Carrera Explorer III review

The London-based PC manufacturer Carrera has been in the desktop market for many years now, but so far it hasn't made an impact with its notebooks.

This latest model looks like changing that, though.

It's based around the latest mobile version of the Intel Pentium MMX, in this case a 166MHz model, which for the time being is the fastest mobile-specific processor you'll find in any notebook. Other notebooks are available with 200 and even 233MMX processors, but when you look under the hood, they're using battery-guzzling, heat-pumping desktop processors. For extended mobile power, you need a mobile processor.

The good first impressions last a little longer when you see the rest of the package: a 12.1in TFT screen, 32Mb RAM, 16-speed CD-ROM drive, and 1.8Gb hard disk. It certainly seems equipped to deliver the goods, and as you can see from its lab test score, it's no slouch either.

If the speed and the spec come up trumps, the next important question is how it feels in use - and the answer is, it feels good. Booting up puts you into Carrera's customised installation of Windows 95, with Lotus SmartSuite 97 pre-installed and the Carrera user manual on your desktop. The first thing you notice is the bright, clear screen. You generally expect a decent screen at this price, but the Carrera's is still impressive; you can view it at quite a shallow angle, and there is no fading or discolouration visible. The screen resolution is 800x600 but a desktop of 1,280x1,024 can be maintained for you to pan around.

As you start to use the Explorer, you'll notice that it has a better typing position than most other notebooks. This is because on the base, two ridged areas lift the rear slightly above the desk. One conceals the hard disk and the other is a moulded vent for a fan - don't worry the Explorer is commendably quiet. In practice, this means the Explorer is permanently titled towards you. While it's a good move ergonomically, it's not quite as flexible as adjustable feet, although I felt comfortable typing on the Explorer.

The keyboard itself is a light, slightly bouncy model. The key layout was reasonable but there are a few niggles: the provision of three Windows 95 keys means the spacebar is slightly short, and the backspace key irritatingly small. In its favour, the Explorer had an easy typing action, properly placed cursor keys, 12 function keys and all the document navigation keys.

The rest of the Explorer's build quality is well up to scratch. The overall look is elegant and businesslike, helped by the attention to ergonomics. The left-hand side holds the NiMH battery pack, the dual PCMCIA slots for two Type II cards or one Type III, and three ports for audio - headphones, microphone, and line in. The rear ports are mostly concealed by one large flap, which has a sliding panel to give you access to the docking port alone. Apart from this, inside you'll find serial, parallel and VGA ports. There is also a PS/2 mouse or keyboard port at the rear, along with a video output, and the 19VDC power port.

Sitting on the right-hand side the removable 16-speed CD-ROM dominates, and an IrDA port sits next door. While no floppy drive resides in the case, you can swap one for the CD-ROM drive or you can attach one externally with a cable. The appropriate drive and cable are supplied. Incidentally, Carrera also supplies a functional carrying case for the Explorer, and a CD-ROM with all the system software on it.

Rounding off the Explorer's features are the trackpad, which worked fine, and the LCD status panel that displays all the usual system warnings. The two speakers for the Explorer sit just above the keyboard, and as in most notebooks, can't manage much beyond the odd Windows sound effect.