Compaq Evo: Best of Both Worlds
By Patrick Morton and H. David Womack
Compaq Computer Corp.’s Evo N400c lives up to its claim as an “evolutionary
ultra-portable” by combining the features of a full-size portable computer
with the form factor of an ultra-portable.
The marriage of a full keyboard—including a large shift key, as opposed
to the small ones found on many notebooks—and a 12.1-inch display in a
machine that only weighs 3.5 pounds and is less than 1 inch thick creates a
laptop that feels bigger than it actually is. Add to this the power of a 700
MHz low-voltage mobile Pentium III processor with 256K of onboard cache, 128M
of RAM, and a 20G hard drive, and the Evo N400c is a workhorse of a laptop for
both office-bound and mobile educators.
A smart traveler, the Evo N400c’s Pentium processor uses SpeedStep technology
that allows the user to control processor speed when in AC or battery mode.
In the battery-optimized mode, one can expect two to two-and-a-half hours of
battery life.
The Evo N400c includes parallel, serial, USB, VGA, modem, Ethernet, and audio
ports, meaning many traveling users may not need a port replicator. For those
who need external drives and more ports, Compaq offers an optional mobile expansion
unit (MEU) that clips to the bottom of the computer and offers two expansion
bays (ours came with a floppy and DVD drive) and duplicates many of the ports
found on the Evo N400c.
Unfortunately, it d'es not appear that the MEU was incorporated into the original
design of the well-crafted Evo N400c case. One-half inch longer in the back
than the notebook, the expansion unit almost seems to have been an afterthought
of the design process. When connected, the two units have an insecure fit and
give the laptop an overall feeling of imbalance.
However, traveling users will appreciate the bright screen, the ultra-slim
power adapter, and the modem and Ethernet ports that do not occupy the PC Card
slot, or require hardware keys or special cables.
Our review unit came with the 802.11b wireless module, and within a few moments
we were logged on to our wireless network. The beauty of this multiport is that
you no longer have to take up precious PC Card slot space to run a wireless
card while on the move.
Instead, you can now use the multiport wireless card and use another adapter
in the PC Card slot (we tested an IBM Corp. microdrive). As more multiport modules
become available, this feature will quickly become the hallmark of laptop design.
Unlike many ultra-portables that include a reduced-size keyboard, the Evo N400c
has a comfortable full-size keyboard. The mouse buttons and pointing stick are
flush with the keyboard and take some getting used to, but they do not detract
at all from the user’s overall comfort.
As far as ultra-portables go, this is a serious choice for educators who need
a great deal of horsepower without the weight of a horse to drag around. Unfortunately,
to make the most of this system, especially in the area of multimedia, they
will need to invest in the MEU.
Patrick Morton is a technology engineer and H. David Womack is an information
technology specialist at Wake Forest University.