Business Articles

A round bundle. The 13.3-inch size alongside a swift solid state drive and good battery life commends the ProBook 430 G2 as a portable companion. The laptop's screen proves to be its primary weakness.

Acer's All-in-One. Notebook, tablet or All-in-One PC, the Acer R13 meets almost all the requirements. Thanks to the new Ezel Aero Hinges, the device can be used in many operating modes and is also really fast with its two turbo SSDs in a RAID 0 configuration and Intel's i7 processor.

Reliable. Reliability is regarded as the main focus of a business laptop. Fujitsu's Lifebook E544 lineup provides a total package for 700 Euros (~$854). Our test reveals whether the mix of hardware, input devices, and security standards are satisfactory, or whether they are even good.

Not without faults. The Lifebook E554 is primarily aimed at corporate customers. The price level ranging from 600 to 1000 Euros (~$716 to ~$1194) also might make it interesting for private users. We have the current top model of the line at hand. It wants to entice potential customers with plenty of computing power, an IPS screen, a solid state drive, a 3G modem, and a very good battery life.

Stuck in a rut. The Venue 11 Pro was conceived as a tablet for use in the business environment. Dell outfitted the device with a Full HD IPS display and made it easy to access the tablet's inner workings. A quick SSD and a Core i5 processor do the device credit on paper too. But all told, can the tablet win us over?

Upgrade or downgrade? HP's new G2-version of their 17-inch business and multimedia hybrid features updated hardware components. The new model comes with an i5-4210U CPU instead of the i5-4200M and a Radeon R5 M255 replaces the Radeon HD 8750M graphics card. The display panel differs as well. How the changes impact performance, battery life, and picture quality is the subject of our review.

Problem? No Problem! A laptop has to be robust, secure, and always ready in industrial environments. Dell now presents its Latitude 14 Rugged 5454 in the Dell-Latitude-Rugged-Extreme lineup. It lacks the "Extreme" in its name, which leads to a drastically reduced price.

All-rounder with gaming capabilities. Acer's new 17.3-inch notebook is designed for private as well as business users. A powerful Core i5 in combination with a fast GPU and good battery runtimes should be appealing for both customer groups.

Success. Intel's Bay Trail platform and Windows with Bing enable manufacturers to build cheaper and cheaper notebooks and tablets. Dell took advantage of these developments and just released an 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablet with a bright, high-contrast IPS display -- for just 160 to 180 Euros (~$199 to ~$224).

Performance alternative. HP reworked its workstation series and now offers some new features. We decided to equip the HP ZBook 15 G2 with the AMD FirePro M5100 and the high-resolution QHD+ display. We tested how well the two components suit the established working device.

Business style. The business laptops of Dell's Latitude lineup are actually made for entrepreneurs. However, the slim Dell Latitude E5550 and its plastic casing also fit medium budgets. Our report clarifies whether the E5550 is just another office machine, or if it might just add a touch of elegance to the desk.

Surprise from the second row. Asus wants to attack the established business competition with its new 12.5-inch subnotebook. The AsusPro BU201LA can not only impress with its great Full HD display, but also with an excellent keyboard and a solid build quality – and all that for a surprisingly low price. What is the catch?

Time is money. Dell's new Latitude E5450 that is designed to make work efficient and be performance-enhancing has now been introduced to the business world. Will the professional domain benefit from its mobility, security, and power?

Slim and powerful. The current trend towards slim notebook cases also continues with MSI's current workstation lineup. A decent performance combined with a mobile and light case results in an interesting combination that should not be interesting for just professional users. We checked if and for whom the package works.

Beefed up. The L-series is the affordable entry into the world of ThinkPads. It offers typing comfort, many interfaces including a docking port, and a rigid, timeless chassis. Lenovo now ships the classic with an SSD and HD+ screen. Will that make the L440 the ultimate laptop among the budget-priced pro-books?