Others say...

"Laptop and mobile solution news but light on independent, indepth research"
From a subscription point of view (about $12/yr directly) this magazie is a decent value. While half the information is fluff (looking back - 15 years of innovation, etc.) there is some timely relevant information hard to find easily in a consolidated way. The focus is not just on laptops but mobile solutions - this includes peripherals, PDAs, mobile phones among others. There is some opinion (RIAA vs Sirius) but the focus seems to be vendor/advertiser driven.

For example, the cover story of the Mar 2006 issue is on First Four Core Duo notebooks. They review Centrino Duo notebooks from Acer, Dell, Gateway and HP. They run benchmark tests and provide charts, etc. Fairly useful info. Except they don't give the information consistently. The weight of Dell laptop is not even mentioned while those of others is. They do mention a few cons for each notebook but do it gently without a strong opinion. Two of the four systems reviewed are selected as Editors' Choice. The other two still are rated well. There is no single table that compares them all in a single view. You get the feeling, they were trying to please the advertisers and avoided any direct head-on comparision between multiple products.

I disagree with their choices as well. How could the Editors' choice be a 6.6lbs laptop from Acer that has an average battery life just because it offers some value?

In the same Mar 2006, there is a review of Windows Treo 700W; a showdown between slim phones Moto RAZR V3c and Samsung MM-A900; a short test of Nokia's pocket Internet Appliance and Kodak's first dual-lens digicam; Wifi routers; list of restaurants for business travelers; etc.

For a $1/month, I recommend this to anyone who travels a lot and is looking for a quick update on the mobile computing world. If you want in-depth technical info, stick to Toms Hardware or other web sites.

"Excellent Source of Mobile Product Information"
Laptop Magazine is an excellent resource for the mobile professional. The staff has done a great job of reviewing products relevant to those individuals attached to their laptops and related gadgets. Despite the name, the magazine is not merely about laptops but also the tools and strategies for the peripatetic white-collar worker.

With information on laptops, mobile phones, hotels and airlines, Laptop Magazine is loaded with great insights. Its layout is excellent as it appears far less cluttered than other computer magazines - much like how the Harvard Business Review differs from Star Magazine. Yet, it is a bit light on specific computer tasks and tweaking. This may be due to the demographic of the audience, which is most likely a collection of mid-level executives and sales professionals instead of hands-on technology gurus. As such, the magazine is well worth the read as it will certainly save time with your work, travel, and technology purchases in the future.


Pros:
Excellent product information
Great organization and layout


Cons
Light on nuts and bolts computer technology
No concise source of the laptop reviews (i.e. like Motor Trend has a summary of tests with dates and results with every magazine).


"Good enough"
And while this magazine doesn't go into great depth on to which products are the best (you could call it indirect advertising), it does one important job. It introduces you to the newest products and what's out there.

Think about it, where the heck am I going to look on the net for new cell phones that haven't come out yet? I'd have to search forever and at multiple websites.

With laptop mag, I look at all the things that I've never seen before and then look them up on the net (isn't that what internet is for?). It's a great resource for seeing some of the latest products. The user needs to do thier own homework and make a researched decision about the product.

Finally, when looking at electronics, I like advertising. It's another way to get either new ideas on products you never thought or if you want to buy something, it's easier to locate with an advertisement.

"Informercials in a magazine binding"
Laptop Magazine focuses on laptops, PDAs, and wireless computing. Laptop Magazine seems like it's trying to be both technical and exciting; however it lacks the objectivity of PC Magazine and the deep enthusiasm of Wired. Thus, it reads like a series of infomercials where each "article" paints a rose-colored view of each technology and the vendors products followed by paid ads of the same vendors portrayed so happily in the text. Their conclusions all seem predetermined: new technology is better.

"Not a serious magazine"
Laptop Mag can be best described negatively: it's not a really serious computer magazine. It's more or less like Consumer Guide, which is basically paid advertising. This means you can't really trust the article here because you don't know if they are not written by unbiased writers. In the end, I feel this is a waste of money. Besides, you can get all the info for free on the web, from CNET or ZDNET, anyway.