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• Lenovo Ideapad U110: Price, Battery, Performance

  Price Lenovo sells the U110, as configured in our review unit, direct from its web site for $1749—that’s $150 off the price when it first launched a few months ago, and slightly cheaper than some of the ultraportables in this roundup. Lenovo understands that, while ultraportables are premium machines, in the current U.S. economy consumers need to be motivated to buy an item like this. It seems unlikely that a corporate IT department, or even a high-salaried executive, would be the typical buyer of this very consumer-oriented computer, so Lenovo is attempting to price this machine to sell in the consumer market. In a price-per-performance measurement, this machine would likely come out on the top of this roundup. It is cheaper than the Asus U2E by $150, and features a more powerful processor, and with the low-end/light-weight batteries compared, a better battery life. But, the battery life of that small battery still isn’t great, and the U110’s still got a slow hard drive, a funky keyboard, strange screen, and external optical drive to consider in your calculus. Whether the stylish color and markings on the body excite you or annoy you will also affect your opinion of whether this machine is worth $1749—but to my taste, it is. Price score: 4 Battery Life According to BatteryEater Pro, the Lenovo U110’s larger battery was rated at a capacity of around 5268 mAh; it actually charged to a somewhat higher capacity of 5334 mAh. But with its higher speed processor (see below), the U110 only lasted for 91 minutes on a full charge. Lenovo also ships the machine with a second, much smaller battery (you can see the difference in the way the two batteries protrude from the back of the computer on the previous page). We didn’t include this smaller battery’s performance in our scoring, but suffice to say that it is close to worthless—it lasted through only 30 minutes of BatteryEater’s battering. It probably delivers about an hour and a half of normal productivity computing, though, so it’s a nice little stick to keep in your bag, charged up for an emergency power boost. Kudos to Lenovo for including it at all. Battery Life score: 2.20 Performance Our Lenovo U110 came with a higher performing mobile CPU, Intel’s 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo L7500. However, like the Asus U2E, the notebook had only a 4,200 RPM ATA hard disk drive. The U110 achieved the second best performance score of the five machines in this test. Performance score: 3.43

• Lenovo Ideapad U110: Style and Usability

  Style Have you ever seen a ThinkPad? If so, you know how Lenovo (nee IBM) defines style: black, drab, and utilitarian. But if the ThinkPad line is the corporate drone of mobile computing, the IdeaPad line is the entrepreneurial artiste, and the IdeaPad U110—the smallest and most stylish IdeaPad to date—is the quick-witted fashionista. You need only glance at the U110’s closed lid for a first impression of the design theme here: delicate, spiraling, floral, shimmering, yet subtle "tendrils" (Lenovo’s word, not mine). Before we go any further, I’ll simply express my belief that the U110’s crimson runic patterns will more likely appeal to women than men. That’s not based on a survey, but the odds are in my favor. Red is not among my favorite colors—the unit also comes in black and navy blue—but I adore this computer’s style cues; you may not. The pattern on the lightly textured (etched) lid, with the darker solid-stripe lip and silver reflective Lenovo branding, repeats itself twice more on this computer. Before opening it, flip it over and notice a gray-on-black version of the tendrils, nearly invisible on the lower left corner of the underside. Also on the flip side are other exotic-looking patterns carved into the plastic in a scattered fashion—these are somewhat functional, revealing vents that allow heat to escape. The final iteration of the tendrils can be found on the inside, at the top of the keyboard where the chassis meets the screen hinge. We’ll get to this more later on, but a finger swipe across a patch of seemingly empty black plastic reveals red-lit subcutaneous LEDs in the shape of curlicue tendrils that can serve as multimedia buttons. The last style-oriented feature of the U110 is the abundant use of the currently trendy shiny piano black lacquer on the inside—the flat screen-bezel, the keyboard, wristpad, trackpad and buttons are all coated in the slimy stuff. It feels great to the touch, but if you don’t apply the included chamois every ten minutes during use, the chassis starts to look dull and icky. The sides, battery and bottom of the computer are rubberized instead of lacquered, which makes the machine easy to grip. Even though it is, overall, the smallest machine in this roundup in terms of size (not thickness or weight), the U110 is hearty. The lid is very solid, and as noted earlier, the bottom is ruggedized with rubber (though the little feet on the bottom can sometimes seem a bit slippery on a flat surface). The lid is actually bent at about a 130 degree angle at the last inch closest to the hinge. This bent portion of the metal offsets the screen from the hinge, and strengthens the hinge, which seems to improve viewing angles. Like the Asus U2E, the lip of the lid has no hinge—it stays shut solely via pressure from the hinge. Lenovo even includes a leather carrying case for the U110—this machine is just that fancy. Size and Weight The larger of the two batteries that come with this computer protrudes only slightly from the rear; its curved shape adds to the compact form factor of the machine. The unit’s dimensions are 10.8” wide by 7.7” deep, and 0.88” thick, which is thinner than the Apple MacBook Air. The smaller battery sticks out even less; here you can see the difference: The U110 weighs only 2.4 pounds, but doesn’t include a built-in optical drive; a solid, rubberized black and perforated-metal external drive is included. The Toshiba Portege R500, while a good deal wider than the Lenovo, includes an internal optical drive and maintains the same weight and thickness as the U110. The power supply brick is a featherweight at 0.67 lbs. Will you miss the internal optical drive? I didn’t, but I didn’t take any long distance flights while testing it. DVD entertainment is the only crucial use of an optical drive I can think of; I can’t ding the U110 too much for leaving it out. Ports Switching FireWire for HDMI/Micro-DVI, the U110 has a very similar port configuration to that of the Asus U2E. On the left hand side, the computer has a power port, VGA port, angled fan, two USB ports, and at the edge, a Wi-Fi on/off switch. Along the front bottom lip, Lenovo has placed nothing but a glowing blue LED icon in the shape of a power button, to indicate the computer’s status. On the right hand side there is an ExpressCard slot, an SD (and other format) card reader, a headphone and microphone jack, Firewire port, one final USB port, and a gigabit Ethernet port. There’s no modem, and there’s no internal broadband card—use the ExpressCard slot to get either function if necessary. Speaking of wireless communications, the Lenovo meets all the usual standards except Draft-N. It’s the only one in this roundup to lack N compliance, but perhaps is has been left out because very few consumer router and products actually feature N, and this is a very consumer-friendly machine. Style score: 5 Usability Display In terms of specifications, the U110’s 11.1” screen is identical to the Asus U2E’s—it’s an LED backlit glossy number. But something about the Lenovo’s is just glossier. When I stare into the screen for a while, it seems to be a bit distorted by an extra layer of glass, and the content of the screen looks shimmery and textured; there’s also some glare and distortion. Color vibrancy is spot on, however. The entire display piece—the underside of the lid—is completely smooth, as though made from one piece of plastic, with the exception of the small notch in the top center for the tiny webcam. Keyboard Each key on the smudgy piano black keyboard of the U110 is big—bigger than any key on almost any other ultraportable—but size alone does not a comfortable keyboard make. Each key depresses smoothly and evenly, too, but that also is not enough. For a keyboard to be efficient, it needs to maintain a typist’s speed and keep the error rate low. This keyboard decreased my speed and increased my error rate because of the lack of space between the keys, which are practically flush against each other. They are also completely flat, which means there is no texture or shape, other than a slight concavity, to teach my fingers where each key is. More often than not, I hit a neighboring key by accident because each key is so flat and slick. I didn’t live with this computer for months, and if I did I would surely adapt to its quirks, but why should a keyboard force a user to deal with a steep learning curve? Trackpad The U110’s trackpad is perfectly smooth and matte—it doesn’t have quite the same lacquering as the rest of the chassis, but it does have a little. It is very responsible and slick, and the seam between the trackpad and wristpad is obvious without feeling jarring when you reach it with your finger. The mouse buttons are similar, but received the full piano black paint job. They’re even, only slightly raised from the trackpad, and not too springy when clicked. Some people might prefer a bit more response from the buttons, though. Hardware Controls The "magical" swiping action that activates scrolling the soft keys above the keyboard is one the most whimsical and cutting-edge features of this computer. It might seem inefficient to have buttons that aren’t always visible, but how many people even set up the physical multimedia buttons that grace a typical laptop? One of the buttons launches an audio manager, and two of the other buttons can be tied to a macro that activates just about any other application. There’s also a visible volume control light (up, down and mute). On the left side there is a power button and a "Novo" button. This latter button performs many tasks: generally, clicking it activates power settings to conserve battery life. But if something’s amiss with the machine, clicking it when the computer’s off can activate a system restore the next time the machine is powered on (let’s hope you never have to use it!) Behind these keys are the small "Dolby Home Theater" speakers, one on each side. Perhaps they produce better than average external sound, but it’s still nothing to write home about. Heat and Noise I never felt this machine get warmer than room temperature, nor make any noise at all. That’s surprising given the U110 has a weak hard drive (only running at 4,200 RPM), though the processor never seemed to struggle with any typical tasks, except perhaps upon startup, which took an above average of 90 seconds. I also lost a bit of time every time the facial-recognition software popped up when starting; it works, but steals at least 15 seconds every time you open up the machine. Remember, this is a consumer machine, and it does media well—better than most of its suit-and-tie ultraportable competitors. Check out the Performance section below for more details. Usability score: 3

• Budget Laptop Roundup

  By Barry Gerber All of these notebooks retail for under $800, except for the Apple MacBook Pro, and all are available as of this writing. Pricing in the portable computing market is volatile — most manufacturers release new models on a quarterly basis, often whether there are changes in hardware components or not. These particular models will be readily available at least through the middle to end of August. So, they are truly back-to-school laptops, and if you want one for that or any other purpose, I suggest you buy one ASAP. If I could, I would have listed only laptops based on Intel’s new Centrino 2 technology. However, most of those won’t hit the market until the same middle-to-late August timeframe. Also, because the new technology will cost more early on, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to buy Centrino 2 laptops for the same price range with the features of the models I discuss here. Check out what the new Managing Editor of Tom’s Hardware, Chris Angelini, has to say about Centrino 2 . While all of these laptops are fine for standard school use, they’re not super-powered gaming machines or heavy duty graphics workstations. If you want something like that, you’ll need to focus on higher-end, super-large, super-heavy notebooks from the likes of Dell, Alienware, Toshiba and the myriad smaller scale manufacturers and vendors out there. Note that, at least for budget notebooks, vendors report battery information in different ways. Some list the number of cells in a battery, while others provide battery capacity numbers in milliamp hours (mAh). Though this is not a hard and fast rule, more cells or more capacity equal longer battery life for notebooks in the same hardware component class. Fortunately, the notebooks in this roundup are very similar in their hardware components; for example, each comes with a read/write optical CD/DVD drive. So, let’s take a look at the six budget laptops I’m recommending for those going back to school this fall. I’ve included specific model numbers and links where available. There were no specific model numbers for the Dell or Apple models, but there are links for these. If you’re hitting this article after mid-August and a specific link doesn’t work any more, try going to the company’s home page and surfing for a similar model. Dell Inspiron 1525 ($799) From its Core 2 Duo T5750 2.00GHz CPU to 3 GB of shared memory and 9-cell battery, the Inspiron 1525 is chock full of respectable mobile hardware. If you’re into color and style, the 1525 line offers a lot to like, whether it’s the basic black model or the black one shown here with cool white racing stripes. (The design is called "Street Pattern" and costs $25 extra.) Also available at the same $25 premium are nine other colors, including Alpine White, Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, Flamingo Pink and Sunshine Yellow. In addition to Street Pattern, there are two other patterned designs: Chill and Commotion. Features: Dell Inspiron 1525 Component Model CPU Core 2 Duo T5750 (2.00 GHz / 667 MHz FSB / 2 MB Cache) Memory 3 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667 MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 15.4" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking up to 802.11g Battery 6-Cell Size (WxHxD) 14.05" x 1.00" front - 1.48" back x 10.08" Weight 5.9 pounds Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Dell Inspiron 1525 Homepage HP Compaq 6720s PC (KR915UT) ($799) Though it’s far from super stylish, HP’s Compaq 6720s PC (KR915UT) comes ready for work. It has a little less CPU power and memory than the Dell Inspiron 1525, but it matches the 1525 in all other categories. One difference, though, is that the HP comes with Vista Business, which has some features you won’t find in the other five laptops in this guide. Vista Business supports full disk image backup, while Vista Home Premium lets you backup files, but not a full image of your disks. Vista Business also features built-in remote desktop access and the ability to use your laptop to send and receive faxes and images. Vista Business doesn’t support “fun and games features” such as Media Center, so you won’t have as much fun with a Vista Business based laptop, but you’ll be happy with it if you plan to use your laptop mostly for serious work. Of course, Microsoft’s Windows Vista Ultimate retails at only $20 more than Vista Business ($199 vs. $219) and it has everything but the kitchen sink, including all of the features of Home Premium and Business — plus a few of its own, like file encryption (BitLocker). So if Ultimate is available as an option for the notebook you want to buy, I suggest you go for it. I use it and love it on both my notebook and desktop. Features: HP Compaq 6720s PC (KR915UT) Component Model CPU Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5670 (1.80 GHz / 800 MHz FSB / 2 MB L2 cache) Memory 2 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667 MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 15.4" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking up to 802.11g Battery 6-Cell Size (WxHxD) 14.10" x 1.27" x 10.50" Weight 5.5 pounds Operating System Windows Vista Business SP1; XP downgrade media included HP Compaq 6720s PC Homepage Toshiba Satellite L305-S5883 ($799) The version of Dell’s Inspiron featured here and Toshiba’s Satellite L305-S5883 look like clones. If it weren’t for slight differences in size and weight, and possible battery life, I’d suspect they came from the same source. I have used Toshiba laptops for years; the only thing that has ever given me trouble is the disk drives, and in that I am not alone. I don’t mean in having problems with Toshiba’s laptop drives in specific, but in having troubles in general with notebook drives. Until fairly recently, laptop disk drives were quite vulnerable, because they could be damaged easily if a laptop was dropped even a few inches. Newer mechanisms that lock a drive’s heads over an area of the disk that contains no data have helped prevent some disasters, but problems still exist. The new solid state drives promise much better protection against dropping, but they’re still quite expensive and they just might drain more battery power than similarly-sized magnetic disks. What to do? See my discussion of backup in the section on HP’s Compaq 6720s PC (KR915UT). Features: Toshiba Satellite Pro L305-S5883 Component Model CPU Core 2 Duo T5750 (2.00 GHz / 667 MHz FSB / 2 MB Cache) Memory 3 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 15.4" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking up to 802.11g Battery 4000 mAh Size (WxHxD) 14.2" x 1.30" front - 1.48" back x 10.08" Weight 5.7 pounds Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Toshiba Satellite L305-S5883 Homepage Apple MacBook ($1099) The MacBook is the lowest cost product in the Apple laptop lineup, and the one we’re looking at here is the very lowest model in the MacBook line. If you haven’t been following Apple computers for a while — though I can’t imagine how you could have missed this — Apple has gone over to the devil and now uses Intel products in its Macs. The MacBook under the microscope here has both a solidly performing Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, and the same Intel X3100 Graphics Media Accelerator used in the other laptops included in this roundup. However, compared to the other five notebooks presented here, the MacBook is both more expensive and includes lesser hardware in some areas. The CPU is fine and the laptop has some enviable multimedia capabilities such as a DVI output. However, it comes with only 1 GB of memory, the disk drive has a capacity of just 120 GB, and unlike the other five laptops, the MacBook’s display is two inches smaller. On the plus side, the laptop does include 802.11n wireless support, but the good stuff isn’t worth the premium price. So, what’s up? As I note at the end of this piece, much of the extra cost of Apple products must be going into providing the very best customer and technical support in the business. So, as usual, you pay your money and you make your choice. Features: Apple MacBook Component Model CPU Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.10 GHz / 800 MHz FSB / 3 MB Cache) Memory 1 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667 MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 13.3" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 120 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking up to 802.11n Battery 5200 mAh Size (WxHxD) 12.78" x 1.08" x 8.92" Weight 5.2 pounds Operating System Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.2 or greater Apple MacBook Homepage Sony VGN-NR460E/P and VGN-NR460E/L ($749) These two Sony VGN models are almost exactly the same. The only difference is in the colors the two come in: Textured Nightfall Blue (VGN-NR460E/L) and Cherry Blossom Pink (VGN-NR460E/P). These two laptops clearly offer a set of one-for-the-boys and one-for-the-girls alternatives. Although the Sony VGN-NR460E/P and VGN-NR460E/L models feature slightly less impressive CPU, memory and hard disk options than the Dell Inspiron and Toshiba laptops, there is still some basic value to be had here. However, the $50 lower price of the Sonys hardly makes up for the hardware differences. To be fair, after knocking Apple, I should note that Sony charges a premium compared to most other computer manufacturers. Unlike with Apple, though, I find it difficult to understand what the company does with the premium: it’s not known for world class customer service. Sony is offering back to school bonuses with some of its laptops, including the two VGN models featured here. Check the company’s website for details. Features: Sony VGN-NR460E/P and VGN-NR460E/L Component Model CPU T2390 (1.86 GHz / 533 MHz FSB / 1 MB L2 Cache) Memory 2 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667 MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 15.4" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 200 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking up to 802.11n Battery 4800mAh Size (WxHxD) 14.2" x 1.20" front - 1.50" back x 10.6" Weight 6.3 pounds Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Sony Vaio VGN-NR460E/P Homepage Sony Vaio VGN-NR460E/P Homepage Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 - 77582CU ($779) The IdeaPad line includes Lenovo’s more consumer-oriented laptops. These contrast nicely with the still very successful ThinkPad line of business laptops inherited, at least in name, from IBM. Like the Sony models, Lenovo’s Y510 - 77582CU comes in a bit less expensive than the Dell and Toshiba models, and with slight less heft on the hardware side. Again, the $20 difference between the Y510 - 77582CU and the Dell and Toshiba can’t be explained away by Lenovo’s use of lower performance hardware. Assuming efficient component purchasing, manufacturing and sales/distribution practices, the company is making more on the Y510 - 77582CU than either Dell or Toshiba are on their products. However, unlike Sony, according to a number of independent assessments of tech support offered by different research organizations, Lenovo has figured out how to use those extra bucks to provide technical support at a level of quality that makes it second in the industry behind Apple. Features: Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 - 77582CU Component Model CPU Core 2 Duo T5550 (1.83 GHz / 667 MHz FSB / 2MB Cache) Memory 2 GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667 MHz Graphics Controller Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 Display Widescreen 15.4" display (1280x800) Hard Disk Drive 160 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM) Wireless Networking 802.11g Battery 6-Cell Size (WxHxD) 14.10" x 1.14" front - 1.42" back x 10.30" Weight 6.49 pounds Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Lenovo IdeaPad - Y510 Homepage What To Buy You’ve probably already noticed the similarity of these six laptops: even the Apple MacBook has a lot of the same hardware components as the other models. Except for the MacBook, all of the computers are also similarly priced. So what does the extra you pay for the MacBook buy you? Well, there might still be a bit of Apple snobbery appeal in the price, but one of the main benefits of Apple products is the company’s strong customer service reputation. No other company scores as high as Apple in this area in surveys by reliable, well respected consumer-oriented research organizations. Does this mean that Apple always provides great service, or that other companies never do it right? No way. Right now, as an iPhone owner, I’m following a very interesting set of forum threads that are seriously questioning the ability of the new iTunes-iPhone OS 2.0 to handle synchronization between the iPhone and Microsoft’s Outlook email, calendar and contacts software — and Apple’s attitude about fixing the problem. And, I have to say that I’ve had very good service from the other manufacturers whose laptops I’ve covered here. I recommend that you select your back to school laptop based on your own interests and needs. If performance is your main concern, go for the laptops with the fastest components. Here, your choice is pretty much limited to CPU speed, though the differences in CPU performance among the laptops presented here are going to be quite minimal anyway. If you’re a serious, work-oriented player, go for the Vista Business operating system. If you want to play or mix work and play, Vista Home Premium or Ultimate are for you. If you’re concerned about running out of disk space with all the new and exciting things you can store on your laptop these days, then go for the biggest hard disk. But remember that the more capacity you have, the more content you have to back up. So, think about getting an external drive and either using the notebook’s operating system itself to backup your notebook, or find some software and maybe even an online backup service to save all that good stuff to another place. If you’re a design hound, then select from the variety of styles and colors available for at least some of the notebooks presented here. From the racing stripes and rainbow of colors available for the Inspiron 1525, to the hot pink and electric blue colors Sony has dreamed up for its Vaio models, there’s plenty for you to choose from. Finally, don’t think you have to buy the configurations in this article. As you may have noticed if you surfed to some of the company site links above, they offer a lot of configuration options, both more and less expensive. Fiddle around a bit to see what might be best for you. Whatever you do, buy that laptop now and avoid the late August and early September rush...