Fujitsu LifeBook N6420 Notebook (2.00GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile T7200, 1GB DDR2, 200GB, HD/DVDRW, Windows XP Media Center, 17

The media panel located above the keyboard is a mixed bag. It provides a seemingly superfluous button for the Visual Optimizer, which is basically a display filter that adds instant contrast to brighten and enhance colors. It's an interesting feature for photo editors if no one else, but the garish hues it produced on our test unit looked too doctored. Elsewhere on the panel, a seesaw-shaped volume rocker has a fun design, but the rocker doesn't work with Media Center applications. For a notebook with such good speakers, having an instant-play button for directly accessing entertainment--like that on many multimedia laptops--would have been nice. Finally, a hitch for some Bluetooth fans: You must add short-range wireless communications via an adapter card.

The 17-inch XGA+ screen (with 1440 by 900 resolution) is superb for working in mainstream applications without eyestrain, and it will satisfy many photo editors as well. Three types of slots--three-in-one, ExpressCard, and PC Card--let you exchange data with other devices, such as digital cameras.

The notebook's design is graceful for the most part, including a scored optical-drive eject button and user-friendly battery releases that let you pluck out the pack with one hand. The port layout is good except for the dearth of side-mounted USB connections; three of the four are located inconveniently on the back of the notebook. The comfy keyboard is big enough to offer two extras: a numerical keypad for easy data entry and a fingerprint sensor that doubles as a page-scroll device.

The LifeBook N6420 might not be perfect, but it could make some home-office workers yearning for a big-screen notebook happy. Just don't forget the AC adapter.

Carla Thornton