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Posts Tagged ‘Review’

Apple Ibook G4 Latpop Review

06 Jul

Getting an Apple laptop was unthinkable for me at first. I felt nothing from Apple’s clever “Switch” ads, and as with many fellow PC/Windows users, I thoughts Macs were for newbies, graphics designers, grannies, and others who couldn’t handle more than one mouse button.

 

However, when I began my quest to purchase an affordable portable, I ran into many problems. The ultraportables and subnotebooks often lacked basic features I wanted such as an optical-drive, and would easily burn a hole in my wallet… several times over. Thin-and-Lights looked very appealing, so I researched that category the most. Some of my favorites include the Fujitsu S6210 battery,IBM T40 series battery, and inspiron 600m battery . Yet, even the ones I liked didn’t work out because they didn’t fit my budget (about $1,000).

Then I was introduced to a strange mix of the above. Apple’s 12″ iBook weighs in at touch under five pounds, but is in the ultraportable form factor. It’s too heavy to be an ultraportable, but it’s small screen means it doesn’t fit with most thin-and-lights. What really caught my attention was the price tag. Other than Averatec, this is the only notebook I came across with a retail price of $999 that came in under 5 pounds. But like any consumer ready to shell out hard-earned money, I was still skeptical.

I continued to do my research and consistently heard good things about the iBook. Finally, Apple and Amazon gave me a sign. In late October, Apple (apple laptop battery)included Airport Extreme (802.11g) and bumped up the base processor to 1.2Ghz. Additionally, Amazon still had a $150 rebate for Apple laptops. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that $850 + $20 shipping was a darn good deal. I placed my order on the following and paitiently waited.

Specifications



12.1″ TFT XGA
1.2Ghz G4 processor w/ 512k level 2 cache
256MB PC2100 ram, 1 slot available
30 GB ATA/100 4200RPM hard drive
Slot-loading combo drive (DVD/CD-RW)
1 FireWire 400 port
2 USB 2.0 ports
VGA Out, S-Video and composite video cable optional
56K V.92 modem
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
Airport Extreme 802.11g wireless
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
90 phone support, 1 year hardware warranty

First Impressions

There’s not a doubt Apple spends more money on design than its competitors. Just the box itself screams ‘gorgeous’. I tore through the packaging like an child on Christmas morning. Underneath all the booklets, manuals, and CDs, I finally got to the iBook. I recommend keeping the thin foam as a screen protector.

Once I turned on the notebook, I was immediately filled with dread. In the upper right corner was a stuck blue pixel. I decided to not think about it, and continue exploring my new toy. (note: all images are of the replacement I received)

The laptop is absolutely gorgeous. Had I not seen the price tag, I would’ve thought the iBook to be much pricier. The bare simplicity of the notebook is stunning. Other than the obligatory Apple logo on top (which lights up!), there’s nothing but rounded edges. No bevels; No latches; No doors. When I hold it in my hands, it feels like holding a polished piece of marble. (in reality: polycarbonate plastic, and magnesium alloy)

The construction is really top grade. Pressing against the back of the reinforced LCD doesn’t cause any ripples in the image, nor does flexing the screen between my hands. I’d feel safe putting this notebook in a cramped backpack. The hinge connecting the screen also looks quite beefy and doubles as an exhaust for heat. The slot loading drive is just too cool to describe. Everyone gets mesmerized by how the iBook sucks in CDs. Apple also claims to have rubber-mounted the hard drive to absorb vibrations and impacts. (apple ibook g4 battery)

I consider myself to be a PC poweruser and often have multiple applications and windows open on my desktop. I’m very used to working on one document, and then switching over with alt-tab in a Windows environment. Luckily, in this latest version of OS X shipped with the iBooks, Command-tab does the same. What’s more is how hotkey friendly OS X is. While command-tabbing, I can tap other keys to have an action done on the highlighted application. I can cmd-tab to an application I no longer want, and tap Q to quit it or H to hide it. There are also hotkeys to open the Applications folder, and my Documents folder.

Display

The display is very crisp, and more than bright enough for use indoors and outdoors. The lowest setting turns off backlighting completely. The display didn’t have the same wow-factor as the Fujisu S6210, but it’s definitely bright and clear. Thanks to the separate ATI video chip, DVDs run without any artifacts, and color representation is sharp. There’s also an optional S-Video and Composite adapter available for $20. Unfortunately, there is only screen-mirroring. In order to achieve screen-spanning, there is an a well known hack one can use. Since I don’t see myself using this feature, I’d rather not risk it.

apple ibook g4 battery relative:

apple ibook g3 battery

apple powerbook g4 battery

apple macbook pro 17″ battery

 
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Blackberry Curve 8320 Review

19 Jun

Over the years, Blackberry has developed its own niche of followers that, mostly anyway, stay loyal to the brand no matter what. Part of this may be attributed to the fact that, really, there haven’t been many ‘bad’ Blackberry phones out there, and with the Blackberry Curve 8320, it doesn’t look like there is going to be yet. As a phone, and more than that, as a Blackberry, the Curve 8320 may be compared to various other models, most prominently the rest of the Curve series, including the 8310 and 8300.

Features of the Blackberry Curve 8320

Most of the mobile phones in the Curve family share essentially the same core features. Not only that, but they also share the same design. In this case however, that is a great thing. All the Curves are the benefactors of one of the better designs in the Blackberry lines. Seamlessly, the Curve bears its full QWERTY keyboard with pride, and yet retains a slim profile of about 15 mm. Of course, the keyboard that it has where other mobile phones would only have a keypad makes it somewhat wider; however it is not bricklike and does work for the Blackberry Curve 8320.

In turn, the keyboard itself works like a charm. Differing slightly on the 8320 than the 8310, the keyboard is one of the little improvements that Blackberry incorporated. By altering the layout slightly, the Curve 8320’s keyboard is a pleasure to use, and certainly a great advantage when using the Blackberry for emails, or even text messaging.

As with the rest of the series, there is a 2 megapixel camera that performs decently, but is nothing too special. Also, there is a media player, microSD storage support, and a trackball for navigational purposes.

One of the areas where the Blackberry Curve truly distances itself from its predecessors however is in connectivity, where it has WLAN connection ability. This one function alone is a marvel, as it allows for web access from any wireless access point, be it connecting to an office network or casually checking emails from Starbucks. By somehow managing to cram this feature in, the Blackberry Curve 8320 wins by a mile against predecessors that only have GPS technology at very most in place of this.

An Office Mobile Phone that Crosses Boundaries

Although in the past all Blackberrys have been known as predominantly office phones for their general incline towards business usage, with the Curve 8320, there is certainly the potential that others will be drawn into it. A mobile phone that can connect to wireless networks is simply a gem in its own right, and none would be surprised if that factor features heavily on anyone looking for mobile phone deals.

Somehow Blackberry has done it again, and looks to not only gain from their ever loyal devotees, but also from outside their regular pool of customers with a single, beautiful, mobile phone that has an appeal factor regardless of the Blackberry brands business reputation.

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Are you looking for a new mobile phone? If so why not check out the Blackberry Curve 8320 today. Or take a look at any of our other mobile phone deals

 
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