NEC VERSA S900

VERDICT: An attractively styled and reasonably powerful machine that is as comfortable to use as it is to look at

The NEC range of laptops is aimed at the business user while its Packard Bell range is offered to consumers through PC World. With its focus on the business market, NEC is able to offer a wide range of machines that can be bought as part of a mass rollout with aggressive pricing in mind.

The NEC Versa S900 (£1291 inc. VAT) is an ultraportable laptop aimed at those users who need mobility but desire a two-spindle machine as opposed to a true slim and light machine. At 33mm the S900 isn’t exactly slim, but it’s still a portable 2.3kg.

PERFORMANCE
At the heart of the system is a 1.5GHz Pentium M processor that is supported by 512MB DDR SDRAM and a 40GB Hitachi hard drive. Under test, this system scored a more than satisfactory MobileMark of 154, which suggests that buyers can opt for a slower Pentium M chip and still receive reasonable performance as long as they balance this with sufficient memory. Over prolonged use, we found the Versa S900 to be highly responsive with no signs of the system pausing when opening files and saving to disk.

We were also satisfied with the average battery life of the system, which under test gave a result of 213 minutes from a single charge. This combination of battery life and portability makes the S900 a good choice for the mobile worker.

The S900 is an attractive machine made from toughened dark plastic. We found it robust and up to the task of being carried around. While the main body is deep, – it makes up 25mm of the depth of the chassis – while the screen is pleasingly slim. The 12.1-inch display has a wide band around it that frames the panel, while the backplate is made of magnesium-alloy for a tougher finish. In use, we found that the screen did not bend or buckle when pressure was laid on it, making it ideal for the mobile worker.

The screen is supported by the ATi Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics adapter with 32MB of video memory on-board. Such a graphics processor is no longer seen as cutting edge in the consumer market, but for the business user where graphics performance is often low on the list of priorities, this adapter is a bonus. The Mobility Radeon 9000 recorded a 3DMark 2001 score of 5293, which is average for this card, and is capable of handling graphics that support Microsoft DirectX 8.1 with ease.

The keyboard spans the width of the main body, giving the keys a reasonable amount of space between them. The keys have a good action with a reasonable amount of travel and we found that carrying out shortcuts was extremely easy. With its Centrino branding, the S900 is fitted with an 802.11b Intel Wi-Fi adapter that allows you to connect to office networks via hotspots when out and about. Wired connections consist of the standard Ethernet and modem, with legacy ports being kept to a minimum on the rear of the chassis.

The optical drive is a Toshiba DVD/CD-RW combination drive and is supplied with RecordNow DX for the creation of CD-R discs on the move. Being an office machine, NEC doesn’t supply any DVD playback software.

The NEC Versa S900 is a good example of a machine designed to a certain price point and with a specific market in mind. While it cannot be considered to be at the cutting edge of design or technology, we found it a trouble-free machine that will suit the mobile worker looking for a responsive laptop with a highly usable battery life.

PRICE: £1099/1291 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR: INTEL PENTIUM M 1.5GHZ
MEMORY: 512MB DDR SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: HITACHI 40GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE: 12.1-INCH TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 1024 X 768 PIXELS
GRAPHICS CARD: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9000
DIMENSIONS: 282 X 245 X 33MM
WEIGHT: 2.3KG
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III): 2/1
WIRELESS LAN: 802.11B
ETHERNET: YES
MODEM: YES
USB PORTS: 3 USB 2.0
FIREWIRE: 1
STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 YR RTB
WARRANTY UPGRADE: NONE SUPPLIED
CONTACT: 0870 010 6322  WWW.NEC-ONLINE.CO.UK

RATINGS AND TEST RESULTS

BATTERY LIFE: 213 MINS
MOBILEMARK 2002: 154
3DMARK 2001: 5293

VALUE FOR MONEY: 8
PERFORMANCE: 7
FEATURES: 7
MOBILITY: 7
BUILD QUALITY: 8
OVERALL: 7