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The M400 comes with stereo speakers, placed at the rear of the notebook just below each corner of the LCD. There is no doubt the speakers are plenty loud, but of course lack any bass or midrange quality. Those who want to watch movies frequently will still want to invest in a decent set of headphones, and maybe even an external sound card like the Creative Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA.

Sunlight-readability is rapidly becoming a major selling point in the rugged notebook sector. That makes sense as most rugged and semi-rugged notebooks will likely see outdoor duty, and it is just as important in business-rugged notebooks that may well be used outdoors at times. While most standard transmissive LCD displays wash out in daylight battery,the Getac 9213’s does not. The picture below was taken on a very bright California summer day at about 10AM. The computer is sitting in partial shade and the picture is completely unedited.

So the GoBook MR-1 display is second-to-none indoors and even outdoors in the shade and remains readable in direct sunlight. But what if you run into a situation where the text is simply too small to read comfortably? Well, they thought of that and added “Zoom,” a software utility that toggles back and forth between native and magnified display. There is a special “zoom” button with a little magnifying glass on it. It sits next to the Windows button. “Zoom” affects only the window you’re working on, a smart choice.

You are also supposed to be able to increase or decrease the magnification level by continuing to hold the Zoom key and then use the jog dial to zoom in and out until a comfortable zoom level has been reached. The jog dial, however, is one function that the original FlipStart device has, but we have not been able to find on the GoBook MR-1.

The Acer Aspire 8935G (bottom) is clearly the bigger of the two with its huge 18.4-inch Full HD Acer CineCrystal LED display. Other notable specs include the Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 graphics, 4x Blu-ray Disc writer, Crystal Eye web cam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, fingerprint scanner, and a backlit keyboard. The 8-cell  battery should provide quite a bit of juice, but be prepared to lug around 10.1 pounds of computing. Acer has not yet announced pricing and availability for the Aspire 8935G.

As far as the performance specifications go, the upcoming laptop (which will likely be launched around the time that Windows 7 will arrive) has been featured with the 1.6GHz Core i7 720QM processor, coupled with 4GB of DDR3 memory and a high-performance GeForce GTX 260M graphics card, boasting 1GB of graphics memory. The laptop also sports two 500GB hard disk drives, an 8x DVD writer, an 8-in-1 media card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi and a 2MP webcam. Preloaded with Windows 7, the upcoming portable gaming rig will also come with Express Gate.

Dell’s Pandya says, “Netbooks are trending toward 5% of the market now. They won’t get into the double digits.” Outside K-12 education and some healthcare applications those numbers will probably remain true for the next year or two.

With standard laptop displays, most users are concerned about brightness, clarity, and viewing angle. While these attributes are important, a relatively poor screen generally doesn’t make or break the notebook. However with a tablet PC the display is of uptmost importance. If you first unpackage and turn on your M400 anywhere except a brightly lit room, the first thing you will notice is how bright the screen is. The maximum brightness setting is overpowering in most settings, which bodes well for the display’s performance outdoors.

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When scrolling web pages or other text quickly, there is some noticeable text blurring. The blurring isn’t terrible and if you scroll slower it isn’t an issue. As previously discussed in our Thinkpad X60s review, another 12″ XGA notebook, this editor finds XGA resolution to be limiting on even a small 12″ display. We know Toshiba  has in the past produced SXGA+ (1400×1050) 12″ notebooks and would love to see the re-emergence of these displays. With Windows Vista’s ability to scale text more appropriately with respect to both resolution and display size, it is entirely possible we will see a re-emergence of high resolution, small size displays.

Though Getac does not specifically mention optical coating, a degree of coating must be there as the image remains very visible in direct sunlight. That, however, is only part of the story. While the 9213 does not have the superbright 1,200 nit backlight used on the company’s B300 and V100 notebooks, the LED backlight is considerably brighter than what we usually see on consumer notebooks. Backlight brightness is controlled via a function key combination and goes from quite dim to full bright in 16 steps.

Very small computers like the GoBook MR-1 cannot possibly accommodate all the full-size ports and connectors that fit onto a standard notebook computer. That is where “port replicators” come into play. You generally snap them onto the back of a device and that is the approach General Dynamics took with the MR-1.

The replicator measures 6.2 x 1.875 x 0.75 inches and adds standard jacks for audio in and out, RJ45 LAN, 9-pin serial, two USB 2.0, and a standard 15-pin VGA video-out port. It’s small enough to be taken along, and it is very nicely integrated into the overall design of the GoBook MR-1. A vehicle dock is also available for vehicle mount applications.

According to a recent report on the Internet, the new gaming laptop from ASUS is expected to debut in Europe for the price tag of 1,899 EURO, at the end of October. The G60J and M60J might just be the first of many to come from ASUS boasting the latest generation of Intel mobile processors.

Yet, as netbooks develop, and more companies move toward a thin client, browser based application model, those percentages will move upward. Consumers love netbooks and pundits encourage enterprise IT departments to accept a growing number of products first adopted by consumers. Since users often ignore IT guidelines, get ready for the netbook question. Enterprise ready or not, some number of netbooks are in your future.

When you head outside with this tablet PC the screen’s special coating and high brightness make it very useable even on a bright day. It also has an excellent viewing angle, which will make the screen easily viewable for another person standing next to you. Users should have no problem using the M400’s screen in a regular or tablet mode, indoors or outdoors.

The picture below shows the 9213 directly facing the 10AM morning sun. This is the most challenging test for any LCD as no backlight can compete with the power of the sun. What matters in this situation is effective optical coating and polarizers. As you can see, the 9213 display remains visible and readable. The screen takes on a somewhat greenish cast and reflection can become an issue. It is actually not as much of a problem as you might expect as the human brain is very good at tuning out reflection and concentrating on the image itself.

Keyboards are the bane of the existence of small device designers. That’s because keyboards are perhaps the biggest anachronism in all of computing. I mean, what other part of a computer has its origins in some arbitrary layout designed to slow down typists of mid-19th mechanical typewriters? Yet that is what we have to work with, and human nature being what it is once someone has learned the dreaded QWERTY layout, it seems impossible to erase it from their brains. Numerous approaches have been tried, all sorts of alternates — handwriting recognition, gestures, character recognition, tiny onscreen keyboards, alternate layouts optimized for small devices — yet nothing really worked. Millions are using the predictive “T9″ approach from Tegic to tap out SMS messages on cellphones, and before that, millions used Graffiti to conjure up characters on the screen of Palm Pilots.

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We were able to adjust to the Shift key’s reduced size, but we couldn’t look past the textured touch pad, which sits flush with the palm rests, while the keyboard is sunken into the chassis. Since the touch pad is higher than the keyboard, and the spacebar sits so close to the touch pad, mistouches are inevitable. It’s a pesky design flaw that detracts from the overall comfort of the UL30A-A1’s keyboard. Otherwise, the touch pad works quite well, as does the silver seesaw button.

I usually start this section by focusing on the keyboard. But by far the most noticable feature on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10v is the touchpad. It’s nice and wide and has a decent textured feel to it. When you scroll your finger along the right side (up and down) or bottom (left and right) you can scroll through applications and web pages.

The information in Advanced Rechargeable Battery Market: Emerging Worldwide Trends and Opportunities is based on data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Census Bureau, the United Nations Statistics Division, and official census information from Japan, South Korea, Mexico and the United Nations ComTrade database. Other information comes from trade associations such as Battery Council International, business journals, company literature and websites, and research services such as Simmons Market Research Bureau. Trends and recent developments in the industry come directly from personal interviewers with key players in manufacturing, sales, and research and development of rechargeable laptop batteries.

At a meeting for Wall Street analysts Thursday, investors will be looking for H-P to express optimism that growing PC sales will help make up for the depressed margins, said Gil Simon of Apex Capital Management, an H-P investor. “The question,” he said, “is how sustainable is it.”

Dell is ceding market share rather than drastically lowering prices to match H-P. “If we don’t think there is going to be profitable growth, there are some situations where we won’t take part,” said a Dell spokesman.

However, Puget and other custom PC makers may be a bit too optimistic. A Microsoft spokesperson explains, “October 12 is the date that Microsoft enables our Authorized Replicators to begin shipping Windows 7 to Microsoft OEM Authorized Distributors… So, while in theory a System Builder could get Windows 7 product pre-GA (general availability), based on supply chain analysis, the intended timing for customers to receive Windows 7 PCs from System Builders should be close to GA, on October 22nd.”

If money is no object, and you want a semi-portable machine that will provide you with destktop-level gaming performance, buy the M17x.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple  does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

Beneath the keyboard lies the UL30A-A1’s low-voltage processor, a Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300. ULV processors are designed to conserve battery power, but they also tend to diminish performance. We considered this when reviewing the UL30A-A1’s benchmark scores, which were slightly below average in every category except battery life. (More on battery life later.) It’s also important to keep in mind that the average ultraportable notebook costs around $2,000. The UL30A-A1’s $799 price makes its subpar performance far more forgivable.

But here’s what’s really interesting: The left and right mouse buttons are built right into the touchpad. When you want to left click, you actually push down on the touchpad near the bottom left. To right-click you press down near the bottom right.

Advanced Rechargeable Battery Market: Emerging Technologies and Trends Worldwide provides a concise, focused look on the world of rechargeable batteries as it exists today, and shows where battery technology is moving towards in the next five years. The report highlights key players in the industry and pinpoints ways current and prospective competitors can capitalize on recent trends and spearhead new ones. No other market research report provides both the comprehensive analysis and extensive data that Advanced Rechargeable Battery Market: Emerging Technologies and Trends Worldwide offers. Plus, you’ll benefit from extensive data, presented in easy-to-read and practical charts, tables and graphs.

H-P’s market share jumped to nearly 20% of global PC shipments in the second quarter, up from 18.5% a year earlier, according to IDC. In the same period, Dell’s share fell by about two percentage points to 13.7%.

There are signs PC market has hit bottom. On Wednesday, market-research firm Gartner said it expects PC shipments this year to be down 2% from 2009, less than the 6% decline it previously forecast.

That means the copy of Windows 7 on your system from a custom PC maker would leave the DVD replicating facility on October 12 and get shipped to a distributor, which would then send it to a company like Puget. After that, your system still has to get built, tested, and shipped. If one is very optimistic, this could get you hooked up a few days early, but realistically, this puts you in the same general October 22 ballpark as everyone else.

Disaster! While taking pictures this morning for the review, the system quit booting. After multiple attempts, the recovery CD finally did work, but it was quite the hassle. I blame Vista, and think that waiting for Windows 7 (or installing Ubuntu, which would fly on this thing) would be the way to go.

If you store a battery for an extended period of time, Apple recommends charging it to 50% life first, which will help maintain its ability to hold a charge when you use it again. Battery University suggests keeping it in the refrigerator (not the freezer), making sure to seal it in a baggie to avoid moisture.

On our iTunes test (a timed conversion of 11 MP3 files from MP3 to AAC, designed to test the CPU), we clocked the UL30A-A1 at 7 minutes and 30 seconds, which is two minutes slower than the average ultraportable. The Fujitsu LifeBook P8020 is the only other ultraportable we’ve tested that took longer than 7 minutes to complete the iTunes test. But what’s truly remarkable is that the Fujitsu LifeBook P8020 costs $2,500—triple what the Asus UL30A-A1 costs.

The touchpad doesn’t support multitouch gestures, but there is an optional setting that lets you zoom in some applications by scrolling up and down with one finger on the left side of the touchpad.

I’ve been using the Inspiron Mini 10v for the past week or two and I’ve started to get used to the touchpad, but I’m still not a big fan and I find the netbook much easier to use when I plug in a USB mouse.

ST’s new TS4657 is a single chip combining audio-DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and line-driver functions to feed the audio Line-Out connection of set-top boxes, DVD players, portable multimedia devices, sound cards, or similar equipment. The Line Out provides a direct connection to drive an external home amplifier.

Another change H-P made was to work more closely with retailers like Wal-Mart to forecast PC demand. By getting orders in earlier, H-P could save on component and manufacturing costs, which are cheaper if they’re ordered far in advance.

But if you’re determined to be the first person on your block with a Windows 7 PC, Battery,all is not lost. While the official release date of October 22 is a Thursday, we’ve heard from several sources that certain big brick-and-mortar retail stores are going to start advertising Windows 7 systems in the weekend newspaper circulars that hit on Sunday, October 18.

The implication is, if you drop by a retail store that Sunday, there’s a good chance they’ll have Windows 7 versions of some laptops and desktops in the store already, and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to walk out with one.

As you can see, it’s a very strong machine. Yes, you pay for this level of performance, but if you want something that will give you the hardware-level edge over your competition, this is the machine to do it. But the hardware is only half the story. This machine has the looks to impress as well. Alienware built the case out of anodized black aluminum, which makes it feel like one hell of a sturdy unit.

They also added some new touch controls across the top of the keyboard,in addition to the typical indicator lights. The touch strip allows you to eject the optical media, turn the volume up and down, turn off the wifi, and activate or deactivate the “Command Center” (more on that later) and the discrete graphics mode. This is rather handy, and except for some obvious exceptions, standard on most laptops nowadays.

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Our Windows Media Encoder (WME) test (which comprises converting a video file) took 10 minutes and 14 seconds, only about a minute slower than the average time and a whopping 11 minutes faster than the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us’s time. Multitasking while running the WME test (we do this by running a full BitDefender scan simultaneously with the WME test) added only two minutes to the UL30A-A1’s WME score. The HP Pavilion dv2-1030us needed an additional 6 minutes to complete the multitasking benchmark.

The keyboard is nice and wide and features all the right buttons in all the right places. One odd feature is that the function keys at the top of the keyboard are designed a little differently from those on pretty much every other laptop I’ve ever used. Instead of hitting F11 to change your browser to full screen mode, for instance, you have to hit Fn+F11. To adjust the screen brightness you simply hit F4 or F5 without hitting the Fn key.

The IC uses an internal power management unit to produce a 2.2Vrms audio-output signal for voltages from 3.0V to 5.5V, eliminating the need for a separate high-voltage power supply to drive the Line-Out output. Similar devices typically require four external capacitors for the charge pumps but ST’s high-frequency design integrates these on-chip, thereby saving board space and bill-of-materials costs. In addition, the ability to generate negative and positive voltages allows the audio signal to be referenced to ground, which saves the need for a decoupling capacitor in the audio-signal line.

Wal-Mart surveyed customers to see what kinds of tradeoffs in performance they were willing to make for a discount machine, said Mr. Nzigamasabo. For example, he said, students were willing to give up battery life, but not a CD drive.

Wal-Mart passed on its findings to PC companies and later reached deals with Dell for a sub-$400 laptop, and Toshiba Corp. and Acer for sub-$350 laptops. H-P beat those vendors with its $298 machine.

Hewlett-Packard is sending mixed signals on what exactly it plans to do with the Voodoo PC brand it acquired three years ago.

After purchasing the gaming and PC enthusiast brand in 2006, HP in 2008 began using the Voodoo name beyond powerful gaming PCs. It painted the name Voodoo and VoodooDNA on high-end HP notebooks and desktops, and talked up their premium engineering and design. They used the analogy that if the HP brand were a Smart Car and Compaq were a Chrysler, Voodoo would be their Maybach.

The battery life on most gaming laptops is pretty bad. Alienware has managed to avoid this issue for the most part by adding a discrete video card to the motherboard. What this means is that when you unplug the power from the machine, it automatically disables the dual Nvidia cards and switches you to the onboard video. This results in a significant hit to performance, but it also adds about an hour and a half to two hours worth of battery time.

The bad thing is, if this happens on accident while you’re in-game, your framerate will drop to almost a standstill. You also have to be cautious not to accidentally hit the button on the touch strip that does the same thing. I spoke with Alienware, and they said that currently, there isn’t any way to disable that particular button.

Performance isn’t too shabby in the Pavilion Slimline s5160f either. The system uses an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor and 6GB of DDR3 memory. While this is a fairly low end quad core model from Intel, it does extremely well with the multitasking and multimedia applications. It would have been nice to see a higher model, but with its under $900 price, it isn’t surprising.

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On our 3DMark06 test, which graphics performance, the UL30A-A1 scored 836 when set to its native resolution (1,366×768) and 762 set to a lower resolution (1,024×768). While both these scores are about 120 marks behind the ultraportable averages, they are significantly lower than the HP Pavilion dv2-1030us’s scores (1,353 native; 1,503 standard). This is the only benchmark test in which the HP ultraportable’s scores beat the UL30A’s, and that’s thanks to the former’s discrete ATI graphics chip. On the Cinebench 10 test (which measures how well the GPU and CPU work together), the UL30A-A1 scored 2,736. For perpective, that’s a roughly equal result to the much pricier Apple MacBook Air, which scored 2,728.

This arrangement actually makes a lot of sense. After all, odds are you’re going to need the volume, screen brightness,  battery meter, and WiFi toggle buttons far more often than the F6 key. But if you spend a lot of time working on more than one laptop, you may occasionally find yourself hitting Fn+F7 and wondering why the volume hasn’t been muted.

The TS4657 also increases flexibility for designers since it can be operated from any supply voltage from 3.0V to 5.5V. Hence design is simplified and engineers can use the same device for a variety of products. The operating current of only 7.4mA, three times smaller than the nearest competing device, leads to improved efficiency. By achieving 93dB dynamic range, 80dB Power Supply Rejection Ratio (at 217Hz), and 81dB THD+N at 0dBFS, this device also helps maximize the audio performance of equipment connected to the Line-Out.

But a year later, HP’s consumer PC lineup contains little trace of the Voodoo branding. HP had introduced the HP Blackbird with VoodooDNA and more recently HP Firebird with Voodoo DNA. Both are nowhere to be found on HP.com. In a more recent example, a new notebook, called the HP Envy was released last week. A year ago it was called the HP Voodoo Envy 133. Though the updated model takes some Voodoo ideas like the thin profile, quick booting, the power adapter, and packaging, you’d have to be a Voodoo fanboy to know Voodoo had any sort of influence at all on it.

The overall appearance on the M17x is outstanding. The aluminum case looks very nice, and gives the laptop an almost automotive feel. It does add to the weight, but honestly, this isn’t intended to be a portable laptop  that you carry around everywhere. Alienware also went all out with the lighting. They’ve put LEDs under the keyboard, behind the speaker grill, and underneath the touch strip above the keyboard.

The really fun part is that you can change the color of the LED’s from in the Command Center, and there are different zones which allow you to vary the color of the lights from one side of the keyboard to the other. Personally, I turned all the LEDs red while I played some L4D in the dark, which gave the whole experience a particularly creepy air.

HP  does a great job of keeping wire clutter to a minimum which is very useful for home theater entertainment centers. The system comes with a wireless keyboard, mouse and a media center remote. It also comes with an 802.11b/g/n wireless networking adapter for easy connection for all those streaming media services like Hulu or Netflix. The only real drawback is that these wireless features require the use of USB dongles that plug into the back reducing the overall number of available USB ports.

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While the UL30A-A1’s performance might leave some disappointed, we suggest looking at it in light of the laptop’s price and extra-long battery life. When we streamed live video from CNN .com (a demanding task), the UL30A-A1’s   battery lasted for 5 hours and 34 minutes, shattering the average ultraportable endurance time of 3 hours 14 minutes. (A former category leader, the HP EliteBook 2530p, lasted only 5 hours and 3 minutes and cost $2,600.) When performing lighter tasks, the UL30A-A1 will doubtless last even longer than it did during our test. (Asus promises up to 12 hours of battery life.)

The eight-cell battery makes up nearly half the 3.7-pound weight of the unit itself, but it makes the UL30A-A1 truly useful as a far-ranging portable. Best of all, the battery doesn’t jut out the way eight-cell   batteries on other models do, so you won’t have any trouble slipping this laptop into a small shoulder bag or slipcase. Also, the UL30A-A1 stays relatively cool and quiet throughout usage. The palm rests feature an “Ice Cool” design that keeps them from becoming hot after prolonged use. (The tiny AC adapter does get quite hot, however.)

Like many other 10 inch netbooks, the Inspiron Mini 10v has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel glossy display. But it doesn’t reflect quite as much glare as some other glossy screens I’ve used. I wouldn’t want to use this laptop outdoors in bright sunlight for an extended period of time,but indoors it’s quite comfortable to use.

STMicroelectronics is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. ST aims to be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications leveraging its vast array of technologies,  Battery, design expertise and combination of intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing strength. In 2008, the Company’s net revenues were $9.84 billion.

So what gives? It seems the Voodoo team didn’t have much to do with the Envy, despite its sharing the same name with older products.

“The reason there’s no ‘Voodoo DNA’ on the (most recent) product has to do with the overall design language, the target market, and the fact that we weren’t directly involved in the design,” Rahul Sood, the founder of VoodooPC and the chief technology officer of gaming PCs for HP, wrote on his personal blog.

Alienware’s M17x laptop is an extremely powerful gaming machine. It’ll run your favorite games with no hesitation, and then ask for more. The Nvidia chipset performs brilliantly,  Battery, and makes even the newest games (I tried Batman: Arkham Asylum) an absolute dream to play. The full size keyboard also makes it a great laptop for schoolwork, or whatever else you might decide to use it for.

Users hoping to potentially upgrade the Pavilion Slimline s5160f may be a bit disappointed. The system is already packed leaving essentially no room for any additional items as all memory and expansion slots have been used. There isn’t even space for a secondary internal hard drive. This makes the limited number of USB ports even more noticeable. An eSATA port would be a smart idea for HP’s next revision.

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Our configuration came loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, but Asus is offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 on systems purchased between June 26, 2009, and January 31, 2010. The UL30A-A1 also comes with Express Gate, which allows the user to stop short of the lengthy Windows bootup and launch right into the Express Applications (Web, Skype, Music Player, Online Gaming, Photo Manager, and Chat). Express Gate requires less than ten seconds of startup time.

The laptop performs pretty much exactly as like every other machine with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and Windows XP. It can handle a variety of tasks including surfing the web with multiple browser tabs open, playing 720p video from the desktop or Flash video from most web sites.

In the same post, Sood that Voodoo is “transitioning from ‘desktop and notebook’ manufacturing to something beyond.” While it’s unclear what “something beyond” means, he hints that besides HP taking some design and engineering cues from Voodoo that the company he founded didn’t quite fit into HP the way Sood had initially expected.

“Voodoo, as you all know, was to be integrated into the larger business units so we could take some of our ideas and products to a much larger audience,” Sood wrote. Overall, he said it “wasn’t as easy as I had hoped” to integrate the Voodoo operation into HP’s monstrous engineering and manufacturing machine. “It’s very difficult to explain the magnitude of difference,” he added.

There are a couple of things I wasn’t fond of. That touch button that disables the Nvidia cards is really a pain. The weight is also an issue. The thing weighs 13 pounds with the power adapter. But we already knew that it’s not a computer for road warriors. It’s also extremely expensive. The system we were sent to review has an MSRP of $3898. Is it worth it? Yes. And honestly, if you are looking at Alienware, you’re not expecting it to be cheap anyway. Also, it comes with Vista. If you wait a bit, though, 7 will probably be the default.

Since the early days of desktop personal computers, the size of the systems has been fairly large. This was originally due to the number of size of the chips required to make even the most basic computer run. Over time the technology has greatly improved allowing for the processors and microchips to shrink such that fewer microchips are needed. What used to take a full size expansion card the size of a legal envelope can now be done by a single chip the size of a postage stamp. With the reduction of components for the computers the size of the computer can now be reduced.

HP  representatives, when asked for clarification, said there’s no reason for concern: their Voodoo plans haven’t changed, even though a few Voodoo computers seem to have disappeared from their product line. HP says they were limited edition designs.

The Inspiron Mini 10v isn’t exactly a speed demon, but the Intel Atom N270 processor is a bit more responsive than the 1.33 Z520 chip found in the base model of Dell ’s first 10 inch netbook, the Inspiron Mini 10. I’ve reviewed two different computers using that same processor used in the Asus Eee PC T91, and Eee PC 1101HA, and both left me feeling underwhelmed. It’s worth pointing out that the Dell Mini 10 is also available with a faster 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, but the 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor in the Mini 10v is generally described as being more responsive.

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Asus also offers a two-year global warranty and one year of accidental-damage protection, which is especially useful since ultraportable units tend to get carried and jostled a lot, making them more prone to accidents. Speaking of which, there is no shock-absorption feature built in to protect the hard drive, so dropping the UL30A-A1 could be fatal for the unit and your data. It’s too bad that Asus hasn’t provided this additional safeguard, but again, the price is low enough and the warranties are good enough to give potential buyers some peace of mind.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10v is availabel with either a 3 cell, 24WHr battery or a 6 cell, 56Whr battery. While the 6 cell battery sticks out of the bottom of the unit and adds a bit of weight, it also provides more than twice the run time.

Essentially the high-end products that the Voodoo name gets attached to are harder to scale at the manufacturing capacity that is normal for HP products. But when pressed on the lack of any recent Voodoo and HP co-branding, HP said we can “expect to see the Voodoo and VoodooDNA products come out at about the same pace as they have since the acquisition.” If the three-year history of the deal is a guide, it looks like that means once every year or two.

I was able to get between 6 and 7 hours of run time out of the netbook with WiFi on and the screen brightness set at about 40%. There are certainly a few other netbooks that get better  battery life, but I’m still pretty impressed with the Mini 10v’s performance. It comes pretty close to having an all-day battery, assuming you have an 8 hour workday and a decent lunch break.

That may be disappointing to some. But it was clear from the beginning that the acquisition of Voodoo by HP was for high-end cachet, not big gobs of customers. Voodoo was a Calgary, Canada boutique PC maker turning out custom gaming machines. Each computer was built by hand for enthusiasts willing to pay for machines that sometimes started at $5,000 each.

Disaster! While taking pictures this morning for the review, the system quit booting. After multiple attempts, the recovery CD finally did work, but it was quite the hassle. I blame Vista, and think that waiting for Windows 7 (or installing Ubuntu, which would fly on this thing) would be the way to go.

Notebook sales may be growing every year, but a new trend has been developing along side portables. They offer the same performance levels to that of a notebook computer all the way up to a top of the line desktop system but at a fraction of the size. Small form factor (or SFF for short) systems come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they may be the future of where computing in the home is at.

So it made sense when HP opted to use the brand first on the Blackbird gaming PC marketed as a powerful HP desktop for gamers with “Voodoo DNA.” That meant that it was an HP branded product but was built in conjunction with the Voodoo team. Then HP rolled out the Voodoo Envy notebook and Voodoo Omen desktop last year. They were a complete design departure for HP: sleek with interesting materials like carbon fiber, and in the case of the Envy, a $2,000 price tag to match, yet aimed at the same type of audience that might want a MacBook Pro or a Dell Adamo.

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