HP Pavilion dv6 & dv7 are available online

The flawed Intel Sandy Bridge chipsets have caused some confusion for both buyers and distributors. New fancy computers came out, then got recalled, some have to send their machines back. From this chaos though come out rigs that you might already be familiar with but with slightly updated specs. Hewlett-Packard also had to follow this trend with Pavilion dv6 and dv7 notebooks. So now the afore-mentioned models have entered online availability after a recall. Some of the retailers offer free upgrades for dv6 and dv7, some don’t, but we will include these options in the specification blueprint we’ve compiled. See the specs after the jump and share what differences you have spotted compared to the earlier version.

Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv6 specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.0 GHz, Intel Core i7-26720QM @ 2.2 GHz, Intel Core i7-2820QM @ 2.3 GHz
System memory: 4 GB, 6 GB, 8GB DDR3
Storage: 640 GB, 750 GB, 1 TB @ 5400 rpm, 750 GB @ 7200 rpm, 160 GB SSD
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6570 w/ 1 GB GDDR5
Display: 15.6" LED 1366 × 768
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion, 9-cell Li-Ion
Price: $ 1000

Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv7 specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.0 GHz, Intel Core i7-26720QM @ 2.2 GHz, Intel Core i7-2820QM @ 2.3 GHz
System memory: 4 GB, 6 GB, 8GB DDR3
Storage: 640 GB, 750 GB, 1 TB @ 5400 rpm, 750 GB @ 7200 rpm, 160 GB SSD
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6570 w/ 1 GB GDDR5
Display: 17.6" LED 1600 × 900
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion, 9-cell Li-Ion

Spark - new OLPC rival

There was big fuzz in the Internet when the OLPC project started; idea of making a 100 dollar priced laptop to help children of Africa and other poor regions become closer to Internet and computer technologies was very innovative and interesting. Now it is time to announce some of its competitors. We already reviewed top 10 subnotebooks; you can read about them here, however, this one is a very different issue. It brings the low cost educational subnotebook to the UMPC side, making it even more portable. Let's look at the details.

It is currently only a concept, but it looks very promising. It is called Spark, and is maintained by Project Inkwell and Ideo designers. It can be called a UMPC rather than a laptop, all because of its very portable size - it is comparable to Sony PSP. Bright and wide color screen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, even full QWERTY keyboard and wireless mouse - all these will be parts of this device. Spark is a part of new educational project, and is made to help children younger then 12 learning. It wins in size and portability if compared to OLPC XO-1 - it can be carried in pocket easily.

Unfortunately this is only a concept for now. It is unknown, what technical parameters it will have, and how high the price will be. But if this gadget wants to be successful rival of the OLPC, it must be priced not higher than 100-150 dollars. It will most likely run on Linux or Linux-based OS to reduce cost of final device, taking in consideration its small size it may not be compatible with existing OLPC software. Time will tell how successful the ideas of Project Inkwell will be, but it is a good sign that computer manufacturers started to think about low cost educational computers - our children are our future and we must do everything to make it brighter by helping them.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 notebook is shipping, tries to be a tablet as well

As we previously ensured you, Lenovo sticks to the fashion of releasing new and exciting machines based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge platform this spring. In March we covered a splash of mobile workstations and Edges coming out, some of the Lenovo newcomers were missed by our coverage, but anyway, we now have something else to look at. The new X Series ThinkPads include a classic notebook and its tablet incarnation. By the tablet I mean of course (or rather Lenovo does) a tilting in all directions multitouch display a price tag with extra 50% of laptop’s price added to it. As always, Lenovo offers wide customization possibilities, namely Core i-processes of all families, tons of RAM, SSDs and USB 3.0. The display resolution however is locked at 1 366 × 786 and there are no discrete graphics available, but then the display is IPS and the latest X220s start well under a thousand dollars, so I guess everything is fair here. Specifications and customization options are after the jump.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M @ 2,1 GHz, Intel Core i5-2520M @ 2,5 GHz, Intel Core i5-2540M @ 2,6 GHz, Intel Core i7-2620M @ 2,7 GHz

Memory: 2 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 4 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 6 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 8 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000

Storage: 250 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 7 200, 128 GB SSD, 160 GB SSD

Display: 12,5" HD 1 366 × 786 IPS LCD

Camera: 720p HD

Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0, b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX

Battery: 6-cell, 9-cell

Base price: $850

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M @ 2,1 GHz, Intel Core i5-2520M @ 2,5 GHz, Intel Core i5-2540M @ 2,6 GHz, Intel Core i7-2620M @ 2,7 GHz

Memory: 4 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 6 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 8 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000

Storage: 250 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 7 200, 128 GB SSD, 160 GB SSD

Display: 12,5" HD 1 366 × 786 IPS LCD

Camera: 720p HD

Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0, b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX

Battery: 6-cell

ORIGIN EON17-S with Intel Core i7 overclocked to 4.5 GHz ships in May

Gaming laptops were out of favor recently regarding to Intel Sandy Bridge mainstream machines from all vendors taking up all the attention. We had enough of them by now and luckily ORIGIN has just finished overclocking 2nd generation Intel Extreme Edition Core i7 so that you could configure your ORIGIN EON17-S with a 4.0 GHz to 4.5 GHz with Turbo Boost processor. This is in EON17-S’ top configuration and the company also provides you with a fistful of processing units, graphics cards, storage modules, etc. to choose from.

We have played with an online configurator a bit to figure out that a compromising rig with above mentioned quad-core Intel Extreme Edition Core i7-2920XM and a top NVIDIA GeForce GTX 485M with 2 GB GDDR5 frame plus 16 GB DDR3 dual-channel SDRAM @ 1 600 MHz, a hybrid 240 GB SSD / 750 GB HDD @ 7 200 rpm storage and a standard 17.3-inch 1 920 × 1 080 Full HD LED display subtotals under.

A maxed out ORIGIN EON17-S goes way past $10 000 mainly due to 32 GB RAM and 2 × 512 GB SSDs.

Oh, by the way, even an 8-cell detachable battery which comes as standard won’t last two hours and it weighs 8.6 lbs. So there might be not as much gaming on the go as you would expect. Shipments start in mid May.

ASUS UX21 ultrathin notebook features Core i7

 
There is no limit for perfection; however there is a limit to thickness. ASUS have come really close there with their ultrathin laptop UX21. Not only they have built a very powerful laptop they also made it really light and thin. It is only 17mm in its thickest part and is also lightweight with 2.4lb / 1.1 kg.
There can be different configurations to feature up to Core i7 processor. Processing on this beast is super fast, it will resume from sleep in two seconds. This all is thanks to ASUS software, SATA III SSD. UX21 can also hibernate for up to one week. It also supports USB 3.0 connectivity for ultra fast data transfer.
As for its appearance it has aluminum body which looks pretty cool. Its keypad is made of glass and all the keys a made of metal.

Toshiba Satellite M645-1018X

 

Display

Display size	14 inches
Maximum resolution	1366 x 768
Display type	Glossy LCD with LED Backlight

Processor

Processor class	Intel Core i5
Processor model	M450
Processor speed	2400 MHz

Graphics

Graphics Type	Switchable
Integrated Graphics Chipset	Intel
Integrated Graphics Chipset Model Number	HD
Discreet Graphics Chipset	Nvidia GeForce
Discreet Graphics Chipset Model Number	330M GT

Memory

Installed memory

4 GB

Storage

Hard Drive Type	Hard Disk Drive
Total HD Size	500 GB
Number of hard drives included	1
Other Storage	Memory Stick SD/MMC Card SDHC Card xD-Picture Card
Express Card	Express Card 34

Optical Drives

Optical Drive Type	DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/-RAM
Optical Drive Loading Type	Slot

Networking

Ethernet Type	10/100/1000 Mbps
Wifi Type	802.11 n/b/g

Interface Connections

Number of USB 2 Ports	3
Video Interfaces	HDMI VGA
Additional Interfaces	eSATA

Dimensions

Weight (min)	5 pounds
Weight (with accessories)	5.9 lbs
Width	13.3 inches
Depth	9 inches
Height	1.5 inches

Software

Operating system	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Included Software	Adobe Reader 9; Microsoft Works 9; Toshiba: Recovery Disc Creator, DVD Player, Face Recognition, Web Camera Application, ReelTime;

Other Features

Built-In Speakers	Stereo
Docking Station Port	No
Devices	Backlit Keyboard Built-In Microphone Built-In Webcam
Input devices	Keyboard Touchpad (multitouch)

Acer TravelMate TM6293-872G32

 

Platform	Notebook PC with Intel Centrino Duo Technology
Processor Type	Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Processor Onboard	Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.4 GHz, FSB 1066, Cache 3 MB)
Chipset	Intel 45GM
Standard Memory	2 GB DDR3 SDRAM PC-6400
Max. Memory	4 GB (2 DIMMs)
Video Type	Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD 384MB (shared)
Display Size	12″ WXGA TFT
Display Max. Resolution	1280 x 800
Display Technology	CrystalBrite TFT
Audio Type	Integrated
Speakers Type	Integrated Dolby®-optimized surround sound system
Floppy Drive	Optional
Hard Drive Type	320 GB Serial ATA 5400 RPM
Optical Drive Type	DVD±RW DVD Super Multi Double Layer Drive
Modem	Integrated 3G Modem Module
Networking	Integrated
Network Speed	10 / 100 / 1000 Mbps
Wireless Network Type	Intel Wireless 5300AGN
Wireless Network Protocol	IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Wireless Bluetooth	Integrated
Keyboard Type	QWERTY 88 keys
Input Device Type	Touch Pad
Slot Provided	Optional
Card Reader Provided	SD, MMC, Memory Stick / Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card
Interface Provided	3x USB 2.0, VGA, LAN, Audio Acer Crystal Eye Webcam, Fingerprint
O/S Provided	Microsoft Windows Vista Bussiness
Battery Type	Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery
Power Supply	External AC Adapter
Dimension (WHD)	306 x 36.9 x 227 mm
Weight	1.95 kg
Standard Warranty	1-year Limited Warranty
Bundled Peripherals	Carrying Case

APPLE IPHONE VS HTC EVO 4G

Apple iPhone 4 and HTC EVO 4G are by far the two most exciting smartphones that money can buy to date. And in many ways they are very similar: both have big full-phone-size touchscreens, smart operating software, lots of free or cheap applications, high resolution photography and video recording, video call capabilities, etc. I imagine for a consumer who is not technically sophisticated it will be an absolute guess whether iPhone 4 or EVO 4G will work better for him or her. But yet somehow Apple and HTC have managed to design two completely different smartphones despite playing on the same field by the same rules. So I decided to try and look at both of them as if there was no such criteria as price, carrier, data plan, or even quality issues iPhone 4 and EVO 4G users have already experienced.

HTC EVO 4G

First up the EVO. It has been around a bit longer than the iPhone and it’s a first ever mobile phone to support 4G network. In plain English it means your Internet connection will be faster when Wi-Fi is out of access – exactly what iPhone 4 owners will be jealous of considering video calling (iPhone 4 can only do FaceTime, as they call it, on Wi-Fi). In hardware respect EVO 4G is brimmed up with latest technology (check out the specification list below). One of the few things one might not be completely satisfied with is the display. Yes, at its 4.3 inches it is quite big, but it is a standard LCD technology which compared with AMOLED or indeed high pixel density Retina opposition doesn’t perform just as good. On personal note, I also don’t like EVO 4G’s shape at the back of it. iPhone 4 is flat whole round witch most people like better – it feels nicer in a pocket and in hand as well. Still, half of the reason to buy EVO 4G is Android. At the moment of writing it is shipped with Android 2.1 but 2.2 Froyo update is cooking as we speak. And that is very important for the EVO 4G. You’ll expect this kind of smartphone to offer some of the best Internet experience in the market. It does. Android claims to have the fastest mobile browser whilst along with further enhancements Froyo quadruples Flash performance. Mind you that Safari doesn’t support Flash at all. Plus Android has true multitasking but will run its battery flat faster. All things considered including the audience that has actually bought HTC EVO 4G I’d recommend it to someone who captures and enjoys the sweet spot of the latest technology and extremely capable operating system. If you are not among them but you like the HTC EVO 4G, don’t worry – it will still fit you well.

HTC EVO 4G specifications:
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon @ 1GHz
• RAM: 512MB
• Operating system: Android 2.1 (2.2 update this year)
• Display: 4.3" TFT LCD, 800 × 480 resolution
• Storage memory: 8GB, up to 32GB w/microSD
• Rear camera: 8 megapixel
• Front camera: 1.3 megapixel
• Video recording: 720p @ 30fps
• Battery capacity: 1500mAh
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g (/n w/Android 2.2)
• Cellular network: 4G
• Size: 4.8 × 2.6 × 0.5
• Weight: 6oz

Apple iPhone 4

This, in my opinion, is the most charismatic smartphone if you accept this kind of description for a device. It certainly has the X factor that makes you take it out of your pocket just to let the others see it. EVO 4G will never be able to pull that off anytime anywhere. In front of tech enthusiasts – yes, absolutely, but that’s almost about it. Another feature peculiar to the all of the iPhones so far is that somehow they remain modern and up-to-date through all their lifetime and right up to the moment when the next-gen model is presented. I mean this time last year we could hardly wait for HTC Hero to come out. But after it did, it didn’t stay long in our hearts. iPhone 3G S on the other hand kept its positions till June. Even now I can tell the same will happen to the iPhone 4 – everything coming out next year or so will be put up against it. Should this affect your choice? – Yes, at least at some degree. It receives that kind of treatment for a reason. iOS 4 and hardware that runs it are not any less capable than the EVO’s and Apple app store does offer more apps, but unfortunately iPhone 4 also has a problem or two. As I said above Safari doesn’t support Flash and the operating system itself doesn’t have full-flesh multitasking but runs a number of services instead. However, running services in the background rather than processes improves greatly on battery life while keeping usability basically on the same level. That’s a small price to pay for some features you get with the iPhone 4 that others can’t match. One of them is, of course, Retina display. Enlarging pixel density is really a path to follow for all upcoming devices because physically they cannot get much bigger while display resolution has to grow. All in all if you for some reason didn’t like HTC EVO 4G you will almost certainly like iPhone 4, but it won’t necessarily work vice versa.

Apple iPhone 4 specifications:
• Processor: Apple A4
• RAM: 512MB
• Operating system: iOS 4
• Display: 3.5" IPS LCD, 960 × 640 resolution
• Storage memory: 16GB/32GB
• Rear camera: 5 megapixel
• Front camera: VGA
• Video recording: 720p @ 30fps
• Battery capacity: 1420mAh
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
• Cellular network: 3G
• Size: 4.5 × 2.31 × 0.37
• Weight: 4.8oz