WinBook Z1

WHAT'S HOT: WinBook laptops can provide great bangs for the buck, but they generally don't include all the latest features in portables, such as 15-inch screens and the biggest hard drives. All that changes with the new WinBook Z1, an aggressively priced model that catches up to its competitors in several areas. Not only does it sport a 15-inch screen with a native resolution of 1400 by 1050, but the Z1 also includes a colossal 30GB hard drive and an 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive. The damage: $3399--a hefty sum, but not overly so, considering that Dell and IBM offer similarly configured machines for $3270 and $4099, respectively, and neither includes a CD-RW drive.

WHAT'S NOT: The big screen panel hangs over the front edge of the notebook when it's closed, making for a less-than-elegant design. WinBook doesn't offer a built-in network adapter, so you'll have to keep track of a PC Card. Unlike competing vendors, many of whom offer around-the-clock telephone support, WinBook works the phone lines only 13 hours on weekdays and 7 hours on Saturday.

WHAT ELSE: An impressive performer, the Z1 gave us about 3 hours of operation before exhausting its battery. It finished our PC WorldBench tests with a score of 172--about 6 percent faster than the average Pentium III-850/700 laptop. Aside from its screen overbite, the Z1 looks good--it shares the same basic-black case design as Enpower's ENP 325W2, a notebook we looked at for our February charts. The battery, the 30GB hard drive, and the CD-RW drive all slide out easily from the front of the notebook (one screw secures the hard drive). Icons stamped on the bottom clearly indicate all the bays and notebook parts--a considerate touch. Want to take along a second battery or more storage? You can swap out the CD-RW drive for a second lithium battery, a SuperDisk drive, an 8X DVD-ROM drive, or a $499 combination 8X/4X/24X CD-RW/8X DVD-ROM drive. You can also upgrade the fixed floppy drive, located on the left side, to a fixed Zip 250 drive. Like other WinBooks, the Z1 is no multimedia wonder, with only so-so sound. However, it does include an S-Video TV port and an extra audio line-in port. The big keyboard offers a quiet, deep feel, and you can launch applications from the mouse buttons using the included Synaptics utility. The Z1 comes with WinBook's great manual, which is marred only by a hard-to-use index.

BEST USE: Graphics pros who need a top-of-the-line desktop replacement equipped with a CD burner, big screen, and jumbo hard drive can save hundreds of dollars by going with the Z1 instead of IBM's ThinkPad A21.

SUMMARY

WinBook Z1 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 172, Pentium III-850/700, 128MB of RAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows 2000 Professional, 15-inch active-matrix screen, ATI Rage Mobility graphics with 16MB of SDRAM, 30GB hard drive, 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive, built-in V.90 modem, Ethernet PC Card, touchpad pointing device, 8.6-pound weight (including AC adapter and phone cord), Microsoft Works Suite 2001. 3-year parts and labor warranty; free, unlimited tech support 13 hours Monday through Friday and 7 hours Saturday. $3399 800/965-9349 www.winbook.com