Users will appreciate the Versa E6000's multiformat DVD drive, which includes the rare DVD-RAM format, if they can look past its less-than-sterling performance.The NEC Versa E6000 is a heavy but sleek laptop that delivers in terms of design and connectivity. The unit is feature-laden enough to qualify as a desktop replacement laptop. We were impressed with features such as a clear, low-reflection LCD screen and a DVD/CD writer supporting all the popular DVD formats. Wireless connectivity to b/g networks and good battery life are impressive. Three types of memory cards can be read by the laptop. Overall, this is an impressive effort by NEC to produce a quality machine.
NEC's offering is an eye-catcher at first sight. Its silvery albeit plasticky finishing will surely impress a user who is seeking elegance in a notebook. There is little to complain about with the exception of its bulky 333 x 274.5 x 36.3mm, 2.94 kg casing which is not exactly ideal for the mobile user. The E6000 has a striking 15-inch TFT Super Shine View screen where the material is similar to the screens used by the Sony VAIOs. Although the display's reflectivity can be annoying, the screen allows for viewing from almost all angles.
The front portion is dedicated to audio. It includes the speakers, microphone-in, earphone-out and volume control. The E6000 features a solid and well-spaced keyboard layout which is comfortable to use. Most functions can be accessed directly without the use of the Function key. There are buttons located above the keyboard for audio controls to play CDs / DVDs (when Windows Media Player is activated). There are also quick launch buttons meant for email access, Internet access, power on/off and one for activating wireless LAN. The E6000 makes use of a touchpad with a two-direction scroll button rather than a pointing stick. One features to admire are the two moveable supports on the underside which prop up the machine so as to avoid overheating.
Our NEC Versa E6000 test unit came with a Pentium M 1.6GHz processor with 256MB DDR SDRAM memory expandable to 1,280MB. The model allows for only one removable slot which explains the 1,280MB RAM (the inbuilt 256MB + a maximum of 1,024MB in the other slot). The E6000 does not fully adapt Centrino mobile technology in that it doesn't use the 802.11b/g Intel-certified wireless LAN support. Instead, it utilises an Agere and an Atheros wireless module which support b/g networking. The unit comes with a 40GB hard disk drive along with an embedded ATI Radeon 9100 IGP graphics card which can support up to 128MB shared video memory. The card provides a decent performance for those who occasionally play the less graphically intense games.
The E6000 includes four USB 2.0 ports (two on the left and two on the back), one FireWire port, a VGA port and an S-video port for those who want the necessary connectivity. Ethernet and modem ports are provided. Support for flash memory cards is presented in the form of a 3-in-1 card reader which reads Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick (MS) / Memory Stick Pro and, surprisingly, the xD-Picture Card format. Neither IR nor Bluetooth support is included.
Although the optical drive for the E6000 is a fixed drive, the splendid feature of this machine is the DVD Super Multi Drive which supports all kinds of DVD formats, namely DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM. The optical drive doubles as a CD-R/RW drive, too. This is one of the rare drives that supports all the popular DVD formats and it is a feature that is very much desired.
The NEC Versa E6000 is not really an outstanding notebook in terms of performance. MobileMark 2002 churned out a fairly average score of 136. This is not very impressive when compared with other notebooks such as the Dell Inspiron 500m 1.4GHz which can give a slightly better rating of 138. For a desktop replacement, the battery life rating is fairly decent and it clocked in a time of 3 hours 46 minutes in our tests.
Along with Windows XP Home Edition, the E6000 comes installed with a great combination of software which includes Norton Anti Virus 2004, Microsoft Word 2002, PhotoExpress 4.0 SE, Smart Restore, Power DVD 5 and RecordNow DX v6.7.
NEC provides a one-year carry-in warranty which covers electronic hardware and labour. The battery is covered for a maximum of six months and software, 90 days from the original date of purchase. Support lines such as service hotlines and the tech support email address are clearly stated on the NEC Computers Australia website.
NEC Versa E6000-160DR (Pentium M 1.6GHz, 256MB RAM)
Company: NEC
Price: AU$2,999
Phone: 02 9313 0055
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