Sharp Actius UM30W

	Sharp Actius UM30W Bang for Buck: 7 Street Price: $1,999 Inside: 866 MHz Pentium III-M, 40GB HD, 256 MB RAM, 48 MB shared-system graphics card Outside: 12.1 inch XGA display, touchpad pointing device, non-standard keyboard (18 mm pitch), external 8X CD-ROM drive Ports: 2 USB, Fireware (IEEE 1394), VGA and parallel (on port replicator), PC Card slot (Type II) Communications: Integrated V.90 56K modem, integrated 10/100 Ethernet, integrated 802.11b wireless networking Dimensions: 11.3 inches (W) x 9.1 inches (D) x .77 inches (H), 3 lbs.

The Skinny: Sharp portable presented big dilemma. Second lightest machine in roundup, Actius easy on the shoulder. Easy on the eyes, too -- stylish, uncluttered design. But diminutive, alloy-encased notebook also has shortcomings. And to be honest, Japan-based Sharp has never been our favorite maker of notebook computers. Swell Actius UM30W may change our thinking on that, however.

Liked so many things about the machine. The obvious one: Sharp portable weighs three pounds. And thanks to retractable keyboard, which pops up when lid is opened, Actius only three-quarters of an inch high. We couldn't believe we were toting a real computer -- almost felt like a PDA. But despite diminutive footprint, Actius houses a powerful processor and spacious disk drive. In addition, 12.1 inch display was bright, crisp, and clear -- one of the best we've seen.

Open that display and you notice right off: this is one uncluttered portable. Unlike others in roundup, keyboard features keys, on-button, and trackpad -- and that's it. No extra knobs, buttons, scroll dials, or clicker. Compare that to say, mission-control keyboard on IBM ThinkPad X24... Status indicators are unobtrusively slotted on front lip. Simple design. Being simple ourselves, we cotton to that.

Killed us to give this machine only a 7 rating. Truth is, we loved using the Sharp portable. Certainly, Actius wins swimsuit competition.

The negatives? First off, at $1,999, Actius a bit on pricey side. Moreover, Sharp had to make some tradeoffs to shrink machine. Although action on undersized keyboard was superb -- albeit a bit loud -- we still had some trouble adjusting to smaller keys and pitch. Users who switch back-and-forth between portable and desktop will have difficulty with this keyboard. If Actius is going to be your only machine, then undersized keyboard not a big an issue... Mouse clickers were too loud... Unlike many portables in roundup (including Gateway, Dell, and IBM), Actius does not come with 50-pin connector on bottom of machine. Hence, no docking unit for this portable. Lack of base unit limits expansion capabilities -- and kept our rating down.

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