Gateway is not only claiming that the new notebooks will offer the best in cinematic entertainment thanks to Blu-ray drives, vibrant16:9 displays and HDMI connections, but also seamless social networking capabilities. The latter comes in the form of an integrated “social networking” shortcut button that will connect users to sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr. To be honest it seems like a bit of a gimmick, but bearing in mind the target audience it will probably come in quite handy.
The first model to be released is the NV59C09u, which features an Intel Core i3-330M running at 2.13GHz on the Intel HM55 chipset with 4GB DDR3 RAM. The integrated Intel GMA HD graphics will drive the 15.6” LED-backlit display comfortably due to its lowly 1366x768 resolution. The notebook has a 320GB HDD and a Blu-ray drive which is a nice addition. While the low resolution screen may not make the most of it, there is an HDMI port to output your high definition films to a better display. Further connectivity comes in the form of 802.11b/g/n wireless and Gigabit Ethernet wired networking as well as three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a media card reader, and the usual audio in and out ports.
The notebook also features a 1280x1024 webcam, two stereo speakers, a dedicated numeric keypad, and a multi-gesture trackpad that will provide functionality such as pinch to zoom and twist/rotate photos. A 6-cell battery is standard with a quoted 4.5 hour battery life in the 5.72Lbs chassis. The machine runs Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. There is also a new fingerprint-resistant lid with a wave pattern and colorful finish as well as some other small aesthetic alterations that generally improve the look of the machine.
The NV59C09u is available now for $800. On the face of it, the specifications are identical to the $650 NV5933u which has been available for some time now. (We'll have a review of the NV5933u in the near future.) However, the new model has an improved 2-year warranty compared to the single year available on the older model as well as the social networking key and improved aesthetics. Still, $150 extra for what amounts to an extra year of warranty coverage and a slight tweak to the design still seems a bit too much. If you don't feel like you need these changes, the current $650 for the "old" NV59 series is a great deal.
Further models will be available in the coming weeks and are said to range from mainstream family orientated products to powerful gaming and video editing machines and will feature Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors as well as AMD Athlon and Turion processors, a move HP has recently taken with its new Pavilion range of mainstream notebooks. Standard across the range of new notebooks will be media card readers, 802.11b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet and a1280x1024 webcam. They fill feature storage ranging from 320GB to 640GB. The cheapest of the new NV series notebooks will start at $530.
The NV7 Series will feature models with ATI Mobility Radeon HD graphics to make the most of the 17.3” 1600x900 screen. Unfortunately, there’s no 1080p resolution to make the most of the Blu-ray drive models, which is a crime for notebooks of this screen size. The new notebooks also feature Gateways "MyBackup" software to make backing up to internal partitions or external drives an easy task rather than a mundane chore.
We’ll have to wait and see how these machines weigh up against their mainstream counterparts, as undoubtedly there will be a flurry of releases to catch the school and college notebook buyers over the summer. The two year warranty is a nice extra (something ASUS already provides on many of their laptops), but in the meantime the NV59 series is a lot cheaper and offers the same performance at a much lower price.
