Acer's new TravelMate notebook is a slimline 2-spindle machine measuring 33mm thick when closed and weighing only 2.3kg, which makes it a suitable choice if you are planning to travel with it. The core specification is pitched about right for a fully portable notebook, with an 800MHz Pentium III SpeedStep processor doing the work, backed by the now more-or less standard helping of 128MB of PC133 SDRAM.

A removable 20GB IBM Travelstar hard disk provides a sensible amount of storage and the system is shipped with the choice of either an 8-speed Toshiba DVD-ROM drive or a CD-RW drive in its multipurpose bay. You don't get a floppy drive as standard though - an external only USB module is available for £79 plus VAT, adding some 350g to the overall carrying weight.

Like most of the brand name notebook manufacturers, Acer has devoted some energy to the design aesthetics of its products, and the TravelMate is both distinctive and attractive to look at. Its signature feature is the curved layout of the keyboard; this, if anything, slightly improves the ergonomics, which are fairly good anyway thanks to a sensible layout that makes use of large keys where they are needed.

This notebook is also solidly put together, and incorporates sensible features for a travelling machine like shock shielding over the hard disk compartment and a metal alloy lid to protect the screen.

The motherboard is based around Intel's 815EM chipset, which incorporates a graphics processing element and, in this case, 4MB of dedicated show cache memory. It also borrows from main system memory like other members of the i815 family, but the presence of dedicated memory boosts graphics performance measurably. Although it's a fairly compact machine the designers have managed to squeeze in a 14.1 inch TFT show, which proved to be bright and comfortably readable running in its native 1024 x 768 resolution.

But the most unusual feature of this notebook has to be its smart card security system, which can be configured to provide several layers of protection against unauthorised use. You can implement a BIOS lock which will not allow the machine to boot at all unless the correct card is inserted in the slot in the left side of the case, and you can follow up with a Windows login password, again requiring the presence of the correct card for it to work.

It's also possible to encrypt files and folders, with the smart card and password necessary to unlock them, so all in all there's enough to keep data safe from all but the most determined corporate or political espionage agents.

Acer - TravelMate 610 features - Verdict

Acer - TravelMate 610 price

£1,349 + VAT

Acer UK: 0870 900 2237