Dell Inspiron 15R

Dell’s Inspiron laptops used to be fairly generic and underpowered, but this certainly isn’t true of the refreshed 2011 models. We’re no strangers to the range, having looked at various configurations in the past, but this latest 15R is one of the first we’ve seen to use dedicated Nvidia graphics.

The 1GB GeForce GT 525M might be one of the slower models in Nvidia’s current line-up, but t’s still more than capable of playing the latest games at 720p.

Security flaw for ipad 2

First Siri starts doling out personal info when your phone is supposed to be locked, and now an even bigger security oversight has been discovered in iOS5 for iPad 2 owners.

Asus N53SN

Good

• Powerful processor
• Good performance
• Great hi-res display
• Blu-ray player

Bad

• Uninspiring design
• Iffy keyboard
• Slightly creaky chassis

 

Look at the Asus N53SN's spec sheet and its price tag, and your first thought will probably be 'what's the catch?' Tying together a second-generation Intel Core i7 processor, a meaty graphics card, 8GB of RAM, a Blu-ray player and a 1,920x1,080-pixel display for under £900, our version of this 15.6-inch laptop certainly made us mighty suspicious. But did it break our hearts, or is this indeed a great-value multimedia machine?

Sony VAIO Z Series

Most of Sony's VAIO laptops are nothing to write home about. Though they are fine laptops, they don't distinguish themselves from many other modern laptops.

 

They are, for lack of a better description, typical. But every so often, Sony bucks common trends with a product that is clearly ahead of the curve – and very expensive. These special laptops remind us of olden days when a Sony TV or music system carried a huge price premium but virtually guaranteed superior design and quality.

HP Mini 210-3002sa

Most netbooks that you'll find on the market these days aren't exactly designed for office workers, coming in a range of bright colours that'd look rather odd in the hands of a businessman. Though the HP Mini 210-3002sa lives up to this preconception at least partially, coming in a 'Matte Luminous Rose' (or for those of you who don't have the Dulux catalogue to hand, pink) version, it does also come in a much more sensible hue – the version we looked at was somewhere between steely and midnight grey.

As far as netbooks go, the HP Mini is slightly faster than the average, though a WorldBench 6 score of 38 is still some way short of even low-end ultraportable laptops. So it isn't really likely to be versatile enough for a business user, struggling through anything more complex than Office programs, though if you only require something for checking email on the move and the odd bit of web-based research then it'd be perfectly adequate.

See also: Group test: what's the best netbook?
The keyboard, according to HP, is 93 percent full-sized, and it is very usable, enabling you to type with barely an error. All the keys are separate from each other and the arrow keys are very usable. Below the keyboard is a touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures and can be turned off while you're typing if you wish. The touchpad is also textured, meaning that it is easy for your fingers to find without you having to look away from the screen.
But really, despite its sensible looks, the HP Mini is all about entertainment. It boasts a stereo speaker system made by Beats Audio and the sound quality it offers is nothing short of astounding, handling everything we threw at it very well, from bassy dance music to shrill sopranos. The 10.1in, 1024 x 600 screen is decent, with an anti-glare coating on the glossy finish that works fairly well without making the colours dull and it has a wide viewing angle too.
Netbooks need to withstand a bit of a battering as they're designed to travel around with you and the HP Mini seems to be tough enough for this kind of lifestyle, whereas many other netbooks we've seen feel plasticky and unsuitable for the stresses and strains of life on the road. It's a decent weight at 1.39kg, though this is still substantially heavier than an 11-inch MacBook Air, for example, but it definitely won't give you any back trouble.
The most vital aspect of any travelling partner is how long they can go without a recharge – happily, the HP Mini is not going to let you down on that front. It lasted 474 minutes in our tests – just short of eight hours – so if you were flying to the US, for example, it would last until after touchdown at New York's JFK, though wouldn't stretch all the way to LAX.
The 250GB hard drive is reasonable for a netbook, enabling you to cram a few movies and plenty of music in. There are three USB 2.0 ports, which is plenty, a VGA port for connecting to a larger monitor or projector should you wish, while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are catered for too. An SD card slot provides you with the best option for quick and easy backup, but if you do want to watch movies on the move then you'll need to bear in mind that like all netbooks, there's no optical drive.

Dell Inspiron Duo

This highly innovative netbook/tablet hybrid is easy to criticise, but the Inspiron Duo offers a glimpse at the future of personal computing.
Those that can look past its undeniable quirks may find a device that changes the way they use a computer.
The idea is that you buy the device with a dock. This acts as a hub for the netbook and converts it into an alarm clock and photo frame, while also charging it.
The dock comes with JBL-branded speakers, which are decent enough, but won't challenge a home hi-fi system.

When you're out and about with the device you have the choice of either netbook or tablet mode.
Switching between them, by flipping the panel horizontally and then closing the lid, is intuitive and the mechanism feels sturdy enough to survive rigorous use.

Firstly, the device impresses in netbook mode. The 1366 x 768-pixel resolution is sharp inside the 10.1-inch screen, while the spacious keyboard provides a great typing experience, despite a bit of flexibility. Those who want to edit and type in word documents will have no problem using the device for hours on end.

Performance is standard fare for a netbook and, while office applications run fine, more resource-intensive programs and multi-tasking causes serious lag.
Benchmarks
Battery life: 215 minutes
MobileMark 2007: 60
3DMark 2003: 642
In terms of connectivity, 802.11n Wi-Fi is great for wireless networking to a home router, for example, but the lack of an Ethernet port (even though the dock features one) and video out does seem an omission. It means that those who like to view content on their TV, for example, simply don't have the option.

In tablet mode you're introduced to Dell's 'Stage' touch software, which gives you quick access to your music, videos and photos, among other things.
It sits over the Windows 7 interface and, although intuitive, features a few quirks that make it sometimes confusing. You can't travel back through some menus, for example.
Flawed touchscreen
The touchscreen isn't as accurate as we would have liked either, which can be frustrating, but once you get used to it, browsing the web and selecting music is surprisingly quick and easy – and offers a much more intuitive experience than in netbook mode.
The Inspiron Duo is also pretty heavy.

Portability-wise the device is no problem to carry around, but the 215-minute battery life is a little disappointing.
There's no doubt the Inspiron Duo is flawed by a few issues, but we thoroughly bought into Dell's vision of combining the netbook and tablet, and flipping between the two to carry out different tasks is intuitive and fun.

LG Optimus pad

Good

• Lightweight design
• Android 3.0
• 3D video recording
• Fast processor

Bad

• This size tablet won't suit everyone

In this review

1. Sugar-light
2. Screen play
3. How you thrill me, Honey-honeycomb
4. Outlook

The whole world has gone tablet mad, and LG has no intention of letting the touchscreen-computer craze pass it by. The company's first tablet, the 8.9-inch LG Optimus Pad, has Android 3.0 Honeycomb on board, two 5-megapixel cameras round the back for taking 3D photos and an Nvidia dual-core processor.
It's a hardware powerhouse, but is it fun to use as well? We've gone hands-on to test the Pad out, in advance of its UK launch in April.

Sugar-light

Grabbing hold of the Optimus Pad, we're impressed by how light it is -- it weighs just 630g, which is just over half a bag of sugar. If you struggle to envision your hands filled with sugar, we can tell you it feels light enough that you could sling it into a backpack or handbag and not feel like it was weighing you down.

These two 5-megapixel cameras are for shooting 3D videos.

LG reckons this is a tablet you could hold with one hand, and having held it we think this is probably true. Even though it's a fair bit larger than 7-inch tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it was comfortable to hold the Pad with one hand. That said, the display is quite large, so realistically you're still going to need two hands for typing.
It's a well-crafted bit of kit too -- rounded edges, quite slim at 13mm thick, and down the back you'll find the same silver stripe that you see on the Optimus 2X. It bears the Google logo, to remind you that when push comes to shove, the Pad is a Google-powered device.
Around the edges you'll find a USB connector port for charging, and an HDMI output for pumping the Pad's video and audio to an HDTV, as well as a lock button, and hardware volume keys. Our only concern regarding the design is that the bezel surrounding the screen is quite thick -- we like displays that go right up to the edge of the device.

Screen play

The display is promising. The Pad's 8.9-inch, 1,280x768-pixel display seems reasonably bright, and it's very sharp -- photos and ebooks looked good. The shape of the Pad is quite unusual -- whereas the iPad has a squarish look, the Pad is more elongated with a 15:9 aspect ratio. This could prove beneficial when watching videos, as it means you'll get more of a widescreen experience, without having content chopped off the sides of the display.
A real surprise is that around the back of the Pad there are two 5-megapixel cameras, which are used for recording video in 3D. Now, you can't actually watch 3D video on the Pad, but if you have a 3D telly or laptop, you'll be able to export the video you've shot, and watch it in glorious tri-dee there. You can shoot video in 720p.

This is the 3D camcorder app running. It's blurry because it's taking information from two cameras at the same time.

Inside there's an Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset running the show, and we have to say, the Pad felt very slick and responsive as we swooped through Honeycomb's homescreens. That added grunt could be a major strength of the Pad: LG reckons it's powerful enough to handle 1080p video playback, and we'd like to see it playing some graphically intensive games.

How you thrill me, Honey-honeycomb

Running Android 3.0 Honeycomb carries loads of advantages. Google Maps is improved, and gives you a pseudo-3D effect when you drag down with three fingers, so you're no longer looking at the map-world from the top down, but from an angle.
Google Books will also be raring to go when Honeycomb hits the shelves -- we had a flip through several ebooks on the Tab, and the interface worked really well. Page turning is both attractive and smooth, with text rendered crisply.

Outlook

The Optimus Pad is certainly looking like one of the more exciting Honeycomb tablets on the horizon, with 3D video capture, a natty processor and a surprisingly light and comfortable design. Here's hoping the Pad looks equally as charming when we give it the full review treatment.
The LG Optimus Pad will be available with Wi-Fi and 3G in the UK in April, with a Wi-Fi only version to follow soon after.