Review: Evesham Lightbook notebook computer

The hankering for smaller, lighter notebook computers continues to grow, though a highly portable computer usually goes hand in hand with a loss of speed.

Evesham, however, thinks its Lightbook could turn the tables on that theory; yes, it's small but it's still capable of a workout in the Office gym.

Running through specifications, the Evesham Lightbook uses an Intel Core Solo U1400 processor running at 1.2GHz, with 1.5GB of memory, a 60GB hard disk and a 12in screen. It has a multi-format DVD writer and a fingerprint security scanner. It’s supplied with Windows Vista Home Basic.

The key element here (and whenever buying a notebook computer) is the processor. The ‘U’ in ‘U1400’ indicates it’s an ultra-low power variant, leeching just 5.5W, rather than the usual 27W that the Core Solo T1400 draws. Even with the standard battery supplied with the Lightbook, Evesham claims up to five hours use from a single charge.

So, that's the advantage of the Core Solo U1400, but on the down side, it doesn’t equip the Lightbook with a lot of kick. While it’s enough to run Vista Home Basic, it doesn’t run it snappily.

DVD movies play at good frame rates, without jerkiness, but some new games will struggle on the integrated graphics. Sample applications we loaded took longer to install than on equivalent desktop systems, but this is probably Vista's fault, rather than the Lightbook’s.

Sound is restricted to two, very small speakers, positioned on the edges of the Lightbook’s underside, so even on full volume, it’s difficult to hear.

Fortunately, there’s a headphone socket, which improves things somewhat.
Around the edges of the Lightbook are a surprising number of ports and sockets for a small notebook. As well as audio, there are three USB, network and modem connectors and Firewire. There’s a slot for a PC Card and another that can take Memorystick or SD/MM memory cards, as well as a socket for an external monitor.

As well as Vista Home Basic, which doesn’t include Aero or the Media Center components, Evesham bundles Roxio’s Creator 9XE, which provides easy CD/DVD creation and movie playback. There's also a copy of Bulldog, which takes care of back-ups as well as anti-virus and anti-spyware security – though this is only free for the first three months. There’s a full, three-year warranty with the Lightbook.

Prices are still inflated for any lightweight, small-screen machine, not just this Lightbook. Within this sector of the market, this sub-£1,000 Evesham notebook holds its head up well, though you’ve got to value long battery life over performance to appreciate the compromise here.