Mobile Computing: GPS Buyers Guide

NOTEBOOKS & ACCESSORIES

Hotel Review: A Garden of High-Tech Delights

PCWorld.com's Michael Lasky recently spent the night in a totally wired "room of the future" at the Hilton Garden Inn in El Segundo, California. Lasky tested all the high-tech amenities in Room 267, including free broadband Internet access (via notebook and TV); a 42-inch flat-screen, plasma HDTV with surround-sound Bose speakers; a second, smaller flat-screen monitor next to the Jacuzzi; and a remote control that manages lighting levels and room climate, works the drapes, controls the TV, radio, and DVD player, and even repositions the head and foot of the king-size bed.

The Hilton Garden Inn's toy-filled room also includes a T-shaped desk, an ergonomic chair, adjustable lighting, and an Ethernet port for free high-speed Internet access. If you don't have a notebook, you can check e-mail and surf the Web using a wireless keyboard and the 42-inch plasma TV as a monitor.

Michael's assessment: "The Hilton Garden Inn's gadget-crammed Room 267 is not your typical lodging. But stay just one night there, and you'll want it to be."

News: Ultraportables From Gateway

Gateway has updated its 200-series ultraportable notebooks. The new Gateway 200 models are about half a pound heavier than previous 200 notebooks but feature a larger 14.1-inch display, a built-in optical drive, and longer battery life, Gateway says. The notebooks, designed to be mainstream portables for consumers and mobile professionals, come with Intel's Pro/Wireless 2100 chip for connecting to 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networks, among other options. The entry-level model, the Gateway 200E, retails for $1599.

News: PowerBook Price Drop

Apple has lowered the prices of its 12- and 15-inch PowerBook G4 models by up to $300. The 12-inch PowerBook G4 now costs begins at $1599, down $200, while the 15-inch PowerBook G4 starts at $1999, a $300 savings. Apple's big-boy PowerBook G4, with its 17-inch wide-aspect screen, holds steady at $3299.