Samsung Series 7 Chronos review: first look

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

Don’t be fooled by their similar names: the Samsung Series 7 Chronos couldn’t be more different to its much smaller sibling, the Series 7 Ultra. This is a 15.6in behemoth designed for the heaviest of duties – Samsung uses the phrase “ultimate performance for professional creation” – and that’s obvious from the moment you pick it up.

That said, compared to other 15.6in laptops, the Chronos is quite light: Samsung claims it weighs 2.35kg. Mind you, it also claims that it’s just 20.9mm thick – we’ll have to measure it with the office callipers when the final sample arrives in the office, but we suspect it’s closer to 30mm at its fattest point.

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Greatest Hits of CES 2013: PC Pro’s pick of the best products

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

The world’s largest consumer electronics show is now into its final throes, which means we can reveal the shortlist for our pick of the show’s innovations: PC Pro’s Greatest Hits of CES 2013.

Now we need your help to decide the winner for the Best Innovation. Read the descriptions below and then cast your vote using the link at the bottom of the blog — but be quick, because voting closes at 6pm (UK time) on Thursday 10 January. [Edit: the vote is now closed]

In addition to the winner of this category, on Friday we’ll also be announcing our pick of the tablets, phones and laptops that have been unveiled at CES 2013. (more…)

Laptop bag reviews: nine tested

Friday, May 25th, 2012

Most of us wouldn’t think twice about spending hours researching that next laptop purchase, but buying a bag to protect it and carry it around rarely receives the same sort of attention.

We’re here to change all that with a selection of the very best laptop-luggers on the market, from expensive rucksacks to simple protective sleeves. Read on to find out which we like best.

RUCKSACKS

Crumpler Box Boy, £159 - 3/6

Crumpler’s Box Boy couples style with big-bag practicality, accommodating laptops up to 17in. A proliferation of pockets and a zip-up front make it easy to access small items. It isn’t very comfortable, though, and doesn’t distribute weight evenly, with most resting on the lower back. (more…)

Samsung Series 7 review: first look

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

The super-slim Series 9 laptop drew many an admiring glance, and Samsung’s Series 7 range looks likely to repeat the trick. In a meeting room at PC Pro, we were given an exclusive first glimpse of the 15.6in Samsung 700Z.

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Smartphone crapware: worse than laptops?

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

A couple of years ago I holed myself up in the PC Pro Labs with some new laptops to see what impact their pre-installed software — known as crapware, bloatware and shovelware — had on performance.

The results proved shocking but, when it comes down to it, that software is pretty easy to deal with – it’s just a matter of uninstalling everything and, if you’re really particular, running an app like CCleaner to get your Registry back to its fighting weight.

Not so with smartphones. On Friday, I eased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro from its box, turned it on, and was greeted with a message urging me to set up McAfee WaveSecure before I’d even set up the phone with my Google account. (more…)

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 review: first look

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

It’s already made its stateside debut, but over in good ol’ Blighty Lenovo has finally shown off its latest business ultraportable, the 13.3in ThinkPad X1.

From the off, it’s an unmistakeably classic ThinkPad. A sea of smooth matte black – magnesium alloy top and bottom – stretches all around, interrupted only by the occasional flash of red. It’s seriously slim, too, measuring just 17mm thick and adding a claimed 1.7kg to your laptop bag.

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Webuyanylaptop – but not for very much

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

If you’re looking to get shot of an old laptop, then you’re faced with a decision. You could advertise on eBay – if you can stomach the fees – or resort to the cheapskate’s site of choice, Gumtree. Alternatively, you could point your browser at www.webuyanylaptop.co.uk.

It’s gloriously simple. Use the web-based wizard to select the brand and model of the laptop in question, then enter details about its processor, RAM, hard disk and general condition. Once you’re happy with the offer, the company sends you a box, postage pre-paid, and in goes the laptop. Then all you have to do is wait for the cash to appear in your account.

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The next killer smartphone feature: a decent battery

Friday, March 18th, 2011

I got an Amazon Kindle for Christmas. I charged it for only the third time yesterday, despite using it almost every day. In fact, my only problem with the Kindle is remembering where I left the charger several weeks ago.

Similarly, I can’t remember the last time I ran out of juice on my laptop. Until a couple of years ago, I could barely complete a train journey home without peering at the Windows battery meter and praying the laptop didn’t abruptly conk out mid-way through a match in Football Manager (I do work on the train sometimes, in case my publisher is reading).

Yet, with the extended battery pack on my Dell XPS M1330, the battery lasts about three or four hours – plenty long enough to get me to and from the office. And by today’s standards, that’s even starting to look pretty feeble. The 13in MacBook Pro lasted for in excess of 10 hours in our light-use battery tests, for example. Like the Kindle, it’s practically reached the point where you barely need to worry about the battery.

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Sony VAIO S Series review: first look

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

After our exclusive reviews of Sony’s brand-new CA Series notebook and L Series touchscreen all-in-one, Sony’s launch event in London’s Century Club promised to be tinged with an overwhelming sense of deja-vu.

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How to physically secure your business hardware

Friday, January 21st, 2011

There seems to be something of a misconception, at the smaller end of the business scale at least, that data security is somehow a terribly complex thing that is also expensive to achieve properly. This myth is no doubt massaged just a little bit by small business consultants with one eye on the invoice.

The truth of the matter is somewhat different, of course, and basic data security is neither difficult nor expensive to achieve. All it takes is a little bit of technical know-how and an awful lot of common sense.

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