0 Acer Aspire 1830T Timeline X Laptop Review

By Admin_AT | At 8:33 PM | Label : Acer | 0 Comments

Acer Aspire 1830T-68U118  specifications:

Intel Core i7 680UM processor (1.46GHz, 4MB L3 cache)

11.6-inch 1366x768 HD display with LED backlighting

4GB DDR3 memory

500GB 5400rpm HDD

Intel HD integrated graphics

Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n wireless

Bluetooth 3.0 (Foxconn BCM92046)

6-cell Li-ion battery

Dimensions: 11.22 (w) x 8.03 (d) x1.01-1.10 (h) inches

Weight: 3.09 pounds

Build and Design

The Acer Aspire Timeline X series is the latest generation of thin and light notebooks from Acer designed to offer solid performance and long battery life in a surprisingly lightweight package. At first glance it's easy to mistake the Aspire 1830T for one of the dozens of Acer netbooks that have shown up over the last few years. Looks, however, can be deceiving.

Build quality is quite good despite the diminutive size of this laptop. The combination of relatively thick matte plastics and black brushed aluminum palmrests leave the notebook feeling solid and showing almost no signs of flex. The screen stays firmly shut with a good amount of tension from the screen hinges when closed. Protection from the screen cover is only adequate; the cover flexes quite easily and distortions appeared on the display when we applied pressure to the back of the cover. Opening up the screen you can tell the hinges should hold up for a long time with strong tension that prevents the screen from flopping around once opened. The body of the notebook seems to be well designed with minimal chassis flex and no obvious creaks from the plastics.

One area of the design that impressed me was the bottom of the notebook. The expansion bay provides access to the hard drive, the WLAN and optional WWAN card slots as well as two RAM sockets. The single cover panel is held in place by five screws (my only complaint), so you'll have a spend a minute or two loosing all of those screws before you can swap out the hard drive or add more RAM. That said, I'm always happy to see when manufacturers make it easy for owners to upgrade their notebooks.

Ports and Features

Port selection on the Aspire 1830T is fairly standard for a modern netbook or 11-inch ultraportable notebook. Acer gives you three USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, VGA, LAN, and audio jacks. It also features a SDHC-card slot for expanding internal storage or just loading images off your camera while traveling. Since we're starting to see USB 3.0 on more consumer notebooks and there are many USB 3.0 external hard drives on the market we really wish Acer had found a way to put at least one USB 3.0 port on this $900 notebook.

Source: notebookreview.com

http://bestnew-laptop-review.blogspot.com/

0 Acer Aspire 7740 Laptop Review

By Admin_AT | At 8:23 PM | Label : Acer | 0 Comments

Acer Aspire 7740-5142 Specifications:

17.3-inch HD+ LED-backlit display (1600 x 900, glossy finish)

Windows 7 Home Premium

Intel Core i3-330M (2.13GHz, 3MB Cache)

4GB DDR3 Memory (2GB x 2GB)

Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics

6-cell 48Wh battery, 65W 19V AC adapter

Dimensions: 16.2" x 10.8" x 1.6-1.8"

Weight: 6lbs 14.3oz

The Acer Aspire 7740 is a 17.3-inch multimedia notebook designed for people who want a lot of features for not a lot of money. This notebook costs $749 while still offering an Intel Core i3-330M processor, Intel GMA HD graphics, Blu-ray drive, and a HD+ LED-backlight display. In this review, we take an in-depth look at its performance and see how well it stacks up against the competition.

Build and Design

For a 17.3-inch notebook, the Acer Aspire 7740 does a good job of hiding its size with a slim profile. From the side, it appears shorter than expected with the lower chassis standing not much higher than the VGA-port's height. The design tapers off at the front giving the palmrest a nice sharp edge. The color scheme is well thought-out with a glossy, dark-blue screen-cover, metallic blue palmrest and keyboard trim, and black keyboard. The only visible branding is a moderately sized Acer logo displayed front and center. One aspect that concerned us was the amount of space left open around the keyboard that could have been used for multimedia keys or other functions.

Build quality of the Aspire 7740 is above average with a solid body that doesn't have much flex. The screen cover provides decent impact protection for the LCD and doesn't allow the screen to be distorted unless firmly pressed from the back side. The glossy paint on the screen lid resists light scratches and seems to hold up under normal daily abuse from carrying it around. The palmrest and keyboard trim resist smudging and managed to stay clean throughout most of the review period.

Inside, the palmrest and keyboard show little or no flex under pressure. The palmrest doesn't compress one millimeter when squeezed with extreme force. The rigid chassis does a good job of holding up the body panels  attached to it and doesn't squeak or creak under normal use. The screen hinges feel strong and hold the screen tightly closed. Overall, the body feels solid enough to survive a typical notebook's lifespan.

Users looking to upgrade the Acer Aspire 7740 will find it easy to get to components through a single cover on the back of the notebook. Taking off the panel gives you access to the wireless card, hard drive, and system memory.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The Aspire 7740 uses a floating island-style keyboard that is comfortable to type on but causes a few hang-ups when trying to type quickly. Since this keyboard doesn't have an internal bezel structure or solid key design, it is easy to hit the top of another key when you finger is fully pressing a neighboring key and trying to slide over at the same time. I got used to it after a few hours and learned to lift my finger fully off the key before sliding to the next key in my typing motion. The keyboard layout takes advantage of the chassis and offers a four-key wide number pad with room to spare on each side.

One thing missing from the keyboard layout is quick-access media keys. It was surprising that a notebook designed entirely around multimedia use with a Blu-ray drive didn't offer touch-sensitive buttons for volume control or media playback. Instead this notebook has quick-access buttons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, backup software, and a customizable program launch.

The touchpad on this notebook is an ALPS design model with a spacious layout and multitouch gesture support. The touchpad is quick to respond, but we did notice just a hair of lag in fast gestures. Refresh times are great which helps prevent a choppy mouse movement when moving around. Sensitivity out of the box was good but not perfect, and no adjustment for sensitivity was found in the ALPS control menu. For users who don't want to accidentally move the cursor while typing, there's a button located to the right of the touchpad to  disable the touch surface.

source: notebookreview.com

http://bestnew-laptop-review.blogspot.com/

0 [iPad Central] Other Notable Releases

By Admin_AT | At 3:13 AM | Label : | 0 Comments

While we have covered releases by the developers who have made multiple releases onto the iPad App Store, it's time to showcase the better games that are the only additions from these developers. Don't let that fool you though, these games are as good as if not better than the other titles I've talked about (Plants vs Zombies anyone?)

Tapulous

I wanted to stop by to share with you Tapulous’ latest game creation designed specifically for the iPad – Tap Tap Radiation. As one of the iPhone / iPod touch biggest game developers with more than 25 million installs to date, Tapulous breaks new ground for the iPad with a FREE app loaded with more than 30 music tracks with premium content which is now available in the App store.

Departing from Tap Tap Revenge style of play, Tap Tap Radiation goes off its rails with free-style three dimensional game play and four difficulty levels that create intense single player action. The large screen size of iPad creates a large canvas for Tapulous' high-res eye-popping graphics. The game also features a Freestyle mode that allows users to enjoy the music and visuals in a non-competitive environment.

Additional game details at launch include:
o 33 awesome free tracks adapted especially for the app, including 12 Wives in Tehran by Serge Devant; I Like That by Richard Vission; Quiet Dog by Mos Def; and Lions by The Features.
o Premium content: Lady Gaga 6-pack featuring Telephone, Poker Face, Love Game, Bad Romance, Alejandro, and Speechless.
o Premium content: Pink 2-pack featuring So What and Get The Party Started
o Premium content: Ultra Records 6-pack featuring Imagination by Jes (Kaskade Remix), Love is Gone by David Guetta (Fred Rister & Joachim Garraud Radio Edit Remix), Satisfaction by Benny Benassi, Sorry by Kaskade (Dirty South Remix), Elements of Life by Tiesto, and Duck, You Sucker by Sharam
o Additional free and premium content will be added to the app on an ongoing basis.

"The iPad creates an amazing gaming experience for both serious and casual gamers," said Tapulous CEO, Bart Decrem. "Tap Tap Radiation was designed especially for iPad and takes advantage of the greater screen real estate and processing power. With its stunning graphics and killer playlist, Tap Tap Radiation is great fun to play. We hope it will become the must-have free app for the iPad."

Tap Tap Radiation - Free



Popcap Games

PopCap Games, maker of some of the world’s most popular video games, today announced its Plants vs. Zombies™ HD app for iPad® is now available on the App Store. Since its introduction on the iPhone™ and iPod® touch in February, Plants vs. Zombies has sold more than 650,000 units. With this latest adaptation, PopCap is propelling the Plants vs. Zombies franchise to new heights – delivering even more great gameplay and exclusive features tuned specifically for iPad. The Plants vs. Zombies HD app for iPad is available for US$9.99 from the App Store on iPad.

“The iPad is a fantastic platform for gaming, and Plants vs. Zombies HD allows us to show off the great new features and functionality of this exciting device,” said Andrew Stein, director of mobile business development at PopCap. “In this adaptation, we’ve focused on the iPad’s Multi-Touch capabilities and opportunities for new gameplay like the Buttered Popcorn mini-game that will excite both new and current players.”

The Plants vs. Zombies HD app for iPad offers all 50 levels of Adventure and QuickPlay modes as well as Survival mode from the original Apple Macintosh and Windows PC game. It also includes four all-new achievements (for a total of 17) and 18 mini-games, including Buttered Popcorn – exclusive to the iPad – offering frantic and fun gameplay where players attack zombies by first “buttering” them up before firing corn-cob cannons at them. To defeat the growing hordes of zombies, players can touch them to place butter on their heads. With the Multi-Touch user interface, players can select up to eleven zombies at a time, targeted for “buttering” by the powerful cob cannons. The game’s non-stop action is presented in full 1040x768 resolution, delivering stunning visual effects rarely seen in mobile gaming.

Originally launched on the PC and Mac in May of 2009 to universal acclaim, Plants vs. Zombies was introduced for iPhone and iPod touch earlier this year, where it quickly became a global phenomenon. The game reached the #1 position on the App Store Top Grossing charts in more than 20 countries worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, China, Russia, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway.

Plants vs. Zombies HD - $9.99



Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today announced the availability of Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad, a game for the Apple iPad that transports players to the seedy underbelly of 19th century London. Using the iPad’s multi-touch technology, players step into the shoes of the intrepid Sherlock Holmes who finds himself in an exhilarating whodunit puzzle adventure game. Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad is inspired by the motion picture from Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and Silver Pictures.

In Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad, players follow clues through the gritty side of the 1890’s Victorian London where, along with Dr. Watson, Sherlock uses his keen wit and winning charm to prove a man is innocent of murder. Leveraging the powerful platform of the Apple iPad and its 1024x768 screen resolution, players will be treated to breathtaking graphics through 11 immersive 3-D environments as they work to solve the case.

Features for Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad include:

• Puzzle Boxing Tournament – Exclusive for the iPad, Sherlock must use his wit and mental acuity, by finding and exploiting his opponents’ weaknesses to neutralize the threat. Knuckle through a tournament of 12 unique characters using the iPad’s multi-touch functionality
  

• Auto-Flip and Rotate Support – Flip or rotate the iPad to play from any angle

• Full Screen Resolution for a High-def 3-D experience

• Increased Texture Resolution for the characters and environments

• Redesigned UI takes advantage of the larger iPad screen

• As players gather evidence within the game, they gain crucial information through compelling and insightful mini-games:

• Insights – Find hidden clues using Sherlock’s keen Insight, and put them together in Sherlock’s virtual mind to unravel the mystery

• Lock Picking – Find the perfect path through a lock’s inner workings to lift each of the tumblers, and gain access to the secrets within

• Foot Chase – Wind a way through London’s streets in pursuit of justice. Outmaneuver the culprits and emerge victorious!

Sherlock Holmes Mysteries for iPad - $2.99

0 [iPad Central] Firemint

By Admin_AT | At 1:16 AM | Label : | 0 Comments

Firemint don't release that many titles but when they do they do it right. It is quite possible that they have been the only developer to conquer the $9.99 price range as well as the $0.99 market, even though they have only brought out two titles. With a slight price increase we can buy the iPad versions of Flight Control and Real Racing, both with a few perks to make the price justified.

Firemint, critically acclaimed developer of games for iPhone® and iPod touch®, is delighted to announce that its Flight Control HD App for iPad is now available from the App Store.

The highly addictive gameplay in Flight Control casts players in the role of an air traffic controller in charge of an increasingly busy airport. Players must touch aircraft and drag a path to the correct landing zone while avoiding collisions. Flight Control HD brings new ways to play and beautiful new graphics to an App Store favorite.

Firemint CEO Robert Murray commented, “Flight Control HD is everything you love about Flight Control, re-imagined for iPad and packed with new features and content. We think this will be the best Flight Control experience yet – if you thought Flight Control was addictive before, wait until you play it on iPad!”

Flight Control HD contains everything included in Flight Control for iPhone and iPod touch, as well as many additions and improvements for its arrival on iPad:

- More ways to play, including multiplayer modes that take advantage of iPad’s innovative Multi-Touch interface.
- Split-screen “versus” mode: play competitively by sending your planes to capture aircraft from your opponent.
- Co-operative multiplayer on a single iPad: share landing duties with a friend on one of three HD airfields.
- Multiplayer on two devices (selected from iPad, iPhone or iPod touch): land aircraft of your own color, and direct others off the screen for your fellow Controller to land.
- More space to land your planes and bigger airports thanks to the large iPad screen, with three new HD airfields.
- Beautiful high-quality graphics throughout, including an all-new menu and updated graphics for the Classic airfields from the iPhone version.
- New Snow airfield with variable wind direction in addition to the four Classic iPhone airfields (Original, Beach, Carrier and Outback) and three HD airfields, for a total of eight single-player airfields.
- Quirky “3D view” airfield brings Flight Control to life like never before – use red/cyan glasses to see aircraft floating above the iPad (3D glasses not included, widely available from retailers such as amazon.com at low cost).
- Many more enhancements including all-new path continuation, improved collision warnings, a new “safe” fast forward function, and a longer version of the Flight Control song that you just can’t get out of your head!

Flight Control HD - $4.99

Firemint, critically acclaimed developer of games for iPhone® and iPod touch®, today announced its Real Racing HD App for iPad is now available from the App Store.

Real Racing is one of the most acclaimed racing games on any handheld platform, and has been extended and enhanced especially for iPad. Real Racing HD brings players all the excitement, competition and glory that only true championship racing can provide. Stunning new graphics make Real Racing HD the most impressive racer yet, perfect for showing off iPad’s large screen and processing power. Players can comfortably use iPad as a steering wheel for an incredibly immersive experience or they can choose from a number of touch screen control options and adjust the sensitivity to suit.

"We’re all very excited about the launch of iPad, and Real Racing HD really shows off the new possibilities that come with this breakthrough device," said Firemint CEO Robert Murray. "Real Racing is all about authentic pack racing action. iPad is incredibly immersive and personal so playing the Real Racing HD App will be an adrenaline-fuelled rush.”

* Car Skins - allows players to select photos from their Photo Album on iPad and Real Racing HD will automatically wrap the photo around the selected car. Artistic players can even use one of the many popular paint programs to create personalized racing decals, based on any of the existing car skins supplied with the game. Firemint will also release new Car Skins via its web site.
* Ghost Racing - lets players race against a pre-recorded ghost saved on iPad or downloaded from Firemint’s servers. Drivers can test their skills against the best in the world, or try to beat their own previous personal best. Ghosts will also be shown in Online League races, adding a whole new level of competitive fun to this popular play mode.
* Players can watch replays of their Time Trial races or any races uploaded to the leaderboards from within the game and select different camera angles while watching, providing an exciting new way to learn the best racing lines from the top drivers.
* Touch screen controls specifically designed for iPad, with a new sensitivity adjustment option.

Real Racing HD - $9.99

0 [iPad Central] Illusion Labs

By Admin_AT | At 11:16 PM | Label : | 0 Comments

Illusion Labs don't make the most games on the App Store, but when they do release a game it has been perfected. When I think of a game I want to use to show off my iPhone's capabilities as a gaming device, I turn to Illusion Labs. All their titles have beautiful graphics along with games that just belong on the device. The two titles brought over were screaming for a bigger screen and are must buys for iPad owners.

Illusion Labs today announced its Touchgrind HD App for iPad is now available from the App Store. The app is based on the skateboarding smash hit Touchgrind for iPhone and iPod touch and utilizes the iPad's large 9.7 inch screen to show a far-reaching view of the skatepark, making it easy for the player to see where they are going.

"The extended view the stunning iPad display offers makes it a lot easier to run smooth lines riding between obstacles in the park and doing different kinds of tricks," said Andreas Alptun, CTO and former skateboarder. "This really takes the game to the next level. I am able to skate in a way I couldn't earlier and it's just so much fun."

The two player split screen mode is available for all three gaming modes; Warm Up, Jam Session and Competition. This lets users play against a friend on the same device using one half of the screen each with a gauge showing who is in the lead. Users can play together to perfect synchronized tricks, or disturb each other by crashing as the other is just about to land that insane flip.

The size and the physics of the skateboard are unchanged, so that players of the existing app for iPhone and iPod touch can bring all their skills. The game and all the menus are fully orientation independent so that the player can play in either portrait or landscape mode on iPad.

Touchgrind HD App for iPad features include:
- True physics.
- Innovative Multi-Touch controls.
- Two player split screen mode.
- 13 unlockable boards with different abilities.
- Warm Up, Jam Session and Competition game modes.
- Tutorial videos.
- Stunning 3D graphics.
- Realistic sound.

Touchgrind HD is out now for $7.99

Illusion Labs today announced its Labyrinth 2 HD App for iPad is now available on the App Store. The app has been tailored perfectly for the large 9.7 inch iPad screen and supports the hundreds of thousands of levels already created by iPhone and iPod touch players. Graphics and artwork look spectacular on iPad and the game and menus have been made fully orientation independent.

"The large screen real-estate of iPad offers the thriving Labyrinth 2 community even more creativity and ingenuity in creating their own labyrinth levels," said Carl Loodberg, CEO of Illusion Labs.

"We think that being able to run in both landscape and portrait mode is important. The player does not have to consider how iPad is held - it just feels right," said Andreas Alptun, CTO of Illusion Labs.

Labyrinth 2 HD features include:
- Fun game elements: Cannons, Bumpers, Multiple balls, Doors, Magnets, Fans, Re-sizers, Merry-Go-Rounds, Duplicators, Lasers and more.
- Create your own levels and share them instantly with your friends and the world.
- Download and rate levels created by the community, both the existing iPhone/iPod touch levels and the new, bigger iPad levels.
- Up to 4 player multiplayer over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
- Compete against yourself with a ghost ball showing your best run.
- Awards for your achievements.
- Orientation independent, supports both landscape and portrait mode.

Labyrinth 2 HD is out now for $7.99

0 [iPad Central] Pangea

By Admin_AT | At 10:57 PM | Label : | 0 Comments

The very first game I bought for my iPod Touch on Day One of the App Store was Cro-Mag Rally. While I have to admit there are better games these days to buy, a majority of Pangea's titles should be better received on the iPad. Many of their games just simply aren't designed for a small screen and should excel on the bigger device. Take a look at the 5 titles Pangea have brought to the iPad.

Pangea Software, one of the leading game developers for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, announced today the release of five apps for iPad on the App Store. Available now as the first of Pangea’s planned apps for Apple’s new iPad are Enigmo Deluxe, Cro-Mag Rally, Bugdom 2, Otto Matic, and Nanosaur 2.

“Our plan is to eventually release iPad versions of every one of our iPhone apps,” says Brian Greenstone, President of Pangea Software. “The iPad has huge potential to change the portable video game industry, and we’re really excited to be involved with it. I think we’re on the cusp of something truly revolutionary.”

Enigmo Deluxe - $9.99: Based on the award-winning puzzle-game Engimo for iPhone, Enigmo Deluxe for iPad has major new features, including a built-in level editor that allows users to create, edit, and play their own levels. Friends can share Level Packs so they can play levels that they create or exported them for play on the Mac, PC, or iPhone versions of Enigmo. The game now comes with over a dozen free Level Packs including two “Kid Packs” which were paid add-on’s in the original Enigmo. Together with the 50 original Enigmo levels, Enigmo Deluxe comes with over 400 free levels.

Cro-Mag Rally - $9.99: One of the best selling racing games for the iPhone, the new iPad version now has 6 cars instead of just 4, and the visuals and gameplay are optimized for iPad.

Bugdom 2, Nanosaur 2 and Otto Matic - $9.99 Each: In Pangea’s action-adventure games Bugdom 2, Nanosaur 2 and Otto Matic there are more enemies, improved graphics, and a new feature that allows players to customize the game control layout on the screen. This feature is really useful on the iPad’s large screen allowing each user to position the controls to best fit their hands. In addition, Otto Matic also has new control physics that greatly improve the playability.

0 [iPad Central] IUGO

By Admin_AT | At 10:41 PM | Label : | 0 Comments

IUGO Entertainment in recent times has created some quite controversial titles including ADD and Daisy Mae's Alien Buffet which was removed for a short time in Apple's Adult Content stint. For the iPad launch they seem to be playing it safe, straying away from those two titles and bringing out 5 quite successful titles from the iPhone. Expect more titles soon hopefully as the Toy Bot series and Freeballin' would be great additions to the iPad store.

IUGO Mobile Entertainment today announced the availability of four iPad apps on the App Store. The apps are: Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL; Zombie Attack Bridge Defense XL; Cliffed XL; and Implode! XL. All four games showcase the unique features and capabilities of the iPad. “When the iPad was first announced, we knew immediately we’d create special features in a few of our games to start,” explained Sarah Thomson, Director of BD at IUGO. “It’s a beautiful device and there are some really cool and unique things you can do with gaming on that form factor. We fully support the iPad and feel very optimistic about its success as a gaming device.”

“IUGO is proud to launch four apps specifically customized for iPad,” said Hong Yee Wong, CEO of IUGO. “It gives us a great opportunity to showcase our strengths and capabilities in creating truly engaging games. We are delighted to bring these new gaming experiences to iPad owners.”

New features such as multiplayer co-op mode in both Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL makes use of the enhanced Multi-Touch and large screen of iPad. Each game features high resolution graphics with more detail and clarity. Cliffed XL comes with new characters, multiple background themes and on-device “Versus” mode for two players. Implode! XL, IUGO’s hit physics puzzler, includes a major revamp with new levels and a brand new level editor designed solely for the innovative iPad interface.

Implode! XL now available for $2.99

Escape- Norm's World XL now available for Free

Zombie Attack! Bridge Defense XL is now available for Free\

Zombie Attack! Second Wave XL now available for $3.99

Cliffed XL is now available for $1.99