Acer TravelMate 800 review

To top it off, the Acer even looks better than the Dell - the sleek chassis and minimalist design give it an air of professionalism. Plus, while it's made from plastic, the palmrests feel reassuringly solid, especially when compared with the Inspiron 5100.

Our only issue with the build quality is the lid, which flexes unnervingly and won't provide optimal protection for the screen - we advise buying a padded bag if you plan on carrying it around a lot. But it's otherwise well designed for transportation, with a DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection) pad underneath the hard disk.

There's even a certain amount of future-proofing with this machine. The hard disk caddy slides out after removing two screws, and there's a SODIMM socket underneath too. Our review system only came with 256MB hard-wired to the motherboard, but this socket will contain an additional 256MB on the shipping version. Both the combo drive and battery are also easily removed and replaced via a couple of sliding catches.

The most amazing thing, however, is that this power and design effort doesn't cost the earth. The ï1,299 asking price even includes a two-year, collect-and-return warranty as standard. The Acer TravelMate 800 not only redefines the desktop replacement, it makes it affordable.

Author: Ben Hardwidge