ASUS X551MAV-EB01-B(S) Laptop USer Review

ASUS X551MAV-EB01-B(S) Laptop Review

 By JS Fergus 

In this article, we're going to examine the Asus X551MAV-EB01-B(S). What kind of person would this laptop be good for? Is it just the thing for globe trekkers, or perhaps more settled people who work the typical 9-5 office job? Is it good enough to game, or will it disappoint those who want to play the latest First Person Shooter or RPG?

To find out, we're going to break it down and see the features it has to offer, and what benefits these features have for what kind of user. We're going to give the pros and cons, and then give some snippets of what other people are saying about it. Finally, we're going to give our overall impressions on who should be buying this, and tell you who we think the best retailer is.

Features and Benefits. Latest Generation Intel Dual-Core Celeron 2.16GHz Processor (Turbo up to 2.58Ghz); 500 GB Hard Drive. 4GB RAM. 64-Bit Windows 8.1; 15.6-inch High Definition Display. Web Camera; Fast Wi-Fi in 802.11N. Multitouch trackpad. SD Card Reader (SDXC); USB 3.0 for 10 times faster data transfer speed. 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet ports.

Now the first thing this laptop claims is that it comes with a latest generation dual core processor. In this case, that would be the 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840, which is the same processor behind a smaller, more compact laptop that I've also reviewed before, the HP Stream 11. In simple terms, the N2840 is good for simple office work, and has basic integrated graphics for some video playback, but unless you like playing low requirement games like Minecraft, then gaming with this CPU isn't such a good idea.

The X551MAV-EB01-B(S) comes with a 500 GB HDD. That's a fairly standard amount of space these days, and it won't be enough if you're a chronic downloader like me, but definitely enough to host a lot of documents, spreadsheets, mp3's, videos, and maybe even some lightweight games. Not to mention, that's a lot more space than most SSD laptops these days, and space is a very important factor for me.

The 4GB RAM is enough for most daily tasks and multitasking... Or if you're a tab nut like me, support over 20 tabs without freaking out. As long as you don't have two dozen browser tabs, Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, Minecraft, and VLC media player all running at the same time, you should be good. I tend to do that, but my rig has 8GB.

The X551MAV-EB01-B(S) runs on Windows 8.1, so for those of you who're still clinging to good ol' reliable Windows 7, there might be something of a learning curve. For you guys who've already moved on and migrated to Windows 8, then this should now be familiar territory.

The 15.6-inch HD display is good for when you want to watch a movie, or not have to scroll down so often when reading your email. At the same time, it's not too big to carry around, and fits nicely into most backpacks. The webcam will of course allow you to take and make video calls... or take selfies if for some reason you can't use your phone.

At 4.7 pounds (2.15 kilograms), it's also pretty light (lighter than my cat, even), although that's somewhat subjective. If you're past 50, it might not be as manageable as you run from airport to airport with it in tow.

The wifi is pretty fast, so you shouldn't worry about buffering too often while streaming videos, or obnoxious long waiting times, and the multitouch pad should come in handy for quick zoom ins and outs.

The X551MAV-EB01-B(S) has an SD card reader for photographers, and several other ports. The USB 3.0 port runs ten times as fast, which is great for when you want to dump a bunch of files onto a thumb drive in a hurry. There's also a USB 2.0 port, for other things, like charging your phone and attaching other USB tools.

It has two video out ports, HDMI and VGA, which means you can connect to both old and new projectors easily. The Ethernet port will also be a big help if the wifi is bad, but a LAN cable is present (along with a wired connection).

So What's The Point? I would say there are a couple of big reasons to buy this laptop. First off, it's a decent budget computer that's pretty well rounded, and actually has a few redundancy features, like the VGA port and the Ethernet port. Those are always great for when you happen to be presenting or connecting in a rural place with outdated projectors and a lack of wifi hotspots. The price is of course, also pretty good, all things considered.

Perfectly Imperfect Now, this is obviously because it's a budget laptop, while I'm a performance jockey who likes being able to play Skyrim at 60 fps, so it's only natural that I've got qualms with this computer. The processor is only good enough for mild gaming, and not for what I want to do with it.

The integrated graphics aren't that great either, and so photographers, video and audio editors, and other such folks who use intensive hardware like Photoshop and Sony Vegas won't be able to use this all too well.

Wisdom of the Masses The X551MAV-EB01-B(S) holds a score of 3.6 starts out of 5 on our suggested retailer. If we converted that to a scale of 10, that would be 7.2, which makes it rather decent. 45% of customers gave it a 5 star rating, and while that's no majority, that's still pretty darn good, all things considered.

It's described as very light, and highly portable, a work station laptop that does good for the office, and will nicely complement your gaming PC and HD video tablet. It's also said to have a keyboard at the right size, and an excellent performance at its price point of $250.

On the other hand, this laptop reportedly has a little flaw in that it lacks Bluetooth. If you don't like using the trackpad, that means you'll have to use one of the USB ports for your mouse, rather than a Bluetooth mouse. Neither does it have a restore disk, so you'll have to make one yourself with downloaded restore information.

Overall, the X551MAV-EB01-B(S) is what it is: a budget laptop with decent budget performance. It's built for office work rather than gaming, so you should expect to use it for the daily grind, rather than playing Skyrim. And for what it's made to do, it does it admirably. For travel, it's lightweight and has a manageable size, and the backwards compatibility will let you take it to places where many other laptops in its price point will have trouble.

I think I'll be getting this, just so I don't get distracted and play Skyrim when I should be doing my spreadsheets.

So where can you get this? Click through the link below and our site will tell you where you can buy it for a good price.

Computers are JS Fergus' first love. Desktops, mainly, but he has a soft spot in his heart for laptops. To find out what JS thinks of the top selling laptops for 2015, check out his site http://www.topnotebookpick.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/JS_Fergus/2135575

Things You Should Consider Before Buying Tablet Computers

Things You Should Consider Before Buying Tablet Computers

By Matt Hamlin 

The success achieved by the tablet computer is wonderful in almost any way that you look at it. A few years ago, this particular product only existed in the imagination of the most imaginative consumers. Now it has definitely become the most desirable of all technological devices being sold in the market. The amazing thing is that it really brings in nothing radically different from what's available from the current batch of computers. Despite that fact, the people have fallen in love with it and now there are so many tablet computer models that are currently available in the market and from which you can take your pick.

Before you head out to buy your tablet computer however, here are a couple of things that you ought to know about these devices:

1. One of the major considerations that you should think about before buying a tablet computer is its screen. In a tablet, this is doubly important because aside from being the display for the device, it is also the means by which it can be controlled. You should check each model's screen size, picture quality, and response to control.

2. Another thing to remember when checking the screen of a computer is that when you are looking at it in the store, the lighting there is actually ideal. You would need to see it in a darker location so that you can really tell if it is something that is suitable for the use that you have in mind.

3. An important consideration for any device right now is the way that it can connect with the Internet. Most tablets should be able to do that, but you need to check first as to how fast it can really be. If it takes too long to connect to the Web, then it's not a good choice.

4. In devices today, we want large memories that can accommodate all of our photos, music, and videos. The tablet is not different in that regards. We need it to have a large storage capacity that can accommodate all of our files. An alternative to having a large storage capacity is the provisions for upgrading the memory by using easily accessible components and means. Some of the best tablet models are hampered in this regard.

5. What OS is the device running? Right now the good choice is to go with an operating system that is popular. That would make it compatible to more products.

6. In connection with the choice of OS of the tablet that you will be buying is the kind of apps that it can run. A popular OS will simply have a greater number of apps available to it, which is very important if you want to use your tablet in a meaningful way.

7. Finally we come to the price, which is probably the biggest reason why some are still not buying tablets. Remember that if you are going to buy a cheap product, you would likely end up with a device that performs poorly. Not always the case, but most of the time that would be the situation.

Android tablets beat Apple's prices by $200 or more. Additionally, Android tablets are not limited to just one model. Because there are many models available, consumers have more choice. Get your cheap Android tablets [http://cheapandroidtablet.co/] here. Because there are many models available, consumers have more choice. The price is averagely 20-30% low compared to any iPad available today. Go to [http://cheapandroidtablet.co/] today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Matt_Hamlin/1400089

Make Sure You Know Before You Buy A Tablet

Make Sure You Know Before You Buy A Tablet

By Jeffrey Van Camp

So you need a tablet, and you need it now. Maybe this is your first tablet or maybe you’ve already owned a few. Perhaps you are looking to replace your laptop, or maybe you’re just looking for an extra screen to use when you’re on the toilet or sitting on the couch. Whatever the reason, fear not. There are a lot of good options out there. Below is a quick (very quick) guide to help you navigate the basics of tablet purchasing.

Step 1: Figure out what your needs are. What do you need to do on this tablet? Are you hoping to watch movies? Store it in your purse? Type documents? Read articles? Use photoshop? Does it need a keyboard? A stylus? A Webcam? Much like smartphones and laptops, there are a ton of differently sized tablets on the market with a varying set of capabilities. Figure out what matters most to you and write it down. What you need your tablet to do will entirely determine what model you buy. Your decisions here will affect everything that is to come.

Step 2: Choose an operating system. Android and iOS (iPad) have dominated the tablet scene in recent years, but the Windows tablet category is growing. There are also some good tablets offered by Amazon and a few others that run heavily modified versions of Android. Here’s a brief look at the difference between the platforms:

Android: Developed by Google, Android has a robust apps and content market called Google Play and comes with a huge suite of services from Google including Google Now, Hangouts, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, free turn-by-turn navigation (our favorite), YouTube, Google Photos, Chrome Browser, Google Drive, Play Music, and more. Basically, if you like Google services, Android is a good option for you. Although many of these services are also available on iOS and other platforms, the integration is smoothest on Android.

Android also boasts support for multiple user log-ins, which is handy if you want a family tablet for everyone to share. And it’s highly customizable. The latest version of the platform, Android 5.0 Lollipop, is slick, stylish, and very user-friendly, but not every tablet will be running it (most are still running Android 4.4 KitKat). Unfortunately, the selection of apps made to specifically take advantage of tablets on Android is lacking. There’s no division between Android smartphone apps and Android tablet apps, so the quality of the experience can depend on whether the developer has optimized for tablet displays. On the plus side, if you’ve already bought an Android app for your phone, you won’t have to pay again to get it for your tablet.

The iPad runs on iOS. The iPad has more than 725,000 apps custom built for it and is currently the market leader in every way. It is still the tablet to beat in terms of quality and it has the most impressive selection of apps and accessories. If you own other Apple devices, or enjoy services like iTunes, the iPad may be a good option for you. If you don’t, well, it may still be the best option for you. The user interface is accessible and very slick, but it doesn’t allow for much in the way of customization.

Comparatively, the iPad and iOS apps are more expensive than Android. There’s also a lack of support for multiple users and parental controls. If you have an iPhone and you’ve already purchased an app, you may have to buy it again to get it on iPad (some apps are universal and work on both devices, some don’t).

Windows: Windows tablets come closest to offering a traditional computing experience, like you might find on a PC or laptop. You’ll be able to run full versions of software like Microsoft Office on a Windows tablet, so it may be the best choice if you plan on using your tablet for work. There are also more than 200,000 apps in the Windows Store, designed to be touch-friendly. Windows offers support for multiple user accounts, and boasts a robust set of parental controls.

As a touchscreen tablet experience, Windows is still significantly weaker than Android or iOS. Part of the problem is that it still feels like a hybrid between the old, familiar PC platform and the new tablet one. The app choice is also comparatively limited, pricey, and not as high quality.

Others: A few years back there were more competitors in this space, but the BlackBerry Playbook flopped, and Barnes & Noble has stopped making Nook tablets. You may still be able to pick up both on the cheap, but we wouldn’t recommend it. That leaves Amazon with its Kindle Fire range.

Amazon’s tablets run a forked version of Android which means they don’t have the Play Store or any of Google’s apps and services on board out of the box. Instead, Amazon wants you to buy apps from its own Appstore, where you’ll find more than 300,000 apps to choose from. Amazon’s tablets are designed to be affordable entertainment devices, and if you’re a Prime customer they’re well worth considering. They have a great set of parental controls built-in, multi-user support, and they’re easy to use. You’ll also find excellent customer support through the Mayday feature.

On the downside, there’s not such a great choice of apps, and the quality of what is there is generally lower. There are also limitations in terms of customization, and the user interface is not as stylish, or well-designed at its three competitors.

Step 3: Features you’ll want in your tablet. When you get down to choosing your tablet, there is no shortage of choices, but you cannot trust store employees to know what they’re talking about. Here are some features that you should look for in your next tablet.

Screen Size: There are a wide variety of sizes for tablets, from 7 inches all the way up to 13 inches. The iPad is in the 10-inch category. There was an early wave of 7-inch Android tablets, but more recently we’ve seen a number of tablets that fall somewhere in between 7 and 10 inches. Everyone is different, but to us, 7 inches is a bit too small to not really be just a bigger smartphone and 10 inches can be a bit uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. Try a few out though. The choice is yours.

Resolution: Pay close attention to the resolution. For entry-level tablets, you want at least 1280×800 pixels for a decent experience. Tablets with 1080p (1920×1080 pixels) or higher resolution are much better. You might want to look for the PPI (pixels-per-inch) to get an idea of how sharp the picture will be. For example, the iPad Air 2 has a 2048×1536 pixel resolution which translates to 264ppi, whereas the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 has a resolution of 2560×1600 which is 339ppi.

Performance: If you want to run the latest apps and games smoothly, then go for a quad-core processor. Generally-speaking, the higher the GHz, the better. You’ll also want a decent amount of RAM, at least 2GB. The specs don’t tell the full story, though, so make sure you check out some reviews and look at benchmarks to see how tablets really perform. Apple is particularly good at getting better performance out of ostensibly lower end hardware. Ultimately, the more horsepower your tablet has now, the longer it will last before it starts annoying the hell out of you.

Wi-Fi only: If you can afford the premium price for a 3G or 4G LTE connection and want to pay a monthly data bill to a wireless carrier, then, by all means, purchase a tablet with a data connection (we recommend 4G). If you need to use your tablet outside of your home a lot, there’s a good reason right there. However, for the rest of you, opting for a Wi-Fi only model will save you a lot of money. You’ll just have to find a Wi-Fi hotspot when you’re outside of your house. (Not really a problem.) For the best Wi-Fi experience, look for dual-band support and the latest 802.11ac standard.

Upgrades: If you’re buying an Android tablet, you want one with Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or a clear date when an upgrade will arrive. If you’re buying an iPad, make sure it’s at least a fourth-generation model. If you opt for a Windows tablet then you may want to make sure that it can be upgraded to Windows 10. Unlike phones, tablets tend to get upgrades, so make sure your new tablet is, at least, on the current operating system when you buy it.

Battery: Ask about this or look it up. The difference between a tablet with great battery life and a tablet with poor battery life is night and day. The iPad gets 10 hours of battery life, so that is the benchmark you’re looking for in any other device. Keep in mind that if your tablet cannot hold a charge for a few days when you buy it, it’s going to be much much worse in 12-18 months.

Connectivity: What you need will depend on how you intend to use it, but generally, the more ports and ways to connect it has, the better. Make sure it supports the latest Bluetooth standard. Expandable storage via SD (or microSD) could be nice, USB or MicroUSB is essential, and Micro HDMI is nice as well. You may want NFC support, and wireless charging could be worth considering for convenience.

Storage: You’ll often find that Android and Windows tablets offer expandable storage. Adding more space with a microSD card is cheap and easy. Apple and Amazon don’t support microSD cards in their tablets, so you really need to think carefully about what model to buy. If you’re downloading games and storing movies, 16GB can fill up surprisingly quickly. You can find some free cloud storage on each platform, but that won’t suit everyone.

Webcam: Only you know if a rear camera is important to you. If it is, you’ll probably want to get an iPad. We only recommend that you make sure it has a front-facing camera you can use as a Webcam. You never know when Grandma will learn how to Skype.

Keyboard: There are a host of Windows tablets that allow you to dock your tablet into a keyboard, so you can type more easily. If you want to replace a laptop, then that could be important. You’ll also find Bluetooth keyboards out there will work with any tablet. If typing is something you plan to do, then make sure the tablet you choose has a good option for an external keyboard. Few do.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Now you’ve worked out what you want, it’s time to shop! We have a list of the 10 best tablets you can buy and a list of the best Android tablets that we update frequently, and you’ll want to keep an eye on our tablet review section for the lowdown on all the latest releases.

Updated on 6-24-2015 by Simon Hill: Updated the text, updated the images, added Windows tablets, and storage section.

( Resources: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-pick-a-tablet/)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Tablet Review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Tablet Review

By Mark R Benson  

What is a tablet? A tablet is a slim, lightweight computer, smaller than a laptop but bigger than a smart phone. The key features for a tablet is its portability, user-friendly interface and obviously, its performance.

What can you do with a tablet? Tablets support a large variety of operating systems, from Android, iOS to the latest Windows OS. You can access the app store, install games, music production suites, share photos, watch movies and a lot more. What makes the tablets stand out from their laptop siblings is the touch-screen feature and, if you are accustomed to keyboards, a lot of tablet users make use of the optional docking stations to attach keyboards. Basically, a tablet takes the best from laptops and smartphones and recombines them in a unique, easy to carry device.

Do I need a tablet? That depends on what you need. Do you want a device from which you are going to send emails, make video calls, take pictures, watch TV or simply browse the internet but you don't want to carry a laptop around then the tablet is the best option. If you are convinced you want a tablet, then let's take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Tablet.

Design.Galaxy Tab S 10.5 comes with an ultra-thin design, has a dotted pattern and a soft back that gives a pleasant feel when handled. The case comes into two colours, Dazzling White and Titanium Bronze and both versions have a gold contour around the edge. The tablet feels light, weighting only one pound but, despite the lack of metal it still is robust and resistant. On the right side of the tablet we can find a microSD card slot (for up to 128GB) and a microUSB port. The speakers are one on both sides of the tablet, on the left side we can also find the headphone jack. At the top edge we find the power and volume buttons along with the IR blaster.

Display. The Galaxy Tab S 10.5 comes with a 10.5in wide display and a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels with 287 ppi. The backbone for this tablet is the WQXGA Super AMOLED screen that makes the colours more vibrant, the images sharper and over all it sums up to a gorgeous view to watch comparable and even tops the plasma TV image quality. This is the best tablet display that money can buy.Apart from the exquisite display quality, the viewing angles are very good, outdoor visibility is excellent and, if you turn on the Samsung's Adaptive Display, the tablet will adapt its colours to the ambient lighting.

Overall, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 will deliver a great cinematic experience watching HD movies and no matter the lighting, you will not be disappointed by the image quality. From the display point of view, it may be considered the best tablet on the market.

Performance and Battery Life. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 features an octa-core Exynos 5420 CPU backed by a 3GB RAM that will be more than enough for multitasking. The processor is comprised of two quad-cores, one goes up to 1.9GHz and the second operates up to 1.3 GHz each depending on the resources needed to run a specific application.A bit on the downside we have the ARM Mali-T628MP6 GPU that is a bit slower than what the competitors offer in the same price range.

Still, when all the cores are used, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is the fastest tablet, the problem is not many applications support eight cores.When it comes to browsing, the tablet doesn't let us down. Sites loaded pretty quick, the navigation was very good and even when using MultiWindows mode, we did not experience any performance losses.

The gaming performance was also smooth and no delays or lags were experienced when trying to run resource-heavy games. Also the touchscreen response is fast and accurate.Now, for the battery, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is equipped with a 7,900 mAh battery that, the manufacturer guarantees up to 9 hours on a single charge. We tested this and the battery lasted for almost two days on medium usage on a single charge. The WiFi connectivity is good, it supports the 802.1 a/b/g/n/ac standards and can transmit in 2.4 or 5GHz networks. This tablet is also available with 4G LTE support, with a LTE radio signal strong enough in terms of maintaining a good connection.

Software. The core OS is Android 4.4 KitKat that, besides the basic features from Android, you can find a lot of Samsung applications, like Samsung's Milk Music service or Multi Window Mode, that help you view two application side-by-side. The TouchWiz interface is bright, easy to use and packed with a lot of customizable apps. Because of the powerful hardware, taps or swipes were registered instantaneously even if another application was running besides the one we were using. Although not as good as iOS 8, the Android 4.4 KitKat OS from Galaxy Tab S 10.5 performed relatively well, we had a decent user-friendly experience and we enjoyed using the tablet's applications.

Camera. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 has a 8 megapixel rear camera equipped with a LED flash and F2.4 lens that is paired with a 2.1 megapixel camera in the front. Colours are reproduced accurately, the contrast is reasonable but, unless the lighting is very good, you will not be able to take great pictures. The video recording (1080p) were pretty smooth, the audio quality was fair and with no distortions.

Considering all these, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is a great tablet, capable of satisfying even the most demanding users. Equipped with powerful software and the best display for a tablet, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is a best buy.

For more high quality reviews check out http://www.mbreviews.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_R_Benson

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Review

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Review

By Jovia D'Souza 

Smartphone functionality advances have truly transformed the devices, making them very convenient in the modern world. Whether you love listening to music or catching up the latest videos and movies, share photos and even other business files and documents, you can now do it all from any given location and at any given time when you have a smartphone. Manufacturers continue to unveil more advances with every new device they introduce in the market and the future looks only brighter for this industry. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is amongst the smartphones you will find in the market and has become a popular device because of a few features.

The Physical Features.The smartphone runs on the Android Lollipop operating system and has an internal memory of 32GB and 3GB RAM. Measuring 5.1 inches and weighing 132 g, it's a device that you will enjoy using and carrying with you every day for your needs.

This smartphone is the world's first phone with dual edge display. The display is thermoformed in such a way that it creates an integrated edge screen that can bend to deliver a differentiated pioneering design that only goes to show the superior quality of the device. The sides are curved for better grips and view enhancement. The curve offers a view that is more like a widescreen TV view making every experience pleasant.

It has a near invisible bezel on the screen design which offers greater access to more of the phone screen area and at the same time also enhances the users viewing experience. This device has bright vivid images in all light conditions and has enhanced outdoor visibility to make use in sunlight environment perfectly. It has a high pixel density of 577ppi to offer that ultimate viewing experience in any given location and at any time of day regardless of the weather conditions.

Performance. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a rapid voice command response. This is a feature that saves you plenty of time and effort you could have used touching the various buttons to access the functions and features that you need. You can personalize the device using a nickname and then give commands. You will find the feature very helpful, especially in situations where movement has been restricted.

Using the smartphone, communication has been taken to a whole new level. You can color code your favorite contact on edge screen so that when you get notifications you can tell from who they are from using the colors. It means that you can identify the contact for any email, missed call or message you receive even when the phone is face down. The edge screen is definitely convenient and intuitive offering an experience that has not been enjoyed before.

Other features. It has a highly capable camera offering brilliant bright photos that you can also track moving subjects and still have the clearest photos ever. It has fast charging technology with ten minutes of charge managing to serve you for at least four hours.

Samsung has indeed made great progress as far as the functionality of the smartphone is concerned. You can get Samsung firmware and the latest Samsung firmware updates online easily for any of your mobile device. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jovia_D'Souza