luni, 30 iulie 2012

The Samsung Series 9 15" won the race!


 So, I finally made a decision, and here it is!

The Samsung Series 9 is an ultraportable business laptop with a 15 inch widescreen display with a native resolution of 1600 x 900.

 It runs on an Intel Core i5 2467M processor with a speed of 1.6 GHz.
The Samsung Series 9 also boasts 8 GB of RAM, which is more than enough for my needs.
 Weighing in at just 3.6 pounds, it’s extremely light weight for a 15 inch ultra book.


 Storage capacity is not great, but it’s not that bad either. This ultra book will offer 128 GB of solid state drive storage. 

Graphic wise, it features an Intel HD Graphics 3000 chip, which should be enough for regular office activity and some light gaming here and there.

What I really liked about this ultra book is the fact that it’s very light and thin, for a 15incher.
 I also liked the fact that it has a brilliant high resolution display screen.

 It’s also quite a bright display screen, and you know how I love a bright display. 

Honestly, I’m a bit worried about the fact that the keyboard appears to be a bit shallow, but I’m sure we’ll get along marvellously.




 I will keep you guys up to speed on how it performs.
 I’m so excited, I can’t wait to get it!

miercuri, 18 iulie 2012

Perhaps an UltraBook would be better?


Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon an electronics store on my way home. 
Of course, I took a peek inside and got all excited. 

I found some cute little machines called ultra books. They’re super thin, but they are also quite powerful.  In fact, ultra books boast some of the best processors that money can buy! 
That’s what I call performance!



So, I decided to take a closer look and do a little bit of research on the matter. I read some articles, reviews and fancied a few products myself.

Now, for the pros, ultra books are quite cool. I’m really glad that I have a strong budget for my purchase, because honestly, they are quite a bit expensive. 

First of all, regarding the pros, is the fact that ultra books have a physical keyboard, unlike tablets which have a virtual “keyboard”. Because I do a lot of writing, I need a good, full sized, reliable keyboard. Right on, ultra books! Right on!

Another big bonus is the fact that ultra books have larger display screens. Well, larger than regular net books and tablets, anyway. I did see some 15 inch ultra books, though. Just a bit out of my league!

Ultra books are known for their processors, especially the Ivy Bridge models which offer tremendous force in a small and portable package. I really love a well designed product, so I think that ultra books are definitely a good investment for me.

As for the cons, meh, ultra books are notoriously expensive. They are a very fashionable item and companies generally tend to charge premium for this.

Although they offer excellent processor performance, their graphic cards can only handle usual office tasks.

These are not high end video cards and you won’t really be using them for gaming. Bummer, eh?
In the same time, for just a few pounds more, you could get away with a few pounds less.

Bulker laptops are usually a bit more affordable, but, of course, they can’t really compare to the feel and touch of an ultra book.


vineri, 13 iulie 2012

Are net books better than tablets?

Hey there!

After receiving some advice from family and friends, many people suggested that I should buy a net book, since it has a relatively good battery life and they are more affordable than the tablets I previously presented. 

Apparently, net books are fantastic little buggers. Powerful processors, large storage drives and good battery autonomy.
 On the other hand, they usually have less than excellent graphic cards and they are generally made out of cheap materials.

 Since I’m a bit into casual gaming myself, I looked for a model with a decent graphics card.  Here’s what I came up with.

The HP Mini 311 has a 11.6 inch display screen with a native resolution of 1366 x 768. It runs on an Intel Atom N270 processor with a speed of 1.6 GHz.
 
 It also features 1 GB of RAM and a decent Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chip. Storage wise, it’s not really that great, as it offers only 160 GB. 

Here are some pictures of said net book. It’s actually pretty cute, isn’t it?



Another net book that ticked my tastes was the HP Pavilion DM1. It features a 11.6 inch display screen with a native resolution of 1366 x 768.

 It runs on an Intel Celeron SU2300 processor with a speed of 1.2 GHz. Storage wise is plenty on this model, as it offers a spacious 320 GB hard drive.

 It also boasts 2 GB of RAM and, more importantly, an Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card.
Aaand here’s the little bugger on display! Fancy keyboard!



sâmbătă, 7 iulie 2012

My cute little...laptop wrecker!


Hey there! Let me introduce you to...
Mister lazy...the laptop wrecker! This little bundle of joy tipped over my laptop and I had to send it to a service.

 Since I’m confined to my desktop and since everything happens for a reason I decided to look for a replacement for my doomed laptop.

If I can get it fixed, I will probably offer it as a gift to my sister. If not, oh well. 

If you guys can help me to pick a good and reliable (!!!!) laptop, then give it your best shot. Please write me some tips over at SusanBaker221@gmail.com.

As far as laptops go, I need something small-ish...with a decent keyboard and a long battery life. Since I mostly do pet shop reviews at the moment, I need something light enough and portable, so I can carry it with ease to and from wherever I’m writing.

I also thought about buying a tablet, since they’re so chic and nice, but I’m not fully convinced. I’m not really electronic-savvy so I don’t want to spend my hard earned money on the “prettiest laptop” on display.

On the other hand, I did a bit of research, reading specs, reviews, you know...and came up with some decent tablet options. (In my opinion).

The first one is the Asus Transformer Pad TF300T. This is a 10.1 (LED Backlit LCD) incher with a native resolution of 1280 x 800.



 It runs on an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 processor with a speed of 1.2 GHz. Graphics wise, it features an Nvidia ULP GeForce graphics chip.

 It runs on the Android 3.2 Operating System with 1024 MB of RAM. It’s actually quite small and I really loved the fact that it has a detachable keyboard to it. That actually makes it kind of cute.

The second one is an Asus Tablet 600 model, featuring a 10.1 inch LED Backlit LCD display screen with a native resolution of 1366 x 768.



 It runs on an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core processor with a speed of 1.3 GHz. RAM wise, it’s better than the Pad Transformer, as it boasts 2 GB of RAM.

This tablet also offers an 802.11 b/g/n chip, a Micro HDMI chip, a Micro SDHC slot, an USB 2.0 port and, of course, it’s capable of multi touch technology.

sâmbătă, 30 iunie 2012

About Bonsai Trees


When I was in high school, my aunt which worked in Japan for about four years, presented me with a Bonsai Tree. 

It was love at first sight; so small, yet so strong in the same time; Gentle, noble, brimming with live and in the same time, needing tenderness and care. 
Since I was a bit of an introvert, it proved to be the perfect hobby. 

I would sit with my Bonsai tree hours on end and study it. That also got me interested in Japanese works of art and cuisine. 
In Asia, miniature landscapes are a widespread art form. It dates back thousands of years and it’s present in Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. 

I can only hope that one day I will be able to visit Japan myself and learn more about Bonsai Trees.

In the meanwhile, there's a little interesting video I found on youtube.