WinBook X4

WHAT'S HOT: Simple elegance and a reasonable price highlight the $1298 WinBook X4. The case colors are soothing baby blue and silver. Topping the features list: A fixed combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive in the right side of the case and a FireWire port on the left.

WHAT'S NOT: The X4 lasted only 2.3 hours on one battery charge, some 40 minutes shorter than average. With a score of 91 on PC WorldBench 4, the X4 lagged about 9 percent behind other 2-GHz Pentium 4-M notebooks we've tested with 256MB of RAM. The price doesn't include a floppy drive or application software. Some consumers may also miss having a parallel port; a $120 USB port replicator adds one. Finally, WinBook's support policies could be more progressive: You get only 13 hours of telephone help weekdays and 8 hours Saturdays, compared to the round-the-clock support offered by many other vendors.

WHAT ELSE: The X4 is larger and weighs about a pound more than its predecessor, the WinBook X2. But it wears the extra girth well, with a case that measures 1.5 inches deep and weighs a relatively light 6.3 pounds (not including the power adapter). The X4 has a 14.1-inch screen, a more comfortable keyboard, and internal parts that are easier to access.

The firm, full-size keyboard offers a deeper stroke than X2's. It's got the same stylishly translucent status lights and quick-launch buttons at the top and shiny chrome four-way scroll button at the bottom. We just wish this button's directional bumps weren't so hard and uncomfortable. The hard drive and RAM compartments are in better locations, and instead of having to fuss with a dozen screws and remove almost the entire bottom of the notebook as on the X2, you remove only a couple of screws and a panel. Surprisingly, the X4 lacks one feature typical for this class of notebook--a modular bay for swapping in other peripherals, such as a second battery.