WinBook’s new X1 takes portable computing to extremes.
At 4.7 pounds, it’s light for a full-featured laptop. At 1 inch thick, its profile is extremely small. With a processor speed of up to 1 gigahertz, it’s blazingly fast. The aluminum case makes it durable; the optional CD/RW-DVD drive gives it versatility.
My test model was powered by a 1 gHz Pentium III processor with 320 megabytes of RAM and a 30 gigabyte hard drive. It ran Windows 2000 and had a 13.3-inch, active-matrix LCD.
The track pad was the only thing I disliked. It’s about 2 inches left of center.
The WinBook X1 starts at about $1,700. As set up, my model was $3,098–a fair price given its features, size and appearance. In fact, the X1 was just about nirvana for me.
Call 800-254-7806 or go to www.winbook.com for more information.
— Jim Rossman
The Siemens S40
With size and features often similar in mobile phones, manufacturers have to find other ways to compete. Style is the thing these days, and they’re getting good at it.
Siemens’ first phone for the U.S. market in many years is a great example. The S40 is elegant, small and functional.
The S40 does have drawbacks. It’s laden with menus that are hard to navigate. For instance, to turn the ringer off, a user has to dig through several layers of the menu.
There is another, more serious limitation. Although this phone works in many countries and service is available in most major U.S. markets, elsewhere it’s spotty. The S40 runs on a standard called the global system for mobile communications or GSM. Siemens cautions consumers to make sure the phone works in their area.
The company plans to offer the S40 through Cingular Wireless and VoiceStream Wireless, but neither is selling it at the moment. The phone is available for $379 at Siemens’ Web site (http://store.siemenscordless.com) or by calling 888-777-0211.
— Vikas Bajaj