Dell's Vostro range features a number of laptops and desktop systems aimed at business users who do not require the bells and whistles featured in most other laptops these days. Coming in a clean, minimalist black chassis the new 1310 represents a complete rethink of the range and might just surprise you.
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"Apple MacBook Air"
Issue: 5/2008
On test: Apple MacBook Air
Before you even lay eyes on your MacBook Air, the process of unpacking it frustrates and excites in a way that few technology purchases can. In typical Apple fashion, every detail has been considered, down to stage-managing your first glimpse of the laptop.
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"Dell XPS M1330"
Published on: 10/2007
On test: Dell XPS M1330
Finally! Having waited for what seemed like an age to get our mucky paws on Dell's latest and possibly greatest consumer notebook, we can bring you a review of the XPS M1330. Doubtless anyone who has already ordered one will be able to substantiate this frustration, because Dell has been struggling to fulfil orders of its latest consumer notebook due to some well publicised production issues. Thankfully, those issues seem to have been alleviated somewhat, though that'll be of little consolation to those who've been waiting for theirs to arrive.
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"Panasonic ToughBook CF-74"
Published on: 9/2007
On test: Panasonic Toughbook CF-74 Santa Rosa
When it comes to rough and ready notebook computers, Panasonic ToughBooks rule the roost. Fully rugged machines like the ToughBook CF-30 really can survive pretty much anything you throw at them. In fact when I reviewed the CF-30 I drove a car over it, just to test its hard man credentials. But even that couldn't faze Panasonic's top of the range ToughBook. Now I'm looking at the latest iteration of the CF-74, which has been updated with Intel's Santa Rosa platform.
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Laptops (13'')
A 13 inch laptop is really the definition of portable computing. Size, weight, power and battery life all come together to make a computer well suited for use in planes, trains, automobiles or anywhere else where there is not enough space to break open a giant computer without resting it on the laps of your neighbours. For this reason this type of notebook computer is especially prized by students as it is easily deployed in lecture halls and classrooms, takes up little space and the battery will last the whole lecture, (even if the student xemself doesn't). The newest model to enter this market is the MacBook from Apple. These laptops, when fitted with a decent processor, can still be connected to an external display and used as a desktop replacement, some even use a custom docking station to expand their capabilities, adding extra ports, DVD drives etc. Most laptops now ship with some form of built-in wireless networking provision but if yours does not it is easy to add through a PCMCIA card or USB dongle. For anyone who spends a lot of time away from a power supply or who wants a computer that won't prove a backbreaking challenge to move from A to B can't go wrong with a 13inch laptop computer. The only things to pay attention to are the basic specifications as it is often harder and more expensive to upgrade a laptop than it is upgrade a standard desktop PC. 512 MB of RAM is the minimum and a hard drive over 80GB will give you plenty of room to breathe, especially if the computer is fitted with a DVD writer.