WHAT'S HOT: The TravelMate 655LCi proves that a powerful notebook need not approach the weight of the desktop PC it replaces. This full-featured, smart-looking black-and-silver portable sports a 15-inch, 1400-by-1050-resolution screen; yet it weighs only 6.6 pounds without its power adapter. Using a 2.4-GHz Pentium 4-M processor and 256MB of memory, the 655LCi performed well in our speed tests, earning a PC WorldBench 4 score of 107. The 655CLi offers good security, too, thanks to a Smart Card reader for password protection at the BIOS level. A four-in-one memory card reader is located conveniently on the front of the notebook. The slot can take a Secure Digital card, a MultiMediaCard, a SmartMedia card, or a Memory Stick, simplifying data sharing with other devices such as PDAs and digital cameras. The TravelMate we looked at came equipped for both 802.11b and 802.11a, the newer, faster wireless networking protocol. A button on the front lets you toggle wireless scanning on or off, rather than having to call up a software utility to handle this task.

WHAT'S NOT: People looking forward to a desktop typing experience may be a little disappointed. Compared to the full-size keyboards on other desktop replacements we've looked at, the 655LCi's feels a little cramped. That's because the keys are shallower and closer together than on a standard keyboard (they depress 2mm instead of 3mm, and they measure 18.5mm apart instead of 19mm) and because the keyboard is curved 5 degrees--an ergonomic design that looks stylish but takes some getting used to. The notebook's battery life could be better: The battery lasted only 2.5 hours in our tests.

The eject button on the optical drive is so recessed that it's difficult to find. The TravelMate's built-in stereo speakers generate typically notebook-weak audio, and they lack volume buttons. Print documentation for the TravelMate is sparse, and our unit arrived without the usual electronic manual in the Windows Help and Support Center. Nevertheless, if it is based on the TravelMate 630's manual, as Acer promises, it should be thorough and easy to search.

WHAT ELSE: The TravelMate packs a removable DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive on its right side. You can swap this out for a second hard drive or a second battery. Other changes to the configuration are almost as easy to make: The memory slots and the hard drive sit behind a couple of screws. To accommodate peripherals, the TravelMate has a parallel port for older printers, a FireWire port for digital camcorders, and a video-out port so you can use a TV as a monitor. Four USB 2.0 ports, in one long row down the left side of the case, should handle your remaining hookups. The TravelMate also offers four user-programmable launch buttons and a plastic sleeve on the bottom for contact information. Acer sells a $124 port replicator that docks to a 100-pin connector on the back of the notebook so you can plug the TravelMate into desktop peripherals easily.

UPSHOT: Fairly lightweight, wireless-ready, and able to accommodate multiple users securely, the TravelMate 655LCi should top the list for companies in need of a portable that their road warriors can share while keeping information private.