The MockBook from Sony?

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Sony has just issued a press release for their latest N-10 series VAIO notebooks, and guess what. It looks just like Apple’s MacBooks. Or at least that’s what MacDailyNews thinks (and we know how the Mac cult is just so passionate about Apple). Indeed, at a first glance, you would notice some elemenets, umm, borrowed, from the MacBook. Do particularly check out the chicklet keyboard and the latch-less design (which has also been adopted by several models from other manufacturers, such as the Compaq V3000).

First of all, yes, we did a genuine “Grade A” double-take when we first saw the press release images. Right down to the chiclet keyboard, no less! When companies do this, it really draws attention to their lack of original ideas and their inability to innovate. See Microsoft’s Windows Vista, for example: It’s Windows XP dressed up to fool the general public that it’s “just like Apple’s Mac OS X.” Now poor Sony with this OS-limited, can’t-run-Mac OS X-but-obviously-wishes-it-could, knock-off spawn of a MacBook Pro and a MacBook.

I haven’t personally owned any VAIO laptops, but judging from what I’ve seen from VAIOs and other Sony products, I think Sony values its designs highly. And they’re not likely to just rip off design elements from yet-another-company-with-cool-designs. Perhaps gadget designs do really take cues from what’s succesful and usable. Remember that once, laptop hinges were not on the laptop chassis’ edge, but closer to the middle, with some part of the lid extending to the back of laptops? Well, we rarely–if ever–see this design anymore. And remember that the iBook once started the trend of trick hinges–the ones mounted on the back of the chassis instead of on the top. I really liked this design, because it lowered the screen’s profile, making it, for instance, easier to see what’s behind the laptop, which is great when doing presentations on a podium, or when in a boardroom (or cafe table) meeting. Even my other non-Apple laptop (the Compaq V2000) has this feature.

Sure, at first glance, the N-10 looks like a MacBook. But look a little longer, and the similarities start to fade away.

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Sony vs. Apple

Do take note I’m not putting down the MacBook. I’m actually a MacHead, myself. But I think the ripoff accusation may just be too much.

Check out Apple MacBooks and Sony VAIOs here.

September 22nd, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in Apple, Sony at 11:00 pm 1 Comment »

Compaq V3000Z Review

Here’s another review of the Compaq Presario V3000 from notebookreview.com. This time, it’s particularly for the V3000Z, with “Z” denoting that it’s an AMD-powered machine.

Compaq is quite fond of using AMD chips on their laptops, and they’re one of the manufacturers I know who carry this with pride.

The v3000Z is a very attractively designed notebook. It looks conservative but still it manages to provide some glamour. It is well built and offers good performance and battery life. The performance of the Turion TL 52 is in the same range as the Core Duo T2300. It might be faster in some areas and slower in others. It also has a price advantage, the v3000Z is priced lower than its Intel based twin the v3000T. I would definitely recommend this laptop to anyone looking to buy a 14″ laptop with decent graphics.

At any rate, I’ve checked out a V3000 myself just this afternoon, and I can say Compaq made some improvements in design and build quality over the V2000. My only gripe is that the touchpad is too smooth, which I think isn’t too comfortable to use. It also lacks a PCMCIA/Cardbus slot. Most people probably won’t miss that, but those who need HSPDA or EV-DO cards for cellular- or 3G-based connectivity would have problems.

August 9th, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in HP at 12:52 pm 6 Comments »

HP Compaq Presario V3000 Reviews

I just saw an ad for the Compaq Presario V3000, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. My latest gadget, the V2000 has apparently been replaced by an even cooler-looking model (well, I got a good deal, so no regrets on my part). I’ve been checking out the latest over at the HP website, but the V3000 didn’t particularly appeal to me before (it was released more than a couple of months back). However, when I saw larger pictures, I thought the V3000 is a thing of beauty.

I get comments that my V2000 is teh sexy, but my hat’s off to HP Compaq for improving on the design with this upgrade. Even the laptop’s finish seems so sensual.


Click for larger images.

Some reviews below.

From ZDNet:

Like its bigger brother, the dv2000, the v3000 is an extremely stylish notebook. HP has adopted an “in-mould” lamination technique (commonly found in luxury car interiors) to craft subtle pinstripe patterns into the chassis, which ensures greater protection from scratching and wear. From our limited time previewing the notebook we can confirm that the v3000 both looks and feels impressive.

From CNet:

At $999 (after a $50 rebate), our Presario V3000 test unit came with a solid set of specs for the price; essentially, you’re getting a Core Duo configuration for the price of an otherwise similar Pentium M configuration from this time last year. Specs on our test system included a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor, integrated Intel graphics, 512MB of DDR2 SDRAM, and a 60GB, 5,400rpm hard drive. The Presario V3000 turned in a very respectable performance in CNET Labs’ benchmark tests, running right with the similarly configured Core Duo laptops we’ve tested during the past few months; it can easily handle word processing, e-mail, and even considerably more-demanding tasks, though without a dedicated graphics card, we can’t recommend it for serious gaming. It lasted just short of 4.5 hours in our battery-drain test, which is quite good for a laptop of its size and at its price point.

This laptop probably won’t win in any benchmark comparisons, and isn’t likely to suit you if you’re into serious gaming. But the V3000 it’s up to par with performance expectations, and that’s a pretty good deal for a sub-$1,000 model with drop-dead gorgeous looks.

August 7th, 2006 Posted by J. Angelo Racoma in HP, Reviews at 1:00 pm 1 Comment »

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