Lenovo ThinkPad X100e | Technophile
The ThinkPad X100e has both good and bad points, depending on whether you see it as an overpriced netbook or a cut-price ThinkPad business notebook The IBM ThinkPad became the industry's premier notebook brand after the launch of the 700T in 1992, and its distinctive black styling and red TrackPoint became a noticeable part of business travel. ThinkPads were never cheap, but they were very durable, had outstanding keyboards, and you could get support and spare parts almost anywhere. Prices came down after China's Lenovo took over IBM's PC division, but the brand has managed to retain most of its value. I've been carrying ThinkPads everywhere for more than a decade, so I was delighted to see the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e when it appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. It was almost love at first sight. After using one (Type 2876), I'm less impressed, and my views might have tipped too far the other way. The main problem with the X100e is trying to decide what it is.
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Lenovo ThinkPad X100e | Technophile
Asus Eee PC1005PE review | Technophile
The new Asus netbook has terrific battery life, but is let down by limited processing power This year has seen the introduction of a new generation of netbooks based on Intel's Pine Trail platform. By moving to a more advanced 45nm fabrication process, Intel has been able to put the graphics and memory control circuitry on the same die as the Atom, reduce the power requirements, and provide much better battery life. A sticker on the 1005PE says it will run for 11 hours, which compares with 8.5 hours for the popular 1005HA version. Of course, it also depends on the power settings, whether you have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off, and how much time you spend watching videos. However, the 1005PE should easily get you through a normal working day, and if you need more, there's another version (PU17) that claims up to 14 hours. The disappointing thing about the 1.66GHz N450 Pineview processor is that it doesn't provide a visible increase in performance compared with the old N270 and N280 chips running Windows XP. With 1GB of memory, the 1005PE runs Microsoft Windows 7 Starter responsively, but it doesn't have much to spare, and it would be worth upgrading to 2GB. I found the N450's integrated Intel GMA3150 graphics circuitry wasn't able to run high-definition YouTube movies (720p) without stuttering, though it was OK for the BBC's iPlayer. The 1005PE scores 2.3 on the Windows Experience Index, which is down to the processor. It's rated 2.7 for graphics and 3.0 for gaming graphics, with better results for the memory (4.5) and 250GB hard drive (5.8). Like the 1005HA, the 1005PE uses Asus's popular Seashell design: it's slim, tapers nicely, and has a polished lid. It weighs 1.3kg. The 10in screen is reasonable quality but not exceptional, and the 1024 x 600 pixel resolution feels a bit cramped by today's standards. The 1005PE has a new "isolated keyboard" which is also reasonably good, the main drawback being the tiny shift keys. The mouse pad is small and has a texture effect, but supports multi-touch operations. The mouse buttons are on a one-bar rocker switch, though I'd prefer two buttons. The 1005PE is not short of ports. You get a full RJ45 Ethernet port, three USB ports, an SD card slot, and a VGA monitor port. The battery is removable, of course, and there's a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam. Like many other Asus machines, the 1005PE also includes ExpressGate and Asus's own software dock, which drops down from the top of the screen, and links to 500GB of free online storage
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Asus Eee PC1005PE review | Technophile
Microsoft’s Office 2010 review | Technophile
The latest version of Office has lots of new bells and whistles – none of which will make either Adobe or Google happy I'm writing this using the beta of Microsoft Word 2010, part of the Office 2010 suite due to hit the shelves later this year.
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Microsoft's Office 2010 review | Technophile
Learn to clean a keyboard
10 minutes Replacement cost From £5.99 DIY cost £4.71 Difficulty: For a PC keyboard, unplug before you start; for a laptop keyboard, make sure it is turned off and remove the battery (refer to your manual for how to do this). Turn the vacuum to its lowest power setting and, with the keyboard flat on a desk, brush the keys with the duster attachment from left to right. You should press down hard enough to push the keys down, but not so hard that it is difficult to move the vacuum. Remove the duster attachment but keep the vacuum on. Now use the paintbrush to dislodge any debris from between the keys. Keep the nozzle of the hoover near to the brush as you work so it carries away the dirt before it has time to drop back behind the keys. Clean the brush then spray foaming cleaner on to the bristles (never use water). Give the keys a good scrub and, for stubborn stains, use a pencil eraser. Finish by wiping with a soft cloth. Rating: 1/5 Gadgets Saving money Computing guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Learn to clean a keyboard
Learn to remove a stuck CD from a computer
5 minutes Professional cost Varies: depends on the problem DIY cost Free Difficulty: PC or laptop Turn off your computer. Bend the end of the paper clip outwards, so that you have a straight section of wire. Look closely at the front panel of your CD or DVD drive – you should see a tiny hole. Push the wire into this little hole: you should feel a bit of resistance, but the paper clip will push in further and the disc tray will eject slightly. Pull the disc tray into the open position and remove the disc. Remove the paper clip and power up the computer. Use the button to open and close the tray a few times. If the tray does not open consistently, replace the drive (see here for how to do this on a desktop PC ). On an Apple Mac There are a number of ways to remove discs from an Apple Mac, so try each of these until you find one that works. Try the following: • Power up the Mac with the eject button held down. • Power up the Mac with the mouse button held down. • If your Mac has an emergency eject hole on the drive, follow the instructions above for ejecting a disc from a PC or laptop. • If you have a MacBook, tilt the machine towards you while trying the first Mac solution. • As a last ditch attempt to remove a disc from a MacBook, turn the machine off and insert a piece of thick (about 300gsm) card a little way into the drive slot.
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Learn to remove a stuck CD from a computer
Learn to fix a loose laptop screen
15 minutes Professional cost Varies: depends on brand and model DIY cost Free Difficulty: All laptops are slightly different, but the design and position of laptop hinges is generally the same across all models. Unless you have a Mac. As Apple puts its products together in a very different way, it's difficult to open up a Mac laptop screen. For more information on how to fix a loose laptop screen on a Mac, visit ifixit.com. Remember: do not attempt this if your laptop is still under warranty as you will invalidate it. Take it back to the retailer to repair. Before you start Turn off the laptop and remove the battery (refer to your instruction manual on how to do this). Open the screen Look at the laptop screen. You should see several rubber plugs in the corners of the lid. There will probably be two plugs near to the hinges, and either two or four plugs at the top of the screen. Pop the plugs out using a sharp knife, and put them to one side. There should be screws underneath the rubber plugs
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Learn to fix a loose laptop screen
Learn to repair or replace a CD or DVD drive
15 minutes Professional cost £49.99-£99.99: drives cost from £20-£70 DIY cost £4.99-£74.99: includes cost of £70 drive Difficulty: If your CD/DVD drive takes more than a minute to recognise a disk, or your burner is starting to fail when you create discs, you need to take action. Fixing a dirty lens Clean the lens using a lens‑cleaning disc: place it into the drive, and play it through, following the instructions provided. If this does not improve matters, you probably need to replace the unit. Replacing a CD or DVD drive in a desktop computer Turn the computer off. Remove the sides of your PC by taking out the screws at the back of the case and sliding the sides backwards (illustration A). The CD/DVD drive will either be held in place by four screws or rail mounted (B). If it is the former, remove the screws. If it is the latter, remove the front of the case by pulling the bottom of the front panel away. There may be plastic clips visible on the inside of the case, holding the front on. If so, unclip them as you pull. There will be two or three cables poking out of the back of the CD/DVD drive. Remember their positions (take a photo or notes if necessary), and pull gently to remove them. If they will not come out, check that there are no clips or blobs of glue holding them in place. Clips should be unclipped, and glue can be removed by prying gently with fingernails or the tip of a slot‑head screwdriver. Slide the drive forwards out of the case. If it is rail mounted, there may be metal clips on the front that need to be depressed before the drive will move. Look at the back of the drive to find out which sort of drive you need to buy.
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Learn to repair or replace a CD or DVD drive
Learn to speed up a PC
3 hours Professional cost £49.99 DIY cost Free Difficulty: Remove useless files Over time your computer becomes cluttered with redundant programs and temporary files. Because these files are difficult to delete manually, software company Piriform created an application called CCleaner, which does the job for you. Download it at tinyurl.com/fileclean • Once downloaded and installed, right-click on the recycle bin and select "open CCleaner"
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Learn to speed up a PC
Learn to get your wireless keyboard and mouse working
15 minutes Replacement cost £17.99 DIY cost £1.79 Difficulty: • Check all of the cables are plugged in: obvious, but try it. • Replace the batteries in the keyboard and/or mouse. • Reconnect the devices by pressing the reconnect button on the wireless receiver, and on the keyboard and mouse. Failing to reconnect wireless devices after changing the batteries is the most common cause of wireless keyboard and mouse failures. • If nothing is working still, restart your computer. If your computer does not have a reset button, then you can shut down your computer by pressing the power button. If the machine still refuses to shut down, try pressing and hold the power button for 10 seconds. • If this didn't fix the problem, try plugging in another keyboard and mouse that works on another computer. If the problem persists, then something is wrong with your computer and it should be serviced by an engineer. Otherwise, your keyboard and mouse are faulty. • If the keyboard and mouse work erratically, then you may be suffering from interference from another device. It is possible for another wireless keyboard, video sender or garage door remote to interfere with the signal from your keyboard. Try reconnecting the keyboard and mouse again, or locate the source of the interference. If all else fails, replace with a wired equivalent. Rating: 2/5 Gadgets Saving money guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Learn to get your wireless keyboard and mouse working
Rescue a wet gadget
Time varies Replacement cost Varies DIY cost Free to £3.77: includes cost of nail varnish remover, cotton buds and a pack of uncooked plain rice Difficulty: Getting a water-damaged gadget working again is a hit and miss affair. If you dropped your mobile phone into a bowl of water, fished it out within a couple of seconds and immediately removed the battery, then you have a reasonable chance of success. If you have spilled a glass of wine over your laptop and left it over night, it's time for a visit to the repair shop. Wine and other sugary drinks leave a residue behind when they dry, and this can have a corrosive effect on electronic circuitry – even if the device works initially, you may find that it stops working after a few weeks
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Rescue a wet gadget