W.A.Khan, Acer Aspire S7 The Acer Aspire S7 is a premium-looking ultrabook, with great performance, strong battery life, and a high-res touch screen.We really liked the inclusion of the Intel Core i7-3517U processor, 13.3-inch Multi-touch FHD Acer CineCrystal LCD, and 256GB of storage. The battery life with this device is great and the fact that it's only 2.9lbs means that we'll be rocking this baby for a while.
But, The expensive S7 is priced well beyond most other touch-screen Windows 8 laptops. The touch pad is not as responsive as it should be.
The bottom line: One of the few standout products from the first wave of Windows 8 laptops, the Acer Aspire S7 proves that Apple does not have a monopoly on great design. Specifications
ProcessorIntel 3rd Gen Core i7 3517UB1.9 GHz ( 3 GHz ) ( Dual-Core )
Memory4 GB/ 4 GB (max)
Hard Drive256 GB
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8
Display Type13.3 in
Max Resolution1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
Graphics ProcessorIntel HD Graphics 4000
Optical DriveNone Price;$1,560.01 VS Lenovo ThinkPad Helix The ThinkPad Helix is powered by a third generation Intel Ivy Bridge processor, up to Core i7 and up to 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM. Aiding performance is an SSD of up to 256GB so its performance is top-notch. You’ll be able to choose between Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix will be available in an array of spec configurations, but the one we saw demonstrated was a mid-range example, with a Core i5 processor. Core i7 options will also be available. The ThinkPad Helix uses current Ivy Bridge-generation CULV Intel chips, backed-up by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The screen and base are each under 2.0 pounds, but that's on the hefty side for an 11.6-inch system. That said, it's 20mm thin, qualifying for ultrabook status, and can run processors up to Intel's current-gen Core i7.Travel-friendly features include 3G/4G antenna options, NFC chip, and a spill-resistant keyboard.The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix feels like a hybrid roadwarrior. It's reasonably light, especially in its class, offers great build quality and careful attention to detail in its construction. It may not be a beauty, but it's one of the better full Windows 8 hybrid designs out there. Performance and battery life
A 1.8 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM may seem small on paper, but in practice the ThinkPad Helix is a surprisingly capable machine. Both the Windows 8 tiled interface and desktop ran smoothly on our review unit.
Browsing in either Chrome or Internet Explorer, we could get a dozen tabs going before performance started to chug. This is with the tablet docked in its helpful stand, which provides extra cooling and allows the processor to overclock a little.
The performance enhancement is noticeable, and the fans generate minimal noise. This is by no means a gaming machine, but we were able to play some Half Life 2: Episode 2 with an acceptable framerate.
The stand also provides additional battery life. With its help, we generally got 7 to 8 hours of web surfing and word processing. As just a tablet, the Helix got between 5 and 6 hours. That's not bad at all, certainly better than a Surface Pro, but one can't help but think of what Haswell could've done for this machine.
Price;$1,499 VS Asus Taichi 21 The Asus Taichi 21 offers a clever implementation of a dual-screen design in a slim Core i7 chassis.It features dual 11.6" IPS displays with 16:9 aspect ratios and Full HD 1920 x 1080 native resolutions, thanks to the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. The main screen inside the lid is a normal laptop display while the outer lid features a secondary touchscreen display. Both screens can be used independently of each other so two people can use them at the same time.
But, Only one of the screens is touch-enabled, which feels like a major oversight. There are probably only a handful of situations where you'd need an outward-facing display.Tablet Mode is on par with this, lasting for 2 hours and 27 minutes. The Taichi is greedier in Dual-Screen Mode, lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes. That last score isn’t too bad considering both displays are on, and screens are one of the biggest battery hogs on a laptop.
The bottom line: More of a clever proof-of-concept than a practical product, the Asus Taichi still delivers on its basic promise, combining two displays for a unique take on the laptop/tablet/hybrid genre. Specifications
ProcessorIntel 3rd Gen Core i7 3517U / 1.9 GHz( Dual-Core )
Memory4 GB
Hard Drive256 GB- Serial ATA-600
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8
Display Type11.6 inIPS
Max Resolution1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
Graphics ProcessorIntel HD Graphics 4000
Optical DriveNone Price;$1,489.00 to $1,599.00
But, The expensive S7 is priced well beyond most other touch-screen Windows 8 laptops. The touch pad is not as responsive as it should be.
The bottom line: One of the few standout products from the first wave of Windows 8 laptops, the Acer Aspire S7 proves that Apple does not have a monopoly on great design. Specifications
ProcessorIntel 3rd Gen Core i7 3517UB1.9 GHz ( 3 GHz ) ( Dual-Core )
Memory4 GB/ 4 GB (max)
Hard Drive256 GB
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8
Display Type13.3 in
Max Resolution1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
Graphics ProcessorIntel HD Graphics 4000
Optical DriveNone Price;$1,560.01 VS Lenovo ThinkPad Helix The ThinkPad Helix is powered by a third generation Intel Ivy Bridge processor, up to Core i7 and up to 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM. Aiding performance is an SSD of up to 256GB so its performance is top-notch. You’ll be able to choose between Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix will be available in an array of spec configurations, but the one we saw demonstrated was a mid-range example, with a Core i5 processor. Core i7 options will also be available. The ThinkPad Helix uses current Ivy Bridge-generation CULV Intel chips, backed-up by 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The screen and base are each under 2.0 pounds, but that's on the hefty side for an 11.6-inch system. That said, it's 20mm thin, qualifying for ultrabook status, and can run processors up to Intel's current-gen Core i7.Travel-friendly features include 3G/4G antenna options, NFC chip, and a spill-resistant keyboard.The Lenovo ThinkPad Helix feels like a hybrid roadwarrior. It's reasonably light, especially in its class, offers great build quality and careful attention to detail in its construction. It may not be a beauty, but it's one of the better full Windows 8 hybrid designs out there. Performance and battery life
A 1.8 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM may seem small on paper, but in practice the ThinkPad Helix is a surprisingly capable machine. Both the Windows 8 tiled interface and desktop ran smoothly on our review unit.
Browsing in either Chrome or Internet Explorer, we could get a dozen tabs going before performance started to chug. This is with the tablet docked in its helpful stand, which provides extra cooling and allows the processor to overclock a little.
The performance enhancement is noticeable, and the fans generate minimal noise. This is by no means a gaming machine, but we were able to play some Half Life 2: Episode 2 with an acceptable framerate.
The stand also provides additional battery life. With its help, we generally got 7 to 8 hours of web surfing and word processing. As just a tablet, the Helix got between 5 and 6 hours. That's not bad at all, certainly better than a Surface Pro, but one can't help but think of what Haswell could've done for this machine.
Price;$1,499 VS Asus Taichi 21 The Asus Taichi 21 offers a clever implementation of a dual-screen design in a slim Core i7 chassis.It features dual 11.6" IPS displays with 16:9 aspect ratios and Full HD 1920 x 1080 native resolutions, thanks to the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. The main screen inside the lid is a normal laptop display while the outer lid features a secondary touchscreen display. Both screens can be used independently of each other so two people can use them at the same time.
But, Only one of the screens is touch-enabled, which feels like a major oversight. There are probably only a handful of situations where you'd need an outward-facing display.Tablet Mode is on par with this, lasting for 2 hours and 27 minutes. The Taichi is greedier in Dual-Screen Mode, lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes. That last score isn’t too bad considering both displays are on, and screens are one of the biggest battery hogs on a laptop.
The bottom line: More of a clever proof-of-concept than a practical product, the Asus Taichi still delivers on its basic promise, combining two displays for a unique take on the laptop/tablet/hybrid genre. Specifications
ProcessorIntel 3rd Gen Core i7 3517U / 1.9 GHz( Dual-Core )
Memory4 GB
Hard Drive256 GB- Serial ATA-600
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8
Display Type11.6 inIPS
Max Resolution1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
Graphics ProcessorIntel HD Graphics 4000
Optical DriveNone Price;$1,489.00 to $1,599.00
Nice post! Can’t wait for the next one. Keep stuff like this coming.
ReplyDeleteAcer - 11.6" TravelMate Notebook - 4 GB Memory - 500 GB Hard Drive (TMB113-M-33214G50ikk)
Acer - 13.3" TravelMate Notebook - 8 GB Memory - 320 GB Hard Drive