New Trim Gateway T1628, Great Functionality at an Affordable Price

My idea of a good basic notebook computer is one that’s small enough to be carried like a textbook, has at least 2.5 hours of battery life, a fast hard disk with sufficient space for my music and video files, and most of all a screen that puts out enough light to be used in dimly settings like dorm rooms, libraries and even outdoors.  Gateway’s new T-1628, which uses Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system nails my qualifications and doesn’t cost and arm and a leg.

            This trim 5.5-pound notebook is only 1.3 inches at its tallest point and is 2.95 inches wide by 9.75 inches deep. I like the appearance of its silvery finish on its display case as well as its overall fit and finish. I can use this keyboard tirelessly for hours. I also like the track pad controller used on this system, which supports rapid vertical scrolling.

The performance of the Gateway T-1628 notebook is based on a solid configuration: A 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile processor, and an ATI Radeon x 1270 video controller (with 256MB of memory) drives a WXGA14.1-inch TFT screen that delivers very crisp displays. The 250GB hard disk drive turns at 5400 rpm and is fast enough to enhance this system’s performance. Also, this system comes with 3GB of memory (but is expandable to 4GB).

There’s no scrimping on expansion ports on this notebook. It has three USB 2,9 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, an external VGA port, an RJ45 Ethernet connector and audio jacks. The wireless connectivity on the T1628 supports 802.11 g (which is downwardly compatible with older versions of 802.11 wireless standard. I really like it that Gateway has included an integrated modem on this notebook (which is goes against the trend by many portable manufacturers to drop self contained modems).

The built in DVD/RW player has LightFlash disk labeling, allowing users to create unique labels for disks they create themselves.

Because I still occasionally rely on dialup Internet access when I travel I believe that it’s still too early for modems to join external hard disk drives on the dust heap of computer history.

I was impressed with this notebook’s built-in speakers, which worked very well with my iTunes play lists—which I play rather loudly. Although the screen on this notebook measures only 14.1 inches diagonally, its audio and video subsystems combine to make this a good entertainment-oriented system. TheT-1628 like most portables in this category also includes a 1.3 MPixel camera mounted in the bezel above the screen.

I have only one small complaint about this system: Like most AMD processor-based notebooks I’ve tested, battery life is short of comparable systems that use Intel mobile processors and chipsets. The average battery life for the system I tested (which had a six-cell power pack) was slightly more than 2.5 hours. The second item on my “I wish they had included this” list is support 802.11 n wireless ( which is offered on other comparably priced systems). Both of these small criticisms, however do not take away from this system’s functionality and its extreme utility.

I’ve used this notebook for the last several weeks, toting it in my backpack on trips to San Francisco, Los Angeles and around several college campuses. I’ve found it to be a powerful, rock solid, performer that met and exceeded my expectations and requirements.  Most of all, it’s inexpensive (well under $800 at some retail outlets) and worth serious consideration by anyone who needs a fully functional notebook that’s as easy to carry from classroom to classroom as a college text book or science lab book.

Because of its feature set, performance and value, I think members of the military should consider packing this machine in their kit before deploying. I also think this would be an excellent notebook to send away with college-bound kids.

There’s been a very positive change at Gateway over the last several years, due I believe in a large part to the number of first-rate marketing, engineering and design personnel who joined this company from Toshiba. The proof of their competence can be seen in systems such as the T-1628 and the Gateway One, a remarkable all-in one desktop that’s every bit as stylish and functional as an Apple iMac.—Jim Forbes 05/13/2008