The MXL features both a touchpad and a pointing stick, which may be a welcome bonus to some that is often only found on business notebooks. The pointing stick has its own separate buttons, and can be tapped to function as a left mouse button by itself. The touchpad works well but is not recessed so it may be brushed by some while typing.
Input and Output Ports:. I prefer them to be spread out a bit for more flexibility. The front contains only the microphone and headphone mini-jacks. There is also a built in microphone to the right of the keyboard. Finally the left side houses the optical drive or modular battery shown here and an S-Video port for plugging into a TV.
Wireless: The included Intel Battery: Gateway offers no less than 4 battery options for the M series. I got the maximum battery option of the cell plus the 6-cell modular battery. The 6- and 8-cell batteries fit flush. Gateway M cell battery view larger image Thanks to efficient power management and the large batteries, I am able to squeeze hours of battery life when using both the cell battery and the 6-cell modular bay battery. This is with the screen at minimum brightness and wireless on, doing small tasks such as web browsing and typing.
The Cell battery alone can achieve about 5 hours, while the tiny 6-cell modular battery will last just under 2 hours. Calculations indicate the 8-cell battery should last about 3.
DVD playback is always a different story as it requires use of the optical drive, video card, and CPU more than basic tasks. However, the Gateway MXL performs respectably. With the Cell battery and maximum brightness, battery life is approximately 3 hours while watching a DVD. Minimum brightness adds just 20 minutes to this. Operating System and Software:. I received Windows XP professional with my system. Gateway also includes black CDs and software to make your own customized recovery discs.
However, there is also a 5 GB recovery partition. Unfortunately there was a fair amount of unwanted software for virus protection and internet service trials, but it was easily removed.
Customer Support: I have had good and bad experiences with Gateway customer support. You should have an idea on what specs you want from your Laptop and what specs you do not want on your Laptop, deciding on Laptop specs may be difficult task to do but like the M specs have, it's essential to selecting a Laptop you need at a price tag that it deserves and that you can afford. Here is a sample M Laptop specification if you want an initial guide to buy a Laptop. More or else, these are the specs factors often that you should take into consideration before you purchase a particular type of Laptop.
To help you navigate around the hassles of buying a Laptop, we have the standard specifications for most home and small business users. Pros Fast processor.
Vast selection of connectivity ports. Cons Below-average screen. Plastic material is not scratchproof. More Inside PCMag. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
With a nondescript, rounded, silver-and-black case, the mainstream Gateway M blends right in with the Dell Latitudes , the ThinkPads , and the Toshiba Satellites that make up much of the corporate IT landscape these days. Though its components aren't the fastest available, the M offers decent performance and great battery life. Measuring 1. Gateway offers a number of iterations of the M, and we discuss the details of each in our series review.
Unfortunately, our test system had annoying hot spots at the two lower corners of the screen, and it lacked the contrast and the brightness of the latest shiny displays, such as the HP Compaq nx Wide as it is, the MS has plenty of room for a comfortable keyboard, though it flexes too much and can feel wobbly.
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