Best Laptops 2011

Tablets could be storming the mobile computing community right now, however, that could be mostly not a replacement for a regular notebook application needs. Mostly for high-graphics gaming, professional works and rendering videos you’ll need a decent computer to work with. And while browsing, to what could be the best notebook computers out there available this year, i4u.com have come up with a pretty good list. You can check out the list after the break.

• 1. Toshiba Satellite M645-S4080 – This is one of the new machines from Toshiba for 2011. It has a 14-inch LED backlit LCD and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. The processor is the Intel Core i5-460M running 2.53GHz and the machine has 6GB of RAM. The screen resolution is 1366 x 768 and it has 640GB of storage.
• 2. Toshiba Qosmio X500- S1811 – This notebook is one of the largest machines you will find and is perfect for those that like to play games and those that like to watch lots of media. The notebook has a giant 18.4-inch LCD supporting HD resolution. The notebook runs an Intel Core i7-740QM processor, has 500GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM. It also packs in a lot more features making this a giant size notebook that will do just about everything you want it to.
• 3. Dell L701x XPS 17 Notebook – This is one of the larger new Dell machines to launch his year with a big 17.3-inch screen and a discrete GeForce GT 435m 1GB GPU. The machine has NVIDIA Optimus tech to switch between that discrete GPU and the integrated graphics. This notebook also has Blu-ray, 6GB of RAM, 500GB storage and a lot more features. The processor is a Core i5-460M at 2.53GHz.
• 4. HP Mini 5013 Netbook – This little netbook is one of the best on the market. The downside to a netbook is that the hardware isn’t that robust, the upside is portability and a low price. This netbook uses an Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 250GB HDD. It runs Windows 7 Pro and has a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 resolution screen along with a few other features.
• 5. Sony Vaio VPC-YB15KX/S – This is the first notebook on the list powered by an AMD processor. The CPU is the dual-core AMD E-350 running at 1.6GHz. The screen is an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 unit and the GPU for the notebook is a Radeon HD 6310. This notebook has 500GB of storage and 4GB of RAM with the Windows 7 Home Premium OS.
• 6. Dell Inspiron M101z Notebook – Dell is one of the largest companies in the notebook market. This machine is a small AMD powered unit with an 11.6-inch screen. It has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and uses a Radeon Mobility HD 4200 GPU. It sports 2GB of RAM, 500GB of storage, and Windows 7 Home Premium for the OS. The processor inside the notebook is the AMD Athlon II Neo K125 and it has several other features too like WiFi and Bluetooth.
• 7. Alienware m17x 10-1847DSB – This 17-inch notebook is one of the most powerful gaming notebooks Alienware offers and the nearly $2200 price shows it. It uses an Intel Core 17-740QM processor at 1.73 GHz and it has 6GB of RAM. The notebook has 500GB of storage and a slot loading DVD burner. Graphics are handled by a CrossFireX 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 GPU and the machine has a 17-inch screen with a 1440 x 900 resolution. Other features include a backlit keyboard, 500GB of storage, 6GB of RAM, and lots more.
• 8. Apple MacBook Pro MC700LL/A – This is one of the cheapest MacBook notebooks that you can purchase right now. The machine has a 13.3-inch screen and runs a 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor. It has 320GB of storage, a screen resolution of 1280 x 800, and Intel HD graphics. The machine also has 4GB of RAM and the new Thunderbolt port among other things.
• 9. Apple MacBook Pro MC721LL/A – This is the larger 15.4-inch MacBook Pro notebook with a screen resolution of 1440 x 900. It has a 2GHz Intel Core i7 processor, Radeon HD 6490M graphics, and a 500GB HDD. Other features include 4GB of RAM, Thunderbolt, and lots more. This is the MacBook Pro that is at the lower end of the price range for the large screen machine.
• 10. MacBook Air 13.3 – This little machine is one of the thinnest and coolest notebooks on the market. It has a 13.3-inch screen and a processor that runs at 2.13GHz. Storage is to a 256GB SSD and the machine uses NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics. This machine also has 4GB of RAM.

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Sony fully restores PlayStation Network, more attacks planned

As promised, Sony has begun the full restoration of its PlayStation Network services in all regions with the exception of Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
The company made the announcement in a blog post last night, saying that customers once again have access to a huge lineup of downloadable games, demos, add-on content, themes, avatars and videos from the PlayStation Store, while Plus subscribers should see new full game trials and other freebies.
The promised content as part of the Welcome Back offer to customers is not yet live, though. Sony says it is currently in the final stages of testing and will make the content available to download soon.
Sony cut off its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service on April 20, a day after detecting what it called a "very sophisticated" intrusion that compromised the personal data of over 100 million users. A partial restoration began two weeks ago -- on May 15, 2011 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Asian countries and regions on May 28, 2011 -- with online game play, account management, friend lists, and chat functionality.
The company has estimated it will need to set aside around $171 million to cover the costs of the investigation, cleanup and insurance needed to resolve the issue, as well as implementing updates to the network to prevent further occurrences. That doesn't include legal expenses from ongoing lawsuits, however, nor additional losses if identify theft or credit card fraud are detected as a result of the PSN security breach.

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Sony Slates New Surround Sound PS3 Headset

Avid PSN players on PS3 console might love this new official product from Sony. It’s a new PS3 headset for your gaming needs, especially good for getting the most out of the blasting and kabooming effects in your games, while you can chat with your friends loud and clear sound quality. This new PS3 headset is coming with a 7.1 virtual surround sound, retractable microphone and a special feature where you can view the battery and sound control status on-screen.

If you need me to be honest, I would say that I’m rather interested with this headset as it looks pretty decent. Well, despite of its “chubby” headband, of course.

As the matter of fact, a common PS3 headset is actually quite there in delivering what you need for online gaming. But if you are looking for more thrills and fun, this new wireless PS3 headset is definitely a gadget that worth a second look.

As far as the wireless technology, no, it’s not a bluetooth headset by any mean. Sony uses a USB dongle (2.4GHz – 10 meters range) that you need to attached to your PS3 before it can work. However, Sony promises that the headset will have “the highest quality voice chat for crystal clear conversations.”

Well, if you are phat PS3 owner, you might have no problem at all since it have 4 USB ports. But PS3 slim owner might clearly feel the disadvantage here as the 2-port setting is really insufficient by all mean. Especially when users are lazy to unplugged their PS Eye, cooling fan or direct USB cable for recharging controllers. That’s why you should invest some bucks to get a USB hub if your are the Slim owner.

Nuff said, this Sony PS3 Headset is going to cost $99.99 and will go on sale in this September 2011. Still a long wait if you are drooling for it now…

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