Do you often find yourself accidentally hitting the wrong keys on your laptop because of poor design or just messy typing?

I know your pain. Some keys just get in the way.

The solution to this problem is simple: re-map troublesome keys so they act like different ones or turn them off all together.

You don’t need to manually edit the registry or have a lot of technical expertise to do this. There’s a program for Windows that will do it for you no matter what kind of PC you have.

Here’s how to turn off or change any key’s behavior:

Step 1: Download SharpKeys 3.5, compatible with Windows 7 on down to Windows 2000, and install.

Step 2: Make a backup of your registry just in case.

Step 3: Open SharpKeys and click Add.

The left column shows a full list of keys on your computer. Choose the key you want to change here.

You can also click the Type Key button underneath to quickly add the key in question.

Step 4: In the right column is the same list of keys. This is where you’ll choose what the key does going forward.

You can change it to a more convenient key — for example, when using the IdeaPad U400 I changed the pesky Home key to Backspace just in case I miss the real Backspace key.

If you want the key to do nothing, choose Turn Key Off (first choice in the list).

Step 5: Hit OK.

To can re-map multiple keys, start again at Step 1.

Step 6: Once you’ve added all the keys you want to re-map or turn off, click Write To Registry.

Step 7: Reboot or log off for the changes to take effect.

Now those pesky keys you don’t need will no longer trouble you. And the process is reversible. Just go back to SharpKeys again to delete or change key re-maps.

How To Turn Off Or Change Troublesome Keys In Windows is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

I think we can all agree that a laptop’s keyboard is one of the most important aspects of the computer. It’s the primary input method, the part of the notebook you touch the most, and its quality and comfort affect your experience more than almost anything else.

So why is it that there are still laptop designers and engineers in the world that think mucking around with keyboard layout and key size is okay? Not just on smaller systems like netbooks or 11-inch ultraportables, but on reasonably-sized 13 and 14-inch laptops?

I’m currently reviewing the IdeaPad U400. While I have mostly positive feelings about it, the positivity seeps away every time I accidentally hit the Home key when reaching for BackSpace.

I occasionally hit the PgUp key instead of Enter, but this isn’t as much of a problem. The Up Arrow crowding out my Shift key is, though.

There are two big problems with this layout. The first is that oft-used keys like BackSpace, Shift and Enter are smaller than they should be. These aren’t those funny keys people rarely use like ~ or ` or even | and \. These keys are used for almost every sentence written and most of the keyboard-based interactions one has with a computer.

Why, in the name of all that is electrically charged, would you mess with the size of these keys?

The second problem is that they’re smaller to make room for keys that do not need our time and attention. Why do arrow keys need to be that big? Why do Home, End, PgUp and PgDn need their own dedicated keys at all?

The only time I use Page Up and Down is when I’m on a laptop that has really terrible or no two-finger scroll on the touchpad. And that is a problem unto itself (and a separate post). It’s been years since I used Home or End. I stopped doing so when I started using more comfortable mice and touchpads became non-annoying.

These antiquated keys are there because they’ve always been there, but they are not as important as their placement indicates. Certainly not more important than a correctly-sized BackSpace or Shift key.

Lenovo, of all laptop makers, ought to know better. I know that the IdeaPads aren’t as robust as the ThinkPads and the keyboards aren’t the same, even when they look similar. Still, maybe the IdeaPad designers and engineers should wander over to where the ThinkPad designers and engineers work and take a peek at their keyboards. Do they have Home, End, PgUp, PgDn or arrow keys crowding out more important keys? They do not.

That’s a useful clue.

Dear Lenovo: Please Stop Making Terrible Keyboard Choices is a post by K. T. Bradford from Notebooks.com.

If you are as sick of replacing the batteries in your wireless keyboard as I am, you may want to pick up the new solar powered keyboard from Logitech, designed to work with the Mac.

The new Wireless Solar Keyboard for Mac retails for $60 and comes in five colors. The  new Mac specific version uses the same technology which was included in the original Solar Keyboard from Logitech that launched last year.

The keyboard includes solar cells, similar to those you remember from old school solar powered calculators, but on a bigger scale. You don’t need to take the keyboard out into the sun, as ambient light will do. The internal battery will last for three months in complete dark.

wireless solar keyboard k750 for mac

There is a Solar Power App for Mac that allows you to monitor the battery levels and get alerts when you need to get more light. If you work for more than three months in the dark, you may want to turn on a light at this point anyway.

The keyboard is full size, including a number pad and Mac specific keys. The island style keys offer spacing similar to the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and Logitech claims that the concave key-cap design delivers faster, quieter typing that is more comfortable for extended typing sessions.

The keyboard connects over 2.4GHz technology, syncing up to the Logitech Unifying receiver. If you already have a Logitech mouse with the unifying receiver you’ll only need to plug one in to your computer, which is great if you have a limited number of USB ports.

The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac will be available this August for $59.99 at numerous retailers. You can preorder now at Logitech.

Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac

Logitech Solar Keyboard For Mac Launches, Charges With Ambient Light is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Toshiba NB505-N508 netbook is a new Intel Atom powered netbook with incredibly long battery life and a lovely green textured lid that won’t collect finger prints. Overall the $299 netbook is worth a look, but you may be hampered by the cramped keyboard.

Toshiba NB505 N508GN

Toshiba NB505 Quick Specs:

The Toshiba NB505 netbook we tested is powered by the Intel Atom N455 1.66Ghz processor, 1GB RAM and a 250GB 5400RPM hard drive. The netbook has WiFi, Ethernet and a webcam and microphone built into the bezel. The 10.1″ LED backlit display has a 1024×600 resolution that is par for the course with $300 netbooks.

Who is the Toshiba NB505 For?

The Toshiba NB505 is designed for students and home users looking for  portable computer or a second device. The long battery life makes it ideal for students to take to class or to take on a trip without worrying about running out of juice. The keyboard leaves something to be desired, so we’d suggest that anyone who wants to make this their primary computer invest in an external keyboard for use at home.

Toshiba NB505 Hands On Video:

Toshiba NB505 Build and Design:

The build of the Toshiba NB505 is decent, with a sturdy hinge and a nice overall feel, but the body could be a little firmer. With a bit of pressure on the edges, the middle of the NB505 flexed. This wasn’t an issue when it came to typing, but it did make us want to treat the NB505 with extra care.

The lid of the NB505 has a soft plastic feel and has dimples like you would find on a golfball. This delivers an eye catching look that is accentuated by the bright green color on our model.

The dotted design carries over to the palmrest area with a soft plastic feel that is nice for resting your hands on without getting sticky like some hard plastic finishes. Overall, the look and feel of the NB505 is nice, we only wish the nicer feel carried over to the keyboard which unfortunately feels a bit cheap.

Toshiba NB505 Features:

The NB505 is a fairly average netbook, but the look and all day battery life help set it apart in a crowded netbook arena. At 2.9 pounds it’s extremely portable and powerful enough to tackle your office and web surfing needs.

The inclusion of a memory card reader, webcam and VGA out are also pretty standard on netbooks these days, but round out the overall experience and allow you to make use of the NB505 on a desk with a collection of accessories.

Toshiba NB505 Display:

The Toshiba NB505 has a 10.1″ display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. It is LED backlit and has a glossy finish which limits the usefulness in harsh lighting, but it is not as glossy as some netbooks we have used. The resolution is a bit low for our tastes, but again is on par with $300 netbooks.

The viewing angles are pretty good, with a wide angle for side to side viewing that will allow you to share the small screen with another person. The colors quickly fade as you look at a vertical angle, but this isn’t an issue in most use cases. While the display doesn’t tilt all the way back, it is able to open up far enough that the viewing angle isn’t an issue.

Toshiba NB505 Keyboard and Touchpad:

The NB505 keyboard is a rather large disappointment thanks to the rather small keys and cramped placement. While many netbooks have switched over to the island or chiclet style, the NB505 continues to use the standard notebook keyboard which means that there are several sacrifices that come with this old style of keyboard including key placement, spacing and size.

The biggest issue is the small key size, which is compounded by poor spacing and a very plastic feel. The key placement is OK, but it becomes rather tedious to type for long periods on the NB505. The keyboard will suffice for mobile work, but you’ll definitely want an external keyboard while you are at home.

The mousepad on the NB505 is decent for a netbook with a rather wide mousing area and two hard, dedicated, mouse buttons that offer a nice tactile feel. The mousepad supports multitouch gestures and is one of the best we have used on a netbook. The two finger scrolling was incredibly responsive and unlike many Windows two finger scrolling experiences, rather smooth.

Toshiba NB505 Processor and Performance:

The Intel Atom N455 processor is powerful enough to handle web or office tasks and even handles local HD content and Netflix streaming. While other methods of HD video worked out well, the NB505 couldn’t handle Youtube HD videos.

If you plan to use the NB505 primarily for work, with a little bit of play mixed in, the NB505 has enough power, but don’t expect to edit video or photos on the NB505 or other heavy processor needs.

Toshiba NB505 Audio and Speakers

The audio is about what you would expect on a netbook with speakers built in below the palmrest, which is to say sufficient, but not mind blowing. While listening to music we found that the music was usually a bit muffled thanks to the speaker location and lacking any bass. It will suffice on the go, but even in your hotel room you’ll probably want headphones for watching a movie on Netflix.

Toshiba NB505 Heat and Noise

The Toshiba NB505 doesn’t get noticeably warm during normal usage and the noise is also not noticeable during standard web surfing. While watching Youtube videos, the base did get a little warm, but not warm enough to bother most users, unless you plan to watch 8 hours of Youtube videos everyday.

Toshiba NB505 Battery Life

The Toshiba NB505 comes with a 6-cell battery rated for over 8 hours of battery life. While the NB505 didn’t achieve 8 hours, it did reach 7 hours and 25 minutes which is an impressive feat. To test the NB505′s battery life, we ran a web browsing test that visited a collection of popular websites over and over with the screen set at 30% brightness, which is a bit darker than we would want, but still very usable when battery life was an issue.

Toshiba NB505 Connectivity:

Right: USB 2.0, USB 2.0

Left: Kensington, Power, Ethernet, Vent, VGA, USB 2.0, Mic, Heaphone

Front: SD card Slot

Rear: Battery

Toshiba NB505 Webcam:

The built in webcam ont eh ToshibaNB505 won’t win any awards, and isn’t spectacular in low light, but it will work for short chats with friends or family. Below, you can see a sample image taken in a well lit room with the NB505 webcam.

Toshiba NB505 Webcam Sample

Toshiba NB505 Software:

The Toshiba NB505 comes with a collection of Toshiba software that we like, such as the eco utility that helps you monitor energy use and get a longer battery life, and a collection of software that we don’t like.

Norton Internet Security constantly pestered us to update this or click that and agree to renew something or other which was absurd for a netbook which was just turned on. At the least there could have been a trial that lasted long enough for user to see if they wanted the tool. Next up was the Toshiba Bulletin Board software which alerts the user to various updates and system needs. Normally this software tool is OK, but we found it popping up much too often on our test machine.

The final straw, was the collection of various toolbars installed on Internet Explorer right out the box. The usable screen space was chopped dramatically by these extra toolbars which most users won’t know how to quickly remove. Thankfully, Google Chrome comes installed straight from Toshiba, but we wonder how many users will click on it first.

Toshiba NB505 Value:

At $300 the Toshiba NB505 isn’t the best value. While the notebook looks nice and has pretty much everything you would expect in a $300 netbook, the keyboard is disappointing. If you can look past the keyboard, and appreciate the long battery life and nice mousepad, this netbook might work for you, but there are other options you should consider.

Toshiba NB505 Conclusion:

The Toshiba NB505 is a netbook that does everything that you’d expect to do with a $300 netbook and the design, mousepad and battery life do deliver, but the poor keyboard is hard to overlook when the competition has done much better in this area.

Couple this with the fact that you can find a more powerful and arguably useful AMD Fusion powered notebook like the HP Pavilion dm1z for just $100 more and it’s tough out there for a netbook.

Bottom Line: The Toshiba NB505 has long battery life and a great mouse. If you can look past the keyboard and standard netbook limitations this dimpled darling might be a good fit for netbook buyers on a budget.

Pros:

• Wide Viewing Angles
• Great Mousepad
• Look and Feel
• Great Battery Life

Cons:

• Small Cramped Keyboard
• Crapware

Toshiba NB505 Gallery:

Toshiba NB505 N508 Detailed Specs:

• Intel Atom processor N455 1.66 GHz, 512KB L2 Cache
• Configured with 1GB DDR2 (works at 667MHz, max 2GB)
• 250GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive
• 10.1″ diagonal widescreen TruBrite display at 1024 x 600 native resolution (WSVGA) with a 16:9 aspect ratio and LED backlight
• Genuine Windows 7 Starter 32-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack
• Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 8 hours, 21 minutes
• 3 USB 2.0 ports and VGA connection
• Size (LWH): 7.48 inches, 10.3 inches, 1.4 inches
• Weight: 2.9 pounds

Toshiba NB505-N508 Review (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The new Apple MacBook Pro models released in early 2011 include the latest 2nd Generation Intel Core i family of processors, AMD graphics and a superfast thunderbolt connection. We’ve examined every inch, almost literally inside and out, for our MacBook Pro 15-inch early 2011 review and come to one conclusion. The new Sandy Bridge powered MacBook Pro is fast!

Apple MacBook Pro 15" Review (Early 2011)

MacBook Pro 15″ (early 2011) Quick Specs:

The early 2011 MacBook Pro 15″ model comes with either a 2.0 or 2.2GHz quad-core 2nd Gen Intel Core i7 processor. The new Sandy Bridge processor integrates graphics into the same piece of silicon as the processor, resulting in greater power efficiency and speed. The MacBook Pro we have in for review has the “slower” 2.0GHz quad-core

Intel Core i7 processor.

The MacBook Pro 15″ has 4GB of DDR3 RAM in 2-2GB sticks, upgradable to 8GB from Apple or up to 16GB if you do it yourself. It has a 500GB hard drive that unfortunately runs at the slower 5400rpm. Apple offers faster 7200rpm drives and SSDs as optional upgrades at the time purchase.

Apple switched from NVIDIA to AMD graphics. In the MacBook Pro we get the AMD Radeon HD 6490M processor that can switch off to use the integrated Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics. This happens when less graphics intensive tasks are being performed, like writing documents and basic web surfing. As a result, battery life is extended.

The resolution of the 15″ MacBook Prodisplay is 1440×900. The AMD Radeon can also power an external monitor with up to 2560×1600 resolution.

Additional MacBook Pro 15″ Specs include:

• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Thunderbolt/Mini Display port – more on Thunderbolt later

Who is the MacBook Pro 15″ Model For?

The MacBook Pro is a powerful system that can handle just about any task you want to take on. It is the workhorse of the Apple notebook lineup, and creative professionals will be happy with the powerful multimedia capabilities. The combination of speed and processing power makes creating video an enjoyable task. The screen is bright and beautiful so photographers can use it to edit their masterpieces.

We can’t think of any creative types that would not be happy with this computer, unless they need more screen real-estate, but then there’s the 17″ model. The 15″ is a great compromise between size and portability. The 13″ MacBook Pro (early 2011) is another option for those who need moe portability. For more, read our MacBook Pro 13″ review. We feel that the MacBook Pro 15″ model is a happy medium in many ways..

MacBook Pro handles Adobe Photoshop editing well

Mac gamers will be happy with the graphics and processor. Graphics are fluid and the display is true to color. We played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the MacBook Pro and found that the graphics were very good and the computer handled everything fluidly. It did tax the system , causing the fans to start whirring in the background and the aluminum case did get slightly warmer, but the MacBook Pro performed well. Playing a game like that with a trackpad is not much fun, so get an external mouse. If you do, you will enjoy this and many other games on the MacBook Pro.

MacBook Pro 15″ (early 2011) Gaming Demo:

With the upgrade to the Sandy Bridge processor, the MacBook Pro maintains good battery life given the power of the system. Having a large 15″ screen to enjoy writing and surfing is nice. Users can also watch movies while on a plane or in the car. A smaller, lighter system like the MacBook Air might give you better battery life and portability, but we enjoy the extra power and bigger display found on the 15″ MacBook Pro. Plus, you never know when you might want to create a movie masterpiece on a vacation.

The MacBook Pro battery is on the front right

Nearly everyone will be satisfied with the 15″ MacBook Pro. OS X lovers are already sold on Apple notebooks. Even Microsoft Windows users will like the system because of Boot Camp, VMare or Parallels, which let you run Windows on a Mac. It is powerful enough to run Windows in a virtual environment and still use the system to work in OS X alongside Windows. We tested it with Parallels 6 and two Windows programs that we use all the time. We’d rather have native OS X apps, but if you have to run Windows on a Mac, the Sandy Bridge MacBook Pro handles it well.

MacBook Pro 15-inch Review Hands On Video:

We split our MacBook Pro video review into multiple parts.You can see the general MacBook Pro hands on below, and more specific video reviews in the sections below.

MacBook Pro Build and Design:

The aluminum case of the MacBook Pro is sturdy. It feels like it is going to hold up even if it is punished a little bit. No one wants to drop a system, but we did. And it kept on going. The MacBook Pro hinge is stiff enough to hold up the display, but not too stiff to make it hard to open with one hand. We like the magnets thats ever so slightly snap it down, turning the display off and putting the system to sleep.

Aluminum chassie is sturdy on MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro 15 is not a lightweight computer. Some people may prefer a smaller more portable system. That said, this computer is not hard to carry around in a computer bag. Even with the charger and accessories, we didn’t get fatigued carrying for a long time.

One thing that most people won’t bother doing is cracking the case open for upgrades. This is actually a simple process. We upgraded the hard drive and memory after running our baseline tests and found it to be straightforward. The entire bottom comes off and the memory and hard drive are user replaceable with a little care.

To crack open the case turn it over and unscrew ten screws

I’ve noticed that the aluminum case easily gets scratched or scuffed. Below, in the section about the keyboard, there is a video. At the tail end of the video I show a scratch I’ve already put on the area right of the trackpad where my watch band has apparently scuffed the case, though I don’t remember doing it. The lid also has a few scratches. Again, I don’t recall doing anything that would have scratched the lid.

I recommend finding a cover that will protect the case like one from Speck. Amazon has one similar to the the Speck SeeThru MacBook Air cover, but designed to fit the 15 inch MacBook Pro. I’d recommend getting one or something like it.

MacBook Pro 15″ Audio and Speakers:

The built-in speakers of the MacBook Pro are decent. The sound is a little tinny but not as bad as some systems. We tested an HP ProBook that had really great speakers and we wish Apple would find out which speakers are being used by HP and start using them in the MacBook Pro line.

The audio from game play and watching video will be enjoyable on this system. The speakers are loud enough that you don’t have to be in a silent environment to hear them, even if they are just a little bit tinny.

The speakers on the MacBook Pro are adequate but nothing special

When connecting external headphones, the sound quality increases dramatically. The ability to use AirPlay through iTunes is a plus if you have AirPlay enabled sound system/speakers or an Apple TV hooked up to a good sound system.

It is a little difficult to plug a pair of headphones into the jack on the side. The port is a tight fit. But this is an incredibly minor problem that some might even say is a plus, since the headphones won’t slip out easily.

MacBook Pro 15″ Hard Drive:

The hard drive in the MacBook Pro is one of the few disappointments. The stock system comes with a slower 5400rpm drive. It is the bottleneck of the computer. If you buy a high end PC like this, you should get high end parts. Using a slower hard drive is just silly. For $100 you can get a 7200rpm upgrade. Do it unless you would like to upgrade on your own. For a little over $100 you can upgrade the hard drive to a faster hybrid hard drive like we did.

The MacBook Pro hard drive is a disappointment at only 5400 rpm

The upgrade to the Seagate Momentus XT sped up system boots times and programs load quicker. There was about a 5-10 percent battery life hit, but that is a good trade off for the extra speed.

Apple doesn’t offer a hybrid hard drive upgrade from the manufacturer so you would have to do either do it yourself or pay someone else. It is easier than it looks. Follow our instructions in the video below:

It is a shame that we had to upgrade the drive to get the kind of speed we’d like to see. It is a good upgrade, but after the MacBook Air shipped with a built-in SSD as a baseline, we expected to see Apple go in this direction in their flagship notebooks. Until SSDs come down in price, they probably won’t become part of the stock setup of the MacBook or MacBook Pro.

MacBook Pro 15″ Display:

The MacBook Pro 15″ model has three screen options. We went with the least expensive glossy display with a 1440×900 resolution. It is bright and easy to see in most settings. In bright situations, like outdoors or in a room with a lot of sunlight pouring through the windows directly on the screen, the screen’s glare makes it hard to see what you are doing. We lower the screen brightness to about 50-60 percent to conserve battery life, but in these settings you can’t.

The MacBook Pro has a wide viewing angle

An upgrade that is available is the anti-glare option with a 1680×1050 resolution. If you can afford it, get it. There is no reason to pick the middle option which is the higher resolution, but glossy display. There is only a $50 difference between the mid-level screen and the more expensive anti-glare screen. That extra $50 will make you happier, unless you’ve used both kinds of displays and really prefer glossy screens.

Despite our preference for an anti-glare screen, we are not disappointed with the display of the glossy screen in normal light. The viewing angle is extremely wide, useful for making presentations to a few people or watching video with a couple of friends, co-workers or clients.

The MacBook Pro display is bright and has great color in normal and low light

Colors pop and seem faithful. We hook up an external monitor while in the office and we thought the monitor also had good color, but the difference is stark. The MacBook Pro screen is so much better. Whites are whiter and black objects are more black. There is good contrast and color fidelity. Few mobile displays are better, in regular light. The result is an excellent picture processing tool.

The video below touches on watching videos on the MacBook Pro and has a quick demo of the camera.

The camera in the MacBook Pro has been renamed from an iChat camera to a FaceTime camera.

The MacBook Pro camera is decent

The camera is decent. We don’t use laptop webcams much, but in a few FaceTime tests it worked okay. It shoots 720p HD video but only takes 640×480 still images. If only it could make my ugly mug look more attractive, that would be a plus! Below is a sample taken with Photo Booth.

A sample of a picture taken from the built-in camera

And here is a sample video from the Camera also taken in Photo Booth:

MacBook Pro 15″ Keyboard and Touchpad:

People seem to have strong opinions about island/chiclet style keyboards. Most people we talk to like them, but some really hate them. We fall in the first category, so we are very happy with the MacBook Pro keyboard.

The keys are stiffer than our MacBook Air. That is a good thing. There is a little “clickety-clack” sound while typing, but that is minor. Typing feels good. Spacing is good too.

It has been a challenge switching from a Windows keyboard to the Mac keyboard. There are some differences that require a change in habit. For example, many Windows keyboard have a key that mimics the right click of a mouse. Macs do not have this key. I used it a lot. The other key I miss is the Windows key. It would mimic clicking on the Start menu in Windows revealing the menu that holds a list of all the programs installed.

The MacBook Pro keyboard is great

We like how all Macs have a standardized set of the shortcut keys across the top that double as function keys. Most people don’t use the F-keys that often so Apple relegates the functions to secondary duty. The primary duty of the keys are things like volume up/down/mute, screen brightness, and OS X features like Expose or Widgets. There are also multimedia controls. The F5/F6 keys on the MacBook Pro control the brightness of the backlighting. We really like the backlit keyboard and it is nice to be able to adjust the brightness.

Some Windows keyboards change the F-keys to shortcut keys, but all Mac keyboards behave the same,with the one exception of the F5/F6 keys which are only for backlit keyboards. On rare occasions when you need an F-key, just use the Fn key in the lower left corner to engage the F-keys.

The multi-touch trackpad is great! I hate touchpads and always carry an external mouse. I like the one on the MacBook Pro so much I now leave my mouse in the bag or at home. It is spacious and responsive. We love the gestures OS X incorporates for doing things like scrolling, moving back and forth in a browser history, and pinching to zoom.

The trackpad on the MacBook Pro is the best we've ever used

The trackpad is also a large button that can be clicked like you would a mouse button. We prefer tapping to select, so we almost immediately changed that option in System Preferences. But thankfully it is an option. When you do have to click you can tell that it is being clicked, with a loud sound and good tactile response. If you have to use a trackpad, the one on the MacBook Pro is the best we’ve used.

Below is our video review of the keyboard and touchpad. It also highlights a problem with scratching on the aluminum case near the trackpad:

MacBook Pro Quad Core – Core i7 Processor and Performance:

The MacBook Pro 15″ is a fast computer. It is one of the fastest notebooks we have ever used. It doesn’t boot up as quickly as the MacBook Air, but it could if you added the SSD option. The quad-core Intel Core i7 processor handles video editing with aplomb. Almost nothing we threw at it slowed the machine down, except for one.

The MacBook Pro handles beefy software better than most

We use a program called Logos Bible Software (pictured above). It is a Bible study and research tool. The program is database intensive and runs on an overlay environment that draws the screen on top of OS X instead of using the built-in visual elements, almost like a virtualized environment. The company does this to standardize the look and feel between Windows and Mac. The problem is that it requires a lot of horsepower to run well. It requires video processing power to draw the screen. It requires memory because it loads a lot of data right at the start. And it requires a fast hard drive because it is searching through literally thousands of books that are often more than a thousand pages in length each. An application that requires that much power cripples a lot of systems. Because of how poorly written it is, it does cripple even the MacBook Pro at times. But this system runs this beast faster than the MacBook Air or iMac.

We also tested the system by editing large 14.2 megapixel raw digital photographs. No problem! RAW photo editing is a very processor intensive activity and the MacBook Pro handled it well with a number of things running in the background, including a browser, the above Logos application, a Word processor and an iMovie project being rendered. We fired up iTunes and iPhoto to add to the mix and it still had no problem.

See the video below in the “Heat and Noise” to see our video demonstration of just how fast the system is. When all of the above applications were running at once, the fans do whirl loudly.

MacBook Pro Benchmarks:

We did some quick Benchmarks just for comparison. The program we use is called Geek Bench and it mainly measures the things like the speed of the processor. Our MacBook Pro got a score of 8882 while the MacBook Air received a score of 2674.

The hard drive in the MacBook Pro should be a bit of a bottleneck. We did a simple test copying our DropBox folder to and from the hard drive on both the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. On the Air it took 7:42 to copy the folder which is 2.24GB to a 7200 rpm USB 2.0 hard drive. To copy it back to the Air it took just 1:19. The MacBook Air has a flash drive so it reads much slower than it writes (copy from v. copy to). By comparison the MacBook Pro copied the folder to the hard drive in 1:34 and copied it from the drive in 8:11. That is not a significant difference proving that Apple has really done a good job of putting together the guts of this fast machine despite the slower drive. After our upgrade to a faster hard drive the copy times on the MacBook Pro dropped by about 20%.

Battery benchmarks are in the section about battery life below.

MacBook Pro Heat and Noise:

No one likes to have their lap cooked by a computer. The good news is the MacBook Pro is not too hot. The aluminum bottom of the system can get warm at times, especially when the computer is put through a workout. With very intense work, like encoding a long video while also running a lot of other applications, the system can get hot. For simple tasks like typing an article, surfing the Internet or viewing a video, the MacBook Pro barely even warms up. The area around the processor is only slightly warmer than the rest of the system. Heat is not a real issue with this system.

Fan noise can get loud during processor intensive tasks. It is very noticeable while encoding video. It isn’t so loud that it is annoying, but is noticeable.

Below, I demonstrate how loud the fan noise can get as the MacBook Pro is under a heavy load. I also show just how fast the system is with a lot of programs running.

MacBook Pro Battery Life

Apple claims that the MacBook Pro battery life is “up to 7 hours” and lately they have been pretty accurate in their advertised battery life. That is why we were a little disappointed in our results.

To test the battery life, we did all we could to drain the thing as fast as possible. We turned up the brightness full blast, turned on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and used them constantly, making sure we accessed the Internet a lot. We copied files. We watched a bunch of videos and did a lot of writing. And 3:45 later, the computer shut down with a dead battery. Considering most people will not use it this way, that’s not bad. With a more reasonable test, the battery lasted closer to five hours with brightness turned down to about 60%. It was a real world usage with mostly Internet surfing, typing, and listing to music in the background. We saw all-morning battery life.

Our first couple of battery tests were actually abysmal. We ran the recommended battery calibration steps and that fixed the problem. Before the test the longest battery life achieved was around 4 hours. Afterwards the longest we’ve achieved was a little over 5 hours. That is decent, but still disappointing when compared to Apple’s claims.

The MagSafe power connector is evidence of Apple's attention to detail

Apple power cable design is proof their attention to detail. The MagSafe Power connector and charger is a seemingly minor thing. But when you have your computer plugged in and you or someone else trips over the cord it can be a disaster for your expensive computer. The magnetic connector is designed to pop out in such situations. Longtime Apple customers take this for granted now. But as a recent switcher I appreciate it.

Here is a video about the power adapter:

Most computer manufacturers have two piece charging cables. Apple went further making the two piece design useful even without one of the pieces. The white power brick, which is smaller than most, has an attachment so the brick can be plugged directly into an outlet. This attachment can be removed so the thicker three-pronged end of the charging cable can be installed for a longer cable. We just left it at home and plugged the brick into it when we need juice in our home office.

The cable management on the MagSafe power connector is convenient

The two-pronged wall adapter plug folds into the brick. The power brick has two hooks that flip out so that the very thin cable, that has the MagSafe connector on it, can be wrapped around the hooks. There is a little clip that allows you to attach the cable to keep it from coming apart in a computer bag or even a pocket. The clasp comes undone occasionally. But most of the time it works as designed.

These little details are what set Apple products apart. They are the kinds of things that make Apple customers really appreciate their hardware while people who have never used them don’t even know they exist.

MacBook Pro Connectivity:

The MacBook Pro has all the basic ports, plus one interesting one. The new Thunderbolt port is a super fast connection that can transfer data, theoretically, about twenty times faster than USB 2.0 and ten times faster than a Firewire 800 port. We doubt we will see real-world speeds that fast. If it is just five times faster than either of these, that will be a big plus. Imagine backing up your entire hard drive in minutes instead of hours.

Thunderbolt will help with external connections

The problem with Thunderbolt is you can’t test it yet. There are no accessories available right now. It’s like having a Ferrari without any roads to drive it on. So, for now, it is just a mini-DVI port. That’s one benefit of Thunderbolt, the port can carry data and the signals needed for sending video to an external display.

In the future one may be able to plug in a Thunderbolt hard drive, Blue-ray drive, and monitor all daisy-chained on the same connector. We will be using this computer mostly as a desktop replacement. It will be nice to have one cable to connect all of our peripherals. They will all be able to connect to one another and then you would just connect one of the accessories to the computer. All of them will be usable.

The other connections on the MacBook Pro are as follows:

• USB 2.0 x 2
• Firewire 800
• SDXC card reader
• 1/8″ headphone/audio lin out jack
• 1/8″ mic/audio line in jack
• Gigabit Ethernet
• MagSafe power connector
• Kensington lock
• Mini-DVI port (shared with Thunderbolt port)

For wireless connectivity, the MacBook Pro has both Bluetooth and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-fi. Both perform as expected.

Hooking up the MacBook Pro to an external display

One complaint we have with Apple notebooks is the lack of a VGA port, which means you’ll need an adapter. Apple is obsessed with dongles and adapters. To use their products in the real world you will need plenty of them. A mini-DVI to VGA or DVI adapter is necessary to connect the laptop to almost every projector or non-Apple display. So don’t forget you will need to buy one or two of these to actually use your computer to make presentations.

We also would like to see a couple more USB ports and at least one USB 3.0 port. Thunderbolt is the future, but USB will be the present for at least another year and people will have USB 3.0 peripherals for years. Maybe there will be an adapter or dock to solve this issue.

Here is our MacBook Pro video port tour:

MacBook Pro Software:

OS X is a good operating system. Our purpose is not to review it, but we do like it. It is simple to use and doesn’t need a lot of tweaking to make it work like you want it to work. If you do need or want to tweak settings, they are almost all in the System Preferences screen, which is convenient.

There are a few annoyances we’d like to see changed, including window management. Why can’t we drag to resize my windows using all four edges? We understand that is coming in the next upgrade, but it should have been there all along. Also the red, yellow and green buttons to close, minimize and zoom windows are not intuitive. We don’t have a problem with the close and minimize buttons, but why not a real maximize button? Instead the green plus button is a zoom that toggles between smaller size or a window that is using all the vertical space it can but seldom does it fill the screen horizontally. We had to add two add-on apps (Cinch and Deskovery) to get manageable windows in OS X. These basic functions are built into Windows 7 out of the box.

The extra applications that come with a Mac are a mixture of wow and what? First the wow!

iPhoto is a nice entry level photo editing and organization program

For the kinds of creative tasks most people perform, iPhoto and iMovie are more than enough. They work well together. I’m a bit of an amateur photographer so iPhoto is a little bit limiting. For ninety percent of users it will handle their photo editing and organizing tasks sufficiently.

iMovie is deceptively powerful for a free throw-in. As a Windows user for more than 18 years I was deeply disappointed with Windows Live Movie Maker. iMovie is such a nice upgrade. The other iLife applications are GarageBand, iDVD and iWeb. We haven’t used them a lot, but GarageBand is a useful music and audio tool. iDVD is acceptable for creating DVDs and iWeb is a useful WYSIWYG web site creation tool. iWeb has some nice templates and you can put up a quick web site without knowing a lot about HTML or web publishing.

iMovie is one of best simple video editors we've seen

For backup Time Machine is great! It is a truly set it and forget it option. It occasionally gets in the way since it runs every hour, but running it that often also means that backups don’t take long. When a decent Thunderbolt hard drive is available, this will be faster. In our upgrade of the MacBook Pro hard drive, having Time Machine made the installation of our operating system, software and personal files so easy. It makes doing that kind of upgrade something we don’t dread. If you lose your hard drive to a mechanical failure, you will at worst lose an hour of work, unless you don’t run Time Machine regularly.

As part of our hard drive upgrade story, we showed you how to do the restoration from a Time Machine backup in this video:

Preview is one of those applications that you likely will use a lot, but never use to its fullest capabilities. If you look into all that it can do, then you will be pleasantly surprised. It useful for viewing files of many types, editing files of many times and more. We did a list of ten cool things you can do with the application and fell in love in the process.

Right Click for Quick Definitions

A little application overlooked is Dictionary. It is not powerful or beautiful, but has once great feature. It is always a right click away. Highlight a word, right click it and choose “Look up in Dictionary” and you have a definition.

As good as those are, the other extras range from okay to terrible. iTunes is the worst media management application around, but if you run iOS devices you are stuck. It is clunky and has some head-scratching default settings. We long for day when buying music, videos, and apps is done in an online store instead of this mess of an application.

Here are the other applications which are mostly average or below average:

• iChat is being replaced by FaceTime, but it is still usable
• Mail is pretty average for email with little to make us switch from using Gmail
• QuickTime works, but that’s all you can say about it
• PhotoBooth is fun for about a minute and then we never used it again
• Safari is that browser we used to go and download Chrome and then only use it in the rare times that Chrome struggles with a page
• iCal and Address Book are like Safari – only used when absolutely necessary
• We don’t have the skill to test or even pass an opinion on Xcode, however we did use it once to enable multi-gestures on the iPad 2

MacBook Pro Value:

As you can tell, we love the 15″ early 2011 MacBook Pro. But is it worth $1800 at the minimum? For those who want a powerful high-end computer that can do almost anything you might want on the road or at home, the answer is a resounding yes! Just a few short years ago every high-end computer cost more than two grand. We’ve become a little spoiled in the post-netbook world. The MacBook Pro is definitely more costly than most powerful Windows notebooks, but it is also a computer with excellent build quality, speed, and versatility.

To compare prices we went over to HP and configured the following system:

HP DV6T Quad Edition

• Windows 7 Ultimate
• Intel Quad-core Core i7 2630QM processor
• 6GB of RAM (free upgrade from 4GB)
• 750 GB 5400rpm hard drive
• Double layer DVD burner
• High capacity 6 hour battery
• 15.6″ 1366×768 resolution glossy display (lower res than MacBook Pro with no option for a higher resolution screen)
• b/g/g Wi-fi and Bluetooth
• Added Photoshop/Premiere Elements to compete with iPhoto and iMovie

The cost was only $1,358.99. That is $400 less than the MacBook Pro, but there are a few reasons we still would rather have the MacBook Pro. First, the resolution of the screen is much better on the Mac. Second, a Mac can run both Windows and OS X. While we haven’t tested the HP alongside the Mac, we have tested HP systems. We prefer the keyboard and trackpad on the Macs.

Running Windows 7 under Parallels makes the MacBook Pro a versatile system

If you are a person who prefers Windows, then you have some really great options. But if you want to run both Windows and OS X with power, the MacBook Pro is your best option even at the higher price.

Another reason to go with an Apple is the support you get. A recent report found that Apple comes out on top in terms of user support. Having used a lot of computers from numerous manufacturers, the 15″ Apple MacBook Pro beats them all.

Below is our final Video Review of the 15″ MacBook Pro:

Pros:

• Fast!
• Handles multimedia creation and average gaming with ease
• Great keyboard and trackpad
• Bright beautiful screen with wide viewing angle and true color in most situations
• Sound is good especially when using external quality headphones or speakers
• OS X is a powerful operating system that is easy to use
• Excellent add-on software like iLife, Time Machine, and Preview
• Sturdy build
• Potential of Thunderbolt accessories excites us
• Stable
• Handles heat well
• Upgrading hard drive and memory is not hard for those who are daring enough to try
• Decent battery life if you ignore Apple’s 7-hour claim

Cons:

• Glossy screen is difficult to view in very bright light
• Cost
• Battery life not as long as advertised
• iTunes is terrible for media organization
• Fan can get noisy
• Stock hard drive is too slow
• Not enough USB ports and no USB 3.0

MacBook Pro Gallery:

MacBook Pro 15.4″ Detailed Specs:

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Core i7) Review – Early 2011 w/ Thunderbolt (video) is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Samsung has finally made the Series 9 11″ Windows powered ultraportable available for sale, joining the pricy Series 9 13″ notebook. Both of these new Series 9 notebooks are designed to take on the MacBook Air 11″, and while we know it’s not all in the specs we wanted to take a look at the differences between these new ultraportable 11″ notebooks to see which one comes out on top. We already know the Series 9 and the MacBook Air boot and wake from sleep at about the same speeds.

MacBook Air 11" versus Samsung Series 9 11"

Price

Surprisingly, the MacBook Air beats out the 11.6″ Series 9 in price. While Apple is typically known for higher prices, the 11 inch MacBook Air can be had for $999 from Apple, whereas the Samsung Series 9 11-inch notebook will run $1,199 from Samsung. You can find both of these models for roughly $50 off retail on occasion, but even with the discounts the MacBook Air is the clear winner.

Processor

The Samsung Series 9 has a 1.33GHz Intel Core i3 Mobile processor compared to the 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor found in the Base MacBook Air. While the MacBook Air has a faster clock speed, the Core 2 Duo is an older processor. This one is closer than you would expect because the 11.6″ Series 9 doesn’t use the new 2nd Generation Core i family of processors with faster speeds and greatly improved integrated graphics, but the Samsung Series 9 does come out on top here.

Storage

Both the base MacBook Air and the base Samsung Series 9 11.6″ notebooks come with a minimal 64GB of storage. Despite claims from Samsung that this means, “You’ll have room to bring it all with you,” users are likely to feel the strains pretty fast on both systems. Thankfully both of these notebook use Flash or SSD hard drives which deliver faster speeds and allow even slower processors to perform pretty amazingly. Storage is pretty much a draw when comparing these base models.

Display

Both of these notebooks use an 11.6″ display and deliver a relatively high, for this size, 1366 x 768 resolution that allows you to “see” more on the display. Both the MacBook Air and the Series 9 have a glossy display, but the Series 9 offers a 340 nit display for a “SuperBright” screen. Apple doesn’t list he nit rating for the display on the 11.6″ MacBook Air, which leaves us to go on the eye’s on comparisons we have had. Again, there’s not a clear winner here, so another draw.

Graphics

The MacBook Air comes with NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics with 256MB RAM and the Samsung Series 9 uses the integrated graphics that come with the first gen Core i family of processors. In this case, the MacBook Air takes an edge thanks to the more powerful discrete graphics, but the Series 9 fires back with Intel Wireless Display support. Ultimately, the more powerful graphics on the MacBook Air give it the edge, especially since you need a $99 adapter to use Wireless display.

RAM

The MacBook Air 11.6″ notebook comes with 2GB RAM as does the Samsung Series 9, but if you want to, you can upgrade the MacBook Air to 4GB RAM, something not possible on the Series 9 model. Even though you’ll need to pay more for the 4GB of RAM on the MacBook Air, it’s still the winner.

Battery

The Samsung Series 9 11.6″ notebook is rated for up to 7 hours of battery life compared to the 5 hours on the MacBook Air. Unfortunately, we can’t take Samsung at its word for 7 hours of battery life. This is another draw, since the end result with the Samsung Series 9 will likely be around 5 hours, and Apple is usually spot on with the battery life. Another draw here.

Finish

The MacBook Air has an aluminum unibody finish which is well known across the MacBook Pro line. This finish provides a strong body and a classy look for the MacBook Air. The Samsung Series 9 is made of duralumin, a material that Samsung claims is twice the strength of aluminum. This category comes down to personal preference. We do like the looks of the MacBook Air, but the Series 9 is just a sexier notebook in our opinion. We’ll call this one a draw as well, but deep down we know who the winner is.

Keyboard

Both of these notebooks have a chiclet style keyboard and offer a decently sized area for typing, but we have to choose the Samsung Series 9 as the winner because it has a backlit keyboard.

Connectivity and Ports

The MacBook Air 11″ has 2 USB 2.0 ports, a Display Port adapter, headphone jack and Bluetooth. The Samsung Series 9 has 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, headphone, microphone, HDMI and built in network port as well as Bluetooth 3.0. In this case, the Samsung Series 9 has more ports, and more advanced tech. With just 64GB of internal storage, the USB 3.0 port will be very handy. The Samsung Series 9 is the winner.

Size

The Samsung Series 9 11.6″ notebook and the 11″ MacBook Air are pretty similar in size. As for the thickness, they both measure in at 0.65″ at the thickest. The Series 9 is slightly less wide, but a little more deep than the MacBook air. As for weight, the MacBook Air is 2.3 pounds and the Samsung Series 9 is 2.31 pounds. Unless you plan to measure and weigh your notebook every day, this is another draw.

Warranty

When you look at the long term longevity of a notebook, the inclusion of a longer warranty is important. Apple includes a one year warranty with the purchase of the MacBook Air. Samsung, however, includes a 3 year warranty with the Samsung Series 9, which is about as long as many consumers keep their laptops. The winner here is Samsung.

11″ Notebook Showdown Scorecard

MacBook Air – 3

Samsung Series 9 11.6″ – 4

Draw – 5

Overall 11″ Notebook Winner

It was a close one, and in the end it’s a photo finish. Despite the Series 9 having one more win than the MacBook Air 11″, the real winner will depend on which notebook fits your needs better. If price is key, then the MacBook Air is likely to be your choice, but if you want more ports, connectivity options and a newer processor then the Samsung Series 9 may be a better pick.

11″ Showdown: Samsung Series 9 Compared to the MacBook Air is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Despite the availability of official Apple-designed and third-party keyboards available for the iPad, consumers are not picking up hardware keyboards when buying a tablet according to a report from DigiTimes. The publication says that less than 20% of iPad owners pick up an external or hardware keyboard, suggesting that most tablet and slate owners do not want their tablet to become a notebook or laptop.

The trend is quite different from the Tablet PC era where slate designs were more rare than the convertible form factor, which often comprised of a screen rotating around a single hinge, to convert the Windows tablet from notebook mode to slate mode for inking.

With consumer-centric tablets, it seems that users are requiring keyboards less. Whether this is due to improvements in touchscreen technology or a shift in the user experience towards touch is unclear. Also, the price of external keyboards designed for tablets is also high, which may be another factor limiting adoption.

In Steve Jobs’ keynote announcing the MacBook Air, the Apple CEO says that the reason why Mac laptops don’t come with touchscreen is because using it would be an awkward experience as users would have to move their hands between the keyboard on the notebook and the display, which is further away than the more proximal touchpad.

Low iPad Keyboard Adoption Shows Consumers Don’t Want Tablets to Become Notebooks is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Lenovo has updated the ThinkPad X Series of notebooks and convertible tablets to include the new Lenovo X220 and Lenovo X220t. The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is an ultraportable notebook that weighs in at less than 3 pounds and has a claimed battery life of up to 23 hours with the optional slice battery. The 12.5″ notebook is powered by the latest Intel 2nd Generation Core i Family of processors including Core i5 and Core i7 options, and includes a number of improvements to the overall ThinkPad X Series experience.

Check out our Full ThinkPad X220 Review – Editor’s Choice Award.

ThinkPad X220 Quick Specs:

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 notebook has a 12.5″ anti-glare display with a 1366×768 resolution and is available with the new Sandy Bridge processor options including Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 2nd Gen Intel Core i processors. This notebook can handle up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, but most configurations will ship with the 4GB. There are numerous hard drive and SSD storage configurations and all of the expected ports for a business notebook. It is worth noting that there is no optical drive in this small notebook.

ThinkPad X220 Hands On and Unboxing Video:

ThinkPad X220 First Impressions – Mini review:

We have had the opportunity to use the ThinkPad X220 for a full workday and have been impressed with the ability of the small machine to deliver a mobile work experience that is hard to match. While we do appreciate the power inside, coming from a 2nd Gen Core i5 processor and 4GB RAM, we have been most impressed with the usability of the mouse and keyboard on such as small and lightweight machine.

We typed most of this X220 review and overview using the keyboard without experiencing the fatigue or mis-typing that normally occurs on small notebooks. The mousepad also performed well with good responsiveness. The touchpad is noticeably larger than the other ultraportable business notebooks we have tested and we appreciate the effort that Lenovo put into delivering a stellar mousing experience.

It’s still early, and we will be putting this ultraportable through a full battery of tests and usage scenarios, but it looks like Lenovo has delivered an impressive and noticeable upgrade to the ThinkPad X series.

Thinkad X220 Processor Options:

While ultraportable notebook have typically been tied to lower voltage processors, the ThinkPad X220 comes with full voltage Sandy Bridge processors so that you don’t need to sacrifice speed with portability. This 12.5″ notebook can be configured with anywhere from a 2.1GHz Intel Core i3 processor up to the high-end with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M processor. The inclusion of full voltage mobile processors is important to business users who need to rely on the full speed of their notebook while on the go.

The new Sandy Bridge processors are able to enter TurboBoost mode which can deliver enhanced performance for a limited amount of time as well as delivering 20% faster processing and 2x the graphics performance of the previous generation processors. The Notebook also comes with the Lenovo Enhanced Experience 2.0 which provides a boot time of 20 seconds faster than the average Windows notebook.

ThinkPad X220 First Look Video:

ThinkPad X220 Storage Options:

Another area where ultraportable have traditionally made sacrifices is in the area of storage, opting for slower or small hard drive options to deliver longer battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad x220 can be configured numerous hard drive options, in a variety of sizes and speeds, and SSD options. The hard drive options include either a 250GB or 320GB 5400RPM hard drives or 160GB or 250GB 7200 RPM hard drives. Alternatively, you can choose a 4GB SSD that can be added to select configurations to improve boot times. There are also 80GB, 128GB and 160GB SSD options which can improve the overall speed of the notebook.

ThinkPad X220 Display Options:

The X220 can be configured with two display options. By default, this notebook comes with a 12.5″ antiglare LED backlit display with a 1366×768 resolution. There is an upgrade which delivers an extra bright wide angle IPS display which can be configured at checkout. The display is a change from the previous generation ThinkPad X201 which had a 12.1″ display that was limited to a lower 1280×800 resolution. The larger resolution delivers more space to work on documents and can be used to compare to documents side to side in a pinch.

The display is attached with two metal hinges that allow the notebook to open up past 180 degrees so that you are assured of the ability to find an angle that works for your current work environment; whether it’s the back of a car, a picnic table or a tray on an airplane.

ThinkPad X220 Keyboard:

The x220 has traditional ThinkPad keyboard, and despite the small size of the notebook, it is able to deliver a very nice typing experience. The keys have a great amount of travel and the beveled edges which drop away at the edges of the keys make it easy to find the keys you are looking for without mis-keying. The keyboard includes a full number row as well as a full  row of F-keys and Function keys.

Lenovo has done a great job at moving the lesser used keys to the top of the keyboard so that you don’t need to deal with smaller tab, shift or enter keys. We especially enjoy the inclusion of large Esc and Delete keys which are at the top of the keyboard.

On the left side, you’ll find controls to handle the volume, mute and other options.

ThinkPad X220 Mouse:

One of the most noticeable changes to the X line is the mouse on the ThinkPad X220 which is 45% larger than on the previous ThinkPad X201. This increase is possible thanks to the new buttonless multitouch design which allows the touchpad to extend to the edge of the notebook. Comparing this touchpad against the other small touchpads typically fond on notebooks of this size we were impressed, and hope that it signals a trend in ultraportable business notebook space.

One of the things that really makes the new, larger, touchpad on the X220 is the ability to push to click anywhere on the pad. While other mousepads like this allow you to tap to touch, we really like having the ability to push and perform a left click almost anywhere on the touchpad. The lower third of the mousepad can be depressed on the left or right to perform the corresponding mouseclick. Overall this is a very intuitive and responsive mousepad and one of the best we have used on a business ultraportable.

The X220 keeps the traditional pointer nub and mouse buttons that ThinkPads are known for. The nub and buttons work as advertised, which will delight users that rely on the pointing stick to navigate while typing.

ThinkPad X220 Ports and Connections:

There are a full complement of ports that you would expect on a business notebook. Select models will be available with USB 3.0 technology.

Starting along the left side of the device there is a USB 2.0, VGA, DisplayPort, USB 2.0, ExpressCard 54 and a Wireless switch.

On the right, we have an SD card slot, USB 2.0 (charging), Ethernet and combo microphone and headphone port as well as a kensington lock slot.

ThinkPad X220 Video Conferencing Options:

The X220 has a 720P HD webcam built into the bezel and a microphone that has been tuned to deliver a superior video conferencing solution. The X220 has noise suppression technology which is designed to cancel the noise that comes with typing on the keyboard during a conference call. You won’t notice the difference, but the person on the other end of the call will thank you.

The ThinkPad X220 also provides users with the ability to switch between private and conference mode when video chatting. When in Private mode the microphone is able to tune out the surrounding noise and focus in one the one person in front of the notebook. In Conference mode the microphone listens to the entire room, acting like a speakerphone.

ThinkPad X220 Battery Options:

The ThinkPad X220 comes with two battery options that can deliver up to 23 hours of battery life. The standard 9 cell battery is rated for 15 hours of battery life and the optional Slice battery can connect to the bottom of the X220 to stretch the battery life to the 24 hour mark. These ratings require that you take advantage of the adaptive power options and use the Lenovo Power manager to scale back the performance of the processor and graphics.

The adaptive technology works by figuring out what you are working on and reducing the power used by components that aren’t needed. One example of the adaptive technology is that while watching a movie, listening to MP3s or streaming web content the battery should last 30% longer than on a notebook without this technology.

The optional Slice battery costs $179 and adds weight and bulk, but the extra battery life will be worth it for travelers who need to be away from an outlet for extended periods.

Users can enable Battery Stretch mode and make use of the Lenovo Power Center to really take control of battery usage. Whether you are trying to be green or just trying to get the longest battery life possible, the Power Center will help you get there.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 and X220t Extended Battery Video:

ThinkPad X220 Durability:

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is mil-spec tested to endure in harsh conditions. This notebook has been tested to meet military specifications for exposure to physical shock, thermal shock, altitude, dust, vibration, humidity, heat and cold.

ThinkPad X220 Pricing and Availability:

The ThinkPad X220 will be available in April with starting prices around $899. The optional slice battery will cost an additional $179.

ThinkPad X220 Accessories and Docking Compatibility:

The ThinkPad X220 is compatible with the T, L and W Series docks and has numerous accessories available for purchase including;

• Lenovo 90W Ultraslim ThinkPad Ultrabase™ Series 3 AC/DC Combo Adapter (0A33932)
• Lenovo Power Hub (57Y4600)
• ThinkPad Battery 29 3-cell (0A36281)
• ThinkPad Battery 29+ 6-cell (0A36282)
• ThinkPad Battery 29++ 8-cell (0A36283)
• ThinkPad Ultrabase™ Series 3 (0A33932)
• ThinkPad Ultrabase™ Series 3 (6-10W)
• ThinkPad Mini Dock Series 3 (4337-10U)
• ThinkPad Mini Dock Plus Series 3 (4338-10U)
• ThinkPad Battery 19+ 6-cell Slim External (0A36280)
• Kensington MicroSaver Cable Lock from Lenovo (73P2582)
• ThinkPad Ultraportable Case (41U5062)
• ThinkPad Executive Leather Case (43R2480)

ThinkPad X220 Gallery:

ThinkPad X220 Specifications:

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Hands On, Details, Specs And Video is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

When you’re looking for a new notebook the specs matter, but another factor that is often overlooked is the build quality. In order to help you find your next notebook or laptop we’ve boiled down everything you need to know about finding a sturdy consumer notebook into the 30 second video below.

How to Tell if a Notebook is Sturdy in 30 Seconds:

Five Steps to Finding a Sturdy Notebook or Laptop:

One Hand Hold: The first test is to lift the notebook by the front corner and see how it feels. Ideally, it shouldn’t have a lot of flex and should feel as close to being one piece of material as possible. It doesn’t matter if the device feels off balance, you’re just looking to see if there is any flex or “off” feelings.

Keyboard Push: Next, set the notebook back down on the shelf and apply mild pressure to the middle of the keyboard area. You want relatively little flex in this area. If the keyboard flexes too much, it points to a poor typing experience and is usually an indicator of poor build quality.

It Hinges On This: Strong hinges are another thing to look for. To test the hinges, first open and close the laptop a few times to see if the hinges feel strong. The lid shouldn’t be hard to move, but it should stay where you put it and if you move the laptop by holding near the keyboard the display shouldn’t move too much.

This is a good time to open the notebook up and make sure it opens enough to allow you to work in various settings. In general notebooks open more than they used to, but some budget notebooks still have hinges that prevent them from opening enough. To figure out how far your laptop should open, put a laptop on your lap and see how far back you want the screen on your couch, in the car or at a table. Test this out at home with your current laptop and you’ll get an idea so that you can simply open the notebook up in the store without trying to hold it on your lap.

Closing Time: After you’re done opening the notebook, close it and let’s make sure it stays closed. If you hold the area near the hinges, like you would if you were carrying the laptop at your side, make sure the lid doesn’t bounce around too much at the top. If the lid moves around too much, it can allow random items from your backpack to slip inside and do some real damage. Not to mention, it’s annoying to have your notebook make a “clap, clap, clap” noise as you walk down the hall.

Display Distress: Place your hands on each side of the display with your fingers extending along the backside towards the middle. Apply a small amount of pressure to see if the display bends in the middle. Some flex is to be expected, but you want to get a feel for how sturdy the display is. If the screen bows like a wet noodle you may want to look elsewhere.

To get a good idea of what you ideally want, try it out on a ThinkPad from work or on a MacBook Pro which both typically have a very sturdy display. Again, you aren’t looking for something that’s as solid as a rock, but you don’t want an easy to bend or break display.

One of the reasons you are testing this is to see how the lid will hold up when you put the notebook in a book bag and it is getting pressure from your back and from a load of books. If the display is strong enough, it won’t lead to those key indents that show up on the screens of some notebooks over time.

Sturdy vs. Rugged:

The steps we’ve outlined above will help you find a notebook that is sturdy and should be able to handle the hazards of use around the home or at school. If you are looking for a military spec rugged laptop, you won’t find it on the shelves of Best Buy, but instead will need to look in the small business section of HP and Dell. For a premium you can get notebooks which are rated for a drop from a table, able to handle a spill and more. The Panasonic ToughBooks, HP EliteBooks and Dell Latitude workstations offer higher levels of durability and ruggedness, but come at a price premium, but it’s worth it if you are taking your laptop into dangerous environments — such as working in the field, heading to the battlefield or keeping it in a house with an adventurous 3 year old.

How to Tell if a Notebook is Sturdy in Under a Minute (Video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

The Game Developers Conference took over San Francisco last week and we were on hand to see what is coming down the pipe in terms of notebook and portable gaming. Chuong Nguyen was on hand at the Intel booth to spot the Razer Switchblade, an impressively small and adaptable gaming notebook.

The Razer SwitchBlade is a concept gaming device which is powered by an Atom processor, Windows 7 and a touchscreen, but what really caught our attention is the dynamically changing keyboard. That’s right, the keyboard on the Razer can change based on the task at hand, displaying a traditional keyboard while working in Word and switching over to gaming specific keys when  you launch a game. The really amazing part is that this is done with real keys that you can press and feel, not just a touchscreen that changes.

Razer Switchblade Prototype from GDC 2011:

The idea behind the concept notebook is that, rather than purchase extra keyboards or controllers for each game, the game could come with a Switchblade keyboard map that would automatically engage when the game launched.

It is still early, but we could also imagine users creating their own keymappings for common tasks to increase productivity and perhaps even a secondary market for keyboards created by top players.

Razer Switchblade: Touchscreen Portable Gaming with Dynamic Keyboard (video) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.