Digital Trends

Gateway 200XL

September 21st, 2003 | by Ian Bell

Introduction

Believe it or not, Gateway may have the sleeper hit of the year with their 200 series notebook computer. At 4.3 pounds and less than 1” thick Gateway's 200 series laptop is both extremely thin and light, but has a performance feel equivalent to a larger notebook computer due to a large and comfortable keyboard, the option to get a built in DVD-R/-RW drive, integrated 802.11b wireless networking and a large 14” screen. The only thing hurting this wonderful notebook is the incredibly short battery life present on the main battery. But once you purchase the optional high-capacity battery ($99 and is a must-have), you will be in notebook heaven. There are two trim lines to choose from. The 200X has a 1.3GHz CPU, 256MB of memory and a DVD/CD-RW drive with a starting price of $1449.99 and the 200XL which we are reviewing today featuring  a 1.6GHz CPU, a DVD-R/RW drive and 512MB of memory starting at $2099.99. The previous king of this price range was the Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A notebook reviewed here earlier this year, but we think Gateway's 200XL system beats the Z1A both in price, features and performance.

Design and Technica

The 200XL is one of the most attractive notebooks we have seen with its sleek metal casing, modernistic looking control buttons and a slate-blue keyboard with matching side accents. If it was ever possible to compete with Apple's styling on the PC side, Gateway probably comes closest with their 200 series notebook. Even the external AC adapter included with the 200 series has a unique untraditional style to it, much like the Apple and Sony systems out there.

The 14.1-inch screen is bigger and much brighter than many of the slim-line systems we have reviewed, but still falls short when compared the screens present on the Apple PowerBook or VPR Matrix notebook computers.

When the screen is flipped open, the inside of the system is just as good looking as the outside. The modernistic control buttons are located at the top of the keyboard and have a polished aluminum look to them and glow a very techie blue when the system is powered on. The control buttons come with preset configurations but can be programmed to control the software applications of your choice. The touchpad is also very aesthetically pleasing with two mouse buttons separated by a scroll wheel.

Located on the right hand side of the system is where you will find your DVD-R/-RW drive, audio out/microphone-in ports and a single USB 2.0 port. The left hand side of the 200XL holds the modem/Ethernet ports, VGA out, a Single USB 2.0 and FireWire port, and one PCMCIA port. Heat is vented out the left hand side of the system with a fan that quietly activates and sucks air in from the top of the system and through the bottom.

The 200XL comes standard with an Intel Pentium M processor running at 1.6GHz utilizing the Intel Centrino chipset featuring integrated 802.11b WiFi, a DVD-R/RW drive, 512MB of memory, a 60GB hard drive, Intel's integrated graphics and Microsoft Windows XP Professional (yes you heard this right, XP Pro).

For complete specs please click here.