While Windows XP and Vista supported Tablet PC’s the interfaces were clunky and unreliable. All that has changed now with Windows 7 and many industry think tanks feel Tablets are going to be making a huge comeback.

While many companies have been making higher end laptops, HP has consistently had one or two consumer level tablets on the market. I recently picked up their TouchSmart tx2 and while it came with Windows Vista, a quick 20 minuets later it was running Windows 7 with ease.

This HP TouchSmart model is surprisingly well equip for the price. Here is a quick breakdown of it’s specs:

4GB Ram
320 GB SATA Hard Drive
12.1″ Dual Input Screen (input with pen or finger)
AMD Turion 2.10 GB Processor
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics Card
Wireless A/B/G/N Card
DVD Burner with Lightscribe.
Fingerprint Scanner
Webcam
4 USB Ports

All for under 1200.00.

While there are better Tablet PC’s on the market, I would hazzard to say there is nothing better for the money.The higher end Tablets run Intel processors that run cooler and require less cooling. They also have better screens that are easier to read in daylight. The tx2 screen is nice but it is almost impossible to read outside and annoying even in the car on a sunny day.

The Good:
Great hardware specs.
Tablets run great under Windows 7.
Lots of expansion ports.
Great overall performance.

The Bad:
Screen not good for outside.
Runs hot.

Take the mouse for example. It should be responsive, contoured for comfort and customizable. After all, you use your mouse for just about everything you do these days. Enter the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse.

The G9 mouse offers a slew of features that at first blush may seem unnecessary or even excessive, but one you use them, you will wonder how you ever lived without them.

First of all it features two outer shells. One wide one for people with big hands and a smaller one for smaller hands. Both are contoured for comfort enabling hours of pain free use.

Another great feature that I thought was a silly gimmick at first but have grown to love is the removable weights. Yup, weights. Different people like different weights when it comes to their mice. I prefer a heavy mouse but I have customers that want them to be as light as possible. The removable weight try allows you to decide how much your mouse will weigh by adding up to 28 grams of additional weight.

The G9 also features 7 fully programmable buttons. Take the scroll wheel for example. The scroll wheel has five functions. Scroll up, scroll down, scroll left, scroll right and click down. With this mouse you can program it so that instead of scrolling left and right, those buttons could copy and paste. They could also be used to launch commonly used applications like  Word, Outlook or Internet Explorer. All seven buttons can be programed in this manner.

Now lets add another level of customization to that. Let’s say you use excel and want the scroll buttons to copy and paste, but when you are out of Excel you would like them to launch Internet Explorer and Outlook. The G9 Laser Mouse can handle multiple profiles that can customize every action of the mouse depending on what program you are using making this one of the most customizable mice on the market.

While there are many more amazing features on this mouse, in the interest of not boring you to tears, I will just cover one more. Logitech has come up with a really innovative option for the scroll wheel. Traditionally when you are scrolling up and down large spread sheets or websites the scroll wheel clicks up and down limiting the speed you can scroll at. This mouse will do that as well but simply push a button on the bottom and it disengages that clicking action allowing for frictionless scrolling. This allows for amazingly fast scrolling threw large websites and documents.

As you can see, this mouse will cover just about anyone’s needs as far as mice go.

For more information on this mouse you can view Logitechs product page HERE.

If you have any further questions about this product, or would like to purchase it, feel free to Contact Us.

Kitchen computers can be used for many things. You can use it to display streaming news, Internet radio or (the most popular) use it to access the world largest cook book, the Internet. The problem that arises with cooking and clicking is that the mouse can become dirty. Traditional mice can be wiped down with a cloth, but their seams collect dirt and their hard to keep clean.  Unlike traditional mice, the Belkin mouse is washable and that makes it the perfect mouse for the job.

In our testing the mouse preformed well both in and out of water. There is however, a little bit of a learning curve. Because it is seamless the left right and scroll wheel work a little differently than a traditional mouse. Instead of using a scroll wheel, it uses a touch sensitive strip in the middle that you activate by sliding your finger up or down the strip. The left and right click is responsive but does feel a little different from a normal mouse.

So if you are looking for a clean and cleanable mouse, I would highly recommend the Belkin Antimicrobial Washable Mouse.

This product is available for purchase threw P.C. Tantrums. Please view our Contact Us page for ordering information.

I have been looking forward to getting my hand on one of these for months. Finally last week I was able to pick one up and take it for a spin and I was not dissapointed.

First of all, let me explain what the Asus Eee Box is. It’s a bare bones, mid powered desktop computer that is about the size of an average novel. It’s a new breed of computer that is the desktop equilivent of the Netbook  and Asus is leading the pack in every catagory.

 Its main uses would be:

-          An affordable kid’s computer.
-          Kitchen computer for looking up recipes.
-          Running security software or cameras.
-          Public web terminal.
-          Media PC.

It packs the latest in mobile technology including:

-          1.6Ghz Atom processor
-          1 GB DDR2 Ram
-          80 GB Hard Drive
-          Built in Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
-          Intel Graphics supporting 720p High-Definition video.
-          Gigabit LAN
-          Card Reader
-          Windows XP Home

While it does have its limitations such as lack of a built in CD/DVD drive (one can be purchased separately) and only four USB ports it also has some very strong points. First of all, it can actually be mounted on the back of many LCD monitors taking up even less space. Plus it saves up to 90% energy consumption in comparison to an average PC. Another great advantage is how quiet it is. Measuring it at only 26 decibels, you can hardly hear it run. In an office like mine where most of the computers sound like aircraft carriers, that is a very welcomed change.

I must say that I really enjoyed using it. It was faster than I expected and ran Office 2007 and other software quickly and without any hiccups. You won’t be playing any video games or editing pictures on it, but it runs basic programs very well.

Other points to mention would be the stylish design, solid compact construction and mounting bracket to connect it to your monitor are all top notch.

The Good:
Small and faster than I thought it would be.  

The Bad:
It could use a larger hard drive, but that can be upgraded if needed.

This item is available for purchase threw P.C. Tantrums.

The first Netbook was released by Asus and most people will agree, they are still leading the pack. Featured here today is one of their higher end Netbooks. Incidentally, if you are not familiar with the difference between a Netbook and a Notebook, please feel free to read “To Netbook or not to Netbook” in our Articles section.

Quick Specs:
Monitor: 10.2″ LCD with 1024×600 WSVGA
Processor: Intel Atom 1.6Ghz
Hard Drive: 160GB
Ram: 1024MB
Weight: 3.20 lbs
Wireless: 802.11 b/g
High Definition Audio
Operating System: Windows XP

This Netbook reaches a near perfect balance between price and performance. While it is not a laptop replacement, it is one of the more capable Netbooks. With three USB 2.0 ports, you have lots of room for expansion. It also has VGA out for connecting to an external monitor and a built in card reader.

Netbooks are not known for being the prettiest kids on the block and this one is no exception. While it’s design is boxy, it does feel sturdy. Sporting a 10.2″ screen, the Asus Eee PC 1000HA is the largest Netbook yet. The company has also confirmed that it is the largest they will make.

Of all of the available Netbooks, I find this one to be the most balanced and useful on the market.

This product is available for purchase threw P.C Tantrums.

Let me start off this review by admitting that I do not actually own this product. Normally I do not do reviews on products I don’t own or have not used extensively, but in this case it is not so much the product it’s self, but the idea that I like.

While digital picture frames have been around for a couple years, they have just started to become main stream due to lower prices. They come in all shapes and colors and offer so many features; some are almost like mini computers. But a new breed are emerging with an interesting new feature that (and I’ll be honest) I was not to keen on in the beginning, Wi-Fi.

For those of you not familiar with that term, it simply means that this picture frame can connect to the Internet via a Wireless Internet connection.

At first I dismissed this as another useless feature, until my son was born and my parents started bugging me for new pictures every few days of their new grandson.  It dawned on me that this picture frame could serve so many purposes. You see, this frame can be configured to monitor popular online photo sharing sites such as Flickr, Windows Live Space and Facebook. As soon as a picture is uploaded to one of those accounts, the frame automatically downloads it and displays it on the screen.

With this frame, family members could be looking at new pictures of loved ones within a couple minutes of them being taken. Parents that work away from home could have one on their desk and see new pictures show up through the day. It really is an amazing idea for some applications.

I don’t see a lot of use if it is going to be a frame that sits on your mantel, but in some cases it could be one product that brings lots of joy to someone’s day.

Samsung has been making some of the best LCD computer monitors for years now and their Digital Picture Frames are no different, but having never actually used one I cannot vouch for their this particular frame.

If you like the concept but prefer another brand, leave me a note below and I can see how users of that product have rated it.

This item is available for purchase threw P.C. Tantrums. If you are interested feel free to CONTACT us and someone will contact you shortly.

If you are looking for a high end, high performing monitor, this is the one for you. Some of its great features include a full High Definition 1080p display with a native resolution of 1920×1200. It has a HDMI port as well as DVI, D-sub and component.

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At this point I could continue throwing out a bunch of numbers that some of you might understand but this is an impression review not a technical one so let me say this. This monitor is amazing. It has by far the best picture I have seen on a non LED back lit monitor.  The styling is top notch and gives no hint of cheap build quality or compromise.

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Now here are some of the technical numbers.

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Technical Info:
Connectors D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, Component, SPDIF out
Display Type WUXGA
Response Time 2ms(GTG)
Contrast Ratio 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1)
Brightness 300 cd/m2
Display Colors 16.7 Million
Pixel Pitch 0.287mm
Viewing Angle 170°(H) / 160°(V)

Additional Features:
The glossy piano-black and slim frame front bezel exudes the most enduring classics of style.
Convenient key controls for functional set-up in the multi-language OSD.
Cable manager gets rid of tangling cables and wires.
Easily detachable base for wall mount.
VESA Wall Mount Standard (100 x 100 mm ).
25° ( forward 5°, backwards 20° ) Tilting Angle.

The good:

Bright, crisp with a great refresh rate makes it perfect for photo editing, watching movies and even gaming.
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The bad:
The speakers could be better as the sound lacks bass. I wish the headphone jack was easier to reach.

]]> http://www.pctantrums.com/reviews/asus-26-monitor-vk266h/feed/ 0 http://www.pctantrums.com/reviews/laptop-review-w90vp/ http://www.pctantrums.com/reviews/laptop-review-w90vp/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:39:45 +0000 Gabriel http://www.pctantrums.com/?p=32 With Laptop computers becoming more and more powerful, they are staring to replace Desktop computers at an alarming rate. 2007 was considered by many as the year of the laptop as we watched their sales skyrocket by 21.6 percent with 31.6 million units sold. This almost eclipses desktop sales at 35 million units. Experts agree that while all of the numbers are not in yet, 2008 could be the year laptops finally out sell desktops.

This comes as no surprise to those that watch the market. We have seen laptops go from being almost exclusively work and text based to multimedia laptops with large screens perfect for watching movies, playing video games and even video and photo editing. The advancements in laptop processing power have been staggering.

One of the companies at the forefront of this revolution has been Asus. They were the first to release the industry changing Eee series of Netbooks and carry some of the most powerful high end laptops as well. The M70Vm is one of them.

Quick Specs:

Intel Duo T9400 mobile processor
Up to 1TB (terabyte) of storage
4 Gigs of DDR3 Ram
1920×1200 full High Def 17” screen
Blu-ray player
8-in-1 card reader
HDMI out (use your High-Def TV as a monitor)
Built in TV Tuner

This laptop is a joy to use. Here are some of our favorite features:

Warranty: Asus has one of the best warranties on the market. With a total of three years, the first two are their amazing “Accidental” warranties. It covers spills, drops or any other type of torture you may inflict on it. They also have a 24hr turn around for replacement or repair.

Facial Recognition: Turn on the laptop and the webcam kicks into gear, it recognizes the person sitting in front of the computer and automatically logs into their account.

Finger Print Scanner: This is great for online banking and other websites where you have to enter sensitive information. Just swipe your finger over the scanner and all of the information is entered for you, no typing, no hassle.

Dual Hard Drives: It’s one of the few (very few) laptops on the market that can store two hard drives giving you up to 1 terabyte of storage (500gig hard drive x2) giving you more room than most desktops.  

The Good:
Just about everything

The Bad:
I like the full-size keypad but the decimal point is above instead of below and that can really throw you off.

This product is available for purchase threw P.C. Tantrums.

Detailed Specs: