laptop battery news

Hewlett-Packard has agreed to pay out $425,000 to settle statements with regards to dangerous laptop incidents following the US Client Merchandise Safety Commission billed the organization for not issuing a recall quickly enough for knowingly offering laptops with batteries that can catch fireplace or overheat.

HP along with the commission recalled about 32,000 lithium-ion battery packs, which implies should you registered your laptop through snail mail or on the web you could have received a discover.

If not, here’s HP’s quick listing of afflicted laptops:

and HP Notebook PC Battery Pack Replacement Program:

The Asus U46SV all-purpose laptop sets itself apart from the crowd through great performance and outstanding battery life–two attributes that rarely cohabitate. The primary reason for the long 6-hour, 41-minute run time is an unusually large 74-watt-hour battery. The large battery is also responsible for the U46SV’s hefty 4.9-pound static and 6-pound travel (with AC adapter) weights, but clever design makes the unit feel lighter than those numbers might lead you to believe.

The battery protrudes about a half-inch beneath the back of the otherwise one-inch thick unit. That gives you a firm, yet comfortable grip when toting it about (part of the reason it doesn’t feel as heavy as it is) and also adds a slight forward rake that puts your hand at a better typing angle. All told, the heavier, larger, longer-lasting battery should please more users than it discourages them.

The U46SV sports a stylish aluminum lid and keyboard deck, though the effect is cheapened slightly by chrome touchpad buttons and a rather bright power button. Still, while the touchpad buttons are distractingly reflective, they also have just the right amount of resistance. The U46SV’s breathable Chiclet-style keyboard feels exactly like those found on Lenovo’s U series (a good thing)–crisp, even though the keys travel only a short distance. The touchpad is nicely responsive as well.

Our test unit featured an Intel Core i5-2430M CPU, 8GB of DDR3 memory, and a 750GB hard drive. It also had both Intel HD Graphics 3000 for everyday use and a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 540M GPU that propelled the unit to playable gaming frame rates in the 60s at low detail and high 30s at high detail at 1024 by 768 resolution. You can also buy the U46SV with a Core i3, less memory, and less capacious hard drives if our configuration’s $900 price tag seems too steep.

Besides the stellar battery life, the U46SV scored a 123 on WorldBench 6–excellent for a Core i5. Video of all resolutions plays smoothly and is rendered to good effect on the U46SV’s 14-inch, 1366 by 768 display. So good, in fact, that when I tested with a 1080 DVD of True Grit (the Coen Brothers version), I wound up watching nearly the entire movie. Of course, it’s also a very good movie. That experience was best with headphones; the U46SV’s speakers sound weak and thin despite the Sonic Focus audio enhancement software that tries to overcome that fact.

The U46SV’s ports include VGA and HDMI, three USB ports (one of which is USB 3.0), ethernet, and an SD card slot. The laptop includes both headphone and microphone jacks, as well as a Kensington lock port on the back. You get a webcam, too, but for some reason Asus opted for a relatively low-resolution 0.3 megapixel unit.

Though the U46SV turned in very nice performance numbers, it performs sluggishly for the first minute after booting with the stock software configuration. This is largely due to loading a whopping 32 nonstandard startup items–the majority of which aren’t particularly useful or necessary. Some time culling the dross with msconfig.exe and uninstalling unnecessary software is in order if you want the performance you paid for. Not all the software is useless: Cyberlink’s Power2Go supports the integrated DVD burner, and the starter version of Office 2010 is on hand for productivity chores.

As hard as Asus tries to muck up a good hardware package with a bloated software installation, the U46SV remains an impressive combination of performance, ergonomics, and long laptop battery life. Remove the preinstalled applications you don’t want, and you’re good to go.

Once i initial selected up the AVADirect X7200, I practically dropped it. It can be heavy–12 pounds, 10 ounces, with out the 300W electrical power brick, which weighs greater than 3.5 pounds by itself–and it is also not nicely well-balanced, so the unit almost tipped away from my palms. This hulking device is exclusively made to replicate a high-end desktop gaming system inside a somewhat cell bundle.

It really is also fairly unattractive, sitting larger over a desk than do most laptops–even these with bigger (18-inch) screens. It can be all sharp corners and angles, and is also mainly a somber black, giving it a vaguely coffinlike look. The fan sound is significant: However not also negative at idle, whenever you crank up a recreation the followers spin up to ranges high enough to virtually drown out the built-in speakers.

The truth is, within the laptoplike chassis lurks the center of a desktop method: an Intel Core i7 990X desktop processor and 12GB of DDR3 memory inside a triple-channel configuration. The technique makes use of a desktop chipset, as well–Intel’s X58 to get precise, complete together with the necessary LGA 1366 socket. Being a nod to its quasi-mobile naturel, the program uses an Nvidia GTX 580M mobile phone GPU rather than the desktop model. The cell GPUs don’t carry out to your identical degree as similarly named desktop GPUs, but you can definitely receive a strong gaming expertise out of this machine. You may still have to dial again some depth ranges on cutting-edge video games like Battlefield three and Metro 2033, but most video games really should operate quite nicely with at reasonably large resolution.

CPU functionality is top-notch naturally, with all the system scoring an excellent 163 on our WorldBench six check suite–among the highest score we have witnessed by a method while in the desktop alternative laptops class. You pay out a extreme value for that uncooked performance in on-the-road usability, although: Battery lifestyle is actually a scant 56 minutes.

As befits a desktop program, the AVADirect X7200 includes plenty of connectors, such as 5 USB ports (6, if you consist of the combo e-SATA/USB port): two USB three.0 SuperSpeed ports on the left side, and 3 USB 2.0 ports sit within the correct facet. Sound connectors, which includes a electronic optical output, are to the right also. The left aspect also properties two digital video connectors–one HDMI, and one DVI–but regrettably there’s no VGA connector. A gigabit ethernet jack, an SD Card slot, and an antenna connector (for an optional Television tuner card) comprehensive the offerings to the proper side.

The ethernet jack is handy for wired connections, and AVADirect also involved Bigfoot Network’s N1102 Wi-Fi controller, which minimizes network latency in the course of gaming. However it appeared to function well, I couldn’t explain to simply how much it truly impacted the web gaming experience.

The LED backlit LCD display is stunning, giving the widest viewing angles I have observed on the mobile phone Laptop. High-definition video clip playback appeared excellent, although upscaled DVD subject material was a tad on the delicate side–a attribute I’ve seen in other systems configured with Nvidia GPUs. Games seemed great at the same time, with reasonably little detectable movement smearing. Shade accuracy for picture modifying appeared pretty close. Sound, then again, sounded quite skinny on both music and movie material, and lacked any bass whatsoever. You are going to must use excellent headphones for your ideal audio expertise.

This technique will come configured having a 128GB Important solid-state push and a Seagate 500GB hybrid difficult generate, yielding a good mix of overall performance and economic system. I recommend manually configuring a few of the Windows info folders to live on the secondary drive, in order to increase the available room for purposes. This strategy will optimize the space within the SSD for ideal OS and app load moments. Also included is actually a Blu-ray burner, for viewing high-def films and for making your own personal.

All this program horsepower contributes to a challenging cost: practically $3800. Because the machine is build-to-order, you are able to minimize back again on some parts to save money–or you are able to go while in the opposite course and make the AVADirect X7200 much more of a overall performance beast by adding memory or doubling up on GPU horsepower. Despite the big price, if you would like the raw performance of a desktop method, but must schlep the Personal computer about frequently, the X7200 may just fit the monthly bill.

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Sony’s VAIO SB series, as configured inside our assessment unit (model VPCSB1BGX), gives the very best total functionality of any ultraportable laptop we have yet tested. It is light, thin, and a pleasure to use regardless of a couple of small annoyances. Pity, then, that this configuration expenses $2500. The base product will start at only $900 (as of August twelve, 2011), but that configuration would not dominate our benchmarks as our critique design does.

The VAIO SB is often a thirteen.3-inch ultraportable that weighs a small three.7 lbs, perhaps a touch significantly less for lower-end configurations. The high-end model we examined could price $2500, but you get some rather remarkable hardware for that value. Commence with a Core i7-2620M processor, a dual-core CPU with hyperthreading that runs at a base clock pace of 2.7GHz. Additionally to that very capable processor, toss in 8GB of RAM, switchable graphics (an Intel integrated chip plus a Radeon High-definition 6630M with 1GB of graphics RAM), plus a rapidly 256GB solid-state generate. Not ample? How about dual-band 802.11n networking, Bluetooth two.1 + EDR, a blend BD-ROM and DVD burner, and assistance for Intel’s WiDi wireless display engineering? How Sony crammed all that very good stuff right into a sub-4-pound, 1-inch-thick 13-inch laptop computer is beyond me.

All that hardware was sufficient to provide a WorldBench six score of 144, increased than any mark we have observed from other laptops of this dimension and excess weight. Does all that energy ruin the battery existence? Far from it. Within our rundown test the VAIO SB’s battery(laptop battery) lasted an outstanding seven hours, 19 minutes. A bodily change previously mentioned the F3 crucial makes it possible for you to change between ‘stamina’ (integrated graphics) and ‘speed’ (discrete graphics). We ran our battery-life exams together with the swap to the ‘stamina’ setting; enabling the Radeon discrete graphics will lower battery time in fifty percent or even worse. We also examined the optional slice battery that fits neatly throughout the bottom in the laptop computer and makes the machine a third of an inch thicker and nearly a pound heavier. This optional accessory adds about 5 hrs of greatest battery life.

There is a lot to like about the style with the VAIO SB collection. The matte show has a resolution of only 1366 by 768, but that’s standard to get a thirteen.3-inch display. Shade, contrast, and brightness are rather very good, and horizontal viewing angles are much better than on most laptops I’ve observed. Vertical viewing angles are predictably poor, however: The screen will both get washed out or as well darkish if you open the lid way too far, or not sufficient. The island Chiclet-style keyboard is very great. Key travel is a little bit within the brief side, but spacing is nice and the keys possess a excellent, tactile, clicky really feel. The touchpad is likewise excellent. It tracks efficiently and properly, with two distinct buttons on which it is tough to unintentionally sign up clicks. It supports a rather wide range of multitouch gestures, even though two-finger scrolling is just not to the menu.

The left facet in the method is sparse, featuring only the BD-ROM and DVD-burning combination optical generate. All the action is along the right edge, that has a Memory Stick slot, an SD Card slot, VGA and HDMI outputs, 1 USB 3.0 port, two USB two.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, and also the energy jack. Those who like having a bodily move to disable Wi-Fi will likely be delighted to find out which the VAIO SB series delivers 1 with the front edge.

As common, Sony loads down its technique having a little excessive software for my tastes. I am not a enthusiast in the pop-out dock on the best of the screen, or in the way Norton Web Stability continually nags me to spend up as soon as the 30-day trial is over. It’s fantastic that Sony bundles Photoshop Aspects eight, Initial Components eight, and PowerDVD, though. Also included are ArcSoft webcam software package, Sony’s press gallery, and Microsoft Place of work Starter 2010. If you are like me and you also choose your laptop computer a bit more lean and indicate, it is effortless ample to eliminate nearly all of this stuff.

It is a bit disappointing the VAIO SB’s suit and complete are not very up to the standards we would count on from a $2500 laptop. It just will not have the completely clean up lines and top quality construct supplies we typically find in techniques this high-priced. In this instance, it can be since our examination device is on the really upper end of a line that is meant to start at $900–and at that value, the overall design and style is about average. Put simply, I’m truly amazed with the excellent performance and usability of this extremely high-priced ultraportable laptop, but oddly sufficient I’m a little underwhelmed by Sony’s perception of type.

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Dell on Tuesday announced its very first ultrabook, the XPS 13, producing some sound amid a smaller sized presence on the Customer Electronics Demonstrate in Las Vegas compared to prior many years.

The laptop computer looks similar to Apple’s MacBook Air, incorporates a 13-inch screen and weighs two.99 lbs (one.35 kilograms). The laptop computer is 0.2 inches (6 mm) thick. It might run as many as 8 hrs on the battery charge.

The XPS thirteen will come as Dell moves away from customer goods to concentrate to the much more profitable segments of business computer systems and cellular products. The company has previously killed its Mini netbooks plus some Streak tablets, which have not done well with shoppers. Dell’s client PCs now revolve close to laptops and desktops branded Inspiron and XPS, a few of which might be also focused at companies.

The XPS thirteen is “squarely aimed” on the professional neighborhood, but will likely be offered for sale via customer channels, a Dell spokesman mentioned.

The XPS thirteen, although thinner, gives the complete functionality of the standard-sized laptop computer, the spokesman explained. The 13-inch laptop is intended to in shape in the frame of an 11-inch laptop, so consumers receive a full-sized keyboard and bigger display in a more compact package deal.

The laptop’s commencing cost is US$999 and it’ll be available in late February or early March. But ultrabooks have already been criticized for his or her higher rates and Intel hopes to deliver down the beginning value of ultrabooks to $699 by the stop with the 12 months.

The XPS thirteen has certain mobility attributes exclusive to ultrabooks these as Wise Hook up engineering, where e mail and social network feeds are up to date even though the laptop is in snooze mode. Dell stated XPS thirteen also boots inside a make any difference of seconds.

The laptop has Intel dual-core Core i3, i5 or i7 processors determined by the Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, approximately 256GB of solid-state drive storage and 4GB of RAM. The laptop includes a USB 3.0 port along with a webcam. The laptop will at first be offered within the U.S. plus some elements of the world, though specific place specifics were not presented.

Ultrabooks are backed greatly by Intel as a approach to rejuvenate a slumping Computer industry, which has taken a beating from tablets. Intel said foreseeable future ultrabooks will include tablet-like features this sort of as touchscreens and always-on connectivity.

Ultrabooks have dominated the CES display floor, with Personal computer makers like Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and Acer announcing products. Ultrabooks based on Intel’s new Ivy Bridge microarchitecture, which will bring faster functionality and graphics, are owing later this yr.

When compared with previous shows, Dell has a comparatively mellow existence at CES. Last yr Dell declared a lot of tablets and laptops at the event.

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Sophisticated Micro Products demonstrated its upcoming cellular chips for thin-and-light laptops, which the company stated will direct to more affordable but equally speedy alternatives to Intel’s pricey ultrabooks.

AMD explained its chips, code-named Trinity, draw about 17 watts of electricity, around similar to upcoming ultrabook chips based on Intel’s Ivy Bridge microarchitecture. Laptops according to Trinity are now being proven on the Consumer Electronics Display in Las Vegas and will be unveiled later this calendar year.

The commencing value for Trinity laptops may possibly be close to US$500 and even decrease depending on the configuration, AMD executives said on the display. That compares favorably to Intel’s ultrabooks, that are at the moment priced commencing at $800, even though Intel hopes to bring that right down to $699 by the calendar year conclude.

“We believe that we will really help (thin-and-light laptops) with equal or greater overall performance inside the very same class of device at a decrease value point,” said Raymond Drumbeck, marketing and advertising supervisor for AMD.

AMD has coined the expression “ultrathin” to describe a class of light-weight laptops according to its chips. It can not get in touch with them ultrabooks, that’s a expression trademarked by Intel, Drumbeck mentioned.

The Trinity chips for ultrathin laptops will are available in dual-core and quad-core options, Drumbeck mentioned. The chips will produce exactly the same efficiency but consume 50 % the power of AMD’s A-series chips, code-named Llano, which might be presently used in standard laptops. Trinity will take in exactly the same amount of electricity but outperform the current AMD E-series and C-series chips used in ultrathin laptops, however the chip maker did not discuss detailed functionality information.

AMD will even release a model of Trinity for standard-sized laptops. The chips is going to be fifty % quicker on graphics and twenty five % faster on CPU performance, Drumbeck stated.

The Trinity chip moyen an x86 CPU and graphics processor, and can be made utilizing the 32-nanometer procedure. The CPU cores are based on a whole new architecture referred to as Piledriver, and also the integrated graphics processor will help Microsoft’s DirectX 11 graphics technology. The organization last calendar year released new chips for high-end desktops depending on its brand-new Bulldozer architecture.

Laptops with AMD chips have a tendency to get priced decrease, as well as the cost edge is 1 cause the chip-maker continues to be gaining industry discuss over Intel. Over the 3rd quarter very last year, Intel had an 80.3 % marketplace discuss, a drop from its eighty.six percent talk about throughout the 3rd quarter in 2010, whilst AMD’s marketplace discuss was 18.eight %, developing from 18.3 percent.

AMD did not comment around the actual release of the chips, but further more details will be introduced inside the subsequent couple of weeks. The chip maker also ideas new tablet and desktop chips for this calendar year, plus much more data on its chip strategy will probably be shared with the company’s analyst meeting on February two.

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Toshiba is pledging to exhibit not simply the world’s thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablet at CES subsequent week, but in addition the thinnest and lightest 13-inch laptop.

Toshiba’s Japanese CES 2012 press page declares these “thinnest” and “lightest” new laptops and tablets will likely be unveiled at CES.

The laptop is most likely the Portege Z830 Ultrabook, launched in September last year as the lightest thirteen.3-inch laptop computer in its course using a excess weight beneath two.five lbs. The Portege Z830 series, which consists of the extremely light Portege Z835 model, is noticeably skinny and light, in accordance to PCWorld evaluations.

But how about this thin and light tablet? To date, Toshiba tablets, just like the Thrive, have traded expansion possibilities for additional bulk and weight. Rumors round the internet, however, advise Toshiba’s forthcoming Excite tablet (a.k.a., the Toshiba AT200) will, certainly, be super-skinny.

The AT200 will weigh 1.two pounds and measure 0.3 inches — lighter and thinner than tablets now to the market place. Studies propose this tablet will characteristic a 1280-by-800-pixel screen, as many as 32GB of storage, and one.2GHz dual core processor.

In the world of laptops and tablets, it is no small issue to claim titles like “world’s thinnest” and “world’s lightest” titles. Toshiba might make waves subsequent yr in Vegas with these skinny and light products.