Gateway 450XL: this laptop gives you all the basics, plus extended battery life and built-in Wi-Fi.

The first thing you notice about any laptop--regardless of what's under the hood or all the powerful connectivity options--is how the system looks and feels. The Gateway 450XL is a sleek desktop replacement with a large keyboard and an even bigger display that may not look as space-age as, say, the Sony Vaio Z1A, but certainly has enough style and power to meet the needs of any mobile professional.

Centrino inside

I was immediately impressed by the Centrino architecture that provides some important mobile benefits. In testing, I found the processor is well-suited for anyone who needs long battery life. I watched a DVD, surfed the Internet, and performed other everyday tasks for about six hours before the system needed a recharge. Centrino is designed to perform CPU instructions faster while managing power consumption better, and the extra speed and battery life were noticeable during my testing.

Intel PRO 802.11b wireless technology is integrated into the system. That's a plus because you don't have to worry about a USB adapter or PC Card for networking. However, for some reason, the Gateway 450XL doesn't include a hardware switch to turn off the wireless capability so you have to disable the Wi-Fi via the OS. Using on-board wireless drains battery life and there are times when you might not want to be connected to the network.

Another benefit of the Centrino architecture is the Pentium-M processor running at 1.5GHz. I tested several business applications, including Microsoft Word and the included Works suite. Although the 450XL probably isn't as well suited for graphically intense presentations or photo-editing, it's speedy enough for basic business document chores.

Down to business

As a business computer, this model is equipped with plenty of extras to help you get your work done faster (and maybe leave a little time for leisure). There's a surprising number of external connection options. The 1394 FireWire port is situated right next to two USB 2.0 high-speed ports and two PC Card ports to the left side of the laptop, along with standard audio in and out connectors. On the back, there's a parallel port (a bonus for anyone still using a printer that supports the old standard), plus the standard VGA-out, video, S-video, Ethernet, and modem ports. The 450XL also includes a DVD combo drive for playing movies or burning CD-RW discs.

On the software side, you get the Microsoft Works Suite, which includes Word 2002 and the Encarta encyclopedia. You also get a trial version of Norton Anti-Virus and a few other Gateway utilities, but that's about it. The system runs on the more business-savvy Microsoft XP Professional for tighter security and integration with enterprise servers. Overall, the 450XL was snappy enough running these business apps, but the one surprise in terms of software is that, if the 450XL includes high-speed FireWire and USB ports, it would have made sense to include even a basic video/photo-editing package.

Basics

The system is on the heavy side at 7.53 pounds, but that's primarily due to the stunning 15-inch display. I tested presentations and games for crispness and found that both text and polygon-rich images looked good in all resolutions. The problem is speed. The 450XL uses a slightly outdated Radeon Mobility 7500 video adapter--a pretty good card for rendering textures and pushing pixels around--but it can't compete with the newer, faster Radeon cards found in many other laptops.

The overall construction of the 450XL, seemed a little on the cheap side, especially the somewhat small trackpad and the painted silver power-on and quick-access buttons. The keyboard felt comfortable enough. There's no dial for volume control--you have to use the function modifier key and press one of the volume keys. This might seem trivial, but it just means you have to hunt for those keys when you want to lower the sound level during a business meeting or when you're relaxing to music.

UpShot

At a price of less than US $2,000, the lack of an external volume control and a switch for disabling the wireless capability seem more like trivial oversights than glaring omissions. The system is about as fast as other Centrino laptops, such as the Sony Vaio Z1A (which costs about US$1,000 more), but doesn't seem as well constructed and is heavier.

If you consider an extra two ounces an important factor when lugging the device around airports and between corporate locations, other Centrino devices would probably make better daily companions. Still, the 450XL makes a great choice for anyone looking for longer battery life, decent speed on the road, and a reasonable price tag.

ADVISOR[R] EVAL[TM]

BUSINESS BENEFITS

The Gateway 450XL is a great choice for anyone who needs longer battery life, decent speed on the road, and a reasonable price tag.

(+) Centrino technology at a reasonable price

(+) Long battery life

(-) Not as sleek as some other models

(-) No switch to disable wireless

Gateway

http://www.gateway.com

450XL

US$1,799

PROCESSOR: Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2.5GHz

MEMORY: 512MB DDR SDRAM 

STORAGE: 60GB

MEDIA DRIVES: Floppy drive; DVD-R/-RW/CD-RW Recorder

SOUND: Integrated sound and stereo speakers; headphone/speaker jack; mic jacks

MONITOR: 15" XGA TFT Active Matrix; 32MB DDR Video Memory

BATTERY: Lithium ion battery

CONNECTIVITY: Integrated V.92 56K Modem; integrated 10/100 Ethernet; Integrated 802.11b

OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

APPLICATIONS: Microsoft Works Suite 2003; Gateway Music Vault; Norton AntiVirus trial

WEIGHT: 7.53 lbs

John Brandon is a freelance writer from Buffalo, Minnesota. Before starting his writing career, he worked as an IT manager with a large consumer electronics retailer. His areas of expertise include handheld computers, notebooks, smartphones, wireless technology, displays, and any other computer-oriented device, [e-mail].