X-bit labs

Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi Notebook Review (page 2)

Category: Mobile

by Alexander Britvin

[ 03/24/2006 | 02:59 PM ]

Closer Look at Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi

The box with an Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi is black and a little glossy, with the checkered pattern like the finish flag on the sides. The superb design is up to the price of the product contained within.

Somewhat expecting an engine to roar up, we roll the machine out of the box.

Well, the two teams of designers from Ferrari and Acer have really done well to convey the breathtaking atmosphere of car racing. The notebook is painted black with red inserts on the sides and at the front of the lid. The case is made of a super-robust carbon fiber – the same material they use in Formula One and in aerospace industry to achieve highest robustness at minimum weight. The ordinary magnesium alloys have nothing to do here.

The lid is something the designers can be proud of. It looks like the hood of a sports car and you can discern the same checkered pattern on it as on the sides of the box – like on the finish flag. The only problem with the lid is that it gets dirty just too easily, but there’s a special red napkin included with the notebook to do the cleaning.

Ferrari’s sign, the prancing stallion, has moved into the center of the lid and has acquired a copy under the keyboard. The manufacturer’s name is now in a corner of the lid. The display latch is placed on the red insert stretching along the notebook’s front.

The outline of the notebook’s case resembles other latest notebook models from Acer. The top and bottom surfaces run almost in parallel and are both rounded at the front and back, making the notebook look light and elegant.

When the lid is up, you can see that the color scheme changes to coal-black inside, except for the silvery touchpad and quick-launch buttons. The surface of the notebook’s top panel is rubberized so that your hands didn’t slip off the keyboard. It feels not unlike the tires of a racing car.