Laptop Award – Laptopical’s 2005 Winners!

Deciding on which notebooks should receive a coveted Laptopical laptop award was difficult. But now that the votes have been counted, and the contents of thick brown envelopes have been safely deposited in a Swiss bank account, we are finally at liberty to reveal our selection. We decided to have a little fun, and compare these laptops with characters from the legendary John Sturges western “The Magnificent Seven”. Here are Laptopical’s very own magnificent 7 for your amusement and delectation. (Disclaimer – These PCs won’t repel banditos invading your village.)

Update – 2006 Awards Announced

THINKPAD Z60M – When confirmation of Lenovo’s multi billion dollar purchase of IBM’s computing division emerged in 2004, Thinkpad fanboys were biting their nails anxiously, wondering whether this was the end of an era. Well they had only to check out one of Lenovo’s widescreen laptops, the Z60m, to realise that the Chinese corporation had no intention of making the Thinkpad go the way of the dodo.

If the Z60M Thinkpad was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Harry Luck played by Brad Dexter. Solid, dependable, and first to the bar to get the drinks in.

G4 POWERBOOK – Apple is the gold standard for people in need of specialized graphic art, photography, and other creative programs. Apple have recently decided to freshen up their PowerBook lineup, so there’s never been a better time to check out new 17 inch models. They now feature a 1680-by-1050 pixel resolution, a 36% increase on previous notebooks.

If the Powerbook was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Chris Adams played by Yul Brynner. A stand up chap with leadership qualities.

P1500 LIFEBOOK – Good old uncle CNET once said that Fujitsu make laptops that James Bond would love. Well here’s an ultraportable that could fit snugly in the glove compartment of 007’s Aston Martin. The Lifebook P1500 is one of the lightest convertible notebooks on the market today.

If the P1500 Lifebook was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Lee played by Robert Vaughan. The mysterious gunslinger with lightning reflexes.

DURABOOK N15RI – This Twinhead laptop is semi rugged. Anti shock mounting protects the display and hard disk from damage and data loss. The keyboard is spill resistant, and Twinhead’s patented lock ensures that this Durabook’s optical drive has extra protection from knocks and drops.

If the Durabook N15 was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Britt played by James Coburn. Few words, but plenty of action.

ACER FERRARI 4000 – Emblazoned with Ferrari’s famous Prancing Horse logo, the 4000 boasts an eye-catching red and black carbon fiber casing, and a Turion processor courtesy of AMD. This means the Ferrari is primed to run the future’s advanced 64 bit applications – today.

If the Ferrari laptop was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Bernardo O’Reilly played by Charles Bronson. A steely glare, and blazing guns.

TOUGHBOOK ELITE – Here’s a magnesium alloy notebook from Panasonic, equipped with a 14.1 inch screen, 60GB shock-mounted hard drive, 512MB of SDRAM, and a 1.50 GHz mobile Pentium M microprocessor.

If the Panasonic Toughbook Elite was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Vin played by Steve McQueen. Lean, tough, with rugged good looks.

TOSHIBA LIBRETTO – Tipping the scales at a tiny 2.16 pounds, the Libretto promises portability without compromising computing. Ok so the 7.2-inch widescreen LCD display may be a little small for some folks, but who can argue with a 60 GB hard drive, and a 1.20GHz Intel Pentium M processor housed within a laptop that could easily fit in a handbag.

If this Libretto was a Magnificent 7 character it would be? – Chico played by Horst Buchholz. Small, effective, and eager to be taken seriously.