Sony VAIO VGN-CS215J/R 14.1-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Red Review

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(More customer reviews)What I really did like:
- Touchpad & Keyboard are phenomenal; On par with even Apple's offerings.
- Extremely good looking build & casing. Feels sturdy.
- Bright LCD screen
- Feels lighter than usual for a 14.1' laptop
- Decent specs for work & home (2.0GHz 2xCore, 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2, GMA 45000 HD, 1280 x 800, 800MHz bus, 250GB harddrive)
- Built in MemoryStick reader
What i really didn't like:
- Touch Pad buttons are "clacky" - By this, I mean the click sound is a bit loud.
- Battery life good, but not great.
- Media Key touch sensitivity a bit off at times.
- Sub-par gaming performance; Non-discrete video.
- Ridiculous amount of bloatware that you'll have to remove. Besides the 30 SW packages that Sony provided, there was the Google Toolbar, QuickenBooks, Live OneSupport, MS Works, a trial of MS Office, Roxio, Adobe Air/Flash/Reader, ArcSoft Camera software, WinDVD and about a dozen other things (Java, VC++ Redistributable, MSXML, etc...)
BTW: My purchase was the White version of the same model.

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Step out and be seen with the VAIO CS notebook, a gorgeous and sophisticated 14.1-Inch notebook adorned by fashionable high-gloss colors inside and out. This thin-and-light PC slips easily in and out of hand bags and features an array of entertainment extras, including light effects and an intuitive AV \'slide" control that lets you control your media with the slide of a finger.

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IBM ThinkPad R40 Laptop (1.8 GHz Pentium 4-M, 256 MB RAM, 20GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) Review

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(More customer reviews)... did not really review Model 2681CU1 as shown on this website. This models comes with Pentium 4 -Mobile 1.8 Ghz, 256MB Ram, 20GB Harddrive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive.
Like the first reviewer said, the 20GB drive should really be called 16GB drive, and in reality, because IBM reserves about 4GB to store recovery info, leaving you with about 10-11GB of hard disk space you can use, so if you really need a lot of hard disk space, beware that instead of 18.6GB, you'll only be getting about 10GB.
Boot up on my machine takes about 1 minute with PC cillin Antivirus running, (booting to Win XP Home) so if you are used to 20 sec bootups, this machine will be slow to you on a bootup. However, once all of the programs are loaded, the computer performs pretty fast. Also, please note that the Hardrive is about 4200 RPM, so replacing the Disk for a higher RPM's will shorten the boot up time.
IBM does not provide a lot of software, I believe I only had Norton AV 2003, PC Doctor and Adobe (among others). You can type the Model number in IBM's website and get the exact detailed specs of what exactly comes (and does not come) with this laptop.
What I like is that the Norton AV and all other applications do NOT load automatically. You have to go to START--> Programs --->Norton AV 2003 and it will start installing Norton AV 2003. My previous laptop had all of the software already preloaded, which made it a little more painful, because you ended up uninstalling a bunch of useless programs you did not need.
The laptop's case is relatively sturdy and appears like it can take the ocasional bruising without major impact.
Also, the BIOS on this laptops comes configured to MAX BATTERY mode, which means that if you are booting from the battery (i.e the AC adapter is not plugged in) your CPU Speed Step will keep the CPU cycles to 1.2Ghz maximum even if your power options says "Always ON". Setting the power setting to AUTOMATIC (in BIOS) will fix this.
BEFORE YOU ADJUST BIOS, call IBM tech support to make minimize your chance for errors.
I was impressed with the quality of IBM tech support. I 'd say that I got a live person within 2 minutes and the tech support was somewhere in the US, as opposed to overseas.
Battery life seems to be close to 2.5-3hrs, though I have not had a chance to test it out fully. When fully charges, the battery indicator says that 3 hours is left.
Beware that this laptop does not come with a floppy drive.
I think that the reason this Laptop costs $1100 is that there are Pentium M chips that are out, replacing P4M's.
Oh, and last thing, I have IBM T23 at work and found that the ultrabay drives used with T23 are compatible with R40's (all except R40e) drives. Check IBM's website for verification. ...

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Part of IBM's "R" series of ThinkPad mobile computers, the new ThinkPad R40 (2681CU1) Notebook delivers mid-level performance and wireless upgradeability for a price that won't break the bank. Quite compact when compared to the majority of notebooks and backed by IBM's comforting three-year no-hassle warranty and 24/7 support, the ThinkPad R40 (2681CU1) is an ideal solution for those who prioritize portability and post-purchase security.
Driven by a 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4-M processor, 256 MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to 1 full GB) and a 16 MB ATI Mobility Radeon M6 graphics chipset, the ThinkPad R40 (2681CU1) is powerful enough for most standard mobile tasks, including some 3-D applications. However, anyone who wants to utilize the system in a demanding multi-tasking business environment or play high-end 3-D games may want to explore one of IBM's many upscale ThinkPads instead.
The ThinkPad R40 (2681CU1) delivers manageable portability in any environment, tipping the scales at just 6.3 to 6.7 pounds (depending on carrying configuration) and measuring 12.3 by 10 by 1.5 inches. IBM has equipped the unit with a minimal 20 GB hard disk; a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive for loading your latest apps, playing and burning audio discs, archiving data and watching movies; and a midsize 14.1-inch TFT display screen capable of 1024 by 768 resolution.
Surprisingly, the cost-conscious ThinkPad R40 (2681CU1) is home to many unique and practical perks, including a nifty keyboard-illuminating ThinkLight for low-light situations, a one-touch "Access ThinkPad" online support button, an S-Video out port, two high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast interaction with external peripherals, and a full-size keyboard featuring IBM's user-friendly ThinkPad UltraNav multi-pointing system. Connectivity options include a low-speed 56K fax/modem, an RJ-45 Ethernet connector for high-speed Internet, email and network access, and wireless upgradeability. Battery life is estimated at a very impressive 6.1 hours under optimal conditions.

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FELLOWES 99841 Internet Glidepoint Touchpad Review

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(More customer reviews)It is possible to download a Windows XP driver for this device. However, you really don't need one. I tried the touchpad with the XP driver and without, and found that the pre-installed generic XP driver provided smoother cursor motion. Of course, if you want all the special Glidepoint features, you need the XP driver from the Fellowes Web site, but I found the Glidepoint features to be more annoying than helpful, and the cursor motion became somewhat unpredictable. I recommend just hooking this device up to your Windows XP machine and letting the pre-installed XP (Home Edition) driver do the work. If you do, you'll find that this touchpad functions exceptionally well, and is a great value for the money - much better than those combo keyboard-touchpad devices, which are harder to use and less ergonomically satisfying.

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Latest generation design requires no pressure to point and select - just move your finger and tap. Patented Glidepoint® Gesture technology allows users to program their own personal gestures to open documents, start applications or accomplish just about any other task on a PC that typically requires multiple keystrokes.

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HP G42-415DX Laptop / AMD Athlon II Processor / 14"LED HD display / 3GB DDR3 Memory / 320GB Hard Drive / Built-in webcam with microphone / Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support / Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit - Biscotti Review

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(More customer reviews)Just bought this yesterday at Best Buy $349. My old DELL crashed, I really like the light weight and even with a smaller screen you get used to it pretty fast. Upgrading from Win XP to Win 7 takes a little time if you just dabble on the comp. I would recommend this. One thing to know, Best Buy has the GEEK Squad preload all their systems and then wants to charge you an additional $70 for this service. I balked at this as nothing is mentioned in the ad that they do this. Since they did not have one that had not already been pre-loaded and I made my argument and did not have to pay for this 'service'. Good to know..

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Store your files safely with this laptop's spacious 320GB hard drive and create custom DVDs and CDs with the double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive. The 14" high-definition LED display features BrightView technology and 1366 x 768 resolution for clarity.

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Smart Pad Multi-Touch Gesture Touchpad/Trackpad USB Mouse with Keypad for PC Windows 7/Vista/XP Review

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(More customer reviews)I was hesitant to buy this product because it seemed a little too good to be true. I prefer touchpads over mice because of RSI. Touchpads are much easier on my hands than mice and can be used on any surface, including leaning back in a chair and holding it in the palm of my hand. There are very few good options for external touchpads. The most common are the Cirque touchpads, but they are expensive and don't support multi-touch.
This cheap, generic touchpad is perfect for my needs and sells at a great price. There is a branded version at a higher price point that I saw on Amazon, but it is the exact same thing as this device, except it has a logo. Save your money and get the generic. Perhaps you'll lose out on tech support, but at this price, I wasn't that concerned about support.
The device is a bit bigger than the average man's palm. It is light but feels pretty solid. It is ideal for mobile use and it is easy to stow in a laptop bag, which I do. I carry it everywhere I carry my laptop. Why carry an external touch pad with a laptop that has a touch pad? Several reasons: (1) because of RSI I put my lap top on a mount (a Cricket portable stand when I travel)and use an external keyboard (I use a Goldtouch portable ergonomic keyboard when I travel). (2) This touchpad is more advanced than my laptop's. My laptop doesn't support multitouch and all the touchpad shortcuts that multitouch can provide. (3) This external touchpad doubles as a numeric keypad. I find using a dedicated numeric keypad far more comfortable than using the embedded keys in a laptop. If you use the calculator a lot on your laptop, having a dedicated numeric keypad is handy.
Installation was simple. Plug in the USB cable and windows automatically installs the drivers. No need for a CD or to download anything. I use it with Windows 7 and it works perfectly. I did not test on any other OS, but I assume that it will work fine on Vista. The manual says it also supports XP. Seems that Mac OS is not supported.
In addition to the expected one-finger mouse-replacement functionality you'd expect from a touch pad, it supports at least 11 two and three finder gestures. The configuration options are rather simple, basically allowing you to toggle support for various guestures on and off. You can't create your own gestures or map gestures to your own programs. You also can't us this for hand writing or doodling. It also doesn't work with Scrybe, a gesture macro program that works with some touchpads. But what it does offer more than meets my needs and more than I would expect for such a low price.
I really like the fact that it doubles as a numeric keypad. Some may not like this, expecially since they add some raised dots to give tactile cues to differentiate the number "keys". Because of this it doesn't have the glassy smooth glide feel of many touchpads. This doesn't bother me, but I could see it bother some people. You toggle between normal touchpad operation and numeric keypad with a large "mode" button. When switch to numeric keypad mode, an led lights up. I thing they could have made device smaller if they got rid of the LED and mad the mode button smaller, but it does make it very easy to switch modes. When in numeric keypad mode, the primary and secondary mouse-click buttons are remapped. The left button fire up a new instance of the windows calculator and right button acts as a backspace.
The touch pad operation has been very good. It is rare for a tap to not take and the sensitivity is as good as my laptop's touch pad. Two and three finger guestures work as advertised and I now use the touch pad exclusively to scroll pages up and down, page up and down, zoom in and out, open windows explorer, and other actions that I had to use the keyboard for in the past.
This little gadget has been one of the nicest surprises of any recent purchase. It is cheap, works great, and travels well.

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Specification: Hot Keys : 3 Hot keys (Mode, Mouse click, right click keys)Cable Length: Around 80 cmConnector Solution: USB onlySupport OS: Window XP and Vista

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Browsercat 2BTN USB Silver Cirque Glidepoint Touchpad Win Review

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(More customer reviews)PROS
Good responsive touchpad
Right-click made easy through the upper-right corner
Built-in scrolling feature
Small backstand allows the unit to sit at an angle
CONS
Hardware buttons are not the best (noisy to press but far better than the "EasyCat" model)
I prefer touchpads to mice in that they require less space and are easy for me to use either left or right-handed. Touchpads are a personal thing and I find that people's opinion of them are quite polarized. If you're the type that enjoys using them, then this is a pretty good option. The surface is quite responsive and by clicking up in the right-hand corner, you can easily simulate right-click buttons. The lower horizontal edge and the rightmost vertical edge provide horizontal and vertical scrolling.
If you install the Adesso software, then you can also use the leftmost vertical edge for zooming and the upper edge for back/forward functionality (e.g. can be used for internet browsing). I believe there are a couple of other features that can be customized with the software, but I skipped it altogether and just settled for the mousing action with right-click and scrolling capability. For me, driver software can clutter and complicate a system and the added features aren't important to me (I take the same approach with Logitech and Microsoft keyboards/mice in that I prefer to just use the device without the drivers). If you are looking to use the extra features, make sure you check the vendor website to determine if drivers exist for your OS.
The size of the unit is larger than other similar models from the same maker and to some, it may feel like there's a lot of wasted space. For what it's worth, I also own the "EasyCat" model (Adesso USB EasyCat 2-BTN Touchpad Black Cirque Glidepoint Technology ( GP160U-121 )) which I believe is inferior to the "BrowserCat" for a number of reasons. While the touchpad action between these two units is identical and the smaller size of the "EasyCat" makes it more portable, it's also more difficult to balance on a variety of surfaces than the "BrowserCat" and its buttons are unusable (too hard to click). The "EasyCat" cord placement (right side instead of top side) also limits its ability to be used left-handed without requiring extra space. Finally, this "BrowserCat" unit has a small stand in the back allowing it to be propped at a slight angle (the "EasyCat" does not have this). This stand combined with its size allows me to place the unit squarely over the number keypad on my keyboard (this allows me to sit the keyboard on my lap with easy access to the touchpad without the use of a lapdesk or other surface). All that said, this "BrowserCat" is my standard pointing device at home and the "EasyCat" is my portable device for road use.

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Adesso Browser Cat 2 Button Touchpad ATP-400UB 1111

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Apple Magic Trackpad Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a strong preference for touchpads over mice so I was pretty delighted upon hearing about this being released by Apple. I have another touchpad made by Adesso that I use with desktops, but it is wired and not nearly as nice or large as the Apple one.
This trackpad works exactly like the built-in one on the macbook pro. It's slim and very elegant looking. There is no lag like you get with wireless optical mice. The glass surface, however, has a bit of 'texture' to it unlike the macbook's trackpad which is shiny. It's almost like a matte finish to it which is ok as a perfectly shiny glass surface can stick a bit if your fingers are a little sweaty. (But if your fingers are dry, the shiny feels a little better :)
It's well constructed and seems sturdy. The top part that holds the battery feels cool like aluminum though I'm not sure if it is. But it's not cheap plastic. It has a nice solid feel and I'm extremely happy with it. I visited the local Apple store to try it out before buying, but they did not have it in yet. But I'm glad I went ahead and ordered it from Apple because it's exactly what I wanted. I will never use another mouse again!
When you get it, make sure that you update your OS software to get the trackpad drivers. It will work without the update but you won't be able to adjust it and features will be missing. You might have your computer on auto update in which case you don't need to worry about this. But if you're a weirdo like me and prefer to manually update, then keep this in mind. When the batteries die, I'll update this review to give a sense of how long the batteries last.

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The first Multi-Touch Trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer, the Apple Magic Trackpad lets your fingers do the clicking, scrolling, and swiping. The Apple Magic uses the same Multi-Touch technology found on the MacBook Pro, giving you a whole new way to control and interact with what's on your screen. Swiping through pages online feels just like flipping through pages in a book or magazine. Inertial scrolling makes moving up and down a page more natural than ever. And users can press down anywhere on the Multi-Touch surface to physically click or double-click on an item--no clumsy buttons involved.

The Largest Multi-Touch Trackpad EverThe Magic Trackpad is just like the trackpad on the MacBook Pro--but bigger. It's made with the same advanced touch-friendly and wear-resistant glass surface, but with nearly 80 percent more area. This gives you even more room to scroll, swipe, pinch, and rotate to your fingers' content. And because the entire surface is a button that clicks, you can use it in place of a mouse without losing a hint of functionality. The Magic Trackpad's full set of gestures includes two-finger scrolling, pinching to zoom, rotating with your fingertips, three-finger swiping, and activating Expose or switching between applications with four fingers.
Plus, the trackpad is customizable. Simply access the Magic Trackpad pane in System Preferences to enable gestures you want and disable those you don't.
Seamless Wireless Design The Magic Trackpad fits in perfectly with your Mac desktop, with the same sculpted aluminum design as the Apple Wireless Keyboard. In fact, side by side the two sit flush at the same angle and height. This lets you go from trackpad to keyboard in a single motion, or do both at the same time. How perfect is that?
The Magic Trackpad connects to your Mac via Bluetooth wireless technology, so you don't have to deal with an annoying cable that dictates where you place it. Once you pair the Magic Trackpad with your Bluetooth-enabled Mac, you'll enjoy a reliable, secure connection up to 33 feet away. In addition, the Magic Trackpad detects periods of inactivity, with an automatic shutoff feature that saves battery life. As an alternative, you can turn it off yourself. Both options keep you gesturing for months at a time.
The Magic Trackpad--which can work in place of a mouse or in conjunction with the mouse on any Mac computer (even a notebook)--requires a Bluetooth-enabled Mac computer, two AA batteries (included), Mac OS X Snow Leopard v 10.6.4, and the latest software update.

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