Low cost notebook computer

Who wouldn't want a Pentium notebook with a CD-ROM drive and an active-matrix color screen? But such heavy-duty computer features work best for people who have heavy-duty computer needs when they're on the road. These slaves to travel need notebooks that do all the hardcore work that most people do back in the office.

For many people, however, a notebook that lets you type letters, track travel expenses, check e-mail, look up client information, or play the occasional game of Solitaire will do just fine, thank you. Like a family's second car, it's a commuter computer. Today, a $2,000 486-based dual-scan notebook can handle these chores with trusty Windows 3.1 applications.

Shopping the budget lot, we found six inexpensive models, each well equipped for everyday roadwork. Although our criteria included a dual-scan color screen and sub-$2,000 street price, we found that manufacturers favor the higher profits that come from producing feature-rich models - whether notebook or subnotebook. That's a shame, considering the minimalist needs of many buyers.

Fortunately, low cost doesn't necessarily mean low performance, as evidenced by the 486 processing power common to these entries. Anyone jumping to Windows 95 will need to upgrade these systems' average of 4MB of RAM to 8MB and may feel the desire for.some Pentium punch, but Windows 3.1 should continue to work fine on these units as is.

Power wasn't our only interest. We wanted to see if these road warriors were actually road ready. For instance, did the manufacturers include communications and/or application software? How about front-ends for such popular services as America Online and CompuServe? Were the PC Card (formerly known as PCMCIA) drivers installed and functioning properly? Could we find technical support numbers online, without having to resort to instruction manuals? In essence, we wondered which models would go from box to airplane seat with the least amount of hassle.

The Testing Bed Despite their differences in size, software, and processing power, these portables share common traits: a dual-scan color display, a PC Card socket capable of accommodating one Type Ill or two Type II cards, a VGA port for connecting an external monitor, upgradable RAM, power-management features for extending battery life, and a weight of less than seven pounds.

For this evaluation, we eschewed the usual benchmark tests in favor of real-world scenarios. For instance, how long would it take each notebook to load Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0? To find out, we simply installed the minimum configuration of the software, then timed each notebook from the moment we double-clicked on the Word icon to the availability of the cursor. The results dropped jaws: NEC's 486SX/33 Versa beat Dell's DX4 100 Latitude, proving that processor speed isn't the sole determinant of overall performance.

In testing battery life, we simulated constant usage to determine the minimum life of a battery charge. First, we disabled each notebook's power management, then executed a utility that kept the screen active and accessed the hard drive every few seconds. We ran the test until each notebook, amid beeps of low-battery protest, automatically shut down. On average, each unit lasted a little over two hours. With power management enabled, you can expect extended battery life.

Finally, we wanted to test the mettle of each company's technical support staff. How long would we have to wait on hold? Were the technicians courteous and helpful? We made anonymous calls at random hours of the day and enjoyed commendable overall service.

Austin StepLite

Rating: * * 1/2

Mail-order manufacturer Austin Direct's StepLite subnotebook is the smallest model here and it's a lightweight at just 4.8 pounds. Despite its diminutive size, the Austin StepLite wields robust power in the form of Intel's 486DX2/50 processor. Its screen is a colorful 9.5 inches, and its hard drive ranks as a middleweight 262MB. And Austin recently bumped minimum RAM to 8MB although our review unit had only 4MB.

Austin also recently added Microsoft Office to the bundled DOS, Windows, and the PC Card utilities. The last worked flawlessly, recognizing the test card in a flash. We particularly liked the Steplite's front-mounted slide-release switches, which make ejecting cards much easier than the hard-to-reach buttons found in most notebooks. We also applaud Austin's inclusion of a keyboard adapter cable, which enables a standard keyboard to plug into the StepLite's PS/2-style port.

The StepLite employs an indented, button-flanked trackball mounted just below the spacebar. Of the three trackball-endowed models in the group, Austin's is arguably the most comfortable and responsive. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the keyboard, which like Dell's Latitude, lacks a wrist rest and uses doubled-up Page Up/Home and Page Down/End keys. This can be a major headache if you do a lot of word processing.

All in all, keep your aspirin handy. The StepLite is plagued by a number of pesky problems. First, its external floppy drive plugs into the parallel port, meaning you can use either the drive or a printer, not both. Second, the unit includes no online documentation, so the instruction manual will have to travel with you. Finally, the StepLite has just one LED, and it's unlabeled. We had to crack the manual just to learn the LED's function (battery status), and then we encountered another mystery. The manual describes a pop-up "system status menu," which would display - among other things - a battery gauge, but there's no explanation of how to invoke it. So we called technical support. Austin maintains a 24-hour service line, and commendably, a live technician answered the call immediately. But he was baffled by our question and couldn't help us. We were promised a return call but never got one.

The StepLite may be appreciably small and light, but $1,999 is a bit steep for an otherwise unremarkable subnotebook.

Dell Latitude LX

Rating: * * * 1/2

Dell's Latitude LX is the powerhouse of this group, boasting a blazing DX4 100 processor and a wealth of useful communications software. It's also surprisingly small and light, weighing just 6.2 pounds and bearing a footprint only a hair larger than NEC's subnotebook entry. Add to the mix a roomy 10.4-inch screen, a capacious 340MB hard drive, and a rugged carrying case, and you've got a splendid traveling companion.

Dell bundles the unit with America Online, RadioExpress, OAG FlightDisk, Reuter's Money Network, LapLink for Windows, and a software-based battery gauge. There's also a utility for making disk backups of all the software.

The Latitude's comfortably large trackball sits below the spacebar, flanked by two wide, indented buttons. The keyboard feels equally comfortable but lacks a wrist rest, making long bouts of typing uninviting. Unfortunately, as with the Austin, the Page Up and Page Down keys double as Home and End, for which you have to press the Function key at the same time.

Fortunately, innovation evens the scales. The Latitude has a unique second-battery option that frequent flyers will appreciate. The floppy drive can slide out of its socket to make way for a second battery, thereby doubling the unit's lifespan between charges. That could prove quite valuable: With a single battery, the Latitude placed last in our run-down test.

We experienced a few problems using the Latitude's PC Card slot. When we inserted the fax/modem and launched Dell's PC-Card Central utility, a message appeared warning of a missing software driver. We were able to restore the driver, but America Online still refused to recognize the card.

Time for tech support. We perused the Latitude's outstanding online documentation in search of the 24-hour hotline number and found about a dozen different ones. After 10 minutes on hold, we were told we had to call a different number for notebook assistance. That was frustrating, but ultimately we encountered a friendly, knowledgeable technician who got us up and running in just a few minutes.

All told, Dell's Latitude LX is a solid, well-rounded notebook, worthy of serious consideration.

Epson ActionNote

660C

Rating: * * * *

If you're looking for a notebook with near-perfect blend of performance, portability, and software, look no further than Epson's ActionNote 660C. Powered by a muscular Cyrix 486DX2/66 processor and bundled with an impressive array of communications and application software, the ActionNote also carries one of the lowest prices in the roundup.

As if that weren't enough, the ActionNote features a vibrant 10.3-inch screen, spacious 340MB hard drive, and comfortable keyboard with a trackball embedded in the wrist rest. On the software side, Epson generously provides two top-notch applications: ClarisWorks 3.0 and Sidekick 2.0, both preinstalled. Complementing these are front-ends for America Online, Prodigy, and CompuServe, as well as OAG Flight-Disk. This is one notebook that's ready to meet the world.