Joybook S61 V30

PC World Australia (online)

BenQ's latest release, the S61 v30, is the only 12.1in notebook we've seen to come with a built-in digital TV tuner. It weighs just 1.65kgs, has a 12.1in screen with a 1200x800 resolution and a slim optical drive bay, yet it's remarkably portable.

Pros

  • Lighweight, good battery life, doubles as a media center

Cons

  • Trackpad does not have scrolling function, <Fn> and <Ctrl> keys are not located in normal positions

Bottom Line

If you need a notebook that will last for four hours while on the road, and double as a media centre once you get back to base, then look no further.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 2,599.00 (AUD)

Special Offers

Relying on an Intel T2300 CPU, which runs at 1.66GHz with 512MB RAM, this JoyBook scored a competitive 81 in World Bench 5 and 4861 in 3DMark 2001 SE. Running F.E.A.R. at anything above the game's optimised settings for the Joybook's Intel GMA 950 graphics processor is a futile task as this notebook is not designed for gaming. At the optimised setting, it scored 22 frames per second in this benchmark. In battery life tests, it lasted four hours and twelve minutes, running MobileMark 2002.

To watch TV, BenQ supplies a portable antenna, but it will pick up one or maybe two channels, at most - so an external roof mounted antenna is recommended. The case design of the notebook is thin and it has a grey, latch-less lid - which we like.

BenQ has also included its proprietary QMedia bar that is embedded in your desktop background which provides fast access to all of your media functions, including the impressive media centre.

Unfortunately the notebook's trackpad has no scrolling function, and its and keys are not located where you would normally expect to find them.

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