By Adli Yashir

HERE is a notebook with a neat combination of power, mobility and generous software.

Weighing just 1.6kg, the Gateway EC14D is an easy-to-carry notebook designed for the frequent traveller. A notebook slip case shields it from minor scratches.

As for hardware, the EC14D presents a balance of highs and lows.

You get an energy-saving Intel Pentium SU4100 1.30GHz processor and memory power is ramped up by 4GB of RAM.

You also get a large 320GB hard drive and a wealth of connectivity features like wired and wireless LAN, Bluetooth as well as a multi-memory card reader.

Apart from three USB ports, there is also a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port. A built-in DVD optical drive is also a welcome addition.

On the visual front is an 11.6-inch LCD screen that is wide screen XGA - that is, it can display high-definition views of up to 1,366 x 768 pixels. The graphics engine is a Mobile Intel GS45 Express chipset.

But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Where performance is concerned, this machine did not do too well. It scored a low 576 points on the 3DMark 06 gaming bench test - lower than MSI Wind 12 notebook that scored 684 points on the same bench test.

The notebook scored an average 3.2 points on the Windows Experience Index. Watching videos while running on batteries, this notebook lasted close to 200 minutes - enough to run two short movies.

The scores point to a general purpose notebook for Internet surfing, e-mail and online social networking.

On another positive note, Gateway did not stint on the software offering. Apart from the installed Windows 7 Home premium, there are 12 other programs including Gateway Recovery Management, a utility software that helps recover data in the event of a crash.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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