What we like best

The design has to be one of the most accomplished we’ve seen in the last half year or so.

All futuristic metal (duralumin for those who are interested – it’s said to be twice as strong as normal aluminium) and minimalistic grey tones, the Samsung Series 9 has taken cues from the MacBook Air while adding a glossy, more ambitious edge.

The inside of the laptop is dominated by the lush chiclet keyboard, whose large keys are flat and a pleasure to move across. There’s a blue LED indicator and chrome start button to switch things up a bit.

There is the smallest amount of flex on the lid, which is reassuring, and the integrated touchpad has a distinct texture that nevertheless isn’t distracting.

The Samsung Series 9 boasts a screen much brighter and sharper than the MacBook Air of equal size – despite having a lower resolution (1366 x 768 vs 1440 x 900). This is due to the former’s matte screen with 400 nits of brightness. Horizontal and vertical viewing angles are great, and watching full HD video content is a thoroughly satisfying experience, despite the lack of a dedicated graphics card such as a nVIDIA.

What we like least

This first incarnation of the Samsung Series 9 comes with a second-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 4Gb RAM and 128 Gb of SSD hard drive storage. This leads to a performance that is about on a par with the MacBook Air, but less impressive than that of Lenovo’s ThinkPad series.

For an ultrabook, a long battery life is an essential attribute, but the Samsung Series 9 falls just short in this department. At medium-intense use, it lasts for about 5 hours, which is an hour less than the ultrabook standard.

Price-wise, this laptop is still in the upper echelons of the market – it will set you back at least £980. While this might change in the long run, right now that seems like a lot of money to spend on any laptop.

The verdict

Samsung have not delivered the MacBook Air killers, but they have produced a very worthy sparring partner – in fact, it betters the Apple laptop in a few areas such as port range and screen quality. Combining cutting-edge design and great functionality, the Samsung Series 9 is a very good option if you need a powerful, portable laptop with media editing capacity.

Specifications

Processor Speed
1.40 GHz

Processor
Intel Core i5-2537M

RAM
4 Gb

Screen Size
13.3 inch

Graphics
Intel Graphics HD 3000

Hard Drive Storage
128 Gb SSD

Battery
6-cell

Multimedia
MicroSD reader
SRS Premium Sound
1.3 Megapixel Webcam
Microphone

Ports
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 2.0
1 x micro HDMI
1 x RJ-45

Weight & Size
(W) 327.66mm x (H) 16.25mm x (D) 226.06mm
1.3 Kg

Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth v4.0

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium/Professional

The Apple iPad has ruled supreme in the tablet market ever since it was launched, but that could change in 2012 according to new figures.

The battle between Apple and Google is set to continue (shocker), not only in terms of who’s the biggest brand in the world, but also in regards to the increasingly sizable global tablet market. According to figures released by Strategy Analytics this week, Apple’s share of the global tablet market dropped from 68% to 58% last year, while the overall market grew from 10.7m in the last quarter of 2010 to 26.8m twelve months later.

It seems that Apple’s loss has been entirely Android’s gain: the latter’s tablet sales grew from 29% to 39.1% from Q4 2010 to Q4 2011.

Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt was quoted at this year’s CES in Las Vegas as saying that Android tablets would sell a billion units before too long. With tablet prices generally going down slowly but surely, this might not be as far off the mark as it may sound right now.

It appears that this year will also be the year where smaller competitors might be squeezed out of the picture if they don’t shape up: BlackBerry PlayBook and Windows 7 tablets put together sold less than a million units.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we present: Acer’s first foray in to the ultrabook market. Even though it’s early days for this market, the Acer Aspire S3-951 is certainly a top contender. It boasts a handful of innovative features which we’re sure you’ll be seeing across the ultrabook spectrum come the close of the year.

What we like best

The Acer Aspire S3-951 is adheres to ultrabook format. You get the 13.3 inch screen, it’s light enough for you to carry to work and then carry home and unless you have particularly weak arms you could probably continue to carry this ultrabook anywhere else you damn well please.

Be warned: purchase of this laptop will lighten your wallet considerably, and you can push the boat out further by opting for increased hard drive storage. Not that you would need to: Whereas the majority of ultrabooks we have seen thus far only stretch to 128GB Solid State drives, with this ultrabook you can get a 244GB SSD. This may not sound like much to those of you with a 1 Tb hard drive on your desktop, but when you consider that this machine is a mere one and a half centimetres across the chest and weighs just 1.38 Kg that’s pretty gosh darn impressive, n’est-ce pas?

The Acer Aspire S3-951 is also a very sturdy machine. We’ve come across a few svelte laptops targeted towards the business man on the go, but those tend to have a flimsy feel, a screen with a little too much be d and a wrist rest liable to snap if picked up at the corner. We’re pleased to see that not only does the Acer Aspire S3-951 have a strong chassis, but it’s also lightning quick. You can purchase this ultrabook with the latest second generation Intel core processor, and the boot-up function is so dynamic that this laptop can be turned on from resume mode in 1.5 seconds.

What we like least

This is a computer to fall in love with, and it looks good enough to make your old one jealous as well.

The only issues we had with the Acer Aspire S3-951 were a lack of USB 3.0 which you really need with an ultrabook. Rapid data transfer is to be a requisite for the future – we want USB 3.0s and we want them now!

You may also despair at the HDMI port being output only, this issue can be remedied but you’ll have to buy yourself an output converter peripheral to get around this one.

The verdict

Overall the Acer Aspire S3-951 ultrabook is a definite pleaser. It’s not too expensive in comparison to some of the ultrabooks on the market, and we expect the ones to come will only be more and more expensive. So if you must have an ultrabook but don’t want to pay too much for one, then by all means give the Acer Aspire S3-951 some consideration.

Specification

Processor Speed

1.7 GHz

Processor

Intel Core i7-2637M

RAM

4 Gb

Screen Size

13.3 inch

Graphics

Intel HD Graphics

Hard Drive Storage

244 Gb SSD

Battery

3-cell

Multimedia

Webcam
Dolby Home Theater v4
MultiMediaCard reader
Microphone

Ports

1 x HDMI
2 x USB 2.0

Weight & Size

(W) 323mm x (H) 17.5mm x 219mm (D)
1.38 Kg

Connectivity

Wi-Fi
Bluetooth v4.0

Operating System

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium

What we like best

Depending on customisation, you can equip the ASUS K53E with a number of different processors and RAM ranges, but even if you plump for an Intel Core i5 and 4Gb RAM, you’re still unlikely to pay more than £450.

This affordability in connection with a decent CPU is a very important point in today’s market and sets the K53E apart from other mid-range laptops.

The ASUS K53E is not made for cutting-edge gaming, but it handles multiple browser tabs and media editing software use without major hiccups nor lag.

The touchpad allows for multitouch gestures and also has two very distinct, large mouse buttons. The keyboard is surrounded by brown aluminium, which is unlike most laptops we’ve looked at in the last few months, but has a certain leftfield charm to it. This part of the laptop feels reassuringly solid and is scratch-proof to boot.

The keys on said keyboard are isolated nicely and of a reasonable size, but there is no backlight and a slight lack of feedback. There is, however, a numeric pad.

Battery life with the K53E is surprisingly good – at heavy use, it lasts for about 1 hour 20 minutes without being hooked up to external power, so it’ll be just the ticket for continuous writing or video playback (as long as these activities are carried out to the exclusion of any other tasks).

What we like least

The look, probably inevitably for a laptop at this wallet-friendly price, is somewhat cheap. Dark plastic dominates the design, which might put off users more accustomed to sleek brushed metal finishes.

This means that there is a fair degree of yield when applying pressure to the lid, but admittedly not to the extent that we thought it wouldn’t be safe to take it out of the office.

There are three USB 2.0 ports, but no eSATA or even USB 3.0 options, which is disappointing despite the inclusion of VGA and HDMI ports and an optical drive.

Screen brightness is a letdown, and its resolution of 1366 x 768 means film snobs might sneer at the lack of quality during video playback.

The verdict

The ASUS K53E is a good mid-range laptop with above-average battery life and adequate performance. Connectivity and design are nothing special, but not worse than you might expect of a laptop in this price category. If you’re not a big gamer and want to spend your money smartly on a laptop that does the basics well, keep this one in mind.

Specifications

Processor Speed
2.0 GHz

Processor
Intel Pentium Dual-Core B940

RAM
4 Gb

Screen Size
15.6 inch

Graphics
Intel GMA HD

Hard Drive Storage
500 Gb

Battery
6-cell

Multimedia
Built in speakers
Microphone
Altec Lansing speakers
DVD Super Multi Dual Layer
4-in1 MultiCard reader
Integrated webcam

Ports
1 x Mic jack
1 x Headphone jack
1 x VGA
3 x USB 2.0
1 x RJ-45
1 x HDMI

Weight & Size
378mm (W) x 28.3mm (H) x 283mm (D)
2.6 Kg

Connectivity
LAN 10/100/1000 Mbps
WLAN 802.11 BGN

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium

What we like best

The brushed metal finish, reminiscent of the Apple MacBook Pro laptops has remained the same as with the XPS 15z, which is good news.

The look is sober and stylish at the same time, and the build feels reassuringly strong and unyielding in all the important areas, like the lid and the hinges.

Dell have managed to keep the size of the bezel to a minimum, meaning that the actual display stretches almost all the way across the length of the laptop. This was done to keep the size of the Dell XPS 14z down, and it’s a neat little trick – the display is that of a 14 inch laptop, while the form factor is that of a 13 inch one.

The Dell XPS 14z’s keyboard features small, slightly rounded, isolated keys that are a pleasure to type on and placed far enough apart so as to avoid hitting the wrong key.

500Gb of memory storage is very impressive for such a small laptop and will please people with large music or film collections. There is also an optical drive included with the XPS 14z, which increases thickness but gives the user the option of launching software from a CD-ROM or watching a DVD.

Thanks to the great CPU options (Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5 or i7), there is ample scope for multimedia editing and multitasking. Connectivity is of a good standard, too: both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 are available to users.

What we like least

Despite the display being unusually large for such a small form factor, watching video content on the 14z is a bit of a letdown due to the comparatively low resolution of 1366 x 768 (the 15z has 1920 x 1080) and the glossy screen.

Where the XPS 15z plays back HD content without any noticeable loss of quality, the Dell XPS 14z definitely loses some sharpness and contrast, as well as having inferior viewing angles.

There are only two USB ports, both of which placed slightly awkwardly at the back of the laptop and only one of which supports USB 3.0 data transfer.

The verdict

The Dell XPS 14z does its best to emulate the 15z, and only falls short in areas like resolution and port arrangement. Its weak battery life is a more concerning flaw, but other than that, it’s a very capable, well-designed miniature laptop.

Specifications

Processor Speed
3.50 GHz

Processor
2nd gen Intel Core i7-2640M

RAM
6 Gb

Screen Size
14 inch

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M

Hard Drive Storage
up to 800 Gb

Battery
8-cell Prismatic

Multimedia
1.3MP HD webcam
Microphone
HD Audio Waves MaxxAudio 5.1 Surround
Slot load optical drive
7-in-1 media card reader

Ports
1 x HDMI 1.4
1 x Mini DisplayPort
1 x RJ-45
1 x headphone
1 x Microphone
1 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 2.0

Weight & Size
335mm (W) x 23mm (H) x 234mm (D)
1.87 Kg

Connectivity
10/100/1000 Ethernet network standard
Bluetooth 3.0
Intel Wireless Display ready

Operating System
Windows 7 Ultimate
Professional
Home Premium

What we like best

The Aspire 5943G looks great – its keyboard is brushed aluminium, and the palmrest has been kept black for a nice visual contrast. The isolated silver keys feel soft but distinct, as does the touchpad.

The Acer Aspire 5943G’s speakers are equipped with an in-built subwoofer and are larger than what we are used to, and the resulting sound is beefier than a night out at the Aberdeen Steak House. Alright, so that isn’t that big of a feat to achieve, but music and films play back very satisfyingly without external speakers.

As an entertainment laptop, you would expect this thing to be able to handle gaming. Rest assured: it does. The ATI Radeon 5650 HD with 1Gb dedicated memory will sort you out for most modern games, e.g. CoD.

The Intel Core i5-460M is a very adequate, mid-range processor that makes sure office applications work fluidly, but it also supports gaming.

As far as ports are concerned, there are four USB 2.0 connections and a mini Firewire port. A fingerprint scanner for extra security has also been included.

Since it was released in spring this year, the price has come down a fair bit, making it a smart buy for people who aren’t too fussed about possibly missing out on cutting-edge technology.

What we like least

Considering Acer went to the trouble of including a Blu-ray Disc drive, it’s a bit odd that resolution has been kept at a below-HD level of 1366 x 768. This means that your Blu-ray films won’t look as sharp as they could be – of course, you could hook the Aspire 5943G up to your TV, but it still feels like a missed trick.

Since the Aspire 5943G weighs in at more than 3Kg, you’re unlikely to ever want to take it anywhere other than maybe your bed. With these entertainment laptops it’s always the question whether you want something that you could theoretically take on the train with you or you should just go for an entertainment desktop instead. We say theoretically, because the battery life is pretty underwhelming and, as mentioned, it’s very heavy.

The verdict

The Acer Aspire 5943G is a well-rounded, good-looking laptop with almost all the features necessary for satisfying entertainment – the only thing missing is a decent screen resolution, and a battery life that lasts longer than two episodes of Breaking Bad. The keyboard is big and user-friendly, there is 640Gb to store music, films and documents, and the i5 processor helps run things along smoothly.

Specifications

Processor Speed
2.8 Ghz

Processor
Intel Core i5-460M

RAM
4 Gb

Screen Size
15.6 inch

Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 with 1 Gb dedicated memory

Hard Drive Storage
640 Gb

Battery
Li-ion, up to 3.5 hours

Multimedia
Blu-ray
Dolby optimized surround sound technology
Built in speakers with subwoofer
Webcam
Fingerprint reader

Ports
4 x USB 4.0
Firewire
HDMI

Weight & Size
382mm (W) x 24-39mm (H) x 394mm (D)
3 Kg

Connectivity
WiFi Acer Nplfy 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth
Ethernet

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

What we like best

According to the user’s selection, the Toshiba Satellite P770 packs second-generation Intel processors, with the quad-core i7-2630QM being the most powerful (and expensive) option. These options provide more than enough leeway for office-related applications and browsing, as well as some multimedia editing.

We actually quite like the textured, grainy look on the P770’s lid, which at least sets it apart from a lot of the glossy, bland designs of its competitors and does a good job of warding off fingerprints. It does look a tad plastic-y, though, and there are a lot of incongruous chrome bits (e.g. the hinges).

The keyboard and trackpad are comfortable to work on, thanks to their size, texture and responsiveness.

Watching films and TV shows on the Satellite P770 is a rewarding experience, too: the 17.3 inch screen is bright and handles HD content without problems, while the Harman Kardon speakers hold up nicely as well. There is an HDMI port and a spacious hard drive for users to store their video collection (size depending on user’s selection).

The NVIDIA GT 540M is not the greatest of graphics cards, but makes a decent fist of games that demand less-than pristine visual details.

What we like least

Considering its size, the Satellite P770 feels too flimsy for it to be considered a reliable travel companion. There is plenty of flex around the base and the lid, meaning users would probably be happier to leave this laptop stationary on their desks.

The Toshiba Satellite P770 weighs a whopping 3Kg, so is hardly a very portable machine. But like we said, considering its size and price range, it’s more likely to be a desktop replacement anyway.

The verdict

The Toshiba Satellite P770 is a very decent laptop – if you can look past the uneven build, the ever-so-slightly steep price and an unimpressive battery life. The look is probably more home than coffee shop, but the keyboard, screen and speakers are all nigh-on impeccable. Die-hard gaming fans should probably look elsewhere, though (e.g. the Dell Alienware M11x).

Specifications

Processor Speed
2.9 GHz

Processor
Intel Core i7-2630QM

RAM
6 Gb

Screen Size
17.3 inch

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M

Hard Drive Storage
up tp 750 Gb

Battery
Li-ion, up to 4.5 hours

Multimedia
Blu-ray drive
Multimedia Card Reader
Headphone
Microphone
Integrated Harman Kardon speakers with HD sound and Dolby Advanced Audio
Webcam
Skype
Nero

Ports
1 x USB 3.0
3 x USB 2.0
HDMI
VGA

Weight & Size
413mm (W) x 38 – 36mm (H) x 274mm (D)
3 Kg

Connectivity
WiFi 802. 11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
Fast Ethernet LAN

Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Adobe have launched a range of touch apps for Android 3.1. Adobe Debut, Adobe Ideas, Adobe Kuler and Adobe Proto will be available from Android app stores, along with Photoshop touch app.

Designers and tablet users everywhere, rejoice – Adobe have made their Photoshop software accessible to Android-powered tablets. Photoshop touch will run on Honeycomb tablets such as the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

It’s billed as a mobile sketchbook for designers and photographers: the basic tools such as filters and layers will be available, but any images will probably be have to completed in Photoshop properly on a laptop or PC. As befits a mobile device, there is an instant share function for Facebook and integrated Google image browsing, as well as a live image feed from your tablet’s camera.

Those keen for iOS versions of these apps will have to wait until early 2012, however.

Adobe Photoshop Touch and the other new Adobe apps are now available in the Android app store.

What we like best

The lid, at first glance, doesn’t look like something you’d expect from a budget laptop – shiny, smooth, with rounded edges and a subtle silver HP logo tucked away in the corner, it might be mistaken for a business device.

The silver keyboard continues the professional look, while the remaining inside surfaces are kept in matte black plastic. The trackpad is integrated very smoothly into the surface and is a joy to use with its distinctive texture and quiet yet distinct buttons.

The HP Pavilion g6 comes with integrated rather than dedicated graphics, so multimedia playback and gaming is limited – although your standard iPlayer/YouTube content should look perfectly fine thanks to the glossy screen. There’s also a rewritable DVD drive.

Performance is satisfactory, but nothing more than that – the processors on offer here are from Intel’s last generation, which helped bring the price down. However, basic office applications and browsing runs smoothly, which makes us think that the HP Pavilion might be a good bet for students. Much more worrying is the battery life, which hovers at around two and a half hours on average.

>h2?What we like least

As you might expect from a laptop of this price category, there are some areas that don’t feel particularly sturdy – e.g., there is a bit too much yield if you apply pressure on the lid. Overall, however, the build is just about satisfactory.

The multitouch inclusion is a nice touch but more of a gesture, as it’s not a reliable way of handling your applications: the cursor jumps and freezes unexpectedly.

The HP Pavilion g6 doesn’t come with any of the high-end ports of its more expensive competitors, which means you’ll have to do without USB 3.0 or eSATA, and there is no Bluetooth 3.0 support either.

Compared to the more luxuriously stacked HP Pavilion d6, the g6’s speakers are disappointing too – tinny and lacking in bass as well as dynamics.

The verdict

If you want your laptop to look presentable, feel pleasant to use and perform reliably if not exceedingly fast, then the HP Pavilion g6 is for you. Not everyone needs their laptop to handle multiple multimedia editing suites at the same time, and not everyone uses 15 different browser tabs at once, and for these people this is a great option. Performance and battery life aren’t that great, but the essential ports and features are there.

Specifications

Processor Speed
2.3 GHz

Processor
up to Intel Core i5-2410M

RAM
6 Gb

Screen Size
15.6 inch

Graphics
up to AMD Radeon HD

Hard Drive Storage
up tp 750 Gb

Battery
6-cell Li-ion

Multimedia
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
DVD Rewriter
SRS Surround Sound
Altec Lansing speakers
Webcam w/integrated microphone

Ports
3 x USB 2.0
1 x RJ-45
1 x HDMI
1 x VGA

Weight & Size
374mm (W) x 36.3mm (H) x 245mm (D)
starting at 2.55 kg

Connectivity
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

The price tag is in no way modest but then again neither is it’ specification, it is short on outstanding technology but what’s there is tried and true so you should have no issues running your every day processes, getting work done and using it for entertainment, it’s a bit of an all rounder if you’re an everyman kind of computer user this is the laptop for you.

What we like best

The plastic matte lid has a quiet sophistication to it. There’s none of that tacky glossy stuff here, the Acer Aspire 5750 will look in place in the living room and the study, its capacity to cater for work, entertainment and leisurely surfing is complimented by the casual yet professional design.

This machine is a cannon with the SandyBridge Intel Core i5 processor bringing the firepower and the not unsubstantial 6 Gb RAM and 500 Gb storage space. These are the upgraded specifications you can drop the price by opting for a lesser set of components but in all honesty why would you want to?

This machine is built for long haul use; the spacious keyboard and blessedly glare-less screen will keep you computing in comfort for hours on end. It also has a sturdy feel to it which is a godsend in this age flimsy feeling sub standard laptops.

We are also pleased with the port selection; it’s good to see the USB 3.0 available for faster data transfer and a HDMI port so you can hook it up to your widescreen at home.

What we like least

The Acer Aspire 5750 isn’t the most portable laptop out there, weighing 2.6 Kg; it also doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity so your syncable devices will suffer as a result.

The verdict

For home use the Acer Aspire is an excellent option, we wouldn’t suggest you take it with you to the office, though it packs a lot power transporting this laptop wouldn’t be worth the struggle. But for the price range you are certainly getting a good deal with the Acer Aspire 5750.

Specification

Processor Speed
2.3 GHz
Processor
Intel Core i5-2410M
RAM
6 Gb
Screen Size
15.6 inch
Graphics
integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000
Hard Drive Storage
500 Gb
Battery
6-cell Li-ion
Multimedia
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Built-in Dolby speakers
Webcam
Ports
2 x USB 2.0
1 x HDMI
1 x VDA
DVD drive
Weight & Size
2.6 kg
(W) 381.6 x (H) 33.2 x (D) 253 mm
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Ethernet
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit