Taking a closer look
Let's face it: ultraportable laptops are also about style, and the M4000 scores points on that front with its combination of straight edges, rounded lines, and monochromatic silver color scheme. The keyboard/touchpad and the display are framed by panels of brushed aluminum, and the external shell is made of silver-colored plastic with a metallic finish. The brushed aluminum look is admittedly a well-worn motif, and yes, I've already had people ask if it's an Apple. Considering Apple's sterling (har) reputation for industrial design, though, I'd call that more of a compliment than anything. I also think the M4000's rounded exterior lines have their own distinctive vibe. Here's a look at the closed M4000 from various angles; see what you think.

A spin around the M4000 WideNote

You're facing the front of the laptop in the top picture above, and you can see that there's no latch release on the front of the case. That's because there's no latch; the lid just snaps shut on the hinges with gentle, firm pressure. I had some trepidation about this arrangement at first, but over time, I've actually come to prefer it. The deletion of the latch also fits with the M4000's minimalist personality. There's also no touchpad on/off button, no wireless networking toggle button, and no physically dedicated scroll area on the touchpad. Simplicity is the order of the day here, so Sharp offers control of networking and the like through function keys instead.

Since we're looking at 'em, I suppose I should take this opportunity to talk about the M4000's selection of ports. Up front is the ever-present SD Media slot. On the left edge of the case is a single Type II PC Card slot, audio in and out jacks, a VGA port, and the power jack for the M4000's (fairly compact—about the size of a bar of soap) external power brick. Most of the laptop's back edge is occupied by the battery, but there is a single RJ-11 port for the V.92 modem. Slide around to the right side, and you'll find a Fast Ethernet plug, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and the tray cover for the CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive. Notable for their absence: a FireWire port and a third or fouth USB port. Some folks may complain about the omissions, but I have few ambitions for this thing that its existing array of ports won't fulfill.

Life with the M4000
By now you should have a sense of the WideNote's layout and features. I'm pleased to report that in everyday use, Sharp's WideNote formula works as well I had hoped. The M4000 travels exceptionally well, like most ultraportables, but it's capable enough to function as one's only laptop PC, even for extended use. Coming from my previous, much larger laptop with a 15.4" widescreen, the transition to the Sharp was fairly painless. It's a simple formula, really, and I know Sony and a few others sell laptops with similar dimensions. Still, I'm amazed by how practically correct the WideNote seems to be. I expect laptops of this size to become more popular, and more common, in the future.

Since I bought the M4000 without seeing one in person first, I'm relieved that it's as good as it is. Buying sight-unseen wasn't my first choice, but Sharp's retail presence in the U.S. is limited, and the M4000 isn't always present when other Sharp Actius models are. The two things I worried about most in buying a laptop without having seen it in person were the keyboard and the quality of the display. On these fronts, we have mixed results.

The keyboard is indeed full-sized, and it's reasonably usable as a result. The keys are made of slick, non-textured plastic, however, and their surfaces are only very subtly contoured. The key action gives a reasonable amount of positive feedback, but it's sometimes difficult to appreciate that when my sweaty fingers are sliding about the surface of the keys. Over time, I've adapted to the keyboard for the most part, but I can't say I really like it. Sharp could have done better.

The keyboard layout is great except for the function/control key placement

On the other hand, Sharp is known for making excellent LCD screens, and the M4000's gorgeous 13.3" display will only enhance that reputation. Compared to my old Compaq's 15.4" screen, the WideNote's LCD panel is much, much brighter, with more vivid color reproduction and better color clarity and contrast. The pixel density on this 13.3" 1280x800 screen is high, but not so high that most folks will have to monkey around with larger default font settings or anything like that.

The real surprise here is how well the glossy coating on the screen works. I liked the look of the various glossy laptop screens on display in the store because, hey, shiny! Pretty colors! But I was worried about the added visual interference that reflections on the screen would cause; glossiness seemed counterintuitive. I wasn't sold on the glossy coating until my first bout with bad lighting conditions. I was on a plane ride, sitting the middle seat of three, with a passenger sitting next to me who had the window wide open. Sunlight was streaming in, not directly on the screen but right next to it. I'd been in this situation with other laptops before, and getting any work done was simply impossible. The M4000's glossy screen, however, handled these conditions like a champ. I've seen the M4000's display work well in countless similar scenarios since, where a non-glossy laptop screen wouldn't cut it. This screen has made a convert out of me.