The scoop: M685-E notebook, by Gateway, about $1,800.
What it is: The small-business notebook line from Gateway has been updated – the M685-E includes the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors (T5500), along with a 17-inch display (WXGA resolution). The 8-pound notebook has 512MB of memory, a 100GB hard drive, DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 port and an NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 128MB of video memory. The notebook includes a Gigabit Ethernet port and integrated 802.11a/g wireless connectivity, and is wide enough to include a 10-key keypad in addition to its full-size keyboard.
Why it’s cool: The notebook offers the latest in power and memory to let users multitask their applications without having to upgrade to a supersized multimedia entertainment notebook or (shudder) a gaming notebook. This looks and feels like a normal notebook, although the 17-inch display will make users’ co-workers a bit jealous. I loved the addition of the 10-key keypad; that’s something normally not found on a notebook.
Some caveats: Something on the surface of the keypad made me feel like I was typing on sandpaper – it was very disconcerting after a while. The notebook tends to get hot after a lot of work, so investing in an appropriate notebook cooling system is recommended. There’s also no external volume control, so adjusting the sounds in some applications has to be done through the PC.
Grade: four stars (out of five)
The scoop: YP-K5 digital music player, by Samsung, about $180 (for 2GB) or $230 (4GB).
What it is: The iPod-nano-sized YP-K5 doesn’t look like a normal digital music player – the blocky, black brick looks more like an LG Chocolate cell phone. The extra bulk is for the built-in external speakers – they open up with a flick of the wrist, making listening to digital music a group experience. Selecting songs and moving through the device’s interface is done through an organic light emitting diode (OLED) touch pad (no buttons to press), which also reminded me of the Chocolate phone. Besides music, the YP-K5 plays FM radio broadcasts, displays photos and acts as an alarm clock. Samsung promises about 30 hours of battery life. Recharging is done through a USB cable; for that, the YP-K5 needs to be connected to a computer.
Why it’s cool: The integrated speakers are a nice addition to a device that lets users decide whether they want to listen to music via headphones or just open it up and share their love of “Funkytown” with friends. The system is priced competitively with other players with the same capacity, and the sound quality was very good, especially from the built-in speakers.
Some caveats: I couldn’t get the FM radio tuner to pick up a signal, but others’ experience may differ. The Samsung media software, which helps transfer files from a PC to the device, got hijacked by Windows Media Player (which wants to control the music library), so I ended up with two copies of each song on the device.
Grade: 3.5 stars
Shaw can be reached at kshaw@nww.com. New Cool Tools video every Thursday, and Twisted Pair podcast every Friday at www.networkworld.com.
