Budget notebooks carry a connotation that somehow you're being short-sheeted on features and functionality to save a few dollars on the bottom line.
This tradeoff might be worthwhile for some small- or medium-sized businesses. Others might want to take a serious look at Acer's TravelMate 4001WLCi notebook.
The TravelMate, checking in with a $1,100 price tag, is an average performer when it comes to processing power (Pentium M 705, 400MHz) and hard drive size (40GB), but it comes with a solid set of bells and whistles that will make a business user stand up and take notice.
The notebook we reviewed ran Windows XP home edition but included a Windows XP Professional disk. Good thing, too, because this machine is as barebones as it gets when it comes to productivity suites -- as in zero. No Works, no Word, no Excel. No worries. If you're willing to sit through the installation, XP Professional is chock full of the applications any business user needs to succeed. And it didn't harm the price tag at all.
If you're taking the TravelMate on the road, it's a friendly companion. The TravelMate arrived with a DVD player, as well as a CD and DVD maker application from NewTech Infosystems. But that's for play.
For connectivity, the TravelMate is wireless-enabled with a 802.11b/g wireless LAN card installed. It also comes with an IEEE 1394 port for connecting to devices such as digital cameras. Two USB 2.0 ports and an S-video port for connecting to a monitor or other display device with S-video inputs are included, as is a 10/100/1000 Ethernet jack and a modem jack. These are handy on the side of the notebook. Behind it is an external display port to connect to monitors or projectors. Up front are wireless signal indicators and jacks for microphones and headphones, as well as an infrared port.
The TravelMate is quiet and ergonomically friendly, with plenty of wrist support and a wide 15.4-in. LCD -- ideal for widescreen viewing of DVDs. But it's heavy and wide and could be a pain in an airport or on your way to a sales meeting.
