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October 15, 2002
Nothing But Notebooks
By Antone Gonsalves
As the demand for portable computing options in schools grows, so, too, does the supply of low-cost laptops. Here, we bring you the latest models.
In more and more classrooms, students who once used pen and paper are now tapping out their assignments on notebook computers. According to research firm Market Data Retrieval, 28 percent of schools today use laptops as instructional tools and 10 percent have installed wireless networking to make mobile computing easier and more powerful.
At the same time, computer makers are vying for schools' business with cost-conscious notebooks that deliver quality graphics and solid performance. That's good news for educators who see laptops as a strategy for helping to solve a number of problems, from motivating at-risk students to stay in school to driving quantifiable gains in student achievement-an issue that's more in the forefront than ever with the recent passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Providing laptops to students can address digital equity issues as well, giving low-income kids access to technology and offering opportunities for home-school connections more commonly enjoyed in higher-income homes. Beyond politics and economics, however, many educators promoting laptop programs see them as ultimately revolutionizing the way teachers teach and students learn, increasing collaboration, critical thinking, and individualized instruction.
All of the laptops listed below include displays with resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels for crisp text, graphic cards capable of showing video, and hard drives that have from 10GB to 40GB for storing work. Other features include networking capabilities, but not all are wireless ready, meaning they may not have the necessary antenna. Wireless receivers needed to connect to the Internet are usually optional.
Acer's TravelMate 630 has a mobile Pentium 4 processor with speeds of 1.4 GHz and a standard 256MB of memory. The notebook also comes with a 16MB graphics card; a 14.1-inch liquid crystal display; a 20GB hard drive, which can be upgraded to 40GB; an optical drive bay supporting DVD-ROM or DVD/CD-RW drives; and a lithium ion battery that has an expected life of 3.5 hours. The TravelMate includes an integrated 802.11b wireless antenna and 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks. Prices start at $1,499. (800) 733-2237
Apple's iBook features a 12.1-inch or 14.1-inch active matrix display and is equipped with either a 600 MHz or 700 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, with the option of 128MB or 256MB of memory. Also included: a 16MB graphics card; a 20GB, 30GB, or 40GB hard drive; a lithium ion battery with an estimated six-hour life; and a choice of either a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive or CD-ROM drive. The iBook also has a built-in 56-Kbps modem, 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet, and an integrated 802.11b wireless antenna. Education prices start at $1,099; retail prices start at $1,199. (800) 800-2775
The Latitude C640 from Dell is equipped with a 2 GHz mobile Pentium 4 processor that offers from 128MB to 1GB of RAM. Other features include a 4.1-inch active matrix display and a 32MB graphics card, which handles 3-D graphics and video. The C640 also is available with a choice of 20GB, 30GB, or 40GB hard drives and CD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD/CD-RW combo drives, and comes with integrated 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks and optional 802.11b wireless connectivity. The C640 has a lithium ion battery with an estimated life of about 3.5 hours. Prices start at $1,799. (888) 977-3355
Fujitsu PC's base model for the K-12 market is the LifeBook A Series, which is powered by a 1.2GHz AMD Athlon 4 processor and 128MB of memory that can be upgraded to 1GB. Other components include a 14.1-inch active matrix display; an 8MB, 16MB, or 32MB graphics chip; a built-in floppy disk drive; a 30GB hard drive that's upgradeable to 40GB; and an optical drive bay that can support CD-ROM or DVD/CD-RW drives. The notebook has an integrated 56-Kbps modem and Ethernet jacks as well as a Wi-Fi 802.11b wireless connection. The A Series' lithium ion battery is estimated to last up to 2.75 hours. Prices start at $1,099. (800) 831-3183
Gateway sells several notebooks for the K-12 market, starting with the 400L, which is equipped with 256MB of memory and a Pentium 4 desktop processor with a speed of 2 GHz. The notebook comes with a 14.1-inch active matrix display; a 16MB graphics card; a 20GB hard drive; floppy disk and DVD drives; a lithium ion battery with an expected life of 2.5 hours; and 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks. The 400L doesn't come with wireless support. Other models include the 400X and 400XL, which have more features at a higher price. Prices start at $1,399, $1,499, and $1,699, respectively. (800) 221-9616
Hewlett-Packard, which merged earlier in the year with Compaq, offers the Compaq Evo N1000v, which has a 1.4 GHz Intel Celeron processor and 128MB of memory. The notebook has a 14.1-inch active matrix display and a 32MB graphics card. Other features include a lithium ion battery with an estimated two-hour life; floppy disk and CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives; and a 20GB hard drive. The notebook comes with 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet connections. Wireless support is optional. Prices start at $1,399. (800) 888-3224
IBM's ThinkPad A31 has a mobile Pentium 4 processor, up to 1GB of memory, a 14.1-inch active matrix display, and a choice of either a 16MB or 32MB graphics card. The A31 also includes a 56-Kbps modem, a built-in Ethernet card, and an integrated 802.11 wireless antenna, in addition to a 20GB, 30GB or 40GB hard drive; two Ultrabay drives that support CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW or a combination optical drive; and a 2.5-hour battery life. Prices start at $1,549. (800) 426-4868
MicronPC has rolled out the TransPort V1000, which operates at 1.7 GHz with 128MB of memory and an estimated battery life of two hours. The TransPort V1000 can also be configured to order with a choice of Intel Celeron or Pentium 4 processor. The notebook comes equipped with a 14.1-inch active matrix display, a 32MB graphics card, a 10GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, integrated 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks, and an 802.11b wireless antenna. Prices start at $1,199. (888) 224-4247
Premio's Kaypro A1000 Notebook runs on a 2 GHz Pentium 4 desktop processor that offers 512MB of RAM, which can be upgraded to 1GB. The notebook comes with a 14.1-inch liquid crystal display and a 32MB graphics card. Other features include hard drives available from 20GB to 40GB; a fixed floppy disk drive and optical drive bay for DVD, CD-ROM, or CD-RW drives; a FireWire port; 10/100 Mbps network; a lithium ion battery with an expected life of 2.5 hours; and a 56-Kbps modem. Wireless support is optional. Prices start at $1,380. (800) 677-6477
The Toshiba Satellite 1100-S101 contains a 1.33 GHz Intel Celeron processor with 256MB of memory. The notebook has a 14.1-inch active matrix display and a 8MB integrated controller for graphics. Also included: a 20GB hard drive, integrated 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks, DVD-ROM drive, and a lithium ion battery with an estimated life of three hours. Wireless support is unavailable. Prices start at $1,249. (888) 625-3276
For $999, the WinBook J4 includes an Intel Celeron processor at 1.7 GHz with 128MB of memory. Along with a 14.1-inch active matrix display, the notebook has a 64MB graphics card. Other components include a 10GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, lithium ion battery with an estimated life of three hours, and integrated 56-Kbps modem/Ethernet jacks. Wireless hardware is optional. (800) 254-7806
Antone Gonsalves, former senior editor at InformationWeek, is a freelance technology writer based in San Francisco.
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