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Daniel Robinson, IT Week, Thursday 28 February 2008 at 00:00:00

Maxdata's mini laptop is light and compact but usability suffers because of its small display

The Belinea s.book 1 from Maxdata is a miniature laptop with a footprint about the size of an A5 sheet of paper. Its compact size and low weight make the system easy to carry, but these also dictate a small built-in display that some users may find restrictive. Performance is also on the low side, but perfectly adequate for productivity tasks while on the road. Shipping now in the UK, the s.book 1 blurs the boundaries with ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) models. But while UMPCs are typically designed for hand-held use, the s.book 1 follows a conventional laptop design, albeit with some novelties such as a detachable Bluetooth handset for making voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls. However, enterprise buyers should note that this handset only works with the Skype VoIP service. Other potential drawbacks are the lack of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, required by some corporate security tools, and that no desktop docking station is available from Maxdata. The focus with the s.book 1 is on portability ­ it weighs just over 1kg ­ and at 23x17x2.9cm, can slip easily into a briefcase. However, this comes at the cost of a built-in DVD or CD drive and users will also have to live with a 7in display with a resolution of just 800x480 pixels. Although bright and clear, we sometimes found text hard to read. The hardware is based on a VIA C7M processor clocked at 1.2GHz and the system has 1GB of memory, which is not expandable. Our review unit had an 80GB hard drive and shipped with Windows XP Professional installed. Network connectivity is via Ethernet or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. In tests using the Winstone 2004 benchmark suite, the s.book 1 achieved a score of 10.5, which is low when compared with full-size modern laptops that are equipped with dual-core processors. However, this score is perfectly respectable for such a portable system. One of the more unusual features of the s.book 1 is a VoIP handset that is built into the laptop's lid alongside the screen. A catch on the side of the screen pops out the handset, and it links up to a supplied copy of Skype running on the s.book 1 via Bluetooth. The idea behind this design is that travelling executives can save on mobile phone charges by using the s.book 1 to make VoIP calls from hotel rooms or at customer sites where Ethernet or Wi-Fi is available....

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