Take Note More powerful than many desktop computers, today's notebooks are packed with features.

Traveling businesspeople who need the power of their officecomputers on the road can find it in the newest high-performance,feature-rich notebook computers. Outstripping their full-sized 486desktop brothers, these small machines have faster processors,larger hard drives, more memory, more flexibility and greatercapabilities than many 2- or 3-year-old desktop PCs.

High-performance notebooks--characterized by their 8-by-11-inchsize--have multimedia capabilities and include CD-ROM drives,stereo speakers, speedy built-in modems, color display screens, avariety of ports for PC cards and connectors, microphone and phonejacks, and docking capability once you're back at your office.Some have an "open architecture" that allows you to buildthe notebook to your personal specifications.

Except for ultra-thin models, extra features tend to add bulkand weight to portable computers, even though many notebooksincorporate slots for interchangeable components such as CD-ROM,floppy disk and backup drives, and extra battery packs.