The Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GXS Laptop

Sony is known for having top of the line laptops. Before netbooks and CULV laptops, the Z-series of Sony’s laptops was one of the best-selling lines. They were the most chic and powerful laptops available. Right now, the VAIO VPC-Z116GXS is the only 13-inch ultraportable laptop that runs an Intel Core i5 processor and a switchable graphics system. If any of this has caught your attention, then keep reading.

The Z116GXS is beautifully designed. It is enveloped in carbon fiber and magnesium metals that make the laptop extremely sturdy and durable, as well as attractive. Sony was able to design the Z116GXS in a way that allows it to weigh in at only 3-lbs. The laptop features 1,600 x 900 resolution that allows for a crystal clear picture.

The keys found on the keyboard of the Z116GXS are smaller than many of their competitors, but Sony made sure to leave plenty of space in between the keys to make sure that the user didn’t feel cramped when typing. The keyboard also features backlighting which is becoming more prevalent in laptops today. It also has a spacious touchpad and a mouse button that is pleasingly quiet.

There are countless features to be found on the Z116GXS. Some of these include: an internal optical drive that can be switched out for a Blu-ray player, three USB ports, HDMI-Out, card slots for SD memory cards, a fingerprint reader, Bluetooth, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi cards from Intel.

The performance of the Z116GXS is outstanding. It could easily be called one of the most powerful laptops available today. As I mentioned previously, the laptop runs on a Core i5-540M processor. The 4GB of DDR3 memory allows the Z116GXS to be an extremely fast machine.

The laptop has both a Intel GMA HD graphics chipset and a Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics chipset. It also has the ability to switch back and forth between the two chipsets. The Nividia will allow you to enjoy 3-D intensive graphics, while the Intel will help you to save your battery life. The Z116GXS comes standard with a six-cell battery that lasts around 5 hours.

As you can see, the Sony Z116GXS is truly an amazing laptop. It has so many incredible features that make it stand out among many other laptops. Now it also has a price tag that makes it stand out as well. The Z116GXS starts at $1,800. It is your decision as to whether or not this laptop is worth putting out the cash. It you do make this decision, I can guarantee you will not be sorry.

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A Deal You Can't Overlook: The ASUS UL80Vt-A1

So while I was checking out the newest laptops, there was one that immediately caught my eye. The ASUS UL80Vt-A1 cannot help but be noticed. The optical drive, 14-inch widescreen, and new switchable graphics technology jumped off the page at me. I couldn’t help but investigate further.

The UL80Vt features a modest yet luxurious design. The lid is constructed of brushed black metal, and the overall feel of the laptop is strong and secure. Although the UL80Vt is not as thin as its predecessor, the UL30A, it still manages to remain thin and up-to-date measuring 13.4 x 9.7 x 1inches (HWD). The reason that the UL80Vt is not thinner is because of the awesome internal optical drive that it contains. The laptop comes in weighing 4.7 pounds. No, this is the lightest of laptops, but I feel that the features it has make the bit of added weight entirely unnoticeable. The 14-inch screen on the UL80Vt features 1,366 x 768 resolution and average brightness. The keys on the keyboard are all raised and isolated from one another, and the touchpad has built-in multi-touch gestures that can be very helpful at times.

One of the features that makes the UL80Vt stand out from its predecessors is its built-in dual-layer DVD drive. Other more common features would include the laptop’s three USB ports, VGA-Out, a multi-media card reader, and an Ethernet port. Also included is an HDMI-Out which allows you to display videos or slideshows on your television. The laptop contains 320 GB of hard drive which is pretty average, but it comes with an remarkable 2-year global warranty that definitely impressed me.

Once we get inside the UL80Vt, we discover a 1.3-GHz Intel Core Duo SU7300 CULV processor. No, its not the most outstanding processor available right now, but it still has great performance and is energy efficient. Now one thing that was definitely able to catch my attention about the UL80Vt is its switchable graphic technology. This means that you are able to view your laptop screen like any normal laptop, but you can also switch it over to 3D mode. This gives you the ability to now play any 3D intensive game and even view pictures and some video in 3D. Another huge advantage with this laptop is its amazing battery life. The UL80Vt comes standard with a huge 84Wh battery and can work off the battery for an average of 10 hours 10 minutes.

You can purchase this feature filled laptop for around $820, so this is an incredible deal. To add to the bargain, Amazon.com is offering a $100 gift card to those that purchase the ASUS UL80Vt-A1 through their website before December 15, 2009 (or while supplies last.) With the chic appearance, optical drive, switchable graphics, and incredible battery life what more could you want for such a reasonable price? I would recommend definitely moving this towards the top of your list if your shopping for a laptop.

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The New Acer Aspire One

The new Acer Aspire One is now thinner and lighter than any previous Acer netbook. Acer managed to eliminate a sizeable amount of plastic within their best-selling netbook design to allow for these qualities, while still maintaining their reasonable price point.

Netbook design is not really one of Acer’s strengths. Although the plastic-topped Aspire One does not win any beauty pageants, there are many qualities that make up for the netbook’s lack of style. The Aspire One beats most comparable netbooks with its mere 0.8-inch thickness. This makes it thinner than the Samsung N120, the ASUS EeePC 1000HE, the ASUS EeePC 1008HA (Seashell), and the HP Mini 1000. The new Acer netbook is now also lighter. With the three-cell battery, it only weighs 2.4 pounds.

Considering other aspects, the Aspire One retains the standard 10-inch screen, 1,024 x 600 resolution, and customary keyboard. The 89 percent keyboard is certainly a feature that Acer needs to attend to. Acer was able to include mutitouch capabilities into the Aspire One, but with the limited space you have to work with performing such actions can be difficult at times.

The Aspire One features three USB ports, VGA-out, an Ethernet port, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 802.11 g WiFi, and a 4-in-1 card reader. It also has a 160GB hard drive, which is the same or better than all other netbooks currently on the market. The Aspire One contains a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1 GB of memory, and Intel integrated graphics.

Even with the new updates found in the Acer Aspire One, Acer has managed to retain its affordable price. The Aspire One is the most reasonably priced netbook to be found at about $300, which is the reason why the previous Acer model was the best-selling netbook available. The Aspire One is lighter, thinner, and cheaper than most other netbooks out there. If you’re looking for an inexpensive netbook, this is definitely one to check out.

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