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It's been almost two years since a notebook from MicronPC garnered a Best Buy award on a PC World notebooks chart. The company returns to the heights this month with the TransPort XT2, our new value Best Buy. At $1999, the 6-pound (without add-ons) XT2 includes a 14.1-inch screen, a removable DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive, and a 20GB hard drive. With its enticing price, solid performance, and wealth of features, the XT2 should satisfy both corporate types and home users.

The laptop's blue-and-gray case balances formality and fun. One notable concession to frivolity: A silver panel in the lower-right corner of the keyboard supplies audio controls for using the XT2 as a stand-alone CD player. Legacy connections, including parallel and serial ports, hide under a protective cover on the back; S/PDIF, composite-out, and IEEE 1394 ports should appeal to the digitally hip.

Elsewhere on the value list, the 1.13-GHz Pentium III-M version of the Gateway Solo 5350ls, a modest business machine, lands in third place. If you prefer eraserhead pointing devices to touchpads, you might consider the $2199 Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000, in fifth place.

On the power chart, where the IBM ThinkPad A30p maintains its iron grip on the top spot, a 1.2-GHz Pentium III-M version of Gateway's huge, well-equipped desktop replacement, the Solo 9550xl, captures third place.

Compaq's 5.2-pound (minus add-ons) Evo N600c grabs sixth place. At $2799, the N600c is somewhat pricey, but its dual pointing devices and optional wireless module (a silver, lid-mounted USB unit) might endear it to companies looking for a laptop with extra flexibility.

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