These days, $1,500 wont buy you much in terms of desktop replacements, but with Acers TravelMate 290LMI, that sum will get you on the Intel Centrino bandwagon—and more.
This enterprise-oriented desktop replacement, which was released last month, is a good fit for organizations on tight budgets. Armed with a 1.3GHz Pentium M processor, an Intel 855 GM chip set and Intel Pro 802.11b wireless capabilities, the 290LMI fits Intels requirements for the Centrino platform.
The unit I tested came with Windows XP Home and was equipped with 512MB of PC2100 (266MHz) double-data-rate synchronous dynamic RAM and a 40GB hard drive.
Measuring 13.13 by 10.88 by 1.26 inches, the 290LMI weighs in at 6.2 pounds. The laptops battery can deliver up to 5 hours of power, according to Acer officials.
Along with wireless capabilities, the laptop has a built-in 56K-bps ITU V.92 data/fax modem, 10/100M-bps Fast Ethernet and integrated Bluetooth capabilities. The 290LMI is also equipped with three USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 port and a parallel port.
The laptops 15-inch XGA TFT LCD screen has a maximum 1,024-by-768-pixel resolution. The unit was also equipped with a hot-swappable DVD-RW combo drive. Gamers and graphics-intensive power users should keep in mind that the 290LMI features an integrated graphics chip with shared memory.
More information is available at www.acer.com.