Product At-a-Glance

On the X220, you’ll find a 12.5-inch widescreen display running at 1366×768, more than enough space for working on documents while on-the-go. The X220′s graphics are powered by the Intel integrated HD graphics chip. You have the option of getting up to an Intel Core i7-2620M processor running at 2.7GHz, up to 8GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM and up to 320GB of storage with a hard drive or up to 160GB of storage with a factory-installed Intel solid state drive. One thing you won’t find on this model is an optical drive–to get access to a DVD burner, you’ll need to pony up the extra cash for a docking station.

Connectivity-wise, you’ll find one of three Intel Centrino Wi-Fi cards, Bluetooth 3.0, and optional 3G or 4G mobile broadband connections.

Our model was packed with the following:

• Intel Core i5-2520M Processor at 2.5GHz
• 4GB of memory
• 320GB hard drive
• 6-cell battery

If you’ve read any of our previous ThinkPad reviews, you’re familiar with the tried-and-true ThinkPad design. A matte black exterior, metal display hinges, and the signature red TrackPoint and trackpad buttons. The X220 features dual input devices, the aforementioned TrackPoint pointing stick and the traditional touchpad. Lenovo has taken a few cues from Apple, integrating the buttons into the touchpad itself, and while you may think this is a good idea, it’s surprisingly terrible. The touchpad feels cramped and the space between the front of the notebook and the button area is too small to comfortably rest your fingers. Lenovo claims it is 45% larger than the previous model, but it still needs to be reworked. The pointing stick worked flawlessly, however. The keyboard on the X220 is phenomenal, with just the right amount of tactile feedback.

In our benchmarking tests, the X220 excelled, receiving a score of 7112 PCMarks in our PCMark Vantage tests, and a score of 10597 on multi-core rendering and a score of 5121 on shading in our CINEBENCH graphics tests. The laptop was surprisingly snappy, and we can’t even imagine how fast our review unit would be if it was topped out with a solid-state drive and i7 processor.

For a six-cell battery, the X220 lasts amazingly long, almost eight hours on a single charge. The optional battery slice adds an additional seven hours of battery life. Think about it: nearly 15 hours of battery life. That’s long enough to last a flight from Taipei to Newark.

This is the ultraportable to get if you’re looking for stellar battery life and snappy performance. The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is available starting at $1119 on Lenovo’s website.

Product At-a-Glance

This time last year we took a look at the WNDR3400 wireless-N router from Netgear, giving it good overall marks. This time around we’re taking a look at Netgear’s new Gigabit sporting model, the WNDR4000. Besides an overall increase in speed, what’s different? Not too much. Is it still a good router? Definitely.

With Cisco not having released a router trumping the WRT54G yet, it’s about time for other router manufacturers to step up to the plate. Netgear has been one of the big hitters alongside D-Link, producing plenty of solid offerings for home users. The WNDR4000 is no exception.

The construction of the WNDR4000 is what is expected of a router aimed at home use. Moving away from the ostentatious, illuminated, usage-indicating ring on the top of the router in favor of more typical indicator lights is welcoming. Now it’s a more serious looking device, complete with a plastic stand to allow for vertical mounting of the router.

All of this is a good start, and the upgrade from 100M Fast Ethernet to full Gigabit is another step in the right direction. Pair that with the dual-band wireless that supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks simultaneously, and you have a strong feature list working for you. This means that on a wired connection, you can get up to 1000 Mbps theoretically, and on wireless, up to 450 Mbps.

For the dual-band settings, you can run the 2.4 GHz band at 54 Mbps, 145 Mbps, or 300 Mbps; this must be set to the speed of your slowest device that you’re going to be connecting to the network. For the 5 GHz network, you can select from 54, 217, or the full 450 Mbps. Keep in mind that not all wireless cards have support for 5 GHz networks, so you might be limited to the 2.4 GHz band. As a note, Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro have support for 5 GHz networks, so if you’re using that to connect, you’ll be good to go.

In testing, we topped out on a wired connection at just below 800 Mbps (transferring between two wired computers). On 2.4 GHz wireless set at 300 Mbps, we managed a steady 170 Mbps. Finally, on 5 GHz set at 450 Mbps, we managed around 250 Mbps, which is very respectable. Bear in mind that these tests were conducted at normally operating distances (ie: 1 floor above the router), so they reflect more real-world circumstances.

In our range-testing, we found it to be consistent with other models. We received strong signal with 2 floors separating the router, and even a few hundred feet away with minimal obstacles.

Now that you have the facts about the raw speed and range of the router, let’s dig a little deeper into the feature-set. As with other Netgear models, you get a ReadySHARE USB port, meaning you can connect a hard drive or flash drive to the router’s USB port, and have its contents immediately shared to the rest of the network (and potentially the Internet) over Samba and it’s own built-in web server. It’s easy to set up and very practical to use if you need shared network storage for your family.

You also get the ability to create multiple wireless guest networks (both 2.4 and 5 GHz), complete with restricted access to the local network. So when your not-so-computer-savvy friend comes over to mooch WiFi, you can give him your guest network credentials without worrying about him transferring a virus to your machines.

You also get more typical features like parental controls, which allow router-level blocking of sites on a keyword basis (and can even schedule when the restrictions are in place). Similarly, you get Quality of Service (QoS) filtering, making sure that your streaming videos take priority over your BitTorrent downloads.

My overall experience with the WNDR4000 was a good one. The feature set is by no means lacking. One downfall that Netgear hasn’t fully rectified yet is its lacking control panel. Many users have grown to love Linksys/Cisco’s control panel due to its ease of use and reliability. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Netgear’s. Sometimes you will get 404 errors for no clear reason, sometimes applying settings takes far too long, and sometimes checking for updates from Netgear is a painstakingly long process. All of this makes for an unpleasant experience while configuring your router, but if you’re not the type to be bothered with constantly tweaking settings, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

All things considered, the WNDR4000 is a good choice for anyone looking for a solid, fast, and capable multimedia router. It’s packed full of features, is easy to setup, and will provide bandwidth capable of any multimedia streaming you need to do. The Netgear WNDR4000 is available from Amazon.com for $139.99.

Gateway revealed two updated lines of consumer notebooks this morning with the new ID and NV series. The ID series features a 14-inch display with edge-to-edge glass while the cheaper NV series provides a larger screen for consuming entertainment. We’ve got the specs and more photos of these new notebooks perfect for back to school after the break.

The ID47 series has a slim design available in Infinity Blue Liquid or Brushed Platinum finishes with an aluminum lid and “edgeless” trackpad that is 20 percent larger than the previous edition. Under the hood you’ll find an Intel Core i5-2410M processor (2.3GHz), 4GB of DDR3 memory, Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics, a 500GB hard drive, the usual wireless, HD webcam, 1 USB 3.0 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports and a HDMI port. All this plus a built-in dual-layer DVD drive in a tapered chasis that goes from 0.85 to 1.13 inches and weighs only 4.6 pounds.

The ID47 series starts at just $699.99. In Canada, Gateway is making available a 15.6-inch version with a souped up NVIDIA GeForce Optimus GT 540M graphics card and extra memory and hard drive space for $799 CAD.

The NV series starts out with an AMD Quad-Core A8-3500M processor, 6GB of DDR3 memory, AMD Radeon HD 6620G graphics, a 640GB hard drive, and the same ports as the ID series for only $629.99. A version with an Intel Core i3 chip will be available in Canada for $549 CAD, no word if this will be available stateside. The NV series weighs in at 5.7 pounds.

Press release with more specs and information below.

Gateway Kicks Up Chic Styling on Revamped
Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series Notebook Lines

New 14-inch ID Series Pioneers New Ultra-Compact Chassis; Stylish Designs Complement Social Media and Entertainment Features

IRVINE, Calif., July 7, 2011 – Gateway today introduces the revamped style of its two lines of Gateway notebook PCs – the Gateway ID Series and Gateway NV Series. Both updated lines feature incredibly stylish designs in the most in-demand sizes, powered by the latest in mobile technology.

The Gateway ID47 Series breaks new ground by fitting its 14-inch HD widescreen back-lit LED display with full edge-to-edge glass into a chassis typically used for smaller 13.3-inch models. The Gateway NV Series features a new sleek design with a large 15.6-inch display and instant social media connections. Both feature USB 3.0 for fast transfers and device charging.

Gateway ID Series for Creativity, Mobility with an Attitude

The fashionable look and feel of the new Gateway ID Series is the perfect complement for today’s on-the-go savvy computer user. The sculpted edges, elegant blend of finishes and sleek form factor of the ID Series will inspire creativity for digital media creation and enjoyment as well as fluid social networking. It comes in two designs – the “Infinity Blue Liquid” design resembles tranquil water; while the “Brushed Platinum” design conveys an industrial modern feel. Both designs come in an aluminum cover with a stainless steel laser-engraved logo.

The Gateway ID47 Series’ ultra slim design and 14-inch HD widescreen LED display with eye-catching sleek edge-to-edge glass delivers maximum enjoyment and usefulness in an ultra-compact design. In addition to the larger display, customers will be able to enjoy an integrated DVD drive. Customer usability was top-of-mind when designing the comfortable keyboard and wrapped edgeless touchpad, which is more than 20 percent larger than the previous generation, giving customers more room to navigate and use multi-gestures.

In addition, the Gateway ID Series gives quick access to digital media with capacitive touch media keys for easy control of features such as play, forward, pause and volume control. The Gateway ID Series boasts High-Definition audio support with Dolby Home Theater v4 Audio that delivers crisp and clear sound through its full-length mesh speaker bar. All of these capabilities fit into the ID Series’ slim chassis that measures only 12.97(W) x 8.95(D) x 0.85-1.13(H) inches, so it is comfortable to carry and fits easily into a briefcase or book bag. The notebooks are powered by second-generation Intel® Core™ processors.

“Notebook PCs are a constant companion in today’s mobile savvy culture, as we transition through recreation and productivity,” said Steve Smith, senior product marketing manager, for Gateway notebooks. “The stylish new Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series deliver very useful extras for entertainment and social networking and a big boost in performance wrapped up in elegant designs. They are ideal for customers who want the latest in chic, modern style and don’t want to compromise in performance.”

NV Series Elegant Design with Cinematic Entertainment

The Gateway NV Series balances exceptional performance for everyday HD entertainment and seamless social networking with a large gorgeous 15.6-inch HD widescreen LED-backlit display for cinematic widescreen viewing of movies, games, websites and more.

The new Gateway NV Series models feature an elegant and modern design that is ideal for today’s style-conscious mobile PC users. The system features either a subtle geometric pattern or the digital wave pattern on the matte chassis lid. The interior is clean and uncluttered with a comfortable chiclet-style keyboard and corresponding pattern on the palm rest.

The new NV57 Series provides excellent mobile performance with second-generation Intel® Core™ processors with Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 128MB of dedicated system memory. The new NV55 Series provides great performance while maximizing battery-life with new AMD A-Series processors.

USB 3.0 for Speedy Transfers and Additional Connections

The new Gateway ID and Gateway NV lines both feature a USB 3.0 port, which works up to 10 times faster than the standard USB 2.0, a 25GB HD movie can be transferred in just over a minute.  The USB 3.0 port will even charge USB devices when asleep, in hibernation mode, or when turned off completely.  With the notebook acting as a charging station, consumers can leave behind a plethora of consumer electronic power adapters, such as those used to charge phones, MP3 players and digital cameras. In addition to the USB 3.0 port, both feature USB 2.0 ports.

Both the ID Series and NV Series are ideal for entertainment and productivity, providing all the ports customers need to connect to their devices such as camcorders and digital cameras, printers and more. They feature HDMI 1080p output, so customers can use a convenient single-cable connection to deliver HD video and audio to an external source. The notebooks feature media card readers that accept popular media cards.

Social Networking, Connectivity and Long Battery Life

Both the new Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series deliver instant social networking with quick-use hot keys that gives customers quick access to their social networks on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. Pushing the button launches an integrated widget that lets customers easily make updates to their own sites by posting information, images and video, while also enjoying updated status feeds of friends, family and colleagues.

Keeping up on social networks is incredibly easy with the connectivity options in the new Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series. The notebook PCs come with integrated 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Certified for a fast, reliable connection to hotspots and wireless networks. Plus, the integrated HD 1.3MP webcam provides top-quality audio and video recording for crisp and clear high-resolution images for online chats and capturing video and photos.

In addition to providing superb performance, PowerSmart Technology provides extra long battery uptime. The Gateway ID Series can provide up to 8 hours of battery life, while the Gateway NV Series provides up to 4 hours of battery life. In addition, customers will enjoy a long battery lifecycle of up to four years(1).

Back-up with a Single Touch

Since today’s mobile-savvy customers want to take their videos, photos and other files with them, the Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series notebooks feature MyBackup functionality. With it, customers can protect, save and migrate data, so they can keep enjoying all their important files.

Select Models in Canada Deliver Enhanced Performance with NVIDIA Optimus Graphics

In Canada, the Gateway ID Series is also available with a large 15.6-inch HD widescreen LED backlit display. In addition, select models of the new Gateway ID Series feature NVIDIA Optimus graphics technology, which intelligently balances the notebook’s use of dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GT graphics or integrated Intel HD graphics, depending on the task its performing. The notebooks will use NVIDIA GeForce GT dedicated graphics while running video, games and multimedia applications to ensure visuals are incredibly crisp and clear. Alternately, the notebook will switch to integrated Intel HD graphics when less demanding programs are being used, such as browsing websites, or working on documents and spreadsheets. As a result, the NVIDIA Optimus technology ensures that battery life is extended for longer enjoyment.(1)

Software, Pricing and Availability

The new Gateway ID and Gateway NV Series notebooks are ready to use right out of the box with Windows® Home 7 as well as useful extras including Nook for PC, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Reader, WildTangent Demo Games, Skype, Norton Online Backup, and Microsoft® Office 2010 (preloaded for online purchase).

The Gateway ID notebooks are available at retailers now in the United States and Canada at Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) starting at $699.99 US and $799.00 CAD. The Gateway NV notebooks are available at retailers now in the United States at MSRPs starting at $529.99 US and $499.00 CAD.

About Gateway

Since its founding in 1985, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway has been a technology pioneer, offering stylish, user-friendly products and world-class customer service. Gateway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc., the world’s second-largest PC company.(2) Through collaboration with suppliers, the company strives to design environmentally friendly products and establish a green supply chain. See www.gateway.com for more information.

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Looking for the perfect iPad case that you can throw your Apple Wireless Keyboard and other accessories in when traveling? You’ve come to the right place as we take a look at the WaterField Designs iPad Travel Express, handmade in San Francisco. Find out more about this sleeve and shoulder bag after the break.

The iPad Travel Express can store your iPad or iPad 2 with all of its accessories in one sleek black ballistic nylon bag when on the go with pockets for your wireless keyboard, charger, dock connector cable, headphones and much more. You can either throw the Travel Express in your messenger bag or backpack or order it with a strap for $12-22 extra and sling it over your shoulder.

WaterField Designs gives you the option of six different colors for the stripe across the front of the bag which adds a nice modern touch to the already sleek bag. On the inside is an orange bordered sleeve for stowing your iPad or iPad 2.

The bag is great for those taking a quick weekend jaunt to the beach who want to stay connected or even catch up on the latest movie or TV show. It’s a perfect cross between a simple sleeve and a messenger bag.

Like the earlier WaterField Designs products we’ve reviewed, the iPad Travel Express is handmade in San Francisco and its construction certainly shows. The bag seems well worth the $69 price tag given the quality. With the shoulder strap and shipping however, the price could easily border $100, steering away budget-conscious shoppers but those looking for quality might be willing to pony up the extra cash.

The iPad Travel Express is available from SFBags.com starting at $69.

Product At-a-Glance

If you’re looking for a small, ultra-portable business laptop for taking from meeting to meeting that’s small enough to fit on an airplane tray table, you’re in luck. Today we’re taking a look at the ThinkPad X120e from Lenovo. The X120e features the AMD Fusion processor along with AMD Vision Pro graphics in a package that starts at 2.9 pounds and is only one-inch thin. Find out more about this sleek ultra-portable after the break.

The X120e has a number of options available including a Fusion E-240 (1.5GHz) or E-350 (1.6GHz) processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to a 320GB hard drive at both 5400 and 7200RPM or a 128GB solid state drive and a 3-cell or 6-cell battery. Features that come standard include stereo speakers, digital microphone, a low-light-sensitive webcam, UltraNav with the traditional TrackPoint nib and multi-touch touchpad, and the 11.6-inch LED-backlit screen with a 1366×768 resolution. You’ll also find 802.11b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth 3.0 on this model.

Our review unit came with the faster Fusion E-350 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, Radeon HD 6310 graphics, and the 6-cell battery, which brings this model to 3.3 pounds. Port-wise, you’ll find three USB ports (including one powered port for charging devices even when the laptop is off), a HDMI port (rare for a business notebook), Gigabit Ethernet, a microphone/speaker combo jack, a 4-in-1 card reader, and a VGA port.

For those familiar with the ThinkPad line, the X120e is the successor to the X100e which launched in January 2010 at CES. This ThinkPad model has a slightly different keyboard from the traditional style we’re used to seeing across some of the other model lines, but the keys have a new curved design and fit our fingers better. Both sets of left and right mouse buttons have a nice click to them and aren’t mushy-feeling. Multi-touch gestures worked but don’t seem as smooth as Apple’s implementation on the Magic Trackpad. The palm rest felt a little on the small side and unlike other ThinkPads, the model does not offer a keyboard light.

Performance wise, the E-350 processor seemed perfect for a laptop this size, keeping up with basic office tasks while we were prepping for this review. We even played a 1080p clip on Vimeo without any hiccups. In our standard PCMark Vantage tests, the X120e received a score of 2345, which makes it 1.5 times faster than the dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor. When we ran our CINEBENCH graphics benchmark, the system received a score of 2007 in the multi-core test. This translates to a pretty snappy experience for an ultra-portable.

We received about 4-5 hours of battery life on the 6-cell battery while surfing the web and opening up a few Office documents. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on how many applications you’re running and if they’re processor-intensive or not. We would have liked if there was a docking station available or a larger 9-cell battery for those who travel long-distances.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e would be a great choice for the business traveler looking for a nice ultra-portable notebook on a budget without stepping down to a sluggish netbook. The X120e starts at $399.99 and is available at Lenovo and Amazon.com.

If you have a SlingBox in your house, you already know how convenient it is to be able to watch your home TV anywhere you are over the internet or local network with a web browser or iPhone. Now the SlingBox is coming to your iPad with the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad app. How is the quality and is the app worth the cost? Find out after the break.

With the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad app, you can watch your satellite or cable box (live or DVR) all on the iPad’s 10.1-inch display. The app isn’t just a scaled-up version of the iPhone app, but designed to take advantage of the extra screen real estate. If you have a 3G-capable iPad, you can even use the 3G connection to stream while Wi-Fi will allow for the best quality.

Setting up the app is simple–just enter in your existing Slingbox account information and the setup wizard should automatically detect your Slingbox. Both your favorite channels and full channel guide can be accessed based on your Slingbox setup. The app allows you to control your DirecTV box for example, just as if you were sitting on your living room couch. The same buttons on the remote control come up with a tap. Along the top are a row of five buttons that switch between the various controls from DVR transport (play/pause) controls to directional controls for navigating your device’s guide system.

We tested the app using the Slingbox PRO-HD, but it also works with the lower-end SOLO model. If you have an older Slingbox like the original, you can’t use the app. However, Slingbox will offer you a $50 rebate on a new model as part of their upgrade program. Video and audio quality were excellent when viewing over the local network on the high quality (HQ) setting and still fairly good when using the standard quality (SQ) setting. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the speed of your internet connection. The Slingbox folks ask that you do have a download speed of at least 500 Kbps.

The app has a number of other controls including aspect ratio, which comes in handy if you want to crop a 16:9 signal to fit the 4:3 iPad screen. There are a few quirks we encountered when testing the player over our local network including an endlessly spinning wheel paired with a blue screen while the app was trying to receive a stable video signal. There is also no multi-tasking support either, so if you want to listen to the baseball game while checking email, you’re out of luck.

Overall, we found the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad app to be a well-designed app that complements the SlingBox line of products well. You can find the app at the App Store for $29.99.

Like the Timbuk2 Kindle Plush Sleeve we reviewed in December, the Envelope Sleeve is a simple, yet protective sleeve for the iPad and iPad 2. It does have a few differences, and we have a further look at the product further after the break.

The Envelope Sleeve is made out of the same ballistic fabric and comes in four three-panel color combinations that may be familiar to those who already use Timbuk2 products. You have a choice of black/gunmetal/red (the one we received), gunmetal/white/robin (a light blue), black/gunmetal/limeaide, and village violet/barley. Like the Kindle Plush Sleeve, the Envelope Sleeve has a Velcro flap for securing your precious new iPad 2, but instead of the Plush Sleeve’s faux-fur lining, has a Tricot lining that is less…plush.

You don’t even have to take the Smart Cover off your iPad 2 as the Envelope Sleeve fits both the iPad (no Smart Cover, of course) and the iPad 2 with or without the cover. And you won’t even have to take out your iPad when you get to those pesky TSA agents at the airport since the sleeve is TSA approved. Take that Blogger Bob.

The Timbuk2 Envelope Sleeve for iPad or iPad 2 is available now at Timbuk2.com or Amazon.com for $30. Amazon even has a few other colors available if the ones we mentioned above aren’t good enough.

Product At-a-Glance

I’ve always been a huge fan of Lenovo’s ThinkPad lineup, and after meeting with them at CES this past January, I had a chance to take a look at a variety of their latest desktop and notebook models. One that stood out to me immediately of the entire selection they had available was the IdeaPad U260, which starts at less than 3 lbs. and is available in two elegant colors. Find out what we thought about it after the break.

The U260 is Lenovo’s first and an industry-first 12.5-inch laptop and has a sleek design available in either Clementine Orange or Mocha Brown colors in a soft-touch finish with a palm rest textured like leather and a polished glass touchpad. Along the top of the keyboard are minimalistic LEDs indicating caps lock, num lock (no scroll lock), battery charge, hard drive access, and wireless connectivity. You won’t find the annoying glare of the glossy displays on most laptops here, since the U260 is exclusively a matte finish.

In terms of ports, on the left of the unit is a Kensington security lock port, USB port, combined audio in/out jack, and a wireless on/off switch. On the right is the second USB port, HDMI port, Ethernet port, VGA, and power.

Inside, Lenovo has given users an option of an Intel Core i3 or i5 ultra-low voltage processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and up to 320GB of storage. Lenovo also built in their Lenovo Enhanced Experience, which they say boots up to 57% faster than other non-optimized systems. Our review unit came loaded with the Core i5 U470 processor running at 1.33GHz, 4GB of memory, and a 320GB hard drive.

Ever since receiving the review unit a few weeks ago, I’ve been simply amazed with the design of the notebook. Clearly the design was very important to Lenovo, and they’ve posted a design tour on YouTube explaining the process. The design is very simple and is inspired by a classic leather journal.

The touchpad is probably one of the best we’ve ever used, with its polished glass finish, your finger simply glides across. The mouse buttons below it were fairly responsive, and felt similar to those on the ThinkPad line. On the other hand, the keyboard wasn’t the ThinkPad keyboard we loved. The Shift key on the right side of the keyboard is half the size of the left Shift key and the Caps Lock and Tab keys are just as small. Lenovo integrated a breathable keyboard, making for a cooler PC while also keeping in mind spill resistance, just like some of the ThinkPads.

In our PCMark Vantage tests, the system garnered a score or 3595 PCMarks and in our CINEBENCH graphics tests, the IdeaPad received a score of 2180 in the single core test and a score of 4275 in the multiple core test. Battery life was lacking for an ultra-portable class notebook, and over our testing period, we got around 3 1/2 hours of battery life. If you think you’ll be able to extend that with an extra battery, you’re out of luck. The battery is non-removable.

So, sure the IdeaPad U260 combines style and power, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean you’re going to get stellar battery life. Since the included power adapter is smaller than normal adapters, it won’t take up too much room in your bag. So it’s safe to say bring it along just to steer clear of a dead laptop while on the go. If you won’t be near an outlet most of the time, maybe it’s a wise idea to look elsewhere.

The IdeaPad U260 is available now and starts at a reasonable $899. Dig around and find it for even cheaper on Amazon.com.

Lenovo Setup at the Aquaknox

In short, the laptop functions normally, running Windows 7 with an Intel CULV processor until the 10.1-inch screen is detached from the base. At that point, the tablet starts running off its own processor and battery and functions using the Android operating system.

The LePad Slate can be purchased as a stand alone device which will cost you about $520. The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid which includes the laptop base comes in at about $1,300. While launching in China only this quarter, expect a version in the US sometime in the not too distant future.

A full press release is included below.

Best of Both Worlds: Lenovo’s Dual Mode Hybrid System New Two-in-One Mobile

Device Speaks Android and Windows

LePad multi-touch Android slate for mobility and U1 laptop PC base for full Windows 7 experience

CES 2011, Las Vegas – January 5, 2011: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the IdeaPad U1 hybrid with LePad slate, a unique two-in-one device that combines the mobility of a media-rich, high-definition slate featuring access to Android applications and a keyboard base that provides a full Windows 7 computing experience. Lenovo delivers an uncompromised mobile and computing experience to consumers through great performance and a unique Hybrid Switch dual mode capability that seamlessly switches between two different operating systems.

“Our IdeaPad U1 and LePad truly fit today’s mobile lifestyle,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. “Use the light-weight slate when you’re mobile, and then simply slide it into the U1 base when you need to create and edit content. Consumers shouldn’t have to adapt their lifestyle to technology, and this product definitely delivers twice the functionality and fun in one device.”

LePad Slate – Light, Long-Lasting and Application Rich

At under two pounds and only half an inch in thickness, the extremely portable LePad, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, keeps users incredibly mobile all day with up to eight hours of battery life. LePad is available in two stylish colors – scarlet and white – and with two different textures – brown “leather” and black “leather.” The 10.1-inch widescreen, high-definition LePad slate runs in landscape and portrait modes. Users can consume content such as video, surf the Internet and access social networks from their fingertips, as well as tap out messages and email. It also has a front camera for taking pictures or for video chat.

“We are excited that Lenovo has chosen our Snapdragon processor to power the LePad slate,” said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing and product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “Lenovo’s innovative 3G connected slate, powered by our Snapdragon platform, enables a high performance, always connected experience for consumers on the go.”

Built on Android 2.2., Lenovo customized the LePad slate with an optimized Android media experience for LePad’s larger screen size, starting with an attractive four-pane, easy to use interface and a distinctive Lenovo-developed push service that delivers email, news and other content in real time, eliminating the need to constantly open a browser and log in. LePad leverages the Android ecosystem that Lenovo has already established in China for the LePhone Smartphone.  LePad users, in addition to enjoying many preloaded applications, also have access to thousands of custom Android apps from China’s top content partners that are optimized uniquely for the LePad’s large screen.  Lenovo plans for LePad to support Adobe^® Flash^® Player 10.1 to provide users a more complete Web browsing experience.

IdeaPad U1 for a Complete Laptop

For users who need the full functionality of a mainstream laptop for doing content creation with Windows-based productivity applications, the LePad can slide into the U1 base.  The IdeaPad U1 hybrid laptop with a full keyboard transforms the user interface on LePad into Windows 7. The base features a Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and an Intel CULV processor. With the Hybrid Switch feature, users can seamlessly change operating systems to support a continuous Web browsing experience.

Pricing and Availability¹

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available beginning in China in the first quarter of 2011. The LePad slate can be purchased separately from the U1 base. The LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 3,499 (approximately US $520).  The U1 hybrid laptop with LePad slate starts at approximately RMB 8,888 (approximately US $1,300). For detailed pricing and availability for other markets, please contact your Lenovo representative.

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About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.

See the full press release.

Attention home theater geeks, there’s finally a great solution to control your home theater PC with your iPhone or iPod touch. The application called Air Mouse Pro turns your iOS device into a trackpad and universal remote for your Mac or PC. How does it work and is it right for you? Find out after the break.

At first glance, the app may look like a simple application, but it’s so much more than that digging deeper into it. It doesn’t have just controls for a keyboard and mouse, but controls that change depending on the application you’re currently controlling on-screen. Using iTunes or Windows Media Player? You get media transport controls. Using a web browser? You get controls for home, forward, back and stop. The app also has support for applications like Boxee, Front Row, and VLC.

The app was fairly easy to set up with both our Windows 7-based home theater PC and an Apple MacBook. You simply download the Air Mouse Server application from the Air Mouse Pro website, install and run it, and then select the Mac or PC from the app on your iPhone or iPod touch. The app connects through your Wi-Fi network so there are no line of sight issues that infrared brings to the table.

We were very impressed with the app during our testing. The screen is divided into two sections on launch, the top acts as a trackpad with left and right mouse buttons, and the bottom acts as a variety of controls from the standard iPhone keyboard, media transport controls, customizable function keys, and web browser navigation. The trackpad functionality worked wonderfully and we never experienced a glitch during our testing. A lot of the gestures are very intuitive as well. To hide the keyboard, shake your device and it disappears. This activates a larger on-screen trackpad that takes up more space to control your on-screen cursor.

If you don’t want to use the touch trackpad on your iOS device, there is also a Wiimote-like mouse feature that according to the company, works better on the iPhone 4 because of the built-in gyroscope. We didn’t have a chance to test it on the iPhone 3G or 3GS, but it is an option if you’re fingers get tired.

Another nifty feature is the built-in application switcher and launcher that mimics the Dock on your Mac or the running applications on your PC. Tap on an app icon and it launches or switches to it seamlessly. It acts as a great alternative to the Alt-Tab or Command-Tab features that users are already used to. Air Mouse Pro also has a few other features for remotely waking up your computer and putting it to sleep, and the ability to script your own controls for media and web remotes.

Air Mouse Pro costs $1.99 in the App Store.

Product At-a-Glance

Not too long ago, we took a look at some gear from the Netgear ProSafe switch line. This time around, we got our hands on one of the newest offerings from Netgear, the GS110TP Gigabit PoE smart switch.

This switch is definitely aimed towards small to midsized businesses, or perhaps the odd prosumer who needs dual Gigabit fiber SFP uplinks. If you’re a typical consumer looking for a new Gigabit switch, this one isn’t quite your cup of tea.

With that being said, the GS110TP is an excellent option for smaller businesses looking for a cheap fiber to Ethernet networking solution. The Gigabit SFP uplinks are aimed towards long distance connections, while the Gigabit Ethernet ports serve local computers using their PoE technology.

This PoE power management operates in the most energy efficient way possible. By detecting cable lengths and network device power requirements, only the necessary amount of power is sent, thereby decreasing power consumption significantly. According to Netgear’s testing, the GS110TP uses 70% less power than it’s non-green companion.

Power is dynamically distributed to the Ethernet ports. If at any point the power available for network allocation is overdrawn, LED indicators make it quite clear that no power is available to power up additional ports.

As with the previous Netgear professional models we tested, the GS110TP features advanced QoS (Quality of Service) management, which is configurable through their included software. This makes it simple to prioritize mission critical applications, such as network telephony.

In addition to QoS, the GS110TP makes advances in security, such as being able to blacklist (or whitelist) traffic based on MAC or IP addresses. While switches are not typically a point of intrusion, this Netgear product allows for extra security.

As far as practicality is concerned, setup was incredibly easy, and management is made very simple through the use of their included control panel software. Using PoE to power a small IP camera was simple, and setup was dealt with in a matter of minutes.

For small to midsized business environments, the Netgear GS110TP makes for an excellent PoE Gigabit switch. With an extensive feature set, easy setup, and an advanced control panel, the GS110TP makes a perfectly viable option for your powered switching needs.

Product At-a-Glance

We reviewed the Timeline 3810T back in October 2009, but Acer is upping the ante with the new TimelineX series. Is it a good choice if you’re looking for a thin-and-light notebook for back to school? It aims to offer 8-hour battery life and a bright LED backlit display, but does it deliver? Find out after the break.

The specs of the TimelineX 3820T we’re looking at today are as follows:

• Intel Core i3 M 350 Processor at 2.27GHz
• 4GB of DDR3 1066 RAM
• 320GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
• Intel HD Graphics
• Windows 7 Home Premium

You’ll find the standard selection of ports from 3 USB ports, an HDMI port, media card reader, Gigabit Ethernet, and a VGA port. The 3820T weighs in at just over 3.9 pounds.

You won’t find an optical drive here, so if you’re looking to watch movies in your dorm room, you’re out of luck if you don’t have a TV. The notebook is largely unchanged on the exterior from the 3810T from last year, save for the brushed aluminum lid. The keyboard is the same chiclet-style like the Apple MacBook, but the keys are fairly flat unlike most keyboards which have curved keys.

The multi-gesture touchpad is nice but the single mouse button below didn’t offer much of a firm click. The glossy screen on the 13-inch screen has a nice resolution of 1366×768 but other than that, the positive aspects of it stop there. The viewing angles on the horizontal end aren’t terribly bad, but on the vertical end tilting the screen back washed it out to a yellow tint.

The 3820T is pretty snappy thanks to the i3 processor and Intel HD graphics, giving it a Windows Experience Index score of 4.7. In our PCMark Vantage tests, the system received a score of 4669 PCMarks. In our Cinebench graphics tests, the TimelineX 3820T received a score of 2480 in the single core test and a score of 5796 in the multi core test. In the OpenGL test, the system received a score of 1775. The system didn’t hesitate at all when we had streaming video going in Google Chrome, a few Office documents open and Adobe Photoshop CS4 open.

While the notebook is rated for up to 8 hours of battery life, we found in our tests that the notebook only ran for 5-6 hours (like its predecessor) depending on the task at hand. Still, great battery life for the mobile student.

If you’re the student on a budget and looking for a thin and relatively lightweight notebook, the Acer TimelineX 3820T is for you, but if you have a little more cash to spend, there are other options available with a better quality screen and keyboard. The TimelineX 3820T is selling at press time for just under $680 with free shipping at Amazon.com.

Product At-a-Glance

Summer is quickly drawing to a close, school is starting, and college students everywhere are moving into their dorms or apartments. With the new laptop, iPhone, and Xbox 360 that’s coming back to school, wireless networking is a necessity. The only question is, can the Netgear WNDR3400 survive the college life?

Like most new routers, the WNDR3400 is a dual-band wireless-N router, meaning that you can get speeds up to 300 Mb/s without wires. Obviously in practice, those speeds are significantly lower. However, this speed is still much improved from the old wireless-G standard, allowing for quick file transfers, lag-free gaming, and streaming HD video all without wires.

With the WNDR3400, you also get 4 Ethernet ports for standard wired connections. You might expect with wireless-N networking that the WNDR3400 would come with Gigabit Ethernet, but sadly, it falls a bit short. 10/100 Mbps ports line the back of the router, which are a bit disappointing. You can achieve faster transfer rates over wireless than with wired networking, which is a bit backwards. However, if your devices are primarily wireless, this shouldn’t prove to be much of a problem for you.

As far as router features are concerned, you get a USB port that allows for network sharing of a storage device. For example, you can plug a simple USB flash drive into the router, and it’ll share the contents of that device with the entire network. The same concept works with USB hard drives, allowing for easy setup of network attached storage.

With its dual-band wireless, you can create two different SSIDs, one for your B/G network and one for your wireless-N network. Similarly, different passwords and authentication settings can be assigned for each of the networks.

You can also setup a guest network (again with two SSIDs to differentiate the network speeds) that creates a separate virtual network for guest users. This way, you can allow your friend on your network without giving them your password. You can also choose whether guest users should be allowed to get access to the local network, so shared network files can be hidden from guests if so desired.

Standard service and site blocking is available, with the ability to whitelist certain IP addresses on the network. Similarly, you get your typical port forwarding setup and dynamic DNS options.

On the more advanced side of things, you can monitor your bandwidth usage as well as setup Quality of Service (QoS) filtering. QoS allows certain services to receive preferential treatment when bandwidth is scarce. The WNDR3400 also has a wireless repeating functionality, which can provide the ability to repeat a router’s signal using the WNDR3400.

Ultimately, the WNDR3400 is a feature-filled router that is easy to setup and manage. Will it work well at college? Absolutely. Will it work well at home? Sure. If wired connectivity is important to you, there are better routers out there, but if you’re just looking for a simple wireless-N router, the WNDR3400 is a great option for you.