Power users will love the specifications of the Envy 17. It includes an Intel Core i5 processor or it can be upgraded to the i7 when purchasing, providing some of Intel’s most modern processors for fast speeds. It comes with 6 GB of RAM as a standard feature, but can also be upgraded to 8 GB when purchasing, or at any time afterward. Buyers have many options when it comes to hard drives. They can choose a single 1 TB drive or two for a total of 2 TB. They can also choose a dual setup with an 800 GB standard hard drive and a 640 GB SSD, which provides faster performance and better battery life.

The 17.3 inch (diagonal) display has a resolution of 1600 x 900, or it can be upgraded to a display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which is the resolution of 1080p multimedia. This will be a popular option for multimedia creators. A DVD burner is included, but buyers can also opt for a Blu-ray player and DVD burner drive instead. Other bonus features include an integrated webcam, support for 802.11n wireless networking, and a backlit keyboard for working in the dark.

Due to the size and power of the Envy 17, battery life suffers somewhat. The machine is capable of up to 2.25 hours of battery life on a single charge, so users who need more portability may need to purchase additional batteries.

For power users, multimedia creators, or those who don’t want to sacrifice power for portability, the Envy 17 is an impressive desktop replacement laptop. Others may find its limited battery life and extra bulk to be disappointing.

The design of the Iconia incorporates dual touch screens that open up like a traditional laptop. The lower screen can act as a touch keyboard, or any number of control widgets. It can also act as a second monitor when viewing long web pages or other documents. The possibilities are nearly endless.

What is quite unique about the interface is that the lower screen responds to the user’s touch and gestures to figure out what to do. If the user places both palms on the screen, it automatically switches to the virtual keyboard, for example. When the user puts 5 fingers on the screen, a control dial called the Acer Ring appears. The user can touch or rotate the ring to access different options and interfaces.
The lower screen also supports customizable links to websites, applications, and other items through the use of icons or even gestures. For example, a user can swipe a finger to draw a letter on the screen, which can open an application or site of the user’s choice.

The device uses a custom version of Windows 7, with most of the interface and other additions designed by Acer themselves. This allows for more device-specific features, but could also create problems when updating or troubleshooting. Still, the custom software is what provides the interface that makes the device so unique.

The Acer Iconia has a lot going for it. Its interface is innovative out of the box, and software designers will likely come up with even more interesting ways of utilizing the dual screens in the future.

The Tablet will include a 10.1 inch screen (measured diagonally) as compared to the 9.7 inch screen of the iPad. While this extra screen size won’t be a huge improvement, it might sway some users who dislike the iPad’s form factor. The device will be able to show videos in 1080p resolution, and includes an HDMI port for connecting to high-definition televisions and other devices. This adds a little more flexibility than Apple’s offering right out of the box.

Early versions of the Tablet will have Wi-Fi support, but not mobile wireless support through phone carriers. This could be a major downside for some users, but Toshiba seems confident that this option will be available in later releases. Along with GPS and Bluetooth support, the device will also include an SD memory card slot; something that iPad users have been asking for since its launch. Battery life is expected to be around 7 hours, which falls short of the 10 hours provided by the iPad, but is still impressive.

Along with the Android operating system and its apps and app store, the Tablet will also include Toshiba’s own marketplace, called Toshiba Places. This will be a place for users to find movies, music, and games, and will even have a digital book store.

Overall, the preview of the Toshiba Tablet shows promise, but it remains to be seen if any tablet maker can truly compete with the iPad’s domination of the tablet platform.

Power users will love the specifications of the Envy 17. It includes an Intel Core i5 processor or it can be upgraded to the i7 when purchasing, providing some of Intel’s most modern processors for fast speeds. It comes with 6 GB of RAM as a standard feature, but can also be upgraded to 8 GB when purchasing, or at any time afterward. Buyers have many options when it comes to hard drives. They can choose a single 1 TB drive or two for a total of 2 TB. They can also choose a dual setup with an 800 GB standard hard drive and a 640 GB SSD, which provides faster performance and better battery life.

The 17.3 inch (diagonal) display has a resolution of 1600 x 900, or it can be upgraded to a display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which is the resolution of 1080p multimedia. This will be a popular option for multimedia creators. A DVD burner is included, but buyers can also opt for a Blu-ray player and DVD burner drive instead. Other bonus features include an integrated webcam, support for 802.11n wireless networking, and a back-lit keyboard for working in the dark.

Due to the size and power of the Envy 17, battery life suffers somewhat. The machine is capable of up to 2.25 hours of battery life on a single charge, so users who need more portability may need to purchase additional batteries.

For power users, multimedia creators, or those who don’t want to sacrifice power for portability, the Envy 17 is an impressive desktop replacement laptop. Others may find its limited battery life and extra bulk to be disappointing.

The biggest surprise came with the inclusion of a new port on all MacBook Pros, called Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is an implementation of a new I/O technology created by Intel, which was previously code-named Light Peak. The design of the Thunderbolt port uses Apple’s own Mini DisplayPort for a connection, but gives the new port the ability to support multiple displays, external hard drives, and a number of other peripherals all from a single port. In fact, up to 7 devices can be daisy-chained together with no slowdowns in performance. Apple appears to be choosing the Thunderbolt connection design over the USB 3.0 standard being used in other machines.

Another striking upgrade for the new MacBook Pro machines is the inclusion of quad-core processors, providing a major speed boost for the devices. The 13 inch model comes with a choice of an Intel i5 or i7 processor, while the 15 and 17 inch models include i7 processors at varying speeds, depending on the configuration. The models all use Intel’s newest Sandy Bridge processors. Such a significant upgrade should have a significant effect on performance, and early benchmarks are beginning to show that the new models are quite a bit faster than previous models, likely due to their quad-core design.

Apple continues to be a leader, particularly when it comes to laptops and mobile computing. Choosing to include Thunderbolt over USB 3.0 could have a significant effect on the computing industry. In any case, their new updated MacBook Pros will likely have many buyers considering an upgrade sooner rather than later.

Display

While some factors such as the graphics card or CPU speed might seem very important, few will have as much impact on your gaming experience as the display screen. Gamers will likely want a 15” display at the very minimum, and probably larger. Also, make sure the resolution is high enough to provide the sharp graphical detail needed to make modern games look great.

Graphics Processor

The integrated graphics included with many laptops will not be enough to support most modern games at acceptable performance, so it is important to choose a laptop with a fairly powerful graphics processor. Modern processors from ATI or Nvidia will make games run more smoothly.

Hard Drive

Most modern games take up around 500 MB of space at minimum, with some consuming multiple gigabytes of space. It is important for gamers to have a fairly large hard drive to accommodate the many large games they may want to have installed at any one time. Hard drives larger than 500 GB are recommended.

Processor

A fast processor is a must for gaming. Generally speaking, any modern dual-core Intel processor will provide fast performance, but for the best gaming experience, buyers will want the newest and fastest processor they can afford.

Optical Drives

Having an optical drive that can handle both CD and DVD media is important for gaming, but buying a laptop with support for Blu-Ray discs could be a good idea to keep your laptop future-proof, as game manufacturers may eventually switch to this medium for games in the future.

Taking into account the points above should help you find a laptop that will give the best gaming experience for your money. Do some research into the many features and options available and you will have a great gaming laptop that can handle almost anything you can throw at it.

Upgrading the memory in your Compaq CQ62 series laptop is a fairly straightforward process. Before you begin, use a parts locator tool to find a compatible memory upgrade for your specific model. It is recommended that you install the maximum amount of memory that your model will support for the best performance boost. Once you have your memory upgrade, follow these steps to perform the upgrade.

1. Shut down the laptop, disconnect the power cable and any other cables, and remove the battery for safety.

2. Turn the laptop over to access the bottom of the unit. Locate the memory module cover toward the center of the laptop and remove the three phillips screws that secure the cover in place. Lift up the cover and remove it.

3. You will see the first memory module. Spread the two retaining tabs on either side away from the module, and the top will rise up. Gently pull the memory module out of its slot.

4. Repeat step 3 for the second module if necessary.

5. To install the new memory module, line up the pins and the notch and gently slide the module into the slot. Tilt it down until the retaining tabs snap into place. Repeat for the second module if necessary.

6. Replace the memory module cover and replace the screws.

Reconnect the battery and power cable and boot up the laptop. Check that the BIOS and operating system are both recognizing the memory upgrade. If all is working correctly you have successfully upgraded your laptop’s memory.

The netbook has only one RAM slot, so you will be replacing the existing memory stick. You will need a 2GB DDR2 SODIMM chip for the replacement. These are widely available from many retailers and are very inexpensive. You will also need a mini Phillips head screwdriver and it is recommended that you use an anti-static wrist band to avoid damaging sensitive components.

Here are the steps for replacing the RAM module:

1. Shut down the machine, unplug the AC Adapter and remove the battery to avoid the risk of electric shock.

2. Flip the unit over and look for a small rectangular hatch near the bottom right, it will have a symbol representing a memory module. Remove the screw and the hatch.

3. Gently pull the retaining clips holding the memory stick in place until it pops upright. Gently remove it by sliding the edge of the module away from the slot.

4. Align the notch at the bottom of the new memory stick with the notch in the memory slot and gently insert it at a 45-degree angle. Then push the other edge down, you should feel it snap into place and the retaining clips should lock into place as well.

5. Put the upgrade hatch back in place and replace the original screw.

6. Replace the battery, plug the machine in and boot up the operating system.

7. In Windows, right-click on My Computer and click Properties. Under the General tab, it will list the amount of RAM recognized by Windows. It should list slightly less than 2GB since the Aspire One utilizes some of the system memory for Video memory.

Slide in the new memory module and replace the panel cover. Next to the panel is one of four screws holding the keyboard in place. The others are located to the right close to the edge of the laptop and two below the memory panel next to the bar codes and serial information. Remove these screws and carefully turn the laptop over. The keyboard is now able to be lifted from the assembly by use of a flathead screwdriver. Gently pry the keyboard up to release it from the laptop and then disconnect the cable attaching it to the motherboard.

While the keyboard has been removed, it is a good idea to spray the internal components with some compressed air to clean out the dust and dirt. The memory module is located at the top of the area below the keyboard; this one will slide towards the screen of the laptop away from you. Release it the same way as the previous module and insert the new one. Repeat these steps in reverse to finish the memory upgrade.

First make sure that your laptop has an available slot for the wireless card and then remove the battery and disconnect the power. Most laptops that have a free miniPCI slot can easily have an 802.11 wireless card installed. The IBM Lenovo Thinkpad R30 has a back panel covering the miniPCI slot; it can be found on the lower right hand side of the back panel of the laptop. A single screw attaches the panel to the casing and will need to be removed with a small Phillips head screwdriver. The screw does not come out of the panel so do not be surprised when this happens; IBM did this to help lessen lost pieces of equipment.

The panel covers the miniPCI card which is now visible if you are replacing an existing 802.11 card; two cables will need to be removed from the card. The gray cable is the main antenna for the card and the black cable is the auxiliary. Carefully remove the existing miniPCI card if one exists. Take your new wireless card and line up the connectors, then slowly insert the card. Use your documentation form the card materials to find the antenna connector locations. Attach the antennas and seal the panel. While you have the panel off it may be a good idea to clean the area with compressed air and a small clean paint brush. This will help to remove the dust and dirt that may have accumulated within the assembly.