Netbook Review, notebook review, tablet review, PC review » keyboard

ROCCAT Plans To Launch In US at CES 2012

Paul Merak — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:48:16 +0000

January’s Consumer Electronic Show CES in Las Vegas will be a big event for german peripherals manufacturer ROCCAT, when it makes its first appearance in the US, where it will launch its flagship Isku illuminated keyboard and the Kone[+] mouse. Consumers will be expected to pay a handsome price for that german engineering know-how; ROCCAT [...]

Gateway NV55S05u – Review

Ashley — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:17:22 +0000

The 15-inch Gateway NV55S05u is notable for its excellent graphics performance and chic white design, all for $579. There are actually 17 possible configurations for the Gateway NV55S05u, with an assortment of AMD and Intel CPUs to choose from. Our test model had a a 1.5GHz AMD Quad-core A8-3500M CPU coupled with an AMD Radeon [...]

Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 – Review

Ashley — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:40:50 +0000

Lenovo presents the all-new Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 – a 13.3-inch notebook, slick and portable. Lenovo traditionally makes its budget notebooks look more expensive than they really are, and so too with the Lenovo IdeaPad Z370. The IdeaPad Z370 measures 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.8~1.3 inches and weighs in at a very light 4.4 pounds. The palm rest [...]

Asus Eee Pad Slider release UK and Germany

Paul Merak — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:33:56 +0000

We have posted on Android 3.0 Honeycomb Asus Eee Pad Slider netbook/tablet while back and even though released date has not been clarified as yet we are noticing signs of release havoc in Germany and UK. Amazon in Germany is taking emails for notification and UK Asus facebook is stating that EeePad Slider release will [...]

New iOS 5 and its best improvements

Paul Merak — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:14:39 +0000

Apple had announced over 200 new features in their new iOS 5. This is the biggest update Apple has ever done. Among the most important features iOS 5 brings us iMessage service, Notification Center, Music app, improved Mail, new Safari, Twitter integration, updated Calendar, Settings, improved keyboard and Reminders. Here is a rundown of the [...]

A League of their own: Tablets are still not substitutes to laptops

Paul Merak — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:41:26 +0000

The tablet mania has somehow reached a critical mass in just a few years. Dozens of models, updates and further improvements suggest that these so called tablets will be around for a pretty long time. It seems like a scene from a sci-fi movie from the past hand held screen, touch technology, great battery life. [...]

Honeycomb Update for the Eee Pad Transformer

Paul Merak — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:58:19 +0000

When Asus revealed the transformer at the CES in January, the Android version was a custom Android 2.x. The company also promised that this tablet with a detachable keyboard will be able to run the Android 3.0 that has been specifically made for larger tablets by the time it launches by summer. The company kept [...]

New Software keyboard from Swiftkey for Android Tablets

Paul Merak — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:58:13 +0000

Swiftkey is a popular name when it comes to keyboard programs created for Android. Of course, what started out on smart phones will not necessarily work on various tablets with the sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches on average. The people from Swiftkey understand the sentiment and so they recently unveiled a keyboard solution [...]

BPhone MID runs Linux

iKendra — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:46:38 +0000

Want a nice stylish Linux machine with a swivel screen that does not costs $1000+? Then, you shall give a glance to the BPhone. From China, this baby features a 5-inch WVGA display, QWERTY keyboard and Marvell PXA310 624MHz processor. Oh, and it is an unlocked phone too. The BPhone costs $570.

That keyboard does not look comfortable, does it?

iTTD introduces two new CULV notebooks

Twinkle — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:07:27 +0000

As we can easily observe, now many big brands are rolling out CULV based notebooks. And now, its shanzhai players directed to the same route. iTTD has rolled out couple of CULV notebooks which will soon hit the (Chinese) market.To start with, there is an 11.6-inch device equipped with single core Celeron 743 processor inside an ABS plastic shell with an Apple-like chiclet keyboard. It features 11.6-inch screen with 1366x768 display, has Celeron 743 CULV Processor, Intel GS45 + ICH9MS Chipset, integrated GMA X4500 Graphics, 2GB RAM and 250 GB hard disk. It comes with 3300mAh polymer battery.The next one is a higher-end 13.3-inch notebook that is equipped with dual-core SU2300 processor and aluminum shell. This one features 13.3-inch display; 1280x800 resolution, Intel GS45 + ICH9MS Chipset, 1MB cache, integrated GMA X4500 Graphics, 2GB memory, 250GB hard disk and 4700mAh Lithium battery.Nothing is yet known about its pricing.

Outstanding Macbook Air clone for $249

Twinkle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:41:39 +0000

A new clone of Apple Macbook Air by Shenzhen's Tong Men Tech Co has been discovered, which will be launched in the (Chinese) market this week. Why this clone stands out among other clones of Macbook Air?Not to be surprised, but this one sports removable battery and SIM card slot. It features:

12.1-inch display
Atom N280 processor
160GB HDD
1 GB RAM
2 USB 2.0 ports
HDMI port
3800mAh battery

The keyboard is not so Macbook-ish though

Wistron rolls out flexible 6-inch e-book

Twinkle — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:06:25 +0000

Wistron unveiled a new handheld e-book, an 6-inch device which has a flexible e-paper display from the recently acquired Polymer Vision. According to the Chief of products in Wistron, Brian Chong, “the device will feature a similar design as Polymer Vision's Readius with a size of a business card, and users can pull out the flexible display from the device.”Year 2010 is set for its launch. The screen can curl around the keyboard and uses e-paper technology making it quite easier to read.

Mio MiBuddy MID runs Android operating system

Brooke — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:19:10 +0000

Popular GPS navigation system company, MIO has unveiled a new GPS, but this time instead of some proprietary OS, they are now using Android OS on their new device called the Mio MiBuddy. So what makes this more special than other GPS devices out there other than the fact it runs Android OS?Well, this very capable MID has built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and even WiMax! It has a huge 4.7-inch touchscreen with a slide out keyboard! It will be bundled with a dashboard mount too. Expect shipping to commence in 2010

Samsung AMOLED netbook

Brooke — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:09:27 +0000

At FPD 2009 that is being held in Japan, Samsung has on display a netbook with AMOLED screen that has the resolution of 1024x600 pixels and 1000000:1 contrast ratio. It has nice keyboard too. No other details are known yet.Whether it is just a concept or not, remains a mystery.

uSmart M1C – a tiny netbook that is 1080p capable

Twinkle — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:40:56 +0000

At the Hong Kong Electronics fair, uSmart uncovered a tiny netbook, called the M1C. This one has just 4.8-inch display and is equipped with power-sipping Intel Atom Z530 processor, a GMA 500 graphic chipset and HDMI out. It weighs just 0.5kg and can run Linux, Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.That keyboard looks awful!

Sharp RD-PM1 MID – nothing great about this MID

Paul Merak — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:27:20 +0000

Sharp has rolled out another great looking MID: RD-PM1. This design employs use of slider mechanism.It comes with a 4.3-inch touch-screen and a rather shabby resolution of 480x272. It has a sliding keyboard which it cleverly hides itself beneath its screen when not in use. It is powered by Windows CE 5.0 operating system. It has 8GB flash-storage, micro-SD slot (upto 16GB supported), built-in Bluetooth and WiFi. It is set to carry a price-tag of $290.To be honest, we were more impressed by the two other MIDs that the Sharp rolled out (Sharp PM-MID and Sharp PC-Z1). At least, they sported better resolution. Whats up with the pathetic resolution in RD-PM1? Heck, even iPhone has better resolution than that!

Toshiba releases 3 new MIDs – Toshiba K01, Toshiba K02 and Toshiba L1 – Run Windows Mobile

Brooke — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:29:43 +0000

Toshiba is showing off 3 new MIDs: K01, K02 and L1. All of them sport touch screens. First MID, the K01, comes with an 4.1-inch slider touch screen and has thickness of mere 0.6 inches. Second MID, the K02 has an 3.5-inch screen having 800x400 (WVGA) resolution. It is equipped with a 10-key keyboard.Third one, the L1 has a bigger screen than aforementioned 2 models. It has a massive 7-inch screen. These MIDs will be released by end of the year 2010 and will run on Windows Mobile 6.5.Commentary: It is interesting to see manufactures still churning out MIDs based on Windows Mobile platform. This means that there is still a good market for the Windows Mobile MIDs since it also has its own advantages over the webOS, iPhone or Android OS., apart from the bucketfull of disadvantages when compared to other mobile operating systems.

SONY VAIO X specifications – runs Atom CPU and costs $1300 – has anemic battery life

Paul Merak — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:08:17 +0000

SONY has finally uncovered the specifications of the VAIO X. We now know that it runs Atom Z550 CPU which runs at 2GHz clock speed. Weighing just 1.6pounds (0.7kg), it is very light given its size. It is infact lighter than the first generation ASUS EEE PC (70x series). It is also just 0.5-inch thick. Featuring an 11.1-inch display, it packs the usual 1366x768 pixels. The display is LED backlight too and uses the infamous Intel GMA 500 chipset, which does not behaves nicely when running HD videos (so far). It also incorporates GPS so that you never get lost again. It uses 128GB SSD for storage and has 2GB RAM.Just like VAIO P, it has two memory card slots: Memory Stick Pro and SD card slot. VAIO X runs Windows 7 Home Premium (which means no XP compatibility mode for you).Click on read more to read our full analysis on why VAIO X sucks

Kohjinsha PA Series – how many dual-function keys does a man need?

Jane — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:40:41 +0000

(Lucky) folks at Akiharabara were able to get their hands on the recently announced Kohjinsha PA-series. Although the device looks pretty slick to us, we were actually shocked by the number of dual-function keys on it.

The pointer/mouse (below the keyboard) also seems to be pretty tricky to use.

Gateway EC18T – Is it a netbook on steroids?

Paul Merak — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:30:55 +0000

Here is a 11.6-incher from Gateway, which does not contains any of the netbook ingredients. It comes with a Core 2 Duo processor, upto 4GB RAM and Intel GS45 graphic chipset. Also, it seems that Gateway is now done with Windows Vista and XP on their netbooks and ultra portables and perhaps this is the reason they are bundling Windows 7 Home Premium(or Basic) with it.Pricing information is not known, but we have a couple of pictures for you. Click on read more to see the pictures of this new tablet netbook from gateway

Eking S515 MID AKA Digicube Z8 MID Phone to hit the market this October

Jane — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:37:22 +0000

Eking S515, also known as Digicube Z8 MID phone has is going to hit the market this month (October). The S515 is powered by an Intel Atom Z515 processor running at 1.2GHz clock speed. It has support for 3G; has a sweet sliding QWERTY keyboard; a 5-inch WVGA (800x480) display. You get 16GB SSD for storage and 1GB RAM to run apps.For OS, you can either choose between the good 'ol Windows XP OS or Linux OS. It has support for China Telecom CDMA2000, China Mobile TD-SCDMA and China Unicom WCDMA 3G network.Price is not known yet.

Official pictures of the HP Mini 311c netbook

Kamal DS — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:13:35 +0000

A bunch of HP Mini 311c’s official pictures were discovered today. Looking at few of these pictures, it is now possible to comment on few of its hardware features.Click on read more to know more about this ION powered netbook!

ASUS EEE 1005HA – How to upgrade the Hard Disk and RAM

Paul Merak — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:09:35 +0000

The ASUS EEE 1005HA is a great looking and functional netbook. For some weird reason, ASUS decided not to make the hard disk user-replaceable. Although, unlike the EEE 1008HA, the upgrading the RAM is not a big deal, but upgrading the hard disk is not easy at all. It involves taking the keyboard out and unscrewing lots of screws.An EEE 1005HA user screw up his courage and took apart his EEE 1005HA to upgrade the hard disk (as-well-as the RAM). Hop on THIS link to see the full instructions on how to do it. Although he has swapped the HDD for SSD, you can always swap it for bigger, faster hard disk

MenQ Easy PC E102 with RISC CPU – Runs Windows XP

Twinkle — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:58:46 +0000

A Netbook with a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)? Yes, this netbook by MenQ uses a RISC CPU. The model name, Easy PC E102 has an 10.2 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 4GB SSD or 160GB hard drive, 256MB to 1GB of RAM, WiFi (b/g), 3 USB ports, Ethernet, headphone and mic jacks, S/PDIF, a 1.3MP webcam and a flash card reader. With 3 cell battery that should provide up to 4 hours of run time.Its keyboard looks exactly like the one found in HP Mini 1000. Even touchpad is similar. MenQ's site mentions that is able to run the "powerful Windows XP". This means that the RISC CPU is infact, x86 compatible.

Sharp PC-Z1 MID/Smartbook – Not that impressive after all – Quick Look

Kamal DS — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:10:58 +0000

At the IFA, Sharp unveiled a small Smartbook that is much smaller than the regular netbooks that we usually see in the market. The Sharp PC-Z1 is very small, even more compact than the now obsolete, EEE 701. Not only its dimensions are smaller than the EEE 701, but it's much lighter too (just 400gm).Hardware-wise, the Sharp PC-Z1 does not has good keyboard. Well, you cannot have a compact device with touch-type-able keyboard. Can you? Moving ahead, the screen is great. It packs a lot of pixels (1024x600) into its 5-inch display, which is at par with the Fujitsu U810/U1010 that was released a couple of years back. However, unlike Fujitsu, this does not run Vista or Windows XP. In fact, it cannot even run one even if you wish to as it is not an x86 device.Ubuntu is there to save us, but given the unpleasant fact that it took 10 seconds just to launch Firefox, it is disheartening for many of us. Openoffice writer took 40 seconds to load! So, although you will be able to enjoy great battery life (Sharp claims 10 hours), you will have to adapt yourself to slow performance.It will be on sale in Japan later this month for the price of 350 Euros.Commentary: From the looks of it, I'm sure, it is gratifying, but once you start using the device, it is then you realize the mistake you did when buying such a slow piece of hardware. I confess, I'll call this device a pass

Golden Netbook by Caszh – Another cloned material or fake bling?

Twinkle — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:14:43 +0000

This is yet another netbook which should be added in the row of cloned netbooks/laptops. Caszh CA-L11A, a golden colored 11.6-inch netbook that sports a surprisingly well designed chiclet keyboard. It even features 1366x768 resolution on its 11.6-inch display. Other than that, it has fairly basic netbooks specs: Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD etc.Price: under $200! We are very sure that no netbook manufacture can beat that priceUpon close investigation, we were able to make out that this Caszh netbook has the exact same keyboard as found in Macbook Air.

Suncu 12 – Acer Aspire One D250 clone in an 12-inch display frame

Twinkle — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:36:27 +0000

The Shanzai have got news from a manufacturer in China who have made a clone of the popular Acer Aspire D250 netbook. It is being sold by the name of Suncu 12. As its name suggests, it is an 12-inch netbook that looks a lot like the Acer's Aspire D250. It comes with an Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB and 6-cell battery (4400mAh). The 12-inch display has 1280x800 resolution which is pretty common in laptops.The bigger screen makes the overall frame bigger, which actually allowed the company to fit in a bigger keyboard too.

Viliv S7 to launch in Hong Kong coming Friday

Paul Merak — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:51:17 +0000

Viliv S7 is going to make its debut in the Hong Kong next week. The Viliv S7 comes with an 7-inch touchscreen display, 1024x600 resolution, 1.3MP webcam and weighs just 800gm.Last month, Viliv S70 went on sale in Hong Kong, but it was not enough for the folks that yearned for a built-in keyboard. For them, Viliv S7 may be their dream device

Starling NB1000 netbook – err, where is the TouchPad?

Peter — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:34:38 +0000

Hong Kong manufacturer, Starling has unveiled NB1000 netbook. It comes with an 10-inch screen and an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD. Also included are three USB ports, Ethernet and VGA ports. It is touchpad flushed with the palm rest beneath the keyboard. Unfortunately, it is being sold in Hong Kong only. It is available at a fair price of HK$2,498 (about $322).Flushed touchpad does not makes it 'cool'. We call it BAD DESIGN

ZaReason Terra A20 Ubuntu netbook

Twinkle — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:30:03 +0000

ZaReason has recently released an 10-inch Linux Ubuntu netbook, the Terra A20. No idea how the netbook will look, but it comes with an array of customizable options.Specs:

10.1” 1024x600 display
Atom N270 processor
GMA950 Graphics
0.3MP Webcam
WiFi (b/g/n)
3 USB, Card Reader, VGA out, LAN port
3G (optional)

It comes in Black or Brown colors. You can also opt for the model with no OS at all. It has a big Ubuntu logo on the keyboard that will show your love for the Ubuntu OS. There is also an option to get one with SSD or with super fast 7200rpm drives.