Mobile Computing: Tips for Frequent Flyers

NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

News: E-Mail Access on United

United Airlines recently announced plans to begin offering in-flight e-mail access on all U.S. domestic flights by year end--a first for a U.S. airline. The e-mail service is part of JetConnect, the in-flight telephone service already provided on United flights by Verizon Communication's Airfone subsidiary. JetConnect e-mail will cost $15.98 per flight, plus 10 cents per kilobyte of data over 2 kilobytes, according to United.

Reviews: Desktop Replacement Roundup

Can a notebook truly replace a desktop computer? To find out, PCWorld.com notebook diva Carla Thornton compared six heavyweight portables. Her conclusions:

• The Dell Inspiron 8500's wide-aspect screen is best for viewing spreadsheets and DVD movies.
  
  
• The 6.6-pound Acer TravelMate was the lightest competitor.
  
  
• The Gateway 600X's dual internal bays made it the most expandable of the group.
  
  
• Carla loved the big, beautiful, 17-inch wide-screen version of Apple's PowerBook G4.
  
  

While no one portable was the best desktop replacement for all users, Toshiba's Satellite 2455-S305 came closest. It was the lowest priced notebook reviewed ($1899), received a very good PC WorldBench 4 score, was comfortable for typing, and looked pretty stylish, too.

News: Sharp's First Tablet PC

Sharp recently introduced its first Tablet PC, the PC-TN1-H1W. It's based on Intel's Centrino package of Pentium M processor, Intel chip set, and Intel wireless networking adapter; and it has 256MB of memory, a 30GB hard drive, and a 12.1-inch display. The Tablet PC weighs 4.2 pounds and promises up to 5 hours of battery power. Sharp will sell the device in Japan, followed later by overseas markets.

News: Intel's Mobile Pentium 4

Intel has added a third mobile processor line, the Mobile Intel Pentium 4. According to Intel, the chip is designed to deliver desktop-caliber performance to a mobile computer. Initial clock speeds are 3.06 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and 2.4 GHz. The chip can switch to a 1.6-GHz mode that draws less power from the notebook battery. Among the first desktop-replacement notebooks using the chip is Dell's Inspiron 5150, with a 3.06-GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor. The Inspiron 5150 is designed to be a home multimedia machine that is also portable.