NEC Versa UltraLite review

The low-voltage Transmeta Crusoe originally promised an exceptional 11 hours of battery life, but this depended on the design and components used in each notebook implementation. In the case of the NEC LaVie MX (previewed issue 76, p141), two batteries were required, one of which was a lithium polymer design so as to squeeze behind the TFT screen. Any additional power-saving components were always going to be welcome, but NEC took the drastic step of incorporating a reflective TFT screen, relying on external light sources to be viewable. The unlit screen proved the downfall of that model, but NEC has returned gloriously with the fully backlit Versa UltraLite.

The effect this has on power consumption is phenomenal in comparison to the LaVie, with the UltraLite giving up after two hours, 34 minutes under our tests, rather than the former's impressive four hours, 31 minutes. This means the UltraLite will last for around four or five hours in everyday usage, which is great, but you'll need the charger to top up the power at the end of the day.

In the portability stakes, the UltraLite is ideal for work on the move. Its compact dimensions and light 1.5kg weight allow it to slot snugly into its small padded leather satchel, and it will fit into your hand luggage without weighing you down.

The UltraLite's 10.4in screen isn't only readable but presents an even brightness across its whole surface with excellent contrast and precision. The limitation to 256,000 colours causes banding problems in colour blends; but let's face it, this isn't a notebook designed for colour proofing.

Even in cramped conditions, you can type comfortably on the modest keyboard. Size restrictions are obvious, with the entire top-row keys half-size, as well as the right Shift key and Caps Lock. Hunting for the Delete key also became annoying, but the layout and responsiveness of the keyboard and glide pad were otherwise satisfactory.

Considering its compact dimensions, the UltraLite's features are plentiful and intuitively chosen to provide for the travelling user. Internet connectivity is available through a Xircom mini-PCI V.90 modem or, if connecting via an office LAN, an Intel Pro/100+ mini-PCI Ethernet adaptor is provided. VGA output is also offered at up to 1,600 x 1,200 resolution on an external monitor, but with only 4Mb of video memory, refresh rates will suffer. A Type II PC Card slot is also squeezed in for peripheral upgrades.

The UltraLite is a single-spindle machine, but a slim external 24-speed USB CD-ROM is included in the price. For an extra £47, you can also have a USB floppy and, unlike many ultra portables, you can connect them both simultaneously with two available USB ports. The single spindle is taken advantage of by a 10Gb Hitachi hard disk, which provides ample storage for basic applications, although it may be limiting for some users. If this is the case, simply removing two screws provides access to the disk for upgrading. The 128Mb of RAM is split - 64Mb integrated and the rest on a single SODIMM - which again can be easily accessed by removing a single screw.

The only real issue is performance, and the UltraLite was below average in our benchmarks, with an overall score of 1.07. It depends on your priorities but, bearing in mind that faster performance will undoubtedly reduce the battery life, my preference is for battery life over speed. In our ultra portable notebooks group test (see Labs, issue 73, p106), Sony's VAIO PCG-Z600NE won through a combination of quality and speed with a benchmark score of 1.71. This was at the expense of battery life which, even with SpeedStep enabled, was under one hour using our tests. Add to that its larger size and higher price and the UltraLite starts to look more attractive. Ultimately, what keeps the UltraLite off our A List is the VAIO's better-quality screen, with a more workable 12.1in diagonal. In addition, the VAIO matches, or in some cases betters, the UltraLite for features, although both have excellent design and build quality.