Tekkie News
septembre 30th, 2010
Samsung is known for creating products for the everyday consumer. While their products are easy to use and are also designed for longevity, they are also one of the top manufacturers of high-quality televisions. When you’re looking to purchase a new high-definition television, you will want to find a television that will not only bring high-quality entertainment into your household, but also you want a product that will last you and your family many years. The Samsung 61″ DLP HDTV, Model: HL-T6187S has been designed for consumers that take their entertainment seriously. They have integrated some of the most unique features and technologies within this massive DLP HDTV; however, they have stayed true to their motto of keeping technology simple and easy.
This Samsung DLP HDTV has been created for those who take their television entertainment seriously. With advanced technologies and features, this television will allow you to watch movies, sports and sitcoms unlike ever before. You will be amazed at how large the screen of this television actually is. The size even looks greater due to the fact that Samsung has lessened the overall size of the actual frame around the screen. Because of this, the screen looks much larger, and the image actually appears to be floating when you watch this television at night with the lights turned off. The 1080p pixel resolution features full HD capability, which allows you to enjoy twice the amount of image crispness and detail than previous televisions.
The contrast ratio of this television is 10,000:1, which brings out colors and deepens darker colors, making a truly stunning image contrast. When you have a contrast ratio as high as this, and with a screen resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 you will have images that are as close to real life as possible. This is the reason why I recommend this television so much is because of its ability to bring viewers into the movie or show, which is the point of television in the first place. The LED light engine works perfectly with the Cinema Smooth engine, which allows you to enjoy movies in true cinematic style. With colors and smoothed edges, the picture quality of this television is almost better than that of the movie theater. And with a high-tech sound system that features SRS TruSurround XT, you are going to be able to hear your favorite movie unlike ever before. This Samsung DLP HDTV is available for an average price of $2,000.
from: Larissas Weblog
Weblogbook
Asus UL80JT is a 14 inch laptop with a ULV version of the chip and Nvidia Optimus graphics technology. If you are expecting great battery life from this laptop because of these two components then you will be bitterly disappointed. There are Altec Lansing speakers situated underneath the keyboard which gives mediocre sound quality and it is nowhere close to that of Alienware M11x. Altec Lansing speakers are usually quite good but these speakers were disappointing. There is also a 0.3 megapixel Webcam above the screen which is pretty basic.
On the bright side, I was impressed by the fact that the manufacturer managed to squeeze in a good collection of ports on the thin chassis of Asus UL80JT. You get DVD burner, three USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI out. There is no ExpressCard slot and the notebook lacks Bluetooth.
I have seen some Asus laptops before using this combination of last generation graphics and processors. For instance, the Asus UL50VT-RBBBK05 which is reviewed before had a Core 2 Duo ULV chip with switch able Nvidia graphics. While reviewing that system, I complained about the slow performance of the system considering its size. Asus UL80JT too follows the suit, the manufacturer has put in an upgraded Intel Core i3 ULV chip but the performance is quite similar to the Core 2 Duo ULV processors. What’s even more surprising is that in some tests, this Core-i chip lagged behind.
The ULV Core i3 processor in this laptop runs at half the speed of standard Core i3 processor. The speed has been cut down in order to save on the battery life. However, people who yearn for speed will find it hard to compromise on this. The manufacturer gives a ‘Turbo 33’ mode which can be toggled through an Asus widget for over clocking the chip performance to 1.86 GHz and increase the RAM speed up to 1,066 MHz. I saw some gains in performance because of this but at the max, this processor could only get as fast as the aforementioned Core 2 Duo ULV chip which is disappointing. I felt that the Turbo button was more of a gimmick than a useful feature.
When tested in the labs, the Asus UL80JT simply couldn’t hold a candle to any of the laptops running on standard Core i3 chips. It is still fine for video streaming and can handle all the tasks that a basic laptop should. There was some sluggishness which will certainly irritate people with less patience. Multitasking scores are much worse. I was more concerned about the fact that the ‘Core i3 processor’ sticker on the laptop can mislead you. It is actually the ULV version of the chip.
On the bright side, the graphics performance was really good. Asus UL80JT comes with Nvidia GeForce 310M GPU which is an entry level graphic card but does give you respectable frame rates. Playing Unreal Tournament 3 at 1,366×768 pixels gave me 63.9 fps with the graphics set to medium. In the turbo mode, the speed bumped up to 77.2 fps.
Customer Reviews
Nice laptop but a few bugs…
Overall I really like this laptop. Nice size, not too heavy. Fast.
A few bugs:
The date keeps randomly changing. I’ve noticed in forums that other people are having this problem as well (haven’t figured out a solution).
Internet Explorer barely works. It keeps ‘Not Responding’ (haven’t figured out a solution for this one either).
The screen will intermittently flash black & then come back on. Not sure what’s going on with that.
Overall I am pleased if I can figure out the bugs.
No CONs
This is the best laptop, maybe the best computer, I have ever owned. I have about 6 weeks time on it, and there are no flaws.
This computer was an experiment for me. For medical reasons, I needed to be able to work with a laptop instead of a desktop (it’s a complicated and personal story). So, I bought this machine with the idea that I could learn to write (that’s what I do) on a machine with a full-sized but compact keyboard and a 13 inch screen. I had been using a keyboard with a separate numerical keypad and a 28 inch flatscreen monitor. This machine doesn’t have a separate numerical keypad, which is one reason why I bought it.
The keyboard is easy upon which to type. Yes, I wish the keyboard was backlighted as the Apple laptop keyboard is, but I knew it wasn’t when I bought it. But it is better than any Microsoft or Logitech unit I have used. Smooth, sharp, accurate.
The screen is a joy — good viewing angles and quite bright.
The built-in sound system is quite good for a laptop, and with earphones all sorts of adjustments are possible.
I had been afraid of Windows 7 as I had done Vista and had returned to XP. But Windows 7 works like you think it should, every time. Things are easier to find and use.
You can read the specs, and they will tell what I found — this is a fast capable machine. I wish it had Intel Wireless Display technology, but I didn’t know about that when I bought it.
One can easily turn off the touch pad so that you can touch-type — a problem I have had with other notebooks and netbooks. I have bought a refurb Logitech notebook mouse which works off a USB port.
This is now my main machine and I am very pleased with it. I have no clue about battery life because I don’t take the machine of mains power.
Excellent laptop
This laptop is good for all purposes. You can play games, work on digital video compilation software, high end computing software. It will perform excellently. Battery life is also very good.
Great feature set, but annoyingly buggy.
My desktop died, so I decided to finally take the plunge and buy a laptop for my day to day computing. This is the first laptop I have owned. I read all the reviews out there and shopped around quite a bit before I decided on buying this one from Amazon.
Pros:
-Amazing feature set for multimedia. The HDMI out alone has made this notebook worth the purchase. I have this guy hooked up to my HDTV at least a few days a week to watch Hulu, Netflix, and DVD’s. 1080p out. The assortment of ports on here as well makes hooking this guy up to pretty much any other device a breeze.
-Sleek design. This notebook looks professional and slick. Feels pretty sturdy as well. The glossy screen is sharp and doesn’t have as much glare as most screens of this type. The keyboard is very easy to type on as well.
-Portability. This thing is amazingly thin and light. Just throw it in a bag and go. Incredibly easy to carry. The impressive 6-8 hour battery life with multitasking helps in this department as well.
Cons:
-Extremely buggy. I am not sure if this is just Windows 7 growing pains or a problem with the laptop, but I’ve had the notebook a month now and a few times a week something will throw a bug. Got a few blue screens, problems with the graphics card drivers, and unexplained windows update problems. I have seen all these problems in reviews or on forums as well, so it leads me to think its more than just my unit. Anytime windows updates I have to disconnect the battery and power cable for a bit after the restart to get the laptop to even turn back on. I have been unable to find a fix for this yet, but the other problems I have. As this happens at least once a week with the updates it is rather annoying. If I wasn’t as tech savvy, I would probably return the laptop because of this and get a xp downgrade able machine. Also, the main reason I didn’t give this notebook a higher rating.
-BLOATWARE! Enough said, this thing ships with a ton of it.
-Graphics performance is less than advertised. I use the notebook mostly for internet, multimedia, and light office work, but occasionally I like to play games on there. The graphics card cannot even handle Plants V. Zombies or other light games. The screen will freeze up and the fps will slow down considerably even with light gaming on lower settings. Don’t buy this laptop for gaming.
Overall I am happy with this purchase. Amazon had it for cheap and delivered it quickly. Feature set is great and it handles what I need it to. Ready to go right out of the box and performs well in most areas, but the bug problems I have seen make me a little apprehensive and have become annoying already.
Test: U30JC vs. 13.3 inch Mac…
I purchased this computer having high expectations — excellent battery life, optimus technology with a video card (512mg) and an optical driver.
My experience with laptops is de minimus (I’ve extensively used PC desktops and researched laptops on the net and in the stores — hands on). Therefore, I also picked up a 13.3 inch MacBookPro (Core Duo 2.4) to compare it to — if approximately equal, I would keep the Asus. If the Mac were much better, I would keep that. Comparing one to the other would also give me a laptop benchmark for each.
I was rooting for the Asus as it was cheaper, had Windows, and an i3. It is also cheaper.
Comparison:
Build quality and aesthetics — the Asus looks good but is not a “PC” MacBookPro. It’s not solid aluminum, the keys do not feel as solid, the Apple has a back-lit keyboard, the Apple is slimmer and better looking, etc… still, the Asus did pretty well here.
Screen — fairly big difference. Both are unfortunately glossy, the Asus unusually so (glare!). Moreover, the Apple had better, richer colors. And resolution to the naked eye was better. Of course, the Apple screen blows most laptop screens away (the best I’ve seen is the Sony Z 1600 x 900 low gloss screen). This was a moderate negative issue for the Asus that I need to fix or the computer might be going back.
Processors — hard to compare the i3 2.26 vs. the core duo 2.4 (different downloads as one is a Mac and one a PC). I assume the Asus is slightly better here. Still, the Apple seemed just as fast (perhaps they are very close and Apple’s operating system did not require as much computing power as the Windows 7 machine).
Batteries — important to me and a strength of both machines. Neither lasted the advertised 10 hours. Both machines did well here but Apple definitely has a longer lasting battery.
GPUs and “entertainment” — I tested both machines with You Tube videos (such as Toy Story 3 previews). There was a BIG difference. The Apple played videos back well and the Asus was much too dark. The Asus was almost unwatchable. I assumed the 310 card was used by Optimus but this did not help. I tried many different things — I changed the battery life setting from normal to entertainment and then to gaming. I was very surprised at this performance. The Mac uses a 320 card all the time so no switchable graphics but the card is somewhat higher end than the discrete Asus card (310); however, the Asus has 512mg of dedicated memory and the Mac does not. This was a GAME breaker (if I cannot fix it or figure it out that is). Perhaps Optimus is not yet a mature technology, the card is defective, the high gloss somehow caused a problem, or I just could not figure out how to make sure the NVIDIA card was being used on the u30jc — Optimus should have switched over, especially when I put the machine in first entertainment and then gaming mode. Both machines were maxed out with regard to brightness and resolution. This triggered a call to Asus tech support.
Reliability — both machines worked reasonably well; however, the Asus was a bit buggy and took forever to turn on (made worse by Windows updates?). For example, once I abruptly lost Internet Explorer and it closed with an error message. (I compared both machines with Firefox installed.) Worse, I found a small NVIDIA icon on the bottom of the Asus; click once and it says OPEN NVIDIA. No matter what I did, this icon would not open. And I could find no other reference to NVIDIA and switching cards (I was thinking of trying the videos with the 310 permanently engaged). Perhaps I missed it.
Sound quality — both did well for laptops. Apple was just a bit louder.
Crapware — none on the Apple; at least some on the Asus. Of course, some of the Asus technology might be useful (such as FastBoot).
Hard drives — slight edge to the Asus; 320gigs vs. 250gigs. Both at a slow 5,400.
Internet — both were fine (as was the Airport Extreme).
Customer Support — win for Apple but not as straight-forward as one might think. I called Apple to help me set up an Airport Extreme — quick and superb support. Not rushed at all and the Apple person knew his stuff/product and was in the U.S.
I called Asus to find out why the video looked so bad and to find out how to find info on NVIDIA and, perhaps, change the Optimus settings. The rep. tried to help and made a suggestion (I was recharging the battery) but did not know the product as well as the Apple guy did. I suspect the call was to India but that’s fine with me. Both reps answered the call quickly. Asus does have two advantages — Apple has only 90 days of phone support and Asus has a full year. Additionally, Apple support is only available from 9 to 9 while Asus is 24 hours. Overall, a good showing for both companies.
Warranty — don’t have a winner yet. Apple gives 1 year of coverage while Asus may give 2 and includes 1 year of accident coverage. Apple’s extended warranty also extends the phone coverage to three years. However, it costs a whopping 9! Apple’s only sure advantages here is the presence of Apple stores and a large, active community on the net. (Note: There are many complaints on the net about Asus warranty service and few on Apple service — caveat emptor?)
Price — a BIG win for Asus. I was able to get one for 9 on Amazon. The Pro is B0036ZEANO,199 (B0036ZEANO,099 if one shops around). One can add in the Apple Care for 9 and it is not even close! Kudos to Asus. This is one reason I really want the Asus to work out for me. Apple’s prices are B.S. in my opinion.
Overall, the Apple is much better than the Asus in several important ways that are outlined above. If the video cannot play correctly I have a lemon or Apple is that much better. (I will call Asus again once the battery recharges and have the machine in my hand as I am hopefully successfully walked through the video issue and how to find/change Optimus settings). The Apple screen is much better,too. But the Asus, as noted, is MUCH cheaper. A difference in Asus’ favor with regard to price is an i3 vs. a Core Duo 2.4. Apple scores with better workmanship (all aluminum), back-lit keys, a slightly better video card, a better form factor, blue tooth and, perhaps, something else of import that escapes me now.
Summary:
If things stay as they are the Asus must go back. I want the Asus to “win” but, so far, the Apple is that much better.
Three stars from a laptop newbie. Both machines were fairly easy to figure out (Win 7 is new to me and the Mac OS is very new to me). With a few exceptions, both machines work well. But, as noted, the Apple is better — two stars better (or a bit less due to the price difference.) The Asus needs a better screen and may have relatively poor graphics and/or less battery life (e.g., this would be particularly so when the Asus is in Entertainment or Gaming mode — the screen gets brighter and presumably the discrete video card is engaged).
So far, I cannot recommend this for a purchase given the Mac’s advantages. The Sony Z is interesting but costs a mint! Perhaps the T410 with its i5 at approx. 9 would work for me. Toshiba sells an interesting i5 for about 9 (excellent but a lot of plastic).
UPDATE: A week later and the Asus is in transit going back; I had to send it soon or it was “mine.” Still have the 13 inch MacPro. I did call Asus before returning it and found the NVIDIA control which allows me to force the use of the discrete NVIDIA card or the integrated card. I checked the boxes for the NVIDIA card. Video improved — it was satisfactory and closer in quality to that on the Mac. I kept the Mac as it seems better built, better supported, holds its value and the Asus high-glare screen was too much for me. In all ways, the Mac screen was better and this is important to me as it’s what I look at much of the day. With the price difference, however, this Asus is not bad. I wish the Mac had the 3.06 found in the iMac as this flies on models I’ve tried in the stores.
Just my opinion and preferences. Two good machines.
UPDATE: Superb return service provided by Amazon; it’s why they are the best!
