Gateway gets into the 11.6-inch Netbook game
Two views of the 11.6-inch Gateway LT3100.
Every sit around worrying that 10-inch Netbooks too small for you, but 12-inch models are too big? We thought as much. Still, the option is always there with the new 11.6-inch Gateway LT3100, most notable for its 1.2GHz single-core AMD Athlon 64 L110 processor. We've previously seen AMD's 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 in the 12-inch HP Pavilion dv2.
While we're still firmly in the Intel Atom camp until a competing Netbook CPU proves to offer a better overall value, the Gateway LT3100 scores points with a higher-resolution 16:9 display, at 1364 x 768 (which is something we'll be seeing on more and more Netbooks in the near future).
We first caught a glimpse of this back in April at an Acer/Gateway press event held at New Jersey's Liberty Science Center, but most of our attention was focused on the Acer timeline series and the Acer Aspire One AOD250 Netbook.
The system also includes multi-touch gesture support for its touchpad (as do the new Acer Netbooks), and the company optimistically describes its appearance as, "punctuated with a subtle yet defining Gateway engraved logo and modern silver trim." The LT3100 is available in NightSky Black and Cherry Red (on Earth, we call these colors "black" and "red").
Starting at $399, the LT3100 is already $100 more expensive than the least expensive Atom-powered Netbooks, but the added screen resolution may help justify the additional cost. Here are the basic specs, as provided by Gateway:
- AMD Athlon 64 Single-Core Processor L110 (1.20 GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)
- 11.6-inch WXGA High Definition LED back-lit display (1364 x 768 resolution and 16:9 ratio)
- 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM Single Channel Memory
- Integrated ATI Radeon X1270 Graphics
- 250GB SATA 5400RPM Hard Drive
- Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
- 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
- Integrated Web Camera
- Two Built-in Stereo Speakers
- Three USB 2.0 Ports
- 6-cell Li-ion Battery
- 11.26W x 7.99D x 1.03H inches
- NightSky Black
- Microsoft Windows Vista Basic with Service Pack 1
- One-Year Standard Warranty
- Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $399.99
You'll note that Vista Basic is listed as the default operating system. That's usually the kiss of death for a Netbook, but at least this model has 2GB of RAM, which actually makes Vista much more usable.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
- by rp6884 June 23, 2009 7:32 AM PDT
- who edits at cnet, 4th graders?
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- by ednerdtheonly June 23, 2009 10:12 AM PDT
- My thoughts too. :'c
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