BlackBerry Bold 9700

Video and pictures taken with the Bold 9700’s 3.2-MP camera (with autofocus) were very good. A shot of pumpkins on the side of the road showed very pronounced and deep orange colors. Another shot of a bike leaning against a street sign had a few jagged edges, but the colors were very deep and weren’t washed out. The flash was sufficient for taking shots inside dark rooms, too.

Video captured outdoors with the 9700 looked smooth on our PC: Cars whizzed past without any loss in frame rates and colors were pronounced, but the recording resolution is capped at a relatively low 480 x 352

GPS
The Bold 9700 doesn’t come with the typical TeleNav GPS navigation software installed ($9.99 per month), but you do get BlackBerry Maps, which provides directions but lacks voice guidance. In New York City we weren’t able to lock on to any satellites, and so the 9700 wasn’t able to find our position. When we downloaded and installed Google Maps, it pinpointed us to almost our exact location.

Call Quality and Battery Life
During our test calls, voice quality was very good. When talking to a friend on a landline, she said we sounded clear, and that she couldn’t hear any background noise. Likewise, we were able to hear her without any missed words. We also didn’t experience any dropped calls in New York City.

The Bold 9700 lets you make unlimited calls over Wi-Fi using the T-Mobile @Home service ($9.99 per month), whether you’re at home or near a hotspot. This is an especially good feature for those looking to ditch the landline, as well as overseas travelers who don’t want to get billed for expensive international minutes. Calls over Wi-Fi were also crisp, and defaulted to T-Mobile’s voice network without a hitch when we walked out of our apartment.

We used the Bold 9700 for an hour before letting it idle overnight, and then we were able to get through an entire work day using the phone for e-mail, phone calls, and Web browsing before having to charge again.
Pricing
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 costs $199 on T-Mobile with a two-year data contract. However, if you want to buy the phone without a contract, it will cost you $449, and you’ll save $10 off of each monthly phone bill with T-Mobile’s new Even More Plus plans. Over two years, the total cost ends up being the same, but you’ll have the freedom to leave T-Mobile without paying an early termination fee.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 vs. MSI Wind U120

Yesterday’s game,between the ASUS EeePC S101 and the Samsung NC20 ($399.99), was pretty exciting: There was back and forth action all day. Although the NC20 took an early lead yesterday afternoon, Sony,VGP-BPS2，VGP-BPS2A,the S101 dominated late, racking up 27,886 votes to the NC20’s 14,138.  Apparently, these are two very popular netbooks.

Today, we have the MSI Wind U120 ($374.99) facing off against the Dell Inspiron Mini 9.

The U120’s keyboard is plenty roomy, but we were disappointed with its stiff mouse buttons. Also included is MSI’s EasyFace Manager software, which lets users log in with just their faces.VGP-BPS9，VGP-BPS9/B，VGP-BPS9/S，VGP-BPS9A，VGP-BPS9A/B.

Unlike the U100, though, the U120 is not upgradeable, which is a bummer. Also, its six-cell battery lasted just 4:28, which is about 45 minutes less than the U100, and 1:12 minutes less than the six-cell average for netbooks.

While it has a smaller 9-inch screen, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 has a lot going for it. Even though it came out several months before the U120, it too, has a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM. It’s also one of the lightest netbooks on the market, weighing just 3.2 pounds.

Like Dell’s other mini-notebook offerings, the Mini 9 has a classy look. However, unlike its larger bretheren, the keyboard, while comfortable to type on, has a few awkwardly placed keys.VGP-BPS10，VGP-BPS10A，VGP-BPS10A/B.

The Mini 9 that we reviewed had Dell’s version of Ubuntu Linux installed, which we found more attractive and useful than Eee PC’s Xandros and Acer’s Linpus Linux Lite. Coupled with a 4GB SSD, this unit initially cost $399, but now costs just $274–and that’s with a larger 8GB SSD. For the Linux-phobic, a Mini 9 with Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, and a 16GB SSD will set you back $374. Dell also offers  integrated mobile broadband through AT&T for an additional $125.

The Mini 9’s 4-cell battery lasted 3 hours and 12 minutes, about half an hour longer than the average for netbooks with batteries that are less than six cells in size.

So which will it be? The U120 and its larger screen and battery, or the Mini 9 and its excellent portability, low cost, and Linux OS?

Update (3/27): And it’s the Dell Inspiron Mini 9! Stay tuned for today’s matchup between the Acer Aspire One ($649.83) AOD150 and the Asus N10J-A2.Dell Latitude D820 battery，Dell Latitude D830 battery.

Similar Design to the Classmate

Like the original Classmate, the 2go PC is ensconced in a rubberized case complete with a built-in carrying handle and a vinyl cover held on by Velcro. The two-toned dark- and light-gray chassis weighs in at 3 pounds and measures 8.7 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches. While it may be a tad heavier and thicker than the Eee PC and CloudBook models, Dell Inspiron 9300 battery，Dell Inspiron 9400 battery，Dell Inspiron E1705 battery,it is certainly more durable—a must for any notebook that will likely be subjected to varying degrees of abuse.

An LED indicator panel is positioned between the two lid hinges at the top of the machine, and a handful of ports are located on the sides, including two USB ports, an Ethernet jack, headphone and mic jacks, and a 2-in-1 card reader. Missing is a video-out port, which means you’re out of luck if you want to hook up to an external display. Two stereo speakers built into the lower front bezel lack volume but deliver decent sound quality for their size.dell KD476，dell GD761，dell TD347，Dell Inspiron 1501 battery.

This model sports a brilliant 9-inch display that produces bold colors, wide viewing angles, and an overall bright picture. Despite the somewhat larger display, we still had the same problem that we encountered with the 7-inch mini-notebooks we’ve reviewed with windows extending beyond the screen. A 0.3-megapixel camera located on the display’s upper bezel worked flawlessly, although the image quality was grainy.Dell Inspiron 6400 battery，Dell Inspiron E1505 battery，Dell Latitude 131L battery.

The keyboard, black with orange function buttons, is too small for adult rapid touch typists but just the right size for kids, and it’s spill-resistant too. The scrolling touchpad and mouse buttons are rubberized and water-resistant as well. Cursor control was fairly responsive, but we experienced occasional jumps and stutters, especially when there were several programs running at once.dell C1295，Dell Inspiron 500m battery，Dell Inspiron 510m battery.

HP TouchSmart tx2z

HP’s TouchSmart tx2z isn’t the first notebook to offer iPhone-esque multi-touch functionality (that would be the Dell Latitude XT), but it’s the first geared toward consumers—and with a more reasonable price to match. Well, a more reasonable starting price; the tx2z starts at $1,149, but our configuration was a pricey $1,733. Although the tx2z’ touch display is certainly brighter, crisper,dell studio 1737 battery,dell vostro 1000 battery,dell vostro 1320 battery, and more accurate than its predecessor, the tx2500z, you can’t do a lot with mult-touch gestures on this notebook, and HP’s own MediaSmart interface could be more responsive. Still, the TouchSmart tx2z might appeal to students and early adopters.

Youthful Design
In size and weight, the tx2z is almost identical to the HP tx2500z. Its 12.1 x 8.8 x 1.5-inch body is portable enough to stow in a small bag. The new HP Imprint finish, called Reaction, is a silvery bubble-like pattern that should appeal to hipsters and students. Our unit’s eight-cell battery brought the total weight of the system to 5 pounds and added a bit of heft, especially for a 12-inch notebook. However, HP sells a smaller (and lighter) six-cell battery.dell vostro 1400 battery,dell vostro 1500 battery,dell vostro 1520 battery.

Whereas the tx2500z is silver on the inside, the tx2z is dark blue with a matching keyboard, deck, and palm rest. The plush keys were comfortable to type on but make a clicky noise. The touchpad, dotted with perforated circles, is on the small side. It has a low amount of friction, but the mouse buttons were distractingly narrow (but at least easy to press). The touchpad has a thin strip on the right side that users can tap and slide to scroll through windows.dell vostro 1700 battery,dell vostro 2510 battery,dell RN873，dell GW240.

The area above the keyboard has buttons for increasing, decreasing, and muting the volume. On the right side of the bezel are launch keys for Windows Mobility Center, which includes information on battery life and screen brightness, among other things; changing the orientation of the screen; and the touch-optimized MediaSmart suite (more on that later). Above the display is an embedded webcam and dual mics. The power switch is recessed on the front side of the chassis.dell Inspiron 1525 battery，dell Inspiron 1526 battery,dell D5318，dell U4873，Dell Inspiron 6000 battery.

Not Your Standard Windows Mobile Fare

No Battery Makes MacBook Sad

During the past several months, you may have read a number of horror stories about exploding batteries in laptops and cell phones. One such story is interesting; two stories unusual. But three stories, all in reputable news outlets, well, that's a trend.

Because Valence claims to offer a safer alternative, I also spoke with Atakan Ozbek, director of energy research at Allied Business Intelligence, an independent technology research think tank, and to Sandrine Colson-Inam, general manager at Cell Expert North America, Sony VGP-BPS2，Sony VGP-BPS2A,another independent technology research company. Ozbek and Colson-Inam confirmed what Lamoreux told me. Both also agree that Valence's phosphate technology, registered as Saphion Technology, is definitely safer.

Explosions and fire happen "rarely" but as Lamoreux said, this problem is a "tiger in a cage" just because of the sheer number of batteries out there. Battery problems that result in fire, lots of smoke, and explosions can be caused by a short circuit, excessive heat, overcharging, or abuse.

Keep It Cool
Ozbek advises users to replace lithium-ion batteries every two to three years. Two years is the safest time period, as constant recharging weakens the Sony VGP-BPL2，Sony VGP-BPL2C.

Colson-Inam advises users not to leave a laptop or cell phone in the trunk of a car where the temperature can easily go above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the point at which a thermal runaway can start.

Valence has come up with a new active material for lithium-ion batteries based on phosphates rather than oxides. These batteries behave like the traditional lithium-ion version but don't have a thermal runaway characteristic.Sony VGP-BPS8, Sony VGP-BPS8A.

Currently, Valence is shipping outboard devices--N-Charge, weighing just under three pounds--as backup batteries to notebooks. They also sell a 60-pound version, K-Charge, to the telecommunications industry as backup for big switches.

The awful truth is that improvements in battery technology will be played out during the next five years or so. When battery technology can be taken no further, you will be getting maybe 15 percent to 20 percent more energy than you do now from your battery.Sony VGP-BPS9，Sony VGP-BPS9/B,Sony VGP-BPS9/S，Sony VGP-BPS9A，Sony VGP-BPS9A/B.

Some cell phone batteries could explode and burn users,Kyocera Recalls

Kyocera Wireless has issued a recall of cell phone batteries used in one of its smart phones after discovering the batteries can explode, the company said Friday in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission.

The Kyocera 7135 Smartphone has been sold with APPLE batteries manufactured in Hong Kong that "can short-circuit and erupt with force or emit excessive heat, posing a burn hazard to consumers," Kyocera says in a release.

The phones were sold through Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, and Alltel, as well as through other retailers and Web sites from September 2003 to December 2003, Kyocera says. The batteries have "Kyocera" written in red and white on the front of the battery, and contain a product code that ends with "-05," the San Diego company says.Apple A1175 ，Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch battery.

Customers Warned
Kyocera instructed any users of the 7135 phones bought during that period to immediately stop using the batteries sold with those cell phones, or any batteries purchased separately from the phones during that time period.

The company plans on contacting those who purchased the battery in order to deliver a free replacement battery, but asked any customers who do not hear from the company by February 6 to call (800) 349-4478 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time Monday through Friday to obtain their replacement battery.Apple A1078 ，Apple A1045，Apple PowerBook G4 15 battery.

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