Panasonic CF-W2 notebook: a lightweight-heavyweight

I'VE USED PC "notebooks" since 1986 I now realise, rather unbelievably. Since then, they've come on a bit. I had the use of, but didn't own, a Compaq "luggable" white notebook which needed some muscle to hoik around on the tube, then the much smaller 386 machine which was the size of a sizeable lunchbox.

All the time through these 17 years I've used these kind of the machines on the move. At the launch of Microsoft Windows 3.0 in May 1990, I had a notebook with me in New York but needed the services of Microsoft's Brian Nelson to help me hardwire the slow modem into the phone socket at the hotel so I could file my copy for the magazine I edited then.

What machine was this? The mists of time have swirled over my exact memory of this, but it needed an exernal modem, and yeah, the battery life wasn't brilliant.

And that - together with the weight, the wires and the plugs and sockets you have to lug around with you - well, that's always been the problem with notebooks. Oh, and the price.

Panasonic CF-W2
Seventeen years on, I've got my mitts on a notebook that really does deliver battery life. Even if it's not as light as a feather, there's no lugging or hoiking involved, even if I'm not as fit as I was then. It's about as heavy as two jam jars full of jam.

The CF-W2 also has some snazzy little features beside lightness that I like a lot.

The machine runs a Pentium M at 900MHz, compared to the Sony machine I bought earlier this year at 1.2GHz. But while that Sony machine is lovely and I like it a lot, its typical battery life is nothing on this new baby - depending on use, of course.

To reduce power when necessary, the specs show that this chip runs at 599MHz. It has 1024K of ECC cache on die, uses a Matsushita motherboard, PhoenixV1.00L10 BIOS, and came with 256MB of DDR memory. According to Sandra, it has a four by 75MHz front side bus, uses the 82852/82855 GM/GME graphics controller, and has a 40GB hard drive. The multimedia support is SigmaTel's C-Major Audio, and it includes Intel's Pro Wireless LAN 2100, that's 802.11b.

As well as the much better battery life, this machine includes an SD memory card slot, a PC Card slot, integrated modem and Ethernet sockets, VGA out, microphone/headphones, and two USB ports. The CD-RW unit is on the front of the keyboard, click a switch and it just lifts up, ready for you to bung in a CD. Nice feature this, although I'm slightly worried about its fragility.

This lightweight machine weighs in at 1.25Kg, and it's constructed in such a way that it's of a honeycombed design, with hollow areas to reduce the weight.

The awesome power of Centrino
As we explained in a previous article, we had some initial difficulty getting the Centrino wireless to work with our own Linksys WAP point. That was jolly frustrating, until we found that a Microsoft patch unwittingly SNAFUd up the Intel wireless kit. We uninstalled the particular patch and since then have had little trouble connecting to our home connection.

What about on the move? That is going to be the subject of future articles as we tote this beautiful little machine around London and other points over the next few weeks. Wireless coverage in London is a little patchy so far, so to speak, although we're assured the number of Wireless LANs is growing. This will be the acid test.

Conclusion
This is a delightful little notebook based on Panasonic's Toughbook series. At 1.75KG, and with a tiny AC adaptor to match, it's not going to weigh down anyone but the weakest. The machine has only recently started appearing in the European and North American markets, although it's been available in Japan for a little while longer. We love it. The battery life is excellent, it flies along using the applications we've installed, and we're now convinced that Intel's Pentium M really is a winner of a chip. We'll keep you informed about how it performs on the move over the next few weeks. µ

See Also
On the road with the INQUIRER Centrino Some detailed shots here
Microsoft XP fix can nix your Intel Centrino