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Frozen North In The Nevada Desert?

March 22, 2011

A wealthy and well-connected businessman from Alaska wants his state to give him $4 million to start an “Alaska Adventure Center” in Las Vegas.

The $4 million, explained Perry Green to the Anchorage Daily News, will merely get the project “designed and all ready to go.” He would then approach the Alaska legislature with a formal plan for the “first phase,” as well as a request for more money. How much more money? Millions more, suggested the project’s developer. “It can’t be done on the cheap.”

The Alaska Adventure Center would entice people to visit Alaska (kind of like an old-fashioned World’s Fair pavilion). Green wants it on the Las Vegas Strip, where lots of people will walk past. The Center would have a high-def theater, two nightly live Alaska-themed shows, shops selling Alaska goods, a restaurant serving Alaska food (No mention of a subwoofer Alaska Earthquake thrill ride — yet). The concept illustration released by the developer shows an oversized rustic-looking chalet decorated with a polar bear, killer whale, bush pilot airplane, and giant moose head. Even in Las Vegas, it would draw eyeballs.

According to Green, Las Vegas is the perfect place for the Center since Las Vegas visitors like to travel and have disposable income. And now is the time to build it because Las Vegas real estate prices have dropped in recent years.

The Center, as currently envisioned, would not have gambling, although Green was once a runner-up in the World Series of Poker, which is held in Las Vegas.

Sections: Attraction News 1 Comment »

One Response to “Frozen North In The Nevada Desert?”

1. joel Says:
   
   March 23rd, 2011 at 8:56 pm

   Has anyone ever heard that Joe Frank where the guy starts a ski resort in the desert?

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March 24, 2011

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2012 Infiniti M Hybrid

Hybrid cars may be high tech, but after hitting an apex in the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion, the technology stagnated. But now a new generation of hybrid drive system is revitalizing the market. Using lithium ion batteries, these systems operate under electric mode over a greater range of speeds, delivering more efficiency. Such is the case with the 2012 Infiniti M35h, one of the first of the new generation of hybrid vehicle.

The M35h boasts EPA fuel economy of 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, an impressive achievement for a luxury sedan that also generates 360 horsepower. The car accelerates quickly, using both the 258 pound-feet of torque from the gas engine and the 199 pound-feet from the electric motor to press you back into the seat when the accelerator is mashed. And this same power train slips into EV mode for long stretches, even when traveling above 60 mph on the freeway.

Infiniti packaged this all-new hybrid power train in its top-of-the-line sedan, the M, a car that has never quite garnered the prestige of executive sedans such as the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the BMW 7-series, or the Lexus LS. The smaller M sedan isn’t the kind of car for which you would hire a chauffeur. But it tries to compete with those other cars by offering similar levels of technology, and pushes driver assistance features to an extreme.

Interestingly, the M35h is not alone as an executive-class hybrid. Last year, BMW released its ActiveHybrid 7, and Mercedes-Benz previously launched the S400 hybrid. But of these cars, Infiniti really has the best hybrid system. It not only features idle stop, but it also is able to propel the car under electric power alone, and it gets the best mileage of its competition. It doesn’t hurt that the M35h is the cheapest of the lot, either.

Gas and electric power
The M35h relies on Nissan’s tried and true VQ-series engine, a 3.5-liter variable valve-timed V-6 as its gasoline-powered component. This engine, though landing on the Ward’s 10 best engines list repeatedly over the years, is not very advanced by current standards, and was even knocked off Ward’s 2011 list by Nissan’s own electric motor powering the Leaf.

However, the research Nissan did for the Leaf also paid off for the Infiniti M35h, as both cars use lithium ion battery packs. The M35h gets a 50-kilowatt pack mounted just behind the rear seats, compromising the trunk space. This battery powers a 67-horsepower electric motor capable of driving the car. A regenerative braking system, similar to that used in most hybrids, charges up the battery. Although this is a new-generation hybrid, there is no plug-in capability.

A gentle touch on the accelerator makes the car move forward in EV mode, indicated by a green light on the tachometer. With that same gentle push, the car will continue to accelerate under electric power, the engine remaining off. But so as not to cause a traffic jam and also to get the most out of the car, it works better to push off harder, spooling the engine up to cruising speed, after which it will shut down, only coming on as needed.

To maximize EV time, the car features an Eco mode, accessible with a dial on the console. Eco mode detunes throttle response to a sometimes frustrating degree. Forget about any sort of satisfying acceleration, the M35h will barely get out of its own way.

But the console dial has two other modes, Snow and Sport. Snow reduces torque to the wheels, and is meant to keep the car from losing traction on slippery roads. Sport mode generally keeps the engine speed above 3,000rpm, making for ready power. But even in Sport mode the car will switch to electric drive when conditions call for it.

Sport mode also affects the transmission, which explains why there is no separate sport setting on the shifter. With its seven gears, this automatic transmission helps the car’s fuel economy mission. A manual mode lets the driver shift through the gears sequentially, and allows more aggressive driving than the Sport mode.

Further putting the M35h in the efficient luxury camp more than sport luxury is the suspension, which is sprung soft. Infiniti also doesn’t take the M35h’s tech so far as to offer an active suspension. Sway bars keep the car reasonably stable under hard cornering, but as a fixed suspension, Infiniti had to find a compromise setting between rigid and soft.

Infiniti fits the M35h with an electrohydraulic power-steering unit, essential for times when the engine shuts down. At speed, it is difficult to tell that it is not a conventional hydraulic power-steering unit, attesting to Infiniti’s tuning job. But it is also not exceedingly sharp, showing the kind of understeer present on average cars. Again, the M35h is more luxury than sport.

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Not only does Top Spin 4 succeed at being one of the most accurate tennis simulations available, but its new training modes and shot assists make it accessible for newcomers to the sport too. Whether you’re playing a simple exhibition match, shooting it out in a grand slam, or showcasing your skills in online tournaments, each and every match is full of the drama and thrilling spectacle that make tennis such an exciting sport. There’s a heap of content to explore, with a deep career mode and an improved character leveling system that ensures your hard work never goes unrewarded, letting you compete in online matches with a player you can truly call your own.

6304977Doubles are some of the most hectic matches you play.

Character customization lies at the heart of Top Spin 4, since your creations can be used in both online and offline modes. You choose the gender of your character, along with a number of attributes, including height, facial features, and clothing. There are also settings for tennis style and behavior, which change the animation of forehands, backhands, and serves. You can even select the type of grunt shouted during shots and the type of victory celebration at the end of a match–which is great if you want your character to throw down his racquet in disgust when losing a point or act nonchalant when winning a match.. If you’re especially creative, you can use the advanced features editor to sculpt your character’s face precisely using a number of control points, though it’s fiddly to use and more often than not results in some scary-looking creations.

Once you’ve created a player, you’re sent to the Top Spin Academy, which teaches you the basic controls. Face buttons perform flat, top spin, slice, and lob shots, while the triggers and shoulder buttons act as modifiers, allowing you to perform adventurous drop shots or dash to and from the net. By tapping a button, you perform a control shot, which is accurate but slow. Holding it down performs power shots, which are faster but are more likely to go out if you hold the button down too long. Meanwhile, the left analogue stick moves your player around the court and aims your shots. It’s a lot to take in, but the tutorial gently guides you through each type of shot individually so you can master the basics quickly. It also teaches you about timing, which is critical during a match. If you press a shot button too early or too late, your shot might go out or lack power, making it easy for your opponent to return the ball.

Even the pros get sweaty.

While previous games in the series expected you to perfect timing based purely on your own intuition, Top Spin 4 introduces a number of on-court assists known as “helpers” that make connecting with the ball much easier. For timing, your shot is given a rating of perfect, good, too early, or too late, which is displayed over your character’s head after you’ve hit the ball. Shots get a power meter so you know how hard you’re hitting them, while a first bounce helper shows you where the ball is going to land when an opponent returns a shot. There’s also a fatigue gauge that shows you how tired a player is getting, either from hitting power shots or from running around the court. You can use this to your advantage by hitting wider balls, which are much more difficult to return when your opponent is fatigued. If you’re feeling confident, you can turn off the helpers.

Further tactics are taught in the advanced lessons of the Top Spin Academy, so you know exactly when to deploy a deft slice or catch your opponent off guard with a drop shot. You learn about the three fundamental play styles of tennis: the fast power shots of baseline offensive; the accurate control shots of baseline defensive that move your opponent around the court; and the quick plays of volley. Even if you’re well versed in tennis, these tutorials are great for learning the many techniques that professionals use, helping you identify what kind of players you’re up against and what moves to use against them. Mastering these techniques takes time, but with the addition of helpers, it’s much easier than before. The controls are very accurate, and the physics are spot on, so you never feel like the game isn’t responding to your actions, which makes each match a lot of fun to play.

Rafter always has a wave for his fans.

If you’re playing the game with a Move controller, then things are a little less accurate. You need a navigation controller or a pad to move your player, while your other hand swings the Move controller to launch shots. The angle of your swing dictates whether it’s a flat, top spin, slice, or lob shot, while the speed of it controls the power of the shot. The triggers play a role too, performing drop shots and net dashes. The Move works to some extent, but it’s often difficult to angle your swing correctly or move it at the correct speed to perform the desired shot. This is exacerbated by a less-than-helpful tutorial that explains the motions via a series of static pictures, where a video or interactive lesson would make things much clearer. It’s fortunate, then, that the Move is optional, so at the very least you can give it a try and inevitably fall back on the more accurate standard controls.

With skills in hand you can start to play through one of Top Spin 4′s many game modes. The simplest is an exhibition match, where you play a one-on-one or doubles game against a CPU opponent or with friends online or locally. You can choose to play with your created player or select from 25 professionals, including contemporary stars such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams, or all-time greats like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Bjorn Borg. The meat of the game lies in the career mode, though, where you’re restricted to using the character you’ve created. You start as a lowly amateur aiming to rise through the ranks to the level of star and take on the greats in grand slam tournaments.

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Crysis 2 has to live up to a high standard. Not only did the original Crysis pack a lot of high-quality action into its good-sized campaign, but its stunningly authentic rendering of lush jungle vistas set the graphical standard by which all modern shooters are judged. Fortunately, this sequel does an admirable job of living up to the original’s reputation of sheer technical prowess. It doesn’t feature all the visual bells and whistles you might expect in a game from a developer known for pushing the limits of modern hardware. But, this sequel still looks amazing, and it plays that way too. The jungle is now of the urban variety–New York City to be precise. You make your way through office buildings, across crumbling bridges, and around broad city squares, where robotic aliens infest hallways and swarm across rooftops. Large environments give you room to maneuver and grant you freedom to approach battle in a number of ways, which makes Crysis 2 a great alternative to the plethora of first-person shooters that usher you down corridors on your way to the next action movie set piece.

6305283Tread carefully, or stay on the move. In Crysis 2, either option is viable.None

Crysis 2 does an excellent job of portraying a city under siege without indulging in constant action-film cutaways. There is still plenty of cinematic excess here, though it’s delivered organically. Yes, there are a few scripted moments in which you are more of an observer than a participant; and, yes, you might be able to hold a key to peer at the imposing alien structure towering in the distance. But rather than wrest control away from you to highlight every falling skyscraper, collapsing passageway, and hovering alien ship, Crysis 2 allows these events to simply happen. And, because they are often so momentous, your attention is drawn to them. The few occasions when the game stops to consider how the average citizen might be affected by an alien invasion lend humanity to your militaristic actions. Familiar landmarks are defaced, lay in ruin, or explode as you watch. There’s an eerie contrast between the untouched trees of Central Park swaying in the wind and the rubble stretching behind them. The visual design eschews artistic flair in favor of authenticity, and it mostly succeeds at providing a frightening real-world backdrop for large-scale shoot-outs.

If you appreciated Crysis as a technical benchmark, as well as an excellent shooter, you might be surprised by Crysis 2′s more modest menu options. There are a few preset graphics options (high, very high, and extreme), but the menu doesn’t allow you to tweak antialiasing settings and such, as you would expect in the sequel to the highly customizable Crysis. (You can adjust these settings by entering certain console commands, but that is not an acceptable alternative to built-in menu options.) Furthermore, the game does not support DirectX 11, so you won’t see the advanced lighting techniques here that you see in games like Metro 2033 and Dirt 2. But to pick these nits with much vigor would be unfair to one of the best-looking games in recent times. Crysis 2 looks stunning, runs smoothly on even modest systems, and suffers from few obvious bugs and glitches.

Armor mode offers extra protection when you need it most.

Perhaps the game’s most astounding technical feat is that it displays so much on the screen at once and that distant objects are rendered with more detail than you would typically expect. Look closely and you begin to appreciate the details. Birds strut on the pavement and then fly off as you approach. Alien dropships cast ominous shadows on pockmarked concrete and abandoned taxicabs. There are multiple stunning sights, such as a nighttime vista of the burning metropolis from a famed island in the East River. Such scenes are elevated by a rousing and varied orchestral soundtrack that underscores the visual juxtaposition of the picturesque and the profane. Consider, for example, a creepy minor-key track that contrasts dark, throbbing cellos with the busy fiddling of violins many octaves higher. Or an undulating melody through which electronic vibrations weave in and out.

You play as a marine known as Alcatraz, and like Nomad in the original game, you are outfitted with a nanosuit. This suit makes you the soldier of the future; it allows you to jump to great heights, temporarily cloak yourself, and scan your environment. You can also activate a mode that boosts your armor. You receive this suit in dramatic fashion from the original game’s Prophet, and the nature of this technology figures heavily into the story. Someone wants that suit. Thus, you aren’t just fighting off an alien invasion, but you’re also fighting ground troops that would be happy to see you dead. You won’t find much of interest in the characters, and the meandering plot takes a while to find its rhythm. But once it does, it carries you along properly, delivers a few twists, and comes to an intriguing conclusion that you won’t see coming. How refreshing it is for a game to set up a sequel without resorting to cheap cliches.

Creepy scenes like this one go a long way towards establishing the fearsome atmosphere.

It’s a shame that it takes an hour or two of nondescript FPS action before you get to see the spectacular devastation. In fact, if you haven’t played the original Crysis, the first stretch of the sequel might make you wonder why it is so beloved. You spend the early going pitted against relatively dumb human enemies who run past you towards some distant cover spot but fail to shoot, stand around staring straight ahead, and otherwise act as if they don’t know you are pumping them full of lead. Later on, you catch friendlies and aliens standing around together, looking like they might be enjoying each other’s company. Aliens and humans alike crash into objects and then just run in place rather than go around them or leap over. Other times, the invading ETs get confused when trying to leap to higher vantage points and make it easy to turn them to alien goo. The AI simply isn’t good, and its mediocrity stands out all the more against the otherwise convincing climate.

Fortunately, the AI is an infrequent concern once the invasion is in full swing and you’re surrounded by dozens of foes roaming the maps and surrounding you. The aliens come in a few varieties. Some armored creatures might pounce on you and knock you off your feet or fire energy bolts at you. Many of them hop onto ledges and rooftops to gain higher ground. Miniboss types pummel you with rockets and are tough to bring down without a C4 charge or a few rockets. Crysis 2 offers a nice challenge, particularly in its second half; some of those aliens soak up a lot of bullets before going down. You get an array of military-grade weapons, and you can tailor them with different sights (reflex sights, for example) and other enhancements (say, a silencer). You also collect the glitter that dead aliens leave behind (called nano catalyst) and use it to upgrade your nanosuit. For example, you can improve your suit’s energy regeneration, or you can unlock a fun ground-pound ability. The suit works a bit differently than it did in the original Crysis. For instance, you no longer activate power mode to jump to higher levels; you just hold down the jump key. Rather than activate speed mode, you sprint.

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Thankfully, the SB 16 does have controls on the unit itself (power, volume, source switcher), so you’re not stuck if you do have problems with the remote. That said, we would’ve preferred a small remote to be included, if only because it would make programming a learning remote (such as a Logitech Harmony) much easier.

Setup
The SB 16 doesn’t have any speaker calibration setting requirements, but there are sound-tuning adjustments. First, there’s a “Trim” switch that sets the input sensitivity in three steps. The unit is shipped with the Trim set to “1,” which didn’t allow the SB 16 to play loud enough for us, even when the volume control was set to max. Moving the Trim switch to the “2″ setting increased the max volume enough so it was loud enough for us. The sound bar also has a “Wall-Table” EQ switch that tunes the speaker’s tonal balance for wall or table mounting.

The subwoofer has another set of controls on its rear panel: Crossover, Volume, and a Phase Switch. The first two have a big effect on the perceived sound balance of the SB 16 system. We set the volume control knob three quarters of the way up, and the Crossover at approximately 125 Hertz (it has a range from 50-150 Hz). In any case, you make these adjustments “by ear,” and try to produce the smoothest possible blend between the sub and sound bar. Harman recommends setting the Phase Switch to “0,” which worked for us. The alternative position, “180,” may produce a smoother blend in some rooms. Experiment and see for yourself which sounds better.

While Harman claims the wireless subwoofer can be placed “anywhere” in the room, we recommend placing the sub within 5 or 6 feet of the sound bar for best sound quality.

Performance
The SB 16 had a bigger and fuller tonal balance than any self-amplified (i.e., no AV receiver required) sound bar we’ve tested in quite some time. Obviously, the large subwoofer was primarily responsible for that, but we never felt the bass was overdone or that the subwoofer called attention to itself.

Putting the SB 16 through its paces with our reference “torture” discs like “Master and Commander” and “Black Hawk Down,” we were impressed with the system’s poise under pressure. The gunfire and explosions in large-scale battle scenes sounded cleaner and less distorted than what we’ve heard from most sound bars. Considering the size of the sub, the bass wasn’t particularly powerful or deep, but the quality of the bass was excellent. Dialogue was natural, even when we listened to the SB 16 with its “3D Surround” processing turned on. That’s rarely the case with stereo sound bar systems’ faux surround effects. Harman Kardon’s 3D Surround did not generate room-filling 3D surround effects, but it definitely spread the soundstage well beyond the edges of the sound bar.

The film “3:10 to Yuma” further demonstrated the level of the SB 16′s sonic sophistication. When the bullets fly and bounce off the armored stagecoach in a holdup, the metallic pings and clangs sounded realistic, as did the rifle shots echoing off the mountains.

Music auditions started with singer-songwriter John Gorka’s “The Gypsy Life” Blu-ray. The acoustic music’s realistic timbre sounded natural, and the dynamic shadings of Gorka’s vocal, piano and guitar, and the rest of the band were more nuanced than what we’ve heard from most sound bars. The SB 16′s treble detail and “air” were also above average, which also played a part in producing a broad and deep soundstage. The SB 16 was nearly on par with what we expect to hear from a bona fide 2.1 channel system.

Rock music on CD revealed the limitations of the SB 16, which started to sound strained with the music turned up loud. Even so, the SB 16 was a little better than average. The SB 16′s overall performance is excellent, and there’s nothing better in its price class.

Conclusion
The Harman Kardon SB 16 features a premium price tag and some remote control quirks, but its excellent sound quality and exterior design make it worth the extra cash. That said, it’s definitely worth checking out how your existing HDTV handles the remote issues we highlighted before you buy.

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The HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One C310a is a pared-down version of the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web with similar features like a dual-access paper tray and a bright 4.3-inch touch-screen control panel. The C310a also provides ePrint e-mail access plus wireless Internet to access downloadable content from Hewlett-Packard’s ePrintCenter. Unfortunately, the unresponsive touch screen distracts the user from these convenient features and makes using the printer a hassle. Stay away from this device until HP fixes these crucial design errors.

Design
The C310a is a drastic departure from the older HP printers, with new streamlined flair and rounded edges all around the printer. The smooth lines and black finish exude executive appeal and complement the 4.33-inch touch screen set in the center of the console. The display is the main focal point of the printer, with no more than a small power button to the right to complete the front panel. There’s also a small ePrint wireless LCD next to it that blinks to notify you of connection status, and a small media card reader down on the lower left side of the printer. Unlike its higher-end linemate, this particular model is missing a PictBridge-compatible USB port for direct photo imports.

The rear sticks out a bit because of the removable autoduplexer, which lets you save money and help out the environment by printing on both sides of a single sheet of paper. Unfortunately, this printer falls short of other multifunction devices since it lacks an auto-document feeder (ADF), meaning you have to manually load each individual document into the scanner. We’re unsure why HP omitted this feature that typically comes standard on competing $150 all-in-ones, like the Canon Pixma MX410.

The input feeder has two separate trays: one for up to 20 sheets of 4×6-inch photo paper and another underneath for 100 sheets of standard 8.5×11-inch letter-size paper. A small plastic arm extends out from the tray to corral outbound prints. The printer handles the paper well, and we didn’t experience any jams, but we do take issue with the clear plastic photo tray cover that inevitably hits the bottom of the display every time you replenish the stack. On top of that, the flimsy piece of plastic holding the cover open is too weak to support the weight, forcing you to use two hands just to refill paper. It’s a minor annoyance, but a mechanical error on HP’s part nonetheless.

The touch screen looks unsurprisingly similar to the face of an iPhone in landscape mode. The screen is roughly the same size (the iPhone’s is 4.5 inches, this one is 4.3 inches), and you can also adjust the display up and down to find your best viewing angle. The home screen is the first thing you’ll see when the printer is on. It shows a set of scrollable icons for your favorite applications with four shortcut buttons at the bottom for photo prints, copy, scan, and fax. You can drag your finger across the list of apps, delete ones you don’t use, or download any apps from the growing list in the HP ePrintCenter.

Unfortunately, the C310a’s screen isn’t in the same league as the iPhone’s–the front of the touch screen is covered by a thin layer of plastic that flexes before the device activates your command, and the entire process suffers from a severe lag between the time you hit a button and when it actually registers. Using the screen becomes an exercise in patience, especially when you have to comb through several submenus to get to your desired function.

On top of that, the screen on our test unit wasn’t calibrated properly and we had to aim our fingers slightly lower than the desired virtual button to achieve our intended process. We imagine anyone having to deal with a similar glitch day in and day out would be highly irritated.

HP ePrintCenter
HP requires the printer and the host computer to access the Internet on the same wireless router to take advantage of the ePrintCenter apps, so you get no wired Ethernet port option. You do get the option to install the printer via a USB port on the back, but you’ll be limited to only the printing functions.

All of the extra applications are free and HP breaks them down into categories within the App Store: entertainment, home, kids, news/blogs, photo, and tickets. Each one promises to streamline the printing experience by offering shortcuts to your favorite coupons, news articles, weather reports, recipes, and so on. HP tells us that it plans to release a Software Development Kit (SDK) in the near future so that software engineers can design their own shortcut apps for the store.

Using the onscreen Wireless Setup Wizard, we were able to connect the printer through CNET’s protected network and took off browsing in less than 10 minutes. The Get More button took us directly to the store, where you can rate each app and even add comments for other potential users. The apps have potential, but their utility is marred by long load times that require you to navigate too many submenu layers. For example, the Google Maps app is an intriguing idea that could save time, but the touch-screen delays and irritatingly small virtual keyboard kept us in hunt-and-peck purgatory for so long that we began longing for the convenience of a simple keyboard and mouse for navigation.

Another example is the Fandango Ticket function. We assumed that the process would be as simple as using the kiosks offered in actual theaters, but we grew impatient again; searching for movies and the corresponding show times in the proper theater is hard enough to do online without waiting for a tiny map and listing to show up on a 4.33-inch screen. As we’ve thought in regard to other touch-screen devices, it seems like this technology should have been kept as a proof of concept for now instead of a pragmatic addition to the home printer. To HP, we pose this question: why should we suffer through all that hunting and pecking on a 4.33-inch screen when we have a 20-inch monitor, a full keyboard, and a mouse taunting us immediately next to the printer itself?

To prove our point, we performed an anecdotal field test, pitting the printer against a standard desktop computer in a race to see which device could locate and issue the command to print out a Google map faster. Not surprisingly, it took only 21.4 seconds to pull up a browser on our desktop, head over to Google Maps, type in the address, and click “print.” On the other hand, getting the same map directly on the Photosmart printer took 1.27 minutes from the home screen, to wait for the printer to connect to the Internet, type in the address using the virtual keyboard, hit print, choose between landscape, portrait, or square, and hit print again. On top of all that, the input lag we mentioned earlier resulted in duplicate letters and mistakes that required correction and, consequently, more time.

The applications are further marred by missing features. For example, the Google Maps app can’t show driving directions or location history, or autocomplete words, all of which would save time. Our final complaint is that the applications have a tendency to freeze up midfunction, similar to on the iPhone. When this happens, the only way to get things running again is to restart the printer, which usually takes a few minutes to connect to the Internet and reload the homepage, depending on how many favorite applications you added.

ePrint
The third prong of HP’s connected printer strategy is ePrint. The C310a works with any modern Windows or Mac computer, but ePrint also lets you print from mobile devices like tablets or smartphones that don’t have a USB port to connect with a traditional printer. ePrint bypasses this issue by letting you send jobs directly to the printer using a unique e-mail address. With that address, you can use the printer to print from virtually any device that can send out messages.

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Now that Intel’s next-generation Core i-series processors have finally made it into laptops, we’ve been seeing a flood of recognizable, revamped products from 2010 emerging with new 2011 components. The Asus U31JG-A1 is not one of them. Equipped with a last-gen Intel Core i3 CPU, this slim 13-inch laptop may not have the latest and greatest processor inside, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good computer.

In fact, it has a lot going for it: an Nvidia GeForce GT 415M GPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and very solid CPU performance. While the $829 list price of the U31JG isn’t budget range, we’ve seen online prices as low as $799, and an Amazon.com configuration for $699 with a slightly smaller 320GB hard drive. If you can get the U31JG at the lower end of that range, it’s a pretty good deal, considering its size and features.

The UL30A was one of our favorite slim laptops from the past two years. The U31JG is as close to a direct successor that we’ve seen, a closer design match than the recently reviewed Asus U36JC. This optical-drive-free laptop is slimmer than most 13-inchers, though nowhere near as light and thin as a MacBook Air. We also reviewed the 14-inch version of this laptop, the Asus U41JF-A1, recently, and liked it as well (plus, the U41 has an optical drive).

Our two biggest reservations about the U31JG-A1 are its ho-hum looks and its last-gen processor: this is a laptop series that’s bound to see an upgrade sooner rather than later. As we’re currently in the middle of reviewing those next-gen laptops, we’re hesitant to highly recommend this particular U31JG-A1; but we’re a big fan of the product line that this model represents.

The Asus U31JG is a compact laptop, but it’s not really a looker compared with the competition. Its brushed-aluminum lid and palm rest are reminiscent of those on the Asus UL30A. Glossy black plastic surrounds the raised Chiclet-style keyboard and 13.3-inch screen, giving the laptop a two-tone look that feels out of date and a bit low-rent.

While this may seem like we’re being sticklers, design is a big factor in what makes a portable laptop comfortable and easy to use, and the slightly bulky chassis of the U31JG-A1 just isn’t eye-catching. Nevertheless, it does present a pleasantly compact frame that’s just light enough to feel travel-friendly.

The mostly flex-free keyboard has comfortable spacing but a slightly mushy key feel; the keys’ smooth matte surfaces feel more slippery under the fingers than those of other Asus laptops we’ve reviewed. Also, a row of Page Up/Page Down buttons on the right side squishes and pushes the Enter and Shift keys in a bit, making them hard to find by feel.

The inset multitouch touch pad beneath is smaller than average, making two-finger gestures a bit harder to pull off. A mirror-finish plastic rocker button-bar beneath feels much like other Asus laptops; we’d prefer discrete left and right mouse buttons.

Above the keyboard, it looks like there are two symmetrically laid-out power buttons on the upper left and right sides; the one on the right is the actual power button, while the one on the left is the Quick Start OS button, which launches a pared-down, faster-booting collection of applications, including a Web browser. Quick-start OSes are meant for the impatient, and are a poor attempt to offer up what speedier-booting systems such as the iPad and MacBook Air already do far better. We never find ourselves using quick-start OSes; we’d rather boot Windows 7 and put our laptop to sleep between sessions. Need to quickly check e-mail or a Web link? That’s what a smartphone is for.

The U31JG-A1 lacks an optical drive, much like the U36JC we reviewed earlier this year. While this helps keep the laptop lighter and more compact, we’ve seen laptops this size manage to squeeze one in, most notably the Toshiba Portege R705. That being said, we don’t really miss the DVD drive all that much, but some still prefer them for flexibility.

The 13.3-inch 1,366×768-pixel-resolution glossy display is inset from the upper lid, forgoing any edge-to-edge glass. This makes for a bit less glare, but the display’s clarity and viewing angles were average at best. Text and images are very readable, but colors weren’t ultravibrant.

The same can be said for the U31JG’s speakers: the Altec Lansing stereo speakers push their sound through narrow grilles at the front edge of the laptop, under the palm rest. Maximum volume isn’t particularly loud, and the sound quality leaned toward the tinny. They’ll do in a pinch, but headphones are a better bet.

The included VGA Webcam comes with Asus’ LifeFrame camera software, offering a variety of settings for recording video and snapping pics, including gimmicky Photo Booth-like backdrops and effects. Maximum resolution is a measly 640×480 pixels, with light sensitivity and contrast suitable for basic Web chats.

The Asus U31JG-A1 has Bluetooth and a few USB ports along with HDMI, but that’s it. No USB 3.0, no DVD drive, and no other bells and whistles. A large heat vent takes up most of the space on the left side that could have been used for an optical drive. It blasts very warm air after playing games or viewing Flash video for more than a few minutes.

To compare with a recent thin 13-inch Asus laptop, the U36JC-A1, the U31JG-A1 has an Intel Core i3 CPU as opposed to the U36JC-A1′s Core i5. The 2.3GHz processor performed suitably well in everyday use, and wasn’t too shabby in our performance benchmarks, either. Faster Core i5 processors (and, of course, Intel’s new second-gen Sandy Bridge CPUs) would give even more zip, but it’s fine for most uses. Full-screen video streaming and multitasking were easy to pull off.

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