Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi

Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi Review

Faster and sleeker than ever, the Acer TravelMate 8204 is a high-end laptop and one of the first to utilize Intel's next generation Centrino Duo Mobile Technology. A successor to the highly acclaimed TravelMate 8100 series, the TravelMate 8204 is designed to impress inside and out. Sporting a revamped design, it is composed of a carbon fiber chassis combined with Acer's Folio design theme, exemplifying a modern and sleek design that appears to descend from the 22nd century.

Everyone will appreciate the new features and cutting-edge technology incorporated into this sleek laptop. It is filled with a robust set of features, including the new Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz) processor, a whopping 2GB DDR2 RAM, and a massive 120GB Serial ATA hard disk drive. Other prominent features include a high-resolution 15.4-inch widescreen display, modular DVD+RW drive, built-in rotating Web Camera, and VoIP Bluetooth phone!

Avid gamers will be very satisfied with the performance from the mid-range yet powerful ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB DDR VRAM and AVIVO technology, while business professionals will appreciate the Smart Card feature, providing extra security from unauthorized access. The near-perfect Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi is an attractive package: it's powerful, combines a myriad of new functions, and is just darn sexy. Of course for $2500, it's one of the more expensive laptops out there.

Design

Portability
Although the Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi possesses similar attributes to a desktop alternative notebook, this is a performance-thin laptop that won't break your back. Measuring 14.3-inches wide, 10.7-inches long and only 1-inch thick at the front section and extending 1.4-inches thick towards the back, the TravelMate 8204 is ideal for large sized cases and backpacks. I found the lightweight Samsonite L45 and the Samsonite Pro-DLX Medium laptop briefcase to be the perfect companion. I even managed to squeeze the computer on my flight to Las Vegas with just enough room to be used on the reclining table attached to the seat in front of me in economy coach.

At 6.6 pounds with the 9-cell battery (3 ounce increase from the 8100 series ), the TravelMate 8204 is not intended to accompany you everywhere you go, but is rather suited for occasional travel. It's a well-balanced machine that is feasible for moderate travel and actually more portable than other laptops in the same class, especially considering the feature-rich specs.

Case and Design
The instant appeal of the TravelMate 8200 lies in its Folio design theme, which is Acer's name for its unique design found in a number of their laptops. In addition, the two tone inverted color scheme keeps it clean and simple, with carbon fiber wrapping around the top lid while graphite grey covers the surface around the palm rest and keyboard area. There is also a touch of glossy black trim above the keyboard and at the bottom of the outside lid for added style.

Sleek and durable carbon fiber lid gives it an original style.

The edges are curvaceous and the clean surface is smooth as silk, which gives the TravelMate 8204 a refining look. Not only is the carbon fiber lid lighter and stronger than other materials, it also gives off a distinctive look with the black and grey checkered shades, derived from the Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi . For good measures, the laptop comes with a microfibre cleaning cloth to keep the laptop looking its best.

Acer also included a cleaning cloth to help keep the laptop looking slick.

Two stiff hinges hold the LCD panel together, located near each corner of the display. The LCD panel contains dual latches that assist in keeping the lid securely closed, preventing any type of movement when shuffling the laptop around. When shut the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by eight rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.

There are two sets of status indicators found on the computer, the first is located on the upper-right corner above the keyboard (below the display screen) and the second set is on the front of the computer. The upper-right corner below the display contains indicators for hard disk, caps lock, and num lock. All indicators emit a green glow when activated.

Conveniently located on the front panel are a set of highly useful indicator lights which provide a quick glance at the power, battery charge, Bluetooth, and Wireless LAN. Both the power and battery status indicators emit a green glow when active (or amber for the battery when it's charging) while the Bluetooth and Wireless LAN buttons emit a dazzling blue and amber glow, respectively. The Bluetooth and Wireless LAN are buttons used to enable or disable its associated function.

Buttons and indicators located in the front for quick & easy access.

Located on the upper right hand corner are four launch keys to instantly launch your frequently used applications. Each button is designated for Email, web browser, Acer Empowering key, and a user programmable option. The Email button is used to launch your E-mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook; however, it is also user programmable to designate other applications. The web browser key is used to launch your favorite web browser, but it is also user programmable. The Acer Empowering key ('e' symbol) is used to launch the Acer eManager application (more on this in the software section). Lastly the user programmable button is available for you to assign your favorite application via the Launch Manager software. Unfortunately there are no multimedia hot keys (i.e. volume adjustment) despite the available room around the top section of the keyboard.

Quickly launch your favorite application

Mounted in the bezel above the screen is a 1.3 megapixel swivel web camera, ideal for video conferencing with friends, family or colleagues. It is also capable of capturing photos in addition to videos.

Design Continued

Keyboard
The black, full-sized 88-key ergonomic keyboard is similar to the keyboard found on the Acer TravelMate 8100 and the Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi. The PgDn, PgUp, Home and End cursor keys are placed vertically on the right side of the keyboard. The Caps Lock, Shift, Alt, Tab, Backspace, and Enter keys are of appropriate size. Like most laptop keyboards, the numeric keypad is embedded within the keys located near the center of the keyboard and is activated with the num lock key.

In addition, there are function keys to adjust the audio volume, alter the screen brightness, put the system to sleep, disable or enable touchpad, and for switching to an external monitor when connected. When toggling one of these function keys, such as the audio for example, it will activate an on-screen volume indicator. This helps you identify exactly which volume settings you want to select. The on-screen indicator applies to other function access as well with the exception to the screen brightness, which is not available.

Enlarge Image

With respect to usage, the 'Acer FineTouch' keyboard offers decent key travel distance and excellent response. You will notice from the picture the keyboard employs a five-degree curve for a more ergonomic placement, which I find neither an advantage nor disadvantage compared to the standard arrangement keyboards. Some users may need to grow accustomed to this unusual layout while others will pick it up immediately. I picked it up almost instantly when I tested the Acer TravelMate 8100 last Fall.

On that note, I can type quickly, accurately, and comfortably with this keyboard. The keys are soft and feel light when depressing them (not as stiff as the ThinkPad T60, but just as soft as the MacBook Pro) with a minimal spring, allowing them to be quite responsive and exhibiting little noise. The keys depress at a comfortable 2.5 mm of depth which feels good to type with and actually feel very similar to the Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi. Thanks to the computer's wide frame, the keyboard is centered nicely with 1.2-inches of room on each side, allowing sufficient room around the palm rest area to ensure that your wrists enjoy a comfortable typing experience. This is certainly a solid keyboard that compares favorably to the likes of the Lenovo ThinkPads and even the Apple MacBook Pro!

Touch pad
To match the laptop's overall wide-aspect design, the touchpad is also wide, offering sufficient amount of surface area (measuring 3-inches wide and 1.5-inches in length) for comfortable gliding of one's finger. Like the palm rest area, the black flush surface is clean and smooth; accurately sensitive to touch and responds well to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons.

To the right and bottom edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll vertically or horizontally. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. For added convenience, there is a useful center click button that serves as a four-way scroll button to scroll up or down and move left or right within a page. The left and right click buttons are brushed in silver metallic for added elegance.

Connectivity Options
Reinforced by its wide frame, the TravelMate 8204 is loaded with a multitude of connectivity options, surrounding all sides of the computer. Since the cables are spread out on all sides of the machine, there are no protruding parts that can accidentally break off during transit. In addition, cable clutter is greatly reduced. The computer offers a whopping four USB 2.0 ports instead of the common two or three ports found on most laptops. For users who prefer to connect their laptop to an external monitor, television or projector, the TravelMate 8204 supplies all available video outputs, including DVI-D, VGA, and S-Video. DVI is an option not commonly found in your average consumer notebooks, but is a must for anyone planning to use an LCD monitor or digital projector nowadays.

VGA, DVI-D, and S-Video outputs!

Front
On the front panel, you will immediately notice the left and right speaker grilles made up of tiny hole-punches that gives the laptop a very distinctive look. There is a 5-in-1 card reader that is protected by a plastic cover and is capable of reading SD, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, and xD-Picture cards, allowing the transfer of files from a majority of digital cameras. Next to the 5-in-1 card reader slot is a line-in jack that accepts audio devices like an audio CD player. Then you have the microphone jack and a headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support. As mentioned in the preceding section, there are two backlit buttons for activating Bluetooth and Wireless LAN. Both can be disabled when not in use in order to conserve battery power.

Next to the Wireless LAN switch is a 4-pin 1394 FireWire port and an infrared port for short range wireless IR devices such as PDAs and printers.

Rear
On the rear, there is a DVI-D port that supports digital video connections like modern LCD flat panel monitors. We also have the requisite S-Video port to connect to a television or display device with S-Video input. Then we have the huge 124-pin Acer ezDock connector that connects to the Acer ezDocking station for expandability. On the opposite end is where the DC-in jack is to connect the AC adapter.

The battery pack fits nicely without protruding and is made to offer hand grip when carrying the laptop.

Left
On the left-side are a Kensington lock to connect a Kensington-compatible security lock slot, two USB 2.0 ports stacked on top of each other, modem port, the hot-swappable Super-Multi DVD+RW drive, and finally a PC Card/ExpressCard34 slot.

Right
On the right-side you will find a SmartCard slot (more on this in the features section of this review), the remaining two USB 2.0 ports, large ventilation port, Gigabit Ethernet port, and VGA port.

Heat and Noise
Re-engineered from the previous Travemate 8100 series, the cooling system on the TravelMate 8204 keeps the noise level down while offering better ventilation and cooling. There are two vents and a cooling fan, all operating continuously yet very silently. During general usage, like web browsing, email, and word processing, the fan and the vents create a low-pitched whooshing sound as the air passes through the system's vents in the bottom and right side - yet never really distracting you from your work.

Air vent makes a low-pitched whooshing sound.

During heavier use, such as playing games or using it for extended periods, the fan operates faster; however, noise generated from the fan is still kept to a minimum. Overall, I found the fan noise generated from the 8204 to be very quiet, a vast improvement from the 8100 series and Acer Ferrari.

Mobile meter reported the computer to run around 46-56 degrees Celsius depending on usage. With the ventilation slots located on the right-side and bottom section, heat build-up is minimal. The system becomes warm, but never reaching uncomfortable levels. The touchpad and right palm rest can become lukewarm, while the bottom of the case can get quite warm during extensive use. However, the 8204 never reaches the hot levels observed on the TravelMate 8100 series.

Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading components of the TravelMate 8204 is simple, thanks to the accessible compartments located on the bottom side of the machine, only requiring a standard Philips screwdriver. The user-friendly upgradeable components include the hard drive, Wi-Fi mini-PCI adapter, and SODIMM memory. As depicted in the picture below, the hard drive is enclosed in a shock mount cage and opening the large compartment door reveals the cooling fan & heatsink.

The AcerMedia Bay that currently houses the optical drive module allows the option to swap another drive bay, such as secondary battery or hard disc drive. Simply release the latch located at the bottom to detach the optical drive. Although the TravelMate 8204 series contains a wide-array of connectivity options, the optional Acer ezDock is available to transform the notebook into a true desktop computer, with extra connectivity options.

The optical drive bay can be swapped out for another drive bay.

Features

Processor/Chipset/RAM
Acer's TravelMate 8204 utilizes the latest mobile technology from Intel, the Centrino Duo platform, codenamed Napa. At the heart of this system is the Core Duo processor, codenamed Yonah, and Intel's new 945 chipset. You can't have the Centrino moniker without the wireless card, so our test unit also came with the new 3945ABG wireless card. The Core Duo processor, successor to the Pentium M 'Dothan,' has had a lot of updates since the last platform. Yonah is a dual core processor, incorporating two physical CPU cores onto a single chip for increased performance and multitasking. A common misconception had with dual core systems is that performance should double, or something near it. Unfortunately this is just not true, as the software you are using must be written to take advantage of the two cores. The average consumer's software suit of office applications and internet/e-mail usage won't see a huge performance increase from dual core alone. The performance of those applications is still primarily dictated by the CPU architecture and its clock speed.

However a 2.0GHz Yonah will still outperform a 2.0GHz Dothan in single-threaded applications, thanks to Yonah's architectural enhancements over Dothan. As with all good things, you can't get something for nothing. The Core Duo processor's Thermal Design Power is 31W, up from 27W of the single core Pentium M Dothan. Despite this increase in TDP, real world power consumption is overall decreased! The power management features of Yonah are even more advanced than Dothan, making it more power efficient despite the second core. The other big power saver Yonah has is the smaller 65nm manufacturing process, making it possible to fit two cores on a single, small chip and using less power.

The 945 chipset brings with it a higher front side bus, 533MHz to 667MHz, and support for 4GB system memory. Since Core Duo is still a 32-bit system, the maximum amount of memory Windows can address is 3GB. Another caveat is that 3GB RAM can only run at 533MHz, instead of the highly touted 667MHz frequency most people will have. The rest of the previous 915 chipset's features carry over, including High Def Audio, Serial ATA, and PCI Express.

To compliment the fast 2.0 GHz processor is a whopping 2GB of RAM! Each 1GB stick of 533MHz (PC2-4200) DDR2 runs in dual-channel mode for double the bandwidth. With this much RAM, this laptop is more than suitable for heavy multi-tasking that some users demand.

GPU
Aimed at performance thin notebooks, the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 powers the video of the Acer TravelMate 8204 series. The Mobility Radeon (MR) X1600 is built on a 90nm manufacturing process, which brings smaller die sizes, lower power consumption, and potentially higher clock scaling. The architecture driving the X1600 is the same as its desktop brethren, bringing with it higher performance, a greater graphics feature set, and support for ATI's famed 'AVIVO' multimedia technology. Shader Model 3.0 and High Dynamic Range support is finally included, catching up to where NVIDIA's GeForce 6-series had already been quite some time ago. The X1600 GPU itself has support for any type of graphics RAM imaginable, from the antiquated DDR1 to the defacto standard GDDR3 to the upcoming GDDR4, making this one robust GPU.

The MR X1600 features 12 pixel pipelines and 5 shader units, up from the 8 pixel pipelines and 4 shader units of the MR X700 it replaces. Perhaps the best part about this GPU is its thermal design power, or the amount of power that must be dissipated by the cooling system. The previous Mobility Radeon X700 was built on a 110nm manufacturing process, consumed a mere 14W, and was one of the best GPU's for a thin & light notebook; ATI's best thin & light GPU by far. Thanks to the X1600's new 90nm manufacturing process, a new power management technique called Back Biasing, and the updated PowerPlay 6.0 power management software, the Mobility Radeon X1600 dissipates up to 17W! This is ATI's first mobile 12-pipeline GPU, so we can't make a direct comparison there. However if we look at NVIDIA's GeForce Go 6800, that GPU was manufactured on a 110nm process, has 12 pipelines, and has a TDP around 40W! The X1600 really is an achievement in mobile thin & light gaming, offering very respectable performance in machines that can be still be considered portable! The Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi is a perfect fit for this mobile GPU.

GPU is clocked at 450MHz core / 500MHz memory

ATI's AVIVO technology is not one to scoff at, especially for multimedia users. People are increasingly playing high definition video content, performing large amounts of video editing & converting, and also wouldn't mind higher image quality in general on their laptops. AVIVO promises to improve all of this, and in fact it delivers in some respects. The big feature AVIVO is now able to support is H.264 decode acceleration. H.264 is an increasingly popular high definition video format, which is a key building block for upcoming Blu-ray and HD-DVD optical media. It offers incredible quality with more efficient use of space, but it comes at the expense of a severe toll on the CPU.

For a more in-depth discussion of all the benefits AVIVO is supposed to provide, feel free to check out ATI's whitepaper on the subject here. The promises of AVIVO technology are quite enticing, and will be a huge hit if they are implemented as promised. AVIVO offers several key improvements: improved 2D & video playback quality, improved analog to digital conversion (for instance with TV capture/viewing), hardware assisted video compression/transcode, hardware assisted video decoding, and superior post-processing. We've seen evidence of the video decoding performance, but the video compression/transcoding is only so far implemented through ATI's very efficient AVIVO Video Converter software. Image quality is a very relative subject, as some users don't even notice a difference and others don't even care. While we can say the image quality on the Acer TravelMate 8204 was absolutely top notch, we can't say that will necessarily be true on any AVIVO-enabled notebook. AVIVO looks to be a great step forward for mobile multimedia support, but time will tell if it is everything its cracked up to be. As a last note, not every notebook with a Mobility Radeon X1000-series GPU will necessarily have AVIVO support. It is up to the manufacturer to include full support for AVIVO, and we hope that each and every single one does.

Display
One of the many striking features found on this premium notebook is its razor sharp wide-aspect 15.4-inch WSXGA+ TFT LCD screen. Although the 8204's screen is a matte transmissive display (opposed to a glossy transmissive screen), it is still sufficiently bright and vibrant. Despite the quality of this screen, it is not as impressive as glossy screens like HP's BrightView or Sony's XBRITE for example. We hope Acer will incorporate its glossy-type screen coined CrystalBrite to this series in the future.

Enlarge Image

Image quality displayed is decent, with no drastic color distortion. When watching DVD movies, video quality is actually smooth and crisp but does lack the 'true color' vibrancy you would get from a glossy screen. Nevertheless, DVD playback is quite impressive for a matte screen. In 2D use, the screen provides sufficient brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and vivid. Text is very sharp but some might be squinting due to its high-resolution. Of course, you can increase the font size to ease the strain.

The response rate is certainly fast enough to keep up with games and movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit motion blur. For the most part the screen is evenly lit, however we unfortunately discovered a dead pixel; at least it didn't distract me from the overall viewing pleasure.

The 15.4-inch widescreen offers a decent amount of desktop real estate, thanks to the 1680-by-1050 resolution. One can bring up two Word documents side by side and comfortably view both files. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. If you plan to connect to an external monitor, you have the freedom to connect via S-Video, VGA, or DVI!

Sound
Replacing the standard AC'97 audio specification is RealTek's High Definition audio codec, designed to handle more channels at higher qualities and offer support for the latest audio content. It has capabilities to enhance sound experience by offering a more simulated 3-dimensional sound effect through regular stereo such as headphones or the built-in two speakers (requires DVD application to support this feature). High Definition audio now supports new formats, such as Dolby Digital Surround EX (7.1) and DTS ES. In addition, high definition audio enables power savings during audio activity.

The RealTek HD audio utility to select various audio effects and settings.

The on-board stereo speakers are positioned in the front panel behind the distinctive hole-punched grills. Although these speakers produce loud and crisp sounds, it lacks the hard-hitting bass we crave for. Dialogue in movies (Wedding Crashers) and sound effects were impressive; instruments and vocals (This Love) were also crisp sounding but bass was missing. The gaming environment sounded impressive. I was immersed with the sounds from Quake 4 as the audio's 3D sounds amplified the atmosphere.

Overall, the sound capabilities produced from this machine are above par compared to most notebooks with a non-branded set of speakers (ie. Harman Kardon). To enhance your audio experience, the laptop supports S/PDIF for digital sound.

Battery Performance

Even though the 8204 was equipped with a massive 7,800 mAh rated battery, the battery test shows it didn't performed too well compared to the other Duo Core T60 laptop. There is no doubt this machine is power hungry.

Lasting 3 hours and 19 minutes in the office productivity test, it falls well behind the T60.

3 hours and 6 minutes, the 8204 can withstand a DVD movie.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Sleek, robust and innovative design including carbon fiber lid
• Thin-and-light for a performance notebook
• Excellent keyboard
• Sharp high resolution 15.4-inch WSXGA+ LCD display
• Fast system performance
• Buit-in Web Camera
• 2GB Dual-Channel DDR2 RAM
• Rechargeable Bluetooth PCMCIA VoIP Phone included
• Large 120GB storage capacity
• Modular Dual-Layer DVD burner supporting most available disc formats
• Wireless functions: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth, Infrared
• Wide array of connectivity options: DVI, S-Video, SPDIF support, 4 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro Media Card slot
• Smart Card access
• Excellent software bundle
• Runs cool and quiet

Cons:

• Limited hot keys; missing multimedia keys
• Very expensive
• Weak battery life

Recommendation
We thought the previous generation TravelMate 8100 series was an overall solid machine, making it even more surprising that the 8204 has improved on the TravelMate lineup so much. The TravelMate 8204 comes equipped with a myriad of functions that are packed in a sleek & sexy design, which stands out from the pack. Carbon fiber adds style and solid build quality that we learned to love on the Acer Ferrari. Unlike some previous Acer models this 8204 runs cool & quiet, even after prolonged use. Some features are similar to the old models, like the 15.4-inch widescreen which offers large and wide viewing estate thanks to the 1680-by-1050 resolution. However the new features really set it apart: Intel Centrino Duo technology consisting of a Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz) processor, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi card, and the 945PM chipset. We also like how Acer bumped up the RAM to a whopping 2GB DDR2 RAM running on dual-channel and included a massive 120GB serial hard disk drive.

The 8204 serves a wide audience as it's packed with high-end components made to handle virtually any task. Gamers will appreciate the smooth frame rates on most modern games thanks to the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card. Photo and video editing is accomplished with ease, thanks to the dual core CPU and gobs of RAM. Acer certainly engineered this laptop with business use in mind too. Business users will appreciate the Smart Card access that is essentially acts like a security key to prevent unauthorized access of your computer. Voice over IP - the next generation in communicating via voice and data is being utilized on this laptop, thanks to the included Bluetooth VoIP phone - a handy tool for business travelers. Of course, the built-in web camera enables video conference between colleagues, friends, or family.

I can't say enough about the sophisticated software package that came pre-loaded with this machine. It is absolutely top notch and very impressive, designed to streamline your computing experience.

Acer did it again, proving it can produce a versatile and modern laptop. Thanks to its remarkable design, powerful overall performance, and technologically advanced offerings, the Acer TravelMate 8204 is Laptop Logic's Editors Choice. This is a good investment if you need the attributes of a desktop alternative laptop in a semi-mobile package, but expect to pay a high premium for this premium machine.

Availability/Warranty
The Acer TravelMate 8204 WLMi is available now for $2499. Acer offers one (1) year Parts & Labor warranty with one (1) year hardware technical support and 90 days software technical support.