Palm Tungsten W Reviews

August 5th, 2005

Palm Tungsten W handheldFrom the CNET Reviews, the Palm Tungsten W handheld review:

“Dating back to the VII model, Palm has been at the forefront of wireless e-mail devices, but the company has never managed to get everything completely right. Enter the Tungsten W, a BlackBerry-esque wireless Palm that works on GPRS networks and also offers voice support for making calls. Is this the wireless Palm that we’ve all been waiting for? Well, sort of. The Tungsten W is an all-around useful communications tool, with strong PDA features and decent e-mail functionality. However, we wish that Palm had included better voice support out of the box and a server-based e-mail solution for the corporate customers to whom the W is targeted. ”

Palm Tungsten W receives a “Very Good” rating (7.3 points) in this review for :Long talk time; high-resolution screen; roomy thumb keyboard.

InfoSyncWorld also reviewed the Palm Tungsten W2 and wrote: “The Palm Tungsten W pda is an evolutionary step forward from Palm’s previous wireless models. It’s also the first to get it mostly right. GSM/GPRS is a much nicer network than the pager networks. The thumbboard is good, but not great. The sluggishness of the device in some applications gives us pause. 66 MHz seems a necessity here, if not an ARM processor. The biggest drawback is the lack of good push-based applications, which seem like they would be a necessity on such a device for corporate use. On the flip side, support for web clipping is most welcome, and the battery life is absolutely phenomenal. Overall we like the Palm Tungsten W, but there is still room for improvement before it becomes the uber-wireless handheld.

Toshiba Portege S100-S213TD Reviews

August 4th, 2005

Toshiba Portege S100-S213TD laptop The latest review of the Toshiba Portege S100-S213TD laptop comes from Laptop Magazine :

“The Portege S100 reminds us that with the right components a thin-and-light notebook can double as a desktop replacement. A 2-GHz processor gives this system plenty of productivity performance and Nvidia graphics supply a decent amount of multimedia power. Shoppers should weigh the lack of a DVD burner, a surprising omission for a notebook that costs two grand, and the S100’s less than three hours of battery life before laying down their hard-earned cash.

Forget buying a laptop bag. The 4.4-pound silver-and-black Toshiba Portege S100 notebook is compact enough to fit inside a briefcase, and you’ll barely notice the extra five pounds you’re carrying. Pop the lid and you’ll find a large 14-inch display that’s sharp and bright. Upon arrival, that lid had a noticeable scar on the bottom (so don’t expect a system that’s scratchproof).”

The Speedy processor, Discrete graphics and the fact that the Portege S100 laptop fromToshiba is very portable are appreciated by the editor.
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Hi-Grade Ultinote G6000 mobile media centre

August 4th, 2005

Hi Grade Ultinote G6000 laptopThe new Ultinote G6000 laptop from Hi-Grade specifications:

Mobile Intel Pentium-M 735 (1.7GHz 2Mb cache), Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition, 512MB DDR RAM, 80GB HDD, DVD-RW, 15.4″ TFT WXGA+, internal TV tuner, wireless LAN, 3.1Kgs, 3hours battery life

WhatLaptop reports about the new Hi-Grade Ultinote G6000 laptop:

“Joining its sub-£1000 range of consumer laptops, Hi-Grade recently added the Hi-Grade Ultinote G6000 mobile media centre. Using Intel’s Centrino technology and Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Centre Edition operating system, the G6000 aims to make effective multimedia affordable for all.

Built around a 363 x 281 x 27mm chassis, the Ultinote G6000 includes a 15.4-inch TFT widescreen panel for optimum multimedia visuals. Using Intel’s Pentium M technology for power, the G6000 is available with clock-speeds of up to 2.26GHz. In combination with the mobile oriented architecture of the 915 chipset, performance aims to please.

Aiding the multimedia slant of the G6000 is an integrated TV-Tuner, dual-layer DVD recorder and the capacity for one-touch hard-disk recording. With an SPDIF audio output supporting 5.1 surround sound the G6000 is even capable of connecting to outboard surround sound equipment, to enjoy some of the best audio currently available. “

i-Mate Jam Limited Edition

August 4th, 2005

i-Mate Jam Limited Edition - HTC Magician cellphone pdaThe new i-mate JAM retains the same design and compact dimensions of the original, but comes in a distinguished charcoal colour. Following on from the world wide success of the original imate Jam, this new i-mate Jam limited edition device comes with all the Windows Mobile features of the i-mate JAM, plus twice as much built in memory at 128MB RAM, CA Anti-virus software, Skype internet telephony software, exclusive access to the club i-mate web portal, free 24 month extended global warranty, and a free 500MB SD card.

Geekzone reports:

The General Manager of i-mate Australasia, Mr. Ben Hodgson said, “I’ve no doubt this beefed up new i-mate JAM will continue the phenomenal success of the original. It really is the perfect combination of beauty & brains. This superb product will be the mark of distinction of the discerning mobile phone buyer”.

The i-mate JAM Limited Edition (based on the HTC Magician design) is set to become the ultimate single solution to the communications and entertainment needs of the modern user. Measuring just 105 x 59 x 15 mm, and weighing mere 130 g, the novelty is comparable in size to current smartphones and much smaller than other Pocket PC Phone devices on the market.

The i-Mate Jam Limited Edition runs Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition on a 416 MHz Intel XScale PXA270 (Bulverde) processor and has 128 MB RAM and 48 MB ROM. It is designed for quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS connectivity.

The JAM also features a 2.9-inch color QVGA (240×320) screen, SDIO expansion slot, built-in Bluetooth, and a VGA (640×480) camera.

AsusTek W3V review

August 4th, 2005

AsusTek W3V  laptopAsusTek W3V Specs and info
AsusTek W3V laptop is equiped with a 14-inch widescreen display, built-in dual-layer burner, Pentium M 750 processor running at 1.86 GHz, 512MB RAM standard and an ATI Mobility Radeon X600

Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Pentium M 750
Processor Speed: 1.86 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Drive Capacity: 60 GB
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X600
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Wireless: 802.11g
Screen Size: 14.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
System Weight: 5.5 lbs

AsusTek W3V review

PC Magazine has an AsusTek W3V laptop review and writes:

“AsusTek is already well known for manufacturing motherboards, graphic cards, PDAs, and even notebook chassis for big-time vendors like Apple. The company is now attempting to make a name for itself in the notebook space, and its AsusTek W3V laptop ($1,899 list as tested) is a very good multimedia laptop with impressive graphics performance.

The W3V laptop from AsusTek weighs just 5.5 pounds, and its charcoal cover is made from carbon fiber, giving it a tough yet cool exterior.

The AsusTek W3V notebook is a compact, powerful, and even gaming-friendly laptop. If you need a totable laptop with a very good graphics solution, the W3V’s got the whole package—right down to the bag. “

HP iPAQ rx3715 Reviews

August 4th, 2005

HP iPaq rx 3715 pocket pcThe HP iPAQ RX3715 Pocket PC is powered by a 400MHz Samsung ARM-based processor and has an onboard 1.3 MegaPixel digital camera, integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies, and over 150MB of storage space available.

HP iPAQ rx3715 Reviews

PC Magazine writes about HP iPAQ rx3715 (review):

The first thing you’ll notice on the rx3715 handheld is the 1.2-megapixel camera. Supported by a pretty good photo application that takes full advantage of Windows Mobile 2003 SE’s landscape mode, it took sharp, albeit washed-out, pictures. The images tended a bit towards green in our simulated daylight tests. The photo app shows shutter speed and aperture when you’re framing your shot, which is very useful. But even at the fastest shutter speeds, we found we had to hold the rx3715 pretty still to get good photos.

The iPaq rx3715 has a slew of mobile-media applications; these let you stream audio and video over an 802.11b network from your PC.

The HP iPAQ rx3715’s 1.2-megapixel camera makes it a unique beast among Pocket PCs in the U.S. Combined with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking, you have a flexible and powerful device. Just don’t throw away your dedicated digital camera quite yet.

HP iPaq rx3715 Mobile Media Companion is reviewed by the Cnet Reviews team:
“HP is pitching its new iPaq rx3715 not as an organizational tool but as an entertainment device (hence the Mobile Media Companion name instead of Pocket PC). In addition to the basic digital audio and video features found on most Pocket PCs, this $499.99 model sports a built-in 1.2-megapixel digital camera and apps for managing digital music, photos, and video on PCs throughout your home via a Wi-Fi wireless network.
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PalmOne Zire 72 Reviews

August 4th, 2005

Palm One Zire 72 HandheldAbout the Palm Zire 72 handheld
The Palm Zire 72 PDA is powered by the Palm OS 5.2.8 and uses the new 312MHz Intel PXA270 processor which automatically manages voltage and frequency changes for additional power savings. The handheld includes 32MB of RAM (24MB user-available) and the memory expansion slot accepts MMC, SD and SDIO cards.

The display is a square 320×320 pixel transflective TFT color display that supports over 65,000 colors. The Palm Zire 72 handheld has a built in 1.2 megapixel digital camera that can capture images in up to 1280×920 resolution with a 2x digital zoom and can be launched from the dedicated application button. The Zire 72 has built in bluetooth for wireless networking.

Palm Zire 72 Reviews
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Toshiba Qosmio F20 laptop

August 3rd, 2005

Toshiba Qosmio F20 laptopToshiba Qosmio F20 Info

Qosmio F20 Specifications:
Processor Pentium M (Dothan) , 1860 MHz
512 MB (max 2048 MB), DDR2 SDRAM
Hard drive 80 GB
Optical drive DVD±RW (with DVD+R dual-layer support)
Ports 3 x USB 2.0; FireWire; TV antenna; composite-in; S-video out; VGA-out; Ethernet; modem; SPDIF/earphone-out; mic-in.
Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 128MB dedicated
15.4 inch display, 1,280 x 800 Clear SuperView with 450 nits brightness

From latest reports Toshiba improved the AV functionality of their Qosmio notebook line with the F20. For instance time shift recording goes back now 24hours. The Qosmio F20 comes either with 512MB RAM, 100GB Hard-drive, 128MB nVidia GeForce Go 6200 and a 15.4 inch screen are featured.
The new Qosmio F20’s go on sale June 10th. They come in black or white. No pricing available yet.

What Laptop reports:

Continuing its acclaimed multimedia Qosmio range, Toshiba recently announced the release of the Qosmio F20. Representing a smaller and more affordable option than Toshiba’s flagship Qosmio G20 laptop, the F20 ships with a 15.4-inch widescreen TFT panel, and costs as much as £1000 less.

Designed as a 4-in-1 multimedia system, the F20 packs LCD TV, DVD/HDD Recorder, digital audio and PC features into its small chassis. Powered by a choice of Intel Pentium M processor, users can enjoy speeds of up to 2.13GHz along with the inherent mobility of the Pentium M chip architecture. Up to 1GB of DDR2 memory can be bought as standard, with the F20 allowing users to further upgrade at a later date to as much as 2GB of RAM.

The new Fujitsu LifeBook S2000

August 3rd, 2005

The new Fujitsu Lifebook S2000 notebookFujitsu has just launched a low-end version of its lightweight Lifebook notebook series, which tries to offer good value for the money. The new laptop model from Fujistu features a 13-inch display, AMD Turion 64 at 1.6GHz and 40GB drive. Optional configurations include up to 100GB hard drives, 2GB of RAM and a dual-layer burner.

Fujitsu Launch the LifeBook S2000 laptop with Next-Generation AMD Turion 64 Mobile Technology

Fujitsu Computer Systems announced that its popular LifeBook® S2000 laptop now features AMD Turion™ 64 mobile technology offering excellent overall performance for 32-bit and 64-bit applications, as well as Enhanced Virus Protection1. This offering provides consumers a value-priced, full-featured and ultra-portable system.

The LifeBook S2000laptop broadens the popular LifeBook laptop series beyond mobile professionals to appeal to price-sensitive markets including education. The new LifeBook laptop model from Fujitsu is designed mainly for students who require affordably priced notebooks that are easy to carry, offer a large screen with a full keyboard, provide long battery life, and have a full range of features, such as a built-in media drive and docking capability. Recommended configurations start at $1,2992.

“With a new 64-bit processor optimized for mobility, coupled with the brilliant Fujitsu Crystal View display and multi-media capabilities, the new Fujitsu LifeBook S2000 notebook packs superior power and full-features into a surprisingly thin and light form-factor,” said Paul Moore, director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu Computer Systems when the LifeBook S2000 was launched. “We continue to offer customers notebooks that fully meet their computing needs at a competitive price.”

The LifeBook S2000 notebook from Fujitsu exemplifies the mobile form factor. The Life Book S2000 laptop comes with a configurable weight of approximately four pounds, up to ten hours of battery life3, an ample 100 GB hard drive and a 13.3 inch Crystal View XGA display capable of casual outdoor viewing.

In addition, the thin and light notebook offers a sleek new black exterior, new dual-layer multi-format DVD writer and a versatile modular bay to accommodate a variety of optical drives or a bay battery. The LifeBook S2000 laptop also offers an optional Atheros Super AG® wireless LAN for fast data transfer.

We will keep you informed with Fujitsu LifeBook S2000 reviews.

Royal EZVue 5

August 3rd, 2005

Royal EZ Vue 5 PDAAbout Palmtops wrote a review for the Royal EZVue 5. The 3MB Memory Organizer with 6-line Display (featuring a 7 Language Translator, Calendar, Address book, CalendarMemo, To do List, Ergonomic Slide-out Keyboard, Touch Screen) which comes with a PC & Outlook Sync. application is very well appreciated by the reviewer:

Can a mobile device ever come equipped with too many useful features? It is possible, I suppose, particularly if the MSRP is increased accordingly or portability sacrificed in the process. But what if a manufacturer was able to cram a whole suite’s worth of useful software applications into a true pocket sized device with a retail price lower than the cost of an average PDA battery? You’d have summarized the Royal EZVue 5. This inexpensive PDA alternative managed to impress on many levels with a host of handy pre-installed software that goes above and beyond the current electronic organizer standards. As is the case with most hardware running a proprietary operating system, there is increased importance on purchasing the unit based on the pre-installed software set alone. It is fortunate then that Royal has clearly done their homework on what to include in an inexpensive, widely available PDA. Before we get into the intuitive software applications and included PDO (desktop) function-ability, the hardware itself deserves a closer look.

The Royal EZVue PDA is stylus/ touch screen functional but contains a slide down 49 key thumb board in QWERTY format.

The Royal EZ Vue 5 system comes with both a spell checker (based on the American Heritage Dictionary) and thesaurus pre-installed with a 7 language translator ready at the tap of the stylus (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portugese, and Dutch).

Royal EZVue 5 price is $34.99 (Royal price list)