Makers of notebook PCs aren’t often adventurous—unless aping the latest Apple design counts—but Gateway has gone a little out there with its new ID47 notebook. Announced earlier today, the machine purportedly fits a “14-inch HD widescreen back-lit LED display with full edge-to-edge glass into a chassis typically used for smaller 13.3-inch models.”
The ID47 actually measures 12.97″ x 8.95″ x 0.85-1.13″, so that indeed makes it comparable in size to 13″ notebooks we’ve tested, like the Asus U33Jc. As you might expect, that arrangement leaves very little room for a bezel, and the ID47 comes off looking rather unusual:
Internally, Gateway says it’s outfitting the ID47 with second-generation Core processors (Sandy Bridge, in other words), USB 3.0 connectivity, a DVD drive, Dolby Home Theater v4 audio, and a battery rated for up to eight hours of run time. Laptop Magazine reports the base $699 config has a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 500GB of 5,400-RPM mechanical storage, and a six-cell battery. Gateway unfortunately opted for a 1366×768 LCD panel, so the extra physical real estate doesn’t count for much—unless you’re one of those folks who likes watching movies on their laptops, I suppose.
I’ve gotta say, I’m quite partial to the ultra-slim bezel and large LCD panel. There’s something very futuristic about it. Provided the design doesn’t have tradeoffs as far as image and build quality are concerned, I wouldn’t mind seeing more notebook makers follow in Gateway’s footsteps. Higher display resolutions would be nice, though.