8. Wireless Connections

True to its claim of being a full-fledged workstation, the mobile workstation is equipped with a 54 Mbit/s wireless LAN module, as well as Bluetooth. Even a good old infrared interface (IrDA) is available.

WLAN at a button click: the WLAN and Bluetooth modules can be enabled or disabled with a button click. The button for activating presentation mode is located to the right.

Among the hot buttons over the keyboard, there is a special button for activating the wireless modules. Unfortunately, Bluetooth and WLAN are activated together; to control these services separately, a special dialog must be accessed in the quick-start panel, or one of the services must be disabled in the BIOS. Even when the laptop is closed, the current wireless status is indicated by a special LED at the front.

The status LEDs at the front are visible even when the display is closed. The LEDs show WLAN/Bluetooth activity, power status, battery charge status, and hard disk access. The IR window is located below, to the right.

AC Adapter And Battery

The 90 W A/C adapter of the tested device has enough power to run a docking station. Though the A/C adapter itself is quite small, the power cord with ground conductor is rather bulky.

The chargeable 8-cell Lithium-ion battery provides a total of 63 Wh of power. Read on to see how long the computer can run with this battery.