Slim, But Basic - MSI X430 Slim Notebook

The MSI X430 is a slim notebook that does demand more than look.

We like: To start, it is good looking. The white, thin and light machine with a 14-inch screen running on AMD Athlon Neo MV-4O1.6-GHz processor it is one of those notebooks that makes an honest attempt to graduate to the classy level. Though the plastic finish halts it, nonetheless, it's elegant.

We didn't like: The battery doesn't last more than 3 hours. Has glitch in playing HD format videos.

Go for it? At Rs.34,999/- this one is over priced. Take a look around.

Classes of Portables

There are essentially three classes of portables: laptops, notebooks and palmtops.

Laptops are of the size of a small, slim attache case and weigh around 7 to 12 kg. They offer the same power as a desktop machine. These are essentially scaled down desktops, and use a reduced keyboard and mouse as input devices. The disadvantage of a laptop is that it is bulky. It is also very difficult to operate a mouse without a desk. Examples of laptops are Toshiba 5200C from Toshiba and SLT/286 from Compaq Computer Corporation.

Laptop

Notebooks have been designed to overcome the disadvantages of a laptop. Notebook computers are about the size of a notebook (approximately 21 x 29.7 cm.) and weigh about 3 to 4 kg. Notebooks also offer the same power as a desktop PC. Examples of notebooks are Contura 3/20 from Compaq, and AcerAnyWare from Zenith Computers Ltd.

Notebook

Palmtops are the smallest of portables and are normally the size of a pocket calculator. These, however, do not offer the same power as that of a PC. The applications are limited and built-in, for example, Hewlett Packard's HP95LX comes configured with LOTUS 1-2-3, a spreadsheet. They are useful for data entry operations in the field.

Palmtop