eMachines M5312: is this eye-catching widescreen laptop a good fit for mobile workers?

When Apple first released its stunning widescreen laptop, the 17-inch PowerBook, mobile business users were publicly incredulous, but secretly amazed. All that power in a massive, portable machine! Even though, at just under seven pounds, the PowerBook is big and heavy enough to double as a frying plate (with room for extra bacon), it's an impressive machine. The display is bigger than you find with many desktop machines. Movies look incredible; in fact, just about any computing task, from Web browsing to games, looks better.

Now, eMachines has released the 15.4-inch M5312 widescreen notebook. The M5312 will inevitably be compared to the PowerBook; and, I have to say it matches, and in some cases exceeds, the power of the Apple notebook--at a fraction of the cost. (The eMachine is about $1,300; the Apple is about $3,000.) The M5312 runs at a crisp 1280x800 resolution and seems just as big as the 17-inch PowerBook, which runs at 1440x900 resolution.

The eMachine faces two challenges: Can it compete with the PowerBook on features, design, and ease of use, and is it mobile enough for the average user (especially compared to all the light and thin notebooks on the market)?

An Apple alternative?

Apple loyalists will insist that Mac OS X, with its Unix core and strong graphics capabilities, runs faster on slower processors. However, one quick pagination test in Word (version 2003 for Windows and Word X for the Mac) disproves that theory: scrolling through the same 200-page business document takes several seconds longer on the PowerBook than it does on the M5312. That may not seem like a huge problem, but many of us rely on Word and other productivity applications to get work done as quickly as possible.

When it comes to design, the M5312 isn't nearly as sleek and stylish as an Apple notebook or some Sony and Sharp models. The keyboard is rigid and responsive enough, but it isn't quite as springy as an Apple keyboard.

The trackpad on the M5312 is very easy to use, and some of the specs are quite impressive: three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, loads of memory (512MB is standard), and a 60GB hard disk. However, the M5312 falls a bit short on system control. For example, the volume control buttons are just too hard to find (hidden in a row of buttons to the upper right), and most of the function keys for controlling brightness and CRT output are too cryptic.

Battery life is also a consideration. Neither the Apple nor the M5312 make any claims to power-saving fame. Both average less than two hours under the best of circumstances. More on this in a moment.

Mobile enough?

Even with the mobility tradeoff', the display size is a huge plus. True, you can't just spontaneously grab this widescreen notebook with one hand and head off down the cubicle aisle. Because of the extra size, it helps to have a laptop bag; this laptop is more than a handfull. You'll also definitely want to bring along the power cord. As I mentioned earlier, battery life averages less than two hours even under the best power-saving conditions (i.e., not watching DVDs or listening to music).

That's somewhat of a problem because the wider screen works so well for Hollywood movies, and because the device pumps out such a spectacular surround-sound effect (using only two speakers). That's the conundrum. The power and size is exceptional; but, these features take a toll on mobility.

UpShot

Whether the eMachines M5312 works for you depends greatly on how you will use it in the field. Art directors who frequently review QuarkXpress pages, illustrators who bring along a writing tablet in their laptop bag, accountants who need space for massive spreadsheets and pie charts (sometimes on the same screen), and engineers who design complex CAD drawings may all appreciate the extra power and unusual display size. Business workers who need to check e-mail, attach to a remote corporate file server, or just fire up Pinball on a long flight should look elsewhere.

If you're looking for a road machine that can stand in for your desktop, the eMachines widescreen does the job. With an Athlon XP 2400+ 1.8Ghz processor, it's more than capable of crunching the numbers on a multi-page report and running filters in Photoshop. If you're trying to decide between the Apple 17-inch and the eMachines Widescreen, you should know that the Apple notebook uses the G4 processor and runs at only 1.3MHz. The notebook also supports 802.11g wireless connectivity, which runs at up to 54Mbps.

All in all, the widescreen notebook fits a niche for movie lovers and anyone who needs extra screen space, but its value is more negligible for highly mobile business workers.

eMachines http://www.e4me.com M5312 Laptop US$1,250

PROCESSOR: 1.8GHz Athlon Processor

MEMORY: 512MB

STORAGE: 60GB

SOUND: Built-in stereo speakers

MONITOR: 15.4" widescreen; 1280x800 dpi

DIMENSIONS: 1.36" tall, 14.0" wide, 10" deep; 6.Bibs

BATTERY: Averages less than 2 hours

CONNECTIVITY: 56Kbps fax/modem, 802.11 g, 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet, USB 2.0, Firewire

OPERATING SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

APPLICATIONS: Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Money 2004, Encarta Online, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Power DVD, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, Norton AntiVirus 2003 trial

BUSINESS BENEFITS

Bonus points for the large display and multimedia capabilities; however, these features do take a toil on mobility.

(+) Price

(+) Large, crisp display

(-) Size

(-) Battery life

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].