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| Solo 2500 Notebook Computer | |
 What is it that makes a portable computer
useful? What makes it useful to me is the ability to use it any place at any time -- not
just when I'm away from the office or home desktop. To me, a notebook's usefulness rests
in the ability to use the computer with its usual functions unfettered by the electrical
outlet and power cord. And now, after years of two-spindle experience (and six weeks of
using the three-spindle Gateway's Solo 2500 notebook computer), I've been firmly converted
to the three-spindle camp.The Solo 2500 boasts a battery life of four to five hours, which means you can get away from the confines of the nearest power outlet for that amount of time, or eight to 10 hours with two batteries. That will easily get you through any day on the road, or keep you successfully working from your backyard. Although the Solo 2500 is about the same size as my last computer, it houses a larger, clearer screen. And though it feels somewhat flimsy, the 13.3-inch, high-resolution SVGA screen with 2 MB of video memory is a delight for its users. The Solo 2500 also comes jam-packed with a pointing device, large hard drive, DVD drive, PCMCIA 56K v.90 modem and a Superdisk drive that can read floppies. The Solo is also equipped with a 333 Mobile Pentium II processor that includes 256 K of full speed on-die L2 cache. It sports 128 MB of RAM; 6.4 MB user replaceable hard drive; a 120 MB Superdisk; a 56K v.90 modem, a DVD player with a PCMCIA decoder (which reads CD- ROMs even without the decoder); two USB ports (useful only if you use Windows 98); a touchpad (a pointer is also available); an infrared communications port; and the usual complement of other ports. The price for this little gem is $1,699. Loaded models, however, can run up to $2,999 . To date, this the most useful notebook computer I have ever touched. I take it with me almost everywhere. For the first time, while conducting law office tasks, I'm more apt to pick up this laptop than sit down at my desktop. Why, you ask? No, it's not the processor that makes this notebook so special. It's the battery and the convenience of its three-spindle design. The most processor- and memory-intensive task I use my computer for is voice recognition. That means even the slowest Intel Celeron processor that's currently available for the Solo will work just fine. With my old two-spindle machine, I had to turn off the computer and turn it back on each time I wanted to use the floppy disk drive. I also had to be near an electrical outlet, as the bottom of the computer got uncomfortably hot. With a built-in CD-ROM, floppy drive and more than four hours of battery life, the Solo doesn't have any of these disadvantages. The Solo starts up relatively quickly, running Windows 98. The screen is detailed, bright and easy to look at for long periods without suffering from too much fatigue. You can order the Solo with Windows 95/NT, but you will sacrifice USB functionality with either of these two other operating systems. The keyboard isn't outstanding, but adequate. An inexpensive docking station is available, and you can attach an external monitor, keyboard and mouse if the Solo is your only computer. With an external monitor, keyboard and mouse, you can close the screen and continue to use the computer. DVD playback is very good, and the playback software is simple to use. The Solo comes with a host of useful and well-planned, preinstalled software. If you regularly use a notebook on your lap, the Solo does get hot, but it will not burn your leg like some other notebooks. Although the Standby mode does not work flawlessly, I've yet to find a notebook computer that does-- this one works better than most. The Solo comes in a multitude of configurations. You can build up or down from three models, which are essentially starting points. Gateway's Web site is very well-designed for customizing and pricing any of their computers. The company also boasts a 30-day money-back guarantee, and extended on-site warranty programs. The standard warranty is one year off-site. Although Gateway does have a dedicated phone line for the notebook computers, the company is experimenting with its conference call-in technical support. This is where a technician works with more than one caller on the service line at a time. At its worst, listening to the Gateway representative talk to the other caller is better than listening to the standard foam music that plays on so many other technical support lines. |
Gateway Inc. (800) 846-4208 www.gateway.com $1699 to $2999 Reviewed by Steve Schmidt, attorney, Singer, Smith & Williams, Albuquerque, N.M. PROS CONS VERDICT
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