Sony have a strong fanbase for their VAIO range of laptops. They have a reputation for excellent build quality and industry leading performance and with the Sony VAIO E series, they manage to continue this tred.
The E series looks great and features a number of colours to choose from. It comes with a matte case which reduces potential for fingerprints all over the case. It comes with a 15″ screen and weighs just over 2.5kg which is not a bad weight for a machine of this size but it does not make it ultra portable.
Like most Sony machines, there are many nice little extra features. The first of these is a raised palmrest which makes it much easier to type on for longer periods of time.
The spec is the machine is very good. Firstly it has a high powered Intel Core i5-520M 2.4GHz processor. This can also overclock when required to nearly 3GHz. The rest of the spec is very strong featuring 4GB RAM, 320GB hard disk and integrated graphics card.
It also features the standard ports covering HDMI, Wi-Fi and an integrated DVD-RW.
The machine performs very well and it is a great machine for entertainment, photo / video editing, browsing the web and multi-tasking.
The battery is the one area that the machine lets itself down. It only delivers about 2 1/2 hours of power from one charge. However, it is possible to upgrade to a higher power battery. Also, based on the size of the machine, it is really meant for home use anyway so you shouldn’t often be far from a power socket.
This is a great choice for a powerful home entertainment laptop that you will definitely not be disapointed by.
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Asus have released another great laptop in their range in the U50Vg machine. This one comes with a larger screen making it an excellent entertainment machine.
It comes with a good sized keyboard that is easy to type on and is also backlit for typing in low light. The trackpad also has a light that follows the path of the finger.
It is not a portable unit even though it weighs less than 2.5kg but it has a large 15.6″ screen. The battery produces a respectable 3 hours of power. The Intel Core 2 Duo processor is good and it also comes with a 2GB RAM and 500GB hard disk which is a great size for storing music and films.
Expansion ports are plentiful covering many USB, HDMI and VGA. It also comes with a DVD-RW player. The keyboard is well positioned and each to type on for long periods.
This is a good machine to replace your desktop and works as a wonderful entertainment machine.
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Apple have managed to carve a niche for themselves by producing some of the most desirable laptops available on the market today. They have managed to do this by concentrating on the finer details of usability and performance and creating a highly sought after brand.
The Apple Macbook is the starter model in the range and even though it is on the lower end of the specifications, it is still a very impressive machine.
The first thing to note is the portability of the laptop. It weighs a little over 2kg and also features a compact design to the unit making it a great option for traveling. It also has a battery that can deliver over 6 hours of power from just one charge which adds to its portable credentials.
The casing is white and glossy and it looks fantastic. It comes with a 13.3″ screen which is compact but offers some of the best levels of detail available from any machine on the market. It is a joy to use for photo editing or watching films.
Another benefit of Apple machines is that they come preloaded with a host of free software such as the iLife software that can be used to configure the screen. An example of the detail that Apple go to in their design is the way that the power cable attaches to the machine using a magnet. This ensures that it stays connected but of the cable is accidentally pulled it won’t take the machine with it.
It features a very useable keyboard and has the gesture control touch pad that was their design. This makes navigation very each and removes the need for a mouse.
If there are any complaints about the Apple Macbook, it is the lower specification that its equivalent PC laptops. It comes with 2GB RAM and 250GB hard disk. This does not detract form the performance at all as it comes with a high powered processor and it starts very quickly and can multi task with ease.
It may appear that you could get more from a Windows based machine, but there is no denying that the attention to detail on the Macbook put it in a league of its own and make it a great option for people looking for that bit extra.
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