These days the market is loaded with low-cost 10-inch netbooks with Intel Atom N450 CPUs that offer long battery life at well under $400. The $349 Gateway LT2118U brings no unique or best-in-class features to this game, but it does provide a solid choice for those seeking 9-plus hours of battery life in a functional, yet stylish chassis. We wish the speakers delivered better sound, but overall this mini laptop is a good value.

Design

While not quite as snazzy as the more expensive Toshiba mini NB305 or as sleek as the MSI Wind U160, the Gateway LT2118U includes some nice touches. Its bright red lid has a small metal stripe with the Gateway logo emblazoned on it. The combination of this silver accent on a bright background reminded us of classic cigarette package art from the ‘40s or ‘50s. The interior of the notebook also has a brushed metal accent on the edge of the deck, and a unique power button that has a blue light and sits right next to the left hinge. An orange Wi-Fi status light sits next to the right hinge.

One area where Gateway seems to have made a poor choice is the oddly shaped A/C adapter. Rather than having a power box with a long, thin cord and standard plug like most notebooks, the LT2118U’s A/C adapter is a giant wall wart with a rotating and removable plug . The thicker profile means you may have difficulty plugging into tight spaces on power strips.

At 10.2 x 7.3 x 1 inches and 2.6 pounds, the LT2118U is a bit lighter and thinner than the ASUS Eee PC 1001P (10.3 x 7 x 1.4 inches, 2.8 pounds) and Toshiba mini NB305 (10.5 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches, 2.8 pounds). The MSI Wind U160 (10.2 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches, 2.6 pounds) is slightly thinner.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The LT2118U features the same Fine Tip island keyboard we’ve seen on all recent Gateway and Acer notebooks. Though the keys offered good tactile feedback, our hands felt a little cramped and we managed only 69 words per minute on the ten thumbs typing test, well below our typical score of 80 wpm.

The 3 x 1.5-inch touchpad sits flush with the deck and is covered in decorative white dots that have no texture. Navigating around the desktop was easy, and multitouch gestures like pinch-to-zoom worked well. Unfortunately, the single mouse button (we prefer dual buttons) was a bit stiff.

Quick Specs :

CPU: 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450
Operating System: Windows 7 Starter Edition
RAM/Upgradable to: 1GB/2GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 250GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 10.1 inches/1024 x 600