Gateway has begun shipping its latest "ultra-portable" notebook, the E-100M. It said the machine was less than an inch thick and weighs just 1.4kg (3.2lbs) and sports a processor Intel hasn't launched yet. The Core Solo U1300 first appeared on Intel roadmaps in November 2005 with a Q2 2006 debut.

The E-100M is based around a 12.1in, 1,280 x 800 widescreen display driven by the Intel chipset's GMA 950 graphics engine. It's powered by a single-core Intel Core Solo ultra-low voltage processor running at 1.06GHz and sports the chip maker's 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi adaptor, so it's a Centrino-class laptop.

The base spec includes 512MB of 533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM, a 40GB 5,400rpm SATA hard drive, six-in-one memory card reader, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire connector, Gigabit Ethernet and a 56Kbps modem.

Missing from the list is an optical drive - Gateway is offering an external DVD±R/RW unit as an optional extra, adding $200 to the base price of $1,399. Bluetooth is a $50 extra, too.

Gateway claimed the E-100M was "ideal for work on the go", but the standard battery's 2.75-hour lifespan's nothing to write home about. You can boost the duration to 5.5 hours or even eight hours with optional "extended" and "high-capacity" batteries, respectively.

Gateway said it will shortly offer an alternative version of the E-100M aimed at the small businesses, consumers and students. The NX100X goes on sale next week to SMEs and to consumers on 11 May. ®