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• Targus UNIVERSAL NOTEBOOK DOCKING (5 offers) Online shop Price Dell Home $129.99 PC Connection $118.95 LNNPAQ $32.00 SavingCOST $41.00 Directron $49.99 See more products We've been fans of Targus products for some time, and have watched happily as they've branched out from notebook cases into what they somewhat euphemistically call the "accessories category". Actually, this is more of a catch-all for anything from Targus that isn't a case, rather than a meaningful appellation in its own right. A quick scan under this heading on their Web page shows entries that range from power devices - mostly chargers with special adapters of many kinds - to connectivity. It's in this latter category that you'll find the company's universal notebook docking stations, all kinds of multi-port USB hubs (with or without various other bells and whistles), plus WiFi scanners, various adapter cables, and more. What makes the Universal Notebook Docking Station interesting is its use of what the company calls a "one touch" USB connection between the device and a notebook or tablet PC. A single USB cable suffices to connect an external keyboard, display, mouse, network interface, and so forth to your notebook or other mobile computing platform. It's also designed for the back edge of the notebook to rest upon, so that the notebook can benefit from the enhanced ventilation that elevation of the underside can often deliver. All this said, the one touch technology does require driver software, so you can use this device only on PCs running Windows 2000 (SP4 or greater) or Windows XP (SP1 or greater); presumably, Vista support can't be too far in the offing. When you hook your notebook up to the Targus Universal Notebook Docking Station, here's what you in terms of ports, connectors, speeds and feeds: Video: Supports primary video mode (external monitor or LCD serves as primary notebook display); extended video mode (use your built-in notebook monitor along with the external monitor); or mirror mode (the built-in notebook monitor and the external monitor both display the same information). Resolutions supported range from 640x480 at 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit color depths to 1280x1024 at 8-bit and 16 bit color depths. Sadly, Targus recommends playing back DVDs at VGA levels for best performance. The dock includes only a standard 15-pin D-Sub VGA connector with no DVI.. Networking: 10/100 Ethernet RJ-45 port Audio: A 3.5 mm jack for stereo speakers or headphones, plus a monaural 3.5 mm input jack for a microphone. USB: Four USB 2.0 ports; two powered and two standard. A 6-foot USB cable is included to link your notebook to the dock, along with a driver CD and a user's guide. The MSRP on this unit is $129.99 on the Targus Web site, but you can find deals as low as $90 on this handy-dandy little unit. With dimensions of 10.6" x 3" x 1.2" (269 mm x 76 mm x 30.5 mm) it's small enough to stuff into a sizable stocking, but big enough to wrap in its box and put under the tree. You decide where to put it, Santa!

• Gateway Goes Gaming: FX530XT Review

  The greatest win in the battle of "geeks versus nerds" has taken place, as the world's best PC gamers receive the professional athlete treatment! Far from the "dying breed" that nerdy console fans believe them to be, flagship "uber geek" performance systems have become mandatory promotional tools for the PC industry. But as the likes Dell and HP try to buy their way into gamers' hearts through acquisition of "gaming computer" brands, Gateway has chosen the simplest, most direct path to gaming fame: building better computers! This might seem a ballsy move for a company that only a few years ago gave up its high-end market in a downscale "affordable PC" marketing move that nearly killed the brand. Still, anyone who's been around computers long enough will remember the days when top-end Gateway 2000 systems were the rule rather than the exception. The company certainly has the experience, so let's consider what it now brings to the table. Gateway FX530XT Base Configuration Hardware Processor Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6700 (2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 2x4 MB cache) Chipset Intel 975X chipset with DDR2 and Intel Core Duo support Memory 2048 MB PC5300 dual-channel DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM (2-1024 MB modules) Hard Drive 300 GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA hard drive w/ Raid 0 16 MB Cache (two 150 GB hard drives) Floppy Drive 9-in-1 media card reader. Optical Drive 16x Double-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer (DVD±/R±RW/CD-R/RW) and 48x/32x/48x CD-RW/DVD combo drive Case Controller 7-bay BTX tower case Expansion Slots (3) PCI expansion slots, (1) PCI-E x4 expansion slot, (1) PCI-E x16 expansion slot External Ports (6) USB 2.0 (2 front, 4 rear), (3) IEEE 1394 Firewire (2 front, 1 rear), audio ports and (2) PS/2 Video Dual Card ATI Radeon X1950 CrossFire solution w/512 MB GDDR4 memory DVI w/HDCP, VGA (via adapter) & TV-Out Network Integrated Intel 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet Integrated Audio Integrated Intel 7.1 High Definition audio PCI Multimedia Card 1 56K PCI data/fax modem Software Operating System Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit) Additional Software Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 and Google Toolbar Standard Software Napster Trial Subscription Peripherals Monitor Gateway 24" Widescreen HD Performance LCD Display Keyboard and Mouse Gateway Elite Multimedia Keyboard and Soft-touch USB optical wheel mouse Speakers Logitech X-230 2.1 32 watt Speakers Services Internet Service Provider Six months America Online Internet access Join our discussion on this topic

• Alienware m15x: True Gaming Portability?

  In last year’s battle-of the behemoths, Dell’s M1730 took on Alienware’s m9750, and with the exception of a few quirks, came out on top. But not everyone is ready to lug around a notebook that weighs nearly fifteen pounds with its power adapter. Alienware’s advantage in portability among 17” gaming notebooks was still noteworthy, even if the Area-51 m9750’s battery life didn’t lend itself to truly mobile computing. The company now looks to extend its portability lead, with a smaller, lighter 15.4” unit that maintains the high resolution of the former 17” model without sacrificing battery life. There’s another key difference in Alienware’s 15.4” model, though. While the 17” test unit contained an SLI set of graphics cards, the Area-51 m15x has only a single graphics card. Does the new configuration deliver enough horsepower to qualify as gaming-ready? For comparison purposes, we continue to use an XPS M1730, which retains its SLI muscle. In fact, Dell has upgraded this unit with a new CPU and graphics processor, and changed a few smaller parts as well. The exterior remains unchanged from last year’s review. The Dell XPS M1730 still looks like an Alienware design, but the Alienware m15x is clean, smooth, and dare we say, business-like? Of course the real business is gaming, so let’s take at look at the “business” inside. (Editor’s Note: Check out our Quick Look: Alienware Area-51 m15X Notebook video of the m15x for even more up-close detail on the notebook) System Hardware and Software Configuration Model Alienware m15x Dell XPS M1730 Dimensions and Weight Width x Height x Depth 14.5" x 1.75" x 11.75" 16" x 2" x 12" 36.83 cm x 4.45 cm x 29.85 cm 39.37 cm x 5.08 cm x 27.94 cm Unit & Battery 7 lb 15 oz / 3600.4 g 11 lb / 4990 g Charter & Power Cord 1 lb 11 oz / 765.5 g 3 lb 8 oz / 1588 g Total 9 lb 10 oz / 4365.9 g 14 lb 8 oz / 6578 g AC Adapter & Battery Battery I Capacity Li-Ion 6 Cell 5200mAh Li-Ion 9 Cell 85 Wh Battery II Capacity None None AC Adapter 120 W 230 W Display & Graphics Controller Display Size 15.4" 17" Display Resolution 1920x1200 1920x1200 Graphics Controller nVidia GeForce 8800m GTX 2x nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX SLI System BIOS Phoenix vX32 P3A33 (04/11/08) Dell A06 (02/04/08) CPU Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 2.80 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, FSB 200 2.80 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, FSB 200 Chipset Intel 965PM Intel 965GM Memory 2x 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 2x 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 Hard Drives Manufacturer & Model Seagate ST9200420ASG Seagate ST9250421ASG Size 200 GB 250 GB Performance (SATA / 7200.2 / 8 MB / 11 ms) SATA / 7200.2 RPM / 16 MB / 4.17 ms Other Devices Optical Drive MATSHITA BD-MLT UJ-220 Blu-Ray Burner PBDS DVD+-RW DS-8W1P DVD Burner Floppy Drive None None Pointing Device(s) Touchpad Touch Pad Audio Chip Realtek ALC885 @ Intel 82801HBM ICH8M SigmaTel STAC9228 @ Intel 82801HBM ICH8M Modem None None WLAN Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN Intel Pro/Wireless 4965AGN Connectors PS2 None None USB 2x Left, 1x Right 2x Right, 1x Left, 1x B IEEE1394 / Fire Wire 1x Right 1x Left Serial Com Port None None Parallel LPT Port None None Microphone Yes Yes IR Port Yes None Bluetooth None Yes VGA / DVI / HDMI None / None / 1x Right None / 1x Left / None TV Out None 1x Left TV In None None AC Power Yes Yes PC/Express Card Slots 1x Right 1x Right LAN 1x Left 1x Back Audio Connectors 1x Mic, Headphone Left 1x Mic, Headphone, Line In Left Card Reader 1x Multi Card Reader Right 1x Multi Card Reader Left Fingerprint Security None None Manufacturer Docking Socket None None System Software & Drivers OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Microsoft Windows XP Professional DirectX Version DX10 DX9.0c Platform Driver Intel 9.0.0.1008 Intel 8.2.0.1014 Graphics Driver 7.15.11.6755 - nVIDIA ForceWare 167.55 6.14.11.6757 - nVIDIA ForceWare 167.57