Our test unit came with an external USB CD-ROM player. While we liked small size of player, we would have preferred combo DVD/CD-Rom drive. That drive is available, but it will jack up the price of the Actius -- and the carrying weight.
Biggest complaint, however, is that portable's tiny footprint limits the size of battery. And that smaller battery was only able to power the machine for about 145 minutes on one charge. Sharp claims Actius battery runs longer than that -- but you couldn't prove it by us.
Obviously, compact Actius easily passed our Metro North test. It's a pleasure taking this machine on the road... Sound quality was surprisingly good -- did just fine on MD test. Sketches of Spain clear as a bell... Obviously, without DVD player, we couldn't judge image playback quality... Not as many ports on Actius as on other machines in roundup. That could prove to be problem down the road.
More we used Sharp computer, more we liked it. If you're looking for a truly portable portable -- and stylish one to boot -- this is the machine for you. It's sincere pleasure toting Actius around. Just make sure you get a second battery.
(Editor's Note: Thin is in for notebook computers, but how about the computer makers themselves — how much cash do they keep on hand? See for yourself with the CFO PeerMetrix interactive scorecards.)
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