Troubleshoot MP3 Player And Laptop Query

We have two more queries on the Ask-Us page. One is regarding a problem faced sham on his T.Sonic 840 MP3 player and another is by John, who needs help on choosing a laptop for him according to his mentioned needs.

Sham’s query :

I have a Tsonic 840 for over 1 year. It was working great. I just love it. But today it just went dead without any reason. There was no man hand or anything. A song was playing and it just went dead.
Initially I thought it was battery low. I then charged it via usb port. But then no luck. It did not come alive.
Any reports of such problems?
Please help.

This is a weird problem as there seems to no clear evidence as to what caused the player to go dead. You have already ruled out the possibility of low battery charge that could have shutdown the player. But as the player is not charging via USB then surely there is some internal problem with the player which can not be solved by you alone.

Are you sure the player was not man handled at any time?

There is an internal problem with the circuitry that has caused your player to go kaput. This could also be a problem with your USB charging port but is unlikely. I do not see it as a battery as you said that the player is not charging

In any case you will have to send your player to the Transcend service center and they will look into the problem.

John’s query :

I am planning to buy a Laptop and need your suggestion. I will be using it to browse the net, listen to music, edit images with PhotoShop CS3,etc.

I heard that Laptops last only for about 2 or 3 hours and would like to know if there is a way to extend it for a longer time as I will need it. Also do I need to buy a Laptop fan?

I guess I will need around 1 GB RAM, around 160 GB Storage space, screen resolution of around 1280×1024, and maybe a web cam if possible

Which Laptop do you suggest for me?

I recently reviewed the Lenovo N3000 200 laptop which fulfills all your needs at a low budget. You will get a 3.5 hours backup with this one on normal usage. Also remember that almost all new laptops come in widescreen resolution so you will not find one with 1280 x 1024 resolution but with 1280 x 800 resolution.

Some of the other good options that you can look at include :

• Dell Vostro 1400 : One of the best VFM laptops from Dell but scores low on looks. One the biggest advantages of getting is getting to choose the configuration you wish to have, so you do not compromise on your needs. Also you get to choose between 6-cell and 9-cell battery at the time of configuration but price difference is large.
• Dell Inspiron 1420/1525 : Both of them are from same series and the only difference is that former is 14.1″ laptop while other is a 15.4″ one. The Inspiron series has much better looks than the Vostro series, if you are concerned about them at all.
• HP : You can also get a notebook from HP from their dv2500 series but be prepared to shell out more and also get a lower battery life. I would not recommend going with HP at this time as there are better option available in the market.

The best way to extend battery backup time is to dim the brightness of the screen. Some other ways include not drawing power through external ports for mouse etc. Also checking for processes which are using too much processor and RAM.

Although it is not necessary to invest in a laptop cooler but if you are going to you laptop on a bed/sofa that will block the air flow, then you need to buy one. Also if you laptop runs hot even at idle load then you should definitely get to prolong the life of your laptop.

Reply from Adam:

Since your not using yours for super extensive things, you don’t need to worry about the top of the line graphics card. Battery life depends on the size of the battery as well as your usage. 12 cell batteries last a lot longer than 6 cells and should provide you with at least 4 -5 hours of usage (even with the screen bright and wireless on).

I wouldn’t waste your money on a laptop fan, as long as your not covering the exhaust slot (where the fan pushes hot air out), it should be fine. If you find your laptop is overheating you could always just prop it up so air can get into the computer.

Basic

• Compaq Presario - Good laptop, AMD Turion 64 X2 processor, 2GB ram, 15.4″ Widscreen 1280 x 800 monitor, 160GB hard drive and Nvidia GeForce 7000M graphics card. $549.99 (on sale at best buy)
• Gateway - AMD Turion 64 X2 processor, 3GB ram, 14.1″ Widscreen 1280 x 800 monitor, 250GB hard drive, ATI Radeon X1270 graphics card, integrated 1.3MP web cam, $699 (at best buy)

Thin and Light

• Dell XPS M1330 - Lightweight, Intel C2D T5450, 2GB ram, 13.3″ hig-def widescreen 1280 x 800 monitor, 160GB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics card, integrated 2.0MP web cam, $1,199.99 (on sale at best buy)
• HP Special Edition - Intel C2D T5250, 2GB ram, 14.1″ high-def widescreen 1280 x 800 monitor, 250GB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics card, built-in webcam, $899.99 (on sale at best buy)

Entertainment

• Asus - Intel C2D T5550, 4GB ram, 14.4 widescreen 1280 x 800 monitor, 320GB hard drive, Nvidia GeForce G9500M GS graphics card, integrated 1.3MP web cam, $1,199.99
• Gateway - Intel C2D T5550, 4GB ram, 17″ widescreen 1440 x 900 monitor, 320GB hard drive, Nvidia GeForce Go 8800M GTS graphics card, integrated 1.3MP web cam, $1,349.99

Here are the 6 laptops that I think are the best in the categories. I personally like the 17″ Gateway because it has the best monitor, hard drive and graphics card. But it is also the most expensive. All are good laptops so it just depends on how much you wish to spend.