Welcome to Compaq's Laptop Evo-lution

Compaq's latest lightweight portable sports a nifty new look and a new name. The Evo N400c replaces the older Armada M300 model and adds useful features while maintaining the line's business focus. Get used to the Evo name: It will replace Compaq's familiar Armada, ProSignia, and Deskpro brands.

My preproduction notebook earned a score of 154 on PC WorldBench 2000--good for a unit with a Pentium III-700/500 processor, 128MB of SDRAM, and Windows 2000. Even for a lightweight system, battery life was a bit brief at 2 hours, 1 minute, but a second half-pound battery ($149) could double your work time.

The $2200 system's most noteworthy new feature is the proprietary USB-based multipurpose port in the lid. The slot accepts a wireless 802.11b card or a Bluetooth card complete with antenna, with more cards to come. The N400c also gives you a PC Card slot and a good set of standard ports, including ethernet, 56-kbps modem, composite-video, and two USB ports.

What's missing? Any optical drive. Lightweight systems typically bundle at least an external floppy drive. To add software to the Evo, though, you must be on a network or buy the docking station ($370 to $570, depending on the drives in the two media bays).

With the necessary docking station, the Evo seems a tad pricey. Still, at 3.5 pounds, the Evo provides most of what you need, including a 12.1-inch TFT LCD, 20GB of storage, a full-size keyboard, and Compaq management tools.

SUMMARY

Evo N400c PRO: Light; special slot for proprietary wireless or Bluetooth cards. CON: Short battery life; optical drive costs extra. VALUE: Good travel notebook for users who need all ports onboard. Street price: $2200 Compaq 800/345-1518 www.compaq.com