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Apple MacBook MB062B/B
by mdooley
I've owned this laptop for about a month and it is easily the most versatile, reliable and best looking laptop I have ever had. The Macbook's design is beautiful. The case is durable, and the keyboard is a joy to use. The trackpad is really smooth and features Apple's multi-touch meaning a one finger tap is your standard left click and ... tapping with two fingers is your right click.
The Macbook also sports a built in microphone, webcam, Bluetooth, 2 USB ports, a Firewire 400, a Mini DVI port, Magsafe Power adapter, microphone and headphone slots and 802.11n WiFi- currently the fastest option available.
I really like the magnetic latch and the magsafe power adaptor features. It's not necessary to slide any levers or buttons to get the Macbook open, and of course the glowing apple logo on the front of the case is very cool.
The Macbook's operating system is faster, more reliable and easier to use than any version of Windows I've owned. It does take a good hour or so to get used to the new interface coming from Windows but once you do you'll be glad you switched. Everything is streamlined to a point that you can get to wherever you want in one or two clicks.
All your files like Word Documents, Excel and Powerpoint stuff can all be read by both iWork or Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. So file compatibility is no issue.
All your stuff like your wireless network, email, printers etc. will work faster and more efficiently when on a Mac, so you need not worry about that.
Another advantage is the amount of free software you get bundled with the Mac. Powerful tools you can use right out of the box like iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband etc.
My Macbook gets around 4-5 hours battery life when working on Word documents with WiFi and Bluetooth turned off. Playing online and using graphic intensive processes like games etc. will cut the life to around 1-3 hours which is still very good for any laptop.
The Macbook is such a fantastic computer I really love it. If you're looking for a very reliable, easy to use, good looking computer the Macbook is a great choice.
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Dell Inspiron Mini 10
by Coolchris330
Copied from my Ciao account
The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is a netbook, and a fair one at that.
This device is a small, customizable, well-built and fairly specced netbook. Sporting a 1.6GHz (essentially, the higher the better) Atom (the Intel high-efficiency processor solution), a gigabyte of RAM (again, the higher the ... better) and an Intel GMA 950 (practical for applications but not for gaming). Through this review I shall explain all of my points in considerable detail. Right, here we go.
Processor: Running at an approximate 1.6GHz, this CPU is fairly fast for the user that only plans on using it for web surfing such as Facebook, and can even muster some of the high definition videos found on websites such as YouTube. Not a lot is to be expected from this processor performance wise, as it runs a single core, effectively reducing the potential usages for this product. While the processor isn't particularly strong, it's very power efficient, and can keep the netbook going for literal hours during heavy use and the majority of the day during light use. For this, at least, the processor should be applauded for its smart power management and it's fitness to purpose.
RAM: RAM stands for Random Access Memory; and the more you have, the faster the computer generally is. This laptop has approximately a gigabyte of RAM (1024 megabytes, for those wondering), which, for a netbook, is plausible. To put into perspective how much that is, it is enough to run Windows 7 Ultimate, avast! Antivirus and around twelve copies of Google Chrome at once (in my tests) before feeling the strain and leaking into virtual memory (this value of which can be set, but is far slower than actual RAM). The laptops RAM was more than adequate for the purpose that is designed for, web browsing.
Graphics Card: The netbook sports an integrated graphics card. This means that the graphics card (it helps draw three and two dimensional images at higher resolutions) does not have its own memory, and therefore has to borrow from the RAM. This doesn't matter as such because it rarely has to borrow more than around 10% of your RAM, that your computer is unlikely to have been using anyway. However, this severely limits the gaming ability that the computer may have possessed. All but the oldest games run sluggishly and the lack of full Shader Model 2 (a feature that helps streamline certain graphical effects) makes it extremely difficult to find modern games that will run. However, this graphics card is just fine for rendering the Windows interface and for mildly intensive applications, but do not expect it to do anything particularly mainstream or intensive.
Temperatures: This is a netbook, so imagine the internals of a desktop computer, and then mentally squeeze them into such a small chassis. It's not a surprise that this computers are extremely likely to heat up, but it at least does not heat up to a degree that it ends up burning your lap during usages. It does however get quite hot, and it shouldn't really be used for extended periods of time, especially not on generally intensive applications (video games, 3d rendering).
Wireless: Surprisingly, for a device so devoted to the internet usages that it possesses, it's actually quite slow at accessing the internet. This boils down to the reduced connectivity of the netbook and the fact that you have to use the default clunky Dell Wireless tool (unless, like I, you install a different operating system)
Extra features: There are a variety of other features in the laptop, however, not everyone will have a usage for them. An example of such features is the Bluetooth capability, which for some is a large pro, and for others a battery absorbing con. The laptop also features a fair three USB slots, which is slightly above average for a netbook.
Size and Weight: Measurements are not helpful in my opinion, it'd be much better for me to tell you that the netbook can easily fit into one hand for carrying about and that the weight is negligible as me (a fairly weak person) can carry the netbook for an extended period of time (I clocked about 40 minutes, whereas my bigger, beefier laptop required two hands to be carried for 10)
Value for Money and Conclusion: It's a netbook, and it's a good one at that. Chock a block with features and heavily lacking in negatives, you can safely say that your money is definitely worth this cheerful little companion, even if it is just for the general forum-browsing and social-networking you do between your larger, more intensive activities. I'd recommend this as a netbook, but not as a full time laptop.
I give this netbook four out of five stars!
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