Compaq takes notebook expandability to new height

Compaq takes notebook expandability to new height

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): If we look at the notebook arena today, we will
find that basically there are three players leading the game:
Compaq, IBM and Toshiba.

Other big players are Digital, Micron, Acer and Dell, but they
don't really have as strong an influence on the industry as those
in the first tier. It's also interesting to watch how these three
players take turns pushing notebook technology and usability
forward.

What I find amusing is the fact that the three firms used the
figure 7 to name their high-end notebooks. Look at IBM ThinkPad
770, and Toshiba Tecra 740, and now we have Compaq Armada 7700
and 7300 Series. It's hard to believe that this is just a
coincidence.

Over time, we also notice that the three leaders have
different approaches to the market. What's unique about Compaq is
that it breaks down its market into multimedia and business
segments. To meet the requirements of heavy multimedia users,
they have the Presarios.

Those with business tasks in mind can choose a notebook from
Compaq's Armada line. Within each market segment, there is
naturally the low end and the high end.

In the case of the Armadas, there are two mid-ranges and two
high-ends. It can be confusing indeed, as price is not the only
consideration that users now put into the equation.

Courtesy of Compaq Computer Pte Ltd, Singapore, I was able to
test drive the next to the top-of-the-line Armada, the 7350T. I
was lucky to be able to play around with the ArmadaStation, which
introduced the novel concept of expanding the notebook into a
fully fledged desktop workhorse.

Although Armada 7350T doesn't use a state-of-the-art processor
or oversized LCD display, I should admit that right from the
beginning I liked the design very much. Unfortunately, it seems
that Compaq has been rather conservative in some respects. The
Armadas still use a Trackpoint III pointing device instead of a
touchpad, for example.

MMX Technology

The notebook that I tested ran on Intel Pentium 166 MHz with
MMX Technology. It's interesting to note that even as a growing
number of notebook makers are touting their 233 MHz Pentium with
MMX version, Compaq still uses this processor for its high-end
notebooks.

However, to tell the truth, I found no reason to complain
about the speed of this responsive machine. The new CorelDRAW 8.0
simply flew on it.

My test unit came with 32 MB of RAM, a 2.1 GB hard drive, a
Lithium Ion battery, a floppy diskette drive and a very thin 8x
CD-ROM Drive.

While the RAM in the 7700 Series can be upgraded to a whopping
144 MB, the RAM in the 7300 Series can be increased to 128 MB.

That's a lot of memory space even for Windows NT, which the
7700 Series has been designed to run on.

The color of the notebook shell is ivory, and it looks really
pretty and refreshing. The 7300 Series has been designed for
professional users who want a slim notebook to tote around. To
make it really thin, Compaq has to use a very thin CD-ROM drive
and a very slim floppy diskette drive.

The keyboard will recede automatically when the notebook cover
is folded. It's a new technology invented by Compaq. The 7300
keyboard is acceptable, despite its very short key travel that's
noticeable when we press the keys.

The keyboard layout is uncluttered and comfortable to use,
with the arrow keys separated from the rest.

Like the earlier Armadas, there are also four programmable
keys on top of the keyboard.

The truly top of the high-end notebook from Compaq at present
is the Armada 7700. The 7700 Series is thicker and heavier than
the 7300 Series, and its design is not much different from the
LTE 5000 that we're quite familiar with.

The 7300 Series was designed more recently, and that's why my
test unit has a much sleeker look and design -- including a palm
support in front of the keyboard.

Both the 7700 and 7300 Series use 12.1" TFT screen. It's tiny
when compared with today's 13.3" and 14.1" screens, but a recent
survey revealed that notebook users were not really as concerned
about display size as they had been in the past.

Therefore, I think Compaq made the right the decision to stay
with 12.1" screen, particularly because a larger screen would
jack the price up significantly.

The new Armadas also incorporate Intelligent Management, a set
of software tools that allow administrators to keep track of an
inventory, do routine tasks and ensure security from a remote
site. Once a feature exclusive to high-end servers, such tools
have now trickled down to high-end PCs and notebooks.

Docking

My test Armada also came complete with its docking station, or
expansion base. Compaq calls it ArmadaStation, and it really
expands the capabilities of the notebook. Honestly speaking, it's
not the most complete docking station I've ever seen though. For
instance, Siemens Nixdorf's MobiDock comes already equipped with
a SCSI adapter.

We have to add this to the ArmadaStation if we want to use a
Jaz or SyJet drive, for instance. However, we can add up to two
Type III PC Card devices -- including tiny hard disks -- to
ArmadaStation.

It can accommodate both the thicker 7700 and the slimmer 7300
Series. The interesting thing about ArmadaStation is that we can
also add a Tower Stand and turn the notebook into a tower PC, as
you can see in the accompanying picture.

During my test, I connected the ArmadaStation to Compaq's V70
17" monitor and a Compaq keyboard, and I had a full-featured
tower PC. The main expansion base has two speakers and a sub-
woofer to enhance the bass range, and the sound is decent.

We can put the ArmadaStation upright on the floor to get more
space on the desktop. The control buttons and the 4 Mbps infrared
port on the ArmadaStation will be on top when we place it
vertically.

The notebook and the cover of the ArmadaStation can be locked
and we can secure the entire system with a Kensington lock. Press
on one button, and the notebook will be ejected.

The docking station can accommodate up to 2 PCI or ISA
expansion cards, so you can add a TV tuner, too, if you'd like to
follow the news on CNN. Two 5.25' bays are available. Since
Armada 7300 has a very slim CD-ROM drive, we need to fit it into
an adapter before we can place it into one of these bays.

A note about the monitor: The V70 -- the name reminds me of my
dream Volvo Station Wagon -- is a good monitor. It was a PC
Magazine Editors' Choice a year ago, and they still liked it in
their recent roundup of large screen monitors.

One thoughtful design in V70 that other monitors should follow
is the concealment of cable connectors. They all face downward
and are covered by a flip up panel. With such a design, the
required space can be smaller because you can push the monitor
all the way toward the wall. It also looks better when placed
with its back to your guests, as the ugly cable fumble is fully
covered.

Final word

After using it for about three weeks, I like the 7350T very
much. I can find only one minor design shortcoming that Compaq
may want to fix: The speakers in 7300 Series are placed at both
ends of the palm rest.

When you're working, your hands cover the speakers and the
sound becomes muffled. In the bigger 7700 Series, the speakers
are located on both sides of the LCD monitor, directing the sound
toward the user.

Compaq told me that some future versions of the Armadas will
come with larger LCD screens and faster processors. The color may
also change, although that may not be a good news because I'm
already so enchanted by the beige-ivory color.

The 7300 Series is not as lightweight as ThinkPad 560, for
instance, but with the full setup -- a large monitor, expansion
base, keyboard and mouse, you'll definitely no longer need two
computers.

If you're looking for a new notebook for the office or on the
road, and you don't like the black and boxy shape of the
ThinkPad, Armada 7350T is certainly worth considering. Even with
only the 166 MHz Pentium processor to power it, it is
unquestionably a potent computer that is a pleasure to use.