WinBook XL2 366

SUMMARY

PRO: Top-notch feature set, thorough manual.
CON: Some difficult-to-access components, so-so audio, limited support hours, low reader reliability score, slightly heavy.
$3399, PC WorldBench score of 189, Pentium II-366, 128MB of RAM, 256KB of secondary cache, 6.4GB hard drive, 2X DVD-ROM drive, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, touchpad and eraserhead pointing devices, V.90 internal modem, 8.4-pound traveling weight, battery life of 2 hours and 51 minutes.

WinBook
800/725-3470
www.winbook.com

WinBook's decked-out multimedia notebook comes within one place of making our May power chart. At less than 2 inches thick, this weighty desktop replacement piles on nearly every feature a small-business or home user might want in a high-end notebook. Short support hours and a poor reliability rating from PC World readers hold down the score.

The XL2 366 comes equipped with dual pointing devices and an LS-120 drive, which can also read ordinary floppies. You can send its good-looking DVD-ROM video out to a S-video TV port, and add a combination MIDI/game port for $99 more via WinBook's port replicator. The XL2's battery lifts out easily but you'll need tools and patience to remove the hard drive and access the RAM slots. The XL2's DVD-ROM drive slides out, but WinBook doesn't currently sell any additional devices for the modular bay. Battery life is pretty good, and the XL2 366 offers the second-fastest performance of any notebook we've tested.

WinBook limits telephone support to 13 hours on weekdays and some Saturday hours, but overall we're impressed with its package. The staff typically answers calls quickly and offers on-the-mark help. WinBook also deserves kudos for providing a user's manual full of well-written, practical advice, including an exhaustive section on upgrades.

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