Ultrabooks are the new hype in mobile computing. ?The basic differences between laptops and ultrabooks are performance and mobility. ?A basic laptop will weight more, contain faster hardware and stay alive on battery shorter than an ultrabook. ?Intel was looking to get into Apple?s realm of beauty with ultrabooks also ? they?re elegant in design. ?What are ultrabooks better for than laptops? ?Mobility and specific computing. ?If you want to have a lightweight, long battery life computer you can take anywhere to do basic tasks like browse the web then ultrabooks are for you. ?Laptops are more general purpose computers ? if you rather only have a few hours of battery life, don?t mind carrying a large heavy machine around and want to not only browse the web but play the newest video games then a laptop is for you.
I?ve had my eye set on the Toshiba Z935-P300 for a month now. ?It?s on the lower cost end of ultrabooks at $899 but the size and weight of this computer is beyond belief for me. ?I haven?t seen a sub-$1200 mobile computer that is nearly as light or thin as the Z935 ? it?s so beautiful and sleek it fits in both professional business and?leisure?coffee lounges. ?Another really nice aspect is availability because I hate making mobile device purchases online ? specs aren?t the same as the feel of a device and to me cell phones and mobile computers need to feel right. ?The Toshiba z935 is for sale at BestBuy so you can stop in and check it out yourself.
At the core (no pun intended) is the Intel Core i5-3317U processor which was released in the second quarter of 2012. ?In general CPU specs like operating frequency and cores really don?t matter much these days, it?s all about the manufacturing process size. ?This is even more important for a mobile computer because you want to get lots of battery life and have the CPU run cool ? both of these issues aren?t major in terms of desktops. ?The Core i5-3317U is an Ivy Bridge CPU built on a 22nm process ? the newest and most efficient CPU series today. ?After feeling the sleek design and seeing an Ivy Bridge CPU I was sold, but there are other features that I just can?t believe for the price.
4GB DDR3 1600 RAM is standard for any computer these days. ?Cheap laptops still come with 2GB, but the Z935 sticks to the 4GB standard and allows expansion to 6GB if you need it. ?My biggest issue with computers is the hard drive ? these ancient magnetic devices use motors to spin platters while another servo moves a read/write head over the platter. ?Any type of movable anything is prone to high failure rates and since the hard drive stores the only things of a computer that you need to have access to, a bad hard drive can leave you without important things from business files to priceless family photos. ?The remedy is solid state drives (SSD) that work like a big fast USB stick. ?This year we started seeing really affordable SSD prices but lower in storage than traditional hard drives. ?The Toshiba Z935-P300 comes with a 128GB SSD so as the computer bounces around while your mobile there are no moving parts to wear and tear. ?When an SSD ?dies? it can still be read so your files will always be safe from failure (but not other elements like water) this drive is much faster and safer than a hard drive but at 128GB make sure you only put the things you need on this ultrabook ? store all the ?want? data on huge traditional hard drives at home (hopefully in a RAID 5 array for speed increase and data?redundancy?when a drive fails you can keep your data). ?If you?re a Windows user I recommend researching how to fine tune Windows to use an SSD efficiently because Windows by default with rip apart your write cycles on an SSD ? but there?s always Linux that treats your hardware with love.
Connections are pretty standard, couple USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 so you can at least use new devices. ?HDMI output is standard on laptops now, and the Z935 is no different but if you use this ultrabook to play videos on your living room TV then what computer are you using while you watch the video? ?Just kidding? I?m a nerd and can?t not compute even when watching a movie. ?There is no optical drive ? no CD or DVD reader or writer, this is one of the traits of ultrabooks. ?The optical disc technology should be dead by now, it?s been dead to me for years and should be to you too. ?If you insist on being able to read/write CDs and DVDs just stop reading this and get a $399 Dell laptop right now. ?The typical Bluetooth, Wifi b/g/n and wired Gigabit ethernet are all found on the Z935 along with a webcam/microphone and the good old multi-card reader for SD media and the such. ?The 47Wh 8-cell battery will probably get you 5-7 hours of good use. ?Graphics are not for video games, you?ll need a normal laptop for that. ?The Intel Mobile HD GPU is integrated into the Core i5-3317U CPU and can display 1080p HD video onto the 13.3? widescreen display so enjoy your movies and YouTube but don?t get upset when it can?t run the latest and greatest video game.
I believe this ultrabook is the best for the price. ?Everything I do with a mobile computer is simple, the largest stress is the HD video playback both from a file on the hard drive and streaming from the Internet so I am biased toward features like weight and thickness for mobile devices. ?If I?m working in the cloud, programming robots, running neural networks written in C++ or simply enjoying a 1080p movie I want to do it unplugged from AC power with a super light, super thin computer for less than $1000 and the Toshiba Protege Z935-P300 is just that device. ?For any typical home user or business professional this ultrabook is a great introduction to the future of ultrabook computing.
Trust your technolust ? I?m an IT engineer/administrator professionally and an avid electronics nerd developing everything from robots to rockets. If it?s got logic, I like it.
?
detroit red wings jose canseco zimmerman derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.