This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net
When most people think about PC gaming, they envision a sweet desktop with the latest and greatest components. However, not everyone chooses to go the desktop route. Unfortunately for those that do go with a laptop, heat becomes a major issue. There’s nothing quite like having your game interrupted because your computer shut down to prevent overheating. There are quite a few different solutions on the market today, but I’m going to show you the Cryo LX Notebook Cooler from NZXT.
The last time we took a look at something from NZXT we were impressed, so I had high hopes when I dug into this Cryo LX cooler. If I were to judge this simply based on weight, it would definitely win an award. It’s made from solid aluminum, so the weight doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. You certainly don’t have to worry about it moving around on you while you’re gaming. Surprisingly it does fold up partially to make it easier for transporting.
Who really cares about a laptop with a bigger screen or more horsepower or an SSD or 4G or WiMax when you could have a laptop with an integrated make up kit and nail printer and a screen that turns into a mirror at the push of a button? Because that’s what girls want, right? Right? Hmm, maybe we need a female writer on staff or something, because I suddenly feel like I’ve dug myself into a pretty deep hole here. Just keep in mind that these HP laptop concepts were designed by a guy in Russia named Nikita Buyanov and not me… A couple more, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Maybe it’s unfair of me to say that this Microsoft laptop cooling pad from Microsoft is mediocre. But I don’t know, I guess I kind of expected that if Microsoft were to come up with a laptop cooling pad, it would be somehow notable or significant, and as far as I can tell, this isn’t. It’s 1.16 inches thick, and it’s got a single USB powered fan.
And it has a cable management clip.
And it’s kind of curvy, I suppose.
It’s available in black or white (to match your MacBook), for $30 in July.
This seems like an obvious upgrade now that the U.S. and eventually Canada are converting to DTV broadcasts, but Intel is apparently the first company to develop a balanced antenna for digital TV that can be embedded inside a laptop. So down the line if you find yourself stuck in an airport or anywhere without a wireless internet connection, you’ll at least be able to enjoy the boob tube (can we still call it that with tube-less flat screen displays?) without the need for an annoying external TV antenna.
The MSI Wind U100 is a pretty decent netbookthe best netbook EVAR. In fact, I’m typing this entry on one right now, can you tell? MSI has been pretty good about providing substantive software upgrades, and now it looks like there are some hardware enhancements on the way in the next generation of the U100 series, although they’ll be just about identical from the outside.
The U100 Plus will have an extra gig of RAM for 2 gigs total, although it’s unclear whether they’re just going to be filling the empty RAM slot found on the original U100. Also, the processor gets a small bump to the 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280, with an Intel Intel 945GSE graphics chipset.
It’s unclear where exactly the line between netbook and small laptop is, but the Mouse computer LB-F1500W certainly blurs it by including an optical drive. Not just a CD drive, either… They’ve crammed a DVD burner in there. The rest of the specs are fairly bland, including a 1.6 GHz Atom, a gig of ram, a 160 gig HD, 10.2″ 1024 x 600 display, and Windows XP Home.
Is this a useful feature to have on a netbook? I have my doubts. There are certainly specific instances where having an optical drive comes in handy, but is it something that’s necessary to a computer that’s designed to be (generally) minimalist and efficient? It would be nice for, say, being able to watch a DVD while on the plane or something. But I’m sure battery life takes a pretty significant hit and the computer has got to weigh more and have a larger case, all things that netbooks were designed specifically to avoid. A much better solution would be to just get a little external USB powered DVD drive to have when you want it… And even with that, you’ll still probably be saving money over the $729 price of the LB-F1500W if you get yourself something better. Like, oh, I don’t know, maybe an MSI Wind?
Never mind the dual screens, dual hard drives, Wacom tablet, and integrated color calibration… If you buy a Lenovo W700ds, your co-workers will strip naked for you.
The Sony press conference just wrapped, and the one thing that really got the camera flashes popping was the official announcement for the VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC. Since it’s Sony, they of course had to come up with a different name than ‘netbook’, but between you and me, that’s what you’re getting. However, it is one of the smallest and sleekest looking ‘lifestyle’ PCs I’ve ever played with.
As Sony claims, it’s about the length of a business envelope and weighs just 1.4 pounds. And after carrying around a backpack with a MacBook inside for about 2 days now, that’s music to my ears. It’s also got integrated wireless WAN, LAN and Bluetooth, as well as GPS that doesn’t require an internet connection. (Yay!)
The high-resolution ultra-wide LCD display is great for viewing websites with minimal horizontal scrolling or resizing, and the model I played with seemed to have no trouble running Windows Vista. I’m still cautious about netbooks after my misadventures with the Asus EEE, but Sony sure puts forth a strong argument for an ultra compact laptop with this one. The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC should be available for pre-order at the Sony Store tomorrow (North America only I believe) and at select retailers next month for about $900.
IBM has a new entry into the realm of absolutely beastly laptops portable desktops, and the ThinkPad W700ds includes a feature you won’t find anywhere else, as far as I know: an integrated secondary display that slides out of the primary display. The main screen is 17″ 1920 x 1200 CCFL backlit, while the secondary screen is 10.6″ 768 x 1280 LED backlit. All together, that’s a lot of real estate in a compact package.
It doesn’t stop with the displays, either. The W700ds boasts Intel Core 2 Quad processors, an NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M GPU, up to 8 gigs of ram, and up to nearly 1 terrabyte of mixed HD and SSD storage. Want more? How about integrated color calibration and a little Wacom tablet and stylus in the palmrest? Tasty.
The ThinkPad W700ds starts off at an unsurprising 11 pounds and $3600, and will be available this January. If you’re looking for something cheaper, The W700ds has a little brother, the W700, which includes all the rest of the goodies except the secondary display starting $3000.
Related Tags: 
Permalink
