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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Dell Inspiron 17R
$499.99
The Inspiron 17R base model comes equipped with the largest display in our sub-$500 laptop roundup, a 17.3-inch (1,600 x 900) screen. It runs on a dual-core 2 GHz Intel Pentium P6100 (265 MB level-2 cache per core, 3 MB shared level-3 cache) and comes equipped with a 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs in at 6.67 lbs.
Features
Graphics: Intel HD
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI
Optical Drive: CD/DVD±R DL (optional Blu-ray player)
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, up to 3.8 hrs.
Other: 10-key number pad; 1.3 megapixel Webcam; Energy Star
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium |
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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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Toshiba Satellite L655D-S5055
$489.99
Running on a single-core 2.2 GHz AMD V Series V120 chip (512 KB level-2 cache), the Satellite L655D-S5055 offers a 15.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 3 GB DDR3 memory. Weight: 6.4 lbs.
Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port
Display Ports: VGA
Optical Drive: CD/DVD±R DL
Card Reader: 4-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Mini SD, MultiMediaCard) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery
Other: Integrated Webcam with digital microphone; 10-key number pad; multi-gesture touchpad; Energy Star
Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium |
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