Pen Computing 26 - February 1999 -- If the name
"MetroBook" doesn't ring a bell, you're not alone. The company was founded just a
couple of years ago as a subsidiary of Metropolitan Technical Services, which
happens to be a longtime supplier to the federal government. MetroBook's niche is
to create mobile computer solutions that haven't been addressed by the major
vendors. Examples of MetroBook products are notebook computers optimized for
voice recognition and a mobile computer product with a huge 15.1-inch TFT screen.
The company also prides itself in its rigorous quality standards and the use of
premium components. In an effort to expand its operation, MetroBook decided to go
after the general market, and its computers are now available through Ingram
Micro and a number of retailers and catalogs. The subject of this review is
Metrobook's SLT, a pen-enabled mini notebook. It's the kind of small and handy
computer with extraordinary power and features that currently fuels the Windows
98 versus Windows CE debate among mobile computer users. Windows 98 proponents
ask: "If I can have all the power of a desktop system in a package no larger than
a HPC Pro handheld, why should I put up with anything less?" Windows CE
supporters counter: "Why bother with the complexity and inefficiency of a desktop
operating system when you can have the instant-on capability and long battery
life of Windows CE?"
Mini notebooks all the rage in Japan
When I visited Japan last Fall, I was
surprised by the larger number of mini notebooks on the Japanese market. The
category is called "B5" (an international standard for stationery) and describes
products with a footprint of roughly seven by nine inches. They are significantly
smaller and lighter than the standard letter-sized notebooks (or "A4"-class in
Japan), but still large enough to be useful for word processing or web browsing.
I compiled the specs for no less than 15 such mini notebooks in Japan, including
the awesome IBM ThinkPad 235 ("Chandra II" in Japan), wishing that at least some
of them were available stateside. Well, you can now spare yourself that trip to
Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, or take the risk of a gray market
purchase, for you can get the MetroBook SLT right here in the US.
Small but very powerful
The MetroBook SLT measures just 9.8 by 6.6 inches and is
1.6 inches tall. The whole package weighs 2.9 pounds, significantly less than any
standard size notebook computer. In fact, in size and weight, the MetroBook SLT
is very close to some of the new Windows CE-based PC Companions such as the HP
Jornada 820 or the NEC MobilePro 800. That, however, is where the similarity ends
(and the Windows 98 versus Windows CE controversy begins). The MetroBook SLT is
powered by a mobile Pentium MMX processor running at 266MHz, providing the
significant performance required to drive increasingly larger and more resource
intensive Windows applications. It comes with 32MB of RAM, upgradable to 64MB,
and a huge (for such a small device anyway) 4.3GB hard disk. The SLT runs Windows
98 and the package deal includes an external 20X CD-ROM drive and an external
floppy disk drive. In an interesting reversal of what weÕve come to expect, the
MetroBook SLT has a touch screen and a pen interface, whereas the Windows
CE-based HP Jornada does not.
Inconspicuous design
Despite its small size, the MetroBook SLT totally lacks the
"gee-whiz-can-you-believe-this little-computer-has-a-Pentium-in-it?" flavor of
some other miniature notebooks. The SLT also doesn't look like some futuristic
triumph of miniaturization. It's simply a notebook with all the features and
performance you expect from a regular run-of-the-mill notebook, it's just
smaller. The razor-sharp 800 x 600 SVGA TFT screen measures 8.2-inches
diagonally. The size of the screen is one of the few drawbacks. Reading text in
SVGA resolution on such a small screen can be hard on the eyes. Several of the
Japanese "B5" mini notebooks feature 9.2 or even 10.4-inch screens which make
them more useful.
As stated above, the SLT's processing power is more than up to
par. The 266MHz processor makes the IBM ThinkPad 765L I bought just last year
feel slow by comparison. The 4.3GB disk drive is large enough even for Windows 98
and your ten or 20 favorite applications. And the included floppy and CD-ROM
drives mean that you can load software or copy files onto diskettes anytime. The
SLT also has an internal 56k v.90 modem and all the ports you want. The unit is
powered by a 10.8 volt 1.35Ah Lithium-Ion battery pack which should last between
one and a half and two hours per charge. There is a price to pay for performance,
and even a Lithium-Ion power pack is hardly a match for a fast Pentium and a
bright TFT screen.
Despite its small size, the MetroBook SLT looks and feels
solid and substantial. When you pick it up it feels sort of like a small
hardcover book. The design is more functional than eye-catching. The
dark-green-gray plastic case feels solid, but looks a little drab, as if the
folks at MetroBook's design department, used to meeting governmental regulations,
still need to get the hang of catering to the more whimsical taste of civilian
consumers. The screen hinge is a little bit loose, but the overall fit and finish
is of exceptional quality, almost as if it came from Sharp or Hewlett Packard.
The SLT, however, incorporates a lot of smart ideas. For example, to the left and
the right of the screen are vertical strips with eight clearly labeled icons
each. Tapping them with the pen brings up 16 major functions of Windows, such as
recently used documents, the calculator, the browser, or the search utility. A
clever icon dispatcher utility lets you customize the functions of each icon. I
like this much better than function keys with tiny little labels printed on top
of them.
The SLT's 82-key keyboard is recessed towards the back of the unit so
that the front can be used as a palm rest. The palm rest houses the speaker, the
microphone, and the pen housing. The keyboard itself is one of the weaker parts
of the design. The 15.9mm key pitch (83% of full size) is just a bit too small
for comfortable typing. Similarly sized HPC Pro clamshells offer key pitches of
up to 18mm.
The idea of a miniature notebook is to offer maximum power in the
smallest possible package and, while MetroBook certainly delivered in the power
department, it didn't exploit the concept to the max with the undersized screen
and keyboard. However, I liked the design and location of the SLT's cursor
control diamond. Like on the IBM ThinkPad, it is separated from the main block of
keys which made it easy to find and use without looking. The keyboard's twelve
function keys all do double duty for such tasks as adjusting volume, contrast,
and brightness and a variety of suspend modes. Going around the unit, on the
right side you'll find jacks for an external microphone and earphones, the AC/DC
jack, and access to the unit's two Type II PC Card slots. The rear features a
hinged cover protecting full-sized VGA, serial, and parallel ports, and an
expansion connector that has its own separate plug. The left side contains a
RJ-11 jack to connect to the internal 56k v.90 modem, the Fast IR windows, and
access to the system reset button. The package also comes with an external 20X
CD-ROM drive and an external floppy drive that also includes two USB ports, and
PS/2-style mouse and keyboard ports. In everyday use, the MetroBook SLT performs
well.
Pen aficionados will love the fact that they can have all the performance
of a fast Pentium computer and all the space of a cavernous hard disk in a small
and handy package that doesnÕt need a bulky mouse and doesn't rely on one of
those (occasionally) dreadful touchpads. It must be said, however, that a
resistive touch screen and a small SVGA screen aren't exactly a marriage made in
heaven. Everything on the screen is so small that the digitizer feels coarse and
imprecise. An active digitizer might have been a better solution despite its
higher cost and the ever present danger of losing that indispensable pen.
Nonetheless, MetroBook is to be commended for introducing the SLT to the US
retail market. The SLT is powerful enough for just about anything you'd want to
do with Windows 98, it is small enough to fit into any attache case and almost
any purse, and it is light enough to take anywhere. The design isn't entirely
optimized, but it definitely demonstrates that good and powerful things can come
in small packages. Why should powerful mini notebooks be reserved for the
Japanese market! Congratulations to MetroBook for a nice and very useful product.
