Notebook Toshiba - NB520 |

Netbooks haven't moved on much recently. Their place has in part been usurped by the iPad 2 and Android tablets, while their general specifications have languished in a sort of limbo as other laptop computers get faster, and feature an array of increasingly sophisticated features. Manufacturers peddling netbooks now have to work much harder to differentiate their products and prove they represent value for money.
Toshiba's take on that with NB520 involves giving the netbook some great looks, a superb keyboard and impressive sound capabilities. Let's start with the looks.
Keeping up appearances
Toshiba has given the NB520 a coloured lid with a dimpled finish. Brown, blue and green variants are available, and our brown sample looked really attractive. The colouring is replicated in the two mouse buttons and in the surrounds to a pair of speakers that sit in the wrist rest area. It's a smart and clean look, and not too flashy.

The keyboard is really stunning. Necessarily small, it's really well made and comfortable to use. We've got small hands, but we were touch-typing at nearly our full speed on it. Seriously, we've used a lot worse keyboards on business notebooks costing several times the price of the Toshiba NB520.
Audiovisual treat
But it is the speakers that make the Toshiba NB520 stand out. The Harman/Kardon units deliver superb quality sound that loses none of its punch even at a top volume - and top volume is louder than we are used to from a netbook. There's even a feature called Sleep & Music, which lets you connect an audio device such as an iPod and then play music through the speakers even when the NB520 is switched off.
Movie watching benefits from those speakers too - and from a superb screen whose reflective coating comes into its own for video. It was, though, annoyingly mirror-like when we were working with a light behind us. The screen measures a netbook-standard 10.1in, and delivers 1024x600 pixels.
Humdrum spec
And here we hit the bog standard part of this review. The overall specification of the NB520 is dull and unsurprising. The Toshiba NB520 is powered by a standard Intel Atom N550 processor running at 1.5GHz. There's 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. The operating system is Windows 7 Starter 32-bit.
Like all netbooks, the Toshiba has no optical drive built in. Ports and connectors are predictable: there are three USB 2 connectors, one of which offers sleep and charge. Ethernet, VGA and audio connectors are also present, and there is an SD card reader. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on board, and there is a VGA webcam.

Toshiba - NB520 features - Verdict

The Toshiba NB520 is a standard netbook on the inside, except for a superb pair of speakers. On the outside a lovely keyboard makes for good user ergonomics and the colour scheme simply looks attractive. In a sea full of similar products, Toshiba has found good ways to make the NB520 stand out.
BEST POINT: Nice styling, stunnign speakers and a superb keyboard.
WORST POINT: A humdrum spec... not bad, just boring.

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Notebook Panasonic - Toughbook CF-F9 |

When the going gets tough, the professional businessman gets a Panasonic Toughbook laptop. And by doing so, he'll ensure that none of his precious data is likely to be damaged in transit, that battery life can be extended well beyond the norm and Internet connectivity can be effortlessly maintained.
New name, same toughness
Unsurprisingly, the CF-F9 is an update of Panasonic's Toughbook CF-F8 that's been carried out with the aim of ensuring the three tenets above remain at the centre of its design. Initially you might think nothing has changed - you still have a textured matt black lid with a sturdy silver magnesium alloy case that is capable of withstanding a distributed pressure of up to 100kgf (that's 100kg, accelerated at the forced of gravity). Panasonic has also retained the extremely practical - and chic - built-in carrying handle, which does away with the need for a separate bag for transportation.

You'd normally expect a rugged machine like this to weigh considerably more than your average notebook but the CF-F8 was just 1660g . The CF-F9 manages to reduce this still further, to an astonishing 1620g, making it the lightest 14.1in notebook on the market. The base layout is also the same as its predecessor, with a large circular touchpad in the centre and a flip-up DVD Super Multi Drive to the right, leaving a square hand-resting area to the left.
The keyboard is full-size (minus a number pad) and cream-coloured, in the much favoured chiclet style. The keys respond swiftly and firmly. One of the benefits of the Touchbook protection system is the fact that a full 200ml glass of liquid can be poured over the laptop's keyboard and touchpad without damaging the electrics, as the water drains away via pre-cut channels. The whole notebook is also shockproof from a height of up to 76m and the hard drive (which has been expanded from the CF-F8's 250GB to 320GB) has also been packed inside special shock-absorbing pads.
Well connected
The CF-F9 has many of the usual notebook connections, including three USB 2.0 ports and VGA, plus headphone and microphone jacks, yet there's only a single SD/SDHC memory card reader, rather than a 5-in-1.
Another notable absence is an HDMI display port - but you do have a PC Card expansion slot as well as a Mini Port Replicator, LAN and Modem. The 14.1in colour LCD display has been beefed up from the previous model's 1280x800 resolution to 1440 x 900, thus providing better defined and brighter pictures.
Under the hood
The processor performance has also improved markedly, with the CF-F8's Intel Core 2 Duo SP9400 replaced with an Intel Core i5-520M clocked at 2.4GHz, paired with 2GB DDR3 SDRAM. Multi-tasking is thus relatively painless.
The integrated Intel GMA HD graphics, on the other hand, only has 256MB of memory - enough to make movies and presentations look good, but not enough to run anything more than basic games. Sound, too, is definitely nothing to write home about, being classically tinny - maybe some surround sound next time chaps?
Keeps on running
There are no disappointments, however, when it comes to the battery life. This has been extended from six hours to seven, and Panasonic's proprietary Power Management system encourages ecological-minded energy use. Maintaining online connection is another pillar of the Touchbook range, why has led to the existing wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity has been enhanced by Gobi 2000 mobile broadband technology, so sending those important documents via e-mail should never be a problem...

Panasonic - Toughbook CF-F9 features - Verdict

The Toughbook CF-F9 has definitely made significant improvements in ruggedness, CPU performance, battery life and connectivity over its predecessor = though some may find the hefty price tag off-putting in the face of less rugged rivals. For those who need this level of toughness, though, there's really nothing to match it.

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Notebook Toshiba - Tecra A11 |

Let's get one thing out of the way right at the start. If you want a laptop that will make your friends coo with envy when they see it, the Toshiba Tecra A11 isn't it. There's no wow factor here in the visuals department.
And now we think about it, the build quality is actually a bit suspect too, with a fairly flexible lid that might not stand having very much sat on top of it when the laptop is closed. Not that you'd ever put things on top of a closed laptop, obviously...
Good specifications
Still, if you can live with the looks and build shortcomings there is lots to like here. Not least an Intel Core i5 560M processor in the top-of-the-ange Tecra A11-EH model (£935 ex VAT) we reviewed, dropping to a Core i3 in the lowest-priced version.
This is accompanied by 3GB of RAM, Windows 7 Professional 32-bit, a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and even 3G support. You also get, of course, the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Gigabit Ethernet.

Connections, connections
The ports and connectors aren't bad either, with three USB ports - plus a fourth, which is a combination USB/eSATA port. There's also an ExpressCard slot, SmartCard reader, SD card slot and a mini DisplayPort. There is an optical drive too, and a fingerprint sensor on the wrist rest just beneath the trackpad, as well as a webcam above the screen.
One annoyance is that the SD card slot, which is situated on the front edge of the chassis, is a bit fiddly to reach. Toshiba has decided to stylise the Tecra A11 and make it look a bit thinner by giving the front edge an inward curve. That's all well and good - but it does mean the card reader is rather tucked away. We had to tilt the notebook up to find the card reader slot. Over time you may get used to finding it by touch, but initially this is quite an irritation.
Cursor, cursor everywhere...
There are two ways of manipulating the cursor on screen. In addition to the touchpad, there's a small, blue button that sits between the G, H and B keys, which you can use alongside two buttons nestling beneath the space bar. It's the kind of dual pointing arrangement Lenovo likes to use in its notebooks, and it's often regarded as a business-friendly arrangement.
Screen and keyboard are well made. The 15.6in, 1366x768 screen has a non-shiny, non-reflective finish - which we tend to like for the fatc that it's easier to work on in brightly lit environments, but which might not appeal if you're very into multimedia. But if that's your interest, you'd probably choose different specifications anyway.
The keyboard is relatively large and comfortable under the fingers, though if you are a heavy typist you might find the slight flex it exhibits unnerving. Typists with a lighter touch may well get on fine. One more thing: The Toshiba Tecra A11 weighs 2.5kg, so it might not be the laptop to choose if you want to carry it about a lot.

Toshiba - Tecra A11 features - Verdict

The Toshiba Tecra A11 won't come out top of the class in a charm school, but it does a decent job and the internal specifications are perfectly acceptable.
BEST POINT: Decent spec; fingerprint sensor for the security-conscious.
WORST POINT: Chunky design, with rather more flex in the lid than we'd like to see.

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Notebook Dell - Vostro V130 |

Dell hasn't traditionally been renowned for producing good-looking laptops - but all that has changed recently, first with release of the rather attractive Latitude 13 and Adamo, and more recently with the Vostro V130 which emulates the others' sleek lines.
Choice of spec
An ultraportable laptop with a 13.3in 1366x768 pixel anti glare screen, the Vostro V130 comes in a wide range of configurations, with online prices starting as low as £399 + VAT and going up to £619 + VAT (that upper price includes a substantial online discount). And you can customise the standard configurations, further upping the price depending on the features you require.
This vast range of prices and customisation options means you can match the look of the Vostro with the features you need. For example, you can choose an OS from Windows 7 Home Basic right up to Windows 7 Professional with a hard disk of between 320GB and 500GB - with a 128GB solid-state option thrown in. You can also choose from Intel processors ranging up to a Core i5-470, and opt for mobile broadband. For some, the range of options may be daunting.

Whichever configuration you go for, the one thing you won't get is an internal optical drive. This is a pity, as other 13.3in-screened notebooks still do manage to fit an optical drive into their chassis.
Stylish chassis
And speaking of the chassis... this is arguably what the Dell Vostro V130 is all about. The sleek metal outer shell looks lovely and provides a solid casing for the lid. The laptop is tidy in dimensions being 330x230x19.7mm (wdh). The starting weight is 1.59kg, which is very respectable for a laptop of this size.
Headphone and microphone sockets sit at the front. The sides, which are sculpted with an inward curve, are clear apart from a card reader on the right side. This is a little tricky to access because of that curvature. This arrangement means that all the ports and connectors are, very unusually arranged around the back where they're ergonomic for desktop use, but less so for the lap.
Connections
There are two USB ports, a combined USB/eSATA port, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA connector and mains power connector. It is a small selection. If you opt for 3G the SIM port is on the front edge, hidden behind a discreet panel. The battery is locked away inside the chassis and not swappable. A webcam sits above the screen.
The keyboard is comfy to use and well sized, with no fancy extra buttons to disrupt its clean lines. But the battery life is poor. We managed a little over two hours of continuous video playback, which in this day and age is shameful. You aren't likely to get a day's usage between charges.

Dell - Vostro V130 features - Verdict

The Dell Vostro V130 looks fantastic, its metal chassis and clean lines are very appealing. But the sealed-in battery and its poor performance are significant drawbacks. There's no built in optical drive, and if you want higher specifications you may find you end up paying over the odds.

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Notebook Dell - Inspiron 15R N5110 |

Last September we had a close look at Dell's new Inspiron 15R 15.6in laptop, which had a respectable Intel Core i5-450M CPU clocked at 2.4GHz allied to a punchy AMD Mobility Radeon HD 5470 graphics card. While general performance was good without being exceptional, it seemed generally overpriced and had noticeable design issues.
Dell has obviously had time to reflect, and has re-issued the laptop as the Inspiron 15R N5110, with the same sleek chassis - but a number of significant performance changes, not least of which is the decision to showcase one of Intel's brand new second-generation Core CPUs, known under the codename of Sandy Bridge.
Brand new look
Before moving on to discuss the merits of the new processor, it's worth observing that the prototype's four visually uninspiring replaceable lids (blue and black for the boys, pink and red for the girls) have now been supplanted by 23 much more funky and original alternatives supplied by SWITCH Design Studio to help you stand out from the crowd.

In terms of ports and connectors, there are still four USB sockets with one of them doubled with an eSATA, but two of the USB 2.0s ports have now been replaced with USB 3.0 for much faster transfer times. However, one of the USB 3.0 ports has been positioned pointlessly round the back, along with the VGA and Ethernet - but you do have an HDMI output which will be handy if you choose the optional Blu-ray drive in place of the standard DVD writer.
Power boost
Which brings us on to the new processor, the Sandy Bridge 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-2310M CPU, which is backed by 3GB of DDR3 SDRAM. The beauty of these second-generation CPUs is that they integrate the graphics (in this case, the Intel HD Graphics 3000) with the cores on to a single chip, thus enhancing overall performance. So although the maximum screen resolution remains at 1366x768, movies look sharp and reasonably demanding action games like Hellgate: London still look impressive with little or no judder.
You still have the same six-cell Li-Ion battery as the last version (we noticed a slight improvement from 92 to 95 minutes of constant usage), as well as the smooth action chiclet-style keyboard, 500GB storage and large, responsive touchpad. In addition, you now have Bluetooth capability and Intel's novel Wireless Display, which lets you project Full HD video plus 5.1 surround sound to your TV (the surround sound has always been a major highlight of this machine).
Price-wise, this has now become a much more attractive option, having dropped from the original hefty £649 to a much more affordable £479, which should give the opposition plenty to think about.

Dell - Inspiron 15R N5110 features - Verdict

Dell have given the Inspiron R a total makeover with a few new features and cheaper price tag, with the Sandy Bridge CPU providing a much appreciated boost to overall performance and some extra battery life.
BEST POINT: Performance enhancing Sandy Bridge CPU, USB 3.0.
WORST POINT: Still some port design niggles.

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Notebook Samsung - RF710 |

The phrase 'desktop replacement' is often used to describe any large and heavy laptop computer that's unlikely to be stuffed into a backpack - but in the case of Samsung's RF710, a definite attempt has been made to provide many of the attributes of a tower-based PC.
What desktop features?
For a start, the Samsung comes with a 17.3in, 16:9 widescreen LCD display that's designed with both practical work-related activities and entertainment in mind.
Some might be critical of the display's native resolution maxing out at 1600x900, rather than going for the Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 - but on the other hand, you do get both a built-in Blu-ray player and an HDMI port to feed Blu-ray movies directly into your Full HD-enabled TV.
Understated appeal
At a time when so many other notebooks are going for funky stylised covers and curves to make an immediate impact, the RF710 by contrast is remarkably understated. It has a simple glossy black lid bearing the Samsung logo.

Inside are black keys mounted in a silver surround, alongside a grey workspace. Apart from a small smattering of indicator lights towards the front and a slim row of volume, Internet and power buttons above the keyboard, this is a machine that is determined to avoid being ostentatious.
A tour of the laptop's outside reveals four USB ports - two of which are the latest USB 3.0 type - as well as VGA, Ethernet, the two usual sound inputs plus a very discreet SD memory card slot tucked under the front edge.
The keyboard layout is especially impressive, using the large chiclet style that is much favoured these days, with plenty of spacing between the keys and a full size number pad on the right. It's a dream to type on, and the touch pad and mouse keys are equally firm and responsive.
Powerful performance
Samsung have ensured that you have plenty of power under the bonnet by using a quad-core Intel Core i7-720QM CPU clocked at 1.6GHz, allied to an Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics card with 1GB of DDR3 memory. As a result, Blu-ray movies are sharp with vivid colours and gamers can enjoy stutter-free frame rates in everything from relatively low-demand action games like Tomb Raider Underworld and F.E.A.R. through to heavy-duty actioners like Call of Duty (Crysis, as you'd expect, is a little too punishing though).
If you're planning on doing lots of CAD creativity or video editing, then you'll be pleased to know that the Samsung contains not one but two hard drives of 500GB each, which should be more than sufficient for most needs.
On the downside, battery life should not be a principal reason for buying this machine - you'll be lucky to squeeze more than two hours out of this machine - though that's not unusual for a laptop of this type, which is meant to stay grounded most of the time.
Also, we're hoping to see a bit of bargain discounting, on the Samsung's £1,100 RRP might just prove a little too restrictive for those dithering between buying a full-on desktop PC or a 'desktop substitute' like the RF710...

Samsung - RF710 features - Verdict

Beneath its unassuming exterior, Samsung's RF710 has a tiger of a processor, a more-than-capable graphics card, and an impressive set of features that should have broad appeal - as long as you're willing to pay the hefty £1,100 price tag.

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