Round 3: Features
Connections are key.
If you believe the marketing hype, everything on a laptop is a feature, from the lid latch to the dock connector. But for comparison's sake, we've broken features down into three subcategories: audio/video, storage and slots, and networking.
Audio/video
Apple prides itself on its products' audiovisual capabilities (remember the "digital lifestyle hub"?). But the MacBook Pro includes the bare minimum of A/V features: a microphone and some pretty good speakers, DVI and VGA signal connections (the latter via an included adapter), one four-pin FireWire port, and only two USB 2.0 ports for connecting to external peripherals, such as a camera or a mouse. The TravelMate 8200 easily trumps the MacBook Pro with all of that plus an S-Video output, S/PDIF, and two additional USB 2.0 ports. And while both laptops include a built-in Webcam above their displays, the TravelMate 8200's camera can rotate 225 degrees, letting you snap shots in front of, above, or behind the laptop. Advantage: Acer.
Storage and slots
If you have lots of MP3s or digital video, storage capacity matters, and the TravelMate 8200 provides an extra 20GB of storage space compared to our MacBook Pro test configuration. (It costs an additional $100 to upgrade the Apple's hard drive to match the Acer's.) While both laptops are equipped with DVD burners and ExpressCard slots, the TravelMate 8200 accommodates some additional critical expansion features, including a more traditional Type II PC Card slot, a smart card reader, and a 5-in-1 flash media card reader that recognizes MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and xD formats. Advantage: Acer.
Networking
The MacBook Pro and the TravelMate 8200 both include Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), and Wi-Fi connectivity, but only the Acer TravelMate has a built-in 56Kbps modem (Apple sells an optional USB modem for $49). Still, a 56Kbps modem isn't exactly a critical feature in 2006, so we'll let it slide. Advantage: Nil.
Winner: The TravelMate 8200 takes this round, overpowering the MacBook Pro with a profusion of ports, superfluity of slots, and competent connections.
On to round 4
