Design
Super sleek, the 0.76-inch thick ASUS U36Jc's lid is built from a lightweight, raven black VGP-BPS13 aluminum-magnesium alloy, while its matching palm rest is covered in a soft matte material that ASUS describes as "nanometer" coating. Unfortunately, VGP-BPS13A/B the area near the screen doesn't have the same premium look as the palm rest and lid; its glossy plastic hinges drag down the aesthetic a bit, as does the gap between the screen and the VGP-BPS9/S deck.
At 3.8 pounds, the U36JC is quite a bit lighter than the previous generation U33Jc (4.4 pounds), but a little heavier than the VGP-BPS9 Toshiba Portege R700 (3.2 pounds) and the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 (3 pounds). With dimensions of 12.9 x 9.28 x 0.76 inches, this laptop is also slightly larger VGP-BPS9A/B than the U260 (12.5 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches) and R700 (12.4 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches).
The 1103's volume was surprisingly strong from the narrow speaker VGP-BPS9/B just under the netbook's front lip. We were able to fill a medium-sized room with audio with the volume on 70 percent. When watching Hulu videos, we didn't need to crank it up to hear. Sound was somewhat flat and a little tinny at the at the max, VGP-BPS8 but that's to be expected.
ASUS's U30 series of 13-inch ultraportable notebooks has long provided a strong mix of portability VGP-BPS8A and power, from the original U30Jc with its 7 hours of endurance to the snazzy bamboo U33Jc. The ASUS U36Jc ups the ante with a slick 3.8-VGP-BPS2 pound frame, snazzy aluminum-magnesium alloy lid, speedy 2.53-GHz Core i5 CPU, and Nvidia's Optimus switchable graphics. But are its strong specs good enough to justify its price--$1,000--and beat out its VGP-BPS2A competitors?
While the top surface of the ASUS U36Jc stayed relatively VGP-BPS2B cool throughout our testing, its underside reached uncomfortably high temperatures. After playing a full-screen video for 15 minutes, we measured the touchpad at a pleasant 85 degrees and the G and H keys at an acceptable 95 degrees Fahrenheit. However, VGP-BPS2C the bottom measured a warm 105 degrees and, while playing World of Warcraft, it reached 110 VGP-BPS21A/B degrees.
Even several months after the Evo 4G's introduction, the flagship Android phone for Sprint continues VGP-BPS21/S to ring up sales. But not everyone wants to tote a large handset with a 4.3-inch display. Enter the $149 Evo Shift 4G, a little brother to the Evo VGP-BPS21 with a 3.6-inch screen and slide-out keyboard that's $50 cheaper. What you give up--other than screen size--is a front-facing camera, faster processor, and HDMI output. Those sound like pretty reasonable trade-offs to us. But does the Shift 4G VGP-BPS21A really deliver the value it promises?
Design
Those sick of black slab phones are in for a treat. The Evo Shift 4G sports a classy midnight blue design, VGP-BPS21B and the nice soft-touch finish on the back reminded us of the T-Mobile G2. This treatment carries over to the area surrounding the keyboard. Four circular VGP-BPS22 backlit buttons--Home, Menu, Back, Search--sit beneath a 3.6-inch display (800 x 480 pixels). The screen is clear and bright when viewed straight-on, but the picture washed out from the VGP-BPS22A sides.
While we don't usually focus on the location of the power button, in this case it's an issue. It resides on top of the Shift 4G on a downward VGP-BPS13A/Q slope, which makes it difficult to access. After a while, you'll learn to find this button by feel, but given that Android has a lock screen, it's an VGP-BPS13/B unnecessary obstacle. The left side of the Shift 4G houses an easier-to-access volume rocker, and the headphone jack is also up VGP-BPS13B/B top.
We consider temperatures below 95 degrees acceptable on the top surface of a notebook and temperatures of 100 degrees and below VGP-BPS13B/Q unpleasant but common for the bottom. However, this type of underside heat would make us think twice about placing the U36Jc on our VGP-BPS13/Q lap while gaming.
HP is once again targeting the education market with its new Mini 1103 netbook. good battery Unlike the kid-focused Mini 100e, this netbook looks and acts like a consumer model, but keeps the price low for cash-strapped schools and other institutions. Though Sony Laptop Battery not the flashiest system on the block, the $299 Mini 1103 combines very long battery life with decent performance for $50 to $100 less than many dell akku competitors.
Design
The HP Mini 1103's design is basic yet attractive. The overall aesthetic is closer to the Pavilion dm1 and dm3 rather acer akku than high-end business netbooks such as the Mini 5103. The glossy black lid and display bezel pick up smudges, but thankfully the rest of the netbook features matte plastic. apple akku As with the Pavilion dm1 and the Mini 210, the bottom of the unit is a smooth line with just one panel to remove. This makes it easier to upgrade or ibm akku repair internal components, such as the RAM or hard drive.
For the target market, the non-descript yet functional design of the Mini 1103 is just right. You won't find the same flair as other hp akku HP models, but it's not as toy-looking as the Mini 100e, which is geared toward younger students. However, the Toshiba mini NB505 offers bright color options sony akku and a more eye-catching design.
Heat
The top of the Mini 1103 stayed pretty cool, with the touchpad asus akku measuring only 85 degrees after playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes. The space between the G and H keys was about the same: 86 degrees. The underside of the netbook got up to 92 degrees, which is within our fujitsu akku acceptable range.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The Mini 1103 doesn't have the modern chiclet-style layout of the Mini 210. However, toshiba akku the keys are well sized and placed, and we like the terraced treatment, which provides a better grip. We like that the media and system controls are one touch acer laptop akku away, while the Function keys are secondary.
The 3.1 x 1.25-inch touchpad on the Mini 1103 has a fairly small surface when compared to other recent netbooks apple laptop akku and even other HP models. This is due to the system having separate mouse buttons instead of integrated ones, as with a clickpad. The buttons are imb laptop akku fairly large as well. Users who prefer physical buttons will likely not mind sacrificing some of the touch surface.
One curious aspect of the 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600-pixel hp laptop akku resolution screen on the Mini 1103 is that users can open it a full 180 degrees, allowing the entire netbook to lie flat. However, the viewing angles on the anti-glare display are somewhat narrow. Two people sitting side by side can share the screen, sony laptop akku but sit any further away, and you'll encounter color distortion.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The U36Jc's island-style black keyboard has the same look and layout as those on a number of Eee asus laptop akku PC netbooks, from the 10-inch Eee PC 1015PN to the 12-inch Eee PC VX6. There's no flex at all, but the keys do feel a little stiff, which led fujitsu laptop akku us to a make a few more errors than usual while typing. We also wish the right Shift key were larger.
The 3 x 2-inch touchpad has a pleasant matte surface that matches the palm rest and allowed us to navigate around the desktop toshiba laptop akku with ease. It also supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. Though we would have preferred two discrete buttons, the single mouse bar provided dell laptop akku good tactile feedback and was not too stiff.
Measuring 4.6 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches, the Shift 4G is more compact than acer notebook akku the Evo 4G (4.8 x 2.6 x 0.5), making it an easier fit for smaller hands. On the other hand, the Shift 4G is thicker than the Evo and almost as heavy (5.8 ounces vs. 6 ounces), so you'll definitely want to think hard about that physical apple notebook akku QWERTY.
Keyboard
The Shift 4G's keyboard slides out smoothly without feeling too loose. Overall, HTC did a pretty ibm notebook akku good job here. There's plenty of space between the keys, they're nicely backlit, and we like the easily identifiable Fn key. We also appreciate the large hp notebook akku space key and dedicated @ key. HTC even includes a shortcut for choosing different emoticons. We just wish HTC made .com its own key instead of a function key sony notebook akku combo.
Design
Made of hard clear plastic, the AirCurve Play measures 5 x 1.6 x 6.9 inches; the iPhone 4 fits snugly in a removable rubber sleeve in asus notebook akku the center. At 11.2 ounces, this accessory is bulkier than the rubbery Bone Horn Stand Amplifier (3.2 ounces), but much more portable than the fujitsu notebook akku unwieldy Clingo Parabolic Sound Sphere (1.2 pounds).
Only an iPhone 4 will fit in this AirCurve's dock, but Griffin sells a model that's toshiba notebook akku compatible with the iPhone 3G/3GS. To amplify your sound, simply slip the iPhone 4 into the dock. You have to make sure, though, that the iPhone's speaker is dell notebook akku aligned with a small hole in the AirCurve. You'll know it's aligned correctly if you can access all the buttons on the phone. If your iPhone has a bulky case, you'll have to remove it. A metal stand lets you rest the dock in either landscape acer battery or portrait mode.
In our testing, the Shift 4G's keyboard proved accurate so long as we used the very tips of our apple battery thumbs. While flat, the keys on this handset didn't feel as stiff as the Droid 2's keyboard or as gummy as the QWERTY on the T-Mobile G2. However, we could type ibm battery much more quickly with the touchscreen keyboard in landscape mode.
The real benefit of using the physical QWERTY on Android is that you can see more content on the screen when typing. hp battery You also don't have to worry about the software guessing a word you didn't mean to type. Plus, you can easily make fine cursor movements with the small D-pad to the sony battery right of the layout, which worked well.
Who says you need plugged-in speakers to let others enjoy tunes on your asus battery iPhone? Griffin's AirCurve Play offers an impressive sound boost like no other unpowered amplifier we've tested. If you own an iPhone 4, there's no denying that this $19.99 add-on is the king when it comes to battery-free audio fujitsu battery enhancement.
