Browser Comparison: What's the Most Pixel-Friendly Browser? [Web Browsers]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5605440/browser-comparison-whats-the-most-pixel+friendly-browser

Firefox 4 Beta is out with a revamped UI, Google Chrome continues to gain popularity, and Opera has a slick new version. Let's take a look at which browser uses your screen the best without wasting space.

Note: You can do all kinds of tweaking in browsers like Firefox to maximize its viewing area. If you just want slim browser out of the box, this is what you've got to choose from.

For this comparison, we used the latest version of each browser: Firefox 4.0 Beta 2, Safari 5, Chrome 6.0 dev, Opera 10.60, and IE 8. (Even though the platform preview for IE9 is out, it doesn't have usable window chrome yet, so it wouldn't be fair to include it.)

To keep everything consistent, we made sure that the bookmarks bar was hidden, and left the rest of the settings as default. The only major difference otherwise is that Internet Explorer, Opera, and Firefox have status bars by default, but Chrome and Safari do not—though it's worth noting that Google Chrome shows a status bar at the bottom when you move your mouse over a link. We could have disabled the status bar in Internet Explorer, but then you lose the ability to highlight a link to see the source.

Firefox users will be quick to point out that you can maximize your viewing space with a few quick tweaks, and there's no question that the customization abilities built into Firefox can yield a browser configuration that's tweaked for a small screen, but for the purposes of this comparison we used the default configuration—not to mention that many add-ons aren't working for Firefox 4 yet.

Regular Browser Winner: Chrome

When it comes to maximizing the pixels on the screen, Google Chrome's simple interface has the edge over everybody else in the default configuration, and even if you hide the status bars on IE, Firefox, or Opera, there's still a big difference in pixels.

Maximized Browser Winner: Chrome

Once you maximize the browsers, the gap between browsers becomes even more clear, with Google Chrome using just a little more than half of the pixels that Internet Explorer does.

Full-Screen Browser Winner: Firefox

In full-screen mode all the browsers maximize to fill 100% of the height of the screen, but the clear winners are Firefox and Internet Explorer—since you can move your mouse to the top of the screen and the toolbars drop down to make browsing easier. Opera and Google Chrome don't do this, and it's worth noting that Safari doesn't even have a full-screen mode that we could find.

Browsers with Side Tabs Winner: Chrome

Opera and Google Chrome both come with built-in options to move the tabs over to the sidebar. Opera's is enabled by default, and on Chrome you'll have to use a command-line switch to enable it, but vertical tabs are a useful feature that can help maximize your screen space. If you're a Firefox user, you can use the Tree Style Tab extension to move your tabs to the side, though we had some issues in Firefox 4.0—and it's not built in—so we didn't include it here.

It's pretty clear from the numbers that Google Chrome's interface is the best choice out of the box if you're using a smaller display, though if you wanted to spend the time to configure Firefox, you could probably come up with a setup that used even less pixels.

---

What about you? What browser do you use when you want to make the most of your netbook or smaller laptop screen?

The How-To Geek uses Google Chrome because it never slows down. His geeky articles can be found daily here on Lifehacker, How-To Geek, and Twitter.

Pocket Filters Splash Some Color Onto Your Photos [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5605677/pocket-filters-splash-some-color-onto-your-photos

Are your Facebook photos of the same boring friends standing around drinking beer getting a bit drab? Photojojo's pocket-sized lens and flash color filters should jazz things up, letting you saturate your scenes with one of eight sturdy acrylic chips.

The filters can either be placed over either your camera's lens or flash, providing a fully or partially colorized picture, respectively. The flash-only effect is particularly interesting, casting colored light over objects in the foreground only, giving your pictures an otherworldly look.

The filters also open up all sorts of color experimentation—want to tint half your shot? Cover half the lens. Or use multiple filters to create beautiful gradients. At only $15 and small enough to fit in your pocket (or on your keychain), Photojojo's filters are an easy way to play with the images you create. [Photojojo via Wired]

Android Users Can Now Bump Phones to Send Money Via PayPal [Android Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5605866/android-users-can-now-bump-phones-to-send-money-via-paypal

The PayPal Mobile app for Android has received an update that features bump technology just like its iPhone counterpart. This means that Android users can now simply bump their devices together to send money.

There's also a new feature "which lets you automatically calculate the total cost of a bill and then collect money directly from friends when out to dinner."

The app is free and available on the Android Market now. [PayPal Blog]

A Secret TV Panel To Hide Your A/V Skeletons [Secrets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5606277/a-secret-tv-panel-to-hide-your-av-skeletons

Some people put safes behind paintings. Me, I just want to put my home entertainment accessories behind a secret wall panel. How hidden is it? Here's what it looks like closed:

Forget the Blu-ray player and cables, I'm stashing my valuables slightly less crappy possessions there as well.

Architect Dan Herchenroether put together this sweet set-up to save space in his cottage home:

Dan mounted the TV on a board that he hinged with gas springs so it would be easy to open and close when necessary. Additional space in the compartment is accessible from a panel on the other side of the wall that's totally inconspicuous when closed.

Dan, you're welcome over to my apartment any time. Just please bring a set of tools and some gas springs with you.

UPDATE: Reader Matthew (and several commenters) point out that this would be a major code violation in many areas. So know that before you start knocking down walls. [Apartment Therapy via Lifehacker]

Google Says There Are 129,864,880 Different Books In Existence [Books]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5606342/google-says-there-are-129864880-books-in-existence

Google, who's been determinedly digitizing the world's books, thought it might be prudent to figure out just how many books are actually out there to begin with. They made a special algorithm, natch, and came up with 129,864,880.

This post on Inside Google Books blog explains the whole process. First, you have to decide what exactly counts as a book—Google's notion is pretty similar to the set of texts that ISBNs—International Standard Book Numbers—are attributed to.

But ISBN is a relatively new standard, having come around in the 1960s, and a relatively Western one, too, so there's a huge selection of books—old books and foreign books, largely—that don't have ISBNs.

So Google leapfrogged ISBN and pulled down metadata from some 150 sources, including "libraries, WorldCat, national union catalogs and commercial providers," and then eliminated the duplicates. That got them to 600 million records. After eliminating more duplicate holdings, microforms, maps, audio recordings and other assorted non-books, and after adjusting the number to account for serial publications, the number is 129,864,880. Hey, I've read a few of those! [Inside Google Books via CrunchGear]

Image credit Patrick Gage

MSI ships Core i5-packin' P600 and S6000 laptops to egomaniacal cube dwellers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/msi-ships-core-i5-packin-p600-and-s6000-laptops-to-egomaniacal/

Call 'em suitable for business travelers (or whatever this guy is), or just call 'em classy -- either way, MSI has a new pair of 15.6-incher headed to North America. The P600 and S6000 don't differ much; by and large, the only thing keeping them from merging into one is the smaller battery (and thus, lower weight) of the S6000. Both units boast Intel's Core i5-450M processor, integrated GMA HD graphics, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, 3-in-1 card reader, 500GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, stereo speakers, HDMI / VGA outputs, a pair of USB 2.0 ports and an eSATA / USB combo jack. They're both rocking Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) under the hood, with the S6000 and its 4-cell battery starting at $799.99 while the 8-cell'd P600 goes for $829.99 and up. In other words, your corporate card can totally handle either... or both.

Continue reading MSI ships Core i5-packin' P600 and S6000 laptops to egomaniacal cube dwellers

MSI ships Core i5-packin' P600 and S6000 laptops to egomaniacal cube dwellers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hauppauge officially announces HD PVR support in Windows Media Center

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/hauppauge-officially-announces-hd-pvr-support-in-windows-media-c/

If you're thinking about going the Media Center DVR route but can't or won't get hooked up with a CableCARD don't forget there's another option available to pull in those premium channels now that the $199 Hauppauge HD PVR is supported as a TV recorder in Windows 7. There's been a few updates since the feature was added in beta back in June, which lets users select programs via the Media Center guide to be captured and encoded in MPEG-4 over the device's component video inputs (HDTV resolutions up to 1080i and 5.1 surround sound are supported) while the PC controls connected satellite or cable TV set-top boxes with an included IR blaster. There's still a limit of one tuner per PC and a thread over on TheGreenButton reveals the experience can still be a bit glitchy, but if you've just got to have Windows Media Center and NFL Sunday Ticket then some compromises will be necessary.

Continue reading Hauppauge officially announces HD PVR support in Windows Media Center

Hauppauge officially announces HD PVR support in Windows Media Center originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iPod touch LCD screen with front-facing camera slot spied?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/apple-ipod-touch-screen-with-front-facing-camera-slot-spied/

You may or may not be aware, but Apple has a penchant for announcing new iPods in early September, as it has for years. With just over four weeks to go before the most likely (but nigh confirmed) press event week is upon us, expect the rumor mill to ratchet up appropriately. Here's one care of Mac Rumors; the gang's been sent some pictures from parts supplier iPhonerevivers that allegedly show a new iPod touch LCD screen And sure enough, in place of an earpiece is a slot perfectly suited for that oft-rumored (and possibly email-based) front-facing camera. It's not the first time we've seen this piece -- the resemblance to early July's leak doesn't escape us -- but these photos are decidedly fresh and from a different source. Mounting evidence... or are we all just being had? Wouldn't surprise us if we found out for sure before ides of September.

Apple iPod touch LCD screen with front-facing camera slot spied? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Flipout makes North American debut with a Rogers exclusive

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/motorola-flipout-makes-north-american-debut-with-a-rogers-exclus/

In another case of Canadians getting things ahead of their southerly neighbors, the Motorola Flipout has made its journey across the Atlantic and settled on Rogers as its first North American carrier. 3-year contractual commitments will be greeted with a lowly C$30 charge for the phone, or if you can't bear the thought of being locked in for so long, you can buy the flipping thing outright for C$375. As a quick reminder, the Flipout runs on Google's Android 2.1 OS, but embellishes things a little with a freshened up variety of the Motoblur UI. If that, together with the "hip to be square" form factor, sounds like your slice of pie, we suggest you head on over to the source link and put those Canadian Dollars to good use.

[Thanks, CoconutCheez]

Motorola Flipout makes North American debut with a Rogers exclusive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Peel 520 gets reviewed: turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, but quirks exist

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/apple-peel-520-gets-reviewed-turns-your-ipod-touch-into-an-ipho/

No one expressly said that the Apple Peel 520 would change your life, but if you play your cards right, that's not entirely out of the question. The mysterious doodad -- which wraps around your iPod touch and holds an extended battery and SIM card -- has caused quite the stir since being revealed late last month, and now it has undergone a full review overseas. Put simply, the device does work as advertised, turning one's iPod touch into a device fully capable of making / receiving calls as well as texts. 'Course, you'll need to jailbreak your device first, and you'll have to deal with a static (read: impossible to adjust) call volume, quirky SMS delivery and blanked messages for missed calls, but hey -- a small price to pay for the upgrade, right? Hit the source link for the full skinny and a video to boot.

Apple Peel 520 gets reviewed: turns your iPod touch into an iPhone, but quirks exist originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL mulling microchips in footballs for those life-or-death goal line rulings

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/06/nfl-mulling-microchips-in-footballs-for-those-life-or-death-goal/

The NFL is serious business. So serious, in fact, that the idea of refs getting decisions wrong sends chills up and down Roger Goodell's spine. Yeah, we all know they do it habitually, but the League seems to be considering improving accuracy just a little bit with the help of some tech. Cairos Technologies, a German outfit that's been trying to sell its goal line technology to football (as in soccer) bigwigs for a while, has told Reuters that it's in discussions with the NFL about bringing its magnetic field hocus pocus to the gridiron. The idea would be for the ref to be alerted, via a message to his watch, any time the ball does something notable like crossing the goal line or first down marker. It should be a great aid for making difficult calls like whether a touchdown has happened at the bottom of a scrum, and might even help cut down on the number of frightfully dull replay challenges. Win-win, no?

Original image courtesy of NFL.com

Continue reading NFL mulling microchips in footballs for those life-or-death goal line rulings

NFL mulling microchips in footballs for those life-or-death goal line rulings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/06/north-americas-first-public-use-quick-charge-station-opens-in-p/

What's being hailed as North America's first public-use quick-charge station for electric vehicles has just been unveiled in Portland. The station, built by NEC subsidiary Takasago, is installed in a PGE headquarters parking garage and will charge electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes. So yeah, it's public, as long as you've got a PGE badge apparently. Anyway, the grand opening was led by Governor Ted Kulongoski, pictured above carefully maintaining a safe distance while charging a Nissan Leaf. Guess you can never be too careful when pumping 50kW into a pre-production vehicle. Click through to see a video demonstration of the future, if we're lucky.

Update: We're being told that the quick charge station is installed in a public parking garage that is part of the World Trade Center building in downtown Portland (where PGE's headquarters are). It costs $3 to park, but charging is on the house. Thanks, Chris!

Continue reading North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included

North America's first public-use quick-charge station opens in Portland: 3-handed politician not included originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keepin' it real fake: Nokia's Android N8

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/06/keepin-it-real-fake-nokias-android-n8/

Can you believe we've waited on the N8 long enough for (at least) three KIRF versions to beat it to market? This latest one's pretty special too, as it gives us a glimpse into one of the fevered dream of Engadget commenters: a Nokia flagship rocking Android (2.1, in this case). The iZiNN CJ-3 copies the N8's form factor, styling, and 3.5-inch screen, but throws in an upgrade of its own by going with a higher-res 800 x 480 capacitive panel. Yeah, we're shocked too. A 5 megapixel imager, a budget Rockchip CPU, and an HDMI port fill out the rest of the known specs, while a release in China is expected some time later this month. Anyone know why this thing isn't being built and sold by a legitimate manufacturer?

[Thanks, Ludger]

Keepin' it real fake: Nokia's Android N8 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' Windows Phone 7 debuts in the wild?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/06/asus-windows-phone-7-debuts-in-the-wild/

Boy, this thing here has more questions than answers attached to it. Presented as the first Windows Phone 7 device to show up in Pakistan, of all places, this angular handset bears a serial number on top and atypical "powered by ASUS" branding on the bottom, leading us to believe that if it's legit, it's certainly a pre-production model. Even so, should you dare to invest some trust into its validity, you'll find plenty of reason to be titillated: brushed metal adorns the front, a rare sight on mobile phones of any description, the top right corner looks suspiciously like it might be housing a front-facing camera, and the display looks very much like an OLED panel to us. Exciting, if true.

[Thanks, Raju]

Update: Turns out the phone in question belongs to the leakster's brother. Perhaps he's an ASUS engineer on vacation in his home town?

ASUS' Windows Phone 7 debuts in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May the best "cattle" (RT @MikeDuda) win based on real creativity and merits - http://bit.ly/c1pDjp

Ahh! So happy I don't know where to begin. Voss launches agency search via PR (email to AdAge) to crowdsource the best http://bit.ly/c1pDjp

EVGA's dual-CPU Classified SR-2 motherboard put to the test: worth the money if you know what you're doing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/evgas-dual-cpu-classified-sr-2-motherboard-put-to-the-test-wor/

You know things are changing when cooling units that could once stave off overheating on top-tier graphics cards are starting to show up on motherboards. EVGA's Classified SR-2 is a supersized, dual-socket desktop building block that tries to do it all, and -- unusually for dual-CPU logic boards -- it's targeted at enthusiasts rather than buttoned-down business types. Four PCI-Express x16 slots, room for a dozen memory sticks (up to 48GB of RAM), and two USB 3.0 ports add some spec sheet glamor, but you'll likely be wanting to know how much performance you can wring out of two 3.33GHz Intel Xeon 5680 chips working in tandem. The short answer is a lot. The long answer is, of course, that you'll need to apply those 24 threads of power to applications that can really utilize them, such as the predictable video processing and 3D rendering. That's where the multithreaded, multicore, multiprocessor rig really shone in this review, and the EVGA board underpinning it also acquitted itself with distinction. Hit the source for the benchmark results and more photography of exposed circuitry.

EVGA's dual-CPU Classified SR-2 motherboard put to the test: worth the money if you know what you're doing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sikorsky's X2 Prototype Breaks Rotorcraft Speed Record With 258 MPH Flight

Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-08/sikorskys-x2-prototype-breaks-rotorcraft-speed-record-258-mph-flight

We were quite impressed with the Sikorsky X2 prototype when we featured it last year as a Best of What's New pick, but it's looking even better these days. The super-fast, dual-rotor helicopter is still in the prototype stage, but has already broken the rotorcraft speed record of 249 mph by reaching 258 miles per hour last week during a test flight.

Many helos top out around 200 miles per hour -- for a frame of reference, an Apache attack helicopter's top speed is listed as 176 miles per hour -- so the futuristic-looking X2 is setting the bar pretty high. Its dual-rotor, counter-rotating design creates increased stability for the pilot, allowing its six-blade, rear-facing propeller to push the aircraft to speeds that would make a traditional helo too unstable to keep on a straight heading.

Of course, this was just a test flight and the X2 isn't even close to done setting records. By the time the X2 completes testing, its designers think it can reach 288 miles per hour while still cruising comfortably.

[Sikorsky via DVICE]

LG U+ cloud service links connected devices, requires a relocation to South Korea to enjoy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/lg-u-cloud-service-links-connected-devices-requires-a-relocati/

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is probably dreaming of three screens and a cloud right now, so it makes sense that his company has extended its hand to LG in order to build out the new U+ cloud storage service. Launched over in South Korea, this new service is expected to provide a "seamless connection" between a smorgasbord of connected devices -- everything from TVs to digital photo frames to PMPs to tablets (plus a few we're missing). The goal is to allow any connected device to enjoy the same content, and rather than putting it on each individual consumer to setup their own wireless NAS (or use Air Sync), LG's taking some of the load off while adding a few nifty extras (streaming VOD, anyone?). The standard U+ box arrives with 1GB of storage, but consumers can opt for a 10GB package as well as the ability to access their material across the country via LG's U+ WiFi hotspots. Actual costs don't seem readily apparent, but given that paltry storage maximum, we're guessing the majority of you won't even bother to investigate.

Continue reading LG U+ cloud service links connected devices, requires a relocation to South Korea to enjoy

LG U+ cloud service links connected devices, requires a relocation to South Korea to enjoy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Portégé R705 Review: The Ultra Ultraportable [Review]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5603773/toshiba-portege-r705-review-the-ultra-ultraportable

Toshiba's Portégé line has always been the top of the company's shelf—with prices to match. The Portégé R705 upends that lineage: It's capable, sure, but it's also affordable. So does it live up to its fancy double-accent-marks?

Spoiler alert: yes. It's not that the Portégé R705 is the fastest laptop out there. Or the prettiest. But it's in a class by itself among ultraportable notebooks, packing more performance into a lighter frame than anyone else has to date, at a wholly competitive price. Is there room for improvement? Of course. But there's much more here to like than not.

Price and Configuration

The system we tested—the only configuration available on this Best Buy exclusive—comes loaded with a 2.26GHz Core i3-350M processor and Intel integrated graphics, 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB (5400rpm) hard drive, and an optical drive for $800. If you want color options, you've come to the wrong place. But hey, isn't nearly black the new black anyway?

Design

The first thing you notice about the new Portégé is the weight. Or rather, the lack thereof. It's incongruous, really; this full performance, 13.3-inch notebook weighs just a touch more than a netbook. In fact, at 3.2lbs it weighs about 25-percent less than my 13-inch MacBook Pro. Switching between the two feels like moving from a discus to a Frisbee.

Your first assumption is that the R705 must be somehow diminished or cheap: A wimpy ULV processor, say. Flimsy materials. Nope. As the gaudy sticker on the palm rest boasts, there's a full Core i3 Intel inside, and the body is constructed of sturdy magnesium. There's even, so help me, a DVD drive. What the what?

The weight-saving voodoo comes from Toshiba's Airflow Cooling Technology, a new heat-fighting scheme co-developed with Intel that uses directed streams of air to cool components. It's what lets Portégé R705 walk like a ULV notebook but talk like the varsity rig it is.

The only sacrifices that keep the R705 from letterman status are aesthetic. The Portégé isn't ugly, it's just bland. It's blocky and nondescript. The cover is midnight blue but looks black much of the time; the corners are softened but still angular. Chrome screen hinges are the closest thing here to flair, unless you count the four stickers crammed beneath the keyboard. They look like someone slapped tuner stickers on a bone-stock Civic.

Thankfully, you'll spend most of the time covering those up with your sweaty wrists. The display's where you'll be spending most of your time, and the Portégé's 13.3-inch 1366x768 screen is crisp, clear, and bright—albeit somewhat glossy. It's really very nice, especially when the brightness is cranked up, but it would be nice not to see quite so much of my reflection. The speakers, too, are decent to a point; over a certain volume the tinniness overwhelms the sound, but the quality's just fine for your average Hulu binge.

But that's the fun stuff—what about when you need to bang out emails to your new Nigerian mineral heir friend? The Portégé sports an island-style keyboard, whereon each chiclet island feels an ocean away from its neighbor. The small spaces afforded each letter don't amount to a big deal, although the large-fingered among us might have a hard time typing accvbur1ytly. But where the keyboard may be annoying for some, the trackpad is genuinely crappy. It claims to speak multitouch but really isn't anywhere close to fluent. Sure, it pinch-to-zooms, but two-fingered scrolling only worked in fits and starts. Or stops, rather. It's unreliable to the point of abandonment.

Reliable but less essential is the R705's WiDi capability, which lets you wirelessly connect your desktop to your TV. It works perfectly well here, but keep in mind that WiDi doesn't play DVDs under DRM or support 1080p, and you'll need to purchase a $100 add-on from Netgear to use it. It's good, not great, and it's not something that should factor heavily into your overall decision.

The same thing could be said about the R705's overall look: it's nice enough, but the bread and butter's under the hood.

Performance

This is where the Portégé really shines. It's not that it's the most powerful laptop out there—that's a fight we'll leave to the gamers—but it's got incredible pep for its size and weight. While you wouldn't necessarily trust the Core i3–350M processor (and, more specifically, Intel's gimped integrated graphics) to do any heavy gaming, the Portégé can stream HD videos without much difficulty and is more than capable of handling our email/internet/productivity needs.

Benchmarks? Sure! The Portégé stacks up nicely against its contemporaries and mops the floor with Core2Duo and ULV machines. Here's how it performed in GeekBench against the Acer Aspire TimelineX, its primary competitor—though a pound heavier—that also packs Core i3:
It's not a huge gap, but it's definitive. Moreover, the R705's overall mark of 4145 more than double's the ThinkPad Edge's previous generation SU7300 ULV guts.

The Portégé also put up a 4959 in PCMark Vantage, slightly ahead of the TimelineX and miles beyond any Core2Duo ULV performance. Though the integrated graphics could stymie some of your high definition video efforts, and while you wouldn't want this to be your go-to gaming rig, it's more than capable of keeping up with everyday needs.

So the R705 is a great daily driver. Unfortunately, it runs out of gas in a lot less than a day.

Battery Life

While not as impressive as the listed 8 hours, I was actually able to squeeze pretty decent stamina from the R705. I tested higher performance settings, medium screen brightness, bluetooth off (because there is none), and a page automatically reloading every 30 seconds on Firefox to simulate active web browsing.

Total Run Time: 4 hours, 58 minutes

And that can obviously be further improved by settling for lower performance/higher battery life settings.

All In the Balance

The R705 isn't the flashiest notebook out there, and it's not the most powerful, and it's not the lightest. But it's got incredible pop for its weight, and there's something refreshing about the minimal form.

Do I have reservations? Sure. The desktop is refreshingly free of bloatware, but the system gets bogged down with Best Buy's software installer. The cooling system may keep the chassis light, but the rig also gets pretty hot. There's no bluetooth. And the trackpad and integrated graphics really are less than ideal.

But those are nits that I'm picking, each no heavier, relatively, than the R705 itself. And together, they still don't prevent this new Portégé from being a once in a blue moon every day laptop.

Incredible performance-to-weight ratio

Affordable considering the brand and the specs

Decent battery life

Utilitarian design

Trackpad two-finger scrolling just doesn't work

No bluetooth, if you're into that