Portables With Pizzazz

Desktop PCs offer something that you can't get with most portable computers: the latest technology at the lowest prices. On the other hand, a handful of portable computers are now offering something that most desktop PCs don't have: complete, unabashed coolness.

Take the Sony PictureBook, for starters. It weighs under 3 pounds, isn't much bigger than a hardcover book and has a small built-in camera. Then there are the IBM ThinkPad i Series machines that can play DVD movies on your big-screen TV. The Vadem Clio handheld PC has an attention-getting display that doubles as a graphics tablet.

While jazzy notebooks may have loads of style, that doesn't necessarily mean they're also reliable, full-featured computers. So I got my hands on five portables with panache to see which ones were both cool and practical. Here's what I found.

Sony Vaio C1 PictureBook

No doubt about it, the Sony PictureBook is cool. The camera is built into the case just above the PictureBook's display and can capture still images, as well as up to 60 seconds of continuous video.

To take a picture, just push a button located above the keyboard. It activates Sony's image-capture software, which lets you preview the image, save it and even e-mail it to friends or family. The PictureBook also includes Adobe's PhotoDeluxe Business Edition software, so you can edit pictures right on the spot. Taking a lot of pictures will zap the battery pretty quickly, though. But with regular computer use, the battery lasts a respectable two and a half hours.

As swept away as I was by the PictureBook, it has some practical limitations. It's much more difficult to point and shoot precisely with an entire computer than with a simple digital camera, for one thing. There's no cover to prevent lens scratching. And though it's a full-featured Windows 98 computer, the PictureBook's compact size (1.45 inches high and 2.5 pounds) has its drawbacks. The keyboard is too cramped for any long-term, comfortable typing. You have to attach an external floppy drive. And a CD-ROM drive (external only) costs extra.

SUMMARY

PRO: Built-in camera; compact design. CON: Small keyboard; external floppy drive; CD-ROM drive costs extra. $2,299 Sony Electronics Inc. 888-531-7669 www.ita.sel.sony.com

Sony Vaio 505TS SuperSlim

I used to think notebook computer was merely a marketing term--until I got my hands on the Sony Vaio 505TS SuperSlim. At less than 1 inch thick and only 2.7 pounds, this is one portable that truly is the size of a notebook.

The Vaio SuperSlim includes a bright, crisp 10.4-inch display, a hefty supply of preinstalled software, a built-in V.90 modem and an IEEE 1394 port, which Sony calls an i.Link. The port allows you to attach a Sony digital camcorder, for instance, and quickly download and capture still images on the Vaio SuperSlim. Sony's higher-end line of Vaio notebooks, the F series, lets you use the port to download digital video as well as still images.

Sony has added other nice touches to the SuperSlim, such as the Programmable Power key. You can program the button so that when you press it, the computer will retrieve your e-mail messages or perform other tasks. However, the tube-shaped battery, which is attached to the rear, forces the computer to sit at an angle that I found uncomfortable. And the battery gives out after about an hour and 45 minutes. As with other superlight notebooks, typing on the small keyboard gets tedious quickly. And the floppy drive, port replicator and optional CD-ROM drive are external pieces, which means you have a lot of accessories to keep up with. For some, though, these gripes won't matter.

SUMMARY

PRO: Ultraportable; sleek look; IEEE 1394 multimedia port. CON: Small keyboard; awkward battery location; CD-ROM drive is extra. $1,799 Sony Electronics Inc. 888-531-7669 www.ita.sel.sony.com

IBM ThinkPad i Series 1472

With both the ThinkPad i Series 1472 and its lower-priced ($2,199) sibling, the ThinkPad i Series 1452, you can play DVD movies on the go or at home on your TV.

Both notebooks come equipped with a TV-out port as well as a DVD-ROM drive and software required to play movies. (The DVD drive plays audio CDs too.) The front of the ThinkPads also features rewind, fast-forward, pause and play buttons for controlling the DVDs and CDs.

Both ThinkPads are solid computers. In PC World's last reliability and service survey (May 1999 issue), IBM received four stars (out of five) for reliability and service in the notebook-PC category. These particular ThinkPads feature big (14.1 inch), bright active-matrix displays, 3D graphics, excellent Altec Lansing speakers, comfortable keyboards, a button for automated Web-page scrolling, and about three hours of battery life with regular use (though watching a DVD movie drains battery juice quickly).

On the downside, these ThinkPads are pricey. (There are cheaper ones available at around $1,500 that aren't loaded with features.) Many people, myself included, don't care for the small TrackPoint button that controls the cursor; its microdot size makes it difficult to navigate on-screen. Except for Quicken 99, the preinstalled application software--such as Lotus SmartSuite Millennium, which includes Lotus 1-2-3 and Lotus Word Pro--seems more appropriate for business types than home users. And at nearly 8 pounds, both machines are too heavy for easy portability.

SUMMARY

PRO: Plays DVD movies on a TV set. CON: Costly; awkward pointing device. $2,699 IBM 888-411-1932 www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad

Vadem Clio

This exceedingly stylish black device is a Windows CE computer. Windows CE is a stripped-down version of the Windows 95/98 operating systems, designed to run on handheld and other PC companion devices. CE computers include preinstalled pocket versions of such Microsoft programs as Word, Excel and Outlook. Using a CE computer, you can copy files to and from your desktop PC (and synchronize your calendar and other data) via a serial-port cable connection. You can't, however, install Windows 95 or 98 applications or open files not supported by the built-in applications.

The Clio gets major cool points for its flexible, adjustable screen. Unlike most portables, the Clio's 9.4-inch screen is mounted on a pivoting arm that lets you position the display at the most comfortable angle. The display also doubles as a graphics tablet; just swing it over the keyboard and start scribbling with the stylus. The Clio's built-in handwriting recognition software, CalliGrapher, launches itself immediately when the display is pivoted into tablet position. You won't be able to write as fluidly or quickly as you could on paper or by typing on the keyboard, however, since the computer and software just aren't powerful enough. But you can jot a few reminders down fairly easily.

Although it may be the coolest-looking CE device out there, the Clio isn't the most practical. The screen isn't as sharp or clear as I'd like. The internal modem delivers only up to 33.6 kbps speed--practically a horse-and-buggy model in this day and age. The keyboard's curved design is decidedly stylish, but it forces even a fast typist like me to hunt and peck.

SUMMARY

PRO: Folding screen; inexpensive. CON: Awkward keyboard; fuzzy display. $999 Vadem 800-468-2336 www.vadem.com

Hewlett-Packard Jornada 820

Like the Clio, the Jornada is a Windows CE handheld computer. It lacks the Clio's sense of style, however. In fact, it looks pretty much like the typical laptop computer, only smaller.

For years, I'd been searching for an extremely lightweight portable computer that had a comfortable keyboard, a trackpad pointing device, a sharp color display, an internal 56K modem and a battery that could last at least six hours as well as a good personal-information-management program. I wanted to be able to write and edit in Microsoft Word, keep track of my finances in Excel, send and receive e-mail (with attachments) and surf the Web. The Jornada was the first portable computer that enabled me to have all those features and do all those things, and I bought one a week or two after it was released.

Because of its weight (2.5 pounds), small size (9.5 inches wide, 7 inches deep, 1.25 inches high) and 8-hour battery life, my Jornada goes with me nearly everywhere. It's not a perfect PC companion, of course. There are the inevitable trade-offs using a Windows CE computer, such as being limited primarily to the built-in applications. CE devices are designed to serve as PC companions rather than self-sufficient portables like a notebook computer, and they can't communicate with Macs. The serial-port connection with my desktop PC seems painfully slow, and I've never been able to get the fax program, bFax Professional, to work. Other than that, I have no complaints. And inevitably, every time I pull the Jornada out of my briefcase and start typing, someone wants to get a closer look at it.

SUMMARY

PRO: The most laptoplike Windows CE device; long battery life; comfortable keyboard; outstanding screen. CON: Sluggish file transfer. $799 Hewlett-Packard 800-443-1254 www.hp.com/jornada