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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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The COMEX show is a place of hot deals and rock-bottom prices. Though premium brands like Fujitsu and Lenovo offered attractive bundles, a few value-for-money brands went even lower, with models going for around S$1,000. As such, it was no surprise that budget models like Acer, Compaq and HP maintained their status on the top 10 charts.
But that did not mean more expensive machines didn't stand a chance. With its choice of five shades and sleek design, the Sony Vaio CR series stole the scene with the stylish crowd. The Toshiba Portege R500 probably appealed to students studying in local tertiary institutions, as it was going for over S$1,000 off in NUS/NTU campuses. The Panasonic ToughBook CF-W5, which cost well over S$3,000, was retailing for around S$2,500 in certain Sim Lim Square stores as a special promotion in August.
Without further ado, we polled what readers searched for on our site, as well as sales
figures from Singapore stores AAAs Com Solution, MC2/PA Mart and Renova, for our latest chart-busters.
The good: Strong set of specs for price; performance almost matches that of more expensive laptops; attractive 14.1-inch display; dual headphone jacks and fingerprint reader; includes most of the ports and connections home users need.
The bad: Average battery life with the standard six-cell battery; opting for an HDMI port means sacrificing a USB port.
The bottom line: The HP Pavilion dv2500 delivers an eye-catching case, a strong set of features, and solid performance at a lower price than competing systems. We recommend it for home or school use.
First take
Where Dell goes, Sony will follow, it seems. The Japanese giant has taken a page out of Mikey D's book and started coloring its notebooks, offering red, blue, white, pink and black flavors. If you're into pretentious marketing terms, that's Blazing Red, Indigo blue, Pure White, Luxury Pink and, er, Black, respectively. To be fair, Sony has always been infinitely more stylish than most of the notebook brands, so one could argue that it's simply a natural evolution.
The good: Very low price; dual-core processor; full feature set, including an ExpressCard slot and S/PDIF audio-out jack; comfortable keyboard; easy-to-use system management software.
The bad: Slow performance on outdated components; display wobbles easily; glossy screen finish results in distracting reflections; lacks external media controls.
The bottom line: We recommend the Acer Aspire 4710 for home users who want a low-cost laptop for basic computing tasks.
First take
The Portege R500 is Toshiba's newest premium notebook for the business crowd. Just how premium is it? Well, with a list price of S$3,999, this puts the R500 out of reach for all but the highest executive. However, for a dual-core 12.1-inch ultraportable complete with integrated optical drive, there are few which can compete in its class. The Sony Vaio G series may be slightly more affordable at S$3,799, but it has only a Core Solo processor. The HP Compaq 2510p comes closer with a Core 2 Duo chipset, but isn't as slim or light. Protected with Toshiba's EasyGuard features and possessing long battery life, the Portege R500 is great for frequent travelers.
The good: Exceptionally light and portable; amazing battery life; tough chassis capable of withstanding 100kg of pressure; shock-mounted harddisk; choice of colors.
The bad: Basic connectivity features; no Bluetooth; no fingerprint sensor; small keyboard; non-configurable specifications; last-generation processor.
The bottom line: The Panasonic ToughBook is indeed a hardy portable. However, with its lack of configurability options, last-generation platform and high price, only those who regularly perform basic computing functions outdoors need apply.
Click here for a feature comparison table.
