The Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430

What you should know.. 
The Toshiba Satellite U845W, an ultra-wide-screen ultrabook boasted a funky 21:9 aspect ratio, 1,792x768-pixel display crammed into a long, slim laptop. The U845W-S430 is that very same laptop, for the most part, with Windows 8 added.

What it offers.. 
Toshiba's experimental extra-wide-screen ultrabook gets a Windows 8 software upgrade, but it turns the Toshiba Satellite U845W into a computer imperfectly matched for what Windows 8 has to offer.
Toshiba offers a split-screen utility for auto-snapping apps to fill part of the screen, but the uses for this service are limited. I preferred stretching out windows myself to fit the content.

The benefits. 
The 14-inch 1,792x768-pixel display amounts to a lot more pixel resolution than your average laptop, arranged in a very odd, super-stretched way. It's a clever idea in some ways: you could watch a movie with no letterboxing, theoretically, or even look at full Web pages and documents side-by-side with relative ease.

The advantage: 
The wide-screen Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430 has an extra-long, higher-resolution screen, Harman Kardon speakers that pack a punch, and an attractive, compact design with plenty of ports.

The unfavorable: 
The keyboard and touch pad are uncomfortable, the wide screen isn't a perfect marriage with Windows 8, and the screen doesn't always play nicely with all streaming video content.



Source

The Toshiba 40E220U

What you should know.. 
The Toshiba 40E220U is a sub-$500 television with a lot to offer the bargain-minded consumer. It has fairly deep black levels, a better selection of inputs than most competitors, and rich, vibrant colors. Image processing is quite good, with a crisp picture and very good off-axis performance.

What it offers.. 
The Toshiba 40E220U is a value-for-money television offering decent contrast and bright, vivid colors.

The benefits. 
Unlike the smaller 32C120U, the 40E220U has a full 1080p screen resolution, but there's no further added functionality beyond that TV's fairly basic feature set. If you're interested in multimedia playback, though, the Toshiba can play back JPEG images and MP3 tunes via the USB port.

The advantage: 
The Toshiba 40E220U features crisp images with a decent amount of contrast. The TV offers a good value and is one of the better units under $500. Colors are well-saturated.

The unfavorable: 
The TV shows uniformity problems and some of the colors are inaccurate. Shadow detail is lacking compared with the cheaper TCL P60.

The price:
$377.00



Source

The Acer Aspire 7600U

What you should know.. 
Acer deserves some credit for the look of the Aspire 7600U. The system mostly has a clean and tidy appearance, with a familiar edge-to-edge display framed in glossy black plastic. The chromed plastic trim is clean enough, and the ports on the back sit neatly under a straight-lined overhang. Even the power cable received some attention, connecting directly into the chromed kickstand.

What it offers.. 
The computing components and a dominant high-end all-in-one from Dell hurt Acer's high-end, visually compelling Aspire 7600U.
The benefits:
When you compare the Acer with the Dell. With respect to the other PCs in our charts, the Acer is the third most expensive all-in-one, behind the XPS One 27 and the $1,999 27-inch 2011 iMac, but only a middle-of-the-pack performer.

The advantage: 
Acer's new attention to look-and-feel shows in the Aspire 7600's clean appearance and responsive touch input.
The unfavorable: 
The Aspire misses on price vs. performance, and Dell's 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution XPS One 27 makes 1,920x1,080-pixel screens like this one feel pedestrian.

Comparing with other brand

	Acer Aspire 7600U	Dell XPS One 27	Apple iMac 27-inch (spring 2011)
Price (at time of review)	$1,899	$2,299	$1,999
Display size/resolution	27-inch, 1,920x1,080	27-inch, 2,560x1,440	27-inch, 2,560x1,440
CPU	2.5GHz Intel Core i5 3210M	3.1GHz Intel Core i7 3770S	3.1GHz Intel Core i5 2400
Memory	8GB 1,333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,600MHZ DDR3 SDRAM	4GB 1,333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	768MB Nvidia Geforce GT 640M	2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M	1GB AMD Radeon HD 6970M
Hard drives	1TB, 5,400rpm	2TB, 7,200rpm	1TB, 7,200rpm
Operating system	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 Pro (64-bit)	Apple OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.7

Source

The Sony Alpha NEX-5R

What you should know:
Little has changed the kit lens still sports the close to de-facto 18-55mm range, equivalent to 27-82.5mm on a regular 35mm camera. Maximum aperture at wide angle is F/3.5, and at full telephoto it's F/5.6, with minimum aperture ranging from F/22 to F/32 depending on the level of zoom -- a very decent range. Zooming is fully manual, although there's a powered lens if you prefer, and you can take focus in hand, too, with a manual focus ring at the front of the barrel.
The NEX-5R can act as a password-protected wireless hotspot to which you can connect an Android or iOS device to download your images directly.
What it offers:
The two most compelling features however -- Bracket Pro and Multi Frame Noise Reduction -- each cost £3.99. Bracket Pro lets you bracket photos by shutter speed, aperture, focus or flash, and Multi Frame Noise Reduction, which features on the high-end Alpha SLT cameras, lets you shoot several images in low light which are then combined to create a high sensitivity equivalent image with low noise.

The benefits. 
The NEX-5R is one of those cameras that's great fun to use, and really encourages you to head out and take more shots. Build quality is excellent, the built-in features are great.
It does have the edge on the Samsung NX210 -- just -- in terms of human interface and usability, and it boasts a wider range of native lenses, too. By the end of November there will be 11 E-mount lenses to choose from. The Samsung NX system currently comprises six lenses, plus three hoods and adaptors, the latter of which do open up access to Pentax K-mount accessories.

The price:
The NEX-5R is considerably more expensive at around £600 to £670, depending on where you shop -- a price that represents a 20 per cent hike on that of an NX210. That difference is significant, and may sway your hand when it comes to making a choice.

Source

The Samsung Rugby Pro

What you should know.. 
Rugby Pro works underwater as it was advertised, and with its thick seams and ridged sides, it certainly looks like it can take a pounding. At least at first. There's a hard, ridged material that rings the phone. 

What it offers.. 
The Super AMOLED material and 800x480-pixel (WVGA) resolution keep text and lines looking sharp, colorful, and smooth. Blacks look deep and rich, and in typical Samsung fashion, the default settings overload certain colors, like green. This help gives images depth and richness, but it can look a little overdone on your own photos, when the overabundance of color becomes obvious.

The benefits. 
A whole lot of pre-loaded apps come on the Rugby Pro, as they do on every smartphone with a major carrier. In addition, Qik Lite is installed for you to start in on voice chats. Standard apps include the calendar, clock, calculator, and music player. The Google Play store is your go-to for downloading free and premium apps and other content like TV shows, movies, and music.

The advantage:
Samsung's Rugby Pro possesses stellar call quality, has push-to-talk support, NFC, a speedy processor, and a decent 5-megapixel camera.The unfavorable: 
Does not look or feel all that durable, and the back panel popped open when the handset is thrown.The offer:
Samsung's Rugby Pro is a good and affordable choice for people who liked rugged smartphone.

The price:

It is only $99.99


Source

Design Evolution of HP Notebooks, Desktops

HP is responding to the need for innovation and development, so for before performance, they also innovate their products to fit for the present need and market demand..

Ask – and you shall receive
Consumer demand is also responsible for elevating PC design to another level. We’re pretty particular about how we use our devices and what we use them for – just one of the reasons why we have multiple devices for multiple things, like work, school, personal and more. And it’s that demand that keeps us on our toes.

We pay careful attention to your feedback in emails and on our consumer support Forums about how you use your PCs for work, school and play. That “ear to the ground” insight helps us make sure we’re offering the kind of design options that keep your needs in mind.

There’s something to be said for sleekness and innovation in design, especially when it comes to your PC. Because we know you don’t want to drag around a heavy, cumbersome, un-cool looking machine to conferences, across airports, on trains, or around campus.

So, in the spirit of good design, take a look at our top picks for notebook and desktop PCs – and see examples of both form and function with the ENVY x2 and ENVY Touchsmart Ultrabook 4and the SpectreONE all-in-one desktop. From hybrid notebook-tablets and touch-sensitive machines to all-in-one powerhouses, these designs cross the spectrum – and make everyday computing easier to compute.

The HP ENVY x2: Best of both worlds
Cake – or cake? Now there’s no reason to choose. The HP ENVY x2 lets users have their proverbial cake and eat it, too, with an elegantly simple hybrid design that is both a notebook and a tablet. The ENVY x2 offers customers even more choices in an ultrathin package, with detachable screen that becomes a full-size tablet weighing only 1.5 pounds when it’s separated from the keyboard via a seamless magnetic latch.

ENVY Touchsmart Ultrabook 4: Simplicity refined  

The ENVY Touchsmart Ultrabook 4 brings the power of touch to on-the-go computing in a tough metal design that can handle planes, trains, automobiles, and more. The design is all about simplicity, with brushed black metal, simple HP logo, and silver trim on the outside. On the inside, brushed silver metal surrounds the keyboard.

With a 14-inch multi-touch HD display, the Touchsmart is a thin (less than an inch thick) and sleek machine that also delivers powerful performance with a third-generation Intel Core i3-3217U processor, HD graphics, a 14-inch diagonal HD screen with LED-backlit display, 2GB of system memory, and a 320GB hard drive.

SpectreONE: Good things come in one package

All-in-one PCs have been around for more than 10 years, but better processors, better technology and innovation in LED screens have upped the design quotient – and the SpectreONE is a perfect example of these design-worthy desktops.

Source