Mobile Computing | January 2011 Product Roundup
Laptops for the Price of an iPad
Sure, those tablets are adorable, but for less than $500 you can get a whole lot of computing power and a real keyboard to boot.
This laptop guide is a companion piece to the January 2011 product roundup in the print edition of Campus Technology. All laptops are consumer models released in 2010, and prices are the suggested retail price. Product descriptions are based on manufacturers' specifications; CT has not done any product testing to verify manufacturers' performance claims.
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Compaq Presario CQ62Z
$379.99
Offering a single-core 2.3 GHz AMD V Series V140 processor (512 KB level-2 cache), the Presario CQ62Z offers a 15.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 320 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory in a machine weighing 4.85 lbs.
Features
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4250
Networking/Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: VGA
Card Reader: 5-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 4 hrs. 34 mins.
Other: Energy Star
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium |
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Dell Inspiron 15
$399.99
Dell's base Inspiron 15 model sports a single-core 2.2 GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor (1 MB level-2 cache, 800 MHz frontside bus) and comes configured with a 15.6" (1,366 x 768) LED display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs 5.5 lbs.
Features
Graphics: Intel X4500HD
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: VGA
Optical Drive: CD/DVD±R DL
Card Reader: 7-in-1 media card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Secure Digital High Density, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD Picture Card)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery
Other: 1.3 megapixel Webcam; HD audio 2.0; one year LoJack for Laptops standard theft protection
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium; Roxio Burn 1.0 |
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eMachines eME442-V133
$379.99
The eME442-V133 comes equipped with a single-core 2.3 GHz AMD V Series V140 chip (512 KB level-2 cache), a 15.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs 6.37 lbs.
Features
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics with 256 MB of dedicated system memory
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; gigabit Ethernet
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: HDMI, VGA
Optical Drive: CD/DVD±R DL
Card Reader: 2-in-1 media card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard)
Battery: 4 cell lithium ion battery, up to 2 hrs.
Other: 10-key number pad, Energy Star
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium |
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eMachines eME527-2537
$399.99
The eME527-2537 is powered by a single-core 2.2 GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor (1 MB level-2 cache, 800 MHz frontside bus) and comes configured with a 15.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 160 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs 6 lbs.
Features
Graphics: Intel 4500MHD
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: VGA
Optical Drive: CD/DVD±R DL
Card Reader: 5-in-1 media card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memor Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD Picture Card)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 3 hrs.
Other: 10-key number pad
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium |
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