Laptop Reloaded March 15-19: Android 2.1 on the Droid, Adobe Fights Back Against Apple, IE 9 Makes It Debut, and More

Reviews & Hands-On

• Lenovo ThinkPad X201s [4 Stars] — This powerful, long-lasting business ultraportable is a great choice for demanding road warriors.
• MSI Wind U160 [3.5 Stars] — This netbook is rather lightweight and lasts almost nine hours on a charge, but its design could use some refinement.
• Dell Vostro V13 [3 Stars] – Dell’s sturdy and stylish small business notebook trades battery life for its thin profile.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X100e [3 Stars] — This affordable, durable ultraportable has a great keyboard and plenty of pep, but it runs out of gas too fast.
• Trigem Averatec N1200 [2.5 Stars] – Sporting an aluminum lid, this is one of the best-looking netbooks yet, but mediocre endurance and an awkward keyboard hold it back.
• Motorola Cliq XT (T-Mobile) [3 Stars] — T-Mobile’s follow-up to the original Cliq is sleek and offers welcome enhancements, but its on-screen keyboard is frustrating.
• Alex eReader [3.5 Stars] — Spring Design has created the best dual-screen Android eReader to date, but we wish it cost less.
• iRex DR800SG [2.5 Stars] – This device has the ideal screen size for an eReader, but the stylus sinks it.
• Mobile Broadband Shootout — Looking for a mobile broadband solution? Check out the results of our tests on the Sprint OverDrive, Clear 4G Mobile USB, T-Mobile webConnect Rocket USB, and Sprint MiFi 2200 (The Control) with the 3G, 4G, and HSPA+ networks.
• Google Docs — Google Docs new file upload feature is dirt cheap, but you get what you pay for.
• Taking Flight with Osprey’s Flap Jack Courier Bag — Every aspect of this rugged, lightweight notebook bag calls for adventure.

LAPTOP University: Tips & How-Tos

• 6 Tips For Spring Cleaning Your Laptop Inside and Out — To get your system back in pristine condition, follow these tips.

Interviews & Insights

• In an interview with Adobe’s Anup Muraka, director of technology strategy and partner development for Flash, we explore the real reasons behind Apple’s tiff with the company, Flash 10.1, and whether tablets or netbooks are more desirable. Read it here.
• In this week’s Spoonfed Mark asks Will AMD Ever Catch Up? in light of Intel’s dominance and AMD’s performance in the notebooks we’ve tested.

March Smart Phone Madness

In the first week of games we’ve already seen some pretty intense action. In Game 1 Apple’s iPhone 3GS won against the HTC Touch Pro2, garnering 65% of the votes. In the second round (starting next week), the iPhone will face the BlackBerry Tour which won against Verizon’s Motorola Devour in Game 5.

BlackBerry lovers went to bat for the Tour and also the Bold, which went up against the Palm Pixi in Game 2. However, they couldn’t overcome the waves of Motorola Droid fans in Game 3 (Droid vs. BlackBerry Curve 8530) and the CrackBerry addicts were surprisingly absent when the Storm 2 went up against the HTC HD2 in Game 4. Pretty good for a phone that won’t be out in the US until next week. 1,291 voters can’t be wrong!

When the BlackBerry Tour goes up against the iPhone, will the 40% of BB owners who’d switch trade loyalties?

Next week we’ll finish up round one with the next three matchups: Nexus One vs. Palm Pre Plus; HTC Hero vs. LG Expo; Motorola Cliq vs. Samsung Moment. Then it’s on to round 2! Click here to watch the drama unfold and vote for your favorites.

News Bytes

• Motorola Droid owners got all excited this week about the promised rollout of Android 2.1. Alas, it either didn’t happen or only happened for a select few. Either way, most will have to wait, still. Meanwhile, Sprint phones get the 2.1 treatment…
• Is the Pre better than the Droid? Palm’s CEO seems to think so. Maybe he’s biased.
• Windows Phone 7 Marketplace Unveiled. Netflix, Foursquare, Pandora and Other Apps Shown. Plus, the OS itself gets a walkthrough (via an emulator).
• BlackBerry OS 6.0 Maybe Leaked. New Direction for RIM? Let’s hope so.
• Google Nexus One available for AT&T and Rogers Wireless. It’s coming to Sprint soon. Worth $529 yet?
• Internet Explorer 9 Makes Its Debut. Has HTML5 Support and GPU Acceleration. Too bad Windows XP users won’t get to use it…
• Samsung joins the ranks of Slate PC makers. Surprised? Not us.
• Nuclear Powered Batteries Are Coming, so get ready to ditch that AC adapter.

On The Horizon

CTIA Wireless 2010 is next week and we’ll be there covering it. Check out our preview of the Top 5 Trends we expect to see and keep checking the blog for updates.