3. USB Ports: Always Powered

On the road, the AV1050 draws its power from a 53 Wh battery that is inserted into the back of the case. As a result, the peripheral ports, as well as the rest of the devices, are located on the left and right sides of the case instead.

The laptop's back is almost bare, featuring only the power connector and the 53 Wh battery.

On the right side, the case features a 4-in-1 card reader supporting the MS, MSPro, SD and MMC formats, and the two analog audio jacks. Right behind these are two USB 2.0 ports. Interestingly, these are always powered, even when the laptop has been shut down. This opens up some handy options, such as charging your cell phone or PDA from the battery using a USB cable while the laptop is turned off. Of course, the AV050 also features a VGA port for an external monitor.

On the right side of the case, the models of the 1000 series sport a VGA connector, as well as two USB 2.0 ports, the analog audio ports and a 4-in-1 card reader.

The integrated WLAN module can be switched on and off with a handy sliding switch on the front left of the case. However, its usefulness is hampered by the fact that the upper case lid is a few tenths of a millimeters bigger than the lower part of the case. The slider is also a little tight, but it can still be easily moved with a fingernail.

The integrated WLAN module can be switched on and off using a sliding switch on the front of the case.

The unit does not feature an integrated Bluetooth module, nor does it have an IR-port.

While all of the ports are labeled, using gray for the color symbols may not have been best choice, considering that the case's background color is silver. This makes the symbols a little difficult to see and interpret; black or even red would have been a more ergonomic choice.

When the WLAN module is active, a blue LED on the front of the case lights up.

The PC Card slot can be found on the left hand side of the case. Right behind it are the Firewire, modem and LAN ports.

As is typical of a sublaptop, the ultra slim combo drive can't be removed or exchanged.

The eject button of the optical drive is relatively large and quite sensitive. As a result, it is very easy to accidentally open the drive's drawer when picking up the laptop.

Cost-effective solution: a protective plastic dummy card for the PC Card slot.

Measuring only 4.5 x 1.8" (114 x 45.7mm) and weighing merely 8.11 oz (230g), the 65 watt power supply has no trouble fitting even into small bags. The power cable is also very light and thin, making it just as easy to stow.

The power brick of the AV1050 is very compact, while still supplying more than enough power.