12. Screen Brightness, Contrast And Uniformity Continued; Conclusions

With a maximum brightness of 112 candelas per square meter and a contrast ratio of 107 to 1, the screen on the TravelMate 2304LCi is okay for indoor work. The spatial uniformity of brightness graph shows that screen uniformity is fair at a score of 8.2. The graphic shows what that score means for the 2304Lci, in terms of how brightness is distributed across the screen. (Be sure to read our methodology guide so that you understand why the graphic does not show actual brightness as observed on the screen.)

Based on visual observations, the screen is unusable outdoors when it is facing directly into the sun, and only marginally usable with the sun in front of the screen. In a well shaded outdoor location, the screen is usable.

The screen displays DVD movies cleanly and with good quality.

Conclusions

The Acer TravelMate 2304LCi is a nicely designed, low cost, lower powered notebook computer that is best used for office applications, Internet access, playing DVDs and occasional roaming away from home or office. It is not for those who want to play fancy 3D games, run heavy duty 3D drawing programs or do intensive data analysis. It is also not for highly mobile users who want to take a computer anywhere, pull it out at any time and use it on battery for extended periods.

The TravelMate 2300 line includes a number of models, many of which offer higher end features. For example, the 2303LCi-855 comes with a 15.4 inch 1280x800 screen and Intel's 855GME graphic chip, making it better suited it to higher end graphics. Unfortunately, it has only 256 MB of RAM and Windows XP Home instead of the 512 MB and Window XP Pro that are included with the 2304LCi.