing the monitor of this laptop. The diagonal screen size of the unit is measured as 15.4 inches. It has come with the compatibility to support WXGA format. Anti-shock mounted LCD screen gives additional protection to the unit. You can view images with maximum resolution up to 1440 pixels horizontally and 900 pixels vertically.

Security Features

Durabook S15ST2 Notebook has been featured with a smart card socket which is needed for identity protection. TPM 1.2 support offers additional security to the unit.

Network Support

Intel Pro or Wireless 945 ABG network feature has been supported by the unit and therefore it can support distinct wireless standards like 802.11a or b or g. The unit has come integrated with modem as well.

Available Ports

• 1 x IEEE 1394 FireWire
• 1 x External display (VGA) port
• 3 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x Serial port
• 1 x Modem (RJ-11) Port
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
• 1 x ExpressCardâ„¢/54 slot (no PCMCIA slot)
• 4 x USB 2.0 ports
• 1 x IEEE 1394 port
• 1 x Infrared (CIR) port
• 1 x External display (VGA) port
• 1 x S-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) port
• 1 x Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
• 1 x Microphone-in jack
• 1 x Line-in jack
• 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45) jack
• 1 x Modem (RJ-11) port
• 1 x DC-in jack for AC adapter

Other Details

Another remarkable feature of the unit is that it comes with an integrated webcam. Durabook S15ST2 Laptop C omputer can run with the support of 9 cell long life battery. The device also comes with a one year limited international warranty. The unit has got Military Standard 810F Approval and it has cleared spill resistance and drop and shock tests. The unit has come with spill resistant keyboard, touch pad and buttons. The device is drop resistant as it comes with magnesium alloy casa and optical drive lock design.

General Information
Brand	Durabook
Model	Durabook S15ST2
Colours available	Black, silver
Processor Type	Intel Core2 Duo T8300
Hard disk capacity	160 GB
RAM capacity	2 GB
RAM type	DDR2
Speed	2.4 GHz
Screen size	15.4
Screen resolution	1440 x 900
Graphics card	Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300 up to 358
USB ports	3
Optical drives	DVD-RW Dual Drive
Battery capacity	9 Cell Long - Life Battery
Touch pad	Yes
Wireless technology	No
Modem	Yes
Operating System	Windows Vista Business or XP Professional
Features
S-Video card	Yes
Wi-Fi capability	No
CD/ DVD Read/write	DVD
Firewire port	Yes
Infra red port	Yes
Accessories
	Twinhead Bag Lacie Rugged 160GB Pocket