Review: Toshiba R850 Laptop
Posted Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 10:49 pm by Jason Cartwright
The Toshiba R850 laptop is marketed as a thin, light desktop replacement, so how does it stack up in reality. The R850 weighs in at 2.40kg, impressive for a 15” laptop, while the chassis feels strong and high build quality. Performance wise, the 2.5 Ghz Core i5 feels snappy, but one can’t help but think an SSD would have tipped it over the edge.
While most review units go back after 2 weeks, I asked Toshiba to keep it longer, to seriously test battery life in the real world. They say you can get up to 10 hours battery life, impressive.. if only it was true. I took the R850 on the road to CeBit and Remix conferences, emulating what a business laptop may be used for. In my experience, the R850 averaged 5-6 hours between charges.
Toshiba provide a customised Windows 7 power mode called ‘Eco’ which turns off area glass effects and no doubt restricts hard drive and processor performance to save power. Don’t get me wrong, 5-6 hours is actually pretty decent for a laptop this size and powerful, much better than the 1-2 hours most of us are used to, but just understand you won’t get 10 hours with real use.
Being part of the Toshiba R800 range means the R850 comes with Intel’s AMT 7.0 technology which enable your IT departments to manage, diagnose, isolate and repair a notebook remotely, regardless of the power state. It also comes with a dock underneath so you can work during the day, then take it home at night and keep working. With Display Port and USB3.0 connectivity, you can connect multiple external displays, so yes, this could replace some desktop systems.
Security is catered for with a fingerprint reader positioned between the left and right trackpad buttons, as well as facial recognition using the in-built webcam. Using the fingerprint reader to logon to Windows works well and in crowded environments rather not type out my passwords in front of peering eyes. The facial recognition wasn’t anywhere near successful and I ended up turning it off.
Specs / Features
Processor: Intel® Core i5 Processor 2520M (2.5 GHz boost up to 3.2 GHz)
RAM: 4GB DDR3 (1333MHz)
Display: 15.6” widescreen, LED backlit (1366×768 res)
HDD: 320GB (5400rpm)
Ports: 1 x USB 2.0, + 1 x USB 3.0, eSATA, VGA, Display Port
Slots: 1x PCI Express Card, SD card reader
Networking: Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 a/g/n, 1GB Ethernet.
Weight: 2.40kg
Gallery
Price
RRP $1,485-$3,300 inc GST
Overall
There’s no doubt the Toshiba R850 is a solid laptop that I’d have no trouble recommending. With great built quality, impressive lightness, good performance and reasonable pricing, it’s certainly worth considering for you next work/play/combination laptop. Personally travelling in planes semi-regular means that 15” is just too big and the relatively low resolution is certainly an issue. If your Dell or HP person, take a second to think before buying next time and consider the Toshiba R850.
More information @ Toshiba
Samsung to show off insane high-density panel at SID 2011
Posted Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 12:09 pm by James Murphy
Wow. According to Engadget, SID 2011 is gonna be interesting next week, people – it may just feature one kick-arse display from Samsung. Said tablet is a 10.1-inch LCD panel which has a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, and a PPI of 330, slightly higher than the iPhone’s LG-manufactured Retina Display which sits at 326ppi. It’s been a while coming for larger screens and hopefully we’ll finally see some very cool looking tablets, and if Samsung can release a tablet with this sort of screen before Apple they’ll be in a good spot to gain some market share (providing they don’t just let Apple source these displays!). The display will also be easy on batteries, as it uses the RGBW matrix – something as simple as the display may revolutionise the tablet game already.
LG is also set to make an appearance at SID 2011, however details are scarce – LG has told Engadget that there’ll be a multitude of sizes coming, between 3.5- and 84-inch and all using (presumably) some awesome resolutions, with LG stating that they’ll be using ‘ultra-high resolutions’ and Advanced High Performance IPS technology.
So what does this mean? We should be seeing some impressive tablets in the next year or so as Samsung in particular appear to be trying to get these to market quickly and LG hopefully not far behind. It could also spark Apple into using a Retina Display on the iPad 3, which could be sourced from LG seeing as they already use LG screens on the iPhone 4. Either way, we should expect some pretty big steps forward in consumer tablet screens in the not too distant future. Cool!
More @ Engadget.com & SID.org
Dell release pics of its new ultra-thin XPS
Posted Friday, May 6, 2011 at 6:11 pm by James MurphyRemember my post from like, two whole days ago? Seems there’s now some pics released of the new skinny laptop, dubbed the XPS 15z…
It’s nice, but a little underwhelming, after the Adamo lifted our standards a great deal. Check out the link below for more pics – what’s up with the keyboard/speaker combo?
As previously mentioned, there are more models to come (pictured above is the 15.6-inch model), with 14- and 17-inch models on the way. As noted in the previous article, Dell’s PR have confirmed that the thin and light laptop is headed for Australia, on the same day as the American release!
Let us know what you think!
Pics and more @ mobile-review.com
Dell to release ultra-thin sub-$1000USD laptop [updated]
Posted Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 4:37 pm by James Murphy
Dell are tipped to release an ultra-thin 15.6" laptop which is…affordable? According to CNET’s sources, the new laptop will pack Intel’s ‘Sandy Bridge’ Core i5 and i7 processors, making the laptop not sluggish, which has been a complaint with previous ultra-thin laptops (such as the Macbook Air). Dell is aiming the product at the ‘prosumer’ market – a segment which involves professional-grade performance, mixed with style for the consumer side. Also rumoured is the sub-$1000USD pricetag, which is a good sign that we are finally heading towards a more affordable ultra-thin laptop market. Exciting!
Unlike the Adamo, which was discontinued after barely making a real splash in the market, Dell has promised that ‘this is not a one-time product. This is a full commitment to a product category that is focused on thin and powerful.’ Engadget noted that Dell blogger Lionel Mencacha confirmed that Dell are working on the 15.6" laptop, and that there are ‘more models to come.’ Here’s hoping that Dell finally release a solid, sleek looking performer in the ultra-thin market as they have promised, and one that’ll stick around for a while. Hopefully Dell’s machine will come to Australia, but don’t get your hopes up just yet.
Update
Dell PR have confirmed this laptop will arrive in Australia and New Zealand on launch day ! That’s fantastic news.. now we just need to know local pricing.
Samsung Series 9 laptops exclusive to Harvey Norman
Posted Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 9:44 pm by Jason Cartwright
Been hanging out to pickup one of those sexy new Series 9 laptops from Samsung ? Well it looks like Harvey Norman has landed an exclusive deal to be the only retailer in Australia. I’m not quite sure why Samsung would go in this direction, but personally I seriously hope this isn’t a trend that takes off.
The Samsung 900X3A is made from Duralumin, that’s the same material used to build aircrafts and twice as strong as aluminium. So feel free to throw it around, it should be fine. The LED screen is just bright, its SuperBright Plus (double the normal brightness of a 13” laptop) so you may want to dawn the sunnies when using this baby. Like rain sensing headlights on a car, the Samsung 900X3A also has light sensors to adjust the keyboard backlighting for different times of the day. This premium laptop naturally comes with a Core i5, 4GB RAM and a Solid-State Drive, a 120GB drive no less, that makes it boot in just over 20 seconds. Weighing in at a tiny 1.31kg, its actually lighter than a Macbook Air.
So if all that sounds like your next laptop, don’t bother shopping around for the best price, competition is dead.
By the way.. The Samsung Series 9 Laptop sells not for US$1649.99 but an astonishing A$2,498. Wow! indeed Mr Harvey.
More info @ Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″ Laptop?
Posted Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 8:00 am by Nick MerryA TAB LAPTOP?
Today I had the chance to get hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab Laptop all seven inches of its screen and keyboard. Closed up it is about the size of a paperback book only with the feel of a hardback cover and about the same weight.
To be honest this is actually is a Samsung Galaxy Tab with a bluetooth keyboard case and it is the keyboard case that I tested with the Tab.
The Galaxy Tab notebook?!
How it works:
The case automatically makes the Tab a seven inch notebook albeit not the most attractive. But looks aside it really makes the Tab a very portable notebook for work on the road or on a plane tray table.
The keyboard comes with a microUSB charger which once charged gives approximately four to five hours of use. The set up is very simple and takes only a minute or two.
The bluetooth set-up is just like any other, where you make the Tab’s bluetooth discoverable then hit the ‘LINK’ button on the keyboard. The Tab should then flash up a PIN code to type into the case keyboard and once input both items will be paired.
The keyboard comes with predefined “Android” keys which have a home, menu, back, as well as a sleep and phone button. The other keys that are different are in place of the Function keys and these are smiley faces for social networking or text messaging.
The rubber keyboard
The keyboard keys are made of rubber. Which are responsive enough for an average typist like myself and there is very little drag. The rubber makes it light but also protects the screen of the Tab when the case is closed.
The case comes with a magentic kick stand so keep the screen upright at a similar angle as you would view a laptop screen.
Keyboard case
Initial impressions
This accessory is great for the traveller who is on the road and wants to use a keyboard rather than the screen input. Using the Tab’s Thinkfree Office software is made much easier for inputting data and it is sheer joy touching the screen to launch a program and then using the keyboard to type, although that does take a bit of getting used to.
Whilst it will never replace a proper keyboard or notebook it does bridge the gap of not having to carry a notebook, Tablet and mobile phone for a short trip although a wall charger for the keyboard maybe required in order to charge it in the absence of a computer USB port.
Camera hole and magentic kickstand
The case is mock leather and has that weird smell when first taken out of the packaging, but feels solid and the Tab slips into it easily and securely. There is a camera hole cut into the back of it next to the magentic kickstand.
For the price this makes the Galaxy Tab even more flexible then it already is and if you need a notebook, Tablet and smartphone rolled into one paperback size package this accessory is for you.
