Gateway Inc. launched today two lightweight
notebooks, including its first ultra portable computer since 2002. The latest products are the M255-E lightweight performance notebook and the E-100M "ultra portable" notebook.
Building on the company's award-winning Gateway M250 notebook, the Gateway M255-E has been redesigned to provide even more benefits for networked professional environments. For example, the M255-E helps reduce costs and ease support issues by providing stable images and sharing components and accessories with the company's award-winning E-Series M-465 and M-685 notebooks for professional customers.
The M255-E ended up at 5.2 pounds with a 14-inch wide screen, Intel
Centrino Mobile architecture with a Core Duo
processor, and modular bays that allow users to swap in their choice of a
DVD drive, an extra
hard drive, an extra
battery, or a lightweight placeholder. Gateway also offers battery options. Users can pick a 6-, 8- or 12-cell battery, getting up to 9 hours of use, the company says.
In comparison, the E100-M is a 3.2-pound notebook with a 12-inch wide-screen display, Centrino with a Core Solo processor, integrated 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, and the choice of a three-, six- or nine-cell battery powering up to 8 hours of use. The downside to its sub-1-inch thickness is that users must connect an external drive to the
USB port to view DVDs.
The M255-E and E-100M are the third and fourth new notebooks of the year for Gateway, after the January launch of the M-465 performance and mobility hybrid and M-685 high-end
desktop replacement.
Both
models will be available in versions for
home or small and medium
business use in the latter part of April.
