Posted by Brian Cui on May 12, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Despite the large move of media from physical platforms to purely digital, we still encounter the CD or DVD format often. Burning your own audio CDs or home DVDs for backing up files or playback on a DVD player is easier than ever, with dozens of free tools available online. The problem with burning onto blank discs is the lack of a proper label: a string of words using a permanent marker isn’t nearly as attractive as a full-color label. HP’s Lightscribe technology offers a solution: inscribe a greyscale label directly onto the disc itself without needing any extra hardware – just a Lightscribe compatible DVD drive.
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Posted by Brian Cui on April 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Gaming keyboards aren’t known to come cheap these days: mechanical keys, famous for their fast (and loud) response when pressed, are typically found on keyboards $100 and up. Not many people are willing to spend that much on a keyboard, and may make the mistake of purchasing a cheap keyboard with too many limitations and downsides. Microsoft’s Sidewinder X4 aims to fill the gap between cheap and high-performance keyboards, having a pricetag of roughly $50 while still having many of the features expected in a gaming keyboard, such as programmable macro keys and a backlight. Check out our review and comments after the break.
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Posted by Brian Cui on March 4, 2012 at 10:53 pm
When building or purchasing a computer, you usually don’t pay attention to what the keyboard is like nearly as much as the internal specs. That’s because any physical keyboard can work just fine once you get used to it, even tiny netbook keyboards can become easy to type on over time. So it’s no surprise that theLITE-ON Wired Standard Keyboard is one of the most purchased keyboards on Newegg today, as it’s one of the cheapest keyboards available. Seeing all the 5-egg reviews, I chose to buy one for my desktop to get a feel for it myself.
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Posted by Brian Cui on December 17, 2011 at 11:07 am
Our previous review covered the Hercules 2.0 Stereo Speaker Kit, a budget set of speakers fit for those not willing to spend a fortune to hear audio better than that of a netbook’s speakers – which are pretty terrible on their own. Slightly disappointed with the results, I went out and purchased a new set of speakers, this time a 2.1 kit with a subwoofer, the Logitech Z313 Speaker System. While its price is double that of the Hercules 2.0 Speaker Kit, I purchased it in hopes that their sound quality and the inclusion of a subwoofer would offset the price premium. How well do they stack up as budget speakers? Here’s our review.
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Posted by Brian Cui on November 20, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Having speakers is a necessity for both desktops and netbooks – without them, you would be left with either no sound whatsoever on a desktop, or extremely low quality sound from a netbook. Shell out 20 bucks and you can get yourself a decent 2.0 stereo speaker kit, or even one with a subwoofer if you’re willing to pay a bit more for extra bass. I picked up this Hercules 2.0 Stereo Speaker Kit and have been using it for a while – a definitive improvement over the tiny speakers loaded onto my netbooks. They may not be the best speakers in the 20 dollar range, though – read the review to find out why.
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Posted by Brian Cui on July 26, 2011 at 6:45 pm
It’s been made clear on NBNW multiple times: netbook trackpads are not something you want to use heavily due to its (usually) small size, accumulation of fingerprints, and lack of precision found on a mouse. Portable mice exist, but they come with a hefty pricetag: Microsoft’s Arc Touch Mouse (see our review) costs $50 while on sale. Don’t worry though, LOGYSIS has your back with its Optical Finger Mouse – a cheap, unique trackpad alternative that isn’t quite the same as the average mouse.
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Posted by Brian Cui on May 21, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Netbooks have been getting better and better over the years, sporting faster processors, better graphics hardware, and in some cases, bigger screens. ASUS created the Eee 1215N for those who want a little more punch than an average netbook with more processing power and a faster graphics card from Nvidia instead of Intel, and yet reaps the advantages of portability and long battery life. Read on for a full review of this 12-inch “netbook” – or is it really just a laptop in disguise?
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