Lenovo Ideapad U-450p 14-Inch Black Laptop - Up to 6 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) Review

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(More customer reviews)So, I did extensive research on the ulv-class laptops from Asus, Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo. My main goal was to buy a mid-range ($500-700) culv laptop with Windows 7 to tide me over until the release of the Asus UL80-JT (I3 CULV with automatic switchable graphic cards and 12 hours of battery life), which won't be released until later in the year.
What I got was exactly that. The reviews complained mostly about the Lenovo customer service, which I have not dealt with personally. However, I have heard that Lenovo's customer service isn't *that* bad and it is a smaller company than HP or Dell (you and your laptop will actually end up worse for the wear after dealing with their customer service). No one's customer service can ever compete with the quality Asus customer service, and I was sad that the price point on the Asus ul30 and ul80 moved back up to around $850 on Amazon and that they were sold out on most other websites, but so it goes.
So, onto the Lenovo, it has a sleek look and you will never have a fingerprint problem. The keyboard is the most ergonomically designed keyboard I have seen on a thin and light laptop and it has the greatest feel to it. The laptop does not feel flimsy at all and seems pretty sturdy all around. It comes with a CD/DVD drive, which is great, since most of the other thin and lights have eliminated an optical drive in favor of weight.
The veriface log-in is a cool added feature.
The screen has really good resolution and the laptop comes with a really decent graphics card. The one obvious drawback to this is that it takes a toll on the battery life. Now, I've moved from a normal laptop getting 2 hours of battery life at the most, so I am enjoying the added battery life. However, it is not as good as some of the other culv laptops. I get about 4 hours and 15 minutes on average depending on what I am doing. This is again, great compared to the regular lithium ion batteried-laptops, but it seems pretty average for the culv class laptops with Acer boasting 9 hours and Asus boasting 12 hours. (Asus doesn't get 12 hours but instead close to 9, but that still rates above the Lenovo). So, I ultimately find myself a bit annoyed when I have to plug the Lenovo in.
The laptop runs cool and quietly and with no real noticeable fan noise.
I think the only con on this laptop is the battery life AS COMPARED to other laptops in its class. Overall, however, I am happy with the purchase and would recommend it to people who are looking to get a less expensive culv laptop, because it ultimately has a better price point than its competitors.Lenovo Ideapad U-450p 14-Inch Black Laptop - Up to 6 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium)

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The future is now, and it's in stunning high-definition. Introducing the IdeaPad™ U450p notebook with HD graphics support and an integrated DVD player/burner for watching movies on the move. Weighing in at just 4.62lbs and a mere 1.1 inch thick, the U450p features long battery life and is great for mobile entertainment, or simply for connecting with friends. And with Windows® 7 Lenovo Enhanced Experience certification, you'll enjoy fast boot and shutdown, rich multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools.Best of all, it's from Lenovo, makers of the award-winning ThinkPad notebooks for business.


IdeaPad™ U450p Notebook Key Features

Processor: Intel® Pentium® processor SU4100
OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
Display: 14.0 inch high-definition LED backlight display, 16:9 widescreen
Hard Drive: 250GB 5400rpm SATA
Memory (RAM): 3GB DDR3
Video Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M
Integrated Communications: Ethernet/802.11b/g
Battery: Battery life up to 6 hrs
System Weight: 4.62 lbs

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Breakthrough Portability
Breakthrough Entertainment
Breakthrough Technology
A Better Windows® 7 Experience

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Toshiba Satellite L675D-S7013 LED TruBrite 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for an upgrade to my 4 year old Dell, and having had good luck with a Toshiba before I decided to buy another Toshiba Satellite. When the package was opened and powered up, the Satellite took off! It installed all of the software in short order. The screen is big and bright with really great resolution. The touch pad was a bit too sensitive, but it is easily adjusted. The keyboard is big, compared to my old Dell, and has a good feel. I also like having the number keypad, just like a desk top system. The Satellite comes with a lot of handy software for keeping the system running and protected (i.e. Norton security suite). The only thing which disappointed me is the built-in speakers. They sound cheap and tinny. Through headphones, the audio is great, so it is only the speakers.

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Toshiba Satellite L675D: Fashionable, Affordable and Portable with 17.3-Inch Screen
Offering a redesigned chassis with a sleeker body, the nicely affordable Toshiba Satellite L675D-S7013 notebook PC makes it easy to handle computing essentials at home, school or work--from surfing the web and downloading video to managing household finances or studying for finals. And its high-gloss Fusion Finish in Helios Black will be sure to raise a few eyebrows while you're on the go.

You'll enjoy maximum screen real estate and excellent movie playback from the stunning 17.3-inch LED-backlit display with 720p native high-definition resolution. Thanks to the built-in webcam and Toshiba Face Recognition software on this machine, you'll enjoy a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family. Other high-tech features include a power-saving Eco Utility to help reduce power consumption based on your needs and one USB/eSATA combo port.

This Satellite comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).



Key Features
17.3-inch widescreen HD+ TruBrite LED-Backlit display not only renders stunning visuals, but it's more environmentally friendly as it uses less power (1600 x 900 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio).


2.1 GHz AMD Athlon II P320 dual-core processor (1 MB L2 cache)


320 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)


4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (expandable to 8 GB)


ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics card provides exceptional features, performance and power-efficiencies that enrich what you see and do (256 MB - 1405 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory).


8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing, which enables you to personalize your discs and keep them looking attractive and organized with direct-to-disc laser printing.


Wireless Connectivity
With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers.



Built-in stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio blends a suite of technologies to deliver a stunning audio experience from headphones or your laptop speakers. It analyzes audio signals and restores tones often lost in encoding, mimicking the same optimization techniques that go into tuning movie theaters and mixing rooms, resulting in brighter highs and deep, thumping bass tones. It also expands stereo signals to 6.1- or 7.1-channel playback for a listening experience that will have you talking long after the performance.


Included Toshiba Software:
Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.



Included Toshiba Utilities:
Toshiba eco Utility makes it easy to go green as you go mobile. Hit the Eco Button and you'll launch the Toshiba Eco Utility, which puts all sorts of easy-to-read information on your screen, and gives you the ability to adjust the power settings on your laptop. It also activates a light showing you're in the Eco Mode. The Toshiba Eco Utility lets you pick the optimal power plan for your situation. Choose High-Performance when you need every watt you can get, Power Saver for the least energy consumption, or Balanced as a perfect blend of the two.



Up to 3.8 hours of battery life (6-cell battery; 48 Wh)


Dimensions & Weight: 16.3 x 10.6 x 1.49 inches (WxDxH); 6.6 pounds



Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings



Environmental Specifications
Energy Star 5.0 certified
Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

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25th Anniversary of Toshiba Laptops
This year, Toshiba celebrates its 25th anniversary of innovations and quality in the notebook PC business. Beginning with the launch of the Toshiba T1100, the world's first clamshell-type, fully functional laptop PC, Toshiba has led the with such innovations as the first laptop with a color monitor in 1991 and a laptop with integrated CD-ROM drive in 1995 (followed by the addition of a DVD drive in 1998). And in 2009, Toshiba unveiled the world's first ultraportable laptop with 512GB solid state drive.

Today, Toshiba continues to be a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, with virtually all of its consumer laptops earning EPEAT Gold status for meeting standards that help reduce overall environmental impact.

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DXG USA DXG-305V 5-in-1 Digital Companion Digital Camera (Blue) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, I've only had the DXG-305v for a couple of weeks now, but have learned quite a bit about it in that time. It was a gift for my 11-year-old, although I of course had to thoroughly check it out myself first. I like the product a lot, but I do have a few complaints and some important "secrets" to reveal in this review, so read on...
Specifications: The real specifications for many of the camera's features are almost impossible to determine from DXG's published information. In many cases, completely different specifications appear on the downloadable data sheet, the downloadable user manual, the printed user manual, and the product box! Which (if any) of these actually apply to the camera? Fortunately it is possible to determine what the camera can do through experimentation, and to analyze the digital files it produces to get some reliable specifications. The specifications on the product box seem to be the most accurate.
Memory capacity: There is a total of 32MB of built-in memory and about 30MB of that is available for your use (some of the older specification sheets say it's only 14MB out of 16MB total), but that won't get you very far. You'll need to buy at least one SD memory card. The specifications say that the camera supports up to 512MB cards, although DXG technical support says it will probably also recognize 1GB cards. Since I have serious doubts that the support people really understand this product, I stuck with 512MB, which is plenty. This will hold up to 90 minutes of video, or 500+ high quality photos, or about 8 hours of typical MP3 files.
Battery life: New users will complain that the camera goes through AAA batteries way too fast. The fact is that you MUST get rechargeable batteries for this camera. A set of rechargeables will run the camera for more than an hour of continuous video recording, or about 3 hours of audio recording (with the LCD turned off), which is really very good. These batteries are inexpensive and they can be recharged hundreds of times. There are also chargers available that can recharge all four batteries in as little as 15 minutes. Repeat: Forget about regular AAAs - get some rechargeables and a fast charger!
Still camera: I'm an experienced photographer, and have used many different film and digital cameras. The results from the DXG-305v are nothing to get excited about, but they're better than I expected, at least for outdoor use in good light. Indoor shots are poor unless the room is well lit. The white balance setting is adjustable, but I got the best results leaving it on auto. Again, I'm referring to outdoor shots - changing the white balance for indoor shots has virtually no effect on the image.
Flash: The flash works as described. It's really only effective up to maybe six feet away, but it does the job. You can turn the flash off if you want to, but unfortunately, you can't set it to fire with every shot. It only works in auto mode, meaning that it will fire only if the camera decides that the light level is too low. Also, the flash will refuse to fire at all if the batteries are not freshly charged. Once the charge drops a little, the flash does not respond even though the rest of the camera operations are fine. Disappointing! Also, the flash is positioned in a place where it's very easy to cover with your fingers when shooting.
Video: Video image quality, like still image quality, is much better outdoors than indoors. The low resolution (320x240) video mode works as advertised and delivers 30fps. In high resolution (640x480) mode, however, the camera does not deliver the 15fps rate claimed in most of the product literature. Actual results in high resolution mode are about 10fps, as described on the product box. In my opinion this slow frame rate is much too choppy and makes the high resolution video mode unusable. The speed of the memory card is not a factor in this. I tried two different types of memory cards - the relatively slow standard SanDisk 512MB card and the much faster SanDisk Ultra II 512MB card - and got exactly the same results. An output jack and special cables are included for connecting the device to other audio/video components for playback.
PC camera: I conducted some PC camera tests using Windows Movie Maker 2. When connected to a computer with the USB cable, the DXG-305v at first appears to deliver 30fps in high resolution mode, but this is only half true. In this scenario the sensor is actually working at only 320x240 and this low resolution image is simply scaled up in size to 640x480. Changing the resolution to true 640x480 via software settings drops the frame rate down to about 20fps maximum. On the plus side, the software settings do allow a great deal of control over how the camera behaves in PC mode. Adjustments are included for brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and hue. The internal microphone does not function in PC camera mode - you'll have to use your computer's microphone instead.
Audio recording: The audio recorder function generates 4-bit 8kHz mono files, which are good enough for voice recording but not exactly pleasant to listen to. For some strange reason the audio is stored in WAV format instead of the far more efficient MP3 format. With these settings a 512MB memory card can hold about 12 hours of audio. But how often will you want to record half a day's worth of low quality sound? I would much rather have higher quality audio options with reduced recording times. Audio recording can run for about 3 hours on a full battery charge if you keep the LCD display closed.

MP3 playback: This is a feature that currently sets the DXG-305v apart from most other combo cameras. The device recognizes and plays stereo MP3 files transferred from your computer, and music playback quality is fine when using a good pair of headphones. Playback through the tiny built-in speaker is pretty awful, but that's to be expected. Music playback can run for about 2? hours on a full battery charge if you keep the LCD display closed.
Software: I have briefly experimented with the included video editing software, and it looks very good. In addition to editing your videos, you can apparently also use the program to burn VCDs (but not DVDs - to get that ability you'll need to pay for an upgrade). If you prefer, the camera's ASF video files can be edited in Windows Movie Maker 2, or presumably just about any editing program. I haven't yet experimented much with the included photo editing software.
Miscellaneous: The internal clock/calendar does not keep accurate time, and it resets itself whenever you change batteries. And although the camera has a self-timer, there is no tripod socket! This is just bizarre and inexcusable.
Conclusion: Although I thought it was important to point out issues in this review, let me assure you that I really like the camera. It's certainly not perfect, but it does more than anyone should reasonably expect for the price. People who plan to use it as their only camera are likely to be disappointed. It's much more appropriate as an extra camera for fun and experimentation. I think it will appeal mostly to gadget-heads and pre-teen kids.
Anyone interested in the DXG-305v is invited to join the new DXG-Digital user group at Yahoo! to discuss all DXG products:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxg-digital


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Pentax Optio A10 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Shake Reduction Review

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(More customer reviews)My Pentax Optio S died in Sapporo and I didn't have time or inclination for a travel repair, so I went in to Yodobashi Camera to see what they had. I looked at some Cannon but settled on Pentax again figuring I wouldn't have a steep learning curve. I was right. It runs very similarly to all the Optio family. It's slightly larger than the Optio S line but is still as small as it gets.
Yodobashi had 3 Pentaxes for me to choose from: 1 had a touch screen (useless IMHO), and the other was waterproof to 1.5 meters. At least at Yodobashi, viewfinders on digital cameras were things of the past. The A10 had 8 megapixels and a "Shake Reduction" which both looked appealing. I purchased it, swapped my SD card from the old to the new and headed for the old government building and a ramen shop.
Results:
The shake reduction is an option in both still and movie modes. However, I didn't notice an improvement unless I was using a small tripod. It really sharpened up a slightly shaky tripod but if you were moving, there wasn't much improvement.
The zoom sucked until I understood it. It is not a continuous feed but a step feed in 6 steps. You push the zoom button for just an instant and the zoom will move by a 1/6 increment. Not really a big deal, but it was annoying when I was expecting an infinite choice.
Also with the lens, the wide angle isn't quite as wide and the zoom is a bit more telephoto than on the old Pentax. I would prefer having the wider as on the Optio S but taking 2 steps back doesn't make that big a difference.
Green button - Great button. You can assign 4 function settings, shake reduction, re-initialize, or movie mode to this button. When I was taking short movies for a while, I assigned "movie" to this button and with 1 push I was in that mode. At all other times I assigned Fn to the button to quickly access EV compensation (back light), Saturation, AE Metering (Spot, Avg, full), and white balance.
Modes - You have to go here to record sound, unlike the S line, where you just hold the "on" button down for a few seconds. You also get a few more modes which I didn't use much. For example, "Text" mode increases contrast to bring out black writing on a light background, and with "Candles" you can get extra speed in low light, where it is not available elsewhere. Each mode may have its own little peculiarities. As mentioned by someone else, this is the only thing that doesn't reset to the defaults when you power off. When you power on again, it's still on "text" or "pets" and if you don't notice, you can ruin some pictures or make some color look black and white (I did this after taking a picture of a sign in text mode). I mainly use "P" so I can adjust everything manually and have it hold. If you use "Auto," many choices are grayed out and you have to change modes to change the choice.
Screen - LCD screens and sunlight don't mix. I've used a large Panasonic with an LCD screen and couldn't see a thing either. I generally put my palm over the screen to shade it and then bring it close to my eye to see the image. I may not be able to focus on it well at 3" but I can make out the borders of the image well enough to push. I've also noticed that view finders on small digital cameras don't match the "what you see" with the "what you get." On this one though, you don't have to worry about it because you have to use the screen.
Movies - I only take 30 second shots of something that's moving or has sound just as a memory. This camera gives two resolutions 320 and 640. It works for me since I'm really not taking movies and I'm satisfied with what I get (something good enough for a web site).
Controls - Easy - all the buttons are on the right side of the rear: zoom at the top, view under that, circle toggle for mode, focus, flash, and timer under that, then the menu and "green" button below that. The screen takes up the rest of the back. The top has the off/on and shutter, and a "Shake Preview" that doesn't do anything that I can tell.
Flash - the flash is a bit weak and you can notice darkening at just 10 feet. And yes, in every mode there's a pre-flash, in case that flower has its eyes closed. The "red-eye" is a bit more delayed than the standard. It doesn't bother me any more than the delay on the autofocus. If I want the shutter to go when I push I use manual focus and sports settings.
Grip - Until you develop the "4th finger under, index finger on top" 1-hand method, it's a 2-hand camera if you want to adjust anything. The big screen on the back only gives you a cm square place to put a fingerprint among the buttons.
Battery - the battery is the same that Pentax uses in their other Optios, the D-LI8. Because the battery never got a good review, I've always carried a spare. However, I've never used the spare and just a recharge every night has kept it good. You might be able to power it down in a day, but just taking around 50 pictures and a couple of short movies in a day never got me close to a dead battery.
Play - this camera also has a plethora of useless (and handy) but fun editing tools. In view mode if you push "mode" you get digital filters to turn the photo to sepia or black and white, or adjust the color balance turning off all green and blue and just leaving red and other combinations. You also get:
Slideshow
Resize
Crop (trimming)
Copy (to camera's built in memory and back)
Image rotate
Digital Filters (a bit of PhotoShop built in)
Brightness filter
Movie Edit (get rid of the ends)
Red-eye (after flash process)
Voice Memo
Protect
DPOF (print right from the camera)
Frame composite (put two images together - usually a frame around a pix)
I also noticed that on equal resolutions, the A10 files were stored at a smaller size than on the Optio S. I therefore increased my default resolution. I only use the 8 mega pixel 3* resolution for images I know I will want to get a large print from. I do this to save SD card space.
I got this one because I was in a bind. I think it's better than my old Optio S, but after use, I would like to see Pentax's second A10 model, whenever it comes out, and if my old camera were still kicking I would have waited, because with just some small changes this could be a much better camera. It's the camera to carry with you at all times to get that shot that you otherwise would have missed because the camera was back in the hotel.
Pentax has released a firmware update for this camera to improve the focusing, a version 1.01 that you can download from Pentax and install via an SD card. The instructions are contained in the zip download. There have been several reports that once the update is made, the lens doesn't return all the way into the body when powered off. I've had the update in for several weeks with no problem so it could be another problem.
Another problem reported is that of a broken LCD screen. Apparently, extra force or dropping the camera can easily shatter or crack the screen. This is not covered by the warranty and is a $120 repair from Pentax in Colorado. Get a good rigid case, and don't sit on or drop the camera. Perhaps one of the stick-on anti-glare screens would protect it from sharp contacts.
For examples of what the camera can do, I've uploaded several pictures that you can access in the upper left of the product screen. For being so small, it does a great job. If you want the best, you'll have to carry it like an SLR (K10D for example).

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MD) CL) PENTAX OPTIO A10 DIGITAL CAM

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