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Gateway M255-EAll the features and performance small busniness users need in a bland but travel-friendly package. Price: $1,633
by Jeffrey L. Wilson 
Small business customers looking for a lightweight widescreen travel partner should take a good look at the Gateway M255-E, which offers a speedy 2-GHz Core Duo processor along with a 14.1-inch widescreen. It may look a bit plain on the outside, but this system has plenty of multitasking muscle and comes with a solid three-year warranty.
Measuring 13.3 x 9.7 x 1.3 inches and weighing 5.5 pounds, the M255-E is a notebook that goes easily between home and office. It sports Gateway’s stock black-and-silver color scheme. The full-sized keyboard is laid out well, but some may not like the keys themselves; they have a gritty UV coating. This unique feature adds durability but makes the keys feel almost dirty to the touch. The touchpad’s generously sized scroll area built into its right side made for excellent maneuvering up and down Web pages. The right side of the M255-E houses the PC Card slot and SmartCard slot for security purposes, plus two of the four USB ports and the FireWire port. Some business customers may want a biometric fingerprint reader, which is not an option. The other two USB ports are located on the left side, along with the S-Video and VGA outputs and dual-layer DVD burner. A 7-in-1 card reader sits on the front bezel for easy file transfers from your digicam or cell phone. The system’s 14.1-inch display has enough real estate to work on multiple busines applications at once. For better contrast when playing DVDs or viewing pictures, however, some users may prefer a glossy coating; you can get Gateway’s Ultrabright Widescreen for an extra $25. Gateway says on its site that 512MB is enough RAM to run Windows Vista. We suggest an upgrade to 1GB ($90) to run the Premium version of Microsoft’s upcoming OS. A 5,400-rpm 60GB hard drive offers enough speed and storage space for most business users, but an extra $20 will give you 20GB of extra storage space. We tested the M255-E’s 2-GHz Intel Core Duo processor by performing two system-taxing duties simultaneously: watching a DVD while running a virus scan program. The notebook ran both programs without a hitch. In fact, this thin-and-light notebook maintained smooth performance even when we added opening e-mail attachments to the mix. The system’s MobileMark score of 208 is a bit below average, however, and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 chip managed a paltry 952 in our 3DMark03 test. The six-cell battery included in this configuration lasted a respectable 3.5 hours on a charge, which is just a bit below average. If you want more endurance, spring for the eight- ($20) or 12-cell ($60) batteries, which will add 0.9 and 1.4 pounds to your travel weight, respectively. That extra runtime will especially come in handy when you’re surfing at Wi-Fi hotspots. The M255-E turned in a strong 17.8 Mbps of throughput from 15 feet and an even better 18.2 Mbps from 50 feet. There’s no dedicated Wi-Fi on/off switch, but you can toggle the radio with a Function key combo; an LED to the right of the keyboard indicates the status. Gateway throws in Bluetooth connectivity at this price for those who want to synchronize their gadgets wirelessly or place VoIP calls using a Bluetooth headset. The M255-E comes with a basic software package that includes Microsoft Works 8.5 and Nero Express 6. For $1,633 you get an excellent three-year warranty that is backed up by just as many years of technical support. The Gateway M255-E doesn’t break any new ground but offers everything business users need to work on the go.
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