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Acer Aspire One 523H Review

Edubase — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:18:11 +0000

The Acer Aspire One 523H is the latest model from Acer in their Netbook series in Malaysia. Acer has been releasing quite a number of netbook in Malaysia at the beginning of the netbook revolution until now. So how does the new model, Acer Aspire One 523H fare?

Looking at the Acer Aspire One 523H design and specifications, I couldn’t help but thinking that Acer is staying true to the old adage of “if it’s not broken, why fix it”.

Let us look at the Acer Aspire One 523H specifications:

Intel® Atom™ Processor N450 (1.8GHz)
1GB DDR2 RAM
250GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
10.2′ Widescreen Display 1024×600 (WSVGA)
Intel NM10 System Chipset
Intel GMA 3150 Graphic Chipset
Built-in 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam
802.11b/g/n WLAN Card
Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
4-in-1 Card Reader
6 Cells Battery
Microsoft Windows 7 Starter

Acer Aspire One 523H price in Malaysia at the time of writing: RM1299.00

The Acer Aspire One 523H is clearly similar to other Acer Aspire One netbook model. The only difference is the new multi color scheme which I find quite attractive to look at. But to touch the lid is another story. You will find it is easy to leave smudgy fingerprints to the The Acer Aspire One 523H cover. Acer still using an all plastic chassis unlike some of the netbook manufacturer who has started using metal and aluminum chassis, such as the new Nokia Booklet 3G. It is not such a bad a design though, as the plastic does not feel cheap and feel sturdy and of high quality.

Like other netbook manufacturer, Acer chose to use the chiclet keyboard on the new The Acer Aspire One 523H. Although the keys are spacious and good layout, typing feel flat and it’s easy to mistype with the Acer Aspire One 523H keyboard. I get a mixed feeling when using the Acer Aspire One 523H touchpad. I like the feel of the touchpad, but at the same time I feel it is too grippy making it harder to move the cursor.

There is nothing to shout about the performance of Acer Aspire One 523H. Its performance is on par with other netbook using the Intel Atom N450 specifications. The Acer Aspire One 523H 6 cell battery lasted for about 6 hours. This is expected from a netbook, which were primarily created for portability instead of performance.

Considering the reputation of Acer as a solid and reputable company in Malaysia, I have no doubt that Acer will sell a lot of Acer Aspire One 523H here. Do not forget to ask for free upgrades from retailer when shopping for the Acer Aspire One 523H.

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MSI Wind U135 Review

Edubase — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Since the introduction of MSI Wind Netbook in Malaysia as a competitor for Asus Eee PC range and HP Mini netbook, they have had their share of fans. The new MSI Wind U135 in Malaysia is the first netbook from MSI using the Intel’s Pine Trail platform.

By using the new Intel Pine Trail platform, MSI has ditch the aging Intel Atom N270/N280 and replaced with the new Intel Atom N450. With newer processor and technology platform came improved performance and power management.

Below are the MSI Wind U135 specifications.

Intel® Atom™ Processor N450 (512K Cache, 1.66 GHz)
1GB DDR2 RAM (Upgradeable to 2GB)
250GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
10′ Widescreen Display 1024×600 (WSVGA)
Intel NM10 System Chipset
Intel GMA 3150 Graphic Chipset
Built-in 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam
802.11b/g/n WLAN Card
Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR
4-in-1 Card Reader
6 Cells Batter
Microsoft Windows 7 Starter

MSI Wind U135 Price in Malaysia at the time of writing: RM1399.00

The MSI Wind U135 casings are the same as other MSI Wind netbooks series, with glossy exterior, matte underside and glossy black palm rest. I was a bit disappointed when MSI didn’t include a DVI, Displayport or HDMI when other netbook manufacturer are including them in their netbook specification. MSI opted to use the single VGA output on their new MSI Wind U135 instead. The lack of USB 3.0 port is also quite disappointing as the development of SuperSpeed USB is underway. But when looking at the attractive price of MSI Wind U135, I guess you can’t complaint much. One improvement in the MSI Wind U135 design is trackpad size have increase by 20%. Although 20% increase in size seems not much, any improvement is welcome.

User’s experience on the MSI Wind U135 seems to be same as using other netbooks. The keyboard are smaller than some netbooks, but the key layout make it easier to use for typing. The trackpad, also 20% larger than previous model is another story. The trackpad on MSI Wind U135 does not include any multi-touch function. Scrolling using the trackpad on MSI Wind U135 is a bit hard. The MSI Wind U135 glossy display is sharp and crisp with good viewing angle. Some may prefer matte display instead of the glossy display though.

The performance on the MSI Wind U135 is actually quite good in the netbooks categories. Some of the performance improvements came from the Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Operating System. Some of you may prefer to turn of the SuperFetch function in Windows 7 to decrease heat coming from the hard disk. The Superfetch in Windows 7 use hard disk constantly to cache applications so that i will open up faster the next time.

Although there a no major improvement in the MSI Wind U135 design, the inclusion of the new technology in hardware and software will make the MSI Wind U135 a good buy for those looking for their first netbook.

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Gateway LT2001Y Review

Edubase — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:38:55 +0000

Gateway LT2001Y is another contender in the Netbook Segment in Malaysia. Gateway has taken a rather brave move considering the fact that the Netbook segment in Malaysia are conquered by Acer and Asus with their Aspire One and Eee PC in particular.

Affordable but plain looking

There is nothing to shout about the Gateway LT2001Y which are available here in Malaysia except that it has all the necessary specification of a regular netbook.

Let us look at the specification of the Gateway LT2001Y

Intel Atom 1.66GHz
1GB DDR2 Ram
160GB Hard Disk Drive
10.1″ High Brightness LED Wide Screen Display
Wifi/Bluetooth/3x USB 2.0
Integrated Webcam
5 in 1 Card Reader
Dolby Soundroom Certified
6 Cell Battery
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

The Gateway LT2001Y price in Malaysia at the time of writing: RM1299.00

Like I said before, the specifications of Gateway LT2001Y are common of what you can find in other netbook nowadays. But there are some interesting features of the Gateway LT2001Y that are worthy to talk about. One of the is the Multi Touchpad, which I think is a killer feature on the Gateway LT2001Y.

The Multi Touchpad in Gateway LT2001Y implement gesture move to execute several function such as scrolling and zooming. You got to try it yourself to fully appreciate the Multi Touchpad feature in the Gateway LT2001Y. Another feature in Gateway LT2001Y that are worth noting are the Dolby Soundroom Certified High Definition Audio.

Considering the price only at RM1299.00, the Gateway LT2001Y is one of the netbook you should consider to take a closer look when searching for an affordable netbook in Malaysia.

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Dell Inspiron 11z Review

Edubase — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:49:12 +0000

The Dell Inspiron 11z is Dell’s newest inspiron range of laptop in Malaysia. The Inspiron 11z is designed to offer true mobility with its light weight and extended battery life.

New ultra portable laptop from Dell

The Dell Inspiron 11z has been launched by Dell Malaysia in the Ultra Portable segment instead of the netbook segment in Malaysia. Maybe this is due to the fact that the Dell Inspiron 11z is using the new ultra low voltage processor from the Celeron stable instead of using the ever popular Intel Atom processor. The Intel Atom processor a commonly use in the netbook segment.

Here are the Dell Inspiron 11z specifications ( base model Dell Inspiron 11z in Malaysia):

Intel Celeron Processor 743 (1.3GHz/800MHz FSB/1MB Cache
2GB (1x2GB) DRR2 Sdram
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Disk Drive
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500MHD
11.6″ HD WLED (1366×768) with TrueLife
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Wifi Card
3 Cell Battery
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic 64bit

Dell Inspiron 11z price in Malaysia at the time of writing: RM1749.00

I noticed that the specifications of the Dell Inspiron 11z in Malaysia differ quite a bit from the specifications of the inspiron 11z oversea cousin. For instance the inspiron 11z model being sold in United States is still using Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium as the Operating System and only equipped with a 1.2GHz Celeron 723 processor.

There is nothing to shout about the Dell Inspiron 11z design. The inspiron 11z Malaysia model design featured a glossy black screen with a black chassis. But Dell being Dell, you will be able to choose from 7 (funky) colour available. The casing is really slim when closed and although the Dell Inspiron 11z weight around 1.3kg, the casing and the chassis of the inspiron 11z felt durable.

The 11.6″ screen on the Inspiron 11z with 1366×768 maximum resolution is a nice change from the norm 1024×600 screen on the netbook segment. Enhanced with Dell Trademark TrueLife, the display on the Dell Inspiron 11z are really good, be it for browsing the web or multimedia usage.

The Dell Inspiron 11z keyboard is a full size layout and as most of Dell’s keyboard, fell comfortable to use. The feedback is great and there is no lag at all. The Dell Inspiron 11z touchpad however is another story. I have use some lagged touchpad in the past, but there are nothing compard the inspiron 11z touchpad. Try drawing a circle with the touchpad in a graphic application, and will get a wide sphere instead. Really frustrating. Nevertheless, this can be resolved by using a mouse, but it will defeat the purpose of being truly mobile, as the Dell Inspiron 11z aim to be.

Dell Inspiron 11z would truly shine in the ultra portable laptop segment if it wasn’t for touchpad. The price is cheap and affordable, and most featured easily exceed other laptop in the netbook segment in Malaysia.

[View with PicLens]

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Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU Review

Edubase — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:18:47 +0000

I just got back from my dealer today. Although I’m not in the business anymore, it pays to visit your dealer once in a while even just for a chat, as you will still get a dealer price for everything.

While I was there, he told me currently the best selling notebook and laptop is the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU.

Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU

I was not shocked to hear the news. As for me the Compaq Presario CQ40 AU series still is the best value for money notebook or laptop offered today.

The Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU still use the same shell as the other Compaq Presario CQ-40 AU series. That means it still looks as good as the others, modern look with the sleek silver casing.

The specification also does not differ much from other Compaq Presario CQ-40 AU series.

The default specification for Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU are as follow:

AMD Turion X2 Dual Core (2.0 Ghz)
14″1 WXGA Widescreen LCD
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics
250GB Hard disk drive
1024MB DDR2 Ram
DVD+/-RW Double Layer Drive
802.11 b/g Wireless Adapter
5 in 1 Card Reader
Built in webcam
6 Cell Lithium-Ion battery
FreeDOS Operating System
Compaq carrying bag
Price at the time of writing: RM1849.00

Looking at the specification of the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU, the only difference from the previous Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU specifications is the size of the Hard Disk Drive. Compaq Presario CQ40-115AU come with 160GB of Hard Disk Drive, meanwhile Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU is equipped with 250GB Hard Disk Drive.

There isn’t much to talk about the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU except that it won’t give you any trouble if you decide to use it as a personal computer, and run normal applications and tasks. Although the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU is equipped ATI Radeon HD, the 3200 series is not meant for serious gaming.

As with all Compaq Presario CQ40 AU series, the keyboard is comfortable to use, but I do find the slippery touchpad is odd to my liking.

Some retailers are offering sweet deals for the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU such as free upgrade to 2048MB (2GB) of RAM, free pendrive and other accessories such as optical mouse. You might want to find such retailers if you are thinking of getting the Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU.

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Asus Eee PC 1002HA Review

Edubase — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:24:18 +0000

One look at the Asus Eee PC 1002HA netbook, and you will notice this is not an ordinary netbook. For once, Asus has dressed the Asus Eee PC 1002HA in a sleek business attire, rather than the plasticky look that is a norm with the Asus Eee PC range.

Looks good in business environment

Sleek external design

I think most of you will agree with me, Asus Eee PC 1002HA is the best looking netbook in the Asus Eee PC line up in Malaysia. Dare I say, maybe it is the best looking netbook around.

Let us look at Asus Eee PC 1002HA specification:

Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
1GB RAM
160GB Hard Disk Drive (Upgradeable to 320GB)
10GB Eee Online Storage
10″ Widescreen LCD
802.11b/g/n Wireless Adapter
Bluetooth Adapter
Multitouch Trackpad
MMC/SD/SHDC Card Reader
1.3 Megapixel Webcam
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Asus Eee PC 1002HA price at the time of writing: RM1900

The 10″ LCD screen on the Asus Eee PC 1002HA has a matte finish that reduces glare, a break from the normal glossy displays nowadays. With a maximum resolution of 1024 pixels x 600 pixels, the display are will work flawlessly with web surfing and text editing. Integrated into Asus Eee PC 1200HA is a 1.3 megapixel built-in webcam and a digital array microphone.

Most of us will find the keyboard size and layout on the Asus Eee PC 1002HA is comfortable to use for daily task. The keyboard on Asus Eee PC 1002HA is 92% the size of a standard keyboard, which should give users ample space to work with.

One thing about the Asus Eee PC 1002HA keyboard though, the right shift key is in a very weird position on the right side of the up arrow key rather than under the enter key like it should be.

One of the most talk about features of the Asus Eee PC 1002HA is the Track Pad. Asus has made the Asus Eee PC 1002HA trackpad to be as brilliant as they should be. A single finger moves the cursor as you expect it to. Place a second finger on the track pad and you can scroll up and down pages. Tapping the track pad with three fingers acts as a right click.

Hopefully this brilliant track pad will be a standard features on all future Asus notebook, laptop and netbook model. I will not be suprise if other notebook, laptop and netbook manufacturer will follow suit.

On the performance side, Asus Eee PC 1002HA will do its job just like other netbook in the market with a similar specification. Don’t expect the netbook to work like a full fledged notebook or laptop. But for the task that a netbook was designed to do, such as checking email, web surfing and documents editing, the Asus Eee PC 1002HA will perform with satisfaction.

In the end, I find that Asus Eee PC 1002HA is decent netbook with a weird keyboard layout that takes some time to get used to. But throw in the features of the smart track pad on the Asus Eee PC 1002HA, and all is forgiven.

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Dell Studio 14 Review

Edubase — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:59:50 +0000

Dell Malaysia has released another model in their laptop variant with the introduction on Dell Studio 14. Surprisingly, Dell Studio 14 are only available in Malaysia at the moment through Dell Malaysia.

The stunning Dell Studio 14

The backend is higher

Dell Studio 14 is the first model in the Dell Studio stable that features a 14″ display model.

I will say that the Dell Studio 14 look stunning and attractive. Some might say it look quite similar to the Dell XPS range of laptop. It won’t be suprise as the Dell Studio 14 and Dell XPS are from the same manufacturer.

Let us take a look at Dell Studio 14 specifications:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T6400 (2GHz)
Glossy, widescreen 14.1 inch display
2GB Dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM
250GB Hard Drive
Slot Load DVD Burner
Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Half Mini Card
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate) Mini-Card
3 USB 2.0 compliant 4-pin ports
HDMI connector
15-pin VGA video connector
Integrated network connector 10/100/1000 LAN (RJ45)
AC adapter connector
Audio jacks (2-line out, 1 Mic-in)
4-pin IEEE 1394 port
54 mm ExpressCard slot
8-in-1 Media Card Reader
Consumer IR
Windows Vista® Home Basic
Dell Studio 14 price at the time of writing: RM2999

Dell Studio 14 14″ lcd display support a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels. The glossy widescreen as usual are a gem when watching movies, but can be quite a distraction for regular task such as browsing the web, or doing some word editing.

Other specification are similar to other model of laptop priced at the same or near the price range of Dell Studio 14. Knowing the Dell Studio 14 is from Dell, you can expect some high build quality and it shows in the Dell Studio 14.

One thing that you will notice is that the design of Dell Studio 14 differ from other laptop, notebook or netbook, as the Dell Studio 14 stand a bit high at the back compare to other laptop, notebook or netbook. My guess would be that Dell Studio 14 are designed that way for cooling purpose.

Upgrade options for Dell Studio 14 are available at Dell Malaysia’s website.

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Asus N10J-A1 Review

Edubase — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:16:11 +0000

Who would have guessed that an Intel Atom powered netbook could turn into a gaming powerhouse just sliding in a graphic processing unit (GPU). That what happen to Asus N10J-A1.

Quite good looking Asus N10J-A1

Before Asus unveiled the Asus N10J-A1, all the netbook reviewed here including Acer Aspire One , Lenovo IdeaPad S10 , and Dell Inspiron Mini 9 featured the same basic setup. Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Microsoft Windows XP as the Operating System. Maybe the only diferences are the screen sizes or the storage devices of these netbook.

Asus N10J-A1 still featured the same setup as other netbook. But what make this N10J-A1 netbook tick is the Nvidia Geforce 9300 graphics processing unit that came with it.

Let us look at the specifications of the Asus N10J-A1 in Malaysia:

Intel Atom N270 1.60GHz
Intel 945GSE Chipset
NVidia GeForce 9300M GPU with 256MB Built in Memory
10.2″ WSVGA LCD Display
2GB PC2-4200 (DDR2-533) RAM
250GB Hard Disk Drive
Built-in Webcam 1.3 MP
LAN Port RJ-45 10/100/1000
WLAN 802.11b/g/n
Built in Memory Card Reader
3 USB Port
PC Card Slot PCI Express Card
1 Video Port HDMI
Bluetooth Adapter
Altec Lansing speaker
Weight 3.5 lbs
Battery Capacity 6 Cell
Asus Carry Bag
Price of Asus N10J-A1 in Malaysia at the time of writing RM2699.00

The Asus N10J-A1 doesn’t look as classy as Asus Premium High-end netbook Eee PC S101. While the Eee PC S101 are design toward slim case and lightweight, the N10J-A1 are more bulky and chunkier.

The 10.2″ LCD Display in the Asus N10J-A1 featured a maximum resolutions of 1024×600 pixels. I find the maximum resolution of N10J-A1 is a bit odd for gaming. But the star of the show are the Nvidia Geforce 9300 GPU.

Asus N10J-A1 offered the option to turn off the Graphic Card to save battery power. A physical switch on the left side on the N10J-A1 will let you switch on or off the Graphic Card. You will need to reboot after switching on or switching off the GPU on the N10J-A1 netbook.

The Gaming performance on the N10J-A1 are remarkable. I won’t say that it will offer the same performance as the other “built for gaming” desktop or laptop. But considering the Atom N270 processor, and the amount of RAM, the N10J-A1 perform quite good compared to other netbook, or some laptop.

Be advised though, you have to lower the resolution to 800×600 pixels to enjoy a decent gaming frame rate on the latest game release.

Other part of the N10J-A1 netbook such as the keyboard, connectivity and sound are standard as other netbook in the market today.

I personally think that the Asus N10J-A1 is a perfect netbook as it came with the ability for gaming. Be sure that other manufacturer will follow with gaming and multimedia netbook soon. This is a good news for consumer, especially in Malaysia.

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October TOP 10 Laptops

Edubase — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:16:20 +0000

Would you like to know what are the TOP 10 laptops of October? You are in for a treat as Cnet Asia have released a report on the TOP 10 laptops in October.

Below are the TOP 10 laptops of October, listed with the most popular.

Compaq Presario CQ40 (Core 2 Duo P7350 processor 2.0GHz; 2GB RAM)
For Compaq Presario CQ40 Review Click Here
Acer Extensa 4620Z (Pentium Dual-Core T2330 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)
Acer Aspire One (Pentium Dual-Core T2330 Processor 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM)

For Acer Aspire One Review Click Here
Acer Aspire 2920Z (Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM)
HP Pavilion dv5 (Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM)
HP Pavilion dv2700 (Core 2 Duo T7300 processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM)
Acer Aspire 4530 (AMD Turion 64 RM-70 Processor 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM)
Apple MacBook (Core 2 Duo processor 2.4GHz, 2GB, 13.3-inch TFT)
ASUS Eee PC 1000H (Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)
Dell Latitude E6500 (Core 2 Duo T9600 processor 2.8GHz, 2GB RAM)

There you have it, the Top 10 laptops as rated by Cnet Asia. Results for the Top 10 laptops in October were collected from readers rating, as well as data from retail outlets.

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HP Pavillion DV7t Review

Edubase — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:59:33 +0000

e HP Pavillion DV7t is another one of HP Entertainment Series Notebook with a huge 17 inch wide-screen display. Don’t be fooled by the shiny exterior design, this notebook really packed a wallop performance as a desktop replacement notebook

HP Pavillion DV7t an entertainment power house

As always with all HP notebook, especially the entertainment series, the layout of the design are fantastic, that is if you like shiny notebook. The interior is a reflective high polished steel, and the exterior are all black. You will never go wrong with black and shiny steel combination.

Let us look at the HP Pavillion DV7t specifications.

Intel Core 2 Duo processor 2.53GHz with 3MB L2 cache
Intel PM45 Chipset
3GB DDR2 Ram
400GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT Graphic Processing Unit
17″ WXGA Display Screen
DVD+/- RW Drive
5 in 1 Card Reader
802.11b/g Wireless Adapter
Bluetooth Adapter
The HP Pavillion DV7t are not available in Malaysia at the time of writing

The most stand up features of the HP Pavilion DV7t are the NVIDIA Geforce 9600M GT GPU it came with. With the integrated GPU, this notebook is one of the best notebook as a gaming rig at the moment. Combine this with a 1680×1050 pixels resolutions and you have a winner in the display department here.

Unfortunately, the speaker with the integrated subwoofer does not perform as expected. It is a shame as the display section really shine, but the sound system is a letdown.

The battery of HP Pavillion DV7t will last as long as 3 hours, making it long enough to watch DVD on this desktop replacement notebook.

No doubt that HP is targeting the Toshiba Qosmio line with this Pavillion DV7t desktop replacement entertainment notebook. They might have succeed if the sound on this DV7 excel as it should have.

Malaysia Laptop, Notebook and Netbook Resources and Review » Review

Acer Aspire One 523H Review

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MSI Wind U135 Review

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Gateway LT2001Y Review

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Dell Inspiron 11z Review

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Compaq Presario CQ40-401AU Review

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Asus Eee PC 1002HA Review

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Dell Studio 14 Review

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Asus N10J-A1 Review

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October TOP 10 Laptops

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HP Pavillion DV7t Review

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