Acer TravelMate 8006LMi

This model features great battery life (110 minutes in a worst-case-scenario) that can be tailored using Acer's ePowerManagement software. It's quite light at just 3kg and it has cutting-edge specifications such as the 2GHz Pentium M processor.

The 8006LMi also features 512MB of 333MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM, a sizeable 80GB 5400rpm hard disk (with under-chassis shock protection), modular (hot swappable) multiformat DVD writer and a 128MB DDR ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics controller providing a maximum resolution of 1400 x 1050 on the 15" display.

The 8006LMi has flexible networking options including built-in 56K modem and Gigabit Ethernet connections. Activation and status buttons are located on the front fascia for Bluetooth and certified 802.11b/g wireless networking and Acer claims its SignalUp antenna technology improves connection reliability.

Ports include VGA-out and DVI connections for external monitors in addition to S-Video TV-out, FireWire and four USB 2.0 slots. There's also a multiformat card reader integrated into the front fascia and support is provided for one Type II/I PC Card, an optional EasyPort Replicator III dock and an Acer SmartCard. Acer's SmartCards are made of plastic, are about the size of a credit card and contain a computer chip. One card is bundled to help you keep up security by limiting access to all sorts of areas from system startup (at the BIOS level) to file encryption.

To Acer's credit, the 8006LMi's warranty has been upgraded to three years (Acer offers only one year on most models). You also get two-hour express turnaround.