Dell Desktop Computers bring out color for springtime

may very well be the only person that gets sentimental over technology, but when it comes to Dell I am. My very first computer was a Dell and it was a great machine while it lasted. So it’s still a favorite brand of mine for many reasons (even if I don’t own a Dell anymore). One being that Dell has always seemed to listen to their customers and now that everyone is crying out for technology with color, Dell has listened once again. They’re releasing a full line of desktop computers that are brightly colored to match their colorful laptops.

They will be releasing two Inspiron desktop computers and both will be sporting the colors shown here. Within those computers you’ll be able to choose from a lineup of Intel and AMD CPU’s, up to 750 GB of storage, up to 8GB of RAM, the option of either integrated graphics or ATI discrete graphics cards and finally you can add a Blu-ray drive to the tower. You’ll be able to choose from Piano Black, Pure White, True Blue, Formula Red, Tangerine Orange, Spring Green, Plum Purple and Promise Pink. The prices will start at $299. As of now they’re in China and will be seen worldwide sometime this spring.

HP Pavilion a6750y

Thanks to a smart balance of components and features, we're actually charmed by HP's Pavilion a6750y. Unlike the disappointing lower-end model, this $710 mainstream desktop packs in the right amount of horsepower alongside some useful extras. Yes, you can spend an additional $70 for a more capable Gateway, but at some point we have to recognize the value a product brings at its given price. We like this HP because it's a relatively clean and capable slate for a standard midtower. You might also use it as a base for modest upgrading. In either case we think you'll be happy with this PC.

The Pavilion's case is a straightforward glossy and matte black combination. It's unobtrusive enough, and we like the fact that HP situated the media card slots conveniently at the top, unobstructed by any kind of sliding panel. We dislike the internal hard-drive cage, however, which is needlessly convoluted and makes adding a second drive more difficult than it needs to be.
This HP sits right between two other retail desktops, Dell's $650 Inspiron I530-120B, and Gateway's $780 LX6810-01. We've chosen the Dell for the direct match-up because it's close in price, and with no discrete graphics cards the two make a good performance match-up. We also like the Gateway system for its 3D card, which is rare at that price. Budget-bound gamers especially should be sure to give that system a look. For the features of the HP compared with the Dell, HP gives you more RAM and the benefit of wireless networking. Dell has only wired Ethernet. As we've said before, Wi-Fi in a desktop might not be necessary, but we'll credit HP for adding it here without a major sacrifice to other system specs.

ASUS W90 Review

The ASUS W90 was designed with one goal in mind; blow all other gaming notebooks out of the water. The W90 features two ATI Radeon Mobility 4870 graphics cards connected in CrossFireX, an Intel T9600 processor, 6GB of DDR2 memory, and an 18.4” WUXGA display. With this configuration it can achieve upwards of 15,000 points in 3DMark06 and manage to fluidly play Crysis at 1920x1080 resolution. Selling for only $2,199 could the ASUS W90 be one of the best gaming notebook values on the market today? Keep reading to see for yourself.

ASUS W90Vp-X1 Specifications:

Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit)
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.8GHz, 6MB L2, 1066MHz FSB)
18.4" Glossy FHD LCD display at 1920x1080 (WUXGA)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2 with 1GB GDDR3 video memory
Atheros AW928X 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.0
6GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM (2GB x 3)
320GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (7200RPM)
DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive with Labelflash
2.0 megapixel webcam with autofocus
Altec Lansing Surround Sound Speakers with Subwoofer
Dimensions (WxDxH): 17.4" x 12.91" x 2.48"
Weight: 13lbs 4.0oz (16lbs 2.3oz with AC adapter)
230W (19.5V x 11.8A) 100-240V AC Adapter
11.1v 8800mAh 93Wh Lithium Ion battery
2-Year Standard Limited Warranty
Price as configured: $2,199.99

LG - X110 review

LG doesn't release laptops in the UK. Or at least it didn't. But it has just released the X110, which is one of the new netbook machines. In this case it comes with mobile broadband and is classed as free if you are prepared to commit yourself to a 24-month contract.

We could only find it available from Phones4u and it is on three contracts. In all cases you pay £35 per month. On Orange there is a 3GB data cap with maximum data speed of 1.8Mbps. On Vodafone the data cap is also 3GB but speed tops out at 7.2Mbps. 3 only goes to 2.8Mbps but the data cap is 5GB. So, if you aren't that bothered about super fast downloading, 3 seems to have the best offer.
In all cases both pink and white versions of the X110 are available.
This is one of the best netbooks we've seen. The build quality is superb and in particular the keyboard is very well made and has a positive feel to it. You might find its size a little lacking if you have larger hands, but we had no trouble touch-typing at a fair old lick.

HP - TouchSmart tx2-1020ea review

Microsoft might have put a lot of money behind the concept over the years, but tablet PCs have always struggled to capture the imagination of the public. You need a screen big enough to write on, but with big screens come heavy laptops, which isn't ideal if you're planning to carry it around with you all day.

This hasn't stopped HP from attempting to breathe new life into the tablet PC, though, and the TouchSmart tx2 is, somewhat unusually for a tablet, aimed at home users as opposed to businesses. It's powered by an AMD Turion Ultra ZM-84 processor, has 4GB of DDR2 memory and relies on an ATI Radeon 3200 card to provide the graphics.

Before we examine the 'touch' side of things, we'll take a closer look at the design of the TouchSmart tx2.
HP's certainly done a good job as far as aesthetics go, with the TouchSmart tx2 looking smart in its dark-grey livery. The left side of the chassis is home to a Lightscribe DVD burner, 34mm Expresscard slot and SD card reader.

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor

With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it's needed most, new Intel® Core™ i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹

You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology² and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³, which maximizes performance to match your workload.

Amazon Whispernet and Kindle 2 Whispersync

Congratulations to Amazon for their release of the Kindle 2 ebook reader this week. Both the Kindle and Kindle 2 utilize Whispernet, a wireless communication system for automatically connecting to the Internet and download data from Amazon.com and other Web sites. Whispernet is based on the EV-DO cellular network protocol. A switch on the back of the original Kindle controlled its wireless radio; in Kindle 2, you control the network via on-screen menus.
Amazon has also added a new feature called Whispersync in Kindle 2. Whispersync will synchronize data between two Kindles using the Whispernet network. You can use this feature, for example, to have multiple Kindles remember which page of an ebook was the last one you read. Being a proprietary protocol, Whispersync does not allow you to synchronize with computers or other mobile devices.