The
PC-AX20 is the latest notebook from Sharp. It measures less than an inch in
thickness, and weighs just 1.6 kgs. It has a 12.1" low-reflection
anti-glare XGA TFT LCD screen that supports a maximum resolution of 1,024x768
with 16 million colors. Its configuration consists of a PIII/600, 64 MB RAM, and
12 GB hard disk.
The notebook’s keypad comes with five quick-start buttons
that can be programmed to quickly start an application. It has a regular Glide
pad for the pointing device. LAN and modem interfaces are built-in to the
notebook for network and Internet connectivity. An IR port ensures wireless
connectivity. There’s also a port for an external monitor or LCD projector. It
also has 2 mini and 2 regular sized USB ports, 2 serial and 1 parallel ports.
All drives barring the hard drive are external to the notebook. It comes with an
external floppy drive, and all other drives are optional.
One convenient feature in the notebook is the battery life
indicators on its front edge. You can also add extra battery packs for more back
up. It has built-in speakers and microphone, and even an external volume control
knob. Internal speaker volume isn’t very loud, and you can attach external
speakers using its line-out jack.
On the software front, the notebook comes with PhotoSuite III
SE for image editing, FaxTalk Communicator to send and receive faxes, and
LapLink Professional for connecting it to a PC. It also comes with Acrobat
Reader 4 and Win 98 SE.
Vini Goel in Bangalore