Review: JVC MiniNote MP-XV841GB

Don Bradbury takes a look at the latest in JVC's series of MiniNote notebooks

Product	MiniNote MP-XV841GB
Company	JVC
Web	www.jvc.com
Price	£1650 incl port replicator
We like	Size, functionality, XP Pro
We don't like	A little pricy
Rating	9/10
Requirements

The essence of a notebook PC is its portability, yet recent years have seen them grow in size like Topsy. With 15 inch, then 17 inch TFT display panels, and integrated components aplenty - ones you'd formerly only expect to find on a desktop machine - they're typically bigger than ever.

The demand for such power and facility was always there. Folks plainly didn't want to leave it all behind in the office or home, but they paid the price in terms of portability. And not only portability, but also battery life, that other bugbear of mobile computing.

JVC have reversed the trend with the MiniNote series, and the MP-XV841GB is the culmination of the company's attempts to get the formula right. They needed to; not only were there ergonomic and other factors that people complained about, but the price was too high for most potential punters.

Readers will appreciate that if you're going to involve a DVD ROM cum CD-R/RW drive, complete with built-in controls; a type II PC Card slot (CardBus); an i-Link port (Firewire); wireless LAN functions; 2x USB2.0 ports; an integral V90 modem; external monitor port (with cable supplied); SD/MMC port; and a seven port external replicator, as well as a huge attachable Li-Ion battery pack; plus all the usual sound gizmos like volume control; microphone and headphone sockets; and a track stick in the keyboard to avoid having to use the usual controls (but which are also present); well, it's going to cost a bob or two, there's no avoiding the fact.

Software

Add a copy of Windows XP Professional, Norton anti-virus, and application software such as InterVideo WinDVD, Pinnacle Hollywood FX 5, and Pinnacle Studio, and the cost to the user is bound to rise. But portability and low weight is what you're really paying for; that, and the design that goes with it.

The port replicator, by the way, gives you four USB ports, a LAN connector, one Optical Digital Out port, and an external monitor port. It's a little ungainly in use because it sticks out at an awkward angle from the body of the MiniNote on the end of a flying USB lead, but then you'll probably only use it while working at a desk.

This MiniNote employs an Ultra Low Voltage Intel Pentium M processor - though running at a modest 1GHz - and a 40GB hard disk. With 256MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM as standard (766MB max), and an integral Intel 855GME graphic accelerator, it may not be classed as the last word in games machines, but it copes adequately with standard applications without appearing tardy.

In practise

Our example of this MiniNote ran faultlessly, booting quickly and quietly. The boot process can be interrupted so you can use UltraPOST, a self-diagnostic tool which will run tests on all the main items of hardware including CPU, system board, HDD, DVD-ROM, RAM, SVGA, sound, PCI network, USB, SD card, CardBus, Firewire, and Wireless Net.

Recharging in 180 minutes when the PC is off, or 290 minutes if the machine is on, the Lithium-ion BN-LL23E battery pack runs for about 5.5 hours under typical conditions. That's sufficient to play a full DVD and then some. And playing DVDs is something this MiniNote does quite well, largely because is has a bright, low temperature polysilicon TFT LCD, 1024 x 600 display. The widescreen aspect ratio suits this particular duty, though it may be less than ideal for others.

Cursor control

Stick pointing devices you either love or hate, but again there's no doubting their usefulness under the cramped conditions where notebook computers are typically used. Set to our own preference for speed and delay under software control, this pointing device worked well, and we were pleased to see it there as a supplement to the usual pointer controls.

Nevertheless, while back at base, we were glad to be able to plug an IntelliMouse into a USB port to avail ourselves of faster and easier use.

As ever, don't expect too much from the built-in speakers; they're tinny. And the volume available is not great if you're to avoid an unacceptable level of distortion, but otherwise they serve well enough

Final thoughts

In service, we found the MiniNote P-XV841GB rather easy to use. Sure, you need good eyesight if you're to rely on the integral display, especially at the default font point sizes. And our touch-typist did complain a little about keystrokes not responding quite as well as some other computer keyboards she'd used, but most would not be concerned about these points having in mind the reduced luggable weight (1470g with the large battery pack) and diddy size (235 x 43.2 x 214mm, again with the battery pack) of this desirable piece of computing hardware. It's recommended if you can find the sort of cash you need for a fully portable notebook PC.

 

Don Bradbury