A desktop-replacement laptop is just what it sounds like

Posted on Jan. 31, 2010 at 7:05 PM

The E205’s ports include three USB, one of which doubles as an eSATA port and charges USB-powered gadgets while the notebook is asleep. The notebook also includes both HDMI and VGA ports. Rounding out the list are a memory card slot, Ethernet jack, headphone and mic ports, and a slot-loading DVD burner, a design flourish that adds to the modern, high-end feel of the notebook. We like that the Ethernet jack, an uncommonly used port, and the AC power port, are both discreetly located on the back of the notebook.

At a glance, the T135D and the rest of the T135 series share several design similarities to the rest of the Toshiba Satellite lineup, although they are markedly different from their Toshiba(Satellite P100 Battery ) Satellite NB line of Netbooks. Covered inside and out in a glossy checkerboard-esque Fusion Finish in black, red, or white, the T135D is accented with slick chrome highlights along the edge of its palm rest and on its touch pad buttons. Aside from a large "Toshiba" logo across the back, the design is understated from a distance and presents a trim profile with a battery that's well integrated into the bottom, with minimal bulge.

The HP Mini 5102 looks like a minor update to last year's Mini 5101 ... essentially a netbook version of HP's "ProBook" line of laptops designed for small and medium businesses. In fact, the Mini 5102 looks like what we would expect to see if someone shrunk down the HP(HP Pavilion tx1000 Battery) ProBook 4510s to something small enough to fit inside a purse. The Mini 5102 is roughly one inch thick and weighs less than 3 pounds despite a very durable chassis that feels like it can handle years of abuse in your briefcase or backpack.

I got a chance to play with the iPad for a few minutes at the launch event, and each device has its own merits. The iPad is a more expensive, albeit powerful device than netbooks for video, e-books and gaming. The netbook is not an entertainment device, but it provides ample hard drive storage and a full keyboard on which long documents can be typed.

HP(HP dv8000 Battery) is calling the Envy 15 the lightest and thinnest quad-core notebook around, which does hold some water as it measures 380mm x 244mm x 26.5mm while weighing in at 2.35kg. Other quad-core rigs are usually much larger where a lot of them are being marketed as desktop replacements rather than high end notebooks.

You'll also notice that some laptops have a very shiny, glossy display, while others have a soft matte finish on their screen. This is a matter of the coating on top of the display. A glossy coating certainly creates a lot more glare, but it also lets light through more easily; as a result, PA3535U-1BRS,glossy displays tend to look like they have better contrast and brightness. The matte finish on other displays may result in the appearance of a little less contrast, but it also produces a lot less glare. If you plan to use your laptop outdoors or in brightly lit areas, you might want to consider avoiding a glossy display.

The interfaces are obviously designed strictly for touch input, but from the looks of it can handle every function that the old, mouse-centric version could, plus a few more. And man, they're so much prettier. Each app costs $10, and you can get them all for $30.

A desktop-replacement laptop is just what it sounds like: a larger laptop aimed at people who need the performance and large display size of a desktop computer but want to be able to move the machine from room to room easily. Screen sizes start at 16 inches and go up to 18.4 inches;FPCBP105, models with higher screen resolutions are ideal for photo or video editing. Don't expect to carry one of these notebooks around with you all day, though--typically they're too large to fit in a regular backpack, and at 8 to 12 pounds they're tough on the shoulders. Consider these laptops as being more "luggable" than "portable."

Not using color would invalidate what Apple(PowerBook G4 12 M9183 Battery) has done so far in creating a user experience as a means of man-machine interaction with this new type of category. So no, I don't think we'll have Apple offer devices in that size that will not offer a vibrant color screen.

NVIDIA's first-generation Tegra has already been used in a variety of gadgets, such as the Boxee Box and Zune HD, but recent rumors seem to imply that this performance will look like a sickling babe compared to what the Tegra 2 is expected to accomplish. Tech Eye reports that a “source close to NVIDIA” said that the chip was hard to make and that the GPU maker poured no less that $600 million into the project. The same source also notes that no less than 500 engineers worked tirelessly on making the chip.