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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 27, 2007
/ 9 Iyar, 5767
$999 Vista Laptop? Why not?
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Google "Vista laptops" and among the top 'sponsored' (i.e., bought and
paid for) links is an one to a mail-order firm offering a Sony Vaio
portable with the Windows Vista operating system installed for just under
$1,800. Fair enough, but what if you could get a $800.01 discount off that
price?
While the two models aren't exactly equivalent - the advertised Sony Vaio
has double the RAM and slightly more than four times the hard drive
storage - the Systemax Pursuit 4155, list price $999.99, is a good value
for the money.
Indeed, some users could benefit from the dollar savings associated with
the lower-priced model.
Here's the Systemax skinny: the Fletcher, Ohio-based firm markets mostly
via its TigerDirect.com subsidiary. The Pursuit isn't "thin and light,"
given the 15.4-inch diagonal LCD display it sports, a built-in
CD-RW/DVD-ROM optical drive, and a generously sized keyboard which lacks
for little but a separate numeric keypad. There's a nice sized "touchpad,"
which advertises a scrolling feature that is somehow unimplemented.
That deficiency, however, is the only visible one I could find in the
Pursuit. Yes, a built-in Web camera would be nice, but the
bargain-inclined can add that separately. I'd like a larger hard disk
drive, but 60 Gigabytes isn't too shabby; doubling that capacity would add
$120 to the price.
Less visible is the slim, but usable, 1 Gigabyte of RAM in the machine.
Increasing that to 2GB would add $200 to the price if ordered from
Systemax; those unafraid of installing their own memory modules can find
equivalent ones for about one-fourth the Systemax price. Personally, I'd
rather see 2 Gigabytes of RAM as an official "minimum" requirement for all
new computers.
My review unit was shipped as advertised: the 1 Gig of RAM and 60 Gig hard
drive, as well as a built-in WiFi radio for easy Internet connections, and
a "matte" finish 15.4 inch screen, the only one available. Turn the
brightness up, however, and it's certainly acceptable for computer-ish
tasks; whether you'd want to watch DVD movie after DVD movie on it is
another story.
Battery life seems more than decent, and the Systemax folks offer both a
larger battery and extra power adapters as options. One pleasant surprise
was seeing a European-style power cord along with one for domestic use;
that's a nice touch, and suggests the actual power supply itself can
automatically select and switch among different voltages.
Purists will bemoan the lack of this or that feature on the Systemax
Pursuit, but if you look at this for what it is - a basic, functional
computer for basic, functional work - you won't be too far disappointed.
The computer's performance is agile enough for word processing and simple
graphics tasks. More complicated work would, as noted, require more memory
for optimal results and speed.
Having received the Systemax in the middle of last week, I can't judge the
quality of the firm's support, other than to note that they've been around
for more than a few years, and - unlike a certain larger firm whose
portable arrived a few days earlier - the Pursuit actually worked out of
the box. Worse still, the "brand X" PC arrived without an optical drive,
making the "system restore" disc utterly useless. Systemax does, it should
be noted, include a restore disc with the Pursuit, along with the
aforementioned optical drive.
I like this computer and wouldn't hesitate to suggest it to those looking
for a low-cost, solidly performing laptop.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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© 2007, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
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