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BenQ Joybook Lite U101

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:39:46 +0000

The holiday season may be nearing the end, but it doesn’t mean the gifts have stopped coming. This morning the netbook stork dropped off a little bundle of Joy (puns haven’t been this good since the MSI Wind first blew into town) – the BenQ JoyBook Lite U101. Straight from Taiwan, the JoyBook Lite U101 appears to be just another 10-inch netbook but it has a few special perks that could separate it from the crowd.

We will be posting our full review of the netbook in the next day or so, but for now here are our first impressions and a hands-on video. Enjoy (last pun we promise)!

Wordsearch Styled, Lid
BenQ, like us, must have felt that netbooks were starting to look too similar to each other. The JoyBook Lite’s lid sports an “emoticon design.” Small symbols (reminiscent of the Wing ding’s font) are imprinted in the navy blue (also available in white, black, and pink) lid. After giving the lid some really careful inspection, we realized that the words “Joybook Lite” are spelled out in a diagonal pattern. It reminds us of a WordSearch. The lid design is different (and I like it), but we aren’t sure it will appeal to everyone.

The 10-inch netbook weighs 2.6-pounds (3.2-pounds with its AC adapter). It measures 10.1 x 7.44 x 1.25-inches. When placed next to the MSI Wind, it appears wider but thinner.

Disappointing Keyboard and Trackpad
BenQ may claim that the keyboard on the JoyBook lite is 90-percent full size, but it is more comparable to that on 8.9-inch netbooks. There is space on both sides of the keyboard which could and should have been used to extend the panel. Additionally, the right Shift key has been shrunken and is placed to the right of the up arrow key. Beyond all of that, the keys are comfortable and we were able to type this post at a decent speed.

The trackpad, while small, was fine for navigating around the desktop. However, the single mouse bar is extremely loud.

16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
The JoyBook Lite’s 10.2-inch display has a 16:9 aspect ratio with a native resolution of 1024 x 576 (most netbooks come have a 1024 x 600 resolution). One of the first 10-inch netbooks with a 16:9 aspect ratio, the JoyBook will allow for viewing movies or DVD (using an external optical drive) without the small borders along the top of the screen. While this aspect ratio on larger 16-inch notebooks makes a difference, we don’t really see the benefit of this on a smaller screen that one won’t frequently watch DVD or high-def movies on.

Additionally, subtraction of 24 vertical pixels limits the amount of space you have vertically on the screen. Check out the screen captures below comparing the NYTimes.com homepage on the JoyBook’s screen and the 1024 x 600 screen on the MSI Wind. The Wind grabs at least one more line of text on the page (you can see the caption below Michael Phelps on the Wind but not on the BenQ). More scrolling is in order on the JoyBook. If you can look past the missing vertical pixels, the glossy LED screen is bright and pleasant to use.

Initial Performance Impressions, Easy Modding
We are in the process of running benchmarks on the JoyBook Lite, but in our short hands-on, it provided the netbook performance we have come to expect from a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor bundled with Windows XP. Our unit seems to be registering 1.5GB of RAM, though according to BenQ’s site it has a maximum of 1GB. Writing this post in Microsoft Word 2003 (a full version oddly came with the netbook!) while listening to tunes over Slacker.com in Firefox was smooth. The 160GB hard drive booted the Windows XP Home operating system in a not-too-shabby 45 seconds (see the video below)

A first look around the system also indicates that it could be a modder’s paradise. On the backside of the system are two slots – one that is labeled SSD and another that opens up to the RAM, etc. BenQ covers the SSD slot with a sticker that says “Warranty Void if Seal Damaged.” Oh well!

The SSD slot is empty but has a PATA/ZIF slot and room for a very tiny, 1.8-inch disk. The RAM slot has access to an open mini-PCI-e slot that could potentially accommodate a PCI-e SSD card or 3G modem (there is a SIM card slot behind the battery). If you take off the battery, you can also access the laptop’s 2.5-inch hard drive (see more pictures in the gallery).

Early Verdict
The BenQ JoyBook U101 shows some early weaknesses, including a troublesome keyboard. We also don’t really see the benefit of having a 16:9 aspect ratio on a netbook. But other than that, BenQ’s stylish lid, free reign to exchange its internal components and basic netbook performance is bound to pull in some fans.

Review Video:

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BenQ JoyBook X31

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:27:06 +0000

The BenQ JoyBook is an excellent all-rounder at an affordable price, attempting to cater to the widest user base possible. Unfortunately, this also means that it had become a Jack of all trades, master of none. For users with more specific needs, like security or hardcore gaming, the JoyBook X31 just falls a little short of perfection.

When we first heard that the X31 holds the high-end Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT video card, gaming was the first to come to mind. But then we learned that it uses a low-voltage processor and fingerprint sensor, we suspected that it was also gunning for corporate users, except that it lacks strong security features and docking options. The touch-sensitive multimedia buttons and HDMI output hint at an entertainment focus, except that it forgot to include a TV tuner or remote control.

According to BenQ, the X31 is targeted at professional graphics designers, gamers as well as students. But we felt the X31 is suited only for the last group. At S$2,299 (US$1,538.51), it is possibly one of the cheapest thin-and-light laptop with an integrated optical drive and discrete graphics performance. Its nearest competitor, the LG P300, holds the same distinction except that it costs a whopping S$3,799 (US$2,542.33). Even Dell finds it hard to compete as its popular XPS M1330 costs a few hundred more despite having a much less powerful video card.

Design

Despite its low price, we’re glad BenQ did not skimp when it came to designing the chassis. Bucking the trend of glossy surfaces, the magnesium-aluminum chassis has a low-maintenance matt body. The top cover has a nice rubberized brown paint job, which reminds us of the kind used in the military that doesn’t require constant cleaning and is a little resilient to scratches. Weighing in at 1.95kg with a footprint of 320 x 229 x 25.3mm, it may not be the lightest 13.3-incher in the market. But with its discrete graphics chipset and integrated optical drive it is an easy compromise to forgive.

Thanks to LED backlighting technology invading laptop displays, the X31 has a very slim LCD which can be tilted a full 180 degrees. An integrated Webcam with a microphone sits above the 13.3-inch panel. Like many entertainment laptops today, the multimedia controls are now touch-sensitive and glow with a blue light when powered up. Though we agree that the slot-in DVD drive adds a little snob appeal to the device, we have our concerns that frequent loading and unloading of discs may result in some scratching.

The full-sized keyboard is comfortable to work with, while the trackpad is reasonably responsive. Though it may not turn heads like the Sony VAIO SZ series, or have as many color options as the Dell XPS M1330, the simple and functional design of the JoyBook X31 more than serves its purpose without requiring frequent cleaning.

Features

The JoyBook X31 is a mixed bag of gaming, entertainment and business features. This is great if you are a student looking for a general purpose machine at an affordable cost. Unfortunately, it also means that if your needs are more specific, the JoyBook X31 probably won’t be able to deliver.

For gamers looking for a thin-and-light capable of rendering graphics with the best of them, their only choice used to be the LG P300 which, unfortunately, was priced above larger but more powerful machines such as the XPS M1530. The S$2,299 (US$1,538.51) JoyBook X31 is a lot more affordable, while its high-end Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card with 256MB of discrete memory can handle even the latest titles (though not at maximum resolution and texture settings). However, this is where the BenQ hits its first stumbling block.

By going with the low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor to preserve battery life, the X31 removes one of the two foundations of a gaming machine. While the graphics processor handles the eye candy and is the most prominent component when it comes to games, the processor is fundamental in calculating in-game physics as well as the raw number-crunching power needed to realistically simulate the virtual environment. This may be the reason the X31, despite its graphics card, can only handle Crysis at 20fps on medium setting at 1,280 x 720 resolution. It also runs exceptionally hot, though this is to be expected due to its powerful graphics engine.

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BenQ Joybook S33

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:59:47 +0000

Recently showcased at the Product Demonstration 2008, Joybook S33 is the fashionable notebook from BenQ which featuring 13.3-inch screen display with BenQ’s UltraVivid technology with DBEF(Display Brilliance Enhancement Film) that enables increased screen brightness and sharpened details.

Powered by Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400, the S33 supports Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. Other features included SRS TruSurround XT technology with a built-in 1.5W stereo speaker and a 2-megapixel webcam. BenQ Joybook S33 comes in two different colors such as white and navy.

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BenQ Joybook S42

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:46:06 +0000

When we reviewed the JoyBook S41 17 months ago, it was one of the first to insert a high-end discrete graphics processor in a 14.1-inch laptop. Moreover, at just over S$2,000 (US$1,338.42), it was also very affordable considering that larger machines with the same video performance cost much more.

The Taiwan company is at it again and the latest update, the JoyBook S42, continues the tradition of equipping a thin-and-light with high-end video performance. Thanks to the latest Centrino 2 platform, this machine also has a new trick up its sleeve in the form of Hybrid Graphics. Surprisingly, BenQ also managed to make this S$1,888 (US$1,263.47) machine significantly cheaper than its predecessor.

Design

The S42 uses the same chassis as the JoyBook S41, and hence is a virtual twin of the latter, save for the top cover. While the attractiveness of the polka dot theme on the S41 was debatable, we had no issues with the new blue vein pattern on the S42. Though the cover sports a glossy surface, we were glad to see that it doesn’t pick up finger oils easily and is relatively scratch-resistant. We liked the fact that the machine is built to withstand 50kg of pressure as well as drop-tested at 30cm, making it a hardy machine suitable for the knocks and bumps of urban travel. The aluminum palm rest is a great way to finish off an aesthetically pleasing design.

However, there have been some compromises made to fit a high-end graphics card in a portable form factor. In order to ensure proper ventilation, the body is thicker at 38.7mm compared with most other 14.1-inch machines, though the carry weight was kept at a reasonable 2.05kg. The lack of multimedia and application shortcut keys also means that simple tasks like volume control and brightness settings require two buttons to be pressed. The latter omission is lamentable, it’s not a deal-breaker for most.

Features

Though it is almost identical to the S41 when it comes to feature set, there are some upgrades which deserve special mention. For one, the resolution of the integrated Webcam has been bumped up from 1.3 megapixels to 2 megapixels. The other notable change is in its display.

One of the main drawbacks in the early days of LCD technology was the ghosting effect. This occurred when the LCD pixels were unable to switch on and off fast enough for the video, hence creating a fuzzy image especially for fast-moving graphics. The minimum response time to eliminate ghosting is 12ms. The 14.1-inch screen on the JoyBook S42 has a response time of 8ms, making it suitable for action movies as well as intense gaming sessions. Moreover, the backlights are now powered by LED instead of the older CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) technology. This not only allows the display to save power, it’s also brighter at 220nits compared with the standard 200nits found on other CCFL-backlit machines.

However, a great screen is pointless if the underlying graphics engine (GPU) is powerful enough only for Word documents or Excel spreadsheets. Fortunately, this is one area where the S42 performs. Decked out with a 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT video processor, this thin-and-light has enough raw power for gaming and even high-definition movie viewing, though you might want to hook up to an external full-HD display via the VGA or HDMI port in the latter scenario as the built-in LCD is capable only of 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution. Blu-ray movies are a no-go, either, as the laptop comes with a DVD writer without the option to upgrade to the next-generation optical standard. Another caveat is that the laptop runs rather hot while the GPU is on full blast, though that is to be expected from fitting in a relatively high-end video chip inside a portable form factor.

Because this laptop is built on the new Centrino 2 platform with Hybrid Graphics technology, the machine automatically switches to the integrated Intel video processor when running on battery to conserve power. Simply hook up the notebook to AC power to activate the discrete GPU. If you need to use the discrete Nvidia GeForce chip while on battery, you’ll need to customize the power profiles.

Review Video:

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BenQ Joybook 8100

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:25:05 +0000

A fantastic specification notebook with all the trimmings you’d expect to find on more expensive notebooks, the Joybook 8100-V13 has a 15.4in widescreen WXGA with native 1280 x 800 resolution. With ATI’s Mobility RADEON 9600 graphics, boasting 64MB dedicated video memory, it’s great for DVD playback or gaming — the unit returned 9,502 marks under 3DMark01SE Pro, more than enough to provide comfortable gameplay with a decent number of fps even in recent games. BenQ has gone as far as to include not just a DVD-ROM for DVD movie playback, but an optical DVD writer, capable of 2-speed DVD+R media writing, ideal for both business archiving or for personal backup.

As attractive as it is functional, this notebook is sure to impress with its speed, features and great looks.

The Joybook 8100-v13 also comes supplied with a remote control, which works in conjunction with the pre-installed Q-Media centre software to allow you to control your DVD playback remotely. What sort of DVD experience would be complete without the full surround sound experience? BenQ has that covered, with an optical Toslink output socket located on the rear of the unit, letting you run audio to an existing home theatre set up. Front mounted infrared, audio controls and speakers meant everything was readily accessible, although lap bound use may result in muffled sound with speakers covered by clothing.

As the unit is a part of the Centrino platform, it also includes an Intel 802.11b wireless module and the 855 series chipset, validated for use with Centrino hotspots around the country. At nearly three kilos, it’s not the lightest notebook, but for a widescreen model like this it’s well balanced. However, it may not appeal to road warriors, who might prefer something smaller and lighter such as the Fujitsu Lifebook P5020 (Issue 78, page 56)

For users who would like to restore their system to its former glory, BenQ includes a set of recovery CDs – it’s as simple as putting the discs in and restarting the system. Although both the Toshiba and Sony recovery process in our Labs this month restores drivers as well as operating system, the Joybook 8100-V13 restores only the OS, the drivers then need to be re-added manually from the second CD. A fantastic notebook with plenty to brag about, it’s attractive, functional and a real speed demon — definitely worth checking out for anyone in the market for a new entertainment ‘book.

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BenQ Joybook A52E

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:17:41 +0000

The beauty of simple
The Joybook A52E’s black sheen suggests nothing so much as the sleek surfaces of a piano, the inspiration for its appearance. When the lid with its glistening silvery highlights is opened up, the resemblance becomes even more striking. Even the elegantly laid-out keyboard suggests the musical instrument, completing a design that mingles impeccable taste and visual grace.

Technology made classic
The BenQ Joybook A52E series features a 15.4″ extra-bright glossy widescreen display and exquisitely crafted keyboard. The display uses an LCD with a fastest 16ms response time, drawing on a graphics subsystem based on the ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M. Joybook A52E with Microsoft’s new Windows Vista™ operating system has been subjected to a rigorous battery of more than 25 tests to ensure it meets the highest standard in all aspects. Through every detail, this instant mobile computing classic conveys a perfect harmony of advanced technology and artful design.

When technology finds beauty
The keyboard on the Joybook A52E series provides just the right amount of spring for comfortable typing on the beautifully sculpted keys. And design touches like the subtle mesh texture in the area above the keyboard make this notebook a splendid melding of high technology and refined aesthetics.

UltraVivid technology for video with real-life impact
The Joybook A52E’s gorgeous 15.4″ screen benefits from BenQ’s exclusive UltraVivid technology, with DBEF™ (Display Brilliance Enhancement Film) increasing screen brightness and sharpening details. The result is a scintillating viewing experience whatever is on screen.

World’s fastest response time at 16 milliseconds
With an industry-best 16ms response time, the advanced LCD in the BenQ Joybook A52E ensures fluid, artifact-free video even displaying fast-moving dynamic content such as games and movies.

ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M

With its ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M, the Joybook A52E provides ample graphics power for the hottest games and DVD movie viewing.

Specification:

CPU: Intel® Celeron® M Processor 440
Chipset: ATI® RC415MD
Graphic Chip: ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M (shared VGA memory, max. to 128M)
Memory: DDRII-667 512MB (max to 2.0 GB)
Hard Drive: 80 GB (5400RPM-SATA)
Optical Drive: 8X DVD Super-Multi (Support Double Layer)
Screen Size: 15.4″ UltraVivid* widescreen display
Resolution: WXGA(1280×800)
Brightness: 200nit

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic

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BenQ Joybook R58

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:57:03 +0000

The Joybook R58 is designed to suit discriminating taste. With its exquisite design, featuring both gorgeous visuals and sumptuous textures, this is one brilliantly realized laptop you’re sure to take a shine to.

Add some sparkle
Even a cursory glance at the Joybook R58 reveals that it’s no ordinary laptop. Your eyes will delight in the star-like sparkles seeming to glimmer beneath the surface of the lid. Then open up the Joybook R58 to behold and let your hands be pampered by the delicate weave-textured palm rest.

Take it easy on your fingers
With key spacing actually greater than standard, the R58’s keyboard provides a superior typing experience. In addition to greater comfort, you get reduced typing errors and faster typing speeds. And when you need to enter numerical data, the numeric keypad saves time and improves ease of use.

Surround yourself in sound
Devoted to providing a delightful sensory experience, the R58 does not neglect to please the ears. Whether you’re listening to your favorite music or viewing a beloved film on DVD, you’ll feel immersed in captivating sound thanks to the surround-sound effects delivered by SRS TruSurround HD™ and SRS Headphone 360™ technology.

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BenQ Joybook R56

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:49:25 +0000

Although it lacks the pizzazz of BenQ’s Joybook S41 V18 and Joybook S32W-PV14 notebooks, the BenQ Joybook R56-BV04 business notebook still has some juice under the lid and its clean-slate feel will appeal to those looking for a simple, but powerful notebook machine.

The design is very much BenQ’s old-school blue-silver layout, but there’s very little else to evoke nostalgia. In fact, with features like its HDMI port and, even more impressive, its e-SATA port, the Joybook R56 is making one small step for BenQ and one fair leap for notebook-kind.

The most interesting feature for this notebook is probably e-SATA as there are currently very few notebooks that offer it, and the ones we have seen are gaming or entertainment notebooks, which are typically more powerful (see also the HP Pavilion HDX9003TX and the ASUS G2S). The e-SATA port has a theoretical maximum speed of 3GBps as opposed to USB 2.0, which has only 480MBps. Devices, such as the Vantec NexStar 3 NST-360SU-BK can be connected via the e-SATA port and are great for transferring large amounts of data in a short time.

Although this unit is not designed as a multimedia device or media centre of sorts, as a computer it is capable. For instance there’s plenty of room on the 160GB hard drive to store movies or music, and of course there’s the DVD re-writer, which will burn discs and play DVD movies. The internal speakers aren’t really noteworthy, but you can always plug in a pair of headphones.

With the HDMI port this experience can be continued at home. Plugging the notebook into your TV or home theatre via HDMI gives you all the benefits of a computer with the quality of your home entertainment setup. If your work requires video conferencing or you’re an avid video chat user you’ll appreciate the 1.3-megapixel webcam built into the screen.

An Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 2GHz CPU with an 800MHz front side bus and a 4MB L2 cache gives this unit most of its grunt, and the 1GB of DDR2 RAM helps. A basic, NVIDIA 8400M G handles the graphics, rather than using Intel’s onboard graphics.

In our benchmarks the Joybook R56 performed well. The score of 74 in WorldBench 6 indicates this machine has plenty of potential. Applications, such as word processors and Web browsers will run without issues and you may even get some reasonable performance out of more taxing applications like Adobe Photoshop.

In the encoding tests we saw reasonable results. Audio encoding is a function primarily handled by the CPU and is a gauge of its performance. These results also give you an idea of how long it might take to load your CD library to this notebook. Using iTunes to encode 53 minutes worth of WAV files to 192Kbps MP3 files took just 89 seconds, while in Cdex, which only uses one core of the CPU took 128 seconds.

Battery tests returned average results. In our DVD rundown test the BenQ Joybook lasted just 84 minutes. This test is particularly draining on the battery and is considered a worst-case scenario, so you can expect longer life from everyday usage.

The keyboard is quite comfortable to type on over extended periods and the touchpad is responsive. The screen, which has a native resolution of 1280×800, produces a fairly bright image, although contrast levels aren’t quite up to scratch. Notebook screens often have poor viewing angles and this is no exception, but for general use it is fine.

Review Video:

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BenQ Joybook P53

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:30:03 +0000

Forged to AV Perfection
Outfitted with state-of-the-art AV capabilities, the BenQ Joybook P53 delivers a premium viewing and listening experience for multimedia content. Best of all, it comes in a thoughtful design with a lid boasting the texture of fine leather and a motif in the metallic band that echoes the essence of digital lifestyle, connectivity.

Double the graphics power
The P53 brings a cinema-class experience to a laptop. The mighty graphics capabilities inside allows it to use a discrete graphics chipset in addition to the one integrated on the system for demanding display tasks. This enables better visual experience you can expect from a discrete graphics chipset.

Perfect the sound effect
Imagine the immersive sound that surrounds you and the bass that rumbles. With the P53, a superior true surround sound effect over speakers and headphones is possible because of the SRS TruSurround HD™ and the SRS Headphone 360™.

Expand the storage capacity
Because there’s so much you can do with it, there’s a bay for a second internal hard disk drive to expand storage capacity. Whether you’re in the mood for a hit film on DVD or the hottest new game, the P53 has got you covered.

Specifications
CPU AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology
-AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Ultra Dual-Core Processor ZM-80
Operating System Windows Vista® Home Premium
Windows Vista® Home Basic
Windows Vista® Business Upgrade Recommended
Chipset AMD RS780MN + SB700 Chipsets
Graphics ATI Radeon HD3450 256MB
Memory DDRII 667 1GB and above (max to 4.0GB)
Hard Drive 120/160/250/320 GB (5400RPM – SATA; max to 640GB)
Optical Drive 8X DVD Super-Multi (Support Double Layer)
Screen Size 15.4″ UltraVivid widescreen
Response Time: 8ms
Resolution WXGA(1280×800)
Brightness 220nits

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BenQ Joybook S32B

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:18:57 +0000

At the end of last year, we reviewed BenQ’s Joybook S32 (BV13), an all-purpose notebook that offered an adequate performance across the board. It neither wowed nor disappointed us during the testing process, but remained a reasonably balanced computer for the asking price. As you’ve probably guessed from its identikit name, the Joybook S32B (BV14) is a nominal upgrade cut from the same vanilla cloth. If you’re after an affordable notebook that can handle a few business applications, as well as your basic entertainment needs, the (BV14) is unlikely to disappoint – just don’t expect to have your socks blown off by what it offers.

The S32B (BV14) sports a Core 2 Duo T7250 2GHz processor running on Centrino’s Santa Rosa platform (up from the (BV14)’s T7100 CPU). While the inclusion of 1GB of DDR2 RAM may seem a bit on the spare side, this can be upgraded to a maximum of 3GB to ensure a zippier ride. Once again, BenQ has opted for an Intel GMA GM965 shared graphics chip, as opposed to a dedicated GPU. This pretty much puts the S32B (BV14) out of contention as a gaming notebook, a fact made clear by its score of 319 in 3D Mark06. Older games should pose no problem however, with 3DMark 2001 returning a semi-decent result of 2558. (It will also handle Vista’s complex Aero interface without a hitch.)

Curiously, when we ran our Workbench 6 application, which assesses a notebook’s processing speed and overall performance, the S32B (BV14) failed to fully complete the test. This is even more baffling when you consider that the earlier BV13 model managed this feat on its first attempt (albeit with a rather average score of 68). Regardless of this fact, the BV14 will ably handle most day-to-day tasks, such as Web surfing, word processing and DVD playback. More taxing applications, such as video editing or intensive multitasking, may slow down the machine however. This indicates that the (BV14) is aimed at business users with a penchant for occasional entertainment, a fact bolstered by its unfussy, professional appearance.

Indeed, when it comes to design, the Joybook S32B (BV14) strikes the perfect balance between flashy good looks and stylish understatement. The black lid sports a striking pop art influenced pattern that is nevertheless quite subtle. It lends the notebook a sense of ‘cool’ that is hard to pin down; a bit like that quiet, lanky kid in high school who inexpiably got all the girls (You know the type we’re talking about. They usually wear hats at jaunty angles).

The sense of style continues inside the notebook, with a classy interior finished in basic black and framed by an elegant silver rim. The keyboard is nicely sized for a model with these dimensions (334×227.5×30mm), though the location of the Fn key may cause initial frustration due to its close proximity to the Ctrl key. The ripple-textured touchpad was pleasantly responsive, suffering from none of the sluggishness that we criticised the (BV13) for.

We found the 13.3in widescreen display to be equally attractive, combining size and portability to handsome effect. Image quality was above average, with its native resolution of 1280×800 offering good levels of brightness and contrast. However, reflections became an issue under fluorescent lighting, despite BenQ’s much touted ‘low-reflectivity’ anti-glare coating. Attempting to view the screen from unconventional angles also proved problematic. As such, the display is really only suited to one viewer at a time.

For a budget notebook which is also comparatively lightweight, the Joybook S32VB (BV14) has its fair share of components and features. Notable standouts include no less than four USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, a mini-FireWire port, plus a built-in microphone and 1.3-megapixel webcam. In our DVD rundown test, the notebook’s battery lasted an impressive 134 minutes. This is more than enough time to get you through the majority of feature length movies; making the (BV14) a boon for travellers who frequently engage in long commutes.

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BenQ Joybook R43

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:06:19 +0000

Inspired by the lights from the windows at city night, the new BenQ Joybook R43 is designed to capture the spirit of a great metropolis. The Joybook R43 features a deep black lid accented by a unique ornamental band. The unique ornamental band was imprinted with Laminar Film technology to outline a great metropolis’ skyline in pop art style. Featuring Intel Core 2 Duo processor and SiS Mirage 3+ chipset with Windows Vista operating system, the Joybook R43 provides multimedia applications, digital home features in combination with performance and data security. The Joybook R43 also allows easy access to the Internet using high-speed Wi-fi networks, and connects easily to Bluetooth-capable phones and peripherals, such as mice and keyboards.

BenQ Joybook R43 is also outfitted with BenQ’s QData Trove technology that ensures information security. With a single press of Alt and F10 keys, a backup of the entire system drive can be initiated into a single designated image file. The BenQ Joybook R43 will firstly be available in China in December, with other countries to follow in the coming months.

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BenQ Joybook A53

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:00:02 +0000

BenQ announced the launch of its latest notebook PC, the Joybook A53 on Wednesday. It is the fourth laptop in the company’s A-series range, sitting at the top as its flagship. The 15.4-inch Joybook sports a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor and BenQ is pushing the A53’s “metropolitan aesthetic” visible in the etched, brushed-metal finish. Other specifications include Windows Vista certification and an optional 8x dual-layer DVD writer.

The sharp-looking laptop also boasts a numeric keypad that pushes the imprinted touch-pad off-center — with keys that are 20 percent larger and with greater spacing between them than standard desktops — for greater ergonomics and ease of use. The large LCD features BenQ’s proprietary UltraVivid technology and DBEF coating that enhance picture quality, and the response time is a fast 8 milliseconds, on par with HDTVs. A 0.3-megapixel camera is built-in above the LCD screen.

Buyers get a 5400rpm SATA hard drive, in a choice of four capacities ranging from 80 to 200GB, while standard memory comes at 512MB but is upgradeable to 2 GB. The Joybook’s seeming downside is the battery life, rated at an approximate 2.3 hours by BenQ.

The A53 is already available in Poland, Russia, China, Thailand and Australia, with more countries getting the new notebook soon. Pricing has not been announced.

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BenQ Joybook S41

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:50:42 +0000

Despite barely tipping the S$2,000 (US$1,338.42) price point, we are glad to see that the JoyBook S41 does not skimp on build quality despite its high-end specifications. Based on the Santa Rosa chipset, it is possibly the smallest notebook to offer the powerful Nvidia GeForce 8600M GS graphics card. Though some may appreciate its minimalist design, we felt that it could have offered better value if more dedicated controls grace its facade.

Design
Aesthetics is a personal thing, but we really have a love-hate relationship with the JoyBook S41. On one hand, the exterior looks like a cheap plasticky affair made worse by a polka-dot texturing of the top cover (though we must admit that the material is low maintenance as it does not pick up dirt or finger oils). But flip open the display and the sleek minimalist interior almost makes up for the previous faux pax.

The S41 weighs a reasonable 2.05kg with a volume of 337 x 248 x 38.7mm. The JoyBook is rather thick compared to other 14.1-inch models like the LG R405 and ThinkPad R61, both of which also hold discrete graphics cards. However, if you need a powerful gaming machine which does not weigh you down, there is no equivalent to the JoyBook S41.

The keyboard borders and palm rest is molded from dark silver metal, with the circumference of the power button lit with a nice blue glow. The Webcam which sits above is the display flushed with the mirror-finished border. The touchpad is also worthy of mention. The black surface has a slightly rough texture, giving a nice feedback while navigating. There is a single button bar below, similar to those found on Mac notebooks but slimmer. However, unlike Macs, the button allows for both right and left-click functionality. The flushed touchpad may be a beauty, but for those who use their thumbs for a quick click may find themselves hitting the navigation pad instead.

The rear is reserved for the battery and Kensington lock only, with connectivity ports flanking both sides of the JoyBook. The fact that the microphone and dual headphone jacks (one of which is S/PDIF-compatible) are located on the front is a mixed bag. It may prevent wire tangles when typing on the notebook, but looks a little unsightly if you intend to hook up the S41 to an external display for movie viewing. We lament the lack of dedicated multimedia controls, forcing us to use the two-button press system for changing volume, screen brightness, etc.

Features
The S$2,099 (US$1,404.67) JoyBook S41 offers a generous array of connectivity options on the fastest Centrino platform to date. Its strength lies in the Nvidia GeForce 8600M GS graphics processor running under its 14.1-inch chassis. On the multimedia front, it loses to the Lenovo Y410 which has an integrated subwoofer and dedicated multimedia controls, and neither is it a security fort like the ThinkPad T61.

According to BenQ, the 14.1-inch LCD has the world’s fastest response time (for a notebook display) of 16ms. This means that the individual pixels takes 16ms to change colors. However, for gaming and fast-moving animation this may not be fast enough, as a response time of under 12ms is ideal to prevent image ghosting. Fortunately, you can hook up the JoyBook to external displays via the VGA or HDMI output. The widescreen uses transflective technology with a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

Those who depend on network connectivity to get their work done will appreciate the blazing fast Gigabit Ethernet port and Draft-N Wi-Fi radio built into the JoyBook. A modem is present as well as the ubiquitous Bluetooth. However, some Asia-Pacific countries might not have units with integrated Bluetooth radios and users will have to fork out a little extra for an adapter.

You can link external devices to the generous four USB 2.0 ports, mini-FireWire or ExpressCard/54 slot. A five-in-one memory card reader is compatible with SD/MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro and xD-Picture cards. There is a 1.3-megapixel Webcam sitting above the display for video conferencing but, unlike HP Pavilion’s dual-array mics straddling the lens, there is only a single microphone on the palm rest. This may reduce the audio pickup for those who like to multitask talking and typing.

Despite its powerful visual performance, the sound quality from its stereo speakers is rather weak and tinny. The SRS TruSurround XT audio enhancement is best felt through good quality headphones. Fortunately, an S/PDIF jack is available for digital link to an external audio setup.

The full-sized keyboard makes good room of available space to provide keys of adequate size and travel. Like most notebooks, optical storage is handled by the Super Multi DVD writer drive, which can handle almost all flavors of CD, CDRW, DVD and DVD-RW in existence. The drive is integrated into the unit so you can’t upgrade to a HD-DVD or Blu-ray format in the future.

Performance And Battery Life
Our review unit of the JoyBook S41 holds a Core 2 Duo T7100 1.8GHz processor with 1GB of system RAM and 100GB harddisk. We couldn’t run MobileMark on the installed Windows Vista Home Premium Edition as yet (or any other flavor of Vista for that matter), though the 64-bit capable platform performed smoothly through productivity and multimedia applications. But where it really shined was during our 3DMark06 gaming test. The Nvidia GeForce 8600M GS graphics card (GPU) has 1GB of TurboCache memory, which takes system RAM to supplement its dedicated video memory during heavy computing load. The high-end DirectX 10-compatible GPU blazed through the benchmark with an impressive score of 2,743. This puts it in the same gaming performance league as larger 15.4-inch machines like the ASUS Lamborghini VX2 and Acer Aspire 5920G. It should have no problems running the latest or even upcoming games, though realistically you should still settle for gaming desktops if you expect high frame rates at exceptional resolutions.

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BenQ Joybook R55

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:37:25 +0000

Design
BenQ’s Joybook R55 is a desktop replacement designed for both work and play. As expected, mobility isn’t one of the notebook’s trump cards, and its weight of 2.8kg (with battery) and dimensions of 355mm by 254.6mm by 25.5-35.5mm can certainly attest to this.

Looks-wise, the R55, with its multi-shaded purple chassis is certainly unique, although it may appear somewhat out-of-place in a typical office environment. That said, it’s definitely a welcomed change from the typical grey/black designs we’re so used to by now.

The first indication that this is a notebook that’s well-suited to multimedia applications is the line of ports along the front — there’s a line-out/headphone jack, line-in for connecting up a portable audio player (also supports digital S/PDIF connections) , a microphone jack and a mini-Firewire port. To the right lies two USB 2.0 ports, a 56Kbps modem port, an Express Card slot and a 4-in-1 memory card reader (supporting MS, MS Pro, SD and MMC cards). The back of the unit is bare, but on the left you’ll find two more USB 2.0 ports, S-Video and VGA outputs for connecting up an external display, and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port. Also on the left is a connector for hooking up the optional port replicator, which provides a VGA port, two USB 2.0 ports, printer port, Ethernet jack, COM port, headphone jack, and DC-in socket.

Curiously, unlike many multimedia laptops we’ve seen, the R55 offers no multimedia quick-launch buttons for easily navigating between tracks or adjusting the volume. Instead, some of the keys on the keyboard double as these multimedia controls, but this method is more cumbersome as you’re forced to hold down the “Function” key at the same time as the desired multimedia key. To be fair, some traditional quick-launch buttons are present — e-mail, Web browser and one to enable/disable the 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi chip — but none are user-programmable.

The trackpad and mouse buttons are large and comfortable to use, but it must be said that the latter make a far louder “clicking” sound when depressed than what we’re used to. The keyboard is also comfortable, offering large keys and an adequate pitch of 19.05mm.

Features
By far the standout feature of the R55 is its display, which measures 15.4 inches and offers a WXGA resolution of 1280×800. Its response time is 16ms, which BenQ says is the “fastest response time” offered by any laptop display. The advantage of this is that fast-paced action sequences are shown without any noticeable motion blurring. From our testing we can confirm that the screen produces sharp images with little to no blurring effects.

Considering its low price of AU$2299, the R55 offers some high-end internal components. We are particularly impressed with the Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 graphics chip offered, which should accommodate most gamers’ needs, although you may need to wind down the image quality settings on some of the latest titles. The 1GB of memory on offer is also impressive (similarly-priced notebooks typically come with 512MB), while the 1.66GHz Core Duo processor and 80GB 5400RPM hard drive is sufficient but far from the faster or largest you’ll find.

Those with a penchant for video conferencing should note that the R55 doesn’t offer a webcam, but if you’re happy with audio-only the dual microphones allow for great sound quality and range.

Finally, a number of proprietary BenQ applications enhance the laptop’s multimedia features tremendously. BenQ QMedia opens up a handy media centre interface that floats on the desktop and gives users fast access to their Web browser, e-mail client, BenQ’s QMusic audio playback software, PowerDVD, Nero and Photo Explorer. Other bundled applications include Trend Micro Anti Virus (12 month licence), BenQ Q-DataTrove (for one-touch data backups) and Skype Voice Mail.

Performance
Considering its relatively slow processor, we were very pleased with the R55’s MobileMark2005 office productivity performance rating of 206. This is only a couple of points faster than Acer’s Aspire 5765WLHi, but becomes very impressive when you consider that the Acer unit packs a 2.16GHz processor (compared to the R55’s 1.66GHz model).

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