Sep 6, 2011 | Dell, hardware, laptops, shopping
By the end of the year there will finally be a dozen or more reasonably-priced ultrathin, ultralight notebooks on the market, mostly priced under a thousand dollars. Almost three years ago Apple introduced the MacBook Air, an ultrathin 13” notebook. Even with an...
Aug 11, 2011 | Dell, laptops, shopping
Dell has upgraded the specs for the new Vostro V131, the latest version of its standout ultra-thin, ultra-light 13.3” notebook. The styling is very similar to the Vostro V130 (and the beloved previous generation Vostro V13), but under the hood a number of things have...
Jul 31, 2011 | computers, hardware, laptops, Windows7
The little device in the picture – about the size of a deck of playing cards, less than half as thick – is an Intel 160Gb solid state hard drive. It has given me a more significant speed boost for my computer than any other single device that I can recall – ever, in...
May 27, 2011 | Apple, computers, Dell, laptops, shopping
Dell introduced the XPS 15z this week, a new ultrathin 15” notebook for $999. It might be exactly right for many people – a bigger screen than the 13” Vostro V130 and a much more reasonable price tag than the gorgeous Samsung Series 9. Apple has once again...
May 18, 2011 | broadband, hardware, Internet, laptops, network, wireless
Previously: Whining About Wireless I’ll tell you a story about my own experience. You won’t learn anything and there’s not a happy ending, but perhaps it will give you a little perspective on why I’m not urging you to ditch your wires and set up wireless everywhere....
May 15, 2011 | hardware, laptops, network, wireless
When you have a choice between running a cable and relying on a wireless connection, you simply must not consider them to be equal choices. The reliability of a wired connection seriously tilts the scales. I have told my clients for years that the equation is simple:...
