Apple Powerbook G4 Notebook Computer

WHAT'S HOT: With an eye-catching anodized aluminum case and its unusual dimensions, Apple's largest PowerBook G4 oozes cool. But this Macintosh desktop replacement is also packed with standard features that appear only as options--or are unavailable--on its 12-inch- and 15-inch-screen PowerBook G4 siblings. Movie buffs will love watching DVDs on this model's 17-inch-diagonal screen. Its 1440 by 900 native resolution delivers a 16:10 (nearly letterbox) aspect ratio. And if you can get back to work, the screen's dimensions make viewing two documents side-by-side comfortable. Apple also packed this system with everything you need for making movies: IDVD software, a slot-loading DVD-R/CD-RW drive (which Apple calls a "SuperDrive") on the front, and two FireWire ports--one of which is a FireWire 800 port, a first in notebooks.

Another unique feature: The 17-inch PowerBook G4 has a digital video port for powering an external display at up to 2048 by 1536 pixels. (An included adapter converts it to VGA, if you wish.) The 17-inch model also has built-in gigabit ethernet, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless connectivity, and Bluetooth 1.1 for communicating with other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Top to bottom (when closed), it's an impressive 1 inch; and it's fairly light at 6.8 pounds (without its power adapter).

WHAT'S NOT: Watching a wide screen is one thing -- continuously carrying a notebook equipped with one is another. Though the PowerBook G4 isn't terribly heavy, its awkward dimensions (15.4 inches wide by 10.2 inches deep) make it a bit clumsy to carry. Frequent travelers may find that the wide case takes up too much space on a cramped airplane--unless they're flying first class. Notwithstanding its host of extras, the 17-inch PowerBook G4 is quite expensive at $3299.

Furthermore, the keyboard is located close to the screen, which made extensive typing awkward. And though technically the keyboard is full size, we wish that Apple had moved the speakers to clear space for a roomier keyboard. Reading text on this screen strains the eyes, too. Only the native 1440 by 900 resolution displayed acceptably sharp text, and even then jagged lines marred the characters. (Adjusting the font-smoothing setting in the System Preferences didn't improve matters.)

WHAT ELSE: In addition to the FireWire ports and the DVI port, Apple throws in two USB 1.1 ports and a PC Card/CardBus slot for Type I or Type II cards. You get lots of software to play with, including QuickBooks for Mac (New User Edition) and applications for organizing your music (ITunes), photographs (IPhoto), and movies (IMovie). There are no programmable launch buttons, however.

Outfitted with a 1-GHz PowerPC G4 processor and 512MB of RAM, the PowerBook G4 aims to do everything your desktop can. But because it runs under Macintosh OS X, we could not test its performance on our PC WorldBench 4 benchmark. In our informal tests, basic applications such Excel ran smoothly.

For the ultimate personal movie theater experience, you won't want to use the PowerBook G4's built-in speakers. Their sound is adequate for a notebook, but it won't do a soundtrack justice. Audiophiles will likely want to plug in external speakers. For easier navigation of music and movies, we'd have appreciated dedicated control buttons for the DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive.

In low light, the screen automatically dims slightly for more comfortable viewing, and the backlit keyboard glows. On our unit, however, we couldn't readily distinguish some of the letters or identify the function keys in a dark room.

UPSHOT: With this system, Apple is first out of the gate with cool new features like the 17-inch-diagonal screen, 802.11g, and FireWire 800, all wrapped in an alluring case. But some basic design and usability flaws mar its attractiveness.