Sunday, November 28, 2010

Dell Inspiron 1545 Review


The Dell Inspiron 1545 (also known as the Inspiron 15 or Inspiron i1545-4583JBK) is a popular global choice. Customer comments show that 94% of users would recommend this product to their friends. This 15.6" budget laptop weighs in at 5.8 lbs, has a bright, vivid 15.6-inch LCD screen, and a TrueLife WXGA widescreen display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels comparable to the 16:9 aspect ratio for films (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TrueLife high-gloss/anti-reflective technology, which features a sharp contrast finish that's well suited to immersive 3D games and watching videos. An Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD keeps the screen refreshed and graphics sharp.

Artistic Design Options
Artful color inspires the design of the Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop . The exterior can be customized in any of six vibrant colors or over 200 designs created by professional artists. With its appearance so important, customers may want to take special care to avoid fingerprints and other marks which tend to show up on the glossy finishes on the keyboard face and modern black palm rest.

Under the Hood
One of the key features under the hood which make this a strong contender in the arena of home computing options is a 2.3 GHz Intel Pentium T4400 dual-core processor with 1 MB L2 cache and running a 800 MHz front side bus (FSB). Two other options are also available: Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T6600 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache) and the Intel® Celeron® 900 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache).

The spacious 320 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM) provides ample storage while customers can select from an impressive range of 2 to 8 GB of installed DDR2 RAM (800 MHz) memory which aids rapid multi-tasking.  This laptop also comes with a built-in 8x multi-format DVD drive which supports reading/writing of CD-R/RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL, and DVD-RAM.

Built-In Features
Other built-in features are just what you might expect on a home computer designed to take on all the everyday tasks: stereo speakers with standard line out headphone and microphone in jacks (note that speaker volume is reported to be on the low side), 54g Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) and a Fast Ethernet (10/100 LAN) network connector. Peripherals can be connected to the half mini card slot and a 34mm ExpressCard slot or any of the three USB 2.0 compliant 4-pin ports. Purchase a cable to use the 15-pin VGA video connector to show photos and presentations on televisions and slide projectors.

There is also a 7-in-1 memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Hi-Capacity Secure Digital (SDHC), Hi-Density Secure Digital (SDHD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS Pro), and xD Picture Card (xD) media.

Add-On Options
Among the many choices that can be installed on request to the basic model are the following options:

  • Built in WiFi options  to allow you to connect to the Internet wirelessly and transfer larger content faster.
  • Dell Dock, an application organizer which sorts your most frequently used programs and places them front and center.
  • Dell Video Chat which is similar to Skype.
  • Optional integrated microphone and facial recognition software utilized by the 1.3 megapixel camera for webcam and VoIP
  • Blu-ray optical drive to watch movies in HD, as well as read and burn your files, music and videos to CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
  • Dell DataSafe® Online backup service to automatically back up data and help protect against software, hardware and catastrophic failure.
  • Dell Remote Access to easily access photos, music, movies and more on your home system using another Internet-connected computer.
  • Dell Connect Remote Assistance for personalized support resources.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a great laptop in terms of performance, connectivity and customization. Of the many desktop and laptop computers offered through the Inspiron line, the  Dell Inspiron 1545 offers a colorful choice for daily computing with a rainbow of additional options. currently on sale
               

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Acer Aspire AS5251 Review

ACER ASPIRE AS5251

Currently one of the best selling laptops in the world, the inexpensive Acer Aspire AS5251 does not compromise on look or feel. The solid black plastic shell has a unique mesh pattern which gives it a rich appearance while also preventing fingerprints and scratches. The full size 103-key keyboard extends to a Dedicated Numeric Keypad while the Multi-Gesture Touchpad supports two-finger scrolling and enables you to “pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites.”

What you see is what you get
An industry standard 15.6-inch widescreen laptop monitor provides solid quality with the Acer® CineCrystal HD  TFT display with a 16:9 aspect ratio perfect for showing movies and television programs. Graphics are sharp, smooth, and clear with the latest integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 4250 graphics and with Microsoft® DirectX® 10.1 which supports up to 16.7 million colors.

Superior Video Connectivity

Video connectivity is a real virtue of this laptop as it has a responsive  integrated Acer® Crystal Eye webcam with a 1280 x 1024 resolution for online chatting and web phone calls. Bundled with the laptop is Acer® Video Conference which allows conferencing with multiple people in locations all over the world. Both VGA and HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface™) ports are supplied which can be cabled to LCD televisions and projectors to produce clear, large screen images.

Processing Power

Many of the higher end laptops that you find today come with a "dual-core" or even triple core processor, but the 2.20 GHz AMD V Series V120 single-core processor will meet or even exceed most of the normal consumer needs. The AMD processor is fast and handles video extremely well with the new Vision technology specifically designed by AMD to improve image processing.  

While some pricier laptops sport only 1GB of RAM, 4GB is now the current standard for small business and high end home PCs. This particular laptop comes with a fairly fast 2GB of DDR3 system memory sufficient to do lots of basic photo editing, view movies, and complete most office tasks without glitches. With two 4GB memory card slots, it can be upgraded to a lightning-fast 8GB.

Under the Hood

The 250GB SATA hard drive is estimated to be able to store about 166,000 photos, 71,000 songs or 131 hours of HD video and more. There’s also a SuperMulti DVD burner that can read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats. 250GB will satisfy all but the hard-core multimedia buffs who are not satisfied with the storage capacity of any hard drive.

Make a Connection

Internet connections are smooth and easy to a broadband modem or a wired broadband router with wired 10/100/1000 Ethernet (LAN).  Wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n wireless connection built into this laptop.
Connectivity is also enhanced with a 5-in-1 memory card reader and the usual plethora of ports and slots including a DC-in,  RJ-45 LAN,  VGA, jacks for Headphones, speakers, line-out,  and microphone. Three USB 2.0 ports and the aforementioned High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI™) come standard. A 65-watt AC adapter and six-cell lithium ion battery are included. The battery can be expected to last up to 3.33 hours life depending on configuration and usage.

Conclusion

Price is what distinguishes the Acer Aspire AS5251 laptop from the pack. The experts of the Acer Group have somehow managed to come up with a competitively-priced laptop that does not compromise on all the basics. As long as you have a good basic machine, you can later add all the bells-and-whistles that you want.
currently on sale at amazon