GIZMO Review................... LAPTOPS

GIZMO Review................ LAPTOPS

ON A BUDGET ON THE GO

Can you get a good notebook PC without paying through the nose?

Three laptops for less than Rs 25,000

Lenovo Essential G505 Multimedia Majesty
    The Lenovo Essential G505 (59-387133) is testament to the fact that you can get a decent notebook that doesn’t cost a bomb. The 1.4GHz dual-core AMD APU has good performance, especially for graphics-related tasks. Image editing is pretty decent, and it runs 1080p FullHD videos without a hiccup. It can even be used for light video editing. The G505 could play games that are 4-5 years old smoothly, but struggled with anything made recently. The large 15-inch screen is great for viewing movies, but suffers from a lot of glare. Of course, this means it’s a pretty big notebook. You aren’t going to be able to carry this around easily, especially given its 2.6kg weight. It’s got a comfortable full-size keyboard, including the numpad. The trackpad is responsive and solid, but Windows 8 gestures didn’t work very well on it. The Essential G505 has good battery life too, playing back 3 hours of video continuously and lasting for 4-4.5 hours of average usage.
SPECS:The Windows 8 OS based Lenovo Essential G505 features a 1.4Ghz dual-core AMD APU, 15.6-inch HD display, 4GB DDR3 Ram, 500GB HDD, DVD writer, HD Webcam, 1xUSB 2.0, 2xUSB 3.0, LAN, WiFi and Bluetooth Price: Rs 26,999 Acer Chromebook C720 Online and On The Move
    The Chromebook is a whole new type of laptop, featuring Google’s own Chrome OS. Think of it as the Chrome browser on steroids. The new operating system is severely limited in its functions, be it the basic office suite (Google Docs) or the lack of your favourite programs. If you use a computer to mostly browse the internet and use Web apps, then Chrome OS will be fine. Still, given the spotty and slow internet connections we have in India, you will be forced to use it offline several times, and that’s where the threads come loose.
    When offline, this is basically a huge brick that you are carrying around. The Chromebook cannot be used as a functional computer without an internet connection. You can do really basic tasks, like accessing your inbox and creating documents (if you have enabled offline access for both), but nothing else.
    While it falters in software, the Chromebook C7 has good hardware. It’s a lightweight laptop, making it extreme ly portable. It boots up in seconds. It’s got a matte display that reduces screen glare. And on a single charge, it lasts for 8-9 hours of normal usage or 3.5 hours of video playback. All of this makes it easy to overlook the wobbly touchpad.
SPECS: The Chrome OS based Acer C720 features a 1.4Ghz dual-core Intel Celeron processor, 11.6-inch HD display, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB SSD, HD Webcam, HDMI port, 1xUSB 2.0, 1xUSB 3.0, WiFi-n and Bluetooth 4.0
Price: Rs 22,999 Asus F201E Portable Performer
    Just above the line of ‘netbooks’, the low-cost Asus F201E is a fullfeatured notebook with a standardsized keyboard and is preloaded with Windows 8. It features a brushed metal look inside, while the exterior has a textured matte surface that’ easy to grip. It’s also pretty lightweight, making it extremely portable.
    The keyboard is easy to type on and has good feedback. The trackpad is responsive, but suffers when executing multi-finger gestures. And the mouse buttons are difficult to click.
    In terms of performance, the Asus F201E is good enough only for basic tasks. You can browse the internet and work on the Microsoft Office suite with ease, but slows down to a crawl if you do both at the same time.
    It plays 720p HD videos, but the F201E can’t handle 1080p FullHD videos. Even in 720p HD videos, seeking – moving the playback bar – isn’t a smooth experience. The notebook is also useless when you want to perform resource-intensive tasks like image-editing in Photoshop or gaming
    On a single charge, the Asus F201E lasts for about 2 hours of continuous video playback and 3-3.5 hours of average usage
SPECS: The Windows 8 OS based Asus F201E features a 1.1 Ghz dual-core Intel Celeron processor, 11.6-inch HD display, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Webcam, 1xUSB 2.0, 2xUSB 3.0, LAN, WiFi-n and Bluetooth 4.0
Price: Rs 25,999

Mihir Patkar MM1321212