“m9700 laptop ate my desktop!”.

If you’re like me, your laptop is for work and playing ‘Bubble Bobble’ and your desktop is the scene of 3D carnage, death and destruction. Son, times are a-changin’ (yes, they have been for some time but it fits in with this article).

You sexy beast.

Seriously. If I could have children with an inanimate piece of technology then the m9700 would be the one for me. Why? Firstly, it’s cheap-ish. For around £1200 for the base model (the dual GeForce GO 7900 GS model comes in over £2000) you get a machine more than capable of handling the latest games. Second, it just looks and feels great. The high resolution (1900 x 1200) is fantastic and works well in any lighting conditions. Even the sound from the onboard speakers showed no signs of distortion at higher volumes. The original Alienware styling has been toned down a little but retains the alien logo (no mistaking who makes this laptop, is there?).

Surely it can’t all be good?

No, it isn’t. This little beast weighs in at 4kgs. Not light in anyones eyes. Another whinge I have is the power consumption. Spend more than 90 minutes away from a mains supply and it’s game over. It would appear that the graphics card and the processor do not power themselves! Ah well, I can live with some things.

Don’t let that put you off. This is a desktop replacement. It looks and feels great and, in my eyes, is well worth the money.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The boys from Taiwan did good.

Let the heavens tear asunder and the earth shatter! HP will not be using Intel hardware for its new line of low cost laptops. Taiwanese chip manufacturer Via has won the contract to supply HP with the C-7M processor for laptop models such as the 2133 which is due to ship in the third quarter.

Competition from Intel was stiff and the decision surprising considering Intels recent release of Centrino Atom which has been designed for hardware such as the 2133. Two factors helped swing the decision:

1. The thermal requirements of the C-7M met the needs of HP.
2. A simple case of timing; the C-7M was ready to rock.

Anyway, the deed is done but we’re sure Intel will also score some notable wins with Atom.

And now the specs…

We’ve dropped in a small subset of the 2133 specification in case you’re interested. Don’t ask us about the price because the official UK prices haven’t been released but US prices are shown below:

Price $499 - 899

Weight 1.19 Kg

CPU 1, 1.2 or1.6 Ghz Via C-7M processor

OS Windows Vista or SuSe Linux Desktop

Display 8.9″ at 1280 x 768 pixels

Storage 120 or 160Gb hard disk

Battery 2 hours on a 3 cell and 4 hours on a 4 cell

Popularity: 3% [?]

So small, I could hide it up my….

Don’t be deceived by the size and weight (7″ screen at 800 by 640 and .92 kgs respectively). This device is more than capable of meeting the needs of the average PC user.

What does it run?

The OS is a Linux derivative with a custom gui. A tabbed layout gives even the newest of users an easy to use environment with clearly laid out areas for work, internet and games. Bundled in with this comes the open source web browser Firefox and the free Open Office productivity suite. The built-in WiFi capability will have you roaming wirelessy with minimal fuss.

Cons

Yes, there are some things we don’t like.

• Battery life - not great. Asus states that this is up to 3.5 hours but on average we hit 2 - 2.5.

• Keyboard size - I have fingers like sausages but that’s my problem!

• Lack of CD drive - Not a huge problem. We simply attached a USB drive.

‘But I don’t want to run Linux’.

Not a fan of open source? No problems. With some extra memory and and a large SD card this PC is perfectly capable of running Windows XP. But hurry, support won’t be around for too much longer. Also, some users have reported successful installations of Vista but the choice is yours.

The Future.

Asus are planning the release of a higher spec model in the summer featuring:

• 1Gb memory.

• Larger storage, up to 12Gb.

• Wider screen (8.9″).

To date, final price on the new model has not been confirmed.

Conclusion

An excellent gadget new and seasoned users. Ideal for travelling and, at around £250 or less, won’t make a huge dent in your wallet (well, not too large!).

Statistics

Buy it now.

Popularity: 6% [?]