For Design I'd place this harp GP10CH Notebook against all the others at the price.(U.K. £1100:00 inc vat.) For one contract this machine pays for itself instantly with the speed of compiling audio/SWF in shockwave flash and other apps. and the time saved in processing power. Runs everything silently as RAM handles almost all apps I need it to. RAM Drives work exceptionally well if you use them.
Have never turned it off since the day I bought it and went out to buy second machine. (Has hung on me only once but that's WinXP failings.)
The startup is very fast considering what I have installed.
The software I run pushes the device to it's limits and it still doesn't blow smoke. (Swapfile or lag.)
The Operating system I was VERY dubious about (WinXP) but having used it seems to be 20% faster/more efficient than '98 on the same system (oddly or not).
Audio is middlezone60%-bass30% but just enough topend10% to give good demos against the competition using the inbuilt speakers but even mediocre external portable speakers placed the audio into a league on its own.
4 USB's is a definite plus.
After the usual miserable spec comparisons this one came out top on
1) memory,
2)40 gigs and
3) a solid screen/lid (which didn't bend like the competitions) alongside the overall solidity and sturdy design which is imortant if it's to be knocked about and bumped from demo to demo.
Unfussy.
Does the job.
Works fast, hard and quietly and is, by all its competitors, uncostly.
I'd class this as a true workhorse.
Neil Benusa-Armstrong.
(amip.abipp.lrps.)

With these specifications, the Sharp GP10CH Notebook is easily the desktop replacement for me. I do not play games and use the machine mainly for academic and journalistic purposes. For research, I recently upgraded to BT Broadband. My SHARP GP10CH is very fast in what I want it to do. I have an Alcatel broadband modem, an HP all-in-one, an Iomega 250 and a Sandisk media reader attached to the 4 USB ports all the time. The system can still boot up in about 45 seconds, with which I am very happy. The 15" screen is bright with impressive colours (resolution 1024 x 768) and great clarity. Other top brand pc notebooks with comparable specifications are on sale for several hundred pounds more - and many have (ONLY!) 3 USB ports and/30G HD. One little niggle I have is that the SHARP GP10CH and its younger brother GP10CM (price £1199) are available only at PC World, which reduces competition. Even then, an attractive offer in my view.