3. The WinBook J4 - Specifications And Background, Continued

A look a the back of the WinBook J4. WinBook has gone the extra mile to keep the J4 well vented, as there are vents all over this system to keep it running cool.

The right hand side of the unit includes the 16X DVD/ CDRW combo drive, four USB ports and a Kensington lock socket.

The right side of the WinBook J4.

The left side of the unit has a 10/ 100 Ethernet connector, four-pin 1394 Firewire port, and a single Type II Cardbus Slot with Zoomed Video Support. Again, there are more vents on this side of the notebook, too, to dissipate heat buildup.

The left side of the WinBook J4.

The front has two speakers, as well as audio CD controls. The J4 has a unique metal magnetic latch locking mechanism that connects the latch to the notebook unit when the lid is almost closed. This mechanism seems sturdy, and our repeated abuses of the case and lid to try to break the locking mechanism failed.

A view of the front of the WinBook J4.

The J4 offers a keyboard that we would consider to be slightly above average, but still far from the over-the-top performance offered by the IBM A31p that we reviewed earlier this year. The keyboard action was crisp and had nice travel with a good key size. The J4 includes a Synaptics Glide Pad with scroll support, but no pointing stick.

A close-up look at the keyboard of the WinBook J4.