Wish List - Bringing Back the 20-inch Notebook

My recent encounter with Toshiba's 4K notebook, the Satellite P50t, has left a pressing question in my mind - is there anything that can be done to make notebooks even better? Consider that we already have the best mobile CPU's and GPU's, fast AC wireless, m.2 mobile storage options, phenomenal styling, the best of the best notebook keyboards and now the most detail-rich high-PPI 4K displays. Have we really hit the limits of what's possible in that 15-to-17-inch chassis?

A few years ago manufacturers tried to push the 20" form factor. It failed, partly because the bigger screen size alone didn't provide a compelling sale. Fast forward to today, though, and a 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 screen at that same 20" size certainly would make for one hell of an amazing notebook, and do so in more ways than you think.

First Impressions - Toshiba Satellite P50t notebook

15.6 inch notebooks continue to push the high end, often offering features equal to or rivaling larger 17" models. The trend began a few years ago with 15.6" 1080p displays, so is it safe to say the next feature bump is to be 4K?

Toshiba seems to think so, and their latest Satellite P50t comes with exactly that - a 3840x2160 panel.  Is a 15.6" 4K screen even practical? More important, does the higher resolution, intense pixel density and screen real-estate help or hinder user productivity? To say that I was curious to get my hands on this notebook is an understatement, but does my skepticism of 4K technology change? Read on for the full scoop.

Glamor Shots - Toshiba Satellite P50t notebook

Toshiba teased us back in January at CES with several new notebooks due for release in 2014, and I'm happy to report the promised Satellite P50t is finally shipping. What makes this particular model that I have stand out from every other 15.6" notebook is that it boasts an eye-watering 4K UHD 3840x2160 display.

Stay tuned next week for the full review, and until then, enjoy the eye-candy!

Wish List - the Notebook in 2014

My excursion to CES 2014 last month left me feeling positive about where the notebook is heading. This despite what the big-name tech press have been blasting for years concerning the death of the PC. If anything, most indications point to a mobile bubble that is going to burst within the next 12-24 months. Bad news for tablets? You know I'm not putting my eggs in that basket. Good news for notebooks? Definitely.

The Best of 2013

This year has been a very different one compared to all others I've covered here on lgpOnTheMove. The notebook landscape has changed dramatically, not only due to hardware and software advances, but from the onslaught of devices from other product categories. This was to be expected given hardware first seen in 2012, and should continue into 2014 as well.

While I haven't managed to personally look at even a fraction of what manufacturers have teased consumers with this year, I can pretty much lay down my recommendations based on what I've researched and read up on over these last 12 months. Let's take a look at the changes that have taken place this year, along with some of the newest gadgets worthy of mention.

The Shame File - Toshiba Qosmio X70 notebook

Regular readers here will notice I have somewhat of an attachment to Toshiba's Qosmio line of notebooks, not surprising since I've been a happy owner of a X305 since 2009. It's a fantastic gaming and productivity workhorse, never mind it's impressive audiophile underpinnings.

Of course, it's been a while since I looked at the X775 model, and Toshiba has in that time made not one but two refreshes. The latest Qosmio X70 offers up Intel's newest Core i7 Haswell quad core alongside nVidia's most recent GK106 silicon dubbed GTX770M. Does the solution impress? More important perhaps, what in the world would compel me to relegate Toshiba to my Shame File? Read on for the entire story!

Glamor Shots - Toshiba Qosmio X70 notebook

Once again I have the pleasure of looking at another one of Toshiba's flagship Qosmio notebooks here on lgpOnTheMove. The just-released X70 continues where the X875 model left off, offering the latest Intel Haswell quad-core processor along with a new mobile GPU and various other tweaks.

Go ahead and browse over the various images I have here, and make sure to come back next week for a very different kind of review!

Lifestyles of the Mobile Road Warrior - Surviving the Coffee Shop

Coffee shops have become synonymous for being sought-after work venues for the mobile road warrior. It's easy to understand their appeal - you can sit down with a laptop, log-on to free wifi and enjoy a good hot coffee as well. They also make convenient locations to meet with coworkers and clients.

But coffee shops also present a challenge for people seeking to get real work done, especially folks who must conduct business outside the office. Many entrepreneurs or start-ups that lack physical office space also turn to the corner caffeine house, as do tech enthusiasts and geeks escaping the home with their latest mobile gadgets. Combined with the crowd of bona-fide coffee lovers, is it possible to make the coffee shop work session an enjoyable and successful experience? Read on for some proven tips and advice!

First Impressions - HP Elitebook 2170p notebook

It's no accident 11.6" notebooks (or netbooks depending on your viewpoint) have been improving greatly over the years. Since my first exposure to AMD's Nile effort in 2010, followed by Intel's response with ULV Sandy Bridge 15 months later, each newer iteration has afforded consumers improved CPU/GPU performance along with a longer stretch in battery life.

Introduced during 2012, Intel's ULV Ivy Bridge is currently the top-of-the-line solution for maximizing battery life with performance. While finding a consumer 11.6" notebook has been tough given the focus on ultrabooks and slates of recent, HP had no hesitation creating a business-class 11.6" notebook with this sought-after platform. Does the Elitebook 2170p manage to tick all the boxes? Let's take a look!

Glamor Shots - HP Elitebook 2170p notebook

OK - so I'm bad at keeping secrets! Regular readers here at lgpOnTheMove will know I've had my eye on HP's 11.6" ULV Ivy Bridge notebook ever since learning about it's release in the second half of 2012. The Elitebook 2170p caters to a very specific niche, namely the sub-13" enterprise notebook user.

While it's clear 10" netbooks are done for 2013, 11.6" form-factors continue to thrive this year alongside negating all the performance drawbacks of Intel's Atom. Feel free to take a closer look as I show you around this compact and very lightweight notebook, and make sure to check back next week for the full review.

Tech Tips - doing the SSD upgrade

Solid State Drives (SSD's) have become perhaps the most significant component to enter the PC hardware market over the last 5 years. It's no denying their overwhelming appeal - they boost performance, use less power and suffer none of the drawbacks of mechanical disks. From $300 netbooks to $30,000 rackmount servers, SSD's are making a presence everywhere.

While expensive back in 2008, this year has seen an unprecedented fall in SSD prices to levels far below $1/GB, and in some cases approaching fifty cents per gigabyte. Notebook and netbook users long wishing to upgrade their factory hard drives can now make that jump and enjoy all the benefits of SSD's... without breaking the bank! Read on to see how I upgrade my HP 210 Mini netbook and install a Samsung 840 series SSD.

The Best of 2012

I don't know why, but I'm finding it a little hard to put together my best-of list for 2012. The year has definitely shown progress, built largely on the efforts seen in 2011. There's certainly options out there for notebook fans, slate shoppers and even the netbook die-hards such as myself.

The issue perhaps is not so much as picking my favorite items, but more trying to figure out how 2013 will unfold as far as changes go given the shifts observed during 2012. With that pondering thought in my mind, however, let me present my top picks for the year.

First Impressions - Alienware M18x notebook

This review comes down as a first here at lgpOnTheMove for many reasons. It's my first look at Alienware. It's my first 18.4" notebook. It's my first exposure to Ivy Bridge + Kepler. And it's my first notebook priced above $3000. But more than all of those, it's the first time I have been so excited about getting my hands on a notebook since my review of the Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 - an impressive and very high-end 17" notebook that I would later go on to own and keep.

Granted, I'm still using my X305 even after 3 years, and am still very happy with it - as the saying goes, you DO get what you pay for. But is it just possible, given today's void in the high-end notebook space by the likes of HP and Toshiba, that something out there could pique even my specific interest and lay claim to the notebook performance crown? Alienware's 18.4" M18x is a veritable behemoth brimming with speed and power, alongside a feature set models from other manufacturers fail to even come close to. Has Dell done it's homework? Let's take a look!

Glamor Shots - Alienware M18x notebook

Thank the folks at Dell for making this happen, but I am FINALLY able to present here on lgpOnTheMove a laptop from Alienware! The 18.4" M18x R2 encompasses the pinnacle of what notebook builders in 2012 can create, in both features and unbridled performance. Commanding a starting MSRP of $1999, and going well north of $5000 fully loaded, this is a piece of mobile tech only those with deep pockets can ever realistically think about owning, never mind be able to appreciate it's potential.

As is always the case here on lgpOnTheMove, feel free to feast your eyes below on some high-resolution images of this impressive and expensive beast. If you like what you see here then you will want to stay tuned for the full review that goes live next week!

First Impressions - HP dm1-4170us notebook

It seems I owe my readers an apology of sorts as I'm not usually this late to the party. The good news is I have finally secured an 11.6" notebook sporting Intel's ULV Sandy Bridge. Released back in December of 2011, HP's Pavilion dm1-4170us is the spiritual successor to both the aging AMD Brazos and award-winning Nile-based dm1z I checked out first in 2010.

With netbooks in 2012 on the verge of extinction, ultrabooks stealing the limelight and slates flooding the consumer market, can die-hard netbook fans find refuge in the 11.6" form-factor? More relevant, can Intel's much-touted ULV parts deliver the goods and kick AMD to the curb? Read on to get my take on this latest ultra-portable.

Glamor Shots - HP dm1-4170us notebook

Finally, some new pics to share with you! It's been a long time coming for me to get my hands on a ULV Sandy Bridge notebook, but HP's 11.6" Pavilion dm1-4170us is definitely an interesting proposition, and well worth the wait. How well does it perform? Stay tuned next week for a full review here on lgpOnTheMove.

Tech Tips - Folding@home on your Notebook

Notebooks have become useful today for all kinds of purposes, never mind becoming the main machine in lieu of the desktop for many professionals and enthusiasts. Yet even with the impressive capabilities today's processors and mobile graphics can deliver, there's one task out there your notebook can do that helps everybody, in ways you might have never imagined.

Folding@home is a project started by the Pande group at Stanford University. Intended initially for helping accelerate protein folding simulations for biomedical research, the project today spans numerous laboratories from around the world with the ultimate goal of finding cures for diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, mad cow and diabetes. As long as your notebook meets a few key requirements, it's a relatively simple affair to set up Folding@home, letting you join the fight against these debilitating and deadly illnesses.

Wish List - the $10,000 notebook

It's pretty easy these days to walk into an Apple or Sony store and drop $2000 on a notebook, or for that matter, get online and configure an Alienware M18x running a cool five grand. Even the most extravagant systems seen from Clevo in the last few years have only been able to peak $8000, yet stuffed with arguably the most cutting-edge internals.

High-end mobile hardware has never come cheap, that is fact. But even seasoned enthusiasts may get serious sticker shock to know that today's most expensive (and powerful) notebook now breaks the 10K barrier. Read on to get a taste of not only what you can get for that gangsta-roll of Franklins, but see who makes this 5-digit rarity.

Tech Tips - Getting the Most out of your UPS

Buying a UPS may seem like a solution useful only for more serious desktop PC's, given their dependence on AC to run. Many will in fact question why the need would be for people using a notebook to even consider such a purchase. Let me give you a hint - it's NOT for plugging in your notebook!

Quite the contrary, investing in a UPS has far greater benefits for things you use inside the home such as your notebook accessories. Yet it's only when you're using these accessories with your notebook that the real value of a UPS suddenly become fully understandable. Read on to get an insight on my experience using a UPS for so many years, and how having one can save your bacon too.

Tech Tips - LCD Screen Replacements

Having your opinion respected has it's benefits when it comes to article suggestions - I received a question from a reader the other week asking if I had gone ahead and upgraded the display on my X305 notebook. How do you upgrade the display on a notebook you ask? Good question. I remember when writing my review of the Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 that the initial $4000 asking price was far too steep. Toshiba should have included a 1920x1200 display for that kind of money, rather than stick with a then-ubiquitous 1680x1050 panel. I even remember going online and searching for 17" WUXGA screen replacements for the X305, only to come up with nothing.

Was I disappointed? Initially yes, but I haven't bothered to search since, and it hasn't been on my list of priorities. Is it worth upgrading your notebook's display for more resolution? Do older notebooks qualify? What if you're looking for an IPS display? Several online vendors today offer notebook LCD screen replacements, but before you grab for your wallet, it's worth getting familiar with the pros and cons of such an undertaking.