Description:
Featuring a slim, lightweight profile and the many other advantages of Intel's revolutionary Centrino technology, the Acer TravelMate 290 (TM291LMi-G) Notebook PC should warrant serious consideration by anyone who spends a lot of time on the road or in remote locations. Centrino is not merely a clever marketing ploy. Rather, it is a trio of interrelated components (a super-efficient Intel Pentium M processor, an Intel 855 chipset and an Intel PRO/Wireless network connection 802.11b) that work hand-in-hand to increase battery life, reduce weight and improve performance beyond that of other similarly rated notebooks. In the case of the TravelMate 290 (TM291LMi-G), that processor is a midlevel Intel Pentium M CPU running at 1.4 GHz. Acer has added a generous 512 MB main memory, which, along with the processor's impressive 1 MB Level 2 cache, assures you of satisfactory speed even during heavy-duty multitasking sessions. General performance is not on par with that of a high-end Pentium 4-based machine, but certainly good enough for virtually any standard mobile task. The system's graphics controller, an Intel Extreme Graphics 2 chipset with 64 MB of shared (not dedicated) memory, will efficiently display older and less complex 3D games and 3D design programs, but doesn't have quite enough muscle for the current breed of high-end 3D games. Measuring 13.1 by 10.9 by 1.3 by 1.6 inches and weighing just 6.2 lbs, the TravelMate 290 (TM291LMi-G) is more compact and therefore more easily transported than most notebooks. At 40 GB, the system's hard disk is satisfactory for storing a flock of applications and files but not spacious enough for those who also want to maintain a large multimedia library. The enclosed DVD Dual drive will allow you to burn audio files to CD, archive data, watch DVD movies and write DVDs in both of today's most popular formats, DVD- and DVD+. Like all but one model in the TravelMate 290 series, the unit sports a large 15-inch XGA TFT viewing screen capable of 1024 by 768 resolutions. Connectivity options are quite reasonable. To help you communicate with the outside world, the TravelMate 290 (TM291LMi-G) features a standard 56K dial-up modem, a high-speed 10/100 LAN connection for fast network interaction, and, of course, an Intel PRO/Wireless network connection 802.11b for those times when you just can't plug in. Other key amenities include three fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, an 84-key keyboard with programmable touchpad, an IEEE 1394 "FireWire" port (commonly used for fast data downloads from digital camcorders, and FIR (fast infrared) technology for cordless communication with FIR-equipped gadgets such as PDAs. Under ideal conditions, battery life expectancy is a stunning 5.5 hours.
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