Style, high performance, biometrics, fast bootup, extremely high specs
Disadvantages:
Heavy @ 2 . 6kg, MSOffice 2007 provided is trial version
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Wow. We first came across this baby while looking for a laptop for a friend of mine, while in Hong Kong. There were a couple of notable changes: - there was a promotion, which upgraded the RAM to 3GB. - the promotion also threw in what it calls an HD-TV USB stick, which turns out to be a digital tv tuner. It is HD (High-Definition) - as long as you can output it (e.g. on an HD TV screen!)
We were told that this was the only brand being sourced from Japan at the moment (known for quality).
We tested the machine prior to buying it of course, and we added a couple of extras - mainly MS Office 2007 and a bluetooth mouse (which we won't cover, as they were additional).
In short: - The laptop came well-packaged and suspended in polystrene - When logging in, you can use a password - or you can use your fingerprint! Put your finger on the biometric scanner, and it logs you in! Awesome! - The keyboard is responsive and the keys have the right amount of "bounce" - The screen is a decent 15.4" screen, which is great for working on - The screen has vibrant colours, and is gorgeously bright - From startup, it loads Windows Vista Home "Premium" in about 4 seconds from startup. Whew. - It uses Core2Duo processors - which means it has two "brain" CPUs running at 2GHz instead of one! (in practice, this probably translates to: It will run at approximately 3GHz, and multi-tasking will run much more smoothly) - This processor runs cooler than its predecessors - your laptop won't heat up as fast. - A DVD drive which can burn different formats of DVDs is installed - There are 5 USB 2.0 sockets - more than enough for future expansion! - WiFi is inbuilt as standard - It has Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (the new Bluetooth which can transfer files faster over a Bluetooth connection) - It comes with Packet writing software - so if you pop in a blank cd or DVD, you can use it like a hard disk! - The machine has a whopping 160GB hard disk - unless you're downloading tons of films, this should easily last you a few years - The new Windows Vista Aero interface is absolutely stunning. I admit I wasn't a fan of Vista because of reported problems - this may well have changed my mind for good!
The only bad points I see with this are: - The version of MSOffice 2007 given was a 60day trial version (hence why we had to buy a copy - it's about ₤300, but you get 3 licenses) - This is a pretty powerful brick. If you really are travelling a lot, you may wish to consider a lighter laptop - it's 2.6kg (you're buying this for sheer performance more than portability) - There is only a VGA output slot - no DVI or HDMI socket (sockets for connecting the laptop to a digital monitor)
Overall, the machine is gorgeous, fast, extremely usable and an absolute bargain. This is retailing in Hong Kong at around $12,500 HK dollars. This adds up to around ₤833 - ₤860. With an extra 2GB RAM thrown in on top, this was an absolute steal.
It is worth noting that the price in the UK is somewhat higher (around ₤1200 - ₤1600 I believe). You also won't get the additional 2GB of RAM. We bought this for the friend, helped set it up yesterday for wireless broadband, etc, and we absolutely loved it. I am extremely tempted to go and buy another - but for me!!
Highly recommended.
More details
Memory / capacity
Excellent
Ease of use
Very easy
Range of Extra Features
Excellent
Instruction manual
Good
Manufacturer Support
Good
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
