Wide and handsome heavyweight comes with hefty pricetag

By RICHARD WOOD

As I discovered on a recent trip to Japan, being able to watch wide-screen DVD movies on your notebook while flying is the height of luxury and great for whiling away those hours on the plane.

The Compaq Presario X1000 series of notebooks have a beautiful wide screen which is also ideal for working with two applications side by side.

Technically the width to height ratio of 1.6:1 isn't true widescreen of 1.85:1, but it's close enough.

The screen measures 15.4 inches on the diagonal and is 13 inches wide by 8 1/8 inches high.

The X1030 model I used came into its own when working. With the display set at the highest resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, I could put a typical 800 pixel wide website in a browser while opening a word processor next to it - ideal for research. Those who have long hankered for two monitors know what I'm talking about.

One problem with the display was the size of the text, which was very small as a result of the high resolution. The next resolution down was disappointingly not in proportion, giving a squashed view. Increasing the size of fonts in the control panel helped, as did temporarily increasing the document font size.

When using the touch pad to control the pointer, I found it was a long way from one side of the wide screen to the other - alleviated a little by setting the pointer to the maximum speed. The touch pad has page up and down slider controls on it similar to a wheel on a mouse and also has a handy button above to turn it off so your palms don't accidentally operate it while you are typing.

The wide screen means there is additional space around the keyboard which is used for some reasonable-sounding speakers. The speaker grille on the right has volume and mute buttons inlaid in it.

Two clamshell hinges hold the screen but they are not sufficiently firm to prevent wobbling from the slightest movement of the base while typing.

Battery life is rated at four hours but was highly dependent on the power save settings and use of hard disk. I recommend getting a spare battery for long-haul flights.

The DVD/CD reader/writer and PC Card slots are on the left and AC power connect and infrared port are on the right. Out back are the network, modem, printer, and video ports. There are also three universal serial bus (USB) ports, which makes a lot of sense given the quantity of USB devices available.

A very nifty feature is the inclusion of a "Secure Digital" SD card reader at the front providing a quick way of loading digital camera pictures.

There are three vents for cooling - one at back and two underneath. Which is just as well because this machine runs hot. The manual advises not to use it for extended periods on your lap and not to use it on soft surfaces.

The X1030 included a 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M Processor with 512MB of memory, upgradeable to 2GB, and 60GB hard drive.

It also uses Intel Centrino wireless technology, which provides 802.11b or Wi-Fi wireless networking. I turned it on at the airport lounge in Osaka and was immediately able to choose from three hot-spot broadband services for buying internet access.

At around 3kg, this is not the lightest notebook computer you can buy, and you may find the recommended retail price of $4999 a bit steep. But it's ideal for users wanting a muscle machine that still fits in their cabin baggage.

Compaq Presario X1030

HP.

$4999.

Pros: wide screen, hot-spot wireless connectivity.

Cons: weight and size restrict mobility.

Rating: 7/10