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acer aspire one laptop review

September 30th, 2009

Acer Aspire One battery is a line of subcompact notebook computers, or netbooks, released in July 2008 by Acer Inc.

It is based on the Intel Atom platform, which consists of the Intel Atom processor, Intel 945GSE Express chipset and Intel 82801GBM (ICH7M) I/O controller, and is available in several shell colors: seashell white, sapphire blue, golden brown, onyx black, and coral pink.

The line is manufactured for Acer Inc. by Quanta Computer.Quanta will be phased out as a supplier to Acer; production of the Acer Aspire One vgp-bps9 line will be shifting to other manufacturers in 2009.

Its main competitors in the low-cost netbook market are the Asus Eee PC a1185 line and the Dell Inspiron Mini 9.

With recent entries from Asus, MSI, Sylvania, and models from Dell and Lenovo on the way, the Netbook field is becoming increasingly crowded. While many of the second-generation Netbooks are creeping toward mainstream laptop prices, we’re pleased to see the smart-looking Acer Aspire One compaq presario v3000 battery holding the line at $379, without skimping too much on features or design.

Despite the wallet-friendly price and large keyboard, we have a few reservations. For one, the system comes with only 512MB of RAM, which limits its performance. For another, the battery life is nearly as bad as that of the otherwise excellent MSI Wind; both hover about the 2-hour mark–far too little juice for such a mobile machine. And the Linux OS of our review unit limits its mass appeal, though we’re pleased to see that an XP Home version of the Aspire One compaq presario v6000 battery also includes 1GB of memory and a 120GB (spinning) hard drive for only $20 more.

Still, this is easily the best all-around Netbook we’ve seen for less than $400, although similarly priced upcoming entries from Lenovo and Dell may make the Aspire’s window of opportunity rather small.

Physically, the Aspire One hp dv2000 battery is very similar to the slightly larger, pricier 10-inch MSI Wind, with a reasonably large keyboard that’s much easier to use than the tiny almost smartphone-like keys found on the Asus Eee PC 901 or the Sylvania G Netbook. That’s because the Aspire is a little wider than the Asus, and it’s also a few ounces lighter, thanks in part to only having a small 3-cell battery. We were please to see that it includes dedicated page-up and page-down keys, which are especially useful on devices with smaller screens that require lots of scrolling to get through long Web pages.

The touch pad is wide, but not very deep, giving it a letterbox-style look, similar to the one found on the HP hp dv6000 battery 2133 Mini-Note. It’s reasonably easy to use, at least as far as the small touch pads on Netbooks go. The mouse buttons are positioned to the left and right of the touch pad–not below it–which may take a little getting used to for touch-typists.

The 8.9-inch wide-screen LCD offers a 1,024×600-pixel native resolution, which is the same as found on other 9- and 10-inch Netbooks, such as the Asus Eee PC 901 t60 battery and the MSI Wind. It’s wide enough to display most Web pages correctly, but you’ll find yourself frequently engaged in vertical scrolling.

The Aspire One is generous with the USB ports, offering three, but there’s no Bluetooth, so tethering your smartphone for mobile broadband is out of the question (which we’ve successfully done with the Asus Eee PC 901). Like all Netbooks we’ve seen up to this point, it lacks an ExpressCard slot, which the upcoming Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is expected to offer, making it easy to use a mobile broadband card. The dual SD card slots are handy for expanding on the 8GB solid-state hard drive, especially since Netbooks with 20GB and 40GB SSD drives are now available (although at higher prices).

With Intel’s new 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, specifically designed for low-power Netbooks, you’re not going to find the same level of performance you’d get from even an inexpensive Core 2 Duo laptop. The Linux-based system wasn’t able to run our usual suite of benchmarks (which use Windows and Mac applications such as iTunes, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Photoshop), but even the light Linux OS felt occasionally sluggish (thanks, in part, to having only 512MB of RAM) when using the preinstalled Open Office suite of productivity software t61 battery , although Web surfing was generally trouble-free. For everyday use, however, our anecdotal tests showed that it offers a faster, smoother experience than another $399 Netbook we recently looked at, the Sylvania G Netbook.

The Acer Aspire One ran for 2 hours and 14 minutes on our video playback battery drain test, using the included 3-cell battery. That’s barely more than the MSI Wind, which was also saddled with a puny 3-cell battery–and the biggest flaw for both systems. MSI plans to upgrade its battery to a 6-cell version in the near future, and Acer offers a 6-cell battery that we’ve seen online for $119–a large premium for such an inexpensive laptop.

The Aspire One includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty, and Acer has set up a separate mini-site for the Aspire One, including a page labeled “drivers and support.” Unfortunately, that support page, and its subpages, have no content aside from a note that says, “Updates coming soon.” The regular Acer Web site has some FAQs and driver downloads, but the tech support number is impossible to find (it’s 800-816-2237), and the phone support hours are only 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT weekdays, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

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acer aspire one

September 25th, 2009

A great keyboard in an affordable portable makes the Aspire One battery a must-have for quick and easy mobility.

Asus, watch your back. Oh, sure, the Eee PCs are cheap and tiny, but they’ve got serious competition waiting in the wings. Acer’s Aspire One apple a1185 is priced as low as $400 for the Linux version, but it weighs in with enough features to make me consider leaving my high-end portable on the sidelines.

Why the conversion? For starters, it’s fairly light and lean (weighing 2 pounds and measuring 9.8 by 6.7 by 1.14 inches). That’s in no small part thanks to Intel’s 1.6-GHz Atom processor. Of course, Acer t60 battery isn’t alone in that department. MSI’s Wind, Asus’s new Eee fpcbp155 1000, and plenty of others are on their way to market with Intel’s bargain-priced CPU.

(See PC World’s video: Atomic Mini-Notebooks for a comparison of the Acer Aspire One xps m1730 battery and the MSI  Wind.)

The Aspire One dell latitude d600 battery is also fairly well constructed. The hard, candy-colored exterior (it comes in a number of hues; my favorite: Sapphire Blue) is fairly polished and feels solid to the touch–certainly tough enough to withstand being tossed in your bag. And a huge, well-secured bezel keeps the 8.9-inch, 1024-by-600-pixel display in place. The screen itself, though, is a little too glossy. Even with the brightness cranked up, you might find it tough to see outside. Then again, many full-priced, full-featured notebooks stumble with the same problem.

Now, when I think of the average netbook latitude d620 battery (as some people call this class of mini-notebook)–certainly ones in the $400 price range–the word that comes to mind is “compromise.” You get Linpus Linux Lite, not Windows XP. You get OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Office. You get an 8GB hard drive and 512MB of RAM. It just doesn’t sound like a great deal.

Then I used it. I was genuinely surprised at the relatively smooth dell inspiron 6400 battery sailing that comes with the OpenOffice.org suite (after the 10-second load time for OOO 2.3). I didn’t mind the locked-down launch page for the Aspire One. All the basic tasks I’d likely throw at the machine were all right in front of me, on screen. Firefox 2 is the default browser–no surprise there. The built-in messenger client supports AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Google Talk accounts. A serviceable RSS reader is built in as well. Wi-Fi connectivity isn’t an issue on this little laptop, either. A quick toggle flick, and it’s connecting without a hitch.

Unfortunately, we can’t run WorldBench on the Aspire One’s tiny 8GB NAND hard drive, but I can tell you that it’ll boot in 25 seconds flat. I had dell inspiron e1505 battery no problems streaming video from Youtube over an 802.11g connection. I copied over a 77MB Weezer album in just under 8 seconds (and then proceeded to play MP3s through the tiny, tinny speakers; pro tip: get headphones!). Next up, a 213MB WMV episode of Best Week Ever. It took about 11 seconds for the Aspire One’s Media Master to fire up, but once it did, the show ran sans stutter. Granted, this episode was recorded at 320-by-240-pixel resolution and 29 frames per second, but go up much higher, and you’ll start seeing some video slowdowns. 

Another test I had to improvise, since WorldBench won’t work here: battery hp pavilion dv6000 battery testing. Sitting in your garden-variety coffee shop doing sporadic Web browsing and document typing, this notebook should last you roughly 2.5 hours. Or two iced coffees with skim milk.

Performance aside, you’ll need some more room to grow. Aside from the standard-issue USB ports, ethernet jack, and VGA out, the Aspire One hp pavilion dv2000 battery comes with two storage card slots. Why two? One is tasked for “storage expansion”–pop in an SD card, and the mini-note will format the flash storage to serve as extra internal hard-drive space. The other slot serves the usual purpose: for files you want to transfer from a digital camera or other device you have on hand. 

If you’re not sold on the storage space–or on Linux, for that matter–Acer will also offer a slightly pricier, XP-loaded flavor of the Aspire One dell latitude d830 battery (though the company hasn’t revealed exact pricing, expect this version to cost around $600 sometime this fall). It’ll have an 80GB hard disk and 1GB of RAM.

Now another surprise is how much I like the keyboard. It’s a great size and doesn’t feel crunched up in order to hit a form factor. In fact, because it provides solid key response and a wide gap between buttons, I proclaim this one of the few netbooks vgp-bps9 to be fully adult-hand friendly. Wish I could say the same about the mouse pad. Like HP’s 2133, the left gd761 kd476 and right mouse buttons sit on either side of the touchpad. That makes it a little less convenient when you need to deftly manipulate documents.

OK, so the machine isn’t perfect. The important part is that Acer gets more than enough right to hit the mark for basic use. And, considering the low costs to own this li’l laptop, you could get a lot of mileage out of the Aspire One. If you have simple needs, this is your notebook.

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Laptop battery life benchmarks are out of juice

September 21st, 2009

It’s also long been one of the least useful, critics charge, due to the industry’s deceptive use of the dominant standard, the MobileMark benchmark created by the Business Applications Performance Corp. (BAPCo), an industry consortium whose members include Intel Corp., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and others.

“Everyone in the industry knows this benchmark is wildly optimistic and that the actual laptop battery life you’ll get is often less than half what MobileMark suggests,” wrote analyst Rob Enderle last month. “This is because MobileMark measures battery life much like you might measure gas mileage if you started the car, put it in neutral, and coasted down a long hill.”

The latest MobileMark 2007 report measures laptop battery life(presario r3000 battery,346970-001) under three scenarios: reading a document, watching a DVD movie, and doing a “representative” mix of productivity tasks, such as reading and composing documents, editing photos and encoding Flash videos (see page 13 of white paper).

But rather than using an average time based on all three measures, BAPCo designates its third scenario as the way most people use their laptop.

There are several problems with this, according to critics. First, doubters such as AMD say that the productivity test assumes that the notebook is idle 90% or more of the time.

Second, MobileMark’s “productivity” scenario assumes that users, when active, are using only software such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Office. They don’t test usage of music or video applications such as iTunes or Windows Media Player, games or Web browsing. The test also assumes that Wi-Fi is turned off.

That seems particularly unjustified today, since netbooks are touted as on-the-go, Web-centric devices, or high-definition video-capable machines.

Finally, MobileMark 2007 allows PC vendors to set their laptop screen brightness at the lowest possible setting, provided it is no lower than 60 nits (a nit is a measure of brightness. The problem, again pointed out by AMD, is that 60 nits is quite dim, being only about one-fifth of most notebook PCs’ maximum screen brightness.

According to an informal reader poll at Neowin.net, a Windows community site, fewer than 15% of respondents run their notebooks that dim.

BAPCo defended its MobileMark benchmarks. “The content of BAPCo benchmarks are vigorously debated and cooperatively developed by BAPCo members according to a long and rigorous process,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “As is the case with all BAPCo benchmarks, MobileMark 2007 was approved by BAPCo according to a democratic voting process similar to ones used by most industry work groups.”

Despite the criticism, many vendors are willing to tout the sony vgp-bps9 battery life from the Productivity test as their overall MobileMark score. See these offers from Hewlett-Packard Co., Lenovo Group Ltd., and Dell Inc.

Only Acer Inc. (download PDF here) identified its MobileMark time as a productivity score. Asus Inc., Apple Inc. and Toshiba Corp. didn’t mention MobileMark on their Web sites.

In late June, a class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, targeting Intel Corp. for, according to the San Jose Mercury News, “essentially rigging those tests to inflate the vgp-bps2c battery life of laptops powered by its chips.”

Intel denied the claims, and noted that the same law firm, Girard Gibbs of San Francisco, unsuccessfully filed a separate class-action lawsuit against Intel several years earlier, according to the Mercury News.

Intel also disputes the claim that the public is being misled. “Anyone who criticizes consumers’ intelligence when shopping for laptops is underestimating the consumers,” an Intel spokesman told the Mercury News.

Carol Hess-Nickels, director of marketing for business notebooks at HP, took the same line. “I’d say we are pretty pleased with the benchmarks used today,” she said in an interview last month several days before the lawsuit was filed. “I’ve not personally gotten complaints.”

HP claims business netbooks such as the Mini 2140 and the Mini 5101 can run up to eight hours, or a full business day, on an optional, extended battery.

Lenovo, which has claimed as long as 7.5 hours of powerbook g4 battery life for its laptops on extended batteries, acknowledges there is a problem, however.

“We don’t really like the fact that something is supposed to get four hours and users routinely say, ‘We divide that number by two and that’s what we get,’” said Lenovo segment marketing manager David Critchley in an interview, also several days before the lawsuit’s filing.

Dell appears to agree with Lenovo. “Customers expect the advertised inspiron e1505 battery life to reflect the way they really use the product,” Ketan Pandya, head of AMD-based products at Dell, told Newsweek last month.

As a counterbalance, some magazine reviewers go overboard to turn off all of a laptop’s power-saving features, Critchley said, which is equally inaccurate. “We put a lot of time and effort into our power manager,” he said. “You’ll see some significant gains from the way we handle sub-components.”

AMD, which complained that MobileMark essentially discriminates against its chipsets because they are more graphically powerful than Intel’s, is all for reforming MobileMark.

In a blog entitled “There has to be a better way,” AMD suggests turning the widely used performance benchmark, 3DMark06, into “an active battery life test” that it argues would be a more accurate measure of average dell gd761,kd476 battery life.

Lenovo, although game, is more cautious. “If Dell, HP and Apple all said, ‘Yea, verily,’ Lenovo would be right there with them,” Critchley said.

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laptop battery tips

September 16th, 2009

Battery Tips If you find yourself with no electrical adapter or power source and need your battery to operate for as long as possible, take good care of your laptop battery and ensure that it will be ready to work properly and efficiently in the battery mode. The general tips are listed as follows:

  • 1.Turn off Wi-Fi and BlueTooth – Most laptops have shortcut keys to instantly disable wireless networking.
  • 2. Don’t play computer games, music or DVD movies – Multimedia activities drain laptop batteries.
  • 3. Disconnect all external devices like PC Card modems, Firewire, USB devices and optical drives. Use the notebook touchpad instead of an external mouse.
  • 4. Adjust your screen brightness – Dimming your display saves dell inspiron E1505 battery power.
  • 5. Tweak Windows Power Options – Choose a Laptop power scheme that turns off the notebook monitor and hard disk after 10 minutes of inactivity.
  • 6. Decrease or mute the Laptop Speaker Volume.
  • 7. Turn off all scheduled tasks.
  • 8. Turn off Auto-save features in Microsoft Office and other applications.
  • 9. If your PC has a built-in wireless card, turn it off or disable it when not in use.

    • Looking for the longest battery life laptop? Actually, many factors affect the amount of time that a laptop battery can deliver power before it must be recharged. How to extend laptop battery life? Here are some more tips to improve your notebook’s battery life:

  • 1. If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more), dell kd476 ,remove the battery pack from the laptop.
  • 2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can’t create as much power.
  • 3. Make sure to plug your laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly into a power outlet or surge protector.
  • 4. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery(inspiron b120 battery,inspiron b130 battery ), completely drain and recharge the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.
  • 5. Fully charge new battery packs before use. New pack needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity.
  • 6. For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.

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    compaq presario v6000 laptop instruction

    September 16th, 2009

    HP dv2000 and Compaq v3000 14.1-inch Screen Notebooks Announced (pics, specs)

    HP has more laptop love for us today, this time with some of that Compaq branding. It’s nothing new in the design department, but the shiny new v6000 has a fresh model number, and accompanies the v3000 with more budget laptop goodness. It’s replacing the v5000 models, but there’s nothing too terribly exciting to see here. The units feature AMD Turion 64 X2 and Mobile or AMD Sempron processors, and eke by with a GeForce Go 6150 graphics card. Luckily, the v6000 shines in the little things, featuring a 5-in-1 card reader, Firewire, three USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard/54 slot, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most of those features are optional, and it sounds like the barebones version of this PC is very bare indeed. No word on price or exact availability, but at 6.6 pounds, with a 15.4-inch display and some nice new looks, it still shouldn’t be a terrible option for the style-conscious consumer on a budget when it does drop.

    A stripped-down version of the HP Pavilion dv6000 battery , the 6.5-pound Compaq Presario V6000 offers a choice of either an AMD Sempron or a Turion 64 X2 processor at speeds from 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz; up to 2GB of 533MHz or 667MHz RAM; 5,400rpm hard drives in capacities from 60GB to 120GB; and an integrated Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 video card. Like the Pavilion dv6000, the Presario V6000 features a 15.4-inch wide-screen display with a native resolution of 1,280×800. The presario V6000 battery differs from is Pavilion sibling in that it does not offer advanced media options such as a discrete graphics subsystem, multimedia controls, dual headphone jacks, or QuickPlay software.

    With prices starting at $949 (before a $100 rebate), the Compaq Presario V6000 delivers a strong set of components and a decent set of features for a competitive price. As with other AMD-based HPs, though, we’re concerned about performance: the first few AMD Turion 64 X2-based systems we reviewed weren’t able to keep up with their Intel-based counterparts. We’re expecting a Compaq Presario V6000 review unit in the CNET Labs shortly, so look for a full review soon.

    HP is releasing two new consumer notebooks: the Compaq Presario v3000 battery and HP Pavilion dv2000 battery .? Both can be configured with either an Intel Core Duo processor or AMD Turion X2 64-bit dual core processor.? Pricing for these notebooks will start at about $1,049.

    Featuring a?new and unique?design, the HP Pavilion dv2000 Series Entertainment Notebook PC takes the convergence of mobile computing performance and digital entertainment to the next level. With HP’s Imprint finish, the dv2000 incorporates an advanced molding technique produced using Nissha Film Products. The new, stylish exterior, gives the dv2000 a sophisticated design that uses a subtle weave pattern integrated into a polished metallic and piano black high-gloss finish.

    With HP QuickPlay 2.1 on a high-definition 14.1-inch widescreen display with optional BrightView technology, the dv2000 allows consumers wherever they are to watch DVDs without booting up.

    The dv2000 will replace the currently offered pavilion dv9000 battery.? The dv2000 will be available with the new Intel Core Duo processor and soon to be released AMD Turion X2 dual core 64-bit processor.

    Following are some key features of the dv2000:

    • Smoothly multi-task with Intel’s dual-core mobile processor and the upcoming AMD dual-core processor. The dv2000 dell inspiron e1505 battery will soon offer HP customers the first opportunity to experience AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology
    • New touch-technology buttons enable users to launch media applications and control volume and mute functions with the touch or swipe of a finger. The latch-free notebook also features subtle, back-lit LED indicator lights to enhance its sleek and sophisticated design.
    • The dv2000’s optional integrated HP Pavilion Webcam and dual omni-directional microphones make video-conferencing simple and enjoyable; the experience is enhanced by the crisp and clear 14.1-inch optional, high-definition BrightView widescreen LCD display.
    • The dv2000 features the latest version of HP QuickPlay 2.1, which, in addition to playing DVD or MP3 files without booting up, now provides full-time access to personal photo and video collections through an intuitive widescreen menu or dedicated media buttons.
    • Control the dv2000 fpcbp155 from up to 10 feet away with the optional HP Mobile Remote Control stored in the ExpressCard slot. Select models include a 5-in-1 digital media reader and up to three USB 2.0 ports to support the latest in consumer devices, files and digital media.
    • Easily connect the dv2000 to peripherals via the expansion port to the HP xb3000 gd761 Notebook Expansion Base for a true desktop experience.
    • The dv2000 is available with integrated LightScribe DVD R/RW SuperMulti drive with double-layer support for silkscreen-quality, laser-etched CDs and DVDs.

    HP Pavilion dv2000 Specs:

    • Available with mobile Intel or AMD processors, including Intel Centrino Duo, Intel Core Duo, Mobile AMD Sempron or the upcoming AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile processor
    • Optional NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 discrete graphics with Intel, and standard NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics and NVIDIA nForce Go 430 chipset with AMD processors
    • Integrated wireless support for 802.11 a/b/g Wireless LAN and Bluetooth technologies on select models
    • 5-in-1 media card reader on select models
    • Up to three USB 2.0 ports on select models
    • Large hard drive up to 120GB on select models
    • ExpressCard/54 Slot
    • 6-cell standard and 12-cell battery available for additional battery life
    • Powerful but portable: As thin as 1 inch with a weight starting at 5.3 pounds
    • Two omni-directional microphones on select models
    • Optional dual stereo headphone jacks — one with high-definition audio support (S/PDIF capable)
    • Altec-Lansing speakers
    • Estimated U.S. street price starting as low as $1099, $999 after a $50 mail-in rebate.?All notebook pricing is before a $50 rebate, depending on the configuration ordered. Intel based systems are expected to be available for purchase in May direct from www.hpshopping.com, or by calling +1 888 999 4747 and select retail outlets nationwide.? AMD based systems are expected be available in the first half of 2006 from the same outlets.

    The v3000 will replace the current v2000 dell xps m1730 battery notebook and refreshes the 14.1-inch line with a good looking industrial design.? The v3000 will offer the new Intel Core Duo processor and also the upcoming AMD Turion X2 dual core 64-bit processor once it becomes available in June.?

    The 14.1-inch widescreen LCD is available with the BrightView glossy screen look.? HP QuickPlay technology is also incorporated into the V3000 t60 battery for instant playback of movies, music and images without having to boot to Windows.?

    Following are some key features of the V3000:

    • The V3000 is cloaked with HP’s Imprint finish which incorporates an advanced molding technique produced using Nissha Film Products.? The V3000’s unique high-gloss, brushed pattern design incorporates a UV hard-coat finish for enhanced durability.? A roomy keyboard with smooth, rounded keys keep style and comfort at the consumer’s fingertips.
    • Configurable with the?Intel Centrino Duo mobile processor or AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile processors
    • New touch-technology buttons enable users to launch media applications and control volume and mute functions. The latch-free notebook also features colorful LED indicator lights that further enhance the sleek and sophisticated design.
    • HP QuickPlay 2.1 allows users to watch DVD movies, listen to music and browse pictures without booting up. Consumers can easily switch between movies, music and pictures with a slick, widescreen interface in the HP dell inspiron 6400 battery QuickPlay 2.1 application or with the dedicated media buttons
    • Built-in Altec Lansing speaker system
    • Easily connect the V3000 to peripherals via the expansion port to the HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base for a true desktop experience.

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    Launch safer laptop battery

    September 14th, 2009

    The Dell laptop battery–which the company is set to show off at the Demo ‘07 show taking place this week in Palm Desert, Calif.–is safer than conventional batteries, but is electrically and mechanically compatible to current notebook designs, according to the company. Notebook makers can thus drop it into their existing models, said CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud, who added that Hewlett-Packard has been testing it for 18 months.

    As a bonus, the dell battery can be charged to 80 percent capacity in about 30 minutes. Conventional notebook batteries take one to tw hours to get to 90 percent capacity.

    “We picked 30 minutes and drove development to that,” Lampe-Onnerud said.

    The company is part of a wave of battery start-ups that have emerged in the past few years. Most got started initially to improve the runtime on notebooks or power tools. A raft of explosions and recalls, however, have also pushed safety to the forefront.

    The popularity of hybrid and electric cars has also juiced the market. Last week, A123 Systems, which makes lithium ion batteries for plug-in hybrid cars, announced it had raised $40 million more in venture capital funds.

    Boston-Power has been one of the more noteworthy new entrants in part because the somewhat secretive company, which came out of semi-stealth mode late last year, employs many scientists and executives, like Lampe-Onnerud, who have worked in the battery industry for years. Along with showing off the battery publicly for the first time this week, Boston-Power also announced it closed a second round of funding for $15.6 million.

    There is no magic silver bullet inside the Sonata, Lampe-Onnerud said. Instead, the battery differs from conventional notebook batteries through a large number of design tweaks.

    “We understand the system. We don’t have a killer chemical,” she said.

    The can, or outside casing around the battery cells, is made from a metal alloy that is stronger than the iron cans used with notebook batteries(dell inspiron 1300 battery,inspiron b120 battery) and thus will remain intact, in the case of a thermal reaction, or fire, according to the company.

    Boston-Power also spent a lot of time on the interrupt system, which prompts the battery to shut down permanently if there is danger of a reaction. (Replacements are covered by a three-year warranty, which Lampe-Onnerud says is longer than the industry average.) The company can’t guarantee the batteries(inspiron b120 battery , inspiron b130 battery) will never have problems, but it has added safety features not seen in ordinary batteries.

    “If it is really damaged, I don’t want it to work again,” she said.

    At the same time, the latitude d830 battery generally meets the performance characteristics of conventional batteries on the market today.

    HP is likely the first customer, according to Lampe-Onnerud. A contract to put the latitude d830 battery battery inside a notebook has yet to be signed, but it’s possible a notebook with a Boston-Power battery could hit the market by summer, she said. John Wozniak, an HP distinguished technologist, will appear with Lampe-Onnerud during the Demo presentation.

    An HP representative said the company has been testing the batteries and is pleased with the results, but added that further testing will occur. A notebook containing the batteries(pavilion dv6000 battery) potentially could come out this year, the representative added, but nothing has been signed and, again, further testing will occur.

    Typically, large manufacturers move slowly and conservatively when adopting new components, and then introduce them on a limited basis.

    The Sonata will sell for a premium, but Lampe-Onnerud would not disclose details on pricing.

    The big challenge facing Boston-Power now is whether it can move into high-volume manufacturing. The company already has an alliance with a large Chinese contract manufacturer.

    While Lampe-Onnerud was somewhat tight-lipped about how Boston-Power’s product differs from conventional batteries, a patent search indicates that one change will involve altering the chemistry of the cathode. Currently, cathodes are made from lithium cobalt compounds. The July 2005 patent, suggests swapping that out for lithium nickel materials.

    More information can be found under a second patent from February 2005. Although a company’s patents can lead to future batteries(inspiron 1300 battery), there is no guarantee that a correlation exists, and Boston-Power has several pending, unpublished patents.

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    compaq presario v3000 laptop review

    September 11th, 2009

    The HP Compaq Presario V3000 the original battery code hp compaq presario v3000 battery inaugurates a new look and feel for HP’s Presario line of laptops. Departing from the familiar silvery design of previous Presario models, the V3000 is dark gray (and subtly pinstriped), with a high-gloss finish that HP says is particularly scratch resistant. Looks aside, however, the Presario V3000 sticks to the same basic script as previous Presario models (including the V2000 that it will replace): you get a strong set of components and most of the features that a basic home user will want for a competitive price (it starts at $950). HP has upped the ante with the V3000’s processor options, however: you can configure it with either an Intel Core Solo or Core Duo or, when it debuts, AMD’s dual-core processor. If you’re looking for a slightly stronger set of multimedia features for a similar price, check out the Dell Inspiron E1405, which starts at $700 (we haven’t tested the E1405 yet, but we have reviewed the very similar XPS M140).

    Measuring slightly more than 13 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and just shy of 1.5 inches thick, and weighing in at 5.5 pounds (6.3 pounds with its compact AC adapter), the thin-and-light Presario V3000 replacement battery code compaq presario v6000 battery is portable enough for regular travel and is one of the more compact models in HP’s portfolio. Competitive models with 14.1-inch wide-screen displays, such as the Inspiron E1405, the ThinkPad z60t, and the VAIO FJ, are roughly the same size and weight.

    The Presario V3000’s keyboard has relatively large keys that are comfortable enough to type on for extended periods, though the ThinkPad Z60t’s keyboard, which is a bit less jammed together, remains our favorite in this class. The Presario V3000’s touch pad and mouse buttons are sizable, but the glossy touch pad felt a bit slippery for our taste. That said, we appreciate the touch pad’s vertical and horizontal scrolling functionality, and we approve of the Presario V3000’s touch pad on/off button, which eliminates rogue cursor movement when working with an external mouse. The Altec Lansing stereo speakers, located above the keyboard, deliver audio that’s moderately loud and of decent quality, though lacking on the low end; unfortunately, the sound becomes hopelessly muffled when you close the laptop lid. The Inpsiron E1405, whose speakers sit along its front edge, delivers superior audio whether its lid is open or closed. While we like the Presario V3000’s the same as hp pavilion dv6000 battery new light-touch multimedia controls, which offer audible feedback similar to the iPod’s clickwheel, we prefer the Inspiron E1405’s more complete set of controls, which, again, are conveniently placed along the front edge for closed-lid access.

    Our Presario V3000 test unit had a 14.1-inch wide-screen display with a standard 1,280×800 native resolution. Configured with HP’s BrightView technology, which is just a glossy coating that overlays the display, the Presario V3000 so as hp pavilion dv2000 battery delivered acceptable video quality; while the screen was considerably brighter than the ThinkPad Z60t’s, the picture wasn’t as crisp as we would have liked.

    For the needs of a typical home user, the Presario V3000 incorporates almost all of the necessary features, ports, and connections. You get three USB 2.0 ports, one four-pin FireWire port, S-Video out, VGA out, a connector for HP’s optional expansion base, an IR port for a small, optional wireless remote, and a port for the AC adapter, which glows blue when the laptop is being charged–a neat feature, but still short of the magnificence of Apple’s MagSafe plug. Networking connections include 802.11a/b/g, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 56Kbps modem; there’s also a handy switch that turns the wireless radio on and off to conserve battery power. Though it lacks a standard Type II PC Card slot, the Presario V3000 dell xps m1730 battery has an ExpressCard slot as well as a handy 5-in-1 memory card reader. For comparison, the Inspiron E1405 has a very similar set of connections, plus one additional USB 2.0 port. Our Presario V3000 test unit came with a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive that read and burned CDs, but only read DVDs; when we laid our right hand down on the case above the optical drive, the CD that was playing buzzed noisily.

    Our test unit was configured with Microsoft Windows XP Professional, but you can also opt for XP Home; with the Inspiron E1405, you can get both of those or XP Media Center Edition. With the Presario V3000 dell inspiron e1505 battery , HP also throws in a decent bundle of software, including the basic productivity Microsoft Works suite; a few disc playing and burning apps; its own QuickPlay multimedia program, which can play CDs and DVDs whether or not Windows is booted; and a handful of wireless and tech support utilities.

    At $999 (after a $50 rebate), our Presario V3000 dell inspiron 6400 battery test unit came with a solid set of specs for the price; essentially, you’re getting a Core Duo configuration for the price of an otherwise similar Pentium M configuration from this time last year. Specs on our test system included a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor, integrated Intel graphics, 512MB of DDR2 SDRAM, and a 60GB, 5,400rpm hard drive. We built a very similar Inspiron E1405 configuration for about $975 (after a $250 instant rebate). The Presario V3000 turned in a very respectable performance in CNET Labs’ benchmark tests, running right with the similarly configured Core Duo laptops we’ve tested during the past few months; it can easily handle word processing, e-mail, and even considerably more-demanding tasks, though without a dedicated graphics card, we can’t recommend it for serious gaming. It lasted just short of 4.5 hours in our battery-drain test, which is quite good for a laptop of its size and at its price point. The ThinkPad Z60t configuration we tested turned in slightly superior scores but cost about $1,200 more than the Presario V3000; we have not yet tested the Inspiron E1405.

    HP backs the Presario V3000 np-bg1 bp-511 with an industry-standard one-year warranty; however, for a reasonable fee, you can extend the term to three years. HP will also cover the cost of returning the system for repairs throughout your warranty. The company’s toll-free telephone-support lines are open 24/7 and offer free help during your warranty period. The HP support Web site includes one of our favorite support features–real-time chat with a tech rep–though the company limits your free chat time to just one hour. After that, you can try to troubleshoot problems yourself by searching through the site’s FAQ database.

    System configurations:

    HP Compaq Presario V3000Windows XP Pro; 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo T2400; 512MB PC4300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; Intel Mobile i945GM Express 128MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 60GB 5,400rpm

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    Kodak EasyShare Z740 Digital Camera Review

    September 10th, 2009

    The Bottom Line

    The Kodak EasyShare Z740 digital camera original battery code klic-5001 packs a whollop with its impressive 10x optical zoom and its 5-megapixels. This digital camera, ideal as a next-step-up camera for a digital photographer, features the best of two worlds. It has much automation, such as scene modes, one would expect from a point-and-shoot. But it procudes quality images and has limited manual controls one would find in a digital SLR. Find out more with the Kodak EasyShare Z740 digital camera review.

    Pros

    • Impressive 10x optical zoom
    • Nice 5.0 megapixels produce fabulous enlargement prints
    • Comfortable camera to hold and use
    • Shoots up to 80 minutes of video with sound

    Cons

    • Pricier than starter models
    • Features could overwhelm a rookie photographer

    Description

    • 10x optical zoom (38-380mm equivalent)
    • sixteen scene settings
    • aperture priority or shutter priority
    • five color modes
    • shutter speed: (automatic) 1/8 to 1/1700 seconds or (manual) 8 to 1/1000 seconds

    Guide Review – Kodak EasyShare Z740 Digital Camera Review

    Kodak has done a great job impressing with the Kodak EasyShare Z740 not like the sony cybershot g3 battery code np-bg1 , which is everything an advanced point-and-shoot digital camera should be. Just having five megapixels puts a nice smile on my face, but it also comes with a 10x optical zoom and that gets me absolutely giddy.

    One thing that’s great about this camera is its ability to cater to someone who wants to do very little thinking and the more advanced user who prefers a little manual control.

    Kodak has given us 16 scene modes, including portrait, children, beach, night, snow and even museum (when you want to be a little discreet). Along with all scene modes you also get 5 color modes, aperture or shutter priority and nice size 1.8 inch LCD screen.

    Shooting video is also easy (and of high quality) with the Z740 so also canon powershot series bp-511 . Depending on what size memory card you use, the Z740 is able to capture 80 minutes of video with audio.

    Kodak claims using the best setting of five megapixels will give you prints up to 20″x30″. I’d be a bit cautious of that and aim a little smaller. That shouldn’t prevent you from buying the Z740 though, as most home printers only print up to 8×10, which this camera can easily handle. Hit the photo lab for larger prints when you get that special picture.

    This camera is easy to use, and it feels comfortable in my hands. It has enough features to keep most recreational and advanced amateur photogs happy.

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    canon powershot g3

    September 9th, 2009

    The Canon PowerShot G3 ($799) is an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary upgrade of the PowerShot G2 battery code bp-511 . But Canon has added more than just bells and whistles. Here’s what’s new with the G3 np-bg1 :

    • New DIGIC image processor – noticeable improvement in photo quality, plus faster performance
    • Totally new 4X zoom lens
    • New FlexiZone auto focus
    • Refined body design
    • Now records up to 3 minutes of video with sound; editable in playback mode
    • Built-in neutral density filter
    • Support for wireless flashes
    • New iSAPS technology

    You’re probably confused by that last item. iSAPS stands for Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space (what a mouthful). The system is a database of photographic data, which has been accumulated by Canon over the last 60 years. When you press the shutter release button halfway, the G3 canon bp-511 compares the current scene to the scenes in the database, and choose the best settings for that situation.

    According to Canon, one of the key advantages to this new feature is a reduction in shutter lag time compared to earlier models like the G2. The G3 spends less time hunting for focus because it already “knows” how far the subject should be based on statistical analysis of other photos shot at the same focal length and light level. Pretty slick!

    So that’s the iSAPS system — now learn about the other new G3 bp511 features in our review!

    What’s in the Box?

    The PowerShot G3 has an excellent bundle. Inside the box, you’ll find:

    • The 4.0 Mpixel Canon PowerShot G3 camera
    • 32MB CompactFlash card
    • BP-511 Li-ion rechargeable battery
    • AC Adapter / battery charger
    • Neck strap
    • Lens cap w/strap
    • Wireless remote control
    • USB cable
    • A/V cable
    • CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solutions and drivers
    • 205 page camera manual + software manual (both printed)

    The PowerShot G3 is ready to go right out of the box. The only minor quibble np-bg1 I have is the 32MB memory card. Sure it’s a good start, but you should plan on buying a much larger card right away if you want to get serious about digital photography.

    The G3 uses the same BP-511 Li-ion battery as its predecessor. The battery has a very respectable 8.1 Watt/hours of power. For the sake of comparison, the EN-EL1 battery used by the Nikon Coolpix 5700 is 5.0 Wh and the NP-FM50 on the Sony DSC-F717 is 8.5 Wh. Canon says that you’ll shoot about 750 pictures per charge with 50% LCD usage; you can stay in playback mode for 6 hours on a single charge.

    When it’s time to recharge, you just plug in the included AC adapter. This same AC adapter can be used to power the camera sony np-bg1 in the studio, or if you’re just transferring photos to your computer. Charging the battery takes about 80 minutes.

    The downside with proprietary batteries like the BP-511 is the cost ($60) and the fact that you can’t use standard batteries (as you can with AA-based cameras) if you’re in a bind. That’s why I usually prefer cameras that use AA batteries.

    The G3 includes a lens cap and strap to protect your lens. I must say I’m happy that everyone seems to be including both the cap and retaining strap these days.

    Another nice surprise is the inclusion of the WL-DC100 discount np-bg1 wireless remote control (shown above). You can control the camera in both record and playback mode with this device.

    Like the PowerShot G2, the G3 is an accessory lovers dream. There are even some new options available. In the lens department, you can use the WC-DC58N wide-angle converter ($199) to shorten the focal length to 24mm, or the TC-DC58N tele converter ($129) to bring the top end up to 240mm. I tried both of these and was impressed with the results. A 58mm close-up lens ($125) is also available. Note that the LA-DC58B conversion lens adapter ($24) is required in order to use these.

    The G3 is compatible not only with EX-series Speedlites, but also the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX ($750), Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX ($1100), and the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 ($340).

    Other accessories include a soft carrying case and dual battery charger w/car power adapter ($180).

    The G3 can also print directly to Canon’s CP-10, CP-100, S830D, and S530D photo printers.

    The Canon PowerShot G3 is one of the finest digital cameras on the market. It offers robust performance, tons of manual controls, unmatched system expandability, and excellent photo quality. The DIGIC processor has made the G3 one of the most responsive cameras I’ve used. The playback and movie modes are some of the best out there, as well. The neutral density filter is a nice bonus, but my guess is that the average shooter probably won’t use it. But it’s not a perfect camera. The redeye and strange (but rare) purple fringing that I noticed were surprising for a camera of the G3’s caliber. The diopter correction knob was hard to use, and I didn’t care for the view of the lens through the optical viewfinder at wide-angle.

    Now for the million dollar question: is the G3 the best 4 or 5 Megapixel camera out there? Guess what, I’m not going to answer. I don’t think there is one camera that is best for everyone (I mean that honestly, not as a cop out). The G3 is definitely a contender that goes up nicely against cameras from Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony. Do your research and you (rather than me) can decide what the perfect camera is for your needs.

    If I was a PowerShot G2 owner, I probably wouldn’t race out and upgrade. If I was deciding between a G2 and G3, I’d pony up the extra cash for the G3. My main reasons for doing so would be the DIGIC processor and the 4X zoom lens.

    So I hope this helped somewhat in your decision making!

    What I liked:

    • Excellent photo quality in most situations
    • Amazing expandability in terms of lenses, flashes
    • Super fast performance
    • 4X zoom a nice change from the usual 3X zooms
    • Impressive movie, playback modes
    • Has an AF illuminator lamp
    • Tons of manual controls
    • FlexiZone focusing system lets you focus on any area of frame
    • Great software bundle

    What I didn’t care for:

    • Redeye worse than expected (even with repeated tests)
    • Strange chromatic aberrations (rare, but annoying)
    • Images not as sharp as the very best 4/5 Megapixel cameras
    • Diopter correction knob difficult to operate
    • Lens blocks view from optical viewfinder at wide angles

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    sony cybershot h3 digital camera

    September 8th, 2009

    If you’re reading this, then you probably already know that there are a lot of different kinds of cameras in the world. This year, we saw the birth of a new variation with the advent of superzooms that don’t have electronic viewfinders, such as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3 np-bg1 I’ll be writing about here. The upside is that the cameras can be smaller than their EVF-laden counterparts, and if you despise peering into a tiny hole at an LCD while framing your shots, then you’ll welcome this evolution. However, if you’ve discovered as I have that an EVF can come in handy when shooting certain subjects (I like using one when shooting baseball batters), then you might want to check out one of Sony’s other superzooms, such as the DSC-H7 sony np-bg1 or DSC-H9.

    While the H3’s small body design (for a superzoom) is definitely handy when trying discount np-bg1 to fit it in a bag or jacket pocket, it leaves few options for the button layout. Sony basically had to put the zoom rocker smack in the middle of where your thumb should naturally rest, which might seem good at first, but I ended up accidentally nudging it often when shooting, throwing off my zoom setting and messing up the framing of my shot. If Sony would’ve moved the shutter button a little to the left and the mode dial forward, the zoom rocker could’ve been moved farther right and given room for your thumb. However, as the body design goes, that’s the biggest flaw. The grip, though small, is effective–curl your middle finger over the top of the grip, and the rest of your fingers fall nicely into place, though it does leave your pinky dangling, which always irks me. It seems as though camera makers have begun to despise the pinky finger. Most entry-level dSLRs and almost all superzooms have grips that can’t fit a pinky.

    Dominating the front of the camera is a Carl Zeiss-branded Vario-Tessar 10x optical 38-380mm equivalent f/3.5-4.4 zoom lens, which feeds light to an 8.1-megapixel CCD sensor. Around back you’ll find a 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD. Caffeine addicts should be pleased to know that the H3 includes Sony’s Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization to help compensate for hand shake. In case the built-in lens isn’t wide or long enough for you, Sony offers both a 0.7x-wide angle converter (VCL-DH0758) and a 1.7x telephoto converter (VCL-DH1758). The necessary adapter ships with the camera and can also accept 58mm screw-on filters. The camera also comes with a lens hood that attaches to the front of the adapter. Unfortunately, it’s so large that it obscures a large portion of the flash, which makes the use of fill flash almost useless if you use the hood. However, the adapter itself can likely provide enough shade from the sun when the lens is zoomed to its widest, which means that the hood is only really necessary when shooting telephoto shots, in which the camera’s built-in flash probably won’t be able to provide fill flash anyway.

    As is the rage these days, Sony separates the H3’s menu system into two sections. If you press the Menu button, it brings you to the shooting menu, which is home to settings you change often while shooting, such as image size, face detection, exposure and flash compensation, ISO, white balance, and more. If you press the Home button, you go to the setup menus, which let you control less-oft-changed settings, such as whether you have a lens adapter attached, or whether you want the AF assist light on or off. The menus use a new design that looks very similar to the menus on Sony’s PlayStation Portable. They look nice and are pretty intuitive, though it’s strange that there’s an option for the shooting menu in the home menu, but if you select it, it tells you to press the Menu button instead of just porting you over to that menu.

    Like a lot of superzooms, the H3 includes manual exposure controls, though there are only two apertures to choose from and these vary depending on the focal length you’re using at any given time. You won’t find aperture- or shutter-priority, but there are the usual array of scene modes, some of which are in the menu and some of which reside on the mode dial, as well as program and full auto shooting modes.

    Sony says that the H3 can output images and video to an HDTV if you buy the optional VMC-HD1 component video cable for about $40. However, since it’s not included with the camera and Sony didn’t send us one with the review sample, I can’t verify this, though I don’t really doubt them. This is a nice option, but I’d rather have seen an HDMI output on the camera instead of being forced to buy Sony’s cable. Either way, viewing images on HD has always been a better experience for me than using the regular standard-definition outputs found on most compact cameras.

    Except for a slow flash recycle time, the DSC-H3 performed well in our lab tests. The camera took 1.8 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG, no doubt slowed a bit by the fact that the lens has to extend before you can shoot. It took 1.3 seconds between JPEGs with the flash disabled, jumping to 2.6 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. Shutter lag measured an impressive 0.4 second in our high-contrast test and 1 second in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In burst mode, we were able to get an average of two frames per second, regardless of image size.

    Image quality from the H3 can be quite nice if you stick with ISOs 100 and 200, though that niceness is marred a bit by the lens’ noticeable distortion, as well as some purple fringing on high-contrast edges toward the edges of images. I saw more noise than I would’ve liked at ISO 400. While images are still very usable and much of the noise is minimized during printing, there is a noticeable falloff in shadow detail and fine detail at ISO 400. Stepping up to ISO 800, noise increases only slightly, but there’s more of a falloff in shadow and fine detail. At ISO 1,600 noise becomes heavy and most shadow and fine detail is lost. The top sensitivity setting of ISO 3,200 yields extremely noisy images with completely blocked up shadows and fine details. For example, text which was crisp and clear at ISO 200 and below, becomes completely illegible at ISO 3,200. I suggest staying below ISO 1,600 when shooting with the H3 and sticking with ISO 100 or ISO 200 whenever possible.

    If you want a long zoom lens in a camera that’s smaller, if not lighter, than most superzooms, Sony’s DSC-H3 is a decent choice. Since this is a new category, it’s hard to draw comparisons, but when Canon’s Powershot SX100 hits the market in October, we should be able to get a better idea of how this Sony compares with the competition.

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