lgpOnTheMove

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.

Modem routers remain appealing devices for users looking to get maximum versatility and features when it comes to harnessing their internet connection. Not only does it give DSL jockeys a single device, but offers upgrades and connectivity that would otherwise require three or four separate pieces of hardware.

Netgear's D6200 is their latest variant in the DSL modem/wireless router offering. Armed with the newest 802.11ac wifi standard capable of 866Mbps throughput, it promises the fastest wireless speeds for the latest notebooks and mobile devices. Read on to see how it performs, and why I may consider keeping this.

Notebooks have become a real drag recently - there's just nothing exciting out there that would really tickle my fancy. My enthusiasm for working with the devices has for the first time in many years hit an all-time low. While I have no reason to abandon notebooks entirely, or cease coverage here on lgpOnTheMove, this major downer IS heavily influencing my thoughts about my next big hardware purchase. A purchase which may just be a build-it-yourself desktop come Christmas 2013.

What would compel me to dump my Toshiba Qosmio X305 in favor of my own-assembled box? The arguments in favor are plenty. Yet as much as I've enjoyed my notebook, it's now time to look for something new. With nothing on the notebook landscape from manufacturers worthy as a replacement for my X305, my focus for a no-nonsense work tool has for the first time shifted back to the desktop.

Waiting for hardware announcements to trickle down into actually-shipping products can be like watching paint dry. Combine that with my less-than-spectacular experience recently with Toshiba's Qosmio X70 notebook, and you can guess why things have slowed down to a crawl here at lgpOnTheMove.

Sure, there's new stuff being released in the coming weeks like Microsoft's Surface refresh with Windows 8.1, which I'm hoping to get my hands on before Christmas hits. On the notebook front, however, I see very few things right now to excite me, making me seriously reconsider what my next hardware purchase will be. Time for me to hang 10 for the time being.

Wish List - Building the Ultimate Slate

If there was ever a year to mark a spurt in slate innovation, then 2013 has to be that year. With Microsoft's anticipated release later this year of Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 along with Intel's just-announced low-voltage Haswell parts, those in the know are probably waiting to see just when (and not if) the "next big thing" is coming.

My experience with various slates of recent has shown me that they continue to progress. While still focused primarily on content consumption, devices such as the Surface RT and Surface PRO can tackle productivity in a way that would render even a netbook or notebook obsolete. Given my stubborn insistence on keeping my 10" netbook, is there a recipe for a perfect slate that could satisfy those such as myself who have been holding out all this time? Read on for my thoughts.

Last year I had probably my first acceptable experience with an Android slate, the Nexus 7. Google and Asus addressed much of what was lacking in the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, and had I been in the market for a 7" Android slate, would have more than likely made the purchase.

Move forward to 2013 and we now have Google's refresh sporting the same exact name, but with some key upgrades to both hardware and software. Is the design and feature set still as attractive to me? Let's take a quick look.

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!

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!