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• Specifications Table 1: Acer, Asus, and Eurocom Specifications SPEC Acer 8920G Asus M70S Eurocom D90X CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Graphics Processor GeForce 9650M GS ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 2xGeForce 8800M GTS (SLI) Physical Memory Total Amount 4 GB 2 GB 8 GB Memory Speed 2x2048 MB DDR2-667 2x1024 MB DDR2-667 2x4096 MB DDR2-667 Disk Drive(s) WD3200BEVT 320 GB Hitachi HTS545050KTA300x2 1TB Seagate ST9200420AS x 2 400 GB Interface, Rotational Speed, Seek Time, Buffer Size SATA 5400 RPM 12ms 8MB SATA 5400RPM 12ms 8MB SATA II 7200 RPM 11 ms 16 MB Optical Drive Matshita UJ-120 Blu-ray R Hitachi GSA-T20L DVD RW Matshita BD-MLT UJ-2205 RW Display Size 18.4" 1920x1200 17" 1440x900 17" 1920x1200 Battery Capacity mAh (Mfgr) 4800 mAh 5200 mAh 6600 mAh Battery Voltage 14.8 V 14.8V 20V WiFi Throughput 802.11agn –up to 200MB/s 802.11agn –up to 200MB/s 802.11agn –up to 200MB/s Wired Throughput GbE GbE GbE Bluetooth Yes Optional Optional Number of USB Ports 4 4 4 Firewire No Yes Yes Other Ports TV antenna, S-Video, HDMI, VGA, RJ-11, Kensington lock, mic-in, headphone-out. S/PDIF TV antenna, S-Video, HDMI, eSATA, VGA, RJ-11, Kensington lock, S/PDIF VGA, S-Video, CATV, RJ-11, DVI, 7.1 audio, Kensington lock Fingerprint Sensor yes yes optional ExpressCard Slot yes yes yes Memory Card Slot yes yes yes Web Cam yes yes yes Dimensions WxDxH 18.7" x 13.4" x 2.3" 18.7" x 13.4" x 2.3" 15.9" x 9.11" 1.2" Weight with battery—pounds 8.9 9.0 13.0 Weight Power brick –pounds 1.175 1.0 2.2 Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Table 2: HP and Sony Specifications SPEC HP HDX 9203KW Sony VAIO VGN-AR790U/B CPU Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 Graphics Processor GeForce 8800M GTS GeForce 8600M GT Physical Memory Total Amount 4 GB 2 GB Memory Speed 2x2048 MB DDR2-667 2x2048 MB DDR2-667 Disk Drive(s) W2500BEVSx2 500 GB HitToshibaMK352GSXx2 640 GB Interface, Rotational Speed, Seek Time, Buffer Size SATA 5400 RPM 12ms 8MB SATA 5400RPM 12ms 8MB Optical Drive Optiarc BX500A Blu-ray R Matshita BD-MLT UJ-220S Blu-ray R Display Size 20.1" 1920x1200 17" 1920x1200 Battery Capacity mAh (Mfgr) 8800 mAh 4 400 mAh Battery Voltage 14.4 V 11.1V WiFi Throughput 802.11agn –up to 200MB/s 802.11agn –up to 200MB/s Wired Throughput GbE GbE Bluetooth Yes Optional Number of USB Ports 4 4 Firewire Yes Yes Other Ports dual headphone, mic-in,expansion/dock, VGA, HDMI, eSATA, NTSC/ATSC video, 7.1 audio ports, Kensington lock mic-in, S/PDIF, headphone, coax TV, Kensington lock, battery connector Fingerprint Sensor yes yes ExpressCard Slot yes yes Memory Card Slot yes yes Web Cam yes yes Dimensions WxDxH 18.7" x 13.4" x 2.3" 16.2" x 11.8" x 1.32" Weight with battery—pounds 15.38 8.4 Weight Power brick –pounds 2.47 1.1 Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Ultimate

• As the driving force behind Blu-ray technology, it’s no surprise that Sony came first to market in May 2006 with a Blu-ray equipped notebook PC. Despite the more than two years that have since elapsed, Blu-ray is really just beginning to become both affordable and viable for notebook PCs. Sony has recently reworked much of its VAIO notebook line, and introduced the multimedia AR790U/B model in mid-2008 as part of that effort. What the AR790 delivers is a well designed, nicely equipped multimedia notebook at a middling price. Sony’s successor model to this is the VGN-AR870. Configured to match the innards of our review unit, including a Blu-ray burner, this notebook goes for just over $2,900 on the SonyStyle Website (as compared to $3,300 for an identically configured AR790 at Amazon). You could buy a Blu-ray player, use Vista Home Premium instead of Ultimate and go with two 200 GB drives, and save $600 on the purchase price, to come in just under the price for the HP HDX. At 8.4 pounds (9.6 with AC adapter and power cord), the AR790 is a typical multimedia notebook in terms of size, weight and handling. Its 17" WUXGA display supports full 1080p resolution, and its 512 MB 8600M GT graphics adapter handled all of our Blu-ray and broadcast HD material with aplomb. The 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor seemed more than adequate for the computing tasks we threw at this machine, as did its 4 GB of DDR2-667 RAM. The chipset is an Intel PM965 Express, with networking support from an Intel 4965 802.11a/g/n adapter for wireless and a Marvell Yukon-based GbE for wired connections. Sony provided an ATI USB TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner along with our notebook, and we used it to good effect in tuning in OTA and unencrypted HDTV channels on the unit. The HDMI output was able to deliver both sound and picture to our digital receiver, but we couldn’t pass any high-definition audio schemes other than Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 to that device (this is typical for most PC Blu-ray playback, in fact). The keyboard layout on this unit features a more or less standard keyboard layout with full-sized keys. But the 2" margin on either side of the keyboard, with media control keys and status LEDs to the left and a power indicator to the right, didn’t leave room for a numeric keypad. For those seeking a good multimedia base station PC, this won’t be a problem. But for those who also want a fully-functional desktop replacement PC, this might be somewhat vexing. Nevertheless, the AR790 (and its nearly identical AR870 successor) makes a good media station, whether in the office or the living room. As we take a tour of this notebook, you’ll find its many ports, connectors and controls on all four of the unit’s edges. The bezel around the display is also home to a built-in 1.1 MPixel Webcam with an activity indicator light to let you know when you’re "on." Sony bundles a miniature Windows Media Center-compatible remote control with the AR790, which works with other multimedia applications besides what Vista offers. The remote control has a standard USB-attached remote sensor device (much like the Microsoft remote does itself). The MS memory card reader works with standard and Duo-sized media, MS Pro and MS Pro-HG Duo formats. MS Micro (M2) media requires an M2 standard or M2 Duo-sized adapter. The SD slot works with standard SD media or mini-SD media in a standard SD adapter. Except for the lack of a numeric keypad, the VGN-AR790 offers sufficient horsepower and capability to do double-duty as a media center and a desktop replacement. As with other multimedia notebooks, it is fairly heavy and also gets warm when running anything more than a moderate load (we measured a temperature of 103 °F/39° C on the underside with an infrared sensor during testing). The placement of USB ports (two front right and one at the rear) is a little odd, especially for right-handed users who may also want to use an external mouse. The built-in speakers are listenable but not on par with those you’ll find in the other units in this round-up. Besides these few minor annoyances, the VGN-790 is a satisfactory multimedia notebook and general-purpose PC.

• E3 2006 Preview: The showdown between consoles and PCs

  Joining Sony's Vaio and Intel's Viiv in the Weird Names Hall of Fame is Nintendo's Wii. The number three player in consoles, Nintendo, successfully stole its share of the spotlight last week, with the strange yet somehow intriguing naming choice for its "Revolution" console. Was "Wii" just a ploy for attention that'll burn out by the end of the week? Michael Cai doesn't think so; in fact, he believes Nintendo's move may have a streak of brilliance to it. "Since Nintendo wanted to expand the gamer audience to focus more on the moderate, casual gamers, and re-invigorate the gaming-as-a-family experience anyway, it might as well end up being a smart move." Cai's reasoning goes like this: Only hard-core gamers knew of the existence of the "Revolution" console by that name anyway. The Wii name introduces Nintendo's console to its true targeted market, which is made up more of parents. For them, he said, Nintendo may need to distinguish itself as more of a family-friendly brand anyway, and the "Wheee!" notion sounds more like a roller-coaster ride than something blowing up. Sure, the console was a revolution of sorts when it was first announced, to those to whom it was announced. "But casual gamers, and the moms who might make these decisions to buy that platform, might not even know. They might never have heard of ['Revolution']," he remarked. For them, the former code name might not have given the proper message. Besides, Cai threw in for the heck of it, the Wii is no longer a particularly revolutionary console, especially from a hardware standpoint, stacked up against Xbox 360 and PS3. Perhaps - just perhaps - the little remote controls could be considered "revolutionary," but even the concept itself smacks of war and revolt and all the things that moms won't invest in. "Why would you want to call it 'Revolution,'" he asked hypothetically, "if your technology is much less?" Can Xbox 360 continue on cruise control? With Microsoft's Xbox 360 selling more units in the last quarter (1.7 million) than it did over the holidays (1.5 million), manufacturers now producing on a more efficient schedule, and with supplies now evening out, the first next-generation console is well on its way to normalization. It was a spectacular premiere after all, just delayed by several roadblocks. But with two big acts that could upstage it, Microsoft has to put together something fabulous - especially for its Tuesday morning rollout event - that will keep Xbox 360 in the hunt, and in the news. What would that be? Having Microsoft's own publicists report on what the rumors are surrounding their client's own console, is a bit like watching an infomercial on the energy benefits of clean, natural coal, produced by the coal producer's association. On the one hand, it plants just the right seeds in customers' minds; on the other, it doesn't really give those seeds what they need to germinate. Is it real, or is it wishful thinking? The publicists are using the phrase "Console Evolution," though the description the publicists are giving is an indicator that Microsoft isn't upgrading the console itself, so much as adding peripherals to it. The big-ticket items appear to be a likely HD DVD player and an add-on camera. But here is where Microsoft could find itself between a box and a hard place. Peripherals such as these might give an Xbox 360 "More Valuable Than Platinum" edition a feature set more in tune which what's expected for PS3, whose built-in Blu-ray player was confirmed long ago. Yet with the company's Live bundle (which features a year's subscription to Xbox Live) already selling for around $600, Microsoft doesn't have much room to play, if you will, with the price of an even more feature-rich bundle, and still remain price-competitive with PS3...unless that $500 mark was a ruse. Microsoft could possibly mark down, or even eliminate, subscription fees for certain tiers of Xbox Live service; but what would that mean for customers who have already purchased subscriptions? Even so, if a new HD DVD-endowed bundle (with the HD DVD player hanging off the side, by the way) ends up selling for over $900, what could historically have been written up as the lead act in the next-generation console battle, could play out as a failed follow-up act for HD DVD. Join our discussion on E3 2006 There's more: Read all E3 2006 stories on TG Daily