Next to Sharp's Actius MM20 series, standard notebooks look positively obese. The MM20 weighs in at a mere two pounds, is slightly more than a half-inch thick and easily justifies its label as an ultraportable. A letter-size sheet of paper is larger.
That portability comes at a price, however. While business travelers will love tapping away on this pint-sized portable, music and movie aficionados will curse the need to plug in an external DVD-CD-RW combo drive. Such a drive also requires an AC power source, thus limiting its use on airplanes without AC converter outlets. So much for bringing your own in-flight flick.
Despite that drawback, the MM20 series has a lot to offer. It features 512 MB of SDRAM (not expandable), 1 GHz Transmeta Efficeon processor, 20 GB hard drive, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in 802.11 b/g wireless compatibility.
The model reviewed here is the MM20P, which is basically the MM20 loaded with Windows XP Professional Edition, rather than XP Home Edition. (Both models are only on Service Pack 1, so a Web stop at Microsoft's Download Center for a free upgrade to SP2 is a wise idea.) The MM20 retails for about $1,499, and the MM20P goes for $1,599.
One of the features that sets this machine apart from others is its ability to be transformed from an on-the-go notebook to an external hard drive for a host computer. The MM20 series comes with a 1.44-lb. connection cradle that allows a user to easily transfer files via a USB cable from the MM20 to the host -- or the other way around. For even easier data transfer, the optional SharpSync application lets users dedicate certain folders for automatic synchronization when the MM20 is connected to a host machine.
The MM20's 10.4-in. LCD display offers a 1024x768 screen resolution with 16 million colors and is surprisingly easy to read. The only exception is when the power mode on the unit is switched from "normal" to "mobile." In mobile mode it's a challenge to read the screen. Personally, I'd sacrifice the longer battery life in mobile mode for a brighter view in normal mode.
Speaking of power, the standard lithium-ion battery is rated at three hours, but in a couple of tests under "normal" conditions (surfing the Web and working with documents), I barely made two hours of use before the warning indicator signaled me to shut down or switch to AC power. Sharp sells a midrange battery rated at 5.2 hours for $149 and a nine-hour battery for $199.
A fanless design makes the MM20 extremely quiet, yet it never gets too warm, even after it's been on for hours -- unlike many lap-scorching notebooks. This computer has a sleek two-tone look (black top half, silver bottom half) and a smooth glide pad. The keyboard is tiny, but that's to be expected with this unit's slim shell. Unless you have really meaty fingers, you won't have a problem getting used to typing on it for short periods of time.
