Another carbon fibre ultra-lightweight laptop

The never-ending quest for lighter, more powerful notebooks appears to have a new trend, at least if you can call two carbon fibre notebooks a trend. A fortnight ago Acer showed its Ferrari 4000 Carbon Fiber notebook, now MPC has joined with its own high-powered notebook with carbon fibre lid. The sad part is that unlike the sleek and sexy Acer, which shows the carbon fibre weave, MPC has elected to paint theirs. Designed to offer an ultra-sleek notebook with exceptional performance in a lightweight form factor, the TransPort U1000 ultra-portable notebook computer weighs less than four pounds, an Intel Pentium M processor for high-performance mobile computing, and 12.1" display integrated into a carbon-fiber lid. At US$1,900, it's a lot of performance in an incredibly light package, but someone should tell them about the attractiveness of the carbon weave.

The 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity enables users to connect at high speed utilizing worldwide standards in wireless technology. A 4-in-1 media reader supports Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick (Duo), Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards for quick and effortless transfer of media. The convenient integrated optical device saves users the trouble of carrying an external optical device or port replicator, while keeping the traveling weight of the notebook to a minimum.

Offering 3, 6 and 9 cell battery options, the U1000 provides users with flexible, extended battery life solutions. Depending on use, the 3-cell battery offers about two and a half hours, the 6-cell version provides approximately five hours, and the 9-cell battery delivers about seven and a half hours. A full-size PCMCIA card slot is also available for government customers that require Smart Card Readers (also known as Common Access Cards).

"The introduction of the U1000 is MPC's first foray into the true 'thin and light' notebook product category," said Paul Petersen, MPC's vice president of product marketing and development. "MPC has invested significant R&D resources to offer our customers a lightweight, ultra-portable notebook product that does not sacrifice performance or an integrated optical device."

The TransPort U1000 notebook is available to order directly from MPC