|font:Courier New||B:0|If there were a competition for BLOC (Big Laptop on Campus), the Epson ActionNote would be the top candidate in more ways than one. While its estimated street price falls right at the upper limit of our range, it packs a varsity-level performance and set of features into that sum. The ActionNote's main drawback is its larger size and weight than most other machines in this group.|CR||CR||B:1|1/5^|font:Courier New||B:0|The notebook is powered by a 486DX2-66 CPU, which should be adequate for most students. The 10.3-inch, dual-scan, passive-matrix color LCD screen is large enough to use for long stretches. The ActionNote came in second on battery run-down tests, so your student won't need to search for an AC outlet while doing research in the library stacks.|CR||CR||CR||B:1|2/5^|font:Courier New||B:0|One of the features that I particularly like is the keyboard layout. Instead of banishing important functions such as Insert and Delete to lilliputian buttons in the far corners of the keyboard, the Epson design gives them full-size keys along the bottom row. And there's still room for full-size cursor-control keys in an inverted-T configuration, as well as separate Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys along the right edge.|CR||B:1|3/5^|font:Courier New||B:0|The Epson is this group's largest unit overall; with the AC adapter, it tipped our scales at 7.9 pounds. This is less than 2.5 pounds more than the lightest machine in the group--probably not enough to be a significant factor for most students. Epson does not have a carrying case for this notebook, so you should plan to purchase one from a third-party source.|CR||CR||CR||B:1|4/5^|font:Courier New||B:0|The warranty provides a replacement unit within 24 hours during the first year, but technical support is limited to Monday through Friday, which will not always accommodate the typical student's work schedule. Epson does bundle an excellent starter collection of software packages with the ActionNote--including preinstalled software for three major online services--which should be enough to get a student off to a good start.|CR||B:1|5/5^|font:Courier New||B:0|* 486DX2-66 CPU|CR|* 4MB of RAM expandable to 20MB|CR|* Dual-scan, passive-matrix color LCD|CR| screen|CR|* PCMCIA Type I, II, and III|CR|* Ergonomic front and center trackball|CR|* Manufacturer's estimated battery life of|CR| 3 to 5 hours|CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR||CR|
