LIGHTEN UP!
Ultraportable notebooks put all of your business into one compact PC.
By Rachel Cericola
U
LTRAPORTABLE LAPTOPS AND SMBs GO TOGETHER like chocolate and peanut butter. But
even if you aren’t a fan of the magic that is
Reese’s, you can’t deny that carrying a lightweight notebook is a lot better than a bulky dinosaur.
Today’s ultraportable machines have come a long way
since the days of simple Word and Web access, with many
packing extended power and business/multimedia features.
And, with so many small machines flooding the market, the
category lines have gotten a bit blurry. For business purposes,
a 12- or 13-inch screen should provide plenty of real estate,
and these can easily be found in a 3- to 4-pound package. Of
course, sizes (and prices) keep getting smaller every day. Here is
what your clients can currently fit into a travel bag, without the
need to keep a chiropractor on speed dial.
RACHEL CERICOLA is a self-professed gadget geek and a regular
contributor to ChannelPro-SMB.
2. ACER
TRAVELMATE 6293-6280
2This laptop can be your
new travel buddy. Designed for corporate, SMB,
and home-office users on
the move, the light unit
packs plenty of Intel, including the Core 2 Duo
processor, Intel 64
architecture, Mobile Intel GM45 Express chipset, and the
4500MHD graphics media accelerator. It also comes with 4GB of
RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Weighing in at 4. 3 pounds (with the
6-cell battery pack), the 12.1-inch WXGA screen is wide enough to
work on a spreadsheet or watch a DVD on the included optical
drive. It’s also easy enough to connect anywhere, thanks to Intel’s
Wi-Fi Link 5100/5300, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi support, and a
webcam so mobile warriors can occasionally remind the home
office what they look like. Price: $999. www.acer.com
1
1. MPC E-155C
At 4. 8 pounds, the
E-155C, sold by Gate-
way under another model
number, may be a bit on the
chubby side, but the 12.1-inch
notebook adds something that its lighter
buddies only dream about: the ease of a
Tablet PC. Don’t worry about pressing too hard
on the screen; it’s scratch-resistant. And, to make
things easier on writers, the LCD has a swivel feature so
it can be twisted and turned for note taking or presentations.
Other features include a UPEK Biometric Fingerprint Reader for
extra security, Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor, a 60GB hard drive, and a
DVD burner. Prices start at $1,849. www.mpccorp.com
3. DELL LATITUDE E4200
Dell wants to take business laptops to new latitudes—of lightness. At just 2. 2
pounds and 0.8 inches thick, the Latitude E4200 won’t strain your back, shoulders, or even the environment. The plastic in the chassis and fan housings is
halogen-free, as are the laminates on the mother-
board. Dell says the 12.1-inch laptop was born
of its collaboration with almost 4,000 IT profes-
sionals and end users. Available in a variety of
colors to make it stand out in a crowd, the
E4200 includes a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo
processor, 1GB of memory, Wi-Fi
3support, and a light 4-cell
battery. Prices start at $1,999.
www.dell.com
