The Mini 2140 is a little weak on the audio department, however. Due to the small size of the device, there really isn’t much room for speakers. Short of a quiet room, the speakers just won’t be able to give you the power or range needed to enjoy a movie properly, so you may need headphones or a larger pair of external speakers to really get the sound across.
Another little issue I have is the placement of the power and wireless-activity lights on the front panel of the unit. When you’re in a dark area, these lights are painfully bright, and when you’re really vegging out with the laptop Sony VGP-BPS2C battery resting on your stomach (don’t deny that you do it, too), you could probably blind yourself.
Recognizing the increased use of VOIP (voice over IP) applications, the T400s includes a microphone mute button and larger speakers. The laptop uses dual microphones at the top of the display and a characteristically quiet keyboard to minimize key-click noise while taking notes during conversations. The microphone mute button has an orange LED indicator that made it clear when I was in “listen-only” mode during a call. During tests,Dell 1691P the mute button worked when using the built-in microphones and speakers, and when using an external USB headset.
Camping below all that is a good-sized touchpad. It has the same texture as the wrist rest, and the only indicator that you’re in the strike zone is a slight speed bump surrounding the area. The mouse-button bar has an odd lip that your finger can slip into so that your thumb can rest while you navigate.
I’m not particularly crazy about the cheap plastic feel of both the wrist rest and the button, but the setup certainly gets the job done. I know it’s an entirely different class, but I wish that more portable makers would take a cue from the Asus(Asus EeePC 1000H battery) Eee PC 1008HA, which has golf-ball-like dimples dotting the active touchpad area. And metallic buttons on the Timeline wouldn’t hurt, either.
Unlike a lot of other laptops these days, the Y530 doesn’t go for a glossy exterior. Instead, the machine’s visual appeal banks on the notion that matte black can look dead sexy–and it does. The lightly textured exterior feels like that of a lovely old book, and that idea translates to more than just aesthetics. The machine closes tight without the use of locks to hold it in place, and it snaps closed with a satisfying sound that is reminiscent of the closing of a heavy hardcover novel.
Apple says this makes sense because sealing in the batteries lets the company make them larger, without adding heft to the laptops. Apple says the two models are the same size and weight as their predecessors, yet their FUJITSU SIEMENS Amilo A1640 batterycapacity has grown by 33% and 46%, respectively.