Gateway Intros New Notebooks

Gateway on Thursday plans to unveil two new notebook series with optional integrated wireless networking capabilities.

The Poway, Calif.-based PC maker’s new M350 series features a 15-inch display and an Intel Mobile Pentium 4 processor. The 7.5-pound notebook is available in three configurations, two of which — the M350X and M350XL — include standard built-in 802.11g.

The $1599 M350X is powered by a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 and features 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, six-in-one memory card reader, a combination CD burner/DVD-ROM drive and Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition. The M350XL, priced at $1999, adds a faster 3.06GHz processor, a DVD burner, and XP Professional Edition.

Wi-Fi is also an option on the base $1399 M350S model. A Linksys 802.11b card is $59, an 802.11g card is $69, and an 802.11 a/b/g card is $99.

Gateway also introduced the entry-level M305 series. The 6.2-pound laptop is aimed at students and small business users. Starting at $799, the M305SP includes a 14-inch display, a 2.2GHz Intel Mobile Celeron processor, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, six-in-one memory card reader and a CD-ROM drive. Wi-Fi options are the same as for the M350S.

Notebook computers have been enjoying unprecedented success recently, reaching new highs in both unit sales and revenue in May 2003, according to the NPD Group. This marked the first time retail revenues from notebook computer sales surpassed that of desktop computers.