Netbooks Come Into Their Own
Walt reviews the latest entrants in the “netbook” category–devices that are between a laptop and a smart phone in size and versatility–and finds some compelling choices.
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Shopping for Basics and Saving Money on Your Next PC
In his annual fall PC buyer’s guide, Walt focuses on computers and laptops for consumers whose budgets have been shrunk due to the global economic slowdown.
Apple Polishes Popular MacBook for a Higher Price
Apple’s MacBook laptop, the company’s low-end portable computer aimed at average consumers, isn’t just any old product. It’s the best-selling Macintosh in history, at a time when Mac sales are growing much faster than sales of PCs in the U.S. overall. And, according to the sales-research organization NPD Group, the midrange model of the MacBook has been the single best-selling laptop of any brand in U.S. retail stores for the past five months.
First Test of Google’s New Browser
Google’s new Chrome Web browser will make using the Internet faster and less frustrating, but this first version is rough around the edges and lacks some features, says Walt Mossberg in the first hands-on review.
The TouchSmart Has Improved–But Not Enough
Hewlett-Packard is rolling out a new TouchSmart, a desktop computer with touch-controlled software. The hardware and software are better. It’s attractive, more versatile and fun to use. But the latest effort still has some problems.
Samsung’s Instinct Doesn’t Ring True as an iPhone Clone
The parade of iPhone lookalikes continues, and the latest to arrive is the Samsung Instinct. While it isn’t a bad phone and has some features the Apple product lacks, it’s no match for the iPhone.
Two Laptops Travel Light, but Flaws Weigh Them Down
Walt Mossberg tries out two laptops that weigh 3 pounds or less. They are worth considering for frequent travelers, but each has its own flaws.
Adobe Web Photo Site Is Great for Editing, but Lacks Some Basics
Adobe’s Photoshop Express offers the nicest set of Web-based photo editing tools I have seen. They are sophisticated for a consumer application, yet easy to use. However, it’s rough around the edges.
Consider Your Needs, Then Use This Guide to Buying a Laptop
With laptops outselling desktop PCs, Walt Mossberg offers a quick guide to the key factors you should consider when buying notebook computers.
Apple’s Time Capsule Gives You Easy Way to Back Up Wirelessly
Apple’s new Time Capsule packs both a giant hard disk and a speedy Wi-Fi wireless router into one slender case, allowing computers to easily back up their hard drives wirelessly.
Price May Be Steep, but Thin ThinkPad Has Abundant Features
Lenovo’s thin and light ThinkPad X300 is an innovative laptop that will be perfect for many mobile PC users. But its file-storage capacity is low and its price tag is high.
Solid-State Drives Challenge Hard Drives in Speed, but Not Value
The hard drive is being challenged by the solid-state drive for its role as the principal storage device in computers, but current SSDs offer much lower capacity and have much higher prices.
Apple’s MacBook Air Is Beautiful and Thin, but Omits Features
Apple’s MacBook Air is a beautiful, amazingly thin computer, but one whose unusual trade-offs may turn off some frequent travelers. It’s impossible to convey in words just how pleasing and surprising this computer feels in the hand. But there’s a price for this laptop’s daring design: Apple had to give up some features road warriors consider standard in a subnotebook, and certain of these omissions are radical.
Asus Offers Travelers Small, Mobile Eee PC, but It’s Too Cramped
A tiny new computer called the Eee PC is better than competing products in certain respects, such as text entry and price. But it still has too many compromises to pry most travelers away from their larger laptops.
Dell’s All-in-One PC Has the Guts, Design to Compete With iMac
Dell’s new all-in-one PC, the XPS One, is a stylish Windows Vista machine that runs well and won’t cost a fortune. If it didn’t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry’s design leaders, Apple or Sony.
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