Laptops Arena

Even if a notebook cooling pad is considered to be an accessory by most people, it is in fact more of a necessity. As we have explained in some of our past articles, an overheated notebook can be a serious problem as the heat generated without proper ventilation is what causes the components inside to get damaged. This is why a notebook cooling pad should owned by everyone that has a laptop as it is going to help you extend the life of your unit by properly ventilating the components inside.

In this article we are going to show you some notebook cooling pad and shortly present their features and maybe we can convince you that it’s small price to pay in order to get a long living laptop. I keep hearing nothing but positive things about the Belkin laptop cooling pad. The price is as low as $30 so buying this notebook cooling pad is not exactly going to make a hole in your budget.

The shape and dimensions of this cooling pad make it easy to still use the unit on your lap. There is a gentle slope with improves you typing comforts and it also reduced wrist strain.  Thanks to the dimensions, the unit also fits into your laptop bag so you can take with you wherever you think it is necessary.

It can be connected to your notebook via one of the available USB ports and it takes its power from there which means you don’t have to mess around with any other cables except the USB one. The grips pads are going to prevent your notebook from slipping.

For about $35 you can buy the Thermapak HeatShift Cooling Pad which is available in different sizes, including the 17 inch model. When you first the HeatShift, you can tell that it is a bit different than what you usually see in laptop cooling pads. Inside this Thermapak you can find the phase changing material which is a crystal compound essential for the cooling process.

These crystals are the ones that absorb the heat inside the laptop and the grooved channels are used to blow the air away from the unit. This notebook cooling pad is special and different because it does not use the traditional air fans which are normally used in laptop cooling pads.

Due to its construction, this notebook cooling pad is very easy to roll up and just place it anywhere you like. It is highly transportable since it can be folded. The bottom of the pad has some rough plastic material which helps keep the pad together with the laptop into one place when you put it on the desk. You can but this cooling pad even if you have a 17 inch laptop.

Even if it does not use the conventional technology, it still manages to keep the whole surface of the laptop cool. There is no additional power necessary and this cooling pad is also environmentally friendly. It is very easy to maintain and it has an ultra slim design which increases its portability.

The HP Mini 2140 notebook PC is more likely to be considered a netbook to its dimensions, weight and rather weak components which make this unit more usable for internet and document processing purposes. Instead of talking about the regular HP Mini 2140 notebook PC, we have found information about the HD version of this mini laptop so let us explain just what is inside this unit that has made the Mini 2140 so popular, it managed to sell quite an impressive number of machines.

The HP Mono 2140 runs on a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The total storage capacity of the unit is 160 GB. The graphics card is the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950. The 10.1 inch display has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and this is why they refer to this laptop as the HP Mini 2140 HD.  You can choose from 3 different operating systems for your mini HP: you can either go with the Windows XP operating system, the Windows Vista or the Linux operating system.

The unit hosts 2 USB port, one VGA out, an Ethernet port, a SD card slot, an Express Card slot and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks. With 1.05 x 10.3 x 6.5 inches in dimension and 2.96 lbs in weight, this unit is one of the most portable laptops that money can buy. $479 may seem a lot of money to pay for a netbook especially since you can find other models out there for as low as $350 but you have to remember that this unit comes with the 10.1 inch HD display and this is not something you find on netbooks.

One thing I have to hand it to HP: the mini laptop looks amazing. It is entirely silver and shiny like a diamond and the black display bezel creates a superb contrast. The keyboard is almost fully sized to getting used to the size of the keys is not going to be a torment. The keys are covered in a coating which makes them feel very comfortable to the touch.

The touchpad, on the other hand, may feel a little strange to use as the left and right buttons are located on the left and right sides of the touchpad area instead of being located on the bottom side as they usually are. It will always be a bit uncomfortable to use the touchpad of a laptop which only measures 10 inches in diagonal.

The 6 cell battery of the HP Mini 2140 HD has managed quite an incredible score. With the brightness set to 70%, the wireless card activated and the Windows XP power management profile set to “power saver”, the laptop will manage to stay on for about 5 hours and 25 minutes. The truth is that there are other mini laptop models, like the Asus Eee PC which have managed a performance that exceeds 7 hours but the specs are a bit different and HP is definitely the winner between these 2.

A HP Compaq notebook has never been one my favorite choices for a laptop. First of all, it is well known that Compaq laptops have had some problems which made their users extremely unhappy. Things have evolved in a positive manner even since HP took over Compaq and HP Compaq products are more trustworthy than they used to be before.

However, regardless of all the problems that Compaq has confronted itself with in the past, back in 2007 users seemed really happy with the new HP Compaq notebook: the 6720s. The unit came with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 processor and 1 GB of DDR2 RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 120 GB and the graphics card is the Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100.

Let us see if this laptop is worth our attention and if we could possibly fit it on our shopping list. The 15.4 inch display has a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and since it uses the HP BrightView technology, the screen is covered in glossy coating so it is very reflective and even if it pleases us with sharp and lively colors, it is not easy to read the display if you are in a powerfully lit room or under direct sunlight.

The speakers are below the category average and even if they are located above the keyboard, the speakers of the HP Compaq 6720s will surely determine you to buy external speakers or a good pair of headphones. This 15.4 inch notebook could have done a lot better at the ports and connections chapter.

The unit hosts 3 USB ports, one VGA out, an Ethernet port, an Express Card slot, a SD/MMC media card reader and the headphones out and microphone in jacks. So, we have no HDMI port, no FireWire port and I’m surprised that a 15.4 inch HP laptop is lacking these ports.

When it comes to battery life, HP said that the battery of the Compaq 6720s is going to last about 4 hours and 30 minutes and it’s one of those few times when the manufacturer actually delivers a products that lives up to the battery promise. The HP Compaq 6720s can indeed deliver about 4 hours and 30 minutes of battery performance. This performance is quite something else for a 15.4 inch laptop.

We like the fact that the Compaq 6720s has a long battery life and few other positive aspects as well. It does come with an excellent screen and an SD card reader was a pretty cool feature back in 2007 as well even if now it has become something that you always expect to find on the unit of a notebook. The laptop manages to stay under normal temperatures and it can also stay pretty quiet as well. We do miss the HDMI port but the laptop is pretty great when it comes to multitasking (except for those which are used to working on a very powerful unit).

When it comes to an LG notebook review, the P300 is one model that we simply had to share will all of you. Back in 2008, the price of the unit reviewed here was approximately $1800. This unit was based on a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor and 2 GB of RAM. The graphics card was the nVidia GeForce 8600M GS with 256 MB of dedicated video memory.

The 13.3 inch display of this notebook comes is a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the glossy coating provide more sharp and vibrant colors. Horizontal viewing angles are great and distortion is only noticeable from extreme angles. The maximum display brightness level can handle even a powerfully lit room. The keyboard is very nice to type on and users will not feel they are working on a cramped space.

There is no flex registered in the keyboard area and the touchpad does not provide us with any complaining material either. The touchpad surface is very pleasant to the touch, with no friction and good sensitivity levels. The speakers are about as good as they can get on a 13.3 inch notebook. You can use them for all the regular computing activities, listening to music, watching movies and other Windows sounds and alerts.

The unit hosts 3 USB ports, one Express Card slot, an SD card reader, a Kensington lock slot, a HDMI port, a VGA out, an Ethernet port, a modem port and the headphones and microphone jacks. Quite a good selection for a 13.3 inch laptop I could add.

When first reading this LG notebook review, we never expected to find a HDMI port on this unit. When it comes to battery, we do have our preferences. And we would definitely prefer that since we buy an ultraportable laptop which we want to carry around here and there and everywhere, that this laptop also provides us with good battery performance (power outlets do not grow on the street, you know).

With the display brightness adjusted to 70% and the Windows Vista power management profile set to “balanced mode”, tests have managed to squeeze some 3 hours and 40 minutes out of the battery. It’s ok, considering that we can raise that score by lowering the display brightness with a couple of levels and set he power management profile to “power saver”.

In order to get a slimmer and lighter notebook, LG has chosen to remove the optical drive from the unit and so you will have to go with an external one. The drive that LG offers is quite slim and covered in a glossy black coating. It’s very easy to store this drive as it is small and light so no worries when you must travel. With a solid built in quality and even good gaming performance is we consider what the category average has to offer. With cool features like an integrated 1.3 mega pixel webcam and also an integrated Bluetooth, this is one ultraportable which you can’t go wrong with.

Acer notebooks have always been known for delivering good performance at a not-so-expensive price. One such example is the Acer Aspire 8940G, a unit which for $1329 manages to deliver power without making a hole in the family budget. Let’s take a quick look at what you get for this price tag. The Acer Aspire 8940G runs on a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive supports 500 GB and the graphics card is the nVidia GeForce GTS 250M with 1 GB of DDR3 video memory.

If you are looking for portable Acer notebook, this 18 inch monster is definitely not on your shopping list. The glossy display is very shiny and also very reflective. On the other hand, the colors are superb and the quality of the image is superior compared to other Acer notebooks. Leaving aside any matters of the display, the sound chapter has some interesting things to reveal. This 5.1 Surround system is going to offer incredible sound quality with the 5 integrated speakers and the Tuba CineBass Booster.

The keyboard of the Acer Aspire 8940G is pretty common, with no special or fancy design. The backlight will make typing in the dark an easy activity. The keys have good travel and even better response. They are very easy to press and the proper spacing between them makes it very easy to get used to it. We can say that the placement of the touchpad is a bit odd as it is located extremely close to the left side of the notebook rather than in the middle of the palm rest area. The matter finish that Acer has chosen makes the touchpad feel very pleasant to the touch and fingers seem to slide of easier. The touchpad is big and some people will never consider attaching an external mouse.

Let us see what there is to say about the selections of ports and features of this Acer notebook. The unit comes with 4 USB ports, one Ethernet port, an SDHC card slot, a Kensington lock slot, a Blu-ray optical drive, a VGA out, a HDMI port, a FireWire, an Express Card slot and the headphones out and microphone in jacks. You can never expect good battery life out a unit with an 18.4 inch display and which has some super cool components inside the unit.

If you turn the display brightness to 70%, activate the wireless card and set the Windows 7 power management profile to “balanced mode”, you can get about 3 hours and 10 minutes of battery life. I have to say that my 15.4 inch Toshiba can only achieve about 1 hours and 30 minutes on the same settings so the result of the Acer Aspire 8940G are not that low. With a huge touchpad and even an integrated Blu-ray optical drive (and its best friend: the HDMI port) I am beginning to wonder how come this notebook is so cheap. Is there something wrong with it?