Connectivity and expansion options
With notebooks rapidly replacing desktops among mainstream users, connectivity and expansion options matter more than ever. The Timeline doesn't offer anything particularly unique on this front, but it has everything most folks should need.

The left side of the system sports a VGA output, one USB port, and headphone and microphone jacks. Around the right, you get an HDMI output, Gigabit Ethernet port, two more USB ports, and a memory card reader that'll accommodate everything from Memory Sticks to slivers of xD media.

Flip the Timeline onto its back and, with the help of a screwdriver, you can easily gain access to the system's DIMM slots and hard drive bay. You won't find warranty stickers covering any of the screw holes, although apart from an SSD upgrade, I can't see any need to mess with the system's internals. The base 4GB memory configuration on all models should be plenty for even picky enthusiasts.

Road warriors will be pleased to note that the Timeline's six-cell battery is removable. The battery is surprisingly light, too, which makes it even easier to carry around a spare for extended bouts of wall socket separation.

If you look closely at the battery bay, you'll also see what looks like a SIM card slot. The Timeline model we're looking at today isn't equipped with any sort of WWAN networking option, but future derivatives might include such a feature.