Back to school: Ultrabooks
- — 16 January, 2012 09:38
The Ultrabook has been hatched in an effort to make thin and light computers more prominent in the marketplace. It's an initiative by Intel that challenges hardware companies to come up with MacBook Air-like designs for Windows users and so far there are a handful of vendors offering these products.
Why are they so good for the back to school crowd? Well, all the Ultrabooks we've seen so far are less than 2cm thick (with the lid closed), less than 1.4kg and they come in configurations that are perfect for day-to-day work. Their mobility is key and you could easily carry around an Ultrabook with its power supply all day and not get too tired of it.
Sizes for Ultrabooks are up to 13.3in so far; almost all models have solid state drives rather than typical hard drives; they have a focus on wireless connectivity, so not all models have built-in Ethernet ports; most models have USB 3.0 and HDMI and some even have backlit keyboards so that you can work easily in the night.
Battery life will depend on how the Ultrabook is being used and how bright you keep the screen, but some models may allow you to work on documents on browse the Web for a whole work day before recharging.
Our picks for the moment are the Toshiba Satellite Z830 and the HP Folio 13, but there are also models from ASUS and Acer to consider. Before buying, head down to the store to play with the model you desire. Pay attention to its screen, keyboard and touchpad, and make sure that you feel comfortable with them — especially the keyboard and touchpad, as not all of them are up to scratch.
We've rounded up all the models we've reviewed (to date) below.
3 / 4
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HP Folio 13-1008TU Ultrabook
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Toshiba Satellite Z830 (PT22LA-001001) Ultrabook
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ASUS Zenbook UX31 (CUX31E-RY010V) Ultrabook
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Acer Aspire S3-951 Ultrabook
With so much going for it as far as size, build and looks are concerned, it's a shame that the Zenbook UX31 offers a below average user experience. Its input peripherals aren't great, it feels uncomfortable to use and we had to install drivers to get things working properly. technically, it's a good laptop, but it could have been so much better when it comes to user friendliness. We'd probably sit this one out and wait to see what the next models offer.
- Review Date:
- Reviewer:
- Manufacturer:
- 16th Nov., 2011
- Elias Plastiras
- ASUS
- Rating:
- Price:
- $ 1,999.00
- Pros:
- Thin design
- 1600x900 resolution
- 256GB SSD and Core i7 CPU
- Cons:
- Input devices not great
- User friendliness not great
- Keyboard not backlit
