By : Cisco Cheng
The transition from a 16:10 to 16:9 aspect ratio in widescreen notebook displays is well under way, in part because these panels are becoming cheaper to make and their aspect ratio is more consistent with that of consumer HDTVs. When LCD manufacturers proposed this new screen format to laptop makers, Acer quickly jumped at the opportunity. It launched the Acer Aspire 6920G-6071, a 16-inch media center laptop that instantly won our Editors' Choice award and then was stripped of it because the model ran out of stock as soon as hit the Web. The next iteration, the Aspire 6930G-6723, is out to make amends to those who couldn't get their hands on the last one. Like the previous version, the 6930G brings with it a Blu-ray reader at an unprecedented price and improved 3D game play with an updated Nvidia graphics card. A rich feature set makes it suitable for home theater enthusiasts. Because of these features—and the fact that you can actually buy one today (at TigerDirect.com, for $1,020), the 6930G receives the Editor's Choice for value notebooks.
The 6930G uses the existing Acer chassis, so it looks exactly like the 6920G-6071. Its polished blue exterior (the brand series is dubbed "Gemstone Blue") is attractive and complements the barrel hinge, but doesn't hide its bulk. Its 7.2-pound frame isn't the heaviest in the 16-inch space (the Gateway MC7803u, at 7.7 pounds, earns that distinction), but it could use a slimming lesson from the 6.8-pound HP HDX16t. The solid blue color can use some enhancements, like patterns on the HDX16t or an automotive-inspired design like the MC7803u. But it's easy to forgive the bulk once you add up all the features that Acer packs into the 6930G's chassis.
The 16-inch widescreen is nothing new in the laptop industry. We can expect a huge influx of laptops with a 16:9 aspect ratio by 2009. You're not exactly getting more screen real estate—just a wider screen to mimic the ones founds in consumer HDTVs. Already, you can find the new 16:9 widescreen laptops at prices lower than those of 16:10 widescreens. The 6930G's 1,366-by-768 resolution is considered WXGA, the minimum resolution on this size of screen, and it doesn't showcase a full 1080p HD experience, as the 6930G's bigger sibling, the Aspire 8920G, does. Still, the 720p-resolution screen is perfectly fine for high-definition movies, photos, and any other multimedia task you can toss at it. The keyboard is an absolute pleasure to type on, and it's as comfortable as that of the HDX16t. The 6930G's has slightly the upper hand, though, with its bigger numeric keypad.
The 6930G's feature set shines brighter than its competitors, especially when you consider the system's price. Like the previous version, this configuration has the potential to bring Blu-ray into the mainstream. In addition to playing movies, the integrated Blu-ray drive can burn CDs and DVDs as well. If the laptop's 16-inch screen is too small for you, you can take the movie experience to a larger display via the included HDMI port. There are four USB ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA port, for storage expansion. Though the unit doesn't have a FireWire port, an ExpressCard 34 slot lets you add a FireWire expansion card (or WWAN, extra USB ports, a TV tuner, and the like). The 320GB hard drive is larger (and actually cheaper) than the 250GB one found in the more-expensive HDX16t, and the same capacity as those in the Sony VAIO VGN-FW198UH and the Gateway MC7803u. A good sound system—two speakers and a subwoofer (in base)—is icing on the cake.
You're not going to get a top-tier processor at this price, but the 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 does the job for many tasks, including video and photo editing, ripping MP3s, and watching HD movies. It helps to have 4GB of memory, which goes well with a 64-bit operating system like Windows Vista Home Premium. For casual gaming, it even comes with an Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS graphics card, which is a smidge faster than the one in the previous version. Its SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score looked deficient against those of the HDX16t and the Sony FW198U, as it was outscored by a margin of 43 percent and 39 percent, respectively. On video encoding and CineBench R10 tests, it didn't fare much better, trailing both the HP and the Sony by a considerable amount. But the T5800 is a budget processor, so this was expected.
Overall performance testing, though, did show a significant improvement over the 6920G-6071, with battery life the only exception. The performance boost (with its corresponding energy drain), lowered the new model's score to 3 hours 20 minutes, according to MobileMark 2007 tests. The 6920G achieved 3 hours 42 minutes on the battery test.
The only thing that can keep the Acer Aspire 6930G-6723 from outselling its competitors is availability, as it is sold through online stores only. For now, this particular configuration is in stock at TigerDirect.com. Availability is one of the reasons why this media center regained the Editors' Choice in the value category that its predecessor had lost. Because the HDX16t is a far more expensive system and holds the Editors' Choice in the media category, the 6930G doesn't trump it. It's a great deal for anyone who is looking for a multipurpose, Blu-ray–equipped media center.
Source : www.pcmag.com
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