Sony is reportedly looking to get out of the netbook game, instead focused on better performance, higher margin notebooks. But that does not mean the company will focus only on laptops with high price tags almost laughable. Last week Sony unveiled the YB series laptop with an AMD Fusion chip and a starting price of about $ 550.

I got a chance to spend a few minutes with the Sony YB laptop at CES, and it’s a decent looking machine. The laptop has a 1.6 GHz AMD processor with E-350 Radeon HD 6310 graphics, supports up to 4GB of storage and a 500GB hard drive and comes standard with WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 like on Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Monitor, VGA and HDMI output , and 3 USB ports. The computer weighs 3.2 pounds and has a 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display.

The laptop has a chiclet-style keyboard and two nice large buttons below the touchpad. It will be in different color combinations, including three-tone models with colorful covers, silver / gray bodies and black soils. It seems that there is a solid black or silver and black option for those with more conservative tastes. The Sony YB series should be available next month. Find a few pictures after the break. I snagged a few more photos when I visited the AMD stand at a pre-CES event earlier in the week (for the Sony YB series was officially announced).

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At $200, it’s difficult to care too much about the Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW’s shortcomings. Sure, it has low screen brightness, no HDMI connection, a clumsy onscreen display, and no ergonomic features aside from tilt. However, most people will be willing to looking past these shortcomings, thanks to the display’s sub-$250 price–especially if they’re only looking for a general-purpose monitor. Throw in its good movie and games performance and a useful and robust OSD, and you have a worthwhile investment. Compared with other displays, such as Samsung XL2370 and Dell’s S2409W and SP2309W, the 2233SW’s overall performance and lack of features can’t compete against more feature-rich displays. It relies on its low price as its trump card and is currently at least $50 cheaper than the others are.

Design and features

The 21.5-inch Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW has a design that closely resembles the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ. The Samsung display is devoid of useful ergonomic options such as screen rotation and height adjustment, offering only a 25-degree backward tilt. When placed on a desktop, the Samsung leaves 3.75 inches between the bottom of its screen and the desk. On the sides and top, the Samsung’s glossy bezel measures 0.75 inch and 0.8 inch, respectively. The Samsung’s oval-shaped footstand measures a bit larger than 10 inches wide and 8.5 inches deep. When knocked from the sides, the Samsung wobbled minimally, but it did slide a few inches across the desk with each knock. On the bottom-middle of the Samsung’s bezel is a light gray, painted on Samsung logo.

The Samsung panel measures approximately 1 inch deep and extends another 1.5 inches behind the ventilation, lighting, and connectivity options include. These measurements are counted, the display panel is approximately 2.5 inches deep. The full width of the panel is 20.3 inches – which is average for a 22-inch model. Running across the bottom of the ring from Samsung is a clear glass “lip” about an inch long. If the monitor is turned on, a blue LED radiates from the bottom of the ring and reflects off the lip, creating an interesting lighting effect. In this model, Samsung ditches the usual glossy screen viewed on monitors these days, instead opting for a matte finish.

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The video connection options are limited to VGA and DVI, and Samsung includes cables for each. However, there is an HDMI connection not included – which is surprising because most monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9 this connection. All ports are connectors on the back and on the right side of the monitor. Samsung also flush the ports in a way that makes them a bit difficult to access.

Display on the screen of the Samsung SyncMaster 2233RZ the buttons on the lower right of the monitor on the outside of the panel. It contains five buttons stacked on top of each other. The buttons below the menu, Up, Down, Enter and back, with the power button below. The Up and Down buttons also double as shortcuts to the brightness and contrast, respectively. Each button is almost a half inch in diameter with a spherical shape. Pressing the button makes a satisfying clicking sound and every depressing enough to make it clear when it is pushed. The buttons have enough space between them so that when calibrating the display in low light, you can easily tell the buttons apart.

Pressing the Menu button brings the OSD menu. Here are the options for brightness and contrast in addition to the OSD menu options for determining the length of the menu stays on the screen when idle (up to 200 seconds). The presets include text, Internet, Game, Sport, Movie and Dynamic Contrast. Choosing each preset include adjust screen brightness, but the film seems presets for color temperature change to more of a red push than the other presets that make it bluer. However, this was not detrimental to the image.

16:9 ratio, the Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW supports a “Full HD” 1.080 x 1.920-pixel native resolution. This continues the trend of more and closer monitoring of suppliers move towards 16:9 4:10 p.m. by high-definition content – especially 1080p movies – can a 1.920 x 1.080-pixel display in full screen mode fit without stretching the image.

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Performance

We tested the Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW using its DVI connection. The display posted a composite score of 96 on DisplayMate-based performance tests, the same score as the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 and higher than the Dell SP2309W’s 90 score. In our dark screen test, the 2233SW showed only a small amount of backlight bleed through, less than the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370.

The 2233SW achieved a brightness score of 231 candelas per square meter–much lower than the XL2370′s 344 cd/m2, and the Dell SP2309W’s 297 cd/m2. The difference between the monitors is readily apparent, as the 2233SW’s screen looks noticeably darker in comparison. When we set the brightness of the 2233SW and XL2370 to 100 and 75 respectively, we found that when looking at the same image, the XL’s whites were noticeably brighter without compromising the dark detail and deep blacks of the image. The 2233SW displayed whites that were noticeably darker than the XL2370′s and took on a bluish tint.

We used the 2233SW’s Movie preset to check out “Kill Bill: Vol. 1″ on DVD and some 1080p movie files from Microsoft’s WMV HD Showcase. Other than the red push in the film advance, the 2233SW display deep blacks and decent color when playing movies.

We looked at World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament 3 on the monitor and saw no evidence of input lag, streaking or ghosting during fast movements. We both played tested in Game of the screen, preset and while we were able to play the game without problems, the overall presentation was darker than what we prefer and places in the game that had jumped into overly bright are not looking so bright as they did on the Samsung XL2370. The Samsung colors in games just not the same pop as the XL2370, thanks to the relatively low brightness.

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The optimum viewing angle for a monitor is usually right on the front, about one quarter of the distance from the screen from top to bottom. At this angle, you’re viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not designed to be viewed on a different angle. Depending on the type of panel, image quality varies nonoptimal angles. Most monitors use TN panels that get overly bright or too dark in parts of the screen when viewed from nonoptimal angles. The Samsung SyncMaster 2233SW uses a TN panel, and when it is viewed from the sides or bottom, we experience the screen to about five inches darker off of the center and we noticed that the left, right and above the display dark colors at the same rate as the SyncMaster XL2370. Of course, viewed from the optimum angle, we had no problems.

If you like powerful laptops and packed to the rafters with the latest technology then rejoice, as Toshiba has announced an update for the Satellite A665, Satellite A660 and Qosmio X500 performance / gaming laptops. The updates, not surprisingly, center around hardware updates, including enhanced multimedia and connectivity to the satellite equipment, while the Qosmio X500 also gains 3D engine following new software updates like on ASUS N53JF-XE1.

All three laptops to get the second generation Intel Core i7 processors, while USB 3.0 port on the Satellite A665 and Satellite A660 allows users to transfer documents between peripherals and external hard drives up to ten times faster than USB 2.0. Moreover, the integration of the latest Bluetooth 3.0 technology on all three models allows users to wirelessly transfer data with compatible devices at speeds up to 24M bit per second.

The new 3D features of the Qosmio X500 will be a boost when connecting it to a 3D TV, and it is now able to take 2D content and immediately appear as a 3D image when played on Toshiba Video Player 3D software – which, if done properly, could affect existing movies in your collection would be a new outcome.The updated Satellite A660, Satellite A665 and Qosmio X500 will be available from the end of January 2011.

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The MSI X370 is one of the three pounds “thin and light” laptop which recently launched AMD “Fusion” processor uses the “Brazos” family. This particular AMD Fusion processor is probably the 18-watt “Zacate” that is used by most manufacturers at CES. It packs a lot of punch per watt “, especially when it comes to graphics and multimedia applications like on ASUS N53JF-XE1. In absolute terms, it’s not a speed demon, but compared to other netbooks in the same price, the performance gains are noticeable.

The MSI X370 has a 13.3 “(1366 x 768) LED-backlit display that is controlled by the integrated Radeon HD 6310 graphics processor (GPU). It is possible to add up to 4 GB of system memory (RAM) and up to 640GB of disk storage (mechanical drives only, not SSD). There are two USB ports and a SSD card reader.

The design of the MSI X370 looks very nice. It is less than 1 cm thick and the laptop has an interesting “carbon-fiber-looking” texture on the inside (not the actual carbon fiber). This should be a very capable laptop for productivity tasks, web browsing and web video. It should also be able basic gaming.

• 13.4 “HD (1366 x 768) with LED backlight
• AMD Dual Core Processor Brazos
• RAM to 4 GB
• ATI radeonhd 6310 (UMA: uses system memory for graphics)
• 1x HDMI, 1x VGA
• 320/500/640GB HDD
• 2x USB 2.0
• SD / MMC
• 802.11 b / g / n WLAN + Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
• 1x Gigabit LAN
• 1.3MP
• 13 “x8.8″ x0.94 “
• 3 lbs (w / battery)

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Apple’s MacBook Pros are known for their sleek industrial design, but this is just a concept laptop HIDE lead. This notebook has a sleek design of panels on the side of the monitor, which is used to cover up the sides of the laptop such as ASUS N53JF-XE1 and the port when the lid is closed.

Besides making it seem as if it were a solid sheet of aluminum, it also serves another purpose of protecting against damage to the peripheral ports. HIDE this laptop concept is elegant and looks may be included in notebooks today.

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A tablet news just keeps rolling this week at CES  tablet remains focused on delivering as much as the current U.S. labor laws allow. Acer and Verizon Wireless on Wednesday announced the A500 Iconis Tab. The tablet will use the latest version of Android and the Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHz dual core processor like on ASUS N53JF-XE1 to power its 10-inch capacitive touch screen.

The Iconis will use LTE 4G Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband network and the use of Acer’s 4.5 UI with Android as the interface of choice. Other details are the inclusion of Acer’s Clear.fi media-sharing system preloaded on the device, an HDMI port, 1080p output, a 13.3 mm profile, SkyCross antenna, a ZTE LTE wireless module, 10.1 and Flash support.

Acer is touting the tablet Nvidia CPU horsepower as a secondary reason gamers will want to keep for the A500 Iconis. Acer says: “One of the most impressive of the tablet features is the ability to run and play HD premium online arcade games and complex 3D games, thanks to the 10-point multitouch and gyro control that an entertainment experience in line with the guarantees best game consoles. ” We will have to wait and see if that actually seems to be true. Back later this week for more details on the A500 Iconis Tab.

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In the past we have seen many conceptual computing products. But most of them were designed by designers. So almost a real conceptual comes from a great computer accessory maker is a good change. Conference at CES, Razer stunned the world with a cool as well as ASUS N53JF-XE1, conceptual ultra portable gaming laptop – the Razer Switchblade.

The Razer Switchblade brings a suggestive level of design to gaming by replacing the traditional mouse and keyboard interface with an ultra-sensitive 7-inch multi-touch screen, dynamic tactile keyboard, and an intelligent user interface that the configuration and key layout Out adjusts the fly based on game content and requirements of users.

The Razer Switchblade concept was created from the ground by Razer designers and engineers, in collaboration with Intel (the unit is powered by an Intel Atom processor). The prototype device also has WiFi, 3G, webcam, mini HDMI, USB 3.0, standard headset and microphone ports, and Windows 7 operating system. I am sure in the coming months we will hear more charges on this one, so stay tuned for more!

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Turn the volume on the 15.6-inch notebook N53Jf-XE1 and prepare impressed. With ASUS SonicMaster technology co-developed by world-renowned audio expert Bang & Olufsen ICEpower and a unique top-mounted speaker design, this multimedia powerhouse combines hardware and audio for an unsurpassed ear-pleasing experience.

Does new Nvidia GeForce 425 graphics card with battery-boosting technology NVIDIA Optimus, the N53Jf-XE1 excels when running graphics-intensive tasks like video editing, DirectX 11-enabled games, and graphics rendering. And ASUS Video Magic 3-in-one package, you get image-enhancing programs like PowerDVD 9 True Theater directly scaling DVD quality at full HD 1080p with smoother frame rates, so you can watch and enjoy movies in the quality they deserve. ASUS N53JF-XE1 Review

If I had a runner-up to retrieve the Dell XPS 1915 desktop replacement class notebook, the Asus N53JF-XE1 so be it. The broken our performance tests with components like an Intel Core i5 460M processor and Nvidia’s latest graphics chip, and crammed into popular features like a Blu-ray drive and a 1080p screen. Best of all, you can buy N53JF-XE1 for about $ 100 less than what you would pay for the Dell XPS 1915. This laptop is a shortcoming is battery life: it took only 3 hours.

Design

Asus has never been one to skimp on the design, which is why the N53JF-XE1 is covered with aluminum, such as the XPS 1915. The top is lightly brushed with a tone somewhere between bronze and silver gray. This material also has a slimming effect, as the N53JF-XE1 seems thinner than the plastic counterparts, the Samsung R580 and Dell Inspiron 17R.

Even so, it’s not the best desktop replacement to take on the road, though, as her 6.3 lbs frame is as heavy as the XPS 1915 (6.3 lbs). Desktop replacements, such as the Samsung R580 (5.4 lbs) and Acer Aspire TimelineX AS5820T-5951 (5.2 kg) are one pound lighter and better suited for traveling.

The 15-inch widescreen display is more reminiscent of the XPS 1915 than any other laptop in this group, because of the resolution, rather than its physical size. While 15-inch laptops such as Acer AS5820T and Samsung R580 settle for the standard 1,366 by 768 resolution, N53JF-XE1 goes to 1920 by 1080 (full 1080p). Even laptops with 17-inch widescreen displays, like the 17R (1,600 to 900) can not scale that high. Photos and high-definition videos, as you can imagine, looked absolutely gorgeous.

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Asus kept the bar low with the user experience. The N53JF-XE1 avoided chiclet-style keyboard that any other Asus laptop seems to be these days, and instead went with a traditional. It is a great keyboard for all types of styles, and it even comes with an adjacent numeric keypad, but with half-size keys. It lacks a backlit keyboard, as on the Dell XPS 1915, which is useful for those working in low-lit areas. The mouse buttons are too busy for my taste and not as soft as the Dell XPS 1915.

Features

The feature set is more than any average user could ask for. Blu-ray drive that can also be found in the Samsung R580, and XPS-15 will keep you current with all the latest movies in HD. There are 4 USB ports, two of which house additional technology: The one in blue is USB 3.0, which allows content ten times faster than USB 2.0 with a compatible hard drives like the HP portable external hard drives (1 TB) . The second is an eSATA combo port, which is comparable to USB 3.0 that you can expand storage without compromising transfer speeds.

The N53JF-XE1 has an HDMI port, which is pretty essential in a laptop of this class. The Webcam is standard fare in comparison with the Skype-certified Webcam XPS 15, which also lets you shoot video in 720p high definition. Asus made speakers Bang & Olufsen ICEpower that spans the length of the keyboard and the sound they produce will only pass on an audiophile. However, JBL speakers XPS-15′s delivered better sound and more bass, thanks to the two speakers and a subwoofer.

Performance

The same houses N53JF-XE1 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 460M CPU as the 17R Dell, and Dell XPS 1915, but it came out on top in Handbrake (2:37) and Cinebench R11.5 (2.43) benchmark tests that stress the processor. Factors affecting this exception can load the software (less third-party applications eat less resources) or the processor itself was tweaked to run at full speed at all times (usually at the expense of battery life). Adobe Photoshop CS5 (4:56) scripts memory-intensive test also performed at a high level, despite combining the same amount of memory (4GB DDR3).

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If you’re a hardcore gamer, the GeForce 425 is part of the latest 400-series of Nvidia’s graphics chips that support DirectX 11. You’ll be able to determine the nature of the detail seen in games like Lost Planet 2 that you may have with past Nvidia mobile chips. It is a notch faster (faster fill rates and clock speed) than the GeForce graphics chip in the 420m 1915 XPS (Dell offers an option for the 425 too).

In its 3DMark06 score (8174 and 4322), the N53JF-XE1 is a better gaming machine than the Dell XPS 1915 (7404 and 4631). You get good game-play 3D-intensive tests such as Crysis (48.5 frames per second) and Lost Planet 2 (32.1 fps), both turned in the best scores in this group.

If the Nvidia chip is not in use, either by a game or video transcoding, the system will automatically revert to using the Intel integrated chipset technology that Nvidia called Optimus. This technology extends battery life, but that’s only half the battle, the laptop is still a big enough battery.

With the amount of power built in, even a switchable graphics technology could not help the 48Wh (6-cell) batteries. In our battery tests, the N53Jf-XE1 took a measly 3 hours and 15 minutes, that would not be as bad as Asus sold an extended battery option. By comparison, the XPS 1915 (3:48) combines a larger 6-cell battery (56 Wh) and offers a 9-cell option. Admittedly, the N53J-XE will probably remain a member of a wall most of the time.

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If you are the Dell XPS 1915 Configuration I discussed with the Asus N53JF-XE1, the latter would emerge victorious forward in almost every performance-related task to compare. The N53JF-XE1 also offers top-of-the-line components, such as a Blu-ray drive and a resolution of 1080p, but it costs less than the Dell XPS 1915. For my money, the lack of an extended battery option and a number of high-end features (backlit keyboard and webcam 720p) are the better buy the XPS 1915, but the N53JF-XE1 is a great alternative.

Toshiba introduces new Satellite notebooks that were added to the company and Qosmio groups. The Satellite E305 is one of the many new notebooks such as Samsung SyncMaster P2370 based on the second generation Intel Core i5 processor. A 14-inch screen and keyboard both chiclet integrate LED backlighting, while the back of the screen is protected by an aluminum lid.

The E305 also brings a USB 3.0 port, a wireless display technology from Intel, a WiMAX modem and a hybrid disc that pairs a 500GB drive with 4GB flash memory. Users can also connect an MP3 player and listen to content via the notebook, even when disabled. Other new Satellite notebooks are the A660, M640 and L650. The 15.6-inch A660 couples NVIDIA discrete graphics with i3 or i5 Core CPUs, while the M640 has a i5-Core processor and a 14-inch display. The L650 features a 15.6-inch screen, 640GB HDD, 4GB RAM, and a variety of colors.

Apart from the midrange notebooks, Toshiba has introduced the Qosmio X505 for gaming or entertainment. The device is built with the latest Core i5 and i7 processors, NVIDIA discrete graphics card with 1.5 GB dedicated memory, and a 18.4-inch screen capable of displaying 3D content. Most of the planned new listings come on the market sometime next month, while the E305 will later in spring. The basic Satellite notebooks start at $ 685, while the X505 series is available in packages priced as low as $ 1,299.

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