Digital Trends

Gateway CX200X January 4th, 2006 | by Nino Marchetti

Setup and Use

In laptop configuration, the CX200X performed decently. The full size keyboard and widescreen monitor are welcome features for those mobile warriors used to smaller notebooks. Applications ran as advertised and there was little, if any, issues with overall function or design.

Such was not the case when the CX200X was locked into tablet mode. Though the stylus was comfortable in hand and translated hand motions into on screen commands most of the time with ease, the weight of the device when cradled became too heavy after awhile to be useful. Also, glare on the screen became a factor with lights overhead when trying to view a video clip or read a message.

It should be noted that if you've never used Windows XP Tablet Edition before, expect a learning curve. It feels fairly different then what you are used to with a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft provides an on-screen tutorial which should definitely be consulted.

Performance tests of the CX200X found the tablet placing well in most regards, especially for multimedia benchmarking.  A battery life test with the laptop sitting idle netted four hours and forty minutes of time. This comes in just under Gateway's projected five hours of life, which is plenty of time for most standard usages such as word processing and email.

Conclusion

Gateway would have you believe the CX200X is ideal for consumers in taking handwritten notes, editing documents and enjoying entertainment applications. While these activities are certainly possible, the laptop's bulky size and weight when converted to tablet mode make it undesirable to use as such. The convertible feature makes a nice oddity, but is not that useful in day to day life. As a full featured notebook, the CX200X is up there in the rankings however and helps to balance out other shortcomings.

Pros:

• Stylish looks
• Good performance rankings
• Crisp display

Cons:

• Too bulky to cradle in arm in tablet mode
• Single swivel hinge on screen
• Some glare on screen