Gateway EC1430u

Quick question: Which affordably-priced notebook class features systems with 11.6-inch displays and small, lightweight bodies that barely tip the scale at 3 pounds? If netbooks immediately come to mind, think again. Gateway’s new EC1430u ultraportable has a decidedly netbook-like design, but differentiates itself from mini-notebooks by offering an Intel Pentium dual-core processor that offers a more robust Windows 7 computing experience than the relatively sluggish Atom CPU. Priced at $549, the EC1430u is $150 more expensive than many netbooks, but with the premium you get better performance and over 8 hours of battery life. We just wish the keyboard had a firmer feel.

Design

Measuring 11.2 x 8.0 x 1.2 inches, the EC1430u is virtually identical in stature to the Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T (11.2 x 8.0 x 1.2 inches) and the HP Mini 311 (11.4 x 8.0 x 1.2 inches), a notebook and a netbook that both feature 11.6-inch displays. Like those systems, the EC1430u weighs just 3.2 pounds (and lacks an optical drive), making it a PC that’s remarkably easy to carry.

An understated beauty, the EC1430u features Gateway’s black NightSky finish on the lid, which draws the eye with its gloss—along with a fair number of fingerprints. Lifting the lid reveals a matte black keyboard and base that complements the lid and (thankfully) doesn’t attract smudges. The entire system is highlighted by small metallic touches in the form of the hinges, mouse buttons, strips for the status indicator on the lower-left of the base, and the Gateway logo on the lid. A subtle dot pattern covers the palm rest area and the thin strips that flank the keyboard.

Ports

The right side of the system contains two USB 2.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, Ethernet and Kensington lock ports, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader; the left side houses one additional USB port, HDMI, VGA, and the power port; the back of the machine is bare, and we like that the six-cell battery sits flush against the system; the bottom front of the EC1430u has a pair of stereo speakers and switches to activate or deactivate the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. While a Bluetooth switch was present on our review unit, it did not possess Bluetooth compatibility.