Digital Trends

Gateway M500S July 6th, 2003 | by Ian Bell

Introduction

There is a new niche in the laptop market which has just recently started receiving some attention from the heavy hitters in the laptop industry; the multimedia laptop. Now it could be argued that Apple started the multimedia laptop idea with the introduction of their widescreen PowerBook series, but in theory a widescreen display should not justify total bragging rights, there has to be more to the system. Reviewed earlier in the year by Designtechnica, the 200A5 laptop computer by little known VPR Matrix took the laptop market by storm. The 200A5 features a 15.2” widescreen display (rumored to be manufactured by the same company that develops the LCD display for the Apple PowerBook line), a slot loading DVD/CD-RW combo drive and integrated WiFi, the 200A5 was the first of its kind on the Windows XP platform. Gateway has entered into this unique market along with the likes of Toshiba and HP, but what the Gateway M500 offers is a multimedia experience above and beyond what is currently available. Unfortunately the Gateway M500 is in limited production with Gateway only releasing 1000 per month until the supply is exhausted. The M500 is priced competitively at $1599 and can be customized with limited options.

Features and Design

The Gateway M500 is truly a unique laptop in the sense that it redefines what we have thought a multimedia laptop was all about. First of all the aesthetic design of the M500 both on the inside and outside of the casing is one of quality. Covered in a polished steel alloy, the M500 is a sleek looking laptop yet weighing in at a hefty 6.9 pounds. The 8X DVD/8X CD-RW drive is of the slot loading design and located in the middle front of the M500. On the left hand side of the M500 is where you can find a single PCMCIA slot as well as an integrated Secure Digital (SD) memory card reader. Located on the right hand side of the M500 are (2) USB 2.0 ports and the exhaust vent for the laptop's cooling system. On the backside of the M500 is where you will find (2) FireWire ports (one large and one small), the printer port, external VGA connector, S-Video output, 10/100 Ethernet port, 56K V.90 modem port, another single USB 2.0 port and the audio inputs/outputs. There is neither volume controls for the system or serial ports. There are 3 LED's located on the top lid of the M500 towards the back which indicate whether the laptop is powered on, in sleep mode or connected to a WiFi network.

The PCMCIA slot and SD card reader are located on the left hand side

The back of the M500 is where all of the input/ouputs are located. There is no cover to protect them however.