Look for More Than Fashion in Light Laptop
The debut last month of Sony Corp.’s new ultra-light laptop computer -- weighing in at 3.8 pounds -- brought back memories of my first, beloved portable: the Kaypro 2.
Purchased in 1984, it was, like the laptops of today, completely self-contained, including screen and keyboard. And it weighed 22 pounds. I’d be buff if I still had that machine -- it was portable only in the sense that it had a handle.
The new Sony Vaio T350P is the most stylish of the sub-4-pound laptops to hit the market recently. It may be the most stylish laptop ever. Available in a dark blue, silver or burgundy matte finish, it could be considered a fashion accessory.
And therein lies the problem. Thin, flashy and of limited practicality, the T350P is the Paris Hilton of computers.
Luckily, there are other choices in this ultra-light category.
Dell Inc.’s Latitude X1, Lenovo Group Ltd.’s ThinkPad X41 and Toshiba Corp.’s Portege R200 are lightweights only in the literal sense. These are full-featured, highly functional machines. Long gone are the days when having the lightest computer meant settling for a barely usable screen and keyboard.
Shedding pounds can be costly, however. These ultra-lights are more expensive -- in some cases nearly twice as much -- than comparable sibling models that weigh in at 6 or 7 pounds. But for anyone who has to tote a laptop almost daily in a briefcase or backpack, those few pounds can make a noticeable difference.
(None of the current Apple Computer Inc. laptops, terrific as they are, made the 4-pound cut. Mac fans -- and I am a die-hard -- might consider going over to the Windows side when buying a portable anyway. A PC laptop provides access to Windows-only programs and services, such as Web music subscriptions and movie downloads, that are otherwise denied to Mac heads.)
All four of the Windows ultra-lights come with inherent compromises. It’s not yet possible to pack the most state-of-the-art laptop engineering into a computer that weighs less than a cantaloupe.
The least expensive of the ultra-lights is the Dell. The Latitude X1 costs about $1,850, including an optional external DVD/CD-RW drive.
At the top end is the Toshiba, the thinnest of the tested laptops. It’s $2,350 with an optional drive.
The Vaio, starting at $2,300, packs the most features onboard. It has an internal DVD/ CD drive and comes with WWAN, a type of wireless connectivity that allows a user to get onto the Internet just about anywhere -- for a fee -- via a telephone cellular network.
But all that cool gadgetry is severely undercut by the fact that this laptop would be difficult for anyone to use in much more than short bursts. Its squat screen -- measuring only about 10 3/4 inches diagonally -- gave me eyestrain in short order, and its keyboard area is so cramped that the heels of my palms fell over the edge.
I love elegant work tools, but this one goes overboard on flash and style as opposed to real-world usability.
The other ultra-lights sport far more practical 12-inch screens, although Dell’s is in a somewhat problematic wide-screen shape. It’s great for watching DVDs presented in a wide-screen format, but the extra width is at the expense of screen height, forcing on-screen elements such as type, icons and graphics into a smaller size.
That’s less a problem when using a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, that has a zoom function to make type appear larger. But many website pages cannot be enlarged.
The Sony does deliver the most richly detailed image, almost jewel-like. But again, looks are not everything: The screen is so reflective that it’s at its best only in a dark room.
The keyboards on the ThinkPad and Toshiba provide the kind of snap and springy action that most touch typists love. The Dell’s keyboard, although duller in response, is quite acceptable.
The Dell, Sony and Toshiba ultra-lights each use a touch pad in place of a mouse. With modifications (I always use Control Panel adjustments to speed up the pointer response and enable the use of finger taps for clicking), touch pads are tolerable, although I don’t know anyone who loves them.
The ThinkPad uses a pointer button -- developed at IBM Corp., which this year completed the sale of its personal computer division line to Lenovo -- instead of the mouse. There are those who don’t like the button either, but I find it far superior to a touch pad.
All these laptops get quite warm after about 20 minutes of use, and that’s a bit uncomfortable, but not intolerable, if you are actually using them on your lap. Shutting the computer down periodically quickly dissipates the heat.
And as for battery power, my suggestion is to buy the largest-capacity battery available for the laptop. It will weigh a bit more but can add hours of work time when away from power outlets.
I tested each model by continually running a downloaded movie, starting at full charge. The Sony was the champ, lasting more than five hours. The others went 3 1/2 to four hours before dying out.
Of course, how you use a computer will affect battery time. Using maximum brightness of the screen and functions that require drives to be engaged (burning CDs, for example) will be a heavy power drain.
So, which is the best choice among the ultra-lights? For bargain hunters, the Dell is fine. But given the superior screens and keyboards on the ThinkPad and the Toshiba, I might save up a bit more money and go for them, especially if the laptops were for everyday use.
And the Vaio? It would be perfect for fashion shoots and celebrity gift bags.
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Comparing notes
Dell Latitude X1
Weight: 3.5 lbs.
Size: 1” x 11.3” x 7.7”
Screen: 12”
CD/DVD drive: External
Battery life: 3 hrs. 55 mins.
Pros: Least costly, very light
Cons: Wide screen shape makes type hard to read. No PC card slot.
Price: $1,850
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Lenovo ThinkPad X41
Weight: 3.95 lbs.
Size: 0.8” x 10.5” x 8.3”
Screen: 12”
CD/DVD drive: External
Battery life: 3 hrs. 57 mins.
Pros: Lively keyboard, ideal screen shape for documents and Web surfing
Cons: Heaviest
Price: $2,098
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Sony Vaio T350P
Weight: 3.8 lbs.
Size: 1.4” x 10.7” x 8.1”
Screen: 10.6”
CD/DVD drive: Internal
Battery life: 5 hrs. 45 mins.
Pros: Stylish, internal DVD burner, embedded WWAN wireless networking technology
Cons: Too-small screen, cramped keyboard
Price: $2,300
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Toshiba Portege R200
Weight: 3.5 lbs.
Size: 0.8” x 11.25” x 9”
Screen: 12”
CD/DVD drive: External
Battery life: 3 hrs. 31 mins.
Pros: Lively keyboard, ideal screen shape for documents and Web surfing, very light
Cons: Most expensive
Price: $2,348
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Weight includes power cord. As tested by The Times, battery life was measured with largest battery available. Price includes DVD/CD drive and largest battery. Photos are not to scale.
Sources: The companies, Times research
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David Colker can be reached via e-mail at technopolis@latimes.com.
