Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Are you seeing awful-looking text on an LCD or plasma TV after connecting your laptop or desktop to it via HDMI? Here's a tip that might help. First, some back story...

A couple of weeks ago, I swapped out video cards in the desktop PC that I use as my Windows Media Center computer. A few months earlier, I'd removed my aged Dell 26" 720p LCD TV and replaced it with an LG 32" 1080p LCD TV. I was running over DVI, using a DVI to VGA adapter since the LG TV didn't have a DVI port. Everything looked great, though I wasn't sure if I was really seeing 1080p resolution when I was watching Blu-ray movies - the NVIDIA 7950GT video card was a couple of years old, and I wasn't sure if it would support HDCP over DVI > VGA. I spent a few hours trying to determine if I had an HDCP-compliant chain of devices (computer to video card to display) and found it impossible to find anything that allowed me to easily test this. I'd already purchased the new video card - a low-end, passively cooled ATI 5000 series Radeon card - so I figured "What the hell, I'll just put it in". Read more...

Yes, it's for Apple products, but I really admire the ingenuity of the approach - most docks are ugly, clumsy, and generally poorly designed. This is the first dock I've seen that has a real "Of course! That makes so much sense!" approach. About the only problem I foresee with this dock is that because it relies upon user-placed physical cables, if the placement is off by even 1mm, it may not dock properly - or, worse, you may damage the port on the product. Still, it's an innovative approach. I often bemoan the lack of choice in the Apple world, but products like this are only possible when companies standardize their product lines and don't change form-factors very often. Although at these prices, it wouldn't be onerous to buy a new dock every time you bought a new laptop. I wonder if these guys will ever come out with a dock for a Windows laptop?

I also really admire the videography on this video - the actor was wearing some sort of wearable camera it seems, and it makes for a really interesting video. Well done!

This is my review video of the Dell Vostro V13, a shockingly thin (0.65 inches) and light (3.5 pounds) laptop from Dell. If you missed my unboxing and first impressions video of the V13, you can check it out here. This particular model I'm looking at features an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU at 1.3 Ghz, Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), 2 GB of RAM, a 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, 802.11n WiFi, a 1.3 megapixel Web cam, a 13.3 inch LED-backlit display (1366 x 768), gigabit Ethernet, a VGA-out port, a USB port and a combo USB/eSATA port. It also has a 34mm ExpressCard slot, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, and a 5 in 1 memory card reader. It has no optical drive. The V13 uses the Intel GS45 chipset, and the Intel GMA4500 GPU. Read more...

When I hear the words "Dell Vostro", I think big, bulky, corporate laptops devoid of anything resembling nice design. A Dell Vostro I ordered in 2008 bore that out; it was cheap-feeling, heavy, and ugly. When I saw the Vostro V13, my jaw dropped: it had an Adamo-like design, and even more surprising, a Vostro-like price. This is a very compelling product that's worth a serious look by anyone seeking a thin and light general productivity laptop. Read more...

"Holy smokes! A ton of unannounced HP laptops and desktops just came across our desk, in addition to those Envy models we saw just a few days back. Ahead of what we presume will be their formal announcement next week right around CES, we've got some details on 14 new models -- some more interesting than others."

Itching to see what HP has in store for the next few months? Engadget has the lowdown on a bunch of new models of laptops, desktops, and the HP Mini 210 netbook. Looks like some interesting hardware in the mix!

If you haven't already watched my unboxing video of the HP dm3, be sure to check that out first.

This is my two-part review video of the HP dm3 [affiliate]; the dm3 is a new laptop from HP that's an evolution of the dv2 - it's thin, light, and not very expensive. It uses the AMD Athlon Neo X2 dual-core processor, a semi-low power processor that uses 18 watts of power, but delivers better performance than the Intel Atom processors found in netbooks. This particular model has 4 GB of RAM, uses a 320 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, has a memory card reader, ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, four USB ports, and HDMI out. The 13.3 inch wide-screen display is 1366 x 768 pixels in resolution (driven by an ATI Radeon 3200 GPU), and it has a built-in Webcam and microphone. The keyboard is full-sized, and the laptop features Altec Lansing speakers.

The 6-cell battery is rated for up to six hours of battery life, though in my initial battery test playing back a ripped copy of the Lord of the Rings extended edition, at 100% screen brightness with WiFi off, it was down to 5% battery life after finishing the movie at 2 hours and 51 minutes. That's not a small feat though - many other notebooks I test can't finish that movie. Dropping the brightness down to the lowest setting - which makes it so dim you'd have to be in a dark room to have the screen be viewable - allows the dm3 to have 20% battery life after the LOTR test. I discuss my other battery tests in the first video, but even with my most basic of tests - the "Surf 'n Type" test at 50% brightness - I could only eek 3 hours 55 minutes from the battery. I don't know where HP is getting the six hours of battery life - my guess is minimum brightness, WiFi off, and the laptop is doing nothing - but they're not alone in an industry rife with the over-quoting the battery life. Can't the industry come up with some sort of reasonable test that they'd all use as a benchmark? Read more...

"SquareTrade analyzed failure rates for over 30,000 new laptop computers covered by SquareTrade Laptop Warranty plans and found that one-third of all laptops will fail within 3 years. SquareTrade also found that netbooks are 20% more unreliable than other laptops, and that Asus and Toshiba are the most reliable laptop brands."

Image courtesy of Eyestare.

The study also pointed out that expensive laptops last longer than cheap laptops, which last longer the really cheap netbooks. I was a little surprised that Asus came out on top in reliability. Squaretrade sells a 3rd party warranties, so the statistics don't seem to cover laptops that fail immediately and are returned to the store, which would make the real numbers higher. Some of the companies are responding that SquareTrade is fudging the numbers to sell more warranties. For instance, Lenovo is claiming that their own internal numbers are two thirds lower. Maybe I have just had good luck since I don't travel too much, but one third in three years is much higher than in my experience.

This is my unboxing and first impressions video of the HP dm3 [Affiliate]; the dm3 is a new laptop from HP that's an evolution of the dv2 - it's thin, light, and not very expensive. In fact, I never did my review video of the dv2 - just an unboxing video - because HP discontinued the dv2 about five months after they launched it. Bizarre, no? It's probably for the best though. There was a lot to like about the dv2, but the fact that the hot air vent was at the front of the left side, right where your hand would typically rest, was a real problem. Read more...

"As configured, the HP Envy 15 is the most powerful five pound notebook on the market. As you can see in the image below, this envy 15 comes with an Intel Core i7-720QM processor, dual 160GB solid state drives, 16GB of DDR3 RAM and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics with 1GB of deicated graphics memory."

I'm eyeing the HP Envy 15 for my next laptop - my XPS M1330 is starting to feel a little aged, though it still stacks up nicely against most other notebooks in the spec department - so I'm eager to read everything I can about the Envy 15. It blends the opposing traits of a powerful CPU with great battery life by including the battery slice in the box, which is excellent - it's one less thing to buy. I've seen the Envy 15 in person and there are two things I'm iffy on: the 1920 x 1080 resolution is really high for a 15.6 inch screen, and I'm not sure if bumping font sizes (or the DPI) would be enough to make it workable. The second thing is HP, for some bizarre reason, went with a very "girly" floral-style pattern on the lid. I hate the way it looks, so I'd be looking to slap a decal from DecalGirl on there right away...which seems ridiculous to me. I'm not aware of any other laptops out there that have the Core i7 mobile CPU but still manage decent battery life...any suggestions?

"The U150 is just 13.5mm thick and weighs only 1.35kg2, yet under the textured red or black cover lies a range of features designed to strike the right balance between mobility and functionality. The ultraportable U150 with an energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processor offers up to 8GB DDR3 memory, 11.6in HD widescreen display and long battery life. The Active Protection System on the U150 helps protect the hard drive if the laptop is dropped or gets bumped. A new version of OneKey Rescue System, Version 7.0, performs data backups up to twice as fast and includes more powerful antivirus scanning that can be run even before loading the operating system."

Lenovo has released a bunch of new Windows 7-based hardware, and Hot Hardware has the full breakdown - pictured above is the IdeaPad U150 - a slim laptop with enough power to handle most tasks. I dig that finish - HP, take notes on how to make a unisex design that doesn't repulse your male buyers.

"One lucky Notebooks.com reader will get to unwrap an HP Envy 15 on October 22. That's right, we're giving one of these bad boys away and you have a chance to win it. Wouldn't you rather spend the day playing with one of the most powerful notebooks on the market than waiting in line to buy Windows 7?"

A 15 inch screen at 1080p? Intel Core i7 processor, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB 7200 RPM hard drive? ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 GPU? Wow...what's not to love? Full contest details are over at Notebooks.com, though be aware this contest is US-only.

I can't seem to find any information about the pricing on this Beats limited edition version of the HP Envy 15, but I have a hunch it will come at a slight premium - made less painful by the fact that this version of the Envy 15 doesn't come with the Core i7 CPU...it features an Intel Quad Core CPU instead. CPU aside, I love the black finish on this notebook...it looks slick!

"The HP Pavilion dm3 is a great looking notebook PC that starts at just $549. Its premium metallic finish makes it stand out from the crowd of notebooks with plastic finishes and I'm sure this will be a hot seller this holiday season. The dm3 is a thin and light notebook with a 13′ display. It weighs in at just over four pounds, making it light enough to carry around all day long. It utilizes mild processors that are relatively affordable and that increase battery life."

One word: wow. It blows me away that HP is able make such a thin, light, and frankly great looking computer and sell it for such a low price. Dell keeps cranking out plastic computers - other than the ultra-expensive Adamo of course - and HP is pushing the envelope with their materials and designs. One thing I wish though is that HP offered more colour choices. I'm a sucker for a coloured laptop, and HP is sadly inflexible when it comes to that. But I'll take the great looking dm3 any day!

This is my review video of the Dell Adamo laptop - please check out my unboxing and first impressions video if you haven't already. This is easily the most impressive Dell product I've ever looked at from a design perspective - if you took the name Dell off the laptop, you'd never know it was created by the world's second biggest computer maker. The materials, the design, the build-quality, the fit and finish, the attention to detail: all are mind-blowingly excellent. But the hardware performance and price tag that comes with it? Much less impressive.

This is the "Admire" model, which features a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (SU9300), 2 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD drive, Windows Vista 64-bit, a 13.4 inch 16:9 aspect ratio 1366 x 768, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Bluetooth 2.0, a back-lit keyboard, two USB ports, one USB/eSATA combo port, gigabit Ethernet, Display Port out (it comes with an adaptor for Display Port to DVI), 802.11n WiFi, built-in speakers, and a 40-watt hour battery that's rated to last five hours. As you can tell from my video, five hours would only be possible if the display was so dim it would only be readable in the dark, and you couldn't actually use it for anything during those five hours. Read more...

A few weeks back, Dell released a new laptop: the Studio 11z. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get Dell to send me press releases about their new products, so you'll have to pardon the fact that this is late. The 11z is also only available from Dell USA (and perhaps elsewhere), but not Dell Canada, so I can't order one to review it. But enough griping from me, let's look at what the 11z brings to the table.

Dell continues to expand their laptop line across different screen sizes: the 11z features an 11.6 inch WLED screen at 1366 x 768 resolution. Unlike almost every other Dell laptop available, the 11z has zero customization options. It uses a Intel Celeron 723 CPU (1.2GHz, 800MHz, 1MB cache) that's supposed to offer 39% better performance than the Atom N270 CPU. The 11z has 2 GB of RAM, uses Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, uses an Intel GS45 graphics chipset, has two 1 watt speakers, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera with a microphone, and a 250 GB 4200rpm hard drive. Ports? HDMI output, three USB, 3-1 memory card reader, audio line-out, microphone input, and 10/100 Ethernet. No optical drive, naturally. The battery is an anaemic 3-cell 24 watt hour, no doubt contributing to the thin 0.92 inch profile (1.02 inches thick at the back). There's a 6-cell battery option "coming soon" that will boost battery life into the 6 hour range. It weighs in at 3.05 pounds.

UPDATE: Guess it helps to mention the price! Dell is selling the 11z for $449. That's netbook ballpark pricing - this is definitely some serious competition for the HP dv2 as well, though that product brings a real GPU to the table...not to mention nicer design.

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the Dell Adamo laptop. This is easily the most impressive Dell product I've ever looked at from a design perspective - if you took the name Dell off the laptop, you'd never know it was created by the world's second biggest computer maker. The materials, the design, the build-quality, the fit and finish, the attention to detail: all are mind-blowingly excellent. But the hardware performance and price tag? Much less impressive.

This is the "Admire" model, which features a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (SU9300), 2 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD drive, Windows Vista 64-bit, a 13.4 inch 16:9 aspect ratio 1366 x 768, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Bluetooth 2.0, a back-lit keyboard, two USB ports, one USB/eSATA combo port, gigabit Ethernet, Display Port out (it comes with an adaptor for Display Port to DVI), 802.11n WiFi, built-in speakers, and a 40-watt hour battery that's rated to last 5 hours. Read more...

[It should say REVIEW and not UNBOXING in the video; it's a total failure on my part to not change that. Whoops! Since the source files are deleted, so I can't fix it.]

Here it is, the "mega review" of this laptop, a follow-up from my unboxing video. This video is quite long because I go into a lot of detail about battery tests, performance benchmarks, and the pros and cons of this notebook. I hope everyone enjoys the level of detail!

This notebook, shown here in ruby red, is a little different that most notebooks in that it lacks a CD/DVD drive - but it's no netbook! It has a 14 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen running at 1600 x 900 resolution, which is Dell's 900p resolution option (an upgrade). The standard resolution is 720p, which is 1280 x 720. Read more...

On top we have the HP Mini 110, and on the bottom we have a Dell Adamo - both delivered by UPS today. I think I'm more excited about the HP Mini 110 (known as the Mini 1100 in Canada) to be honest, because I'm a big fan of the HP Mini 1000 and this is supposed to be a refind version of that. The Dell Adamo is going to look great, but given the hardware specs it has, I'm not sure how well it's going to perform. I guess we'll see!

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the Dell Inspiron Studio 14z (I mistakenly thought it was called the Inspiron 14z, but it's not an Inspiron, it's a Studio notebook). This notebook, shown here in ruby red, is a little different that most notebooks in that it lacks a CD/DVD drive - but it's no netbook! It has a 14 inch, 16:9 aspect ratio screen running at 1600 x 900 resolution, which is Dell's 900p resolution option (an upgrade). The standard resolution is 720p, which is 1280 x 720. Read more...

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the HP Pavilion dv2 notebook (the dv2z-1199us) in moonlight white. This thin and light notebook from HP, running Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, features the AMD Turion Neo X2 Dual-Core CPU (1.6 Ghz, 1 MB L2 cache), a 320 GM 5400 RPM hard drive, 4 GB of RAM, an external Blu-ray ROM/DVD burner drive, a 1.3 megapixel Web cam, 12.1 inch WXGA (1280 x 800) BrightView screen, 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 GPU, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and powered by a 6-cell battery. Read more...