Lenovo Ideapad U260

My friend approached me for recommendations on laptops since I have a great interest in them. And as introduced in my previous post I told him about the Lenovo X201 and Toshiba R700. As you are probably aware both models have pros and cons. Where one model excels in an area it lacks in another and vice versa. The R700 is an all rounder with a 13inch screen, optical drive, HDMI port at a very reasonable price. However, it is known to be noisy and has a very thin screen that is doubtful in its durability. In general the R700 gives a sense of unknown suspicion of its quality and performance which made it hard for us to make a decision on purchasing it. The X201 on the other hand has a strong reputation of being built to endure having gone through many torture tests and in turn is up to a military standard. Further, being a Thinkpad it is renown for its business capability with facets such as the Lenovo enhanced experience which increases processing speed. However, the downside of the laptop was its 12inch screen, no optical drive and no HDMI port.

And then came along the Lenovo Ideapad U260. While at the Lenovo store looking at the X201 the salesperson introduced to us the U260. Which is yet to be officially sold in Korea. It has a 12.5inch screen with 13inch resolution , an HDMI port, lighter than both the R700 and the X201 and has a great design. The design played quite a big role in making the decision of purchasing the U260 as my friend wasn't overly keen of the X201's traditional rugged Thinkpad design. Therefore, when we saw the U260 it had all the technology of the X201 but with a larger screen, an HDMI port and an awesome sleek design. Even better, it was cheaper than both the R700 and X201 being at a price of around $1400 as opposed to $1600.

So at the end of the day all our review and contemplating was only used as a benchmark and resulted in purchasing a laptop that came out of nowhere. Although, it is true that due to the research done beforehand we were able to make the right decision when an alternative option was given unexpectedly.


Thinkpad Lenovo U260

Logitech G27 + Playseat

Today I'm going to talk about a 'very cool' toy which I found out about only a while ago. Which is a bit disappointing for me given my craze about fast cars and of course GT5. This toy happens to complete the beautiful picture that GT5 almost completed. Anything in addition to this is a bonus such as a surround sound system and.. maybe an airblower??

Getting to the point.. this toy is called the 'Playseat'.  Well its actually not a toy but rather just a racing seat that has the structure to hold a racing wheel and pedals. You can also get an LCD TV stand as an optional feature if you really want the whole deal.

A recommended racing to go with this is the Logitech G27 which actually has a clutch pedal as well. The G27 has recently come out replacing the G25 and has an improved gearing system inside the steering wheel. The G25 had 'spur gears' which made a lot of noise but the G27 has helical gears which is a lot smoother and also doesn't make the clicking noise on the G25.  

 Quick overview of the playseat
 Playing GT5 with playseat
 Nice setup at home


Would be a nice Christmas gift to get!!

Sony Nwz A-855

Latest mp3 player from Sony. An update to the Nwz A-845. It is only available in Japan at the moment unless it has been imported into your country. In Korea you can buy it from Gmarket.

Comes in 16gb, 32gb and 64gb. It comes with a noise canceling earphone included in the bundle.

The reason I came across this model is from the lack of quality players from other companies.

In my search for an mp3 player I actually was considering the Cowon iAudio J3. A light weight player with great music quality which is my main focus. Above all the quality of the music is the most important factor to me. I know that there are other players such as the Zune and Vision M but those players are too big for me. The J3 seemed to be a player with good design, amoled screen, user friendly interface and good feedback. Cowon is renowned for great audio quality so it seemed to be the right model for me. What I really wanted was the Sony X-1000 series but they were a limited edition series and can no longer be purchased. Also, I don't need an Apple Ipod touch as I want to use my mp3 player mainly for its original purpose 'listening to music' and leave the web browsing and apps. to my smartphone (I recommended the LG Optimus One  in my other post).



A journey that started off from a Sony, the X-1000, ended with another Sony, the A-855. In between, was the Cowon iAudio J3. The reason I changed my mind was because of a mp3 dealer that I met yesterday. I was at a shopping center in Korea and was walking past some dealers who ask to stop by and have a look. Cut a long story short, it turns out that the dealer was trying to sell me an unpopular model that he wanted to get rid of and downtalked the J3. The model that he was trying to sell me was the iVidi made by insmobile a start up company in Korea which of course I had never heard of before. Upon returning home, although the J3 has good reviews on it from those that have used it, I told myself that I can't trust Korean mp3 manufacturers just yet and turned back to Sony who make high quality products that you know you can trust when you buy it with no problems whatsoever. The deciding factor of switching from the J3 was its build quality. Somewhat contrary to what is looks like on screen when you actually hold the J3 it is made solely of plastic and feels too light. Unlike the Sony's that have a decent weight with a stronger construction. Also,  Sony Mp3 players are second to none when it comes to audio quality.

Opinions will differ on this but I think the price, although higher than the J3, is reasonable at $400 NZD for the 16gb A-855.

Lenovo X201

I've always been interested in the high end laptop market offering top performance but at the lightest weight possible. As you will be aware already searching for the right one involves many compromises.

By far the Sony Vaio Z series has been at the top of its game offering cool factors such as carbon fibre top, up to 512gb SSD, i7 2.8ghz cpu etc. However, by the time you have customised your top spec order  you'll be expected to pay $5279 NZD. The majority of the price coming from the 512gb SSD.

Since competitors do not offer such a hard core spec and also the fact that the price for 512gb SSD is overpriced at the moment, I will use the following spec for the Vaio Z in this comparison.

Vaio Z
i5 580m 2.66ghz
6gb ram
128gb SSD
HDMI port
Weight 1.4kg

$3499 NZD (http://www.sony.co.nz/product/vpcz136gg)

There are some competitors out there such as the Toshiba Portege R700 which also has an optical drive identical weight but lacks in design and doesn't seem as solid as the Vaio in construction.

Toshiba R-700
i5 560 2.66ghz
8gb ram
128gb SSD
HDMI port
HD Display
Optical drive
Weight 1.41kg

$2391 NZD
(http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=496495&src=EXPL&cm_mmc=explore-_-bto_series-_-portege-_-R700)

Another alternative is the Lenovo X201. The Lenovo Thinkpads are proven professional laptops with features such as Lenovo enhanced experience, spill resistant keyboard, and tested for extreme conditions Torture test . However, it the screen is only 12 inchs and there is no optical drive unlike the similarly priced Toshiba. It also doesn't have an HDMI port.

Lenovo X201
i5 580m 2.66ghz
8gb ram
128gb SSD
Weight 1.41kg

$2766 NZD (www.lenovo.com)

One other light weight altertanive laptop is the new 2010 Apple Macbook Air. It is similar in price to the above mentioned models but lacks a lot in spec. The only good thing about this laptop is it's cool design, light weight and the Mac OS.

Apple Macbook Air
Core 2 Duo 1.86ghz
4gb Ram
128gb SSD
1.32kg

$2400 NZD (http://store.apple.com/nz/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air)


I like the Lenovo X201 because of the strong build quality and good rep behind their business laptops. However, it lacks the optical drive, HDMI port of the R700 and also only has a 12inch screen. I know that the Toshiba brand is also a reputable brand that has been around for a long time and is also the first company to create the portable laptop. However, I'm not so sure on the construction of the R700 without looking at it. Before I make a decision I will have to have a look at both models and compare.

Which one would you go for?

LG Optimus One P500

Great value for money smartphone updatable to Android v2.3 Gingerbread.
Would be a good phone to have while phone makers keep upgrading devices by which then it would be worth paying more for a decent phone.


LG Optimus One P500 Review