The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats edition adds Beats Audio to the portable dm4 14-inch notebook frame, but that’s not all that sets this special edition apart from the average dm4.

HP packs in a flash hard drive for faster resume from sleep, a high-resolution matte display that is easy to use outdoors and a beautiful black finish.

Who is the Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition for?

The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats edition is a good fit for students and consumers looking for a portable stylish notebook. The high-resolution display is enormously helpful in comparing several documents or working in multiple windows at the same time, and thanks to the matte finish it is perfect for working from the park. Users listening for better sound form a notebook will enjoy Beats Audio paired with a decent pair of headphones.

Design

The dm4 Beats edition has a striking black and red design looks great, and the notebook is slim enough to go to class or to the cafe without a second thought.

The black metal lid adds to the overall durability of the notebook, but it attracts fingerprints and smudges quite easily. The big red Beats Logo dominates the lid so everyone around knows your computer has Beats Audio.

The notebook exhibits little flex around the corners and on the display, thanks to the metal lid. There is some flex on the middle of the notebook and in the keyboard, but overall the dm4 Beats edition feels sturdy.

Keyboard and Touchpad

For everything HP got right, the keyboard isn’t on the list. The keyboard is incredibly mushy, especially on the left side of the notebook. Combine this with flat keys and we have the makings for many typos.

The dm4 keyboard does offer good key spacing and placement, though the split arrow keys cause some errant cursor movement. The keyboard has red backlighting that looks great and makes it easier to work in low light conditions.

The touchpad on the dm4 Beats Edition is surprisingly good. I experienced no palm movement while typing long documents like this review. Users who prefer external mice will appreciate the ability to turn off the touchpad with a double tap in the upper left.

The touchpad was accurate and the smooth finish provides an excellent mousing surface. Two finger scrolling  was smooth even in troublesome text boxes.  I wish every Windows notebook mousepad was this good.

Display

The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats edition uses a 1600 x 900 resolution 14-inch display with a matte finish that is amazing.

It’s tough to find a high-resolution display on a 14-inch consumer notebook, let alone one with a matte finish and a $800 price.

The 1600 x 900 resolution display is perfect for working on two documents side by side or surfing the web, controlling music and chatting without switching between windows.

Thanks to the matte display the dm4 Beats Edition is easy to use outdoors, even in the bright sun. I wrote this review on my patio in direct sunlight. I would prefer a slightly brighter display but the display was easy enough to see in the sun.

Features

Beats Audio – Beats Audio delivers higher quality notebook audio with 2 speakers and a subwoofer, and shines with headphones.

HP Launch Box – HP bundles a number of commonly used apps into a single Windows 7 Taskbar shortcut box.

HP SimplePass – Easily log into websites with a swipe of a finger or fast switch between different users.

HD Webcam – The TrueVision webcam delivers better than average images for Skype and Google Hangouts.

HP Premier Experience – Like the Lenovo Enhanced Experience, the HP Premier Experience includes a number of user experience improvements, highlighted in the video below.

Performance and Graphics

HP didn’t skimp on the Beats edition of the dm4, which ships with a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 6GB RAM and a spacious tk hard drive that gets a boost in speed thanks to a small flash cache. This makes the notebook resume from sleep faster and provides other speed enhancements without the need for a small and expensive flash drive.

When it comes to working in multiple apps and listening to music or watching streaming video from Netflix or Hulu there was no slowing down.

The Integrated Intel graphics and 2.5GHz processor deliver enough power to use apps like Photoshop Elements and do light movie editing before sharing clips on YouTube.

The notebook uses integrated graphics, which limits the gaming potential, but doesn’t rule out gaming on the go. I wouldn’t suggest playing the latest Call of Duty games, but casual flash games and games like Portal 2 are perfectly suited for the dm4 Beats Edition.

Audio

The Beats Audio sounds good on the dm4′s speakers, but the audio really sparkles when paired with a good pair of headphones.

Listening to a bit of everything from Van Halen’s Hot for Teacher and Foster the People’s Pumped Up Kicks to Bruno Mars’ Lighters and a bit of Frank Sinatra was a delight with Beats Audio and my Nox Audio Scout headphones.

No matter which genre I’m listening to I was impressed with the clear audio. From the crisp sound of drums on Hot for Teacher to the floating piano and bass of Lighters it was clear that Beats Audio delivers a better audio experience than the average notebook and most gadgets for that matter.

Even with the volume at 60% music was loud enough to drown out any surrounding noises and deliver a great listening experience.

HP explains Beats Audio in the video below:

I’m not going to pretend to be an audiophile, but I love it when music sounds good and that’s an area where the dm4 Beats edition delivers.

Battery Life

I tested the HP Pavilion dm4 beats edition with the Laptop Magazine battery test, which simulates web browsing with the screen set at 40% and the notebook lasted 5 hours and 52 minutes.

Even under a full load, with the screen at full brightness, multiple Chrome Windows open and music at full blast the Pavilion dm4 lasted a respectable 4 hours. That’s great considering I paid no attention to activities that drain the battery.

The Bottom Line

The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition delivers great sound and performance with an elegant design.

Despite the keyboard issues and integrated graphics performance the HP Pavilion dm4 Beats edition offers a lot of value.

The HP software extras and great price combine to offer a wonderful package.

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HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon takes the design of the ThinkPad X1, which we loved, and bumps the screen up to a mainstream 14-inch. The X1 Carbon might possibly be the best business notebook we’ve seen so far as it addresses many of the tradeoffs users must typically make when trading in a typical business notebook.

The ThinkPad X1 should be standard issue in corporate America. No, the X1 won’t fit everybody’s needs, but it will make everyone from road warriors to conference room jockeys very happy. The 14″ display means there’s not much to give up when downsizing from a bulkier business notebook such as the ThinkPad T400.

The ThinkPad Carbon X1 has several creature comforts baked in that make it more user friendly, without giving up its ThinkPad pedigree.

Read: ThinkPad X1 Review

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has about the same footprint as the original ThinkPad X1, which has a 13.3″ display. One thing we really like is that the new X1 Carbon has an anti-glare display like the rest of the ThinkPad lineup. The display has a resolution of 1600×900 pixels, which means users can edit two documents side by side. A 720p webcam that tracks the user is at the top of the display. The keyboard is backlit, making it easier to use in the dark.

We got to take an early look at the ThinkPad X1 Carbon at a Lenovo event in San Francisco last week. Weighing in at almost exactly three pounds, the ThinkPad Carbon X1 feels even lighter than it looks. Part of the reason for that is that Lenovo built its internal rollcage out of Carbon, hence the product’s name.

The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon includes the new 3rd Generation Intel Core family of processors with better power management and enhanced integrated Intel graphics. Lenovo hasn’t provided official battery life numbers yet, but company representatives said it will last longer than the original X1 on a single charge. That’s important considering users can’t slap an extended battery on this notebook as they can with most ThinkPads. One very nice feature is that the X1 Carbon’s battery can go from zero to 80% in just 30 minutes. That means all you need to do is plug in during a coffe break at a cafe or while waiting for your connecting flight and you’re good to go.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon isn’t as thin as the MacBook Air or consumer UltraBooks, but it is a world apart from what most business people lug around.

The left side of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a single USB 2.0 port and wireless on/off switch. Towards the rear of the left side is the power adapter port. It is rectangular in shape since the notebook is too thin to accomodate the standard ThinkPad power adapter, which features a round connector.

The right side of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a Kensignton lock slot, USB 3.0 port, DisplayPort, audio jack and SD card reader.

The rear of the notebook has a SIM slot for 3G and 4G connectivity. Lenovo and its partners will offer users the option of paying per session, which means users won’t have to sign up for long contracts. This is a very nice feature since most people don’t have an ongoing need and bosses aren’t too keen on approving such contracts for people that only travel occasionally.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon: 14 inch Ultrabook for Business is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Acer’s new Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is the first ultrabook to hit the US with discrete graphics on board. Acer and NVIDIA tout it as the first “true ultrabook” thanks to the power under the hood. But with a 15.6-inch display, will most consumers really place it in that category?

The screen size coupled with the inclusion of an optical drive means that most will compare this laptop with other mainstream machines. And with an expected price of around $999, buyers on a budget will want a notebook that can do more than just the basics.

Can the Ultra M3 live up to those expectations? Read our full review to find out.

Who is the Timeline Ultra M3 for?

Consumers who like the ultrabook form factor but need a larger screen size will appreciate the real-estate that 15.6-inches offers. Users who need a machine that can handle resource-intense tasks — such as master multitasking or editing images and video — with speed and efficiency can count on the power of discrete graphics. Shoppers looking for a machine that can handle most popular games but don’t want or need a rig exclusively for that purpose will be impressed by the power of Nvidia’s newest GPU. Students who need a laptop they can carry to class and get them through both finals and downtime. Anyone who needs a laptop that is portable and powerful in equal measure.

Design

The Ultra M3 definitely earns the ultrabook moniker with its slim frame and light weight. Though saying “it’s light for a 15-inch laptop” may seem like faint praise, it’s a pretty big deal for users who just can’t get real work done on 13-inch machines yet don’t want to give up on portability. At 4.5 pounds this Ultra M3 is the same weight as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and just slightly heavier than the 4.4 pound, 14-inch HP Pavilion dm4.

Many ultrabooks are razor thin for the sake of razor thinness and in the process sacrifice important ports. The Ultra M3 is only 0.78 inches thin with a 14.75 x 10.0 inch footprint. This size allows for an optical drive, found on the left, as well as an SD card slot, three USB ports (one of them USB 3.0), HDMI and Ethernet.

My only complaint is that everything except the optical drive and the card slot are on the back of the laptop, so they’re less convenient to get at when plugging in flash drives, peripherals and the like.

Aesthetically, this notebook is simple but well-designed and attractive in a black tie kind of way. Acer kept it basic with an all-black paint job with the exception of slate grey around the keys.

The power button is on the front edge and slightly wkward to press

Keyboard and Touchpad

Like most ultrabooks the M3 sports an island-style keyboar with flat keys. Since it’s a 15-inch rig users also get a full-size number pad on the right. The keys have decent travel but are a little small, which is odd since there’s plenty of room for more surface area. Due to this and the minimal travel I often missed letters when typing, especially when going fast.

The lack of backlighting is disappointing, especially for a premium laptop, but not a dealbreaker for everyone.

The large clickpad is problematic, but what else is new with PC clickpads? On the Ultra M3 I most noticed issues when trying to perform tasks that took precision, such as selecting text.

The touchpad also doesn’t deal well with one finger resting on the surface while the other moves around. The bottom corners are stiff, which won’t be a problem for people trained to tap to click and will annoy people who prefer mouse buttons.

Display

The 15.6-inch display impressed me with bright, rich colors and deep blacks. Since the surface is glossy it doesn’t do well in the sun, but the viewing angles are good. At extreme angles you’ll encounter color distortion, but within a normal range things look as they should.

The disappointment comes in the resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels. While you might be able to convince me that this res is acceptable for a 13-inch display, on a 15-inch one it borders on sad. A screen this size should be at least 1400 x 900, even if this is just an ultrabook.

Performance and Battery Life

Acer packed the Ultra M3 with speedy components, so it’s no surprise that it performs well. A 1.7-GHZ Intel Core i7-2637M processor drives this ultrabook, backed by 4GB of RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). And, as I mentioned before, Nvidia’s GeForce GT 640M graphics card backed by 1GB of dedicated VRAM. Though the Intel processor is an ultra-low voltage model, most users will get the same performance out of this as mainstream laptops with Core i5 CPUs.

In my time with the Ultra M3 I multitasked like mad, regularly switching between up to 40 tabs each in FireFox and Chrome with Photoshop Elements, Microsoft Word, Skype and Digsby running as well. Normally the massive FireFox tabbing is enough to make a computer groan since the browser is such a resource hog, but this ultrabook didn’t sweat.

The SSD is also very fast, which helps when copying files, opening programs (usually less than 5 seconds), and booting or resuming from sleep. Acer’s Instant Connect promises to get you on the Internet in 2.5 seconds after waking, and in my experience that rang true whenever connecting to known networks.

With Wi-Fi on and the screen brightness set to 40%, I ran the LAPTOP Magazine Battery Test, which surfs constantly until the battery dies. The Ultra M3 lasted 7 hours and 20 minutes under these conditions, which is 40 minutes shy of the promised 8 hours. In my time using this machine I was able to get up to 10 hours out of it with Wi-Fi on for between 4 and 5 hours and the screen set at 25% brightness.

This impressive battery life is possible even with discrete graphics because the ultrabook has Nvidia’s Optimus technology inside which switches to the graphics card automatically only when needed, allowing the integrated graphics to take over and save power.

Bottom line: you can leave the A/C adapter at home most of the time, which means less weight in your bag.

Graphics, Gaming and Multimedia Performance

The Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics card inside is built on the company’s Kepler architecture, which means that it’s powerful, but efficient. The efficiency is key to the Ultra M3′s good battery life, the power is important for consumers who want an ultrabook that can do everything.

The graphics card not only makes playing resource-intensive games like Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City possible, but also means that users can edit images with a program like Photoshop and video with a program like Premiere or PowerDirector without having to wait for the computer to catch up. When exporting a 720p 30fps 5 minute video to MPEG 4, Adobe Premiere Elements completed the export in under 5 minutes with quality set high. While using Photoshop Elements I noted that I was able to crunch, add filters and do edits on even large image files in just a few seconds instead of having to wait.

Though hardcore gamers won’t find the Ultra M3 suitable for their everyday needs, this ultrabook does have great gaming chops. Players will see well over 100fps on average-intensity games like World of Warcraft and between 50 and 70fps on more graphics-intense games like Battlefield 3. Even super resource hogging games are playable, though with those you’re getting into needing a gaming rig, anyway.

With all this power, playing HD videos well is a given. Thanks to the Dolby speakers and the large display, watching movies is a great experience. Just as with games, I didn’t note any pixilation, hitching or anything to mar my enjoyment.

Price and Availability

Acer hasn’t announced the final US price for the Ultra M3, though it should be available on Amazon.com and NewEgg.com within the next two weeks. Without knowing the price, it’s hard to determine whether this ultrabook is worth buying. Since it’s an ultrabook, most predict a price around $999.

The Bottom Line

The Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 may not fit into most people’s pre-conceptions about what an ultrabook is (or isn’t). But even if you think of it as a thin and light mainstream laptop, it still holds up pretty well when compared to systems like the Sony VAIO SE, Dell XPS 14z and the HP Envy 15. You get enough power for both typical usage and more intense, specialized tasks in a package light enough to carry around everywhere, should you need to.

The disappointing resolution is a big drawback for multimedia lovers and hard core gamers and the sub-par touchpad is a downer for everyone. But neither of these issues is enough to put me off the Ultra M3 completely.

While most ultrabooks make great companion laptops but won’t do as primary computers for power users, the Ultra M3 is good enough to be the only notebook you’ll need. However, until Acer finally releases the price, it’s hard to know if the whole package represents a good value.

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Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 Review – The First True Ultrabook? is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

The ThinkPad X130e takes the lessons Lenovo learned in the business market and pulls them together into a rugged mini notebook designed for students.

Lenovo built on the small frame of the ThinkPad X130e, adding features to help the X130e stand up to the abuses of K-12 classrooms. While there is a major focus on the iPad in classrooms, the X130e is better suited for young users who are more likely to drop the notebook or spill something on it.

The red Lenovo X130e is only available in the education market, but individual users can buy the black ThinkPad X130e direct from Lenovo.

Lenovo designed the ThinkPad X130e for education.

Who is the ThinkPad X130e for?

The ThinkPad X130e is primarily a notebook for students, but it also offers an attractive set of features for business users looking for a small, rugged second notebook with a great keyboard.

Design

Lenovo has created an incredibly well-built notebook. The X130e is bulkier than the X120e and competing 11-inch notebooks, but this is thanks to the military spec ruggedness that defines the notebook.

Lenovo ditches the square corners of the ThinkPad line, opting for more kid-friendly corners that complement the rounded design style.

Even under pressure, the lid and the base of the X130e remained solid under pressure. Lenovo includes a rubber bumper to prevent screen damage from the display pressing on keys and prevents random items in students’ bags from slipping in between the display and keyboard.

The notebook is MIL-SPEC rated for ruggedness, which is why the bezel is much thicker. Lenovo designed the hinges to last 30,000 cycles, to accommodate students opening and closing the notebook again and again.

The design carries over to the recessed and strengthened ports to prevent damage from students pulling on cords without properly removing them.

The ThinkPad X130e has 3 USB 2.0 ports, including one that can charge gadgets. The notebook also has Ethernet, VGA, HDMI ports as well as a combo mic/headphone jack and an SD card reader.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The ThinkPad X130e has a great keyboard for such a small notebook. The keys have near perfect travel and a slight curve that guides fingers to the middle of the key for faster, error-free touch typing.

Too often small notebooks have lackluster keyboards with poor key placement, but this is not the case. The X 130 has a full size keyboard and all the keys appropriately sized and placed.

The touchpad is incredibly small, even for the small hands of students. Lenovo includes the Thinkpad Trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard for precise pointing.

The touchpad is too small for multi-touch gestures, but supports two finger clicks. There are no mouse buttons on the bottom of the trackpad, but the mousepad is clickable.

ThinkPad X130e users should plan on using the accurate Trackpoint or an external mouse for long sessions.

Display

The 11.6″ display on the ThinkPad X130e has a 1366 x 768 resolution, which is quite good for a notebook of this size. Students won’t live comparing documents side by side, but the resolution is better suited for the classroom than those found on netbooks.

The matte display is usable outdoors and in harsh lighting, but some users will find the display a little dim even at the brightest setting.

While watching the trailer for The Avengers colors looked good, though blacks could have been blacker. Viewing angles are prefect for a notebook of this size, wide enough to allow three students to share the screen if needed.

Features

Lenovo includes many features in the ThinkPad X130 to meet the needs of the classroom and school administers.

• Rubber Bumper to absorb impact.
• 33% stronger corners to prevent damage form drops.
• 1.2mm thicker bezel for additional display protection.
• Active Protection System to stop hard drive in the event of a drop.
• Stronger hinges and Ethernet port to prevent damage during use.
• Security features including security features including TPM and Intel Anti-Theft

Performance and Graphics

The 1.3GHzAMD E 300 powers the ThinkPad X130e with integrated graphics, The X130e is configurable with up to 8GB of RAM, but my review unit came with 2GB of RAM. The notebook comes with 320GB or 500GB storage options.

This base configuration proved powerful enough to handle the needs of students. The AMD E 300 processor did not stutter when working in multiple programs including Microsoft Word and the web browser.

Watching videos on YouTube or accessing educational flash websites and games did not stress the system. The ThinkPad X130e has plenty of power to meet the needs of students.

The speakers are note impressive in quality, but are definitely loud enough for an educational setting.

The webcam is OK, with a VGA resolution, but won’t blow users away. Considering the use in classrooms and for Skype collaboration by students at home, it is sufficient. The webcam does well in low light conditions.

Battery Life

Lenovo rates the ThinkPad X130e for all day use in the classroom and battery testing proves that the X130e lives up to this claim. Using het Laptop Mag Battery Test, that simulates web browsing with the screen set at 40% brightness the ThinkPad X130e lasted 7 hours and 22 minutes. Long enough to last through a full day of school.

The Bottom Line

The ThinkPad X130e delivers everything Lenovo promises for the classroom. The features and rugged design are essential for unforgiving classroom environments. The processor offers limited power, but is more than adequate for the needs of K-12 students. Administrators will appreciate the included security features.

The iPad is a hot topic for schools, but the ThinkPad X130e offers a more durable learning tool geared at productivity and learning.

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ThinkPad X130e Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is a new take on PC from Dell.

For $999, you get an incredibly capable, attractive and compact notebook that will sway some buyers away form the MacBook Air 11.6″ model.

While this notebook isn’t perfect, it is one of  the best Dell notebooks I’ve used. From portability to performance, the XPS 13 Ultrabook brings a lot to the table.

The Dell XPS is the best Ultrabook we have used, which is why we are gave it a Notebooks.com Editor’s Choice Award.

The XPS 13 Ultrabook isn’t perfect, but if we only gave awards to perfect notebooks, we would never give out awards. The trackpad, which is our biggest complaint, will likely be fixed by Dell in a driver update, as they have in the past.

If you want an Ultrabook, the Dell XPS 13 offers beauty, the best build quality, and performance at an attractive price.

The Dell XPS 13 is a very compact notebook that is closer in size to the 11 inch MacBook Air than the 13 inch model. In many ways, the XPS 13 Ultrabook is best compared to the smaller MacBook Air. Both models are similar in size and build quality, both have the same 1366 x 768 resolution and both lack an SD card reader.

More importantly, the Dell XPS 13 starts at $999, just like the 11 inch Macbook Air. But, for the same price consumers get a bigger screen, double th hard drive space, double the RAM and a faster processor.

OS X fans may not be tempted to switch to the Dell XPS 13, but shoppers looking for value will appreciate the components and performance packed into the base model we are reviewing.

Dell XPS 13 vs MacBook Air 13-Inch

Does the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook have what it takes to beat out the Ultrabook competition and win back users tempted by the looks and performance of the MacBook Air?

Find out in our Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook review.

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Video Review

Watch our hands on review of the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook to get up close and personal with Dell’s first Ultrabook. From the aluminum lid to the carbon fiber base we have you covered with impressions of the keyboard, mouse and display.

Who is the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook for?

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is a notebook designed for users who are on the go. From students to travelers, the XPS 13 will be a good fit. The $999 entry-level model we are reviewing offers a faster processor than the MacBook Air 11.6″ and double the storage. If you want a sturdy notebook, the XPS 13 is right up there with Apple, beating out the Portege z835.

Professional creatives may be constrained by this entry-level model’s power, but Dell offers a Core i7 model for $1,499.

Design

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook has an anodized aluminum body, but instead of using metal on the bottom Dell opted for a soft touch carbon fiber finish that looks and feels great.

This notebook is very compact. At 12.4″ x 8.1″ x 0.24-0.71″ it is about the same size as the 11 inch MacBook Air, and noticeably smaller than the 13 inch MacBook Air. Users who want a very small package will appreciate this compact form factor, even if the XPS 13 is slightly thicker than the Macbook Air.

One of the things basic users will like most about the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is that you don’t need to make the typical trade off between screen size and overall size. The XPS 13 Ultrabook is the same size as many 11 inch notebooks, but delivers the screen size of the Toshiba Portege z835 and the HP Folio 13.

Users will also appreciate the build quality, which is higher, and feels nicer than the Portege z835.

I really like the soft touch finish on the palm rest and keyboard tray. The black looks great against the anodized aluminum edges, and it provides a comfortable place to rest your wrists while you use the XPS 13 Ultrabook.

The Dell XPS 13 has one USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.0 port, a DisplayPort and combo mic/headphone jack. There is no SD card slot.

Keyboard and Touchpad

I was really impressed with the keyboard on the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. The keys feel great and offer good travel, the distance they need to go before being registered. Spacing is also excellent on the island style keyboard. Even though the notebook is compact, Dell didn’t make any weird key placement or sizing choices.

Unfortunately the glass touchpad is another story. While accurate and responsive to gestures, even three and four finger gestures, the touchpad has little to no palm rejection. Even with the settings cranked as high as possible, my cursor still jumped constantly while writing this review.

Another issue with the touchpad is the odd click zones. Too often while I was trying to tap to click anywhere on the touchpad I would activate a right-click. This doesn’t happen every time, but often enough that it was an issue.

If you can overlook these two issues you’ll enjoy the built in two, three and four finger gestures, which bring some of the magic from OS X to Windows with easy swipes to see currently open windows and to show your desktop. These weren’t enough to make up for the other issues in my experience.

These issues are most likely software based, so Dell could fix these complaints in a software upgrade.

Display

Dell is able to squeeze a 13 inch display in this small form factor thanks to a very small bezel, and strengthens the display with Gorilla Glass to prevent scratches and damage from mobile use.

The XPS 13 Ultrabook has a meager 1366 x 768 resolution, which will disappoint power users. This is the same resolution as the 11.6 inch MacBook Air, and the same as you’ll find on most 14 and 15.6 inch notebooks. This is acceptable on an entry-level notebook, but I wish there was an upgrade to a higher resolution display like the 1440 x 900 resolution on the 13 inch MacBook Air.

Colors look great on the 13 inch display and viewing angles on the Dell XPS 13 are also very good side to side. Colors quickly take a hit when you get off-center vertically, but in most use cases you can position the display to stay in the sweet spot. If you need to share the display with someone for a short YouTube clip you can, but I wouldn’t plan on watching a feature film with someone else on the XPS 13 Ultrabook.

Features

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook isn’t just a pretty face, Dell packs in features you will use and love. Thanks to Waves Maxx the XPS 13 has seriously good sound and Intel WiDi helps you connect to your HDTV with no wires.

WavesMaxx Audio – The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook comes with WavesMaxx Audio which delivers a premium sound experience in a small package. The sound is surprisingly clear and loud. You’ll hear a noticeable difference between the XPS 13 and the competition.

Carbon Fiber Base – The carbon fiber base isn’t just for looks. The Dell XPS 13 is able to stay cooler than the competition thanks to this base.

Wireless Display – If you have an optional $99 WiDI adapter you can wirelessly stream your desktop to your HDTV without any wires.

Performance and Graphics

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook review notebook we have is the base $999 model. This has a 1.60GHz Intel Core i5 2nd Gen processor, 4GB RAM an a 128GB SSD.

The XPS 13 Ulrabook has the power to run your web browser, chat client and Office apps without any slowdowns, including hopping back and forth between them with ease.

I loaded up the included full copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, and edited a number of photos very quickly. The system didn’t struggle with quickly applying filter after filter, no did it struggle when I decided to undo my 18 changes by quickly hitting undo over and over.

The notebook handles streaming video with ease. I watched an episode of Family Guy on Hulu Plus at 720P while all the above apps were open. The XPS 13′s carbon fiber base and large vent kept the notebook nice and cool even at the end of a 20 minute episode.

One issue that users may have is fan noise. During most of the time I used the Dell XPS 13 the fan was audible. It was not so loud that it overpowered the music or audio on these speakers, but if you want a silent notebook, the XPS 13 is not it.

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook resumes from sleep almost instantly, and boots to a usable state in 20-25 seconds.

Battery Life

The Dell XPS 13 is rated for 8.5 hours of battery life, but I came up short. Using the Laptop Magazine Battery Test, which simulates web browsing with the screen at 40% brightness I was able to record 6 hours an 19 minute of battery life.

This is good real world battery life for a compact and light notebook, on par with the rest of the Ultrabook notebooks we have tested. If you drop the screen brightness lower, you will likely achieve longer life, without making the notebook completely unusable.

The Bottom Line

The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook is an impressive notebook that delivers a lot in a small package, especially at $999. If the trackpad was as good as that on the Macbook Air I would say that Dell had bested Apple in that price range, but sadly that’s not the case.

If you plan to use an external mouse with the XPS 13 Ultrabook, you are in for a great experience. One that will suit Windows fans better than a 11 inch MacBook Air. If you have $999 to spend on a new notebook and the 11 inch MacBook Air’s 64GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM sounds cramped, the XPS 13 Ultrabook is a good option to look into.

Even though the XPS 13 carries the same size display as the 13 inch MacBook Air, the $300 price difference and the higher resolution of the Air put the two at opposite ends of the spectrum.

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Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Review: Best Ultrabook Yet is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Dell XPS 14z is a step above the standard Dell notebook, but it comes with an attractive $799 starting price that puts it within the range of students and creative professionals on a budget.

The XPS 14z is thin and light, but unlike most notebooks in this category and the new Ultrabooks, the XPS 14z includes an optical drive.

Even though the XPS 14z starts at $799, it is a very capable notebook that includes features like a backlit keyboard, battery meter and great sound. The keyboard is mediocre and there are only two USB ports, but the XPS 14z is still a contender.

The Dell XPS 14z starts at $799, with power and good looks.

Who is the Dell XPS 14z for?

The Dell XPS 14z is a notebook for creative professionals and students in need of the horsepower to create movies and use programs like Photoshop and other Adobe products. The design is very similar to the MacBook Pro, which isn’t a bad thing, and will attract users who value a good-looking notebook with the specs to get work done.

Design

As I mentioned, and as most people I showed the Dell XPS 14z to mentioned, the XPS 14z looks a lot like the MacBook Pro.

The Dell XPS 14z reminds us of the MacBook Pro.

The notebook has an aluminum case that feels good to the touch. When you open the XPS 14z, you immediately notice the barrel-shaped hinge that catches your eye where the display meets the notebook base. This hinge is sturdy, but because of the placement you cannot open the display too far.

The palmrest is thankfully not aluminum, instead it is a softer, nicer to the touch material that feels more comfortable than the palmrest on my MacBook Air.

There are speaker grilles on both sides of the keyboard, cut with a pattern that you also see on the base of the unit.

The barrel hinge limits how far you can open the display.

The Dell XS 14z is slightly wider than the MacBook Air 13, even though it has a 14 inch display. This is thanks to the very small bezels around the screen.

The XPS 14z weighs 4.36 pounds and measures in 13.2 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches, which puts it out of the Ultrabook category, but still in competition as a thin and light notebook with power inside. Plus, it has an optical drive.

Most of the Dell XPS 14z's ports are on the rear.

Dell places most of the ports on the back of the XPS 14z, including Ethernet, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI and DisplayPort. There is an SD card slot on the left side as well as microphone and headphone jacks.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Dell XPS 14z keys don't offer much travel and could provide a better typing experience.

The Dell XPS 14z keyboard is disappointing for several reasons. The keys feel cheap compared to the rest of the notebook and offer very little travel. Key placement is excellent with no odd sized keys, but backlighting is very poor.  I ended up turning backlighting off because it lit the keys unevenly, making it hard to see the R, D, C and I, K, M keys.

Note the lower light on the R, D, C and I, K, M keys.

The touchpad is large and includes two dedicated mouse buttons. The touchpad handles two finger scrolling very well, delivering perhaps the best two finger scrolling on a Windows notebook in recent memory. It also offers precise pointing and buttons that have a good feel.

The Dell XPS 14z's touchpad is surprisingly good for a Windows notebook.

My palm often moved the mouse with the default settings, but after increasing Palm Check, I was able to type without worrying about errant cursor movement. This is very important given the size of the touchpad and the likelihood that your right palm will touch it when typing.

Display

The Dell XPS 14z has a 14 inch display with an average 1366 x 768 resolution.

The small bezel around the 14 inch display allows the XPS 14z to stay compact, but unfortunately the display has a lackluster 1366 x 768 resolution. This limits how much you can do on the screen at once, and is an issue for users who want to take advantage of the power to work on photos and edit movies.

Viewing angles are limited by the glare that quickly gets in the way when you move to the left or right of the notebook. Even with the limited range of the display, the vertical viewing angles are good enough that you’ll be able to find a comfortable angle in most settings.

The colors looked good overall, delivering an enjoyable video watching experience, but it is disappointing that there is no higher resolution option.

Features

WavesMaxx – The Dell XPS 14z has WavesMaxx Audio and wonderful sounding speakers, much nicer than most notebooks.

Webcam & Dual Array Mics – The built in 1.3MP webcam offers clear images for video chatting in most settings, and the dual array microphones deliver good audio to the person on the other end.

Optical Drive – Unlike most notebooks that are thin and light, the XPS 14z has an 8X slot load DVD drive capable of burning both CDs and DVDs.

Battery Meter – The built in battery meter on the right side allows you to check your battery life without turning the notebook on.

Performance and Graphics

My Dell XPS 14z review unit has a 2.40GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M 1GB graphics with Optimus switching to enhance battery life.

I was really impressed with the power in this small package. I was able to run through PhotoShop tasks without any issue, and video editing on Sony Vegas didn’t strain the system thanks to the GPU and healthy helping of RAM.

The Dell XPS 14z offered speedy resume times, so you can get back to work after moving to a new location or taking a break almost as fast as you open the notebook.

The Dell XPS 14z has stylish vents that keep the notebook cool.

Through all of this the notebook was cool enough to keep on my lap, though the fan is loud enough to hear even with just a few programs open.

The Dell XPS 14z isn’t a gaming notebook, so don’t plan on playing the most intense games out there, but with the GT520M and 1GB of RAM you can play recent games with the graphics turned to lower settings. Still, I wouldn’t make this notebook my top pick if I want to do any serious gaming.

When it comes to watching the video you create, the system has the power to playback HD video locally and from sites like Netflix and Hulu without any trouble.

The Dell XPS 14z speakers offer great quality and good volume.

I was really impressed with the audio on the Dell XPS 14z, which delivers depth to your music. I am surprised by how good these speakers are given the reasonable price of the XPS 14z and the small size of the notebook. More on the Dell XPS 14z speakers and sound.

Battery Life

You can check the Dell XPS 14z battery life with this indicator on the right side.

The Dell XPS 14Z is rated for just under 7 hours of battery life by Dell. I used the Laptop Magazine battery testing tool, which simulates web browsing with the screen at 40% brightness and the XPS 14z lasted 5 hours and 32 minutes, which is similar to what we saw on the Lenovo ThinkPad T420s. Given the price and the specs, this is decent battery life.

The Bottom Line

The Dell XPS 14z won’t replace a MacBook Pro, but it is decent alternative for creatives on a budget. The low screen resolution and the unimpressive keyboard are a reason to look at alternatives like the HP ProBook 5330m which offers a better typing experience, though no optical drive.

If you spend more time in Photoshop and movie editing tools than writing papers and emails, the Dell XPS 14z is a notebook you should seriously consider, especially with a $799 starting price.

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Specs

Dell XPS 14z Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 is a consumer notebook with a bright blue design that stands out in the crowded $600 notebook market.

With a 13.3 inch display and compact dimensions, the Z370 is an attractive option for students and home users who don’t want to carry a bulky notebook to class or the cafe, but aren’t ready to pay up for an Ultrabook.

The IdeaPad Z370 is missing the latest features like USB 3.0, but users will find it tough to argue with sale prices that drop to $569 on a regular basis.

Who is the IdeaPad Z370 for?

The IdeaPad Z370 is a notebook for consumers and students who want a well-built machine that will stand out in the crowd. The bright blue patterned lid and blue interior won’t appeal to everyone, but students drawn in by the looks will find more than enough power for school and personal tasks thanks to an Intel Core i5 processor.

Design

The IdeaPad Z370 has a distinct plastic feel I’m not a fan of, but that doesn’t mean the Z370 isn’t sturdy or a nice look to it. The base of the notebook is very well built, with no flex under pressure and no flex in the center of the notebook, which helps deliver a better typing experience.

The lid has a solid feel and hinges that keep it in place at the angle you open it to. As I mentioned, the Z370 has a very loud color scheme, accentuated with the transparent 3D design that catches the eye.

The Z370 weighs in at 4.41 pounds, which isn’t going to win any contests, but is light enough to carry in a backpack to and from class without too much weight. The IdeaPad Z370 is .08 to 1.3 inches thick, which is still thin enough for most users, but I wouldn’t want to take it on a trip all the time.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The IdeaPad Z370 has an island style keyboard with good spacing and a nice tactile feel. The keys have a slight indent and offer an OK amount of travel, but there were definitely times where I missed a letter because I didn’t push in enough.

The key layout is OK, but Lenovo continues the trend of placing keys to the right of Shift and Enter, which can slow down touch typers and cause odd spelling errors due to pressing Home or End. The right shift key is also smaller, so you’ll be pressing up accidentally on a semi-regular basis.

The touchpad has a nice tactile feel that makes it easy to mouse to a specific place, but the accuracy is lost when you are trying to select multiple lines of text while holding down the left side of the single mouse button.

Scrolling is smooth with the right side of the trackpad, but if you want to use two fingers be ready for a jumpy scrolling experience. Overall the trackpad is usable, but for extended sessions I suggest a good travel mouse.

Display

The 13.3 inch display on the IdeaPad Z370 has a standard 1366 x 768 resolution which makes it difficult to compare two documents at the same time, such as a web source and Word, or to surf the web and carry on chat conversations.

Unless you plan to spend significantly more though, you’ll be stuck with this relatively low resolution. If you tend to focus on one task at a time, this isn’t a huge deal.

The display is glossy, one of the glossiest I have used recently, kicking back glare from a ceiling light at home and ruling out use outdoors.

Still, the display has good horizontal viewing angles and offers good colors, making it useful for sharing a few YouTube clips with a friend or two. Vertical viewing angles go bad fast, but the display opens up to a wide angle, so you can find a position that works in most settings.

The OneKey Theater button allows you to tweak display settings for a better viewing experience.

I’d recommend using the HDMI connection to mirror to an HDTV if you plan to watch a full movie with more than two people.

Performance and Graphics

The IdeaPad Z370 has an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM which combine with the integrated Intel 3000 HD graphics to offer plenty of performance for students and home users looking to surf the web, watch movies, listen to music and work in Microsoft office.

The notebook is capable of casual flash based gaming, but isn’t going to replace an Xbox 360 for gaming. Lenovo includes a Game Console app with the notebook that gives you quick access to many casual games.

I was able to run multiple Chrome windows with about 15 tabs, music playing in Windows Media Player and chat with friends without issues.

The integrated 2.0MP webcam is capable enough for Skype or a Google Hangout, but you won’t come across as crystal clear, though audio does well in chat.

The Z370 has SRS Premium audio enhanced sound which does give a boost in the depth of music and clear highs, but the middle is left muddy. You are able to crank the built in speakers to the Max to fill up a dorm room or bedroom.

When it comes to movies and TV, you can watch Netflix and Hulu without any trouble, though the notebook will hear up after an episode of The Daily Show.

If you want to edit photos for red eye, automatic color correction and cropping, this notebook has enough power, but it wouldn’t be my first pick for a graphic design student. The same is true for video editing.

Battery Life

While using the Laptop Magazine Battery Test, which simulates web browsing on 40% brightness until the battery dies, the Lenovo Z370 was able to last 4 hours and 39 minutes, which isn’t bad, but far below a full day of use.

If you need a full day of computing power, you can carry a second battery, unlike many of the ultrabooks which don’t allow for a replacement.

The Bottom Line

The IdeaPad Z370 is a capable notebook for students and home users, with good build quality and eye-catching looks. There aren’t many frills, but with web sales prices starting at $569, you don’t need or expect the world.

If you are OK with the so so keyboard layout and poor two finger scrolling, the Z370 is a nice catch, especially at the sale price under $600.

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Specs

Lenovo IdeaPad Z370 Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The ThinkPad T420s is a capable business notebook with a high-resolution display, durable lightweight frame and plenty of business features.

The ThinkPad T420s commands a price premium over the T420, but that accounts for the lighter weight and the 1600 x 900 resolution display that won my heart during this review.

I would appreciate longer battery life, but the great keyboard, system performance and durability help the T420s move past this shortcoming.

Who is the ThinkPad T420S for?

The ThinkPad T420s is a business notebook aimed at businesses who will deploy them to a full workforce. The ThinkPad T420s isn’t a newfangled Ultrabook, but it is still thin and light enough for the business traveler to take cross-country without complaints. Small businesses and students would also be wise in looking at the ThinkPad T420s.

Design

There’s no surprises in the Lenovo ThinkPad design, with a standard matte black finish and metal hinges. Like the classic black suit, it doesn’t go out of style, especially in a corporate environment.

That said, Lenovo has added a soft touch finish to the lid and curved the edges more so it doesn’t look like you’re carrying a chunky work notebook if you happen to take it with you on vacation or to the coffee shop.

Lenovo uses a carbon fiber reinforced bottom and a ABS plastic lid to add to the durability and strength of the T420s, which is carried over to the interior with a roll cage to keep your hard drive and components safe in case of drops or other accidents. The keyboard is also water-resistant with drain holes on the bottom.

The T420s is .8 to 1 inch thick and weighs in at four pounds, which makes for a portable business notebook that isn’t going to break your back or bulge your backpack.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Lenovo is known for excellent keyboards and users of the classic ThinkPad style keyboards will feel right at home on this notebook. While there is no island style keyboard or backlit keys like the ThinkPad X1 and ThinkPad Edge notebooks, this is still an amazing keyboard.

There are no odd key placements to the edges of the keyboards, which ruin the typing experience on many new notebooks. The key travel is great, though some users will need to adjust to spacing if they are coming from a island style notebook at home. I enjoy using this keyboard, and could use it on a daily basis, which says a lot about its quality.

The ThinkPad T420s has a touchpad and TrackPoint.

The touchpad is small, thanks in part to the extra buttons right below the spacebar which are there for TrackPoint users. If you like TrackPoint you’ll be happy with this system, which performs very well. The touchpad is relatively small at about 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall. The touchpad is textured which aids accuracy, but you can forget about using multitouch gestures. There are dedicated buttons at the bottom of the touchpad which fold over the edge, but are large enough to easily hit without looking.

Display

Lenovo knows that business users need to be able to get work done on the go, and many times that means comparing two documents side by side or using multiple programs at once.

The ThinkPad T420s has a 14.1 inch matte display which helps keep the weight and size down, but there’s nothing small about the 1600 x 900 resolution. Because Lenovo opted for this higher resolution I was able to use this notebook to accomplish tasks that normally would have taken significantly longer or required a second monitor. Most notebooks this size stick with a bare minimum 1366 x 768 resolution.

The viewing angles and colors are both good. Though vertical viewing angles suffer, the ability to adjust the angle of the display all the way flat means you can find a comfortable angle in almost any situation.

The matte display makes working outdoors or in harsh lighting possible, and is a must have for business users that need the ability to work wherever they are.

Features

Dual mics and great camera for video.

The ThinkPad T420s has a number of business friendly features that will help you sell this notebook to your IT manager.

• Docking – The ThinkPad T420s can dock on a port replicator or Mini Dock Series 3 to simplify connecting the notebook in your office and taking it out for a trip.
• Microphones – Dual HD Microphones greatly enhance conference calls, and can keep the other caller from hearing keystrokes as loud and focus the microphones on your voice, or turn it into a speakerphone for a small group.
• Security – Optional fingerprint reader, smart card support and the Lenovo Hardware Password Manager offers a nice collection of security features.
• Durability – The ThinkPad T420s meets eight military specification tests for harsh conditions and durability, so it can handle work in the real world.

Performance and Graphics

The ThinkPad T420s review unit we have comes with a 2.5GHz  Intel Core i5 2nd Generation processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB 7200 RPM hard drive. Graphics are left to the integrated Intel 3000HD processor, which delivers enough processing power for most office tasks and business users.

When it comes to accessing Access databases, complex Excel spreadsheets and using other business software the T420s is more than capable.

If you need to watch HD video, do simple video conversions or process the occasional HD video, it will also work out well. You can use the included DVD drive to burn it to disk.

Don’t plan on playing games on this unit or doing video editing on a daily basis, unless you opt for the NVIDIA NVS 4200M discrete graphics upgrade.

Dolby Home Theatre v4 adds oomph to the audio on the ThinkPad T420s. While it isn’t incredibly loud, you get decent depth and good overall sound for sharing a presentation with a small group or listening to tunes in your office or on the road.

Battery Life

Because the ThinkPad T420s is a thin notebook, you have to give up some battery life, but even with the compromise you end up with more than a half day of battery life. Using the Laptop Magazine Battery Test, which simulates web browsing at 40% brightness, the battery lasted just over 5 hours. 5 hours and 18 minutes of battery life isn’t bad, especially given the size and weight of this notebook.

The Bottom Line

The ThinkPad T420s offers great performance, an incredible high-resolution matte display and an excellent keyboard. With extras like better video conferencing and premium audio users will appreciate the T420s as much as IT managers appreciate the security and durability.

Thanks to the great $1,099 starting price and feature-set, the ThinkPad T420s is very attractive for business users and a good option for students who want a notebook capable of surviving four years of years of school.

Gallery

Specs

Lenovo ThinkPad T420s Review is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The $899 HP Folio 13 is not the thinnest or lightest ultrabook on the market, and it stands as proof that what makes a good ultrabook isn’t razor sharp edges or the ability to float away like a feather. Instead it’s about the balance between power and portability, design and function.

HP did so many things right with the Folio — it looks good, performs well, has great speakers, and lasts all day on a charge — that the one misstep stands out and nearly derails the whole thing. We’ve been here before with the troublesome clickpads. Things have gotten better, but still not good enough.

The central question for potential buyers is whether a sub-par touchpad is enough to put them off the entire laptop?

HP Folio 13 Video Review

Watch our video review below for the highlights of the HP Folio including speedy performance and a demo of the clickpad.

Who is the HP Folio 13 for?

HP is selling this ultrabook on both the consumer and enterprise sides, positioning it as a great choice whether you’re using it for work or everyday computing. Mobile workers who want thin and light and don’t need a workhorse or heavy duty machine won’t be disappointed with the Folio’s overall performance. Mainstream consumers who value portability and need a decently powerful laptop should also take a look. Students in particular.

Design

The Folio 13 isn’t a big departure style-wise from HP’s other business laptops, and that’s a good thing. We’re fans of the ProBook look, so seeing it slimmed down is great.

Brushed aluminum graces the lid and deck, minimizing the appearance of fingerprints. The bottom and rounded edges are plastic with a soft-touch coating that makes the notebook comfortable to carry with the side benefit of looking good.

HP kept the color scheme simple as well; the silver color contrasts with the black keyboard, touchpad and bottom panel to create an elegant, minimal look.

Pressing down on the lid or the wrist rest betrays a slight flex despite the aluminum. I also noticed it a bit when carrying the ultrabook by the corner. It doesn’t flex as much as the Toshiba Portege z835 and doesn’t feel un-sturdy.

When you pick this laptop up you know right away that it’s an ultrabook thanks to the 3.3 pound weight and 0.7-inch thickness. It’s not as light as the Portege z835 (2.5 pounds) or as thin as the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s (0.6-inches, 3 pounds) so it comes off more as a “mere” ultraportable, but that’s no cause for complaint. It’s still light enough to carry all day without straining your back.

Skimping on ports won’t do for a business machine. The Folio 13 has two USB ports (2.0 and 3.0), an SD card slot, and full HDMI and Ethernet ports plus a combo headphone/mic jack. I’d appreciate at least one more USB port as on the Portege z835 since this is a 13-inch system. VGA ports feel less necessary, especially with ultraportables. However, it’s worth noting that the Portege has one of those as well.

Screws on the bottom are all accessible, so users will be able to open the Folio up to replace components. There’s no removable battery, just like all the other ultrabooks we’ve seen so far.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The spill-resistant island-style keyboard is standard HP. Space between the wide keys is ample. There’s no dip at the center, which helps with accuracy, though the tops have a slight matte coating that compensates. Tactile feedback isn’t strong, but neither are the keys mushy or weak.

The white backlight illuminates and outlines each key isn’t as strong or bright as I’d like — the MacBook Air’s backlight is about what I expect — but is welcome, especially on a business laptop.

It appears that HP is not giving up on the clickpad, at least not for their premium laptops. The one on the Folio isn’t as troublesome as clickpads of the past, but it’s still not as easy to use as the MacBook Air’s.

Most basic usage is fine, though when I needed very fine accuracy the clickpad couldn’t deliver. It took some tweaking to get the palm check to the right sensitivity to keep my cursor from jumping around as I typed.

The left and right clickable areas are a little stiff and did not improve with use.

The clickpad’s multitouch capabilities are a mixed blessing. Resting one finger in the area where the left mouse button would be sometimes causes the pointer to get confused or to activate multitouch gestures. As I got used to the clickpad this happened less, but it made my first few days very frustrating.

Pinch to zoom is almost useless with the default settings as the slightest movement will zoom in or out at least 10 levels, which isn’t what people usually want to do. After I adjusted the sensitivity in Mouse settings and rebooted it didn’t escalate the zoom so quickly but never got smooth.

Two-finger scrolling is the only exception to the multitouch issues — this worked well each time I used it.

Display

The Folio’s 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 glossy display offers nice, deep colors if you’re sitting in the sweet spot. The viewing angles are narrower here than I like, especially the vertical ones.

If the display is tilted too far forward you get blown-out brights and not enough color depth. Pushing it back all the way gives the best result, but this isn’t very useful for cramped quarters, such as an airplane tray table.

Horizontal angles aren’t too terrible if you’ve got the display at the right vertical angle, but this means sharing the screen with more than one person only works out if everyone is on the same level.

Due to the glossy coating the screen is very reflective, so you won’t want to take this ultrabook out in the sun or sit directly under bright fluorescents.

Features

HP is selling the Folio 13 through their consumer and business channels. The only differences on the business side are the addition of a TPM 2.1 security chip, which protects personal data on the system, and Windows 7 Professional 64-bit instead of Home Premium. This model costs $999.

Both consumer and business users will appreciate the HD webcam. In good lighting it captures crisp, detailed pictures. In low light the quality goes down fast. Even under less than perfect conditions you won’t get much blur and colors are accurate enough.

The thin speaker bar at the top of the dock produces surprisingly well-rounded audio. It’s one of the best speakers I’ve heard on a system this thin and trumps several normal-sized laptops I’ve listened to as well.

Multimedia fans will appreciate the inclusion of Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi) technology. Coupled with a receiver (sold separately for $99) users can broadcast their screens to an HDTV.

Performance and Graphics

Due to their ultra thin design, ultrabooks all run on ultra low voltage processors. This means that the chips inside are the same as you’ll find in regular laptops but with lower speeds to cut down on heat. This also cuts into performance somewhat. The trick is finding a balance between acceptable performance and heat.

The Folio 13’s 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD achieve this balance well. The ultrabook handled productivity tasks as easily as multimedia-focused ones.

The notebook zipped through a batch process on a group of 10 hi-res images using Photoshop Elements and a 500 contact mail merge in LibreOffice. At one point I had over 30 tabs open across Chrome and Firefox and saw no signs of choking.

Thanks to the SSD, boot times averaged 24 seconds. The Folio took just 3 – 4 seconds to resume from sleep.

Though you can do some light video editing on this system in decent time, I wouldn’t recommend it for anything heavy-duty, especially given the GPU.

Intel’s integrated graphics aren’t good enough for serious gaming either, but casual and Flash-based games ran well. HD video content played smoothly at full screen and I saw no errant pixilation during transitions between light and dark scenes or hitches during moments of languid motion.

The Folio got noticeably hot during multimedia playback and times of intense productivity. Most noticeable on the bottom, the temperature didn’t get hot enough to harm, but was uncomfortable on my lap.

The bottom line is that the Folio’s performance is good enough that it can serve as your primary laptop, not just a more portable companion, as long as your needs don’t include heavy duty multimedia creation or gaming.

Battery Life

On the LAPTOP Magazine Battery Test, which involves constant surfing over Wi-Fi with the screen at 40% brightness, the HP Folio lasted 8 hours and 2 minutes. That’s longer than the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s (6:18) and the Toshiba Portege z835 (5:56) on the same test. In my time with the Folio I’ve been able to use it for 5 to around 6 and a half hours with the brightness at 60 – 90% while multitasking. So you should get all day use out of it even without having to pull out all the battery-saving stops.

The Bottom Line

The HP Folio 13 is one of the best ultrabooks we’ve seen so far in terms of performance, battery life, and design. I would recommend it without hesitation if it didn’t have that dodgy touchpad. And that’s a hard flaw to ignore considering it’s one of the most important elements of a laptop.

At $899 it’s only $50 more than the Toshiba Portege z835. While that system is thinner and lighter it can’t compete on performance. The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s has a more powerful CPU but costs almost twice as much and has fewer ports. The Folio manages to hit a nice goldilocks zone.

If this ultrabook has everything else you want it just might be worth dealing with an external mouse to get all the other benefits. The clickpad’s sensitivity settings are tweakable, and it’s possible that there’s a way to make it less frustrating to use.

HP Folio 13 Gallery

HP Folio 13 Specs

HP Folio 13 Review – This Ultrabook Means Business is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

Toshiba has torn apart what you think a $900 notebook should look like and delivered the Best Buy exclusive Toshiba Portege z835.

The Portege z835 is an ultrabook, which means it is as thin as can be and lighter than a MacBook Air. Surprisingly, Best Buy and Toshiba are able to sell this ultrabook at a price that is competitive with the MacBook Air and an attractive notebook for students, travelers and anyone who wants a two-pound notebook.

The model I have in for review is the Toshiba Portege Z835-P330, which is available exclusively at Best Buy. This model has enough power for most consumers looking for an affordable light and thin notebook, but those looking to do video editing or processor intensive tasks will be best served by a different notebook with a more powerful processor.

The Toshiba Portege z835 is a super thin Ultrabook available at Best Buy.

Who is the Toshiba Portege z835 for?

I would recommend the Portege z835 to students and frequently traveling home users, but would be wary of recommending it to a business user or road warrior. The small package means you can take it anywhere around town without feeling any extra weight in your bag, but it has much more power than a netbook. The price is also attractive.

Toshiba Portege z835 Hands On Video

Design

The Portege z835 has a magnesium alloy case which helps provide an incredibly strong base to the notebook. This does more than help with the overall feel of the device, combined with the internal honeycomb support you get a very solid typing experience as well. The case is a dark grey, that looks like brushed metal, but this is just a finish. Unfortunately the rubber foot of another laptop was all it took to rub some of the finish off on the corner of the lid, which makes me worry about what this will look like after a year on the road.

Another concern is the flexibility of the lid, which can be bent to some pretty nasty angles thanks to the super thin frame. After several months of use I am less worried that I will break it, but it is enough of a concern to give me pause. Thankfully the keys are recessed, which should help keep the display from getting small key marks on it over time.

A Magnesium alloy case provides strength without tons of weight.

The Portege z835 weighs in at weighs 2.5 pounds and is just .65 inches thick. That’s lighter and thinner than the MacBook Air 13. Trust me, you’ll notice the light weight of this laptop when you pick it up. The good news is you won’t notice it when you have it in your backpack.

Even though Toshiba made this notebook thin, the company didn’t skimp on port selection. There’s an SD Card slot, headphone and microphone connections as well as USB 3.0 on the sides. On the back of the Portege z835 you’ll find an HDMI port, VGA, Ethernet and two USB 2.0 ports, one which can charge your smartphone or gadget while the notebook is asleep.

A look at the size of the Toshiba Portege z835.

If you want to upgrade any of the internals, you’ll need to take the entire bottom of the notebook off, but Toshiba has left the screws out and open so it won’t be a challenge.

I’m a big fan of the look that Toshiba used on this model. Instead of copying the MacBook Air, you get an attractive looking notebook that has a style of its own.

Keyboard and TouchPad

The Toshiba Portege z835 has one of the nicest keyboards I have used outside of the Lenovo ThinkPad line. The keyboard has great support throughout, which minimizes the mushiness you often find in thin notebooks. Toshiba has also done a good job of spacing the keys and giving them decent travel. I do wish that they keys had a bit more of a curve to them, but overall this is a very nice keyboard, one that earns extra points thanks to the fact that it is backlit for working in dark environments.

The Toshiba Portege z835 has a backlit keyboard.

The only real issue I had with the keyboard is a common one on 13 inch notebooks. Toshiba placed the DEL, Home, PgUp, PgDn and End keys on the far right of the keyboard. This means that you’ll often hit the wrong key if you are trying to touch type fast. Even after extended use I haven’t adjusted to the key placement. You can change the key assignments, but I wish there was no need to change these settings.

The touchpad on the Portege z835 is OK. If you are coming form a larger notebook you will need to adjust to the size of the small trackpad, but users will appreciate the dedicated mouse buttons which offer good tactile feedback. The mouse surface is smooth and offers precise mousing. The two finger scrolling was jerky when I began using this notebook, but Toshiba must have updated the software along the road because it is much smoother now.

Display

Toshiba has a nice 13.3 inch display inside the Portege z835. The screen has a 1366 x 768 resolution, which dictates how much you can see on a screen. The higher the resolution, the more of a webpage or email you can see without scrolling. I would prefer a higher resolution, but most consumers are used to this bare minimum resolution. If you want a high-resolution ultrabook, you’ll actually need to look at the MacBook Air.

The Toshiba Portege z835 has a 13.3 inch display.

The display offers very good viewing angles, which will make it possible to share the display with one or two other users while sharing stats or a presentation at a coffee shop. Colors are rich, though they do take a hit when you get too far to the right or left.

In most cases you’ll be using this notebook by yourself, so that won’t be an issue. The display proved great for watching videos on Hulu Plus and Netflix.

Features

The Portege z835 has a handful of extra features that users will appreciate. These extras are simple to use, though you will need to buy an extra adapter if you want to use Intel WiDi.

EcoBoost – Toshiba includes a button that turns on power saver settings that sill cut down on your power consumption. This can help extend battery life. The fact that this is a simple button push, means you may actually use it on a regular basis.

Webcam – There is a webcam built into the system with a single microphone. The webcam is nothing fancy, but will get the job done for Skype calls and Google Hangouts.

Intel Wireless Display - This free program allows you to stream your display to an HDTV with a $99 adapter.

Performance, Battery Life and Multimedia

The Portege z835 is a consumer specific version of the Portege z835, which is Toshiba’s first ultrabook. Powering the thin and light notebook is a 1.4GHz Intel Core i3 2nd gen processor, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. This configuration provides enough power for most home users, students and business travelers. I would not choose the Portege z835 if I needed to edit a lot of video or if I want to play games.

I commonly used Google Chrome, a browser that Toshiba installs for you, to surf 10-20 websites at once, while using other programs and streaming music without any issues. The system was able to stream video from Hulu and Netflix without any trouble, including full screen.

While I streamed the latest episode of House, the system was a little warm by the end, but not so hot that I couldn’t keep the system on my lap if I wanted to.

The Toshiba Portege z835 has a faint fan noise while on.

One issue I found with the z835 is a faint fan noise that you can hear anytime the machine is powered on, even with no programs running. If you have music or a TV show on you won’t hear the fan, but if you like to work in silence this noise could get annoying pretty quick.

The speakers on the z835 aren’t great, but the small speaker slots on the front of the device deliver sound loud enough to fill a small room or hotel suite. There is no real depth to the music, but at the same time there is no distortion. If you want premium audio you’ll need a pair of speakers for when you are at home.

The battery life on the Portege z835 is rated for over 8 hours, but using the LAPTOP Magazine Battery Test (constant web surfing over Wi-Fi with the screen set at 40%) the notebook lasted just short of 6 hours. All said, 5 hours and 56 minutes of battery life isn’t bad for a notebook this thin and light. If you cut back on the brightness and use eco mode you should be able to stretch longer.

Toshiba Portege z835 vs. The Competition

The Portege Z835 I reviewed has a 1.3Ghz Intel Core i3 processor,  4GB RAM, a 128GB SSD and a 13.3 inch display with 1366 x 768 resolution. The notebook has one USB 3.0 port, to USB 2.0 ports and includes HDMI, Ethernet and VGA connectivity.

Toshiba Portege z835 vs MacBook Air

Toshiba Portege Z835 vs. Lenovo IdeaPad U400

The IdeaPad U400 offers a comparable experience for the same $900 price point. The U400 offers a faster processor, more RAM and dedicated graphics, but it is also heavier and thicker than the Portege Z835. The U400 has similar battery life and for this price is worth considering before you purchase a new notebook. The U400 is not an Ultrabook, but it is still thin and light with good performance.

Toshiba Portege Z835 vs. Lenovo IdeaPad U300s

While we saw a number of Ultrabooks at CES 2012, not many are available for sale yet. Of those that are out, the IdeaPad U300S offers something worth looking at. The IdeaPad U300s also has a faster processor and similar battery life, but it has a much higher price tag. At $1,499, the IdeaPad U300s, users will want to make sure that they need the extra power of the U300s to justify paying nearly double the price.

Toshiba Portege Z835 vs. MacBook Air

Another competitor is the MacBook Air 13 inch. The MacBook Air starts at $1,299 with similar specs, but you also get a much higher screen resolution and slightly longer battery life. The MacBook Air 13 inch has proven much better for multimedia editing thanks to the built in iMovie software.

The Bottom Line

Despite the fan noise and flexible display frame, the Portege z835 is a solid ultrabook offering for the average consumer. If you want a thin and light notebook that won’t break the bank, Toshiba’s first ultrabook is a stellar choice. Thanks to the inclusion of backlit keys, all the ports you need and a super thin package the Portege z835 offers an attractive value for the mainstream consumer.

Toshiba Portege z835 Gallery

Toshiba Portege z835 Review: The $850 Ultrabook is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.