As the next twelve to twenty four months goes on there will come more and they will be even more commonplace in portable computing devices than they are now.  Windows 8 supports more types of sensor than ever before too with technologies such as Kinect, NFC and more being integrated directly into the platform.  But what is this going to do for the prices of the computers that we buy and is it even affordable to do so?

The latest rumour is that ASUS is testing Kinect sensors built into the bezel of laptops.  This type of integration won’t come as a surprise to many people and it’s only to be expected.  This type of technology isn’t cheap however and integrating it into a laptop will come at a cost penalty.  This is also at a time when PC makers are telling us that the profit margins on PCs and laptops are now so tight that they’re beginning to focus on the high-end computing devices such as ultrabooks in order to get us to part with more cash.

My own laptop contains a four-point capacitive touch screen, 3G SIM card slot, drop-sensing accelerometer, fingerprint reader, TPM chip and GPS.  It’s a high-end model yes, but when you think about where consumers are now with technology it’s likely that people will want to get these types of devices, along with Kinect, already integrated with their new computers, monitors and laptops, and that PC makers will capitalise on this fact to hike prices and push people towards buying even more expensive computers that improve their profit margins and balance sheets.

To be honest I firmly believe that some of these sensors are pretty much essential for work in the modern age.  3G/4G is one such example with mobile broadband now so ubiquitous.  GPS is also something that’s extremely useful in a mobile device and security systems such as biometric fingerprint readers and Trusted Platform Module chips are now essential for any business laptop.

Then we have to face the fact that by the time Windows 8 launches or at least early in 2013, over 80% of new laptops will ship with a multi-touch screen.  Next year’s consumer electronics show will be full of such devices and laptops packed with sensors and NFC readers of all description.  Each will have a use, every last one will be justifiable, and all will be more expensive than they are today.

So what is your attitude to sensors and extra tech on PCs?  Do you already have a laptop that includes some of these devices and do you use them?  I might not use my laptop’s GPS a lot but the 3G module is used several times a week.  Are you happy that the prices of laptops seems to be steadily rising, at the same time as many are predicting the death of the traditional desktop PC with a tower that’s easy to upgrade and cheap to build.  Why not let us know in the comments below.

This still doesn’t hit the magic price point of $99.  This is the point at which something drops to the magic ‘obtainable’ price and hearts and minds are won.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that technology is still relatively expensive to manufacture.  There are also only so many manufacturing plants worldwide and the current demand for high-tech electronics such as Apple’s iPad and smartphones dominates many of them.

You might think then that mass-producing these devices would inevitably drive manufacturing costs down.  It’s not quite that simple though as it also emerged today that the new $79 kindle actually costs $84 to make, with Amazon set to make the extra money back through books store sales.

The mark-up on the price of the iPad also isn’t great when you factor in the distribution and retailer costs.  The raw components for technology are, in some cases, becoming harder to mine and some costs are going up, not down.

You might think then that what we really need is a push back to slightly older, some might say “tried and tested” technology that genuinely is cheap as chips to manufacture to help push it into the homes of low-income households worldwide.  But issues around supply and manufacture will always make this technology just as expensive to produce as a new invention as they are all made from the same raw components.

The problem is though that millions of children worldwide are missing out of the educational benefits that computers and the Internet bring.  Pensioners around the world are continuing to be isolated because of the lack of Internet communications and don’t have access to online shopping services that can help them.

The US government said today that last year the number of Americans with broadband at home rose to 68%.  I don’t know what you think but when compared to some scandanavian and far-eastern countries this is pretty pathetic.  It’s a number shared by too many developed countries however and in the developing world we’re often looking at single digit percentages.

What’s need is a greater effort and a greater subsidy to help low-income households around the world get a computer of some description and a broadband connection at home, and to make sure that every child has easy access to both.  In a time when the budgets of world governments are being stretched, and household budgets are being stretched further, the gap between the have’s and the have not’s is widening faster than ever before.

In a report by USA Today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said “In this difficult economy, we need everyone to be working together on solutions, Broadband is a key to economic and educational opportunity and these kinds of commitments to close the digital divide are powerful.”

Never was a truer word said.  Now let’s see if world governments are prepared to do anything about it.

For me desktop replacements have to be good to earn the name.  They have to genuinely be able to replace your desktop and this means at least a Core i5 processor, lots of memory, huge volumes of hard disk space and, crucially, a large screen.  My own laptop is a desktop replacement workstation, the Dell M6600 which is an absolute monster with a price tag to match of around $4,000, but it’s possible to get much of the same for significantly less.  A couple of months ago I reviewed Samsung‘s RF711 gaming desktop replacement laptop which comes in at under $1,000 and, while it may make a few compromises such as not having a full HD 17 inch screen, it does come packed with a Core-i7 chip, 6Gb of Ram and twin hard disks.

Now though Acer have stepped into the frame with the new Aspire Athos 8951G and it’s got a very interesting little trick up its sleeve.  This is the most enormous laptop I’ve ever seen with a huge 18.4 inch full HD screen.  It’s over 40 cm wide and weighs more than 4Kg.  Inside though the package is very impressive with my model packing a quad core 2.2GHz Core-i7, 8Gb of DDR3 ram (expandable to 16Gb) and two 500Gb hard disks.  There’s an nVidia GeForce GT 555M graphics card with it’s own dedicated 2Gb of memory and the customary extras you’d expect such as 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 (though not 3.0), three USB 2 ports, a USB 3 port, full HDMI, FireWire, 6 in 1 card reader, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet and e-SATA.  There’s a webcam built into the bezel and a fingerprint reader below the keyboard.

All this comes in, with a Blu-Ray reader at around $1,400 which is more than the Samsung, but it offers more, and is considerably less than the Dell.

It is a very attractive machine finished in jet black brushed metal with matching high-quality plastics throughout.  There are a few small touches of silver finish, a large speaker grille above the keyboard with loud, punchy sound that admittedly lacks range, and a sub-woofer underneath.

The keyboard is a full size, scrabble-tile affair and, while I would have liked full size cursor keys on the machine this large, the keyboard is well proportioned and easy to use.  The keyboard is backlit too, very helpful, but with only a single brightness setting; or two if you include off!  It was disappointing not to see seperate volume and media controls however, but this may be because of the Acer’s party piece.

The full HD 1920 by 1080 screen is glorious, with a glass-effect finish (it’s actually a plastic coating) that give the machine a feel of real luxury.  What it lacks in brightness against some others it makes up for with its sheer size and impact.

Battery life is perhaps less impressive, the 6000 mAh battery will last a maximum of 5½ hours on light use but more likely 3½ to 4 hours in general use.  Play a game on it and, like the Samsung, you’ll be lucky to get 45 minutes out of it.  Build quality is much better with no show-though when I poked the pack of the screen and solid build quality throughout.

The 8951G’s party piece though is the removable trackpad which doubles as a media controller.  Flip a switch on the front of the laptop and out it pops to work wirelessly.  Press a button in the top right and media controls illuminate, it’s really very clever and works at some distance.  While you can click it, though it’s not multi-touch, this sadly pushes the chassis mouse buttons to the very front of the edge of the case, which feels odd.

Alas it’s as a trackpad that the faults begin to appear.  The trackpad has quite a sticky surface which often makes it feel you’re physically trying to shove the cursor across the screen.  It also doesn’t have a rubber or grippy bottom, so you won’t be using it to the side of the laptop like Apple’s Magic Trackpad.

On a desktop replacement machine however you’re more likely going to be using this in a static location with a mouse, and in this configuration it’s simply superb and hugely powerful.  It’s pre-loaded with huge volumes of bloatware and trialware, which I hate, but once you’ve uninstalled all that it’s a desktop replacement in every sense of the word.  I wouldn’t even know how to fill 1Tb of storage on a laptop and I have millions of files!

Overall the Acer Aspire Ethos 8951G is a hugely powerful and hugely impressive machine.  It may be pricey, but it’s not much more than a comparable desktop with all the advantages a laptop brings.  The trackpad lets it down so you’ll really want to get a mouse as well.  But overall, it’s an excellent purchase at a very sensible price.

Overall, 7/10

This is certainly true of the Dell Precision M6600 Workstation laptop which is one of the most powerful laptops that exists today.  You can pick one up with a SandyBridge Core i5 processor and 8Gb of 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM (They don’t come with any less than this) for £1,280 ($1,600) and specify the internal components up to a staggering £5,000.  The machine I’ve been testing sits at around £3,500.

There’s no scrimping here though.  The processor is a Core-i7 running at 2.5GHz; the fastest Dell provide.  The memory is standard at 8Gb but this can be expanded up to either 16Gb of 1,600MHz DDR3 or a staggering 32Gb of 1,333MHz DDR3.  The twin hard disks inside this machine (you can have up to three including a solid state mini-card) are 250Gb and 750Gb 7,200RPM.  The Dell website will allow you to speficy hard disks up to 256Gb SSDs.

The full HD screen runs at 1920 x 1080 and will display the full Adobe RGB gamut.  It’s multi-touch too, supporting four point control and huge at 17.3 inches.  Elsewhere nternally this machine has it all.  There’s 802.11 b/g/n wireless with WiMax as an option.  There’s 3G, GPS, a TPM chip accompanied by a fingerprint scanner and nVidia Optima 4000M graphics with their own 2Gb of GDDR5 RAM to accompany the integrated Intel graphics.

Externally the machine is very well specified too with a backlit keyboard (optional but very useful), track pad with three buttons and a seperate nipple with its own three mouse buttons, 2x USB2 ports, 1x eSATA/USB2 combo port, 2x USB3 ports, full HDMI, VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, DVD burner with optional Blu-Ray burner, ExpressCard slot, SD Card reader, seperate microphone and headphone jacks, Firewire, Displayport and an excellent webcam built into the bezel.

The touchpad doubles as a graphics tablet and comes with its own powered stylus with its own controls.  This is the kind of attention to detail you can see throughout the Precision M6600.

The keyboard isn’t a scrabble-tile affair commonly seen elsewhere.  It’s a more traditional style and really excellent.  The keys are large and well spaced with a large Enter key and full size keys on the numeric pad.  The cursor keys are in a sensible place though the left shift key is a little narrow.  The keyboard also has controls for the calculator and media playback controls.  Above the keyboard are volume and mute buttons.

The Precision M6600 is very upgradeable too.  Undo two screws inside the battery compartment and the bottom slides off the case to reveal the hard disks, memory and expansion slots all easily accessible and well laid out.  It’s extremely neat, tidy and commendable for such an expensive machine.  The exterior of the case is positively lovely with an aluminium bronze finish that you just want to stroke and a bright, silver Dell logo on the lid.

In use it’s equally as powerful as a good Core i7 desktop machine and you’d have no problems editing HD video on it or using it to create complex three-dimensional imagery for mapping.  There is simply nothing you could currently throw at the M6600 that it would have any trouble with at all.

There are very few problems with the machine either.  The screen is a bit reflective, though it’s very bright and can be used outdoors.  Battery life is reasonable at 5 hours on very light duties but you’ll struggle to get two hours when pushed, maybe even just 45 minutes if doing demanding encoding work.  The charger is a brick and the laptop itself weighs in at a hefty 4.5kg.  This is not a machine you’ll be wanting to lug back and forth, nor giving up space in your luggage allowance when going through an airport.

What can I say about the Precision M6600?  Well what this machine has in terms of hardware is simply the finest currently available.  For the few people who need power of this type there is simply no better machine.  Sony and Lenovo make machines of a similar specification though neither is quite as attractive with it.

The only other thing I can possibly add here is that this particular Precision M6600 is mine.  I personally demand the very best in performance as I do some very demanding work with video production.  I’m personally delighted with the power on offer.  This machine is hugely expensive but also tremendous value for money for the people who would be looking to buy one.

Build quality is first rate and the M6600 feels extremely solid with no give or flex anywhere in the chassis.  An accelerometer works with software on board to protect the hard drives in the event that you drop it.  It’s quiet too with just a faint whirr of the fans during general usage, though it can get hot; but you’re unlikely to work with a 4.5kg computer on your lap.

Overall I’d have given the M6600 a full 10 out of 10 for power, flexibility and quality even if this machine wasn’t my own.  For workstation grunt in a portable form factor, I genuinely believe you won’t find anything finer.

Now I’m a teacher by my first trade, and a tech author second.  I’ve been spending the last few years teaching Literacy and Numeracy to the long-term unemployed who need better skills and qualifications in order to be able to get back into the workplace, or to those people who are already employed and need qualifications to progress their careers.  I’m very interested then in the use of technology as an educational aid and, if you’re interested, you can read an essay I wrote on the subject for my teaching qualification here where I talked about some of the issues and barriers for the use of technology in the classroom, including the legal, physical and mental barriers that some people need to overcome.

It’s always with great interest then that I read news stories about how the latest technology is being used in classrooms.  In the last year I’ve seen schools, mostly in the US, giving iPads to each student and writing custom apps for the platform to help improve learning in class; one particularly interesting app was using the tablet’s accelerometer with a special app that helped the students simulate earthquakes.  I’ve also seen the use of videoconferencing to enable schools to share teachers with specific expertise and to bring in experts from the worlds of business, science and society.

Why is it then, six years after the launch of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project that intended to create laptops for developing countries for only $99 that we don’t have schools rolling out laptops, netbooks or tablets to their students every year?  From the perspective of the technology companies this is an enormous market and opportunity; indeed Bloomberg are reporting today that Apple are bidding to sell 15 million iPads to schools in Turkey.

The single biggest barrier however is still price.  In order to make mobile devices that will appeal to the consumer and trample upon the competition, companies are still going for quality, brushed metals, high quality plastics and IPS panel screens.  What they’re not focusing on is the schools and colleges mass market where what’s required is ruggedness and affordability; after all these machines will be designed to only be used in educational establishments for their purposes.

Next week does see the launch of a new affordable Android tablet, the affectionately named (for anyone of a certain age in the UK anyway) AndyPad.  Starting at just £129 this is finally approaching the price levels that technology needs to be at to appeal to the huge volumes and limited budgets of schools worldwide, and of course some of the money can be saved elsewhere in providing cheaper eBooks instead of the traditional paper copies (while being more environmentally friendly into the bargain).

The fact remains though that back in 2005 when Nicholas Negroponte announced his plans to create a $99 educational laptop for the developing world the whole world got very excited.  Then companies like Microsoft decided that they wanted a piece of the action, muscled in and muddied the whole situation.  Now we don’t have any $99 laptops and there’s no immediate prospect that this will change.

It’s worth noting that some smaller companies have tried to release $99 tablets, certainly here in the UK, and all have so far been rubbish.  What must be needed then is the technological know-how and the manufacturing clout of a big name player.  Could Apple make a $99 iPad?  The company certainly makes enough money to subsidise such a device and it would sell in enormous volumes.  How economical that would be to a company with shareholders to pay though is up to Apple’s board to decide.

So I find it a pity that in what might turn out to be the ‘golden age’ of mobile computing that children are still being left out, especially the millions of them on low household incomes who still don’t have a computer at home.  It’s time I think for the technology companies to step up to this challenge and prove that $99 can still be achieved for the benefit of everyone.

This machine sports a 17.3 super-bright inch screen, a 2GHz core-i7 SandyBridge processor, a huge 6Gb of DDR3 RAM and no less than two 500Gb hard disks.  It’s all topped off with switchable graphics which include an nVidia GT540M card with 1Gb of dedicated DDR3 RAM.

Rather than being a sexy little thing for the jet-set, this is a hulking great 2.6kg of desktop replacement entertainment laptop, complete with Blu-Ray drive, USB 3 and all the trimmings.

So what is it like to use and is it any good as a gaming machine?  I’ve written a full review on our sister website Windows7News, but I was certainly impressed with the machine.  It handled Call of Duty Black Ops at medium-high settings without breaking a sweat, though it did complain when I turned everything up to maximum.  It’s a very powerful and very pretty machine, with an all plastic case (very high quality plastic I might add) contrasting a dark grey case and black lid with high-impact silver surrounding the keyboard.

It’s a good keyboard too with generously proportioned scrabble-tile keys and good travel.  It has a large easy to use trackpad too, which you can switch off for gaming and a screen that, while not full HD at 1600 x 900, is very usable in direct sunlight.

It’s easy to see where compromises have been made with the RF711 but this keeps the price affordable and it comes in around $1,000 cheaper than equivalent specification laptops from Dell, Lenovo and Sony.  You can read my full in-depth review here where I talk about the important things like battery life and what it’s really like to live with.

Let’s start correctly, I hate laptops! In fact I have always hated laptops and there are several reasons why. Firstly I’ve always found the typing position on them to be horrible, because no matter how large they make the wrist rest, it’s always not big enough and there’s too large a drop at the front of the case so that typing on them becomes uncomfortable for anything other than short messages. Then there’s the proximity of the keyboard to the screen, it’s just too short which can result in eyestrain and the screen itself is far too low which results in neck and back ache.

I’ve been using laptops on and off for a decade now and have always preferred a desktop machine. In a couple of teaching jobs prior to becoming a tech author I was given a laptop and, while I was forced to use them at work I was mercifully teaching most of the time, and on the occasions when I brought them home they just sat there, completely unused until I could take them back to work and get rid of them again.

Needless to say I have my reasons for disliking laptops. Tablets are much better, I have an ExoPC Slate and despite it being a little heavier than the iPad, I like being able to slouch around with it, having the screen a good distance from my eyes and not having to sit upright in an uncomfortable position, hunched forward, to use the thing.

Then the Samsung Series 9 appeared and everything seemed to change for me. All of a sudden I found myself reaching for this machine instead of my tablet. I even stopped thinking “I must go over and turn my desktop on” and used this instead.

So how did this new ultraportable make me fall in love with laptops? To be honest it’s all down to the design and the attention to detail. The wrist rest isn’t quite at desk level, but it’s close enough that you would never notice it’s raised upwards. In fact it’s raised no further than a standard modern PC keyboard. Then there’s the weight. At just 1.32Kg here is a laptop that is genuinely portable. It’s not something you have to hump around in a heavy bag, all the time bemoaning its presence there. It is actually a proper joy to carry around because you barely ever notice that it’s there. Indeed it’s so light that I occasionally had to check my bag to see I hadn’t left it behind somewhere.

It’s not just in the ergonomics and weight either that this laptop shines.  The screen is glorious to behold and the keyboard is one of the finest I’ve ever used.  In fact it’s so good it puts my £100 Logitech desktop keyboard to shame.  It’s just a very pleasant experience sitting in front of and using this machine.

You’ll never get over the keyboard proximity to the screen problem, but all of a sudden I found myself not actually minding this at all.  We’ll have more laptops like this coming soon too. Sony have a new Z Series coming out and there’s a new Macbook Air due. Intel have also now announced they’re planning to release ‘ultrabooks’ that will be only 0.8 inches thick, about the same as the Series 9 and with a similar specification too. The preponderance of these machines will mean prices will drop and, before you’re able to say “I’m not carrying that thing home again” they’ll be available for less than $1000. In fact Intel anticipates selling ultrabooks for as little as $600 in the coming years.

For now, while it’s pricey, the Samsung Series 9 is an absolute winner. It’s made me fall in love with laptops for the first time and proven to me they can really be a joy to use. If you’re of the same mind as I am and have the spare cash to buy one, then it’s a solid 9/10 for the Series 9 from me.

This laptop has the fastest BIOS I’ve yet seen on any computer.  It gets to the Windows Starting logo in four seconds from a cold boot and you’re at the desktop within 20 seconds.  This is really excellent and shows that Samsung have gone out of their way to get the BIOS right on the machine.  Using it is just as pleasurable an experience.

I’m used to the power and speed of a Core-i7 desktop machine but I’m delighted to be able to announce that the dual core i5 processor in this machine is just as speedy in day to day usage.  It shows four physical cores with hyper-threading and combined with 4Gb of RAM is no slouch.  There’s nothing I tried to do on this laptop that slowed it down or showed any kind of delay whatsoever.

This is all down to the new Sandy Bridge architecture from Intel which is quicker and runs at lower voltages than previous chips.  It’s not all great news though as while the exterior of this laptop might have been designed with the care of a master craftsman, the software implementation is much more sloppy.

As is common with many PCs these days the thing is loaded with trialware and bloatware.  These include lots of extra games, all of which you have to buy to play past a short trial level, and pointless extras such as a video showing off the laptop.  Why would I want to see a video showing off this laptop when I’ve just bought the thing?

More depressing though was that the Windows implementation on board was pre-service pack 1 and also without Internet Explorer 9.  The Series 9 is a luxury product and, as such, I’d have hoped that Samsung would have taken more care with the software.  This means the first thing you’ll have to do with it is download and install quite a hefty pile of updates.  With this out of the way though you quickly forget about the problems it caused.

It’s worth noting that the Series 9 is one of those computers that actually does come with a full copy of Windows 7 on DVD.  This is important to note as too many PC manufacturers don’t bundle this any more, even though you’ve paid for it.  Should something go wrong with Windows (which is inevitable eventually) it’s an essential thing to have around.

I wasn’t completely sure about the multi-touch trackpad.  Some of it’s features stopped working for me properly, such as the two-finger-tap for a right click.  I put this down to a driver update which I’d installed though.  One great feature is what I call “boss mode” where sliding four fingers down the trackpad will automatically minimise anything you have on the screen.  It could be argued though that if you have one of these laptops, you’re more likely going to be the boss.

The ports sit in two fold-down flaps on either side of the machine.  There’s USB2 and USB 3, Gigbit Ethernet (though this requires an adapter cable that’s supplied), mini HDMI (so again you’ll need an adapter to do presentations from it), a joint Microphone / Headphone / Speaker socket (though the internal speakers are generally excellent with high volume and good depth of range) and finally and perhaps less usefully a Micro SD card slot.

In the place of this it would have been much better to see either a full SD card slot or, preferably, a SIM card slot.  I don’t really get the point of an ultraportable that has to rely solely on wifi!?  Of course you could plug in a 3G dongle, but why would you want to with something that looks this good?  For me this is the single biggest oversight with the machine.

One thing worth noting with the ports is that, while it’s fantastic to have them hidden away under flaps, if you plug in a thicker than usual USB flash drive the whole laptop will wobble a bit while its there.  This is just down to the thickness, or rather should I say the overall thinness of the machine.

The screen is absolutely glorious and one of the best things about this laptop.  It’s so bright that you’ll never be able to use it at maximum brilliance indoors.  This bodes very well for using it in direct sunlight where it should always be perfectly legible.  It’s a pity though, again especially for a luxury product, that the resolution is just 1366 by 768.  I would rather have seen a full 1080 screen for this price.

A really useful feature is that if you press the F4 key from startup you’ll be taken to a helpful GUI where you can back-up and restore your copy of Windows and also troubleshoot common problems as to why it won’t start.  This is essentially a custom skin built on top of the Windows startup repair, but it’s a lovely addition and very welcome.

It’s also worth talking about the keyboard.  This scrabble-tile affair is large and well spaced and, unlike the near £100 logitech keyboard I have on my desktop PC at home, I have never hit the wrong key while typing on it.  This keyboard is simply fantastic.  To balance out fantastic though I did have the power lead fall out of its socket a couple of times.  The magnetic arrangement on Apple laptops is much better in this regard.

Battery life is again excellent.  Even though its built-in so can’t be changed, you’ll get about 6½ hours in light usage, falling to around four or five with wifi on.  Under heavy load you’ll still get over two hours of life for it which is good for any current laptop.

So, is the Series 9 a Macbook Air killer?  Currently I’d have to say yes, despite the high price.  This is due to the performance of the machine and just given a boost by how utterly gorgeous it looks.  Anybody who buys one of these laptops will be thrilled to bits with it.  It’s fast, responsive, has excellent battery life, comes with almost every feature you’ll need on the move and weighs next to nothing.  Though with the Macbook Air about to get a Sandy bridge update, the Series 9′s reign on top could prove to be short lived.

Overall a solid 9/10

So, what is a Windows 7 ultraportable really like to use and is it a Macbook Air killer?  In the first part of this review I want to talk about the unboxing experience and the hardware itself.  Tomorrow in the final part of the review I’ll discuss what the laptop is like in actual daily usage and give my overall verdict.

The laptop runs on the new Intel Sandybridge architecture with a 1.4GHz Core i5 processor with four visible cores, 4Gb of DDR3 RAM, a 128Gb SSD and a 13.3 inch screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768.  Internally there’s gigabit ethernet, 802.11bgn wireless (though it’s only single-band 2.4GHz wireless n, not the full triple-arial variety) and bluetooth 3.  It also helpfully sports a USB 3 port as well as a USB 2 socket, a Micro SD card slot and an HDMI port.  It retails for around $1,600 (UK £1,300) so isn’t cheap and is slightly more expensive than the Air.

Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the unboxing experience.  The box itself is pretty big, though there’s not a lot in it.  The inside of the lid teases you with how thin this laptop is, while the machine itself shines out at you in glossy black.  Underneath is a wallet with all the manuals, documentation and a restore disc helpfully bundled together while a flap at the front of the box hides the power supply and an adapter needed to use an Ethernet cable with the machine. 

The laptop itself is slightly thicker than a Macbook Air, though only marginally, at 17mm at its thickest.  It’s light as a feather though and, surprisingly even lighter than it’s Apple equivalent at just 1.32Kg.  It’s deceptive just how light this laptop is and it’s quite disconcerting the first few times you pick it up.  You can easily hold it upright with just two fingers and carrying it in a case or bag is something you’d barely notice.

The exterior of the laptop is made from an alloy called duralumin, which is most commonly found used in the aeronautics industry.  It’s this that helps keep the weight down.  The build isn’t quite as rigid as the Air, but it’s quite sturdy enough with only very slight flex in the chassis when pulled about.  It’s all a brushed metal effect with a subtle Samsung logo embossed into the lid.  Open this up on a train and you’d certainly be drawing admiring glances from across the cabin.

That said, it’s generally understated enough not to attract too much attention.  I took it to the pub last night and hardly anybody batted an eyelid.  This is good for security and having a machine that won’t be the first thing a thief targets when you’re out and about.

On the left side of the laptop sits only a power socket, on the right side just a kensington lock port.  All the main ports for this laptop are hidden behind two flip-down panels on the left and right underside.  It’s a nice idea that keeps the lines clean and can help stop the ports becoming dirty.

The actual design itself is lovely, with the screen appearing to float above the body when its closed, in fact it can be said that closed this machine is even prettier than when you have it open.  There are strips of bare silver metal edging the screen and base that give it an air of luxury.  It can safely be said that on the looks front the Series 9 gets a solid 9.5 out of 10. 

Inside it’s more of the same with brushed metal complemented by a piano black high-gloss plastic surround for the keyboard and screen. This actually works very well and doesn’t look plasticy, rather more luxurious. It’s a scrabble-tile keyboard that’s slightly more spaced out and accessible than the one on the Macbook Air. Like it’s Apple counterpart the touchpad is buttonless and multi-touch, so that it acts as a single giant button or a multi-touch trackpad.

Everyone I showed the Series 9 to was absolutely amazed by how good it looks and how light it is. It has an internal battery like the Macbook Air but this helps keep the lines clean. If you tumble it in your hands the attention to detail is quite impressive, with every angle thought of carefully and some solid-looking rubber feet to help keep that brushed metal clean and safe for the life of the machine. 

All in all it’s a hugely impressive piece of engineering, especially for what they’ve squeezed into it, and tomorrow I’ll write up what this machine is actually like to use.

So if you’re thinking of buying a new PC, the question to ask yourself now is should you really bother?

Windows Vista caused no end of problems when it was launched back in 2006 and forced many people who were using it to upgrade to better and faster hardware just to get it to work.  With Windows 7 Microsoft fixed all the problems and gave us an operating system that would work happily, though a little slowly on a 1.6GHz Atom processor.

We can see now that with Windows 8 not only is the bar being lowered ever further when it comes to performance, but that the OS will be giving us more.

Traditionally if you wanted an operating system that would run efficiently on older hardware you had only one choice, GNU/Linux, but it’s now clear that this is a market that Microsoft are going after, and going after agressively.

It’s not that Microsoft want to attack Linux, that’s probably the last thing on their minds.  It’s clear that low-power processing is where the computing market is going and for most every day computing tasks these devices are usually perfectly adequate.  Microsoft have simply seen which way the wind is blowing and, in an uncharacteristic display of flexibility and innovation, have decided to jump aboard the bandwagon.

So where does this leave everyone with a PC at home?  Should you indeed think about buying a new PC at all when the times comes to replace yours?

There are different options for this.  The first is that if you are a PC gamer the answer remains a resolute yes as the latest games will still demand Core i5 overclocked power to run effectively.  If you’re not a gamer though then you could easily find that Windows 8 is even faster and more responsive on your existing computer hardware than Windows 7 (though we have yet to see any actual performance benchmarks).

The third and most compelling reason is that the whole tablet market is evolving still and by the time Windows 8 launches in all its tablet glory we’ll be looking at a whole broad range of innovative devices, some with one screen, some with two, some like a book, laptop, netbook or tablet, some with keyboards, flip down, fold out, and some without, that there will undoubtedly be a new way to interact with our computers that suits us!  Frankly, this one has been a long time coming and it’s about damn time.

When Windows 8 launches the world will be more than used to tapping away at a keyboard that’s connected to a large box in a corner of the room, or even in it’s own room, that requires it’s own piece of furniture and that, frankly, is becoming more and more loathed for this very reason year on year.

If you’re planning on buying yourself a new PC, or even a new laptop in the coming year my advice would be to hold fire and wait.  Before the end of this year we’ll see what Microsoft will really have to offer us with the next version of Windows and they’re certain to demonstrate the OS running on a wide variety of form factors.  There are exciting times ahead and it’s now just not the right year to buy a new PC.

The free software program AutoSensitivity changes that by offering the user an option to define different sensitives for mouse and touchpad use.

The application offers one screen with options to set different sensitivities. Sliders are available for both touchpad and mouse to change their sensitivity on the fly. It is furthermore possible to get the actual sensitivity with a click on the Get Current button. A click on apply saves the new sensitivity settings which are from that moment on available on the system.

The application will from then on switch the mouse sensitivity automatically depending on the input device without further user interaction. Users who switch regularly and find the application useful can set it to run at system startup so that it is automatically available.

AutoSensitivity is available at the Codeplex website. The application can be run on systems that have the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 installed. (via)

The modern traveler doesn’t need much more than a laptop to stay in touch with their family, blog about their adventures, work remotely, and even watch films, take classes, or listen to music. With all of that functionality, it just makes sense that a better backpack should be used to keep the laptop, netbook, or tablet safe and secure. One of the great things about modern backpacks is that they can be slung over one or both shoulders, carried by a ring handle, or even, in some cases pulled behind the traveler on wheels. To get an idea of the vast variety of functionality that is available in backpacks, let’s look at some of the specifics.

When you are looking for a backpack, there are few things that you really need to keep your eyes open about and dedicate some time to considering. First and foremost, you should think about the size of the backpack. Not just the external size, but more importantly you should think about the interior dimensions – called volume. There are as many sizes of backpacks as there are of anything else from which you can choose. The big consideration should be that you make sure your laptop actually fits into the backpack. If you have a 17 inch gaming laptop and the bag is only big enough to hold a netbook, it’s not going to do you much good.

Other things to consider are what else will you need to carry with you. Are you planning to carry a weeks worth of clothing in your bag? Is it just for your laptop or is it also for all your other travel gear. Are there enough specific pockets for your various accessories?

Now, what about the material? If you are a traditionalist, chances are that you will go for leather. Leather is still one of the best materials for a travel bag because of it’s durability, waterproof ability, and natural characteristics. The downside is that leather backpacks are expensive and they can also be very heavy. A better choice for most people is a combination of ripstop nylon and canvas. This will provide you with protection from the elements, lightweight, and durability. Depending on the amount of protection you want for your machine, you may want to make sure there are padded compartments in the bag.

Today there are a number of ergonometric designs available that will save your back from feeling like it’s been carrying a million pounds at the end of the day. In addition, you may want to make sure that there is a waistband on the bag if you plan on carrying it fully loaded.

Make sure that the bag is divided into a number of sections and has separate compartments for liquids, tickets, pens, and other bric-a-brac. Many backpacks today come with specialized pockets for chargers, headphones, iPods, and other tech gear.

One thing that is often overlooked is the maximum carry on size. This is the maximum size that airlines will allow for bags to be carried on. Since you are going to be keeping your laptop and valuables in your bag, chances are that you don’t want to risk checking it. Make sure that your bag is within the range of the maximum carry on dimensions so that you won’t be forced to check it.
A backpack can go with you on the plane, in the woods, up the mountain, to the cafe, and everywhere else where your holiday may take you. Since your hands will be free and your bag will be strapped to your back, you can enjoy yourself more.

One recent innovation is the inclusion of soft, light, and flexible solar panels on the exterior of backpacks. This innovation means that while you walk, your laptop or phone can actually be charging with the power of the sun. A number of adapters and chargers are available with these innovative designs.

A laptop backpack is one of the most important items you can provide to yourself or another traveler. Make sure you take the time to explore all of the options that are available. If you will be traveling in risky areas you can get snatchproof, slashproof, lockable backpacks that function as a sort of safe for your valuables. Your gadgets and gizmos are important and you shouldn’t skimp on the means to protect them.

Make sure that your backpack closes securely. Examine the seams closely to be sure that the bag is at the minimum double stitched. Make sure the straps are adjustable as you will want to change the size of the straps depending on the load you choose to carry. Above all be certain that the bag will protect your laptop!

One last thing to consider is color. Some people might argue that the color of a backpack is the least important factor to consider, but I disagree. You will be wearing this bag and you will have to see it for a long time. Make sure that it’s something you like. While that bright pink pack might strike your fancy today, are you sure you will want it in three years time? When in doubt, go with black, khaki, or a very neutral brown. These colors go with everything.

Tom is a business man who works in die casting and case hardened steel manufacturing. He needs to travel around the world on a regular basis to meet with clients, deal with situations that arise in his product lines, and to prospect for new business. His technology needs could be either simple or complex depending on his personal temperament. If he is a die hard old fashioned kind of guy, chances are that at the least he will need a phone to stay in contact with his home office and his clients. To go along with the phone, he will of course need a charger and since he is traveling abroad, he will most likely need a travel adapter for outlets. Tom could settle for buying cheap and easily available adapters from each country he needs one in, or, on the other hand, he could plan ahead and get a universal adapter complete with voltage regulator and all the necessary plugs for any country he might visit. In terms of email and printing documents, since he is an old fashioned guy, he uses the computers at the hotel business center and prints things out there or from shops like FedEx or Kinkos. So much for Tom.

Peter, on the other hand, is a thoroughly modern businessman who deals in technology. As such, it is important for him to have all the latest gadgets and gizmos so that his clients don’t make the mistake of thinking that he has anything but the very best of technology. As such, he has an iPhone 4 and of course a universal adapter. furthermore, he is traveling with the latest Vaio laptop complete with all the peripherals for it. He carries an inkless portable printer, a DVD burner, an external 2GB hard drive, and a laser pointer so that when he is making Powerpoint presentations, he is able to easily highlight the selected areas he wants to emphasize. Did I forget to mention he has a portable prjector so that he can project his screen onto any light colored wall? Does he need a truck to carry all this gear? Nope. It all fits in a normal sized briefcase and weighs less than five kilos in total. Is it cheap? No, but that’s not really the point. Peter is out to impress with his technology.

Mike, on the other hand, is a backpacker who is filling his gap year with a trip around the world. He is traveling light and fast, but that doesn’t mean he is technologyless. He carries a Samsung Galaxy WiFi phone which allows him to check Facebook, answer email, and make calls from anywhere on the planet. He has a few extra things with him such as his iPod and a digital camera. He carries just one travel adaptor with him in addtion to a 2 GB flash drive which he uses in cyber cafes. While not a techno-minimalist, he is certainly not traveling heavy and for most of his needs he can either use his phone with a local sim card or he can go to a cyber cafe.

Louise is a completely different story. She is traveling with an Acer Aspire One netbook, a portable 500 MB hardrive from Sanyo for storing her favorite films and songs, plus a heavy duty Olympus professional digital camera. In addition, she carries a number of devices that she needs to fulfill her role as a professional travel blogger. These include her PDA, a hefty Blackberry. Also she has a CD/DVD burner which she uses to burn disks for clients and friends she meets along the way and wants to share her photos with. Because she is often traveling outside of places where electricity is readily available, she carries a solar powered backpack charger with which she can not only carry her gear, but also charge it as long as there is a decent amount of sunshine. Add to this a multi function water filter, power cords, and of course her electric travel toothbrush and you might begin to understand why Louise is carrying more weight than backpacker Mike! Of course, all of her technology gear comes in at less than ten kilos and that includes her travel speakers which hook into her iPod or netbook and provide Dolby Surround Sound .

Every day, travel technology is changing from Google Maps to Google Streetview to the latest phones which allow you to use GPS anywhere on the planet. There really are no restrictions on what you can or should do while you are on your journeys whether they are for business or pleasure.

So, what do you need to travel with? It really depends on how far you intend to travel and what you intend to do. There is no one size fits all solution but if you look at the gear lists of the travelers above, it should give you a pretty good idea of what is essential for you.

Auto Mute is a small software program that can aid users who want to work with computer sounds and a silent startup.

The tiny program can mute sounds on logoff, suspend and shutdown so that the next system startup is quite. It can be integrated into the autostart of the PC so that it gets executed every time the user logs off, suspends or shuts down the PC. It can also mute sounds when the screensaver appears and provides a handy keyboard shortcut to turn sounds on and off while working with the PC.

The standard shortcut to do that is CTRL F10. Auto Mute is a portable software program for the Windows operating system that is available for download at the developer’s website. It is compatible with most Windows operating systems including 64-bit editions.

Update: Auto Mute 4.0 has been released recently. The new version adds several new features to the software program. Most notably are an option to hide the software’s system tray icon, an automatic memory cleaner that frees up unused memory used by the software more frequently and Pingnotify statistics support for events- PingNotify is a third party software that links desktop applications with a Google Analytics account.

The new version of auto Mute is still portable and compatible with all recent versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Two Finger Scroll tries to change that by adding to the functionality of Synaptics touchpads. The portable software program just needs to be executed for the new functionality to become available.

Most laptops have Synaptics touchpads which means that Two Finger Scroll should work on most that are sold with Windows.

The software program currently adds two features to the touchpad that allow the laptop user to do the following:

• Two finger scrolling – scroll vertically by sliding two fingers anywhere on the TouchPad
• Two finger tapping – tap with two fingers to simulate a selected mouse button

The application places an icon into the Windows System Tray upon startup that can be used to configure it. A right-click and the selection of Settings from the menu will display the settings of the software program.

It is here that the user can define specific scrolling settings from speed and acceleration to the scroll type and mode.

The tapping menu contains additional configurations to configure other finger gestures from one plus one finger to three fingers which can be set to mouse buttons currently.

Two Finger Scroll adds the functionality to the Windows laptop without installing new drivers for the touchpad. That is its greatest strength. The portable software program can be downloaded from the Codeplex website of the project. (via Lifehacker)

You have a laptop. You have your Android phone. If you have a data cable you might just be in luck. Now, understand some mobile providers do not allow this (without some trickery). But if your mobile provider does allow this (Mine, Sprint, does and my phone is an HTC Hero) the process is very simple and will allow you a broadband connection ANYWHERE you have a cell phone signal. Granted the speed might not be what you are accustomed to, but in a pinch it will work. In this tutorial you will see how simple it is to tether your Android phone to your Ubuntu laptop.

Installation

Ha! Got ya. There’s nothing to install. Ubuntu and Android come with everything you need to pull this off.

On the laptop

If your set up is like mine, you will have nothing to do on your laptop other than to boot up and log in. If you are already on a wireless network, and you want to test this, disable wireless networking by right-clicking the Networking Manager applet and uncheck Enable Wireless Networking. After you have done that, you are ready to work with your phone.

Phone configuration

Plug your phone into your laptop using the USB data cable. After you do this, follow these steps:

1. Drag down the notification bar.
2. Click on the USB Connected section.
3. Click Don’t Mount.
4. Click on Menu > Settings > Wireless controls
5. Make sure the Mobile Network Sharing checkbox is checked.

Figure 1

After a brief moment you should notice, on your desktop, the icon in the Network Manager applet will change to show your laptop connected via Auto usb0 (and will most likely list your phone name – see Figure 1). This is correct. You should now be connected to the internet via your tethered phone.

What about calls and charges?

Yes, you can make phone calls while you are tethered. In fact, your phone will act normally as well as charge while tethered to your laptop. Of course, depending upon your wireless provider (as well as your data plan) you could be charged for data sent using your phone. So you will want to make sure your plan provides for the amount of data you would send and receive by tethering your phone to your laptop.

Final thoughts

You could hijack a wireless signal when you are out of range of your own signal. Or you could find the nearest coffee shop. But when you are out the clutches of any known wireless signal, and you must get your network fix, tethering your Android phone is a simple solution.

A left-click on the icon will display all power plans that have been configured in the operating system. This makes those power plans more accessible as Windows 7 by default only displays a link to the power plans in the system tray if the computer runs on battery (which means there is no direct option to switch power plans).

The very same menu contains an option to power off the display of the computer to save additional power. This can save a minute or even more of the power needed to power the display depending on the configuration of the active power saving plan as Windows 7 does not offer the option to dim the display instantly.

A right-click on the icon opens configuration options. The menu contains a link to the Windows Control Panel where power plans can be configured and new power plans added. These new power plans appear then during a left-click as well.

The user of the computer can configure the program to switch to a power plan when a power source is plugged in and out and to activate power saving mode at a specific power level. It is a bit unfortunate that the custom power plans are not available in the selection. That’s something that the developer might consider adding to a later version of the laptop power plan assistant.

Power Plan Assistant is compatible with Microsoft’s operating system Windows 7. The software can be downloaded from the developer’s website. Other applications that offer a similar functionality are Battery Care, the laptop battery monitor Battcursor or Powertop for Linux.

Phoenix have developed a new technology that they call Phoenix Instant Boot. The new technology cuts down the time it takes for the Bios to initialize everything to one second. This is achieved by loading devices and processes that are needed to load the operating system simultaneously. Take a look at the following video that has been posted to Youtube that showcases the boot time.

The notebook used in the demonstration video was powered by a high-performance solid state disk. It took about ten seconds to boot into Windows 7. While boot time is definitely not the only thing that counts it is nice to see some progress in this area. It is even possible, according to Phoenix, that some hardware manufacturers will offer Bios upgrades that incorporate the technology.

The web browsers of the test were: Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3.5.2 with and without adblock add-on, Google Chrome 2, Opera 9.64, 10.0b3 and Safari 4. Three laptops were used in the test. Two entry level Gateway laptops with AMD and Intel cpus and the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA netbook.

Gateway NV52

Gateway NV58

Asus EEE PC 1005HA

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 is the web browser that drains the least amount of battery on the two entry level laptops. Most other web browsers with the exception of Safari come close to that results, especially Firefox with the adblock add-on. The benefit of the adblock add-on suggests that web advertisement does have an impact on battery usage. Safari 4 is the only web browser in the test that performed worst in all three tests.

Google Chrome 2 was first in the netbook test with all other web browsers close by except for Safari which completely drained the battery of the netbook more than two hours earlier than the other web browsers.

Even if the test needs to be replicated with a larger website sample size it seems to indicate that laptop users are better off without the Safari web browser. Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox with adblock and Google Chrome were the best performing web browsers in the test.

As the name suggest the Disney Netpal is a netbook designed specifically for children. According to Disney, the age range is between 6-12 years-old. The Netpal features an 8.9-inch LCD display, WiFi capabilities and Window’s XP Home “with over 40 parental control options.”

Since this is a netbook marketed to kids Disney took special note of durability. The device not only features a spill proof keyboard, but also ASUS ShockShield data protection which prevents loss of data should the device experience sudden shock such as a fall.

On the design front, the netbook boasts two color choices, “Princess Pink” for the ladies err girls and Magic Blue for the boys which also features “miniature Mickey Mouse icons (the former carries “beautiful pink florals”).

But what makes this little netbook shine is the work Disney has placed under the hood, geared to kids and parents alike. The Netpal features 10 customizable themes derived from popular Disney and Disney/Pixar franchises. These include, Cars, Club Penguin, Disney Classic Characters, Disney Fairies, Disney Princess, Vintage Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, WALL-E, Jonas Brothers and you guessed it Hanna Montana (where’s Lizzie McGuire?) Children will be able to use icons from these themes as email attachments such as signatures.

But Disney has gone even further with the inclusion of software built specifically for the Netpal. An example of this is the Disney Mix which, as the name suggest, is used for music and media management. There is also Disney Pix for photo customization/organization. One of the features of this application is the ability for kids to insert pictures of their faces into Bobblehead software. Another feature (via the Disney Radio Widget) allows children to stream real time music from Disney Radio as well as submit requests for songs. There are also a number of games included (racing, memory, scrapbook etc.)

So far everything that we just covered are things appealing to the kids, for the parents there are (as we mentioned earlier) over 40 control options so parents can protect their children as well as allow limited access to certain things.. For example a parent can pre-select email correspondences, determine which websites their children can visit, as well as a scheduling option so certain features can be automated such as the time of day the child is allowed to go online or play a game etc. And more importantly parents will be able to see not only what their children were doing on the computer but how long they spent.
All in all, this sounds like a perfect idea. While I do not have kids of my own, I have quite a few friends who would be interested in something like this for their son/daughter, and with a starting price of $350 this sounds pretty reasonable. As for a release date, that is set sometime in July