Light notebook computer

Mobile home office workers will want to check out these kings of the road

WHEN HOME-BASED WORKERS head to the airport, conduct their weekly visit to corporate headquarters, or drop by a client's office, they often need a PC at hand, yet don't want to carry around a clunky desktop replacement or a value-priced, performance-challenged laptop. If they tote a slimline notebook, they don't have to. These notebooks tend to be more expensive and have smaller displays and hard disks than their bulkier cousins, but they can also be more flexible, manageable, and easier on your back.

We rounded up eight of the thinnest and lightest notebooks available, ranging in price from about $2,400 to well over $3,000. Six of our test systems run Windows 98 (our recommendation unless you spend most of your days dialed in to a corporate network), while the other two run Windows 2000.

Three are targeted toward the corporate traveler or remote worker-they have Ethernet network ports built in--while several others could sit in for a desktop PC. All have 12.1-inch or larger active-matrix screens. And all are true road warriors--five weigh 4 pounds or less, and none weighs more than 4.8 pounds.

We tested the Windows 98 systems by running typical business applications and Symantec's Norton SystemWorks 2000 benchmarks; since SystemWorks doesn't run on Windows 2000, we relied on just the business applications to test our two Win 2000 machines. We also compared battery life, display and sound quality, and overall usability on the road and in our home office.

We found the major benefit of slimline notebooks to be their flexibility: Rather than be stuck carrying a DVD drive or parallel port they won't use, owners of these laptops can pick and choose what they need on any given excursion. This flexibility makes thin and light notebooks exceptional home office tools.

Compaq Presario 1900-XL163

The Presario 1900-XL163 costs only $2,399, making all the goodies we found inside even more inviting.

The system is outfitted with a bright 13.3-inch screen, a dazzling ATI 3D graphics accelerator with 8MB of display memory, a touch pad with scrolling button, a 56Kbps modem, and the usual ports and expansion slots. Most impressive is the RemovabLe Drive Wedge, a 1-inch-thick, 2-pound slab that contains the floppy and DVD drives.

The high-capacity Lithium-ion battery kept the Lamp Lit for just over 4 hours--the longest of any notebook here. The system achieved average benchmark scores when compared to the other 500MHz Pentium III portables.

Of course, all these features have to fit somewhere. The Presario is the heaviest light-weight we tested, weighing in at 4.8 pounds without the Wedge. Likewise, we were disappointed with the relatively skimpy 5.5GB hard disk and 64MB of memory.

The Presario comes with Microsoft Works 2000 and Word 2000. We would have liked less bulk and more power, but as is, the 1900-XL163 is an inexpensive, loaded light notebook.

Fujitsu LifeBook S 4510

Fujitsu's LifeBook S 4510 shares its $2,399 price tag, 64MB of memory, and similar 6GB hard disk with the Compaq Presario, yet is focused more on business users than consumers.

For one thing, the LifeBook has both an Ethernet adapter and a 56Kbps modem built in, as well as Windows 2000 and LapLink Pro 7.5 preinstalled (a Windows 98 model costs $100 Less). And the Fujitsu isn't meant to dazzle users with the fastest processor--its 400MHz Pentium III chip was acceptable but relatively slow on our test applications.

The 4.4-pound LifeBook offers a somewhat cramped keyboard and a dull 12.1-inch display. On the upside, you also get a port replicator and a swappabLe internal bay for the included floppy and CD-ROM drives. The bay can also hold a second battery pack, a nice plus since our system's single battery called it quits after an unimpressive 1 hour and 50 minutes of use. We appreciated that the Fujitsu accurately predicts remaining battery life-something you don't know you need until you use a system that can't do it.

The LifeBook S 4510 is all business, and we like that. If it were faster and had a brighter screen, it would be a solid choice for a home office worker on the go.

HewLett-Packard OmniBook 900

Hewlett-Packard's 4-pound OmniBook 900 is one of the more expensive notebooks we tested at $3,158. We expected quite a system, and in many ways the 900 doesn't disappoint.

The OmniBook has a brisk 500MHz Pentium III processor, a hefty 12GB hard disk, a brilliant 13.3-inch display, and an external modular bay that can hold the included floppy and DVD drives. The full-size keyboard, nubby cursor controller, and convenient touch pad were all easy on our hands.

What the OmniBook doesn't have is more troubling: You get a scant 64MB RAM, no significant software bundle, and neither a modem nor Ethernet adapter as standard equipment.

Some of this is offset by benchmark scores on par with other 500MHz systems, and the fact the OmniBook's battery outlasted the Fujitsu's--but only by a few minutes, still falling short of the desirable 2-hour mark.

The OmniBook 900 is an excellent notebook, but needs to be upgraded to maximize its potential--and adding HP's $129 PC Card modem or $175 Fast Ethernet PC Card, Let alone extra RAM, drives its price up too high for most home-based workers. Unless your corporate office is footing the bill, you can find a better deal.

IBM ThinkPad 570E

On first glance, the $3,094 ThinkPad 570E is a typical thin and light notebook. The 500MHz Pentium III portable comes with a generous 12GB hard disk and 128MB of memory, a 56Kbps modem, dual instead of some rivals' single PC Card slots, an external floppy drive, and Lotus SmartSuite Millennium as well as Windows 98 preinstalled--all in a sleek, 4-pound package.

On second glance, the ThinkPad is set apart by its 13.3-inch crystal-clear display, speedy performance, and IBM's ever-accurate TrackPoint pointing device. The lithium-ion battery is a star, too; we got 4 hours' use out of it, actually beating IBM's claim of 3 hours.

Unfortunately, if you want to use removable media or an extra battery, you'll need to purchase the snap-on, 1.g-pound UltraBase--which costs an additional $115, empty. A swappable CD-ROM drive is $129 more; a DVD-ROM drive, $319 more.

Big Blue continues to bring both reliability and innovation to notebook design, but the ThinkPad 570E's steep price tag is a turnoff. Moreover, by the time you read this, the 570 and 600 series will be largely supplanted by IBM's new T series, with a lighter titanium composite case, internal swappable bay, screen sizes up to 14.1 inches, and support for wireless networking onboard. That combination of features may be worth the extra cash.

Micron TransPort LT

The TransPort LT offers many of the features of IBM's ThinkPad 570E and UltraBase, but at a lower total price. This $3,380 slimline boasts a 650MHz Pentium III with Intel's SpeedStep, 128MB of RAM, a 12GB hard disk, an internal DVD drive, an external floppy drive, plenty of expansion ports, a combo Ethernet-and-56Kbps modem PC Card, and a copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Edition.

Micron's 4-pounder is the best integrated, cleanest system design we tested. The keyboard was comfortable to use, and the magnesium case had a solid feel. Between Windows 2000 (a Windows 98 version is available for $99 [less) and its 650MHz processor, it's also about a third faster than any of the other systems we tested.

Despite so much that deserves praise, the TransPort LT has a few weak spots. It drained its hefty battery in 2.5 hours despite the SpeedStep battery-saving feature. Nor did it predict battery life accurately, with the onscreen indicator slipping suddenly from 21 percent to 4 percent during testing. And though it has the same footprint of systems with bigger screens, the LT has only a 12.i-inch display--but it wins points for brightness and clarity.

The Micron unit is meant for corporate users, but we don't see why home-based workers who are willing to spend the money wouldn't enjoy its features and its performance.

NEC Versa FX

If you look only at "speeds and feeds," the reasonably priced NEC Versa FX is nothing to shout about: It has a 500MHz Pentium III chip, a 6GB hard disk, a 12.1-inch screen, a 56Kbps modem, and external floppy and CD-ROM drives. However, your opinion might change as you notice the 128MB of RAM, extra-sharp display, three USB ports, and light-as-air 3.4-pound chassis.

The Versa's design cannot be overlooked. It's the tightest notebook we reviewed, measures only 10.8 by 8.8 by 1 inches, yet boasts one of the most comfortable, full-size keyboards.