MODEL/                      CHIP/MEMORY/               WEIGHT/
PRICE                       HARD DRIVE                 SCREEN SIZE

AFFORDABLE MOBILITY

COMPAQ                      600 MHz Pentium III,       5.6 lbs.,
Presario 1700/$1,999        64MB RAM, 10GB             14.1"

HEWLETT-PACKARD             600 MHz Pentium III,       7.2 lbs.,
Pavilion N5150/$1,849       64MB RAM, 10GB             13.3"

WINBOOK                     800 MHz Pentium III,       7.1 lbs.,
WinBook Si/$1,999           64MB RAM, 6GB              14.1"


POWER TO SPARE

IBM                         750 MHz Pentium III,       4.7 lbs.,
ThinkPad T20/$3,799         128MB RAM, 20GB            14.1"

DELL                        750 MHz Pentium III,       6.4 lbs.,
LatitudeCPx/$2,679          64MB RAM, 6GB              14.1"

SONY                        850 MHz Pentium III,       6.6 lbs.,
VAIO PCG XG39/$3,099        128MB RAM, 30GB            14.1"


SHOULDER SAVERS

TOSHIBA                     600 MHz Pentium III,       3.4 lbs.,
Portege 3480/$2,499         64MB RAM, 12GB             11.3"

GATEWAY                     600 MHz Pentium III,       3.65 lbs.,
Solo 3350/$2,199            64MB RAM, 6GB              12.1"

FUJITSU                     500 MHz Celeron,           2.71 lbs.,
B2175/$2,399                128MB RAM, 15GB            10.4"


MODEL/                   THE
PRICE                    SKINNY

AFFORDABLE MOBILITY

COMPAQ                   A great desktop replacement for home or small
Presario 1700/$1,999     office use. Better yet, it's lightweight for
                         the price.

HEWLETT-PACKARD          Lots of machine for the price, but don't expect
Pavilion N5150/$1,849    to move it too far: at more than 7 pounds, your
                         shoulder will ache.

WINBOOK                  Far from featherweight, but lots of processor
WinBook Si/$1,999        for the price from mail order and Web retailer
                         WinBook.


POWER TO SPARE

IBM                      Costs a lot, but offers great features in a
ThinkPad T20/$3,799      compact package. One problem: annoying whine
                         when a disk is in the DVD drive.

DELL                     A big, feature-packed machine at a relatively
LatitudeCPx/$2,679       low price. But the weight will slow you down
                         as you sprint for flights.

SONY                     Slick-looking machine with an exceptional
VAIO PCG XG39/$3,099     screen and enormous hard-drive. Firewire
                         connector makes video work a snap.


SHOULDER SAVERS

TOSHIBA                  At less than an inch thick, the skinny on this
Portege 3480/$2,499      machine is that it really is skinny. The small
                         keyboard, though, might slow down pudgy fingers.

GATEWAY                  This machine's relatively big screen and nearly
Solo 3350/$2,199         full-sized keyboard are unusual in ultralights.
                         But the standard hard drive is a bit small.

FUJITSU                  At less than 3 pounds, this is a true feather-
B2175/$2,399             weight. The keyboard is cramped, but the touch-
                         screen is great for graphics applications.


DATA: BUSINESS WEEK