One Laptop, with the Works

Jason Krause

Gateway is touting the Solo 9100 as a desktop replacement, and with 4 MB of EDO video memory, two USB ports, NTSC/PAL video input and output, a fast IR port, and up to 192 MB of EDO RAM, this system has more features than many desktop systems. A 13.3-inch XGA TFT display and a weight of 8.6 pounds make this laptop system too cumbersome for use in an economy-class airplane seat, but it's ideal for taking multimedia demonstrations on the road.

The unit measures 12.3 by 9.6 by 2.2 inches. It includes an external VGA port, a serial port, a parallel port, a PS/2 port, two deep-socketed CardBus slots, a joystick/MIDI port, and a 240-pin PCI connector for docking with the Gateway Solo station or minidocking station. The lithium-ion battery gives up to 5 hours of battery life; a ctual time will vary with use. It has a full-size 88-key Windows 95 keyboard, which has a very slight throw but is easy to use, even for touch-typists. It also has some new design enhancements for durable use and added functionality. The door that covers the parallel port, serial port, and PCI docking connector locks down when open to prevent breakage. Also, rather than force users to choose between a CD-ROM drive or a disk drive, the 9100's drives are stacked in a single, removable, modular unit. The system comes with either a 150- or 166-MHz Pentium with MMX, a 256-KB pipelined burst cache, integrated 16-bit stereo Sound Blaster Pro-compatible Altec Lansing dynamic-equalization speakers, and the Intel 430TX chip set. The 9100LS, with a 2-GB hard drive and 24 MB of SDRAM, costs $4799; the 9100XL, with a 3-GB hard drive and 64 MB of SDRAM, costs $5999.

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Where to Find

Solo 9100...................  $479
9 - $5999

Gateway 2000
Sioux City, SD
Phone:    800-846-2000
Phone:    605-232-2000
Internet: 
http://www.gateway.com

Enter 979 on Inquiry Card.

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Oh, Solo, Mio

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