Thieves and snoops don't stand a chance against the biometric fingerprint reader embedded in the wrist rest of the MPC TransPort T2200, a stylish silver notebook that performs respectably and comes with a host of legacy connections.
A small, unobtrusive window, the fingerprint reader works with the preinstalled TouchChip Protector Suite software to protect this lightweight notebook, enabling you to use your finger to log in to Windows, disable secured screen savers on unattended systems, and activate passwords on protected files and folders.
As with other biometric software packages we've tried, registering a fingerprint is easy. The owner presses a finger in the window multiple times, and the software combines the images into a single print. Thereafter, only that person can gain access to the notebook.
Unlike other fingerprint readers, however, the T2200 asks to sample your fingerprint only three times rather than four or five times. Combined with the small size of the window area, this may lead to false-negative IDs. The TouchChip software also runs extremely slowly upon boot up--so slowly that, at least at first log-in, we preferred to simply type in our password. Better to use the fingerprint reader for password reentry--for that, it works much faster.
Travelers will like that the T2200 comes with a big, 14.1-inch screen, while limiting its weight to 6.9 pounds with the power adapter and phone cord. They'll also appreciate the 3.8 hours of battery life.
As for performance, the T2200's 1.7-GHz Pentium M processor helped earned it a 79 in our WorldBench 5 tests, a score that ranks about the same as those of most other notebooks we tested with the same processor and memory.
The T2200 is also stocked with a MultiMediaCard/SD Card/Memory Stick card reader, a removable CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, and 802.11g wireless connectivity, as well as with S-Video, two USB 2.0, and FireWire ports. Plus, every legacy connection you might need resides on the back of the notebook: a parallel port, a serial port, and a PS/2 port, including a PS/2 splitter. You get a mini mouse and network cable, to boot.
Our only reservation is typing comfort. The white-and-blue key lettering stands out nicely against the blue-gray keyboard, and the layout let us type at a good clip. However, the finicky spacebar on our unit required firm hits to respond, and the stylized mouse buttons were a bit too close to the last row of keys. Our thumbs grew tired of trying to accommodate these two quirks.
Only the slightly fussy keyboard mars this attractive $2072 notebook with a biometric fingerprint reader.
Carla Thornton
