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Gateway is revamping its notebook lineup, launching on Monday the lightweight Solo 3450 and the budget-friendly sub-$1000 Solo 1200. Each is available next week.

The ultra portable Solo 3450 weighs just 3 pounds and is Gateway's lightest notebook. Combine that with its sleek, thin design (it's just 0.8 inches thick) and this is one travel-friendly notebook, says Ray Sawall, Gateway's group manager for mobile.

The previous version of this notebook used a port replicator, but the new docking station slice is much more flexible, Sawall says. The 3450 fits on top of a flat docking station which has two modular bays and can house any two drives (you select from a CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, or a floppy). Other notebooks in this weight class offer a similar arrangement, allowing you to leave the dock behind when it's important to travel light.

And the notebook and docking station combined still weigh a manageable 5.36 pounds, Sawall says.

Buyers can configure their own 3450s, but a standard configuration sells for $2199. It includes a low-voltage 750-MHz Pentium III processor, 192MB of memory, a 12.1-inch TFT display, a 10GB hard drive, and an integrated V.90 modem and Ethernet port.

The included docking station ships with a 24X CD-ROM drive and floppy drive. For an introductory period, Gateway is offering a free upgrade from the CD-ROM to either an 8X DVD drive or an 8X/24X CD-RW drive. When that promotion ends, the DVD drive will cost about $100; the CD-RW will sell for $200.

Gateway can initially preload the 3450 with Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows Millennium. The company also throws in a coupon that lets buyers upgrade to Windows XP for $15.

Breaking the $1000 Barrier

The recent drops in TFT display prices allow Gateway to bring the Solo 1200 to market priced at $999, Sawall says. The notebook would traditionally sell for about $1199.

In addition to its 12.1-inch TFT display, the basic 1200 configuration includes an 800-MHz Intel Celeron processor, 128MB of memory, a 10GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive, and an integrated v.92 modem and Ethernet port.

In addition, the 1200 includes a built-in 802.11b antenna to prepare you for wireless networking. For another $200 (or $1199 total) Gateway throws in an extra 64MB of memory (for a total of 192MB) and installs a miniPCI card that activates the antenna for wireless connectivity, he says.

The 6.8-pound 1200 ships with Windows ME and includes a $15 Windows XP upgrade coupon. The company expects to start shipping both the 1200 and 3450 with Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional by the end of September, Sawall says.

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