The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : A Place in His Heart for Compaq’s Aero
A few weeks ago, I broke my collar bone and suddenly found myself in need of a computer that I could use from bed. Help arrived in the form of a Compaq Contura Aero 4/25, a sub-notebook computer that’s small and light enough to plop down on my midsection as I work from a reclining position. I’m up and around now, but the machine still comes in handy. At 3 1/2 pounds, it’s light enough to carry with my one good arm.
You don’t have to have an arm in a sling to appreciate this machine. With a retail price as low as $899 for the basic unit, the Contura Aero represents an excellent value for anyone who needs a second computer to take on the road. It’s also a good primary unit for a college or high school student, who could carry it to class to take notes and then use it with a keyboard, mouse and color monitor at home or in the dorm.
Sub-notebook computers generally weigh 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds. They typically have undersized keyboards and lack some features that are standard on larger notebook and laptop computers. The Contura is one of several fine sub-notebook lines. The Toshiba Portege machines and the IBM ThinkPad 500s are particularly impressive.
The basic Compaq Contura comes with four megabytes of memory, an 84-megabyte hard disk drive and an excellent monochrome display. Its 25-megahertz 486SX central processor is fast enough for most Windows and DOS programs.
By today’s standards, an 84-megabyte hard disk is pretty small, but you can, in effect, double the capacity by using the disk-compression program that comes with MS-DOS 6.2. If you plan to install a lot of software, you’d be better off spending $1,199 for the 170-megabyte version. Compaq also offers a version with color display, a faster (33-megahertz) CPU and a 170-megabyte hard drive for $1,799. (Keep in mind that the basic configuration is almost never enough; by the time you’ve added a modem, external floppy drive and the near-essentials, the machine is going to cost at least several hundred dollars more than the base price.)
Compaq’s own mail-order division ((800) 888-5858) is out of the 84-megabyte version, but you can get it from retailers such as LA Tronics and some other mail-order sources. Compaq is likely to discontinue this model in a few weeks, in favor of the 170-megabyte version.
Four megabytes of memory is fine if you’re using DOS software or an integrated Windows word-processing, spreadsheet and database program such as Microsoft Works. My word-processing program (Word for Windows 6.0) is a bit slow with four megabytes of RAM, but it runs great now that I’ve upgraded to eight megabytes by plugging in a $245 memory module.
An external floppy disk drive costs $99. If you plan to connect an external monitor or keyboard, you’ll need to spend $39 more for a Mobile Port Extendor. These options are built into most full-size notebook computers, so if size and weight aren’t important, you may be better off with a notebook PC that weighs between five and seven pounds.
Like other sub-notebooks, the Contura Aero has a smaller keyboard than regular notebook machines. Compaq reduced the size of each key and the distance between keys to 95% of standard. The keys on sub-notebooks from Toshiba, IBM and most other companies are 90% of standard, and that extra 5% can make a difference to touch typists. I find myself making relatively few typing mistakes on the Aero compared to other sub-notebooks. As with the Apple PowerBooks, the keyboard is recessed behind a palm rest, which makes the machine comfortable to use even when you don’t have a tray or table to rest it on.
The machine’s track ball is in the lower right corner, which would ordinarily be inconvenient for me since I’m left-handed. With my left arm in a sling, though, it’s working out just fine. All track balls and mice start to malfunction if dirt gets under them, and the track ball that comes with this machine collects dirt very quickly. Compaq will mail owners a free replacement track ball that requires less maintenance.
The floppy drive plugs into the machine’s one PCMCIA slot. Don’t worry about what PCMCIA stands for--it’s a slot on the computer that lets you plug in a credit card-size peripheral such as a modem, network adapter or even another hard disk drive. I use the slot for a modem, which I have to remove every time I use the floppy drive, but it’s not necessary to turn off the machine to change PCMCIA cards. The machine comes with software and a serial cable that allows you to transfer files with your desktop machine without having to use the floppy drive.
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The machine comes with a three-year warranty and toll-free access to technical advice. The technical support department is great if you can reach them--I wound up on hold for between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on when I called. If you need warranty repair, Compaq sends out a courier who picks up the machine and returns it two days later. The warranty makes this machine especially attractive. Even if the basic machine died the day after the warranty expired, your cost of ownership would have been only about $1 a day. Besides, three years is a very long time when it comes to portable computers.
