Alienware M17x - A Colossal Gaming Laptop

In the world of gaming laptops, the Alienware M17x is colossal. Large is lovely in this case, and it looks like that the M17x has been a result of a good many hours of laborious designs.

The outer shape is generally the same as M11x and M14x with the front of the laptop angling forward and the powered on embedded lights give out the impression of a sports car bumper. The laptop's rubberized finish is well done and looks pretty sleek. The inside body also has the rubberized finish, except for the bezel around the keypad that is brushed aluminium burnished to a darker hue.

The laptop's keypad is lovely - the keys are well spaced, and the feedback from the keys are exactly the right amount for all of them. The keys are backlit beautifully and so is the trackpad - it has a backlit rim around it. Although the trackpad accuracy is good, a dedicated mouse is required for serious gaming.

Windows Marries Android, Thanks to BlueStacks

Thanks to the folks at BlueStacks, you can now run your favorite Android Apps on your Windows PC! The BlueStacks App Player, which is still in its alpha stage, lets you run several preloaded Android apps, install up to 26 others, and sync apps from an Android phone to your PC.

Installing the app might take a few attempts. But after it has been installed using it is a breeze. The app places an Android gadget in the upper right corner of your screen. Clicking on the gadget opens a menu from which you can launch any of the preloaded Android apps, including Bloomberg News, Bubble Buster, Words Free, and Drag Racing, along with six others.

The apps themselves launch in a full-screen virtualized version of the Android operating system, so they run smoothly. The only obstacle that you might encounter is that since the apps are designed for a touch screen device, running them on a desktop computer with keyboard and mouse would be a bit of a pain. Using a laptop with a multitouch pad would be a better option though. Overall, the integration with Windows via a simple desktop gadget proved to be clean and seamless.