Acer was one of the few big name manufacturers that were able to meet our stringent pricing criteria. The submitted notebook, the TravelMate, is not a so bad overall, but it couldn't win out against the smaller manufacturer's abilities to get top components at short notice. Where Acer excels is in after-sales support.

In what is an interesting first time foray into the crowded PDA market, Acer is hedging its bets by releasing both Palm- and Pocket PC-based PDAs. It's a curious gambit to be sure, and we're content to see which PDA branch blossoms while the other withers.