Acer Aspire One 533
Reviewed by Niall Magennis on 7 September 2010
What you need to know
Price: £300
Our rating: 4.0 stars out of 5
User rating: Not yet rated
Verdict: An excellent 10.1-inch screen and well-designed keyboard combined with impressive performance make this a great little netbook.
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Full review
Netbooks have a reputation for being rather samey, with their external design often the only point of difference. The Aspire One 533 breaks from the boring norm with a new Intel Atom N475 CPU and faster DDR3 RAM to improve performance. Our review model was supplied by Save on Laptops, where you can buy it for £300.
Not too shabby netbook
The 533 certainly makes a good first impression thanks to its sleek design. The dark grey, glossy finish on the lid goes nicely with the more matte look of the keyboard surround. We also like the curved, elongated screen hinge, which not only feels very robust, but looks quite funky, too. It’s slim, measuring a mere 27mm thick. Overall, we think it’s one of the better looking netbooks on the market right now.
At just 10.1 inches, the display is obviously quite small, but its resolution of 1024×600 pixels is pretty crisp given its petite dimensions. Despite its shiny coating, the screen is not too reflective by glossy-screen standards. It’s also brilliantly bright and capable of producing strong colour. Unlike a lot of netbooks, the 533′s viewing angle is quite wide, which will come in handy if you want to share a movie with a mate while you’re travelling.
Because the battery protrudes slightly from the bottom of the netbook, the keyboard tilts towards you at a gentle, sloping angle that creates a nice typing position. The keyboard is one of the better ones we’ve come across on a 10-inch netbook, as the keys are relatively large and the layout is practical with only the cursor keys reduced to half size.
The trackpad sits completely flush with the case, marked only by a grid pattern that distinguishes it from its surround. The pad is actually quite large by netbook standards and it even has a separate scroll area on the right-hand side for quickly zipping up and down through longer Web pages and documents. Rather than having two separate buttons, Acer has integrated them into a single rocker button that sits right at the front lip of the chassis. There’s a noticeable click as you tap on either side, so it feels responsive to the touch.
More than just a pretty face
Most netbooks use an Atom N450 processor, but Acer has chosen the newer N475 for the 533. This single-core processor is clocked at 1.83GHz, but, more importantly, it uses DDR3 memory to provide extra performance. Unfortunately, the netbook refused to complete our PCMark05 test, but the speed improvement was noticeable over other netbooks that use the N450 chip. For example, while most netbooks struggle to play 720p videos smoothly, the 533 was able to play even more complex 720p files without any problems. Its 3D performance, however, doesn’t rise above the standard netbook level. It uses an Intel GMA graphics card which was only able to rack up a score of 164 in 3DMark06, so although you can use it to play very old 3D titles, it’s a dead duck when it comes to modern first-person shooters.
Elsewhere, the specification doesn’t stray too far from the traditional netbook template. Although the RAM is the faster DDR3 type, there’s still only 1GB of it, which is just enough to run the Windows 7 Starter operating system. For storage, Acer has provided a 250GB hard drive. The line-up of ports is similar to most netbooks, too, with three USB ports, a VGA output for connecting to an external display (unfortunately, there’s no HDMI port) and an Ethernet socket for hooking up to a wired network. There’s also a multi-format card reader nestled on the right-hand side of the chassis. On the wireless front, there’s 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 support — a handy addition for transferring files from devices such as smart phones.
If there’s one area in which netbooks consistently outperform laptops, it’s battery life, and the 533 doesn’t let its fellow devices down. It managed to keep running for a relatively impressive 4 hours and 11 minutes in our Battery Eater test. Since this test is super intensive, you should get an even longer life from the 533 with ordinary day-to-day use.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a very impressive netbook from Acer. It looks sleek and has a good screen and keyboard. The new processor and faster RAM provide a small, but welcome, increase in performance. If you’re in the market for a 10-inch netbook, the Acer Aspire One 533 should be near the top of your list.
Edited by Emma Bayly
Key specs
| Key Specs | |
|---|---|
| CPU manufacturer | Intel |
| CPU type | Atom N475 1.83GHz |
| OS family | Microsoft Windows |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Starter |
| Available colours | Grey |
| Screen size | 10.1 in. |
| Weight | 1200 g |
| Estimated battery life | 8 hours |
| Size (WxHxD) | 259x187x27 mm |
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
06/09/2010
Ever since it was launched two years ago, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 has won the hearts of many photographers. With its comparatively large 1/1.63-inch CCD sensor and ultra-wide 24mm F2.0 lens, this compact dominated the advanced point-and-shoot market. Competitors such as Canon and Samsung have dished out rival models such as the PowerShot S90 and EX1, respectively, but have somewhat been unable to topple the Lumix from its throne.
Most digital cameras these days are usually replaced within a year. But Panasonic took two years to deliver the LX3′s successor, the LX5.
The reaction from most shutterbugs upon seeing the LX5′s specifications was not unexpected. Most users anticipated that Panasonic would employ an even larger sensor or an F1.8 lens to counter the EX1′s optics. But the new Lumix sported similar basic shooting specifications as the LX3, and nothing seemed to have changed much. That said, we tried out the LX5 for a couple of weeks and we dare say it has shown an improvement in performance, features and image quality that should pacify critics.
Design
The LX5′s main body design doesn’t deviate much from the LX3. It still has a retro look, which is further emphasized if you attach the electronic viewfinder (EVF) on it. The handgrip has been beefed up to provide a more secure hold on the shooter, and some additional controls have been added to facilitate operations. However, the Lumix still employs a clip-on lens cap to protect the optics, which was a hassle to remove each time we powered on the camera. It would have been better if Panasonic had implemented a self-retaining lens cap such as the Ricoh LC1.
The only major change to the facade is the meatier handgrip which has a rubberized surface to provide a better grip.
Again, there’re not many modifications made to the top of the LX5 compared with its predecessor. However, there’s now a dedicated movie-recording button and an additional slot on the lens barrel for 1:1 (square format) shooting. This makes it more convenient to switch between different aspect ratios.
The most significant change on the back of the LX5 is the clickable jog dial, which replaces the four-way joystick used on the LX3. We find this implementation much easier to operate, and the dial has ample resistance for more precise control such as when using it to adjust exposure settings.
You’d also notice that the LX5 has an accessory port below the hotshoe. This is the same port used in the company’s Micro Four Thirds camera, the Lumix DMC-GF1. Hence, you will be able to swap peripherals between cameras, such as the GF1-designed DMW -LVF1 viewfinder to the LX5.
The battery/memory card slot is located at the bottom of the shooter, while on the side is a flap that hides the mini-HDMI and USB port.
It was a joy to use the LX5, especially with the EVF. Being able to bring the camera to our eye to shoot pictures made us feel somewhat more discreet, and this is great if you like street photography like this reviewer here. The use of a jog dial over the joystick may seem like a small change to the design, but it made operating the snapper much easier. Overall, we were very happy with the design of the LX5, save for the lens cap.
Features
There are several new features on the LX5 that sets it apart from the competition. The Lumix now has a variable focus selection option, meaning you can dictate how big (or small) you want the autofocus (AF) area to be. There is a total of four selectable boxes ranging from covering about 50 percent of the screen to just a small area. As with the LX3, you can shift the box around within the frame to focus on off-center subjects. However, we noticed the camera would revert to the default medium-sized box each time we powered down the camera. This happened even when we assigned the setting to a custom slot (C1 or C2 on the mode dial). We checked with Panasonic and was told that such an implementation was to help users employ the recommended AF area setting. While this may not be a deal-breaker for most shutterbugs, we found it annoying that we had to adjust the size of the AF box each time we wanted to shoot.
One feature we liked was the step zoom. When this option is activated, you can incrementally zoom the lens to select your favorite focal length. There is also a zoom-resume function, which sets the lens into the last-used focal length when you turn on the camera.
The LX5′s main rivals are the Samsung EX1 and Canon PowerShot S95 (which succeeds the S90). Here’s a quick breakdown of their specifications.
| Model/Specifications | Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 | Canon PowerShot S95 | Samsung EX1 |
| Sensor resolution | 1/1.63-inch/10-megapixel CCD sensor | 1/1.7-inch/10-megapixel CCD sensor | 1/1.7-inch/10-megapixel CCD sensor |
| Lens specifications | 3.8x optical zoom (24-90mm), F2.0 max | 3.8x optical zoom (28-105mm), F2.0 max | 3x optical zoom (24-72mm), F1.8 max |
| LCD size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Max video resolution | 1,280 x 720 pixels | 1,280 x 720 pixels | 640 x 480 pixels |
| Image stabilizer | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| Memory media | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC |
| Dimension/weight | 109.7 x 65.5 x 42.9mm/231g | 99.8 x 58.4 x 29.5mm/170g | 114.3 x 63.2 x 29.2mm/356g |
| Related link | More info | Review |
From the table, you can see that the LX5′s LCD resolution remains at 460k dots, and this pales in comparison with the EX1′s 920k-dot, 3-inch swivel display.
While the LX5′s sensor size is still 1/1.63-inch (same as the LX3), Panasonic claims the chip has an improved light sensitivity of 31 percent. This is pretty significant, and we will see how it performs against the old CCD sensor used in the LX3 later in this review.
Other improvements the LX5 touts is a better lenses and the new Venus FHD image processor. Again, we’ll see how these implementations translate to performance and image quality below.
Performance
Like most recent Lumix point-and-shoots, the LX5 has improved performance in terms of startup time and focusing. While the LX3 took 2.2 seconds to boot up, its successor required just 1.5 seconds. In terms of autofocus speed, the LX5 was definitely faster than the LX3. Time-to-first shot for the LX5 clocked 2.3 seconds, a tad quicker than the LX3.
Panasonic’s improved optical image stabilizer (IS), Power O.I.S., shone in the LX5. When we shot in low-light environments, we were able to use a lower ISO sensitivity setting partially because of the wide F2.0 lens. The IS also let us shoot handheld at slow shutter speeds such as 1/10 second.
Image Quality
Panasonic claims the LX5 has a 31 percent increase in light sensitivity, and this was evident in our test shots of the same scene with the LX3. We noticed the LX5′s pictures looked brighter and were able to show more details in the shadow regions compared with the LX3′s shots. As for noise control, the new Lumix did a better job and we could tell it delivered a sharper image. Note that these two photos were taken in RAW format and processed using the SilkyPix RAW conversion software provided with the LX5.
In our previous hands-on with the LX5 in Hokkaido, we already mentioned that the shooter has a wider dynamic range compared with its predecessor. You can take a look at the sample shots here.
On its own, the LX5 delivered quality pictures for a point-and-shoot, primarily aided by the larger image sensor. Images taken at ISO 400 and below were relatively free of noise unless you scrutinized them on the PC, and they should be suitable for prints of up to 8R size without showing digital artifacts. Noise only crept into the photos at ISO 800 and above, and this becomes more obvious when we bumped up the ISO setting to 1,600 and 3,200.
The LX5 has an ISO range of 80 to 12,800. However, you can snap full-resolution (10-megapixels) pictures up to ISO 3,200 only. The camera will reduce the image resolution to 3 megapixels once you select ISO 6,400 and beyond.
Next, we compared ISO 800 samples from the LX5 and the EX1. As you can see, the Lumix photo looks sharper but a bit more grainy, while the EX1′s picture appears softer but has less noise. So, it’s really up to the individual preference on which suits him better.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt the LX5 is a worthy successor to the LX3. Its improved performance and image quality make it one of the best compacts you can find on the market now. However, the retail price of S$799 is a tad steep considering you can buy an entry-level dSLR or Micro Four Thirds camera for just a bit more. That said, Panasonic told us the LX5 caters to photographers who want a compact camera that can deliver good pictures. If you want a shooter that offers professional operation but don’t want to deal with the hassle of changing lenses, the LX5 is highly recommended.
Specs
| General | |
| Dimensions | 109.7 x 65.5 x 42.9 mm |
| Weight | 231 g |
| Inside The Camera | |
| Optical sensor | CCD |
| Sensor Resolution (max) | 11.3 megapixels |
| Resolution | 10.1 megapixels |
| Photodetectors (max) | 11.3 million |
| Photodetectors (effective) | 10.1 million |
| Focal length | 24mm to 90mm (35mm equivalent) |
| Digital zoom | 4x |
| Light sensitivity (auto) | 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 ISO |
| Light sensitivity | Auto ISO 100/200/400/500/1600/3200/6400/12800 |
| Focusing | Normal, Macro, Quick AF, Continuous AF, Manual focus, One shot AF, AF area select, AF tracking |
| Normal focus range (min) | 50 cm |
| Macro focus range (min) | 1 cm |
| Shutter speed | 60 to 1/4000 seconds |
| Creative controls | Yes |
| Other useful features | Full manual mode, Intelligent iA, accessory port |
| Outside The Camera | |
| LCD size (new) | 3 inch |
| Viewfinder type | None |
| Type of flash | Built-in |
| Tripod mount | Yes |
| Video out | Yes |
| Storage type(s) | Secure Digital, Secure Digital HC, SDXC |
| Hotshoe | Yes |
| Image Capture | |
| Max. image resolution (new) | 3648 x 2736 |
| Digital video capture | Yes |
| Max video resolution (new) | 1280 x 720 @ 24 fps |
| Audio capture | Yes |
| Face recognition | Yes |
Nokia C5
What you need to know
We like:
Simple interface; massive, comfy buttons; great build quality; 3G support
We don’t like:
No Wi-Fi connectivity; occasionally disruptive pop-up messages
CNET.co.uk judgement:
The Nokia C5 offers a good deal of functionality at a reasonable price. While some other devices may look better on paper, the C5′s large buttons and simple interface mean that using this phone is a very pleasant experience indeed
Score:
7.9 Very good
Full Review
Reviewed 8 June 2010
Reviewed by Luke Westaway
Remember the good old days when phones were chunky, and batteries lasted for weeks? Nokia does, and it wants to bring your once super-nimble texting fingers out of retirement. The C5 channels the mobile phones of old, with a few modern niceties bolted on.
It’s available for free on a £10-per-month, 24-month contract with T-Mobile, or you can pick it up for around £150 SIM-free.
Skinny and tall
At 12mm thick, the Symbian-based C5 (no relation to the promising car of the future) features an extremely slim build, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket. Look at this phone side on and it’s liable to slip into the sub-atomic realm and become invisible to human eyes. At 112mm tall, it’s also an extremely long handset, which is a very, very good thing. “Why?” we hear you ask.
Well, the extra length has been used to accommodate a gigantic alphanumeric keypad. As sworn enemies of cramped keypads, we found this very pleasing. In addition to being really big, the keys themselves are arranged in a precise grid, and each button is slightly raised. That means you’ll be able to tap out texts at a pace that would put even the speediest teen to shame.
The C5′s build quality is especially impressive for a device at this price. The phone has a pleasing weight, doesn’t feel cheap or plasticky, and has a smooth, rounded finish. It feels like a cohesive piece of technology, rather than a heap of components hurriedly glued together.
The C5′s display has a 320×240-pixel resolution, and is clear and bright. Text is sharp and easy to read, and images render very well indeed.
Interface pace
As well as looking the business, the C5 also boasts a very natty user interface. It’ll be familiar to anyone who’s used a Nokia device over the last few years. You’ll find a few key applications along the bottom of the home screen, with a more detailed menu accessible via a quick tap of the left button.
We love the speed at which the interface moves. We didn’t notice much delay at all when clicking our way around the various menus, and the C5 is an extremely snappy device overall. Our only complaint about the interface is that there are quite a few pop-ups and warnings that get in the way of navigation, particularly when you’re using Web-connected apps — you’ll have to register your approval of splash screens even if they’re just informing you that you’re now communicating over a secure connection. Such pop-ups may prove useful to some people, but they do detract from the user experience slightly.
Map app happiness
The C5 supports Ovi Maps, Nokia’s free GPS navigation system. We didn’t have particularly high hopes for a maps application on a phone without a touchscreen, but controlling the maps software using the four-way central button feels surprisingly intuitive — and speedy. We were surprised by how helpful the app was in actually helping us find our way around town.
The C5 includes a host of other extras too. Most notable are optimised versions of Twitter and Facebook (pared-down interfaces make using these services very easy), a built-in FM radio and access to YouTube videos, via either the browser or an app.
The phone’s connectivity options are also pretty comprehensive, with HSPA and 3G support allowing for speedy Web browsing. We lament the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity though.
3.5mm of joy
Saints be praised and glory to Him on high, for the C5 is the first Nokia handset we’ve seen in a while to feature an industry-standard 3.5mm headphone socket. This means you’ll be able to plug in your own set of headphones, rather than the uncomfortable and poor-sounding set that come in the box. The bundled set does, however, include a microphone and call-answer button, enabling you to take calls without fishing your phone out of your pocket.
The C5 also sports a 3.2-megapixel camera that takes photos of a thoroughly adequate nature. The quick shutter will help you capture the moment, but don’t expect to craft any photographic masterpieces. Video captured using the camcorder mode proved impressively smooth — even when we spun the camera around very quickly while filming.
We have no complaints in terms of call quality, and the C5′s battery life is impressive. You can expect the battery to last for around 4 days with normal use, and less if you’re consuming heaps of data or watching loads of video.
Conclusion
You can find a phone with more features than the Nokia C5 for a similar monthly price. What really makes the C5 stand out, though, is its clear user interface, wonderfully large keys and excellent build quality. The C5 is perfect for anybody who uses their phone primarily for texting and, y’know, actually calling people. Throw in a few extras like an email client and decent browser, and you have a lovely handset.
Netbook Best Samsung
Samsung N210
What you need to know
We like:
Long battery life; comfortable keyboard; matte coating on display
We don’t like:
No HDMI video output; fiddly mouse buttons
CNET.co.uk judgement:
The N210 doesn’t do an awful lot different to its rivals, but that doesn’t stop it being a solid all-round netbook. Its well-laid out keyboard, excellent screen and strong battery life make it an ideal travel companion.
Score:
8.5 Excellent
Full Review
Reviewed 21 May 2010
Reviewed by Rory Reid
Samsung has just added to its burgeoning netbook range with the N210 — not to be confused with the Samsung N120. This is a typical 10-incher with a 1.6GHz Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. Given the glut of machines that feature a near identical specification, is it another average face in the crowd, or is will its fashionably late appearance guarantee it some attention?
Serious business
It might be a netbook, but the N210 isn’t particularly cute. Its 265 x 189 x 35.6mm, 1.34Kg chassis is certainly small enough to draw admiring glances from passes by, but its grey lid gives it a more serious appearance than many of its rivals.
Although it’s grey, the N210 isn’t dull. The lid has an intricate miniature brickwork pattern (it’s sexier than it sounds, honest) and is coated with a silky, translucent layer of plastic that easily helps this machine look more stylish than Samsung’s first wave of netbooks. Anyone with a keen eye for design will be pleased to note that same pattern appears again just above the keyboard and again on the base of the machine.
Shiny’s crappy, people
Open the N210′s lid and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Its 10-inch display has a matte coating, which means you’ll be able to use the N210 it in a variety of lighting conditions — even outdoors — without it turning into a £280 mirror. Despite its lack of a glossy coating, the screen delivers good image fidelity — colours are punchy, there’s decent contrast and viewing angles are good for a machine at this price.
Board clickless
The N210′s keyboard is among the best keyboards we’ve seen on a netbook. Its keys, despite being relatively small, are isolated, so when your fat, meandering fingers go astray, they’re less likely to accidentally strike an adjacent button. Unlike some netbook keyboards, important, but less frequently used, buttons — such as the return key, left shift, return, and the cursor buttons — are all of a good size. This means you never have to fish around too long looking for them. The mouse selector buttons are a little too small for our liking, but given that the mouse trackpad itself offers multi-touch navigation, this is a small gripe.
Not holier than thou
Connectivity on the N210 is fairly standard for a netbook. Wireless networking is present and correct thanks to a 802.11n Wi-Fi controller and it has Bluetooth 2.1. The right side of the machine has a couple of USB ports and a D-Sub VGA video output (sadly, HDMI isn’t present) while the front edge gets an SD memory card slot and the power switch. The right side houses a 100Mbps Ethernet port, mic and headphone jacks and — more unusually — a USB port that can be used to charge your USB gadgets whether the laptop is on, in standby mode, or switched off completely.
Big Softy
The N210 comes with a wealth of, mostly useless, pre-installed software. Firstly, there’s the Game Pack, from Oberon Media — a collection of children’s demo games that anyone over the age of 9 years old will probably never touch. The best we could find was Dairy Dash — a game that involved a man feeding a goat, or something. It was rubbish.
Arguably the most interesting addition is Samsung Movies — an online service — that lets you rent movies for 99p or buy them outright for a fiver. The picture quality isn’t particularly breathtaking, but it’s on a par with similar services such as BBC iPlayer.
Pro performance
The Samsung N210 has the same internal gubbins as most netbooks, so it provides similar performance to most of its rivals. It returned a PCMark 2005 score of 1,350, which is about average, but it felt a little slow during day-to-day use — possibly due to the amount of additional (read: pointless) software installed on our test machine.Thankfully, its battery life was a little more impressive. The machine lasted a whopping 7 hours 20 minutes in our Battery Eater Classic test, which runs the CPU at full capacity until the battery is exhausted. With more frugal use, the machine can last in the region of 12 hours — which is fantastic.
Conclusion
The N210 is an excellent netbook. It doesn’t do anything particularly different to rivals such as the MSI Wind U135, but small touches, such as the matte display, isolated keyboard and extraordinary battery life mean it’s definitely one to consider.
Samsung N140
What you need to know
We like:
Good build quality; fantastic battery life
We don’t like:
Offers nothing new in terms of netbook technology
CNET.co.uk judgement:
Although the Samsung N140 looks rather dated compared to the new generation of netbooks from the likes of Acer and Asus, it’s still a solid performer at a reasonable price. The N140′s battery life is among the best you can expect to find too. This netbook comes highly recommended if you need a machine that can last all day away from the mains
Score:
8.9 Excellent
Full Review
Reviewed 7 October 2009
Reviewed by Julian Prokaza
Samsung continues to refine, rather than redesign, its netbooks. The two latest additions to its N series, the N130 and N140, owe much to existing models in the range, and are essentially the same as each other, especially in terms of appearance. The N140 adds Bluetooth, stereo speakers and a bigger battery, and is more expensive as a result. It’s available for around £310.
Déjà vu
If you’ve seen one 10-inch netbook, you’ve seen them all. The N140 does nothing to advance netbook design. It’s slightly more compact and lighter than the N120, but you’d need to see the two models side by side to really spot the changes. The case profile has been tweaked ever so slightly and the black model (a white version is also available) has a silver trim running around the edge of the keyboard. Although chunky compared to the likes of Asus’ Eee PC 1008HA Seashell, the N140 is still one of the better-looking netbooks around, and the glossy black lid combines well with the matte black finish on the rest of the machine.
Crisp screen
The 10.1-inch screen sits on stiff, wobble-free hinges, but the lid doesn’t go far enough back to give a comfortable viewing angle with the N140 on your lap, unless you slouch a little. The vertical viewing angle is wide enough to stop this from being a big problem though, and the 1,024×600-pixel matte screen displays a bright, crisp image.
As with other N-series netbooks, there’s a keyboard shortcut to turn off the backlight. You won’t be able to see what’s on the screen, although the image is still there, but it’s a more convenient power-saving method than setting the display to shut off automatically after a minute or two of idle time.
The keyboard is just shy of full-size and the layout is sensible, with a double-height, although narrow, return key. The other keys are a good size too, and seem to have slightly more travel than those on the N120.
The matte black trackpad sits flush with the wrist rest, but is framed by a silver lip that acts as a tactile barrier. This lip sits too high along the bottom edge though, interfering slightly with the single, narrow strip of plastic that forms the mouse buttons. That really is the only complaint we can level at the N140′s input options though, and Samsung has done a pretty good job all in all.
Standard netbook performance
The N140 refused to run our PCMark05 and 3DMark06 benchmark tests, but, since it has the stock netbook specification of a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, Intel GMA 950 graphics and 1GB of RAM, we doubt it performs any differently to other models of its ilk.
Nonetheless, full-screen, high-definition YouTube videos play smoothly, although QuickTime video playback is really limited to 480p — the frame rate drops with higher resolutions and the image starts to tear.
Brilliant battery life
Battery life is the N140′s real selling point. Unlike those of other long-lasting netbooks, the six-cell, 5900mAh battery used in the N140 doesn’t overly protrude from the case. It sure packs a punch though. In Battery Eater‘s punishing Classic test, the N140 lasted for a mightily impressive 7 hours, and it stretched to 10.5 hours in the less stressful Reader’s test.
Conclusion
Although the Samsung N140 blazes no new netbook trails, we can’t knock it. It looks good and it’s well-made, but its battery life is its outstanding feature. If you need a low-cost netbook that can last all day away from the mains, look no further.
Hush Puppies – My First
Men’s Pineridge
- Polyurethane midsole with rubber Bounce pads provide ultimate shock
absorption and energy return. The rubber pads also provide additional
traction and durability
- Tumbled full grain leathers with suede trim of full grain smooth
polished or oiled nubuck leathers
- Ortholite open cell memory foam footbed is wrapped with mesh and
leather to provide instant comfort, moisture management and keeps the
foot cool and dry
- Corner stitched construction where the upper is hand-stitched to the
outsole the upper is hand-stitched to the outsole and eliminates the
use of ann insole board for better flexibility
Pioneer DEH-1150MPG CD Tuner
The DEH1150MPG allows you to hook up your portable music devices, such as an iPod ®, with ease using the front auxiliary input. While it will also play regular CDs or your own compilations of MP3, WMA, or WAV files. To ensure superior sounding audio the DEH1150MPG uses Bimetric Equalizer (BMX) technology which compensates for any loss in high frequancy sound levels caused by file compression, such as MP3 files. Security is enhanced by a detachable face and carry case.
Built in 50W x 4 Channel High-Power MOSFET Amplifier
To minimize voltage loss in its head unit amplifiers, Pioneer built-in high-performance Power MOSFET integrated circuitry into all its head units. The MOSFET amplifier processes signals more efficiently at 50W x 4 maximum total output. This reduces distortion to virtually nothing at high frequency ranges giving you great clear sound.
Hook up your portable digital devices with ease in an instant. Each new Pioneer head unit has a built-in AUX input on the front panel so you can connect your iPod, MP3 player and other portable music devices.
You can adjust the sound according to the music you listen to. Switch between five preset equalization curves (Super, Bass, Powerful, Natural, Vocal, Flat) simply by pushing an EQ button. You can also boost the volume. Select among three levels of loudness (high/mid/low).
Wireless Remote control
Hand over control of the music to those in the back seat.
Nokia E52
Nokia E52
09 September 2009
RRP AU$589.00
Good: Light, slim design, Easy to use, Good suite of business tools, Long battery life.
Bad: Numeric keypad isn’t best for long emails, 3-megapixel camera is a bit shabby.
At first sight the Nokia E52 won’t set your heart racing, but its excellent battery life and ease of use make it a smartphone worthy of consideration.
Not everyone wants a smartphone with a touchscreen and loads of entertainment features. Many people just want a device with long battery life, great call quality and a few applications to help them read and edit work documents on the move. This is the market that Nokia is aiming for with the traditional-looking E52.
Evolution, not revolution
While Nokia’s N-series smartphones are aimed primarily at those looking for a feature-packed but fun handset, the E-series has always been targeted more towards business users. We were quite fond of the original E51, as we liked its ease of use and impressive messaging features, so, with Nokia having nearly two years to work on the follow-up, we had high expectations for the E52.
From the outset, it’s clear that this update is more of an evolution than revolution. In terms of design, it doesn’t stray all that far from the original E51. It retains the same tall and narrow design, with a large, square direction pad in the centre and tapered sides that frame the keypad at the bottom. The E52 is a good deal slimmer though, measuring a mere 10mm at its thickest point. It’s lighter too, tipping the scales at just 98g. There are also some welcome new features, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can use your own headphones, as well as a standard micro-USB port for charging and syncing with a PC.
Big, bold screen
Nokia has also done a good job on the display. Not only is it bright and capable of showing really vivid colours, but it’s also much larger than those found on more run-of-the-mill candybar handsets. Measuring 61mm (2.4 inches) across the diagonal, the screen has, for a phone of this size, a relatively high resolution of 320×240 pixels. As a result, it gives you a decent amount of room when you’re using the phone’s browser to view websites, or watching videos in the movie player and YouTube applications.
(Credit: Nokia)
Connectivity is also good. The E52 is quad-band, so you’ll be able to use it in most countries around the world. It also offers speedy web browsing and downloading, as it supports both HSDPA and Wi-Fi. As well as this, there’s now also on-board GPS. This works well with the preloaded navigator application. Alternatively, you can download Google Maps for the phone and use the GPS functionality with that. Either way, we found the phone took mere seconds to lock onto enough satellites to pinpoint our location, even from a cold start.
S60 simplicity
The handset runs Nokia’s Series 60 operating system, so the menu layout will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s used a recent Nokia phone. The applications and settings menus are laid out in a straightforward grid structure, making it easy to find your way around. Plus, there are plenty of useful applications pre-installed, including Quickoffice, for viewing and editing work documents. As Series 60 is well supported by developers, there’s a wealth of extra apps available for download too.
On the downside, the standard mobile phone keypad isn’t ideal for tapping out emails, and the shots from the basic 3.2-megapixel camera are relatively poor by today’s smartphone standards.
Nevertheless, as you’d expect from a Nokia handset, call quality is first-rate. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the E52, however, is its battery life. This phone has the longest battery life of any handset we’ve tested for quite some time. Nokia rather conservatively quotes eight hours of talk time and 23 days on standby, but, during our test period, we got around four days’ use out of it before it needed recharging.
Conclusion
At first sight the Nokia E52 won’t set your heart racing, since its design is rather conservative by today’s standards. But, when you actually use the handset for a while, you can’t help but grow fond of it. This isn’t just because its battery life is exceptional. It’s also very straightforward to use, while still managing to pack in all the key features you’ll need on a daily basis. If you’re after a smartphone that has the look and feel of a more traditional mobile, it’s seriously worthy of consideration.
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