Gateway Solo 1150cl

WHAT'S HOT:

Take that, Apple. Gateway's value-line Solo 1150cl may not have a translucent candy-colored case or built-in antennas for wireless networking, but it sports the same curves as the IBook, sells for a couple hundred dollars less ($1299), and sounds like a brass band. The 7-pound Solo 1150cl boasts a rounded case with rubber-textured handholds for easy gripping. An oversize push-latch opens the notebook to display a crisp 12.1-inch display set in a sturdy, extra-wide frame. The 1150cl omits most older notebook connections in favor of two Universal Serial Bus ports; the design also includes handy shortcut buttons for launching files and applications, plus upgradable memory and storage--rare perks in a sub-$1400 laptop.

What's more, this Solo features what may be the loudest, clearest-sounding built-in stereo speakers available in any notebook. Equivalent in quality to a nice set of desktop PC speakers, the Solo 1150cl's speakers--mounted on the wrist rest--let you crank up the decibel level on your favorite music CDs with little or no distortion. The notebook includes the MusicMatch Jukebox CD player, which uses an online database service to identify a CD's artist, album, and track names. To top it off, Gateway throws in one year of free Internet access from AOL.

WHAT'S NOT: Performance and battery life could be better. Owing in part to its pinch of video memory, the Celeron-550-equipped 1150cl lagged behind every Celeron-500 we've tested. The nickel-metal hydride battery gave out after 2.4 hours, a charge-life half an hour shorter than the average laptop's. A notebook that wails like the 1150cl deserves a more audiocentric design, too. The notebook lacks a volume thumbwheel and has no extra buttons for using it as a stand-alone CD player.

WHAT ELSE: Sitting next to a see-through laptop like the IBook, the Solo 1150cl's all-black case (devoid of PS/2, serial, parallel, and docking connections) looks a bit minimalist and dowdy. But notebook novices will appreciate the design's simplicity. In addition to the USB connections--one located on the side and another on the back--this notebook offers a monitor connection, headphone and microphone ports, two PC Card slots, a built-in modem, and fixed CD-ROM and floppy drives. The sensibly laid-out keyboard's remarkably springy action practically launches typing fingers, a sensation some users may not like. And the battery pack's coin security screw, an unusual precaution, seems unnecessary.

Print and electronic documentation caters ably to first-time PC users with tips on how to use the Internet, create documents, and travel safely with a notebook. More-experienced buyers, however, may chafe at the step-by-step instructions and the lack of technical information, such as how to tweak BIOS settings. For the stingiest budgets, Gateway offers a cheaper ($1199) version of this notebook with a Celeron-500 processor, dual-scan screen, and no floppy drive.

BEST USE: First-time notebook buyers with a taste for music and a preference for USB peripherals will appreciate this low-key notebook.

SUMMARY

Gateway Solo 1150cl PC WorldBench 2000 score of 96, Celeron-550, 64MB of SDRAM, Windows Millennium Edition, 12.1-inch active screen, 4MB of video memory, 6GB hard drive, 10X-24X CD-ROM drive, built-in modem, touchpad pointing device, 7.8-pound travel weight. 3-year parts warranty, 3-year labor warranty; free unlimited support, 24/7 toll-free support. $1299 800/846-2000 www.gateway.com