The Twinhead Efio is a mixed beast. It has some very good features, such as an all-magnesium casing and ATI Mobility 9700, but it also has some middling features, like a relatively slow 1.8GHz Intel processor and 4:3 screen. The unit is well made and well set out however. The front includes a headphone/mic input, a rotary volume control and a FireWire port. Graphically, the 15.1in LCD is quite bright with a good amount of contrast. There is also an S-Video out and three USB 2.0 ports on the sides. No memory card reader, though.

If there was ever a notebook to take with you when hiking across the Nullarbor, this would be the one. The notebook’s build conforms to the 810E Military Standard – a 461 page document covering environmental factors like susceptibility to humidity and impact resistance. Adhering to this certification ensures the unit will take a lot of wear. As a result, this makes items like the keyboard well set out, responsive, and spill-proof, according to the manufacturer. But while these features make the Twinhead handy in the outback, they’re not so handy in the study.

Not surprisingly, given its uneven specifications, the Twinhead fares only reasonably in the PCMark04 multimedia tests. PCMark is quite heavily reliant on RAM and CPU, and the 1.8Ghz processor struggles to keep up, posting 3468 marks. The Twinhead’s high calibre graphics chipset means it performed a little better in the gaming benchmarks. The Twinhead was one of the few notebooks that supported Doom 3 out of the box and scored a very good 16fps. In 3Dmark2001 it scored middle of the pack with 9184 marks in 1072 x 768.

In the multimedia stakes, the notebook is a little disappointing. There is no remote and no multimedia buttons on the fascia either. And the included software is also wanting - Trend Micro antivirus and that's it! No DVD software or even the omnipresent Nero Burning Rom.

Whilst a capable unit in its own right, the brief was for an all-in-one media 'centre', and unfortunately in this regard the Twinhead machine falls short of the mark. This unit would be suitable for those looking for a rugged workhorse with some gaming ability.