It also comes with a joystick port on the side, hidden behind a little door so your colleagues won't guess that, instead of working on presentations in your hotel room at night, you're actually playing Flight Simulator 98. Even the software bundle is savvy. There is, of course, Microsoft's Office 97 . But you also get Dragon Systems' excellent voice recognition package, Naturally Speaking . The XKE sports both a trackpoint and a touchpad.
Battery life is excellent.
I got just over three hours with normal use, though using the CD-ROM brought the time down to less than half that. Now, here's the bad news. Fully loaded, this puppy weighs well over eight pounds. You'd think, as heavy as it is, that all this would be crammed inside, but no. Compaq Computer Corp. Place one of the portables from Compaq's Armada 7300 line next to its flagship 7700 notebook, and you'll instantly see both similarities and differences.