Sunday 13 December 2015

Asus GL552

Asus GL552

Gaming is all about the GPU

When it comes to gaming laptops, it’s hard to look past the landslide of releases from MSI and Aorus - it seems that every other month they've released the umpteenth version of their most popular models. Yet Asus tends to stick to more productivity and consumer focused laptops, which is why the GL552 sparked our interest. Wearing the prestigious Asus Republic of Gamers brand that we’ve come to associate with premium-priced products, it’s a gaming laptop with a remarkably low price point. Considering the RoG branding, that immediately seems a little weird, but let’s see what’s in store at this price point.

Aorus X3 Plus v5

Aorus X3 Plus v5

A lush new screen and more potent gubbins

Just over a year ago we checked out the Aorus X3 v3 gaming laptop, and were impressed at its ability to pack solid gaming performance into a relatively portable form factor. Since then the price has jumped $700 in the move to the v5 (we didn’t get the v4 down under), despite it using the exact same chassis. Luckily it's now offering a lot more hardware within for the price, though Australia's weak dollar surely isn’t helping things.

Toshiba Click 10

Toshiba Click 10

Unprecedented quality in a budget tablet

It’s hard to believe that the first tablet was released way back in 2002 with Microsoft's Tablet PC range. Costing several thousand dollars, these heavy, sluggish and battery-devouring devices were slow to take off. Yet here we are thirteen years later, and the release of Toshiba’s Click 10 shows just how far tablets have come.

Unlike most other tablets and PCs that come in a hundred and one different flavours, Toshiba has only released a single variant of the Click 10; if you want to change the specs, too bad. The good news is that the default specs are rather brilliant for a tablet of this price. At just $699, it's one of the cheapest convertible tablets, yet it’s very hard to fault.

Synology RT1900ac

Synology RT1900ac

A NAS company releases its first router... and surprises us with its flexibility and software features

While many unconventional brands have tried to gain a toe-hold in the broadband router market over the last half decade, only one or two have really managed to stick it out. We're hoping Synology is another name we can add to the list. Better known for its network-attached storage boxes, Synology is looking to bring over the same software smarts that have made its NAS devices.

Lenovo Yoga 300

Lenovo Yoga 300

Laptop and tablet marriage might not be the best path after all

One of the biggest perks of Windows 10 is the focus Microsoft has put on creating a seamless system transition from a touch-controlled tablet mode to the point-and-click cursor based laptop interface — and it's devices like Lenovo's Yoga 300 which are, in theory, perfectly suited to cash in on this new OS.

Now, there are bound to be some compromises in price or specs when you attempt to combine two tech categories into one device, but one of the better tacks to take with hybrids (or 2-in-1s) is to make the tablet or laptop aspect an added bonus, rather than an unrewarding additional expense. And though we can safely say that the Yoga 300 isn’t definitively in the latter camp, we’re also not completely sure it fits in the former either.