Acer Aspire 1802WSMi

Like the AJP D500E, Acer's latest notebook is a desktop replacement, which means it's packed with features but is bulky and not made for portability. That said, it is sturdily built and a lot of thought has gone into its construction.

The 1802WSMi is powered by a 3GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor and 512Mb of memory, which managed decent scores in our system tests. The 80Gb hard disk is reasonable for a notebook, and you can back up your data with the recordable multi-format DVD drive and the built-in memory card reader, which will handle most types of memory card.

It has a 17in wide-screen display which operates at a resolution of 1,440 x 900 pixels. It's bright and clear and very good for watching DVDs, while the 64Mb ATi Mobility Radeon graphics can handle most recent games. However, like most desktop replacements, battery life is poor - only one hour when disconnected from the plug socket.

As far as communications go, the Aspire comes with the usual modem, network and Wi-Fi connections. It also features Bluetooth so you can easily link it to suitably equipped handheld computers, phones and other devices such as GPS units. There are also four USB 2 ports, a PC card slot, S-video and a VGA-out port for enabling dual-screens with an external monitor.

The large keyboard makes good use of the notebook's size, even including a full numeric keypad. The mouse trackpad is reasonable, although the buttons are quite stiff to the touch. There are customisable buttons for your applications and the 'Acer Arcade', which gives you quick and easy access to the DVD player, video music and picture playback.

It comes with Windows XP Home, Acer's media management software, NTI CD Maker, a trial version of Norton Antivirus, and a one-year international warranty.

It's good value at just over £1,100, but be sure you want a desktop replacement rather than a 'true' portable notebook before you commit your cash.

Contact: Acer 0870 853 1000
www.acer.co.uk

Also consider:
Gigabyte N601 G-Max A very good wide-screen notebook computer with a variety of features.