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NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

News: A Shock From Sony

If you use a Sony VAIO PCG-FRV25 or PCG-FRV27, you could be in for a shock--an electrical one, to be exact. The giant electronics manufacturer recently notified registered owners of those models that the modems in their VAIOs could give them a mild, static-electricity-like jolt. But for this to happen, the notebook must be connected to a phone line while the user is touching a metal surface on the computer and receiving an incoming phone call--all at once.

Reportedly, no one has actually been shocked under these circumstances, the modems have since been fixed, and Sony is asking affected users to return their notebooks for repairs, according to Sony.

Review: Tablets Get Snappier

Does Intel's Centrino chip set live up to its claims (improved battery life, faster processing speeds, easier Wi-Fi networking) for Tablet PCs? Yes and no, according to our tests of Acer's TravelMate C110 subnotebook ($2099) and Motion Computing's M1300 tablet ($2106). The bottom line, says PCWorld.com reviewer Yardena Arar: These new models offer snappier digital ink than earlier models, but they cost more and their battery life is disappointing.

Review: Storage to Go

We recently put 15 portable, affordable storage products through their paces and came up with three Best Buys: SanDisk's pocket-size USB device, the Cruzer; Sony's multiformat DRU-510A DVD burner; and Maxtor's Personal Storage 5000DV external hard drive.

Tip: How to Find the Best Airplane Seat

Recently, I wrote about how to determine which airplane seats are the most comfortable for mobile professionals with notebooks. Since that article appeared, I learned of SeatGuru.com, an essential site for anyone planning a domestic airline trip.

The site offers detailed seat maps for all cabins on aircraft operated by American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and U.S. Airways. What's more, each seat is color-coded for comfort--green (very good), yellow (be aware!), and red (bad seat). Factors taken into consideration include seat pitch (the distance from one seat back to another). The availability of video, audio, and power outlets is also provided.