Acer Iconia review and comparison

Following on from Mondays laptop/netbook identity crisis with the Samsung 7 series sliding keyboard, today I am looking at the dual screen Acer Iconia.

As you can see from the gallery below the Acer Iconia is a bit special. The images aptly demonstrate the UI innovation in the new hybrid device.

But is the Acer Iconia the beginning of a new revolution in computing design or just a very expensive executive web browser?

Full review of the Acer Iconia.



The hardware inside the Acer Iconia is way above that in a conventional tablet although at the same time it is a little bit dated. Not only, like the Samsung series 7, does the Iconia not know what it is but it also has the more serious problem of not knowing who is meant to use it. But I still want one.

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AMD Radeon HD 6970M GPU review

Which laptop have just rated and ranked the AMD Radeon 6970M laptop GPU. If you want to play ultra-high-resolution games like shown in the video below then have a look at the GPU review.

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Intel Atom Z670 for tablets.

The Intel Atom z670 has already been used in a tablet. It just hasn't been put on sale yet. Samsung will be using the CPU, or more correctly, SoC, System on Chip in their promising new offering pictured below.



Have a look at the full, well full as possible low down on the Intel Atom Z670. Or marvel at the rather tempting looking Samsung 7 series below.

I'm a tablet.

No, I'm a netbook.

No I'm a tablet.

More info on the Samsung sliding tablet/netbook.

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New Qosmio laptop shop

There is a new laptop shop dedicated to the powerful gaming range of laptops from Toshiba, Qosmio.

Have a look at the new Qosmio laptop shop.

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New Toshiba Android tablet compared.

The toshiba android-tablet has :-250-Cortex-A9 CPU, Tegra 2 ULP Geforce GPU, 1 GB of ram a 64 GB hard disk and a 10.1 inch screen.

Which-Laptop.com writes:

"There are still quite a few unknowns with this tablet. For example the price is a best guess based on rumours and the tablet will probably include a docking station with more connections on it. Also the release date I mentioned previously is speculation as well. Add to this and I don't even know what it will be called or perhaps it will just have a model number..."

See the full Toshiba Android tablet article.

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Toshiba Qosmio reviews

Toshiba Qosmio laptops represent great value for gaming laptops especially when compared with the likes of Alienware and if you compare them to the gaming laptops available in regular stores online or in the stores they are about as good as the hardened mobile PC gamer can get.

If you like daring design they are also very stylish. And unarguably well put together.

But there are so many Qosmio laptops that it can be hard to know which is best and which is best value?



So Which-Laptop.com has compiled a list of the latest Qosmios, rated and compared them including how they stack up from a purely value for money aspect.

Here are a number of quick Qosmio reviews, with very little comment but with every aspect possible rated. This should make it easy to find the best Qosmio for you.

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q870 (Quick review)
Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q890 (Quick review)
Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q888 (Quick review)
Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q894 (Quick review)

Also there are a few full, in depth Qosmio reviews so you can really begin to understand what is so great about Toshiba Qosmio.

Toshiba Qosmio X500-149 Laptop Review
Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898
Toshiba Qosmio x500-116

So why all the fuss over Toshiba Qosmio laptops? Well Which-Laptop.com are fans of the range. Not because there is any financial incentive to the bias but because they genuinely believe they are great at what they are designed for. Higher end gaming without a high end price.

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Top Ten Tablets

With the euphoric rise in the popularity of Tablet PCs and the coming glut of new tablets to our stores Which-Laptop.com thought it wise to start a new top ten of tablet PCs.

Obvious inclusions are the likes of the iPad and iPad 2 but also included are the less obvious examples like laptops that can convert to a tablet.

To make it clear which tablet is best they are all rated according to multiple criteria. For example, which is best looking, most portable, most powerful, best for playing media and many more as well, including which is the best value for money?

Check out the growing top ten tablets at which-laptop.com. Or just marvel at the number 1 below.

The Motorola Xoom WiFi edition due for release in the UK in early April is arguably, depending upon the judged criteria, the best tablet PC.

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Over 50 laptop reviews on Which-Laptop.com

Which-Laptop.com the laptop review site that rates every laptop on multiple criteria relative to the current best laptop at each of those criteria is pleased to announce it now has more than 50 laptops rated, reviewed and comparable.

You can see the 50 latest laptop reviews.

So what criteria can you compare on Which-Laptop.com? Just about anything. You might like to know what is the best gaming laptop or the best tablet or netbook. Alternatively the most important thing could be energy efficiency, looks or a very specific feature.

Visit Which-Laptop.com and you will find 10 ways to find the best laptop for you.

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The Motorola Xoom wifi

The Motorola xoom tablet with wifi has :-250-Cortex-A9 CPU, Tegra 2 ULP Geforce GPU, 1 GB of ram a 32 GB hard disk and a 10 inch screen. The Motorola XOOM is ground-breaking. Partly because of the hardware inside it and partly due to the operating system, Android 3 from Google, specifically designed for tablets.

Follow the links above to for full details or read on for a summary of the Motorola XOOM soon to be released with WiFi only in the UK.

On the good side and comparing to an Apple iPad 2.

1. Superior CPU and GPU especially where games are concerned.
2. Higher resolution screen than an iPad 2.
3. A USB port and a Micro SD card slot.
4. Flash compatibility and as if that where not good enough, Tegra support for Flash acceleration.

All of this is not present on the admittedly more stylish, easier to use iPad 2.

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Ipad 2

Continuing our Apple theme and to add a bit of comparison into the iPad 2 hype, I mean excitement here are reviews and ratings on Which-Laptop for the following.

A5 CPU (the one in the iPad 2)
SGX 453 GPU (the one in the iPad 2)
And finally - The iPad 2.

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Best laptop CPU list

Which-Laptop.com have published a list of some of the best and some of the latest laptop CPUs. See the CPUs in order and discover which laptops use them.

Here is the best CPU list.

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The best laptop GPUs

Which-Laptop.com have published a list of some of the best and some of the latest laptop GPUs. See the GPUs in order and discover which laptops use them.

Here is the best GPU list.

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The end of an era brings laptop bargains galore.

The i3-380m CPU is likely one of the last processors from Intel before they all finally move to the much hailed Sandy Bridge architecture. With recent announcements like an ultra-budget Celeron Sandy Bridge CPU it seems that it really is a case of out with the old and in with the new.

Certainly Sandy Bridge brings with it great improvements but the original i3s, I think, are a long way away from their sell by date, this is one of the best and because of its imminent replacements are turning up in some absolute bargain laptops.

The i3-380m CPU from Intel is at the top of the bottom. The i3 series is clearly aimed at all but the cheapest of laptops but this model, bar one other (the 390m) is the top. As a result you might find it in surprisingly high performing laptops.

There are a number of reasons for this. First up is that it has the integrated memory controller typical to all the i3, i5 and i7 series CPUs. This makes the CPU more efficient and therefore more powerful than some CPUs with apparently higher specifications.

For example the i3 380m easily outperforms all but the most extreme Core 2 Duo CPUs we used to hear so much about a few years ago. In large part it is this integrated memory controller that takes the credit. By having the circuits that control the flow of data, actually on the CPU, rather than in a separate logic unit significantly decreases the age old technology problem of the memory bottleneck.

Add to this a greatly improved GPU, again built on to the CPU and you have a winning combination. If you are buying an entry level laptop, perhaps for a student or the kids, rest assured they will easily be able to indulge in smooth playing multi-media and entry level gaming as well with the i3 380m.

So I guess as Intel announce the death of the first mobile i7 it won't be long before the i3 follows and is replaced probably by the i3-2xxx but for the laptop bargain hunter the time is ripe for some great deals.

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The new Intel Celeron B810 - Sandy Bodge CPU

OK Sandy Bodge might be a bit harsh and any advancement in performance at the same price is welcome but the Intel Celeron B810 Sandy Bridge CPU has had seriously loads of features chopped out of it.

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Macbook Pro 17 reviewed

I have to offer some criticism, mainly in general but some specifics as well. Please don't send the Apple police or blow up my web server it is just an opinion and I am well aware there are millions of people who will disagree with me.

If you accept that the Macbook is what it is and it isn't what it isn't. Then it is probably the best at what it is but the age old Macbook value for money issue rears its head as usual.

Read the full Macbook Pro 17-inch review.

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New Macbook GPUs

With the release of the new Macbooks in the US and the UK, Which laptop have showcased the three principal GPUs in the latest Macbooks.

They are the integrated Intel HD 3000 which could be the best integrated GPU bar-none, in fact it is better than many dedicated GPUs.

Next up is the rather bland Radeon 6490m but it still turns up in Macbooks in excess of $1000 and last but not least is the top of the Macbook range Radeon 6750m. To get a 17 inch Pro Macbook with one of these in will cost you in excess of $2000.

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The Battle for Sandy Bridge.

With all the fuss about the newest generation of Intel mobile CPUs the top Sandy Bridge laptop CPUs are compared, rated and explained in plain language.

i7 2920xm
i7 2820qm
i7 2720qm
i7 2635qm
i7 2630qm

If you are thinking of buying a laptop in the coming months and you are looking for something a bit above the average as far as power, flexibility and portability are concerned. You would do well to understand about the top range Intel i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs and their differences.

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Samsung rf510-s02 laptop review

The samsung rf510-s02 has :-720qm CPU, Geforce GT 330 GPU, 4 GB of ram a 640 GB hard disk and a 15.6 inch screen. This laptop does not have the latest kit. It also has only a bare bones line up of ports and connections and optical drives.

More on them in a bit. However it has to be said that although there 4 USB ports and 3 are 3.0 specification and one of them can act as a sleeping charger . Add to this the presence of Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR and you can see that although not an abundance of options what is there has been carefully selected.

You can find the full review of the Samsung rf510-s02 laptop by following the link.

And it has to be said that even with the out of date CPU and GPU it packs a gaming, multimedia and processing punch way above its price range. In fact it is the new best budget laptop according to Which-Laptop.com

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New Intel Atom N570 CPU

With all the attention of the laptop world currently focussed on the the new super-powerful 'Sandy Bridge' range of laptop CPUs, perhaps not enough fuss has been made about the latest addition the the world of low-voltage, long battery life offerings.

Intel have recently added the Atom N570 to its product line up and is has some significant enhancements over older Atom CPUs and even some fairly notable improvements over its immediate predecessor the N550.

Here is the full review of the Intel Atom N570 CPU. If you don't have time to read it just know that if you are after a netbook in the next few months you could do a whole lot worse than looking for one with Atom N570 in it.

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All It Takes is a Little Vision

I sell all kinds of houses, trophy homes, second homes, fixer-uppers and more, and all of them are special to me, I never forget them. Once in a while I have a very special listing, whether for its style, setting, charm, or fit/finish/detail work, and it's great to see what the buyer does with it once it's theirs.

Last year I had one of those, it was a small ranch house on a one-of-a-kind piece of property that had been in one family for it's entire lifetime, almost 80 years. The house was located high on a ridge overlooking a large pond, surrounded on three sides by water, within a nice neighborhood but unusually secluded given all those things. And to top it off, it was located around 20 miles from downtown Boston.

The buyers, Bob and Michelle Hause, had been looking for years for the right house to downsize to from their large, classic Colonial Saltbox home in Sudbury, and they just couldn't find one. Then one day they came to my open house and fell in love with this house.  Bob is a contractor in Sudbury, his specialty is building additions and expansions onto existing homes, so this was the perfect opportunity to do his thing.

The home he made it into is absolutely beautiful, it fits the site perfectly and is in keeping with the scale and style of the neighborhood and it's environs.  What he did was rotate the roofline by 90 degrees and build-on a second floor to the existing first floor walls. He then added a farmer's porch to the front to create an inviting entrance that can be used for sitting in the evening and enjoying the views and the neighbors. Inside he kept the original kitchen cabinets and 80 year old porcelain sink, while updating the appliances and reconfiguring the first floor for today's lifestyle.

As you can see, the front walk and lawn area are new, and a lot of the existing plantings have been retained. They will be augmented with more gardens over the years as Michelle has a green thumb and I'm looking forward to watching it take shape over time.

A lot of discussion these days is about how houses have to be Pottery Barn perfect and completely updated to fit today's discriminating buyers, and there is a lot of truth in that. But just once in a while, there is a home that needs work, and yet it's the perfect home for one buyer. All it takes is a little vision.

btw: if you're looking for a great contractor, call Bob Hause (508) 826-5598

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