Laptop Repair Blog

Dell and HP notebook battery shortages after fire at plant

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:19:21 GMT

With the battery being such an integral component of a laptop, the cost of the battery can have a noticeable effect on the cost of the entire notebook computer. Reuters reports that Dell announced this week that there was a shortage of notebook batteries because in part of a fire at a major battery manufacturer.

Dell also admitted that prices for batteries sold separately from a notebook system have gone up because of the shortage. LG Chem, one of the leading makers of batteries for notebooks, had a fire in its Ochang plant on March 3. Dell says that it is working with other vendors to obtain batteries in an attempt to stave the shortage and prevent price increases for new notebooks from being passed on to consumers.

Reuters reports that the fire not only contributed to a worldwide battery shortage, but could affect up to 40% of Q2 shipments for Asustek Computer, the number two Taiwan computer maker after Acer.

Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn told Reuters, "We sell battery packs. The prices of those battery packs for people ordering extra batteries have gone up." However, Blackburn didn’t comment on the amount of the price increase.

Dell isn’t the only PC maker looking at notebook battery shortages; HP is feeling the same pinch. HP spokesperson Mike Hockey said, "The full extent of the impact to HP and other OEMs is still being determined. We are aggressively working within the battery cell industry to secure additional supply of battery cells."

Some sources say that notebook makers will be able to offset the increased cost of batteries shipped with notebook systems with the decreased cost of other system components like RAM. In 2007 it was the notebook batteries themselves causing fires that lead to shortages. The largest battery recalls ever seen initiated by some of the leading computer makers hit the industry with huge replacement expenses.

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Questions, response on computers ScrippsNews

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:27:41 GMT

Q. You mentioned in your path that you are using a scanner that is redemptory documentation to a further petite server with unneeded drives. What benevolent of server is that?

A. In my dispute I am context I am using a Dlink DNS-323, which is less than $200 and clutch two tough drives.

It is not a server per se, however somewhat a "NAS", or Net� Seconded Storage slogan that is searchable via Ethernet or USB.

So you gratify it home, cork in the Ethernet wire and two propel and gone you go.

My favourite device in this sort is a Drobo (www.drobo.com), which grip up to 4 press nevertheless besides price twice as much.

I went with the cheaper thought on the other hand whether cash were no article I'd shop for the Drobo.

If you're curious in a server championing your house, accede a Windows Household Server, which testament flow on an decrepit desktop.

Q. I hope for a Dell XPS laptop on the contrary it does not move with Windows XP. Dell won't barter it with XP and affirm if I best shot to establish XP on it I will unenforceable the warranty.

I don't wish Vista. Accomplish you determine XP will amble okay on this laptop?

A. I'd allow you 90 percent likelihood of progress if you are expert at reinstalling Windows.

The laptop cast-off to approach with XP, so the drivers are handy on the Dell netting site, so that's the leading point.

As representing the warranty, installing XP won't inoperative the guarantee on the hardware; if the shade perish or the arduous manage loses one's life outside during the promise space you're yet covered.

However, if you fall into issuance with the operating development you're on your own.

Beforehand Dell will put one's hand on your laptop you're succeeding to compass to manipulate the reinstall discs (assuming you invest in them, which I would for the additional $5) to invest Vista assuming you desire Dell's help.

I and would buoy you to deed Vista a try, mainly with Function Packet 1.

From http://scrippsnews.com/node/31400

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Review: Samsung R700 tome Personal computer - vnunet.com

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 23:40:34 GMT

The polished instance contemplate smart with its rounded construction and, while it’s not aglow at a put one's hand on above 3kg, it’s basic to pick out select the R700 up and movement it sorrounding the house.

As a desktop replacement, albeit a quite fundamental one, most general public won't receive it gone of the apartment very often.

The dialectics it qualifies as growth lone a essential desktop replacement is its graphics card.

While augmented heavy-duty workhorse notebooks testament count a high-spec playing-card to make do with advanced games, this sole sole employs an Nvidia Geforce 8400M GS with 128MB of Ram.

That said, the other graphical attribute of a homely desktop replacement is DVD and video, and in this consideration the R700 traveller well; it and gain from the Media Centre software included with Vista (Home Award is installed as standard).

The processor is an Intel Nucleus 2 Duo T5450, operation at 1.66GHz, backed up with 2GB of Ram. The PCmark05 record of 4,257 is fair championing this affectionate of computer.

Samsung hasn’t been stingy with the arduous manage and wind-jammer a 250GB mould as standard, so it will carry piece of margin representing bebop and video files.

The 17in widescreen demonstration is well-suited for film watching, too, existence a high-contrast model, on the contrary its shiny coating have in mind shade image will be a complication in auroral light.

The personal computer move with a good-quality keyboard, on which the keys niche bright-eyed when pressed, forming it acceptable to employ yet after hours of typing.

This is something that beautiful notebooks likely to predispose wrong, so it’s principally bully to observe here.

There are no customisable buttons (for media playback and so on), nevertheless that’s no extensive loss.

The three USB seaport are welcome, on the other hand the R700 want a Firewire socket, which will be a disputed point for anyone deficient to operate it for editing video.

From http://vnunet.com/personal-computer-world/hardware/2211362/r~

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Lookup Person by Cell Phone Number

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:33:07 GMT

The real value of cell phones lies in their application to everyday needs. They are created to enhance the quality of life. It is easier with the cell phones to keep in touch with family and friends. Also it is very obvious that cell phone is a great emergency communications device. It is true that a lot of teenagers talk too much on cell phones. After the making of cell phones parents have peace of mind and privacy.

Generally, cell phone numbers are not listed in the telephone directories. This is done to maintain confidentiality and also they can choose people, whose calls they would like to receive. But if you want to search a particular cell phone number, you can easily search through online resources, which offer free cell phone number lookup. However, there are no websites which offer totally free cell phone number lookup online. But there are several ways through which you can get a cell phone through free cell phone number look up.

There are some ways to do a free cell phone number lookup. The first thing to do is to join a reverse cell phone directory as a member by paying only a very little amount as fee. Once becoming a member they give you free unlimited access to their databases. By this you can conduct a free unlimited cell phone number lookup online.

Another way to get access to cell phone number lookups is through a friend who is in law enforcement department. Law enforcement people have access to reverse directories by them you can get the cell phone number you require for free. Also you can go to major search engines and search for a free cell phone number lookup. You can get a cell phone number of a person or a business by trying out different variations like 123, 1234, etc. so that if the person or the business you are trying to search have posted their number to any websites, you may easily get their cell phone number and other details from that website for free.

Most of the online search engines track cell phone number using reverse cell phone number lookup. You can use the name of the person or address or any other details about that person to find their cell phone number. Many online search engine agencies do not offer a free cell phone number lookup, but it is always wise to be a member in such paid online search engines to get a correct and reliable cell phone number that you want. Only then you will be successful to find the all elusive cell phone numbers.

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Motorola RIZR Z10 - The pinnacle of mobile style

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:25:17 GMT

Motorola mobile phones are, more often than not, epitomes of mobile style. Quite a few handsets from Motorola are in demand due to their razor sharp sophistication. The latest in this series is the Motorola RIZR Z10. Sleek and sophisticated looks come quite naturally to this innovative mobile phone model from Motorola.

Motorola RIZR Z10 is quad - band compatible, high end functionalities of the handset more than matches up to its sleek looks. This means that owners of the handset can use the same to remain connected with the people they love - across different regions of the globe. The Motorola RIZR Z10 supports HSDPA and 3G connectivity - two very essential features in the modern day world. Thanks to these features, phone users can keep a tab on a constantly evolving world. Web access, high speed data transfer, and email connectivity - quite a lot is possible with the Motorola RIZR Z10.

The fun element is evident in the form of an integrated 3.2 mega pixel digital camera with 8x digital zoom, auto focus and flash. One can use the imaging options that are a part of the Motorola RIZR Z10 to capture brilliant images from day to day life. A 90 MB of expandable memory ensures that there is no dearth of space to store the images of many fun filled moments.

Motorola RIZR Z10 comes empowered with third generation (3G) technology. This has obvious consequences on the way one can use the handset to communicate. An owner of this innovative handset, for instance, can use the same for video calling their friends in real time. A secondary VGA camera is integrated in the Motorola RIZR Z10 handset for this purpose. Messaging options are quite exhaustive. One can send and receive sms, mms and email and instant messages - all at the click of a button. An integrated MP3 player is another important feature that would attract fun loving and young people.

So, the next time you are tempted to dump your old mobile phone and go for a new handset, you could do well to check out the looks, features and specifications of this new Motorola mobile phone

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Laptops and PDAs

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:20:37 GMT

For the business men who are always on the go, there seems to an eternal question in their mind. What should I carry, a laptop or a PDA, or some other mobile gadget? While both the laptop and PDA are designed to make work smarter, better and efficient; there still remains a confusion. The easiest way to reach the answer is to understand the business requirement and then choose what would be the best companion. For this, one first needs to fully understand the benefits and disadvantages of the Laptops and PDAs.

The advantages of a laptop are that the users get the benefit of larger keyboard, which can help them to type faster (a much important feature in a meeting where time is often money). It also has larger display for greater visual appeal and easy to add peripherals. A laptop also has the same software as that of a computer, so one gets all the benefits of working on a PC. Last but not the least; a laptop has more OS available.

The flip side of a laptop is that it takes time to boot. Since it is heavy, it might be of some problem when being carried on for a long distance. A laptop often has a soft battery life, especially when there is no way to recharge it. A laptop need space, it also does not provide you privacy. And yes, a laptop is also a larger target for thieves. Talking of PDA, it is instant on convenience. It is compact, lightweight and requires no space. Yes, it gives a lot of privacy and also is less vulnerable for the thieves.

In short one would say that if you are in some urgent meetings, it�s good to keep a compact PDA to store the basic and important information. And if you are still not sure about the flavour of business meeting, then might as well carry both. For, if the worst happens and one should fail, you still have the other gadgets available and ready to be put to use.

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Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:15:24 GMT

The Dell Inspiron 1520 is one of the most popular Notebooks at the moment. When you shop online at Dell there are a few things you need to keep in mind. The first thing to note is that the "Deals of the Week" change in offer and it sometimes is better to wait the next week. Some weeks it maybe an extra 1Gb of RAM free or an upgraded hard disk other times it could be $100 off or a free Bluetooth mouse or Targus bag. Depending on the special it maybe better to hold off for a better deal. For instance a $100 off on a separate monitor may not be as useful as more RAM on the Notebook, unfortunately it�s a bit of a gamble as you don�t know what is coming up. Dell do provide the date of when the deal ends so you may have to act by this date.

Don�t buy RAM or Hard Disks from Dell� unless they are on special. They�re more expensive than buying outside. For the same price for the upgrade of the hard disk you keep the hard disk on the standard Inspiron build and bought a new third party 160Gb 7200RPM hard disk and still have some spare change. Btw Vista eats RAM like no tomorrow so it's worth getting at least 2Gb's especially if you are gonna have Aero turned on.

Sometimes they offer the a Creative SoundBlaster Audigy. This is NOT hardware and just an application CD that gives the chipset extra features. Really useful stuff like Bathroom Reverb or something. The chipset still appears as a SIGMATEL STAC 92XX C-Major HD Audio and NOT a SoundBlaster Audigy.

Oh another thing. The DELLay. It's all over the Interweb. There have been massive delays in the ordering process of the colored Inspirons. They appear to be coming through now but a few times the order specifically mentions 6-8 week delay for certain colors. Unless you order White or Black (sometimes without the webcam) then you may have to wait. Apparently this is because the spraying process is similar to that of a car and is a very slow procedure. The white ones which seem more available than say blue or green actually has more coats of paint because it�s a gloss sheen. Sadly no other color has this gloss coating. Also the colour only applies to the lid of the Notebook, everything else including the keyboard is silver and the underside is black. These delays obviously don�t deter Dell in still advertising the Inspiron creating more customer backlogs.

Choosing the Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo processor? If you can afford it go for the Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0Ghz and above. Obviously they are a faster clock speed with a 800mhz FSB as opposed to the 667mhz of the T5450 1.66 Ghz. They also have 4mb of cache instead of 2mb which makes a difference.

The 15.4" WXGA+ 1440x900 Widescreen with Truelife is worth going for. The resolution is crisp and not too small. The 1680x1050 option maybe overkill as the monitor is too small for that resolution (a lot of 20.1" monitors are that res). Also LCD's look the best at its native resolution so playing games and having to turn the res down ain't gonna look pretty. The LCD is the glossy type which seems to be easier to wipe off fingerprints than the matt ones but are more prone to reflection. Think carefully before buying a 17� version. They are heavy and sometimes you can get and 15.4� and a separate Dell 17� monitor for about the same price.

The Dell Inspiron 1520 as a Gaming Notebook.

We�ll it�s actually quite good (for a Notebook). The Nvidia 8600m GT works well enough it has 256mb GDDR2. You cannot use shared RAM to increase the graphics RAM either. There are some online debates saying some do come with GDDR3 but to be certain the Asus G1 and G2 do have GDDR3 but are much more expensive. If you've got money to burn there's also the Toshiba X205 with the 8700M GT. Strangely the so called Dell Gaming Notebook the XPS series don�t currently have the Geforce 8 series and go up only to the Geforce Go 7950 GTX which is really baffling. There is less wait time on a XPS though. The 7950 GTX is actually more powerful than the 8600 GT but only has the DX9 code path compared to the 8 series DX10. As mentioned before the 8600M GT would struggle with more recent games at the 1680x1050 resolution and DX10 games would choke. The Inspiron gets reasonably warm when playing games hard you can feel a warm air pushed out through the side vent. Good in winter as a fan heater.

Replacing Vista with XP

This is a real world of hurt. Until Vista SP1 arrives I want to get every bit of performance out of the Inspiron and Vista just doesn't cut the mustard. At the time I bought mine they weren�t offering XP but now they recently have started. It was either Vista Home Basic or Home Premium. The Forceware Nvidia drivers for the 8 series off the Nvidia website DO NOT work. There is only now an 8 series drivers for XP on the Dell website previous to this there was a nice hacked version here: http://www.tweakforce.com

The Creative/SigmaTel audio driver is worse. Real hard to find and SigmaTel don�t support the public so it's up to Dell. So after trying a few that were supposed to work I finally found one on the Dell website from the Dell Community site. This ain�t listed under XP drivers on the Dell Inspiron driver downloads.

When booting an XP CD up it immediately crashed with a PCI.SYS error. I then had to Slipstream a XP build with SP2. After that I had to add Dell SATA drivers to the image. Then download pretty much all the other drivers from the Dell site. Maybe they have rectified that now with the inclusion of XP.

The Good

A really cheap laptop for the components you get and one of the best gaming laptops available. The build quality is pretty good.
Nice looking.
You get what you ordered online pretty much delivered with Dell. For me nothing was missing or the wrong hardware.
The tracking of delivery is reasonably accurate and I manage to get it a day before the expected arrival date.
The Dell Service Tag is a good feature and allows you to enter your Notebooks Service Tag into their website which will bring up the details of your hardware.
There is a fair bit of documentation, driver CD�s and DVD�s.
You get the actual DVD for the OS.
The BIOS isn�t too bad (for Dell) there are a fair bit of options. But you can�t seem to tweak the CPU or RAM in anyway.
The WiFi seems pretty good, it�s got three aerials built in. There's also a slider that turns off WiFi if not needed. You also get Bluetooth.
There are some speaker and play buttons on the front panel that are pretty convenient. The Notebook sound itself is quite good.
The keyboard is pretty good though a little cramped considering the size of the laptop. Not too spongey and they look like they are clipped on pretty well compared to some of the Lenovo ThinkPads which have fiddlely little clips if the keys accidentally fall off.
The Targus bag for cheap.

The Bad

The DELLay on certain colors.
The delivery wait when ordering online on a normal day.
The initial build on the Inspiron 1520 which was Vista Home Basic is full of bloatware. Like the Google Desktop search and Norton�s Anti-Virus with a limited subscription.
Dell's XP driver support is all over the place. Maybe they've fixed this now by selling it with XP, dunno.
Your 120Gb or 160Gb hard disk is divided into three partitions at the factory. A hidden recovery one and a C: and D:. The D: has some drivers and a recovery for Windows to reinstall to factory defaults.
If you want a Track Point you will need to go to the Lattitude series (under the Business option) or shell out some serious money for a ThinkPad. With the Inspirons your stuck with a Thermal Pad. I personally don�t like em but some do.
The Dell Inspiron is pretty heavy and coupled with the large-ish power supply it's borderline for lugging around in a backpack all day as a student.

Ed Scott: http://www.RigRank.com.

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

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