Cool New Laptops September 2010
Last updated on 10/01/2010
While some of us were busy doing the standard end of summer and early fall stuff -- watching football, picking apples, and getting back to school -- several new laptops hit the market. Here's a quick rundown of a couple highlights, and why they're interesting. By Mike Lynch
Asus recently released their newest Eee PC, and it features Intel's new dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor. What does that mean? Well, if the sluggish performance of previous netbooks kept you away in the past, now is a great time to give them a second look. Users can expect netbooks featuring the N550 chip to offer significantly improved application and graphics performance. While netbooks powered by Intel's Atom N550 processor still aren't going to be powerful enough to run demanding games or software, they can handle 720p video without a hitch, including high-resolution YouTube and Hulu videos. The Eee PC 1015PEM also gets great battery life (around 10 hours) and comes in a variety of colors.
Now here's an interesting little computer. While it may seem pretty boring at first, the HP Mini 5103 is a netbook that targets business and corporate users by including a pile of security features that you don't often see in computers of this size. For example, the HP Disk Sanitizer can permanently destroys data on your hard drive using a US Department of Defense Algorithm, ensuring that your files are fully deleted and your information is "truly private." The Mini 5103 also features a number of other security features, including advanced drive encryption tools to help protect confidential business information should your laptop be lost or stolen. All-in-all, this seems like it would be a great little satellite device for security-conscious business types who do a lot of traveling.
It's usually pretty easy to write off laptops targeting children as cheap, gimmicky toys. However, this one is a little different. Why? Well from a computing standpoint, this 13-inch laptop contains no real surprises -- its powered by an Intel Celeron processor and features a DVD drive. Boring, right? But the extra "kid features" are where things get interesting. First, it has the obvious: a wipeable keyboard that's easy to clean and a textured finish to resist fingerprints. But this laptop takes it a step further and includes a web browser designed for kids (KidZui), safety software that enables parents to set boundaries on how the laptop is used (Net Nanny), as well as a variety of games and other kid-friendly media. So while this isn't a very powerful laptop, it certainly appears to be the most respectable attempt at a "computer for kids" that I've seen in a long while.
Cool New Laptops September 2010 Comments & Questions (write your own!)
william (12/14/2011)
totally wrong i have an e442 laptop which came with a v160 cpu at 2.4 ghz and i installed 8 gig's of ram and this little machine really kicks ass
reply to this commentMGYSGT (10/24/2010)
This is what I have found:
AMD V Series V140 is the third processor in V Series line of single-core CPUs. Clocked at 2.3 GHz, it's one step faster than the V120. Like other V Series models, the V140 will include 512 KB L2 cache, support DDR3-1066 memory, and fit into 25 Watt thermal envelope. The processor will use socket S1g4. The V Series V140 will be the only CPU offered in Acer eMachines D442 and E442 laptops. Both laptops differ from each other only by a selection of pre-installed software titles and available optional components. In other aspects the laptops are very similar: both utilize AMD M880G chipset with ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics, and include up to 2 GB of memory, 160 - 750 GB or larger hard drive, and 14" display.
I have this CPU in a Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5091 and its a nifty laptop for its price and features!
reply to this commentAMD V Series V140 is the third processor in V Series line of single-core CPUs. Clocked at 2.3 GHz, it's one step faster than the V120. Like other V Series models, the V140 will include 512 KB L2 cache, support DDR3-1066 memory, and fit into 25 Watt thermal envelope. The processor will use socket S1g4. The V Series V140 will be the only CPU offered in Acer eMachines D442 and E442 laptops. Both laptops differ from each other only by a selection of pre-installed software titles and available optional components. In other aspects the laptops are very similar: both utilize AMD M880G chipset with ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics, and include up to 2 GB of memory, 160 - 750 GB or larger hard drive, and 14" display.
I have this CPU in a Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5091 and its a nifty laptop for its price and features!
Robin (10/19/2010)
Hi. Am considering buying a Toshiba Satellite with a V series Processor. Anybody know where I might find info about this processor? Strangely I find nothing about it at AMD's web site and very few of the 577 Notebook Computers that carry AMD Processors have this type! The price is excellent given all the other components. The Model is: Model C655D-S5091. Thanks for any help!
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