If laptops were cars, then the Pioneer Power 470 would be a caravan - a quick scan of the specs reveals that it has almost everything. The 470 model we tested was a 3.06GHz Pentium 4 unit with a large 60GB of drive space and 256MB of DDR.
While the 64MB ATI Mobility RADEON fits nicely into the package, we felt that the 256MB would have been a nice finish to the core of this machine if it had been doubled.
The Pioneer 470 supports a good range of connectivity options. 56K modem and 10/100 LAN ports offer wired networking, although 'wireless' connectivity is restricted to an infra-red port; there is no Wi-Fi available. Three USB ports and a FireWire port ensures connectivity to a wide range of peripherals, and the combination of a serial and parallel port would help connect to older devices. You can also hook this up to more display devices with the VGA and TV-out ports.
The air-frying desktop processor powering this notebook is only one reason that the Power 470 cannot be a light convenience. The big 3.4kg, 39.3 x 27.5 x 3.65cm chassis also supports a gorgeous 17in wide screen.
Combined with the core power on offer, the variety connectivity options and large screen make this an excellent desktop replacement for office related activities. We noted that though the display looks crisp at high resolutions, it tends to blur when wide in lower resolutions.
What's more - combine this with the audio options on the Power 470, including support for 5.1 channel digital optical output and 4 integrated speakers - and you have a recipe for an entertainment machine.
This works out nicely because the Power 470 comes equipped with a DVD drive and comes bundled with WinDVD software. Watching a DVD will be one of life's simple pleasures.
You might still think that the $3,999 price tag is still a little hefty if we didn't point out that the DVD drive is in fact a DVD-rewriter. This means that you can not only watch DVDs - but you can create them. Creating DVDs takes up serious disk real estate. But the 60GB disk should provide sufficient space for both your applications and burning activities. Of course, it doubles up as a conventional CD-rewriter too.
$3,999 could get you a more powerful desktop machine running the same chip as the Pioneer 470 - but you won't get that wide TFT screen, portability and the ability to work and play without a jungle of wires.
On the topic of convenience, it's also worth noting that this desktop replacement comes with a Lithium Ion battery - but should you choose to move it around, be careful not to block off the fan vents on the underside, because its hot engine needs that air.