“Samsung knows a thing or two about designing notebooks. The Q35 Red that I recently reviewed created quite a stir every time I pulled it out of my bag at CES last month, and the ultra-slim Q30 won over many users who were looking for a machine that was ultra-thin and light. But now the Samsung design team has pushed the boat out and created the new Aura series of notebooks, which look set to go head to head with Apple’s ultra-stylish MacBooks.”
I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. But, style is *NOT* going to be the determining factor of whether I choose an Apple vs. a PC. It’s going to be the OS. Consequently, that means there is no comparing the Aura line and the iBook line.
Granted, if I were torn between two PC’s, style might tip the scales. And, I also appreciate the iBook style. But, like I said, I’m not going to choose between Apple and PC because one looks better than the other. That would be just stupid.
I disagree. For me OS is almost irrelevant. I have OS X on my laptop, and windows and linux on two different workstations. And you know what, they are all basically the same. All run mathematica and python and firefox and LaTeX and bash and all the other apps I use equally well (well there are some apps that are mac and windows only). Also they all have annoying quirks that I manage to work around.
So when I’m now looking for a new laptop, I’m looking at price and features and design. If it runs OS X or not makes little difference, so comparing the Aura to an iBook works perfectly well for me.
Well, we can certainly agree to disagree.
I have a Dell laptop with Linux and XP on it. I’m no fan of Microsoft, but it works better than Linux does on this laptop. So, I use it. Also, I need it to run certain Windows only apps (namely, Intuit products).
I want to buy an Apple laptop so that I ditch XP and Linux Don’t get me wrong, I love Linux everywhere but my laptop. In my case, the OS is clearly driving my wants/needs. And, I can’t get OSX on the Aura, so it is no comparison.
I’ve never owned an Apple before. But, I have high expectations for OSX. I may be in for a rude awakening. But, I’m expecting it to be the worlds best GUI on *nix. How, can that be bad?
Call me an Apple cultist, but I don’t think that thing is as aesthetically pleasing as a MacBook; I think its ports and feet stand out too much.
Edited 2007-02-22 17:45
The damn thing is ugly to me. The Macs are much better in my opinion as far as looks go.
I agree, it doesn’t look as streamlined as it should be.
How can a current laptop that is claimed to be going “head to head with Apple’s ultra-stylish MacBooks” not have a DVI port? I won’t even use vga anymore, why would I bother buying a laptop without?
Style? What style? That thing is _ugly_.
And… dude… it dosen’t run OS X. Duh.
Yeah, I’m not wasting my money on that piece of crap.
Why not? You wasted plenty on over priced hardware already to run OS X.
Uh oh. I see the Mac fanboys stepped out of the closet for a moment. lol
From the article at the first link:
“The R20 really does look the business with its glossy black finish and minimalist styling. In fact, if you placed it next to a black MacBook you’d be forgiven for thinking that they share the same DNA.”
…except the black MacBook has a matte black finish, not a glossy one like the white MacBook…
…and a completely different keyboard (both keys & layout)
…and the fact that the MacBook’s trackpad is about twice as wide
So basically, it’s a black notebook?
Edit:
Side view of the Samsung notebook:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/4129-Profile.jp…
vs. side view of the MacBook:
http://www.apple.com/macbook/gallery/index5.html
The Samsung does not look similar at all…
Edited 2007-02-22 18:01
What. Two mouse buttons so you can actually “use” the laptop? Blasphemy!
“What. Two mouse buttons so you can actually “use” the laptop? Blasphemy!”
Tap with two fingers instead of one. Voila, right click. Drag with two fingers: 360 degree scroll on any document. Ctrl+drag with two fingers: instant screen zoom (great for YouTube, for reading a phone number across the room or simply showing something in detail to a group of people quickly)
Not to mention that the large (really large) trackpad and button make it extremely comfortable.
On the MacBook, clicking the button registers as a left click, and clicking the button with two fingers on the touchpad registers as a right click. It’s an incredibly natural way to right-click on a laptop.
On a two-button laptop, a right-hander person’s thumb rests naturally on the left mouse button in the normal track-pad position. Clicking the right button requires an awkward movement of the thumb towards the palm of the hand. The two-finger method, on the other hand, just requires you to put down a finger that’s hovering right over the touchpad anyway.
I have a macbookpro and using three fingers to make one action seems un-natural. I’m used to it now ‘cos it’s my default laptop.
As to the samsung aura it looks great but looks aren’t everything. How well does the finish stand up to everyday use, speed of the burner etc are things i’m more interested in.
OT: When will laptop makers start adding more RAM slots. Would make it easier to bump up RAM without having to buy seriously expensive single sticks.
After pricing out a few laptops recently, I’d be hard pressed to not buy and Apple.
In order of importance:
+ Ability to run OS X and/or Windows. Choice is good!
+ DVI output. Why are laptop manufacturers still using VGA ports? Between DVI->HDMI cables for TVs and the fact that a significant number of people use their laptop with an external screen, this seems like a no-brainer. Throw in a DVI->VGA adapter if you’re worried about compatabilty.
+ When you go feature-for-feature, Macs are priced well.
And Minuses:
– If you’re going to use Windows, you’d have to buy a full retail copy.
– No dock from Apple. Memo to Apple: if you want businesses to buy Macs, build a docking station! The BookEndz dock works I suppose, but it just seems ghetto .
Macs aren’t perfect of course, but it’s tough to argue against them.
No dock from Apple. Memo to Apple: if you want businesses to buy Macs, build a docking station! The BookEndz dock works I suppose, but it just seems ghetto .
Excuse me, I know this sounds stupid, but what is the purpose of a dock? really? are you unable to just use the laptop as it is or do you feel some need to hook up half a dozen pieces of crap to it to turn it into some frankenstein laptop come desktop?
I’m confused, when I hear people say they ‘need’ something, I really question, why. Can you still use the laptop without it? yes; then you don’t need it, end of story.
I used to think that way as a normal laptop user. Who needs a dock? what’s the point.
Now that I have one at work, I think it’s absolutely essential. We only have laptops at work; no workstations Which we plug into the dock when we are at our desk. The dock allows a full size keyboard, mouse, and proper monitor.
When you lug the laptop around to meetings, development lap…it is very handy to quick go from ‘laptop mode’ to ‘work station mode’ all the while have the same computer with you.
“The dock allows a full size keyboard, mouse, and proper monitor.”
Dear Lord… It’s 2007!!! Are you stuck in 1994 by any chance? Docking stations made sense then, but have you never heard of USB mice/keyboard and DVI output?
You can get USB hubs and (mini)DVI-to-VGA adapters for a *ridiculous* fraction of the price of a docking station. ANY docking station. And with a USB KVM, it’s a small, single piece gadget that won’t waste half of your desk whether you intend/need to use your notebook or not.
“Dear Lord… It’s 2007!!! Are you stuck in 1994 by any chance? Docking stations made sense then, but have you never heard of USB mice/keyboard and DVI output? ”
Yes because when I sit down at my desk, I want to spend the next 5-10 minutes hooking up all of my cables to my notebook. All I have to do is pop my notebook in the dock, which is loads more aesthetically pleasing and space conscious due to the fact that my screen can sit on top of my notebook.
Well then you just need bluetooth mouse and keyboard
Or simply use the laptop without attaching all the shit up to it or putting in a dock.
Geeze, you know you can use a laptop on a desk without needing to hook it up to a dock! amazing!
Fark’s sake. People buy docking stations, there is obviously a demand. So you don’t want one yourself, yay. Why does that mean no one else would?
In the orthopedic office where I work the doctor uses a laptop that he can cart from room to room (and from office to office, he has one in two different cities). Portable is good.
He also uses the computer to look at xrays sent over the network from the hospitals radiology department. For that, the 22″ LCD that sits on his desk works a lot better than the laptop’s built in screen. Larger, better specs (response time, contrast), etc. He also happens to prefer full size keyboards (with separate numeric keypad OMG!) and prefers using a mouse to a trackpad (way understandable). The laptop (a laptop/tablet actually) has no built in optical drive (not needed for scribbling down notes in an exam room, just extra weight) so there’s an external one on the desk.
It is easy for him to hook these all up to a docking station. When he returns to his desk, he puts the laptop in it, done. No messing around with four different wires, some of which would plug into the back of the laptop. It is easier, period. This is multiplied by the fact that he’s in and out of his office frequently to see patients in exam rooms. Plugging/unplugging 4 wires vs setting down/picking up the laptop? Easy choice.
Sure, he could save a wire or two using a bluetooth keyboard or whatever, but I (and he) have never liked wireless input devices. They never work all the time. Swapping batteries or worrying about placing the mouse in a charger = extra work. Wired just works.
It’s amazing to me how you refuse to acknowledge that an external monitor, keyboard and mouse might be preferable to some people as long as they are seated at a desk, and that for these people a docking station is a lot faster than plugging and unplugging a load of wires. I’ve just detailed a real world situation where a socking station saves a lot of aggravation, but I shouldn’t have to. You should have the imagination to be able to come up with such a situation yourself instad of assuming everyone else’s usage pattern must be exactly like yours. So you think docking stations are unnecessary, great. Lots of people disagree.
It’s amazing to me how you refuse to acknowledge that an external monitor, keyboard and mouse might be preferable to some people as long as they are seated at a desk, and that for these people a docking station is a lot faster than plugging and unplugging a load of wires.
You don’t understand.
Apple dosen’t offer docking capabilities on their laptops therefore some of these people have to convince themselves that there is absolutely no need for a docking station.
So yes they’ll argue that having a rats nest of wires to deal with, using a wimpy laptop keyboard all day and being limited to the ports available on the laptop is the best route because they sure as hell can’t admit that maybe the macbook is missing a needed feature for some folks.
When you lug the laptop around to meetings, development lap…it is very handy to quick go from ‘laptop mode’ to ‘work station mode’ all the while have the same computer with you.
But you didn’t answer the question; WHY?! I’m using my laptop all the time, as a desktop, on the road, and I don’t use an external keyboard or mouse or screen; I use the laptop as is, without extras.
What is so hard with that? unpack the laptop, turn it on, hook it up to the power, possibly attach a network cable to it, and voila, thats it; a few hundred bucks saved by not having a docking station.
Sure, back in 1994 laptops were bloody aweful; the stupid stick based pointer, the keyboards were horrific, the speed was crap, and the screen was inhumane torture on the eyes – flash forward 13 years, and the laptop keyboards are lot more confortable, infact I prefer it to a regular keyboard, the screen is simply divine and the touchpad is weird to use at first, but once you’ve become accustomed to it, its all good.
Is it really so hard to imagine that most people prefer a real keyboard to a laptop keyboard and a 20+” screen to a 12-15″ screen?
At any rate I think laptop keyboards have gone downhill over the past decade or so. My 286 Toshiba laptop had a much nicer keyboard than my current iBook.
No one wants to spend all day hunched over staring at a much smaller notebook screen for 8 hours a day in a cube. People get tired of typing on a shortened, flat, non-ergonomic keyboard. It’s a pain in the ass to keep plugging and unplugging peripherals every day…..Should I continue?
I suppose you don’t need a dock if all you’re going to do is sip overpriced swill at Starbucks while IM’ing your other over-privileged Macbook buddies and laughing pretentiously at the non-Apple notebook jockeys.
No one wants to spend all day hunched over staring at a much smaller notebook screen for 8 hours a day in a cube. People get tired of typing on a shortened, flat, non-ergonomic keyboard. It’s a pain in the ass to keep plugging and unplugging peripherals every day…..Should I continue?
I suppose you don’t need a dock if all you’re going to do is sip overpriced swill at Starbucks while IM’ing your other over-privileged Macbook buddies and laughing pretentiously at the non-Apple notebook jockeys.
Pardon? How about not buying pathetically microscropic notebooks/laptops, then you wouldn’t have the problem as you said about the keyboard. Sorry, its your fault if you purchase laptops/notebooks that are unsuitable for the job; btw, this is mine:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/kaiwai/005.jpg
I’d hardly claim that it is a ‘sub 1inch’ and all the other bullcrap which ‘road warriors’ (as they like to call themselves), but what I can say its built like a tank, its fast, reliable, battery life is great, and you can use it for hours on end without turning into a hunch back.
Excuse me, I know this sounds stupid, but what is the purpose of a dock? really? are you unable to just use the laptop as it is or do you feel some need to hook up half a dozen pieces of crap to it to turn it into some frankenstein laptop come desktop?
For me its a no brainer. I need a laptop so that I can be on the move at a moments notice, but I also spend a good deal of time in the same place and obviously on the computer.
I hate laptop keyboards, I use a MS natural kb. I *can* use the keyboard on the laptop, but its only really optimal for me during short periods of time.
I also use dual LCD screens, which I could not do on my laptop without the docking station as my docking station provides DVI and VGA outputs.
So the docking station for me works great. I can have my dual LCDs plugged in, use my ms natural KB and my docking station also provides 3 more USB ports than my laptop alone. All of this in a nice small package that I can disconnect with the push of one button.
Excuse me, I know this sounds stupid, but what is the purpose of a dock? really? are you unable to just use the laptop as it is or do you feel some need to hook up half a dozen pieces of crap to it to turn it into some frankenstein laptop come desktop?
Do I *need* it? No, of course not. I also don’t need a car, I could ride the bus. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by having docks with my previous machines, but I can’t really imagine a business setting without docks. If Apple was serious about market share, they’d have a dock. I know I couldn’t recommend a model that didn’t have a dock to my company.
And as for pieces of “crap” (you eloquence is impressive), I happen to like having a larger flat-panel display and a proper keyboard and mouse when I’m sitting at a desk. There is one true keyboard, and IBM model M is its name.
You don’t really need a dock for a Mac Laptop, simply connect the external devices and close the lid, and you can use it as a desktop machine at that point.
One of the best selling points of the MacBook Pro that I’ve seen is the weight.
I like my current 15.4″ laptop’s resolution (1920×1200) and would like to keep it when I upgrade to a new laptop eventually- and I’ve come to the (obvious?) conclusion that 1920×1200 needs a bigger screen size. At the same time, though, my computing needs have become substantially more mobile recently and the weight of my current laptop is starting to get to me.
The Apple MacBook Pro 17″ is actually lighter than this Dell Inspiron 8500.* I haven’t found any other manufacturer that sells sub-7-pound 17″ laptops.
Basically, when I eventually replace this computer I could have my cake and eat it too, if only I could live with the bulk and the one-button-mouse while travelling.
Well, that and I’d have to decide which OS I was going to run, since Linux&MacOS X&WinXP would take up too much disk space for no benefit…
*I’m aware the MacBook currently maxes out at 1680×1050- but that’s now, and… well, I might be persuaded to give up 1920×1200 for a larger screen and lighter laptop.
Edited 2007-02-23 05:26
An overly small laptop with a microscopic screen with subpar specifications…and yet its fanboyish review by the said article writer brings up questions about the guys sanity.
For me, I have a Toshiba laptop, its built like a tank, and has a 15.4 inch screen – sure, its not pathetically small like the above, but atleast I won’t need to hire out an electron microscope just to see the damns screen!
An overly small laptop with a microscopic screen with subpar specifications…and yet its fanboyish review by the said article writer brings up questions about the guys sanity.
For me, I have a Toshiba laptop, its built like a tank, and has a 15.4 inch screen – sure, its not pathetically small like the above, but atleast I won’t need to hire out an electron microscope just to see the damns screen!
Your post is confusing the hell out of me. What do you want out of a notebook? They are for portability. I never understood those people that lug around 8-10 pound laptops so they can have a large screen that kills the battery in half the time. Just get a desktop, because that’s the only thing you can really use something like that for anyway. If you have trouble reading a small screen then maybe the accessibility options of your OS suck.
I just ordered a new laptop with integrated graphics, a 14 inch screen, and a 9 cell battery, altogether weighing in under 5 pounds. It’s perfect for what I want out of it…portability. I looked at larger screen options and more powerful graphics but the downsides are too great. I would be glued to an AC outlet or have a hernia within a couple of weeks. That would pretty much eliminate the benefits of having a laptop.
can you run Linux on it?
Edited 2007-02-22 19:18
No you can’t because most users don’t care for Linux.
PS: See how i use the word users and not developers.
Samsung and Style are a contradiction of terms.
People have different senses of design. Macs have clean lines that are appealing to the average. This Samsung will probably look good to extreme gamers. In my opinion, it looks like a laptop from the 90s with cleats and a shiny coat of paint but that is just my opinion.
I’m not about to comment on this thing’s styling (I’m not a designer (or an artsy mac user)), However, like the article summary says: this thing turns heads! That’s what counts! Whoopee I have a MACbook! just like the 1,000 other people on my college campus…
Sorry, I’d take that laptop over some (random Chinese company-made) Macbook…
Modded down? Let’s see :/
You do realise EVERY notebook is made by a chinese company. Only 2-3 companies make notebooks.
Hmm, My Laptop wasn’t made by some random subcontracted Chinese company… In fact, Mine wasn’t made in China at all (Japan, It’s a Sharp, and was manufactured by Sharp.)
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Dell laptops are still made in Texas?
And I suspect that these Samsung laptops were made in Korea.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m a HUGE supporter of the global economy, I love China, But I do find it funny how all these Macaddicts (I don’t like to use the word fanboy) are all oohing and ahhing about how well _Apple_ builds their laptops.
Apple’s machines are built by Taiwanese ODMs. So are Dell’s machines. But heck, ThinkPads are made in mainland China, so clearly any of them are capable of producing quality equipment as long as you’re willing to foot the bill for it. And having owned both Dell and Apple laptops, it’s quite clear to me that Apple seems to be willing to foot the bill, and Dell isn’t.
Of course, you still can’t beat a ThinkPad. You could use those things as melee weapons in a pinch.
give me a laptop with no os and linux friendly hardware and im all game
but:
> make sure you can buy one for south of a grand (Sterling).
> give me a DX10 integrated chipset
> make it a 13″ screen
> a 1366×768 resolution would be perfect.
that would be a compelling offer.
it doesn’t live in my bag.
That thing is hideous!
Purple VGA connector, coloured audio ports on the front. C’mon. I know those are the ‘standard’ colour for a PC, but it just makes them UGLY.
Oh so ugly.