Laptop sleeve is a hoarder's worst enemy

This is one of those items that might look goofy at first but then, after some thought, might just make sense. All too often, messenger bags and other laptop totes are just excuses to carry around junk you don't really need. That can result in scratches and dents to your computer or, far worse, a bag that's so heavy it gets dropped or topples off a desk because of gross weight imbalance.

For the true road warrior who survives with only the essentials, the Cargo Laptop Sleeve from Built NY provides space for all the gear that's needed. The neoprene zip case has three pockets for a mouse, USB drive, portable hard drive, or anything else that can fit in them, according to Gadget Lab. It also claims says its zigzag stitching improves water resistance, which will help protect against the occasional macchiato spill.

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Who makes the most reliable laptops?

One question we get pretty frequently is some variation on "Which laptop brand is most reliable?" It's an important question, as laptops can be tough to fix, with pretty much no user-serviceable parts inside (yes, I'm sure you're all clever enough to pop open your laptop chassis and tinker around; I'm talking about all the other laptop owners out there). That means if something goes wrong with your laptop, it's a pretty much guaranteed trip to a repair center.

Most people rely on anecdotal evidence to pick a laptop they think won't break down--relying on horror stories from friends or the Internet. Of course, every manufacturer has a mile-long list of angry customers who have not gotten satisfaction from indifferent tech support telephone drones, fine-print-filled warranties, or shady third-party repair services. The detail-minded folks at Consumer Reports have just put out its annual look at the computer industry, and while our colleague Tom Krazit has already pointed out that Apple ranks at the top of the list for laptop tech support, (with HP in last place), we're more interested in the brand repair history chart from the same issue.

The chart shows data from about 75,000 laptops purchased between 2003 and 2007, recording how many have had a serious problem requiring repair. The companies listed are Lenovo, Compaq, Sony, Toshiba, Dell, HP, Gateway, and Apple, and all scored between 20 percent and 23 percent. Consumer Reports says a difference of less than three points is statistically "not meaningful."
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Nvidia Hybrid SLI-enabled laptops coming in Q3

Expect an onslaught of new notebooks equipped with the latest hybrid graphics chipsets to hit the market mid-year. After AMD's earlier announcement of its Puma platform (with its ATI Hybrid Graphics) slated for the later part of this quarter, Nvidia has also indicated in its recent press release that it will launch Hybrid-SLI-enabled notebooks in Q3.

Hybrid graphics systems (ATI calls it Hybrid Graphics, while Nvidia terms it Hybrid-SLI) generally come equipped with both integrated and discrete graphics chipsets. While previous PC systems allow only one of the two to be used for graphics processing, the new hybrid systems employ both graphics chipsets during operation. For instance, the integrated graphics chipset is activated when the user is deploying the PC for simple applications such as email and Web surfing. But when intensive 3D graphics processing is needed in apps like gaming, the discrete graphics chipset kicks in. The result is a robust system that uses less power (which translates to cost savings) for everyday apps, yet can step up to the task of demanding graphics when needed.

Hybrid graphics systems are currently employed in desktop PCs. It will be interesting to see how Nvidia and ATI's offerings will impact on the graphics-processing speeds and battery life of notebooks.

Countdown to HP Mini-Note launch

For those waiting with bated breath for HP's first sub-notebook, you won't have to stay blue in the face for much longer. The HP Compaq 2133 Mini-Note will be making an appearance in Singapore come May 15.

The aluminum-clad model is economically priced in the US at US$499 for the Linux edition and US$599 for the Windows Vista model. Unfortunately, the Linux Mini-Note will not be making an appearance where for now, while the starting price for the entry-level configuration is S$999 (US$734.56) with the following specifications:

VIA 1.2GHz processor

2GB RAM

120GB harddisk

8.9-inch widescreen display

Webcam

802.11b/g and Bluetooth

Vista Home Basic 32

The higher-end configuration, which has the same components as the US$749 model reviewed by CNET US, bumps up the processor to 1.6GHz with Vista Business Edition installed. The local pricing for this unit is S$1,199 (US$881.62).
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Dell dons beret, gets artsy with laptops

We're not sure whether it's a good or bad thing, but Dell has decided to join the trend of designer laptops. The reason for the uncertainty? It has something to do with the last artistically inspired laptop we saw, from HP, which drew decidedly mixed reactions among Crave readers.

Dell's entry is an admittedly unorthodox "Special Art Edition" of its Inspiron 1525, which is adorned with exclusive designs by artist Mike Ming. There are two choices--Bunch O Surfers and Sea Sky, according to CrunchGear, both of which have Intel Dual Core Pentium chips, a 160GB hard drive, and 3GB of memory, for US$699.

Dell boasts a new manufacturing technique that creates "a fluid, graffiti-inspired tattoo effect". We could say more, but we'll let you be the judge.

Via Crave CNET

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