There are notebooks which are specific for corporate users and while looking for such notebooks the user has to change his perspective. In consumer notebooks the features which consumers look for are style, multimedia and entertainment; whereas corporate users look for reliability, build quality and flexibility – with security often thrown in as an added feature. When looking at an ultra-portable, notebook like the Acer TravelMate 6292 claims to be, there’s a whole raft of other important considerations such as portability, durability and battery life which the potential user has to analyze. Satisfying all these different demands isn’t easy, though these days’ manufacturers seem more adept than ever at pulling everything together and succeed in giving a complete package. Acer hasn’t missed too many tricks in trying to give a complete package to the consumers. As a company it has a reputation for putting out powerful hardware at competitive prices, and the TravelMate 6292 continues this trend.

Hardware Configuration
The notebook sports an Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 clocked at 2.0GHz, with 4MB L2 Cache and an 800MHz Front Side Bus. This is ably supported by 2GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM, a 160GB SATA hard drive, integrated Intel X3100 graphics and a Super-Multi DVD burner drive.

Connectivity
This notebook has good network connectivity too, with 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N wireless and Gigabit Ethernet as well as Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, a Fast Infrared port and the obligatory 56k software modem for legacy support. Regrettably, there’s no HSDPA as yet, though it shouldn’t be ruled out as a future introduction in the upcoming models. This is accepted that the 6292 has all the necessary hardware. It also has a PC Card slot which means that HSDPA functionality could be added through a 3G card from a third party. This remains an open option for the user.

Body and screen resolution
The chassis is common with the ultra-portable bracket. The chassis is based around a 12.1in display with a 1,280 x 800 native resolution. It has dimensions of 306mm wide and 227mm deep. The 6292 is nicely proportioned for carrying easily, fitting as it does nicely under the arm. The user will have no inconvenience in carrying it because it is designed for the user’s convenience. The outer casing of the battery casing is evenly textured which provides a better grip for carrying.

Weight
However, this is by no means the lightest or thinnest ultra-portable that’s hovered by the TR labs. The noticeable disadvantage of this notebook is the weight and other notebooks with similar hardware configuration will outclass it in only this department. At 34.5mm thick it’s on the chunkier side and with the standard 6-cell battery it weighs just shade over 2kg at 2.05kg. It is too heavy for a notebook of this size, and ideally a weight of in the region of 1.8kg or less would be preferable. It doesn’t completely fulfill its portable credentials because the 6292 is noticeably heavier than its peers.

The Acer TravelMate has a good hardware configuration but the only disadvantage is the weight of the notebook.