Maindot Technology News

A great article about the Acer Aspire 5000 notebook comes from Laptop Magazine. They write about the Acer Aspire 5000 which is based on AMD’s new Turion 64 technology :

“Acer’s Aspire 5000 is one of the first notebooks to feature AMD’s new Turion 64 mobile processor. The Turion 64 is designed to expertly blend performance with portability, and Acer extends that theme well into this affordable widescreen notebook. It lacks a FireWire port and skimps in the graphics department, but this 6.2-pound system has the performance and features to capably serve as a desktop replacement, yet it’s light enough to free you from your desk.
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Finally, there is a Orange SPV M500 review. Trusted Reviews writes about the Orange SPV M500 Smartphone:

“In use the SPV M500 works much like a PDA with phone functionality strapped on to it. This is really the only flaw of the SPV M500, although no fault of Orange’s but rather an issue that Microsoft needs to improve upon. Orange has added Spb GPRS monitor on top of the software that comes with the Microsoft operating system which allows you to keep track of your GPRS spend. It also adds quick access to screen brightness, battery life information, GPRS access, Internet Explorer and Pocket Outlook to the home screen. Orange also supplies ClearVue PDF and PPT – the former for viewing PDF files and the latter for PowerPoint presentations. The resolution on the SPV M500 is not ideal for either of these file types, but it’s a handy ability when nonetheless.

The Orange SPV M500 is a pocket friendly PDA with phone functionality. As a business tool it’s a winner but it’s also great for entertainment and Internet access on the move. At the price it’s a bargain. ”

Read more bout the Orange SPV-M500 Smartphone.

Tablet PC Review Spot features an Acer C314 Review. They write about the new Acer C314 Tablet PC :

“The Acer TravelMate C314 is an excellent full-featured Tablet PC that is powerful enough to function as a desktop replacement. The generous 1024MB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, Built-in Bluetooth and fast 2.0GHz processor are a good value for the price. This machine is great for students or consumers who want a Tablet to be their “only” PC.

Although there is value in the features that are included, it is obvious that Acer has cut back in their technical support. I would not recommend Acer TravelMate C314 Tablet PC to any first-time computer user who might need to talk to a reliable tech support representative without having to wait for 20 minutes on hold.”

The appreciated features of Acer C314 Tablet PC in this review: Powerful CPU and graphics, Good build quality, Good keyboard and trackpad, Built-in Bluetooth.

Acer TravelMate C314XMi Specifications:
Pentium M 760 2 GHz – 14.1″ TFT
• Intel Centrino Pentium M 2 GHz processor; 1 GB of DDR SDRAM
• 100 GB hard drive; DVD+/-RW drive; 14.1″ TFT display; 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g

With a big 14.1″ XGA display, full-size keyboard and internal, modular optical drive, The TravelMate C314XMi screen becomes a writing surface when you rotate it and fold it back over the keyboard, perfect for taking notes, annotating documents, completing online forms and so many other tasks.

The Averatec 4200 notebook features a 13.3 inch widescreen display, Pentium M 730- 1.6 GHz, 512MB RAM standard, 80GB HDD, WiFi, flash reader and a DVD burner .

Averatec 4200 Reviews

There are some very good reviews of this system that have been recently published.

CNet Reviews has a Averatec 4200 review and writes about this Averatec notebook:

“Designed for highly mobile students and cost-conscious business travelers, the $1,199 (as of August 2005) Averatec 4200 thin-and-light laptop is priced low and offers plenty of features, including a DVD burner. While the system demonstrated great battery life, if you have your heart set on a machine with screaming performance, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
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The Sun Herald published an article named “AMD laptop has heat problem” that talks about the laptops based on the AMD Turion 64 processor. The Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Special Edition L2000 “LiveStrong” notebook is used for testing.

While watching movies with the notebook on my lap, my legs got uncomfortably warm and sweaty. It’s a problem I’ve never experienced with a Centrino system though high temperatures are fairly common with notebooks built with regular desktop processors inside.

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ACECAD DigiMemo A501 is a digital paper and pen handwriting storage and recognition solution. The DigiMemo A501 is a stand-alone device with storage capability that digitally captures and stores everything you write or draw with ink on ordinary paper, without the use of computer and special paper. Then you can easily view, edit, organize and share your handwritten notes in Windows.

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8510GZ notebook :Gateway’s first notebook with a 17-inch Cinematic Widescreen
One of the latest laptop model from Gateway is the Gateway 8510GZ Notebook.

Gateway 8510GZ is powered by Intel® Pentium® M processor 740 with 533 MHz FSB, 512 MB Dual Channel DDR2 memory, and Intel Centrino® Mobile Technology. Based on Intel 915 chipset, it features dedicated ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X700 PCI Express graphics and 64 MB Video Memory. Data storage and access devices include 100 GB hard drive (5400 rpm) , 4-in-1 memory card reader, and double-layer DVD+/-R/RW multi-format drive. Connectivity is supported via 10/100/1000 Ethernet and 802.11g wireless LAN.

Another great feature of the Gateway 8510GZ notebook is the 17″ Widescreen Ultrabright TFT WXGA.

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There is a new Acer Aspire 5020 Review from Notebook Review. The actual model reviewed is the Acer 5021 WLMi.

The Acer Aspire 5020 series includes these models: Aspire 5021NWLCi, Aspire 5021WLCi , Aspire 5022WLMi.

Acer Aspire 5020 – Acer 5021 WLMi Specifications
(for the reviewed Acer Apire 5020 laptop series)

AMD Turion 64 ML28 (1.6Ghz)
512Mb DDR RAM (upgradeable to 2Gb)
100Gb 4200rpm Hard Disk
ATI Mobility Radeon X700 128Mb (pci express)
15.4″ WXGA CrystalBrite Screen (widescreen shiny type)
Dual Layer DVD+RW (slot loading)
802.11b/g wireless
10/100 Gigabit Ethernet & 56k Modem
6-in-1 card reader
Windows XP SP2 Home Edition
4 USB2.0 & 4pin firewire port

There is a note to readers:

The Acer Aspire 5020 is currently available only in Europe and Asia, the closest equivalent in North America being sold is the Aspire 5000 series that does not include a dedicated graphics card and is not a glossy-widescreen, but does use the AMD Turion 64-bit ML-30 processor

The review takes each of the features and makes some statements.

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Here are some good news for IBM ThinkPad laptops fans (actually now are Lenovo ThinkPad laptops I think).
Bloomberg reports that Lenovo Group Ltd., China’s biggest computer maker, posted an unexpected gain in first-quarter profit after buying International Business Machines Corp.’s personal- computer business:

Net income rose to HK$357 million ($46 million), or 4.12 Hong Kong cents a share, in the three months ended June 30, from HK$336.8 million, or 4.50 cents, a year earlier. Stephen Ward, named chief executive of Beijing-based Lenovo after the April acquisition, said in a statement today that the new business returned to profit and helped sales more than triple.

Ward said the acquisition of the IBM unit, which had losses totaling $965 million from 2001 to the first half of last year, is already yielding cost benefits, including lower purchasing costs. The $1.25 billion takeover reduced Lenovo’s reliance on China, where competition with Dell Inc. pushed prices lower.

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There is a nice article called Study this ‘laptop list’ before buying on Palm Beach Daily News. The article offers advice for people trying to buy a laptop, which in the writer’s opinion is a “necessary evil”. Well, he’s not a laptop fan, but the article is pretty nice. Here is a sample :

“• Processor chip: Make sure your new laptop uses a chip made especially for a battery-powered computer. These chips tend to run cooler and drain the battery more slowly. Among the chips that fill this bill are the Intel Pentium M, Mobile Intel Celeron, Mobile AMD Athlon and the Mobile AMD Duron.

• Battery life: Make sure the ability to operate on batteries for an extended period is important to you. Most people tend to use a laptop as a portable desktop computer, plugging it in at home, in offices, hotel rooms and dorms. If battery life is crucial to you, get lithium-ion batteries for the most run time.

• Screen: Today almost every laptop computer uses a liquid crystal display (that’s LCD in retailing lingo). A few years ago it was important to look for active matrix screens, but now that is a feature common to most laptops advertised. If the laptop will often be used at home or in a dorm room, consider buying a regular monitor, too, for a larger or sharper image. You can simply plug the monitor into your laptop at home and unplug it and use the LCD screen when on the move.

• Memory: Laptops tend to come with less memory than desktops. While it’s easy for home users to add memory chips in a desktop, it’s more complicated when working on a laptop. That’s why I recommend at least 512 megabytes of memory in your laptop. That’ll delay — or maybe even eliminate — the need to add memory over the lifetime of the laptop.

• Hard disk: Get the largest hard disk you can reasonably afford. For the reasons stated above, it’s best to avoid the need to upgrade later.

• Networking: The givens are that the machine should have a built-in dial-up modem as well as an ethernet connection for times when it’s used with DSL or cable modems. You won’t have any trouble finding those features.

I suggest you also equip the machine so it comes out of the box with wireless connectivity. Surprisingly, this won’t add much to the cost. Remember that laptop computers are made to be used on the go. For college students, wireless connections, as well as high-speed wired connections, are common.”

Well, the article ends with this conlcusion: “Following these tips may not turn you into a lover of laptops, but it’ll sure ease the pain.”

You can read more at Palm Beach Daily News.