In last year’s road test we had a section devoted to ultra portable devices. This year many companies submitted Centrino machines which, though not always as small as the very smallest notebooks, are usually lighter than high-performance desktop replacements but with similar performance. These machines show how Centrino is evening out the power/weight tradeoff traditionally associated with portable computers.
Dell: Latitude D400 Centrino
Processor: 1.4Ghz Pentium M
Memory: 512Mbyte RAM
HDD: 40Gbyte
Screen: 12.1in
Size (W x D x H): 28.5 x 24 x 2.7cm
Weight: 1.4kg
Price: EUR2,149 ex-VAT
Dell: +353 (0)1-2860500
Dell’s Latitude D400 is one of the lightest notebook PCs we have ever seen, coming in at a featherweight 1.4kg. Powered by the Pentium M chip that makes up part of the Centrino chipset, it has a long battery life and ample connectivity, including a built in modem and Ethernet, Firewire, USB ports and a PC Card slot.
What it doesn’t have is an internal CD-ROM drive, which has been sacrificed to make the device a truly portable computer. As a Centrino machine it has full wireless capability, both built-in 802.11 and Bluetooth.
It’s not the lightest or smallest Dell notebook. Those models come with their own unique docking stations which clip underneath. The D400 is the smallest to use the standard docking station. Whereas last year’s models tended to have a neat docking station which clipped underneath the main chassis of the notebook and provided weighty features such as CD-ROM drives and floppies, this machine is designed to clip on to an altogether more cumbersome docking station which is now the standard docking option across all Dell ranges apart from the very smallest ultra portables. (See ‘What’s up Dock?’ below.)
Small thought the D400 is, it gives you several options for operating a mouse. A trackpad, a nibble joystick peeping out from the keyboard and four paddles to mimic the functions of left and right mouse buttons.
The D400 comes bundled with Microsoft Windows XP as standard and is an excellent example of what is possible with the new Centrino technology. Bottom Line: Excellent.
IBM: ThinkPad T40
Processor: 1.5GHz Pentium M
Memory: 256Mbyte
HDD: 40Gbyte
Screen: 14.1in XGA
Size (W x D x H): 31.1 x 25.5 x 2.7cm
Weight: 2.25kg
Battery Life: 5.5hr
Price: EUR3,400 ex-VAT
IBM: 1850-205205 (Ireland only)
Equipped with the highly capable and mobile specific Pentium Mobile processor, IBM’s ThinkPad T40 highly portable notebook weighs in at just a little over 2kg and can power along for a remarkable 5.5 hours.
IBM has equipped the T40 with a wafer thin internal 16 x 10 x 24 x/8x CD-RW/DVD, 40Gbyte hard drive, 256Mbyte RAM, a 14.1in XGA screen, and a 32Mbyte ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card.
The T40 looks good and it has a number of connectivity options including a modem, two USB 2.0 ports, 1Gbyte Ethernet (LOM), Intel 802.11b Wireless (MPCI), RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors for telephony and LAN connections, and various audio and an S-Video out port.
The package also comes bundled with Windows XP Professional and a three year warranty. Bottom Line: The T40 is a great all-rounder.
Panasonic: CF T1
Processor: 866Mhz Pentium 3
Memory: 356Mbyte RAM
HDD: 40Gbyte
Screen: 12.1in TFT
Weight: 1.4kg
Battery Life: 5hr
Price: EUR1,799 ex-VAT
Panasonic: +353 (0)1-4135300
Whereas Panasonic’s CF-28 Toughbook reviewed earlier is for rugged applications first and foremost, its little brother the CF-T1 is intended for less robust purposes. It’s not a complete weakling—it does have a semi-rugged magnesium alloy casing which should protect it from damage in the event of its being dropped from the average office desktop on to the average office floor. Maybe it should belong in the class of ‘slightly threatening’ rather than all-out ‘tough’.
The CF-T1 is an extremely light machine weighing a mere 1.4kg and very small in size. The model we saw was built around a fairly elderly 866Mhz Pentium 3 mobile chip, which is outdated compared to many of the other machines reviewed here. However, it does help the Panasonic PC achieve a battery life rating of 5hr and makes it among the smallest devices we have seen to date.
Panasonic points out that the timing of the review was unfortunate given that it is about to replenish its range of portable PCs and new models of this machine will be built around the Centrino chip later in the summer.
The CF-T1 has no internal removable media bays apart from a Secure Digital slot. Any attempts to read a CD-ROM or DVD would require an external peripheral. To connect to such a device, users could choose from one of the two USB ports, a PC Card slot or an old reliable Ethernet connection. The ultra light machine also has a built-in modem. Bottom Line: Promising. A nice light package, but wait for more powerful processors to occupy it.
Samsung: X10
Processor: 1.6GHz Centrino
Memory: 512Mbyte
HDD: 60Gbyte
Screen: 14.1in
Size (W x D x H): 31.5 x 26 x 2.4cm
Weight: 1.8kg
Battery Life: 2.2hr
Price: EUR3,349
Oltech: +353 (0)1-4607999
The Samsung X10 is a particularly attractive machine, encased in a slim silver body and powered by the Centrino. It comes with an attractive 15in screen and is very light.
The X10 is equipped with a Video Connector and a combination CD/RW and DVD drive. For linking to other peripherals it also has a Firewire port , two USB ports and a memory stick port.
The Samsung is so thin it’s almost Apple-like in appearance, a rare attribute for an Intel-based machine. The Combo drive in the chassis is so thin that you have to look twice to make sure it’s there.
Just to finish off the aesthetic effects, the Samsung X10 comes in a stylish metallic carrier case that would not look out of place on a James Bond set. Bottom Line: Stylishly impressive.
Fujitsu Siemens: Lifebook S6120
Processor: 1.4Ghz Pentium M
Memory: 256Mbyte DDR RAM
HDD: 40Gbyte
Screen: 13.3in TFT
Size (W x D x H): 29.3 x 23.6 x3.4 cm
Weight: 1.36kg
Battery Life: 3.4hr
Price: EUR1,899.00 ex-VAT
Fujitsu Siemens: +353 (0)1-6204100
The Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook S6120 is a classy looking notebook that weighs in at a mere 1.36kg. Powered by the Centrino, the Lifebook has a 13.3in display, a wide range of connectivity options and a healthy battery life.
The S6120 may be small but it certainly packs a punch. Equipped with a smart port replicator interface that makes it even easier to carry around, the notebook also features a combination CD/RW and DVD drive, built-in security options and a 40Gbyte hard drive.
Connectivity is above average with an infrared link, an IEEE 1394 port, two USB ports, a type II PC card slot and Ethernet. The Fujitsu Siemens notebook also comes bundled with Microsoft Windows XP Professional as standard.
The overall verdict is that this is a stylish notebook that’s light enough to take on the road and yet filled with enough features to compete with heavyweight corporate machines. Bottom line: Much to love, little to complain about.
IBM: ThinkPad R40
Processor: 2.2 GHz Pentium M
Memory:256Mbyte RAM
HDD: 40Gbyte
Screen:15in
Size: (W x D x H): 31 x 25.4 x 4cm
Weight: 2.7Kg
Battery Life: 5hr
Price: EUR2,050 ex-VAT
IBM: 1850-205205 (Ireland only)
IBM has a long reputation for building reliable business notebooks and the ThinkPad R40 is no exception. Built around a 2.2 GHz Pentium 4 mobile chip, the R40 is a dependable workhorse that comes with an adequate spec and a stylish design.
Weighing in at 2.7Kg, the R40 isn’t the lightest notebook available on the market, but it’s still compact enough to take out on the road particularly given its lengthy five-hour battery life.
Connectivity wise, this particular ThinkPad has an Ethernet and 802.11b wireless capability, as well as standard connections. The notebook also comes with a 32Mbyte ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card, a DVD-ROM drive, modem, and a secure chip.
The ThinkPad’s includes 256Mbyte RAM which is sufficient for carrying out most tasks, but falls behind other notebooks reviewed in this round-up. There’s also a 40Gbyte hard disk and a bright 15in XGA screen.
Mouse control is through the regular track point button that comes on all IBM’s notebooks. The ThinkPad comes bundled with Windows XP Professional and has a three-year customer carry in warranty. Bottom line: This is a good reliable machine with plenty of processing power.
What’s up Dock?
Dell’s innovative Docking station that works with every notebook across all its ranges, apart from the ultra small, ultra portable machines that come umbilically tied to their own, turns the notion of the docking stations on its head.
Traditionally, one had a docking station to link easily to a larger screen, usually a CRT monitor, a proper sized keyboard and a network. As screens and keyboards have got bigger, the function of the docking station has altered. Now, it’s most useful feature is that there is a single plug into which you can access the network, without having to crawl underneath the desk for a cable and then pass it through a coffee-holder hole in the table while hoping that there is a colleague nearby to attach it to your computer.
Some, of course, still prefer the feel of a standard keyboard, and there are ergonomic reasons why one would want to look at a screen positioned at something close to head height. Hence the eerie sight in many offices after hours of keyboards and monitors arranged around a vacant spot where rests a notebook computer from nine to five.
Dell has calculated however, that an extra keyboard is much cheaper than an extra monitor, and so this docking station, as well as providing connectivity to the LAN and all peripherals, acts as an easel on to which the notebook can be placed in its entirety and the screen adjusted to the optimal position.
So you get the ergonomic benefits of a full-sized keyboard, an eye-level screen at a cheaper price. The station costs EUR200.
26/09/2003
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