The 486SL-based Tandy 3800HD is not a bad computer; it's just lacking a couple of things--like a display you can look at for more than a few minutes at a time (its insufficient contrast and wrong aspect ratio result in images that are vertically compressed). And despite the fact that the computer boots up to Windows, Tandy hasn't supplied the mouse; have fun using Windows without one!

Not all bad. To its credit, the Tandy 3800HD is a tidy little package--at a little over six pounds, it isn't the lightest of the notebooks, but it's no arm-breaker either. And while the lack of a carrying handle is a shortcoming for me, I imagine that most people will tote the machine in a briefcase or in Tandy's own (optional) carrying case.

I have mixed feelings about the keyboard, the layout of which approximates that of the now-nearly-universal AT configuration, with function keys (somewhat smaller than the QWERTY and editing keys) arrayed horizontally across the top. Keystroke feedback is provided by plastic "springs" that do the job adequately but can't quite achieve the crisp clickiness of top-quality keyboards.

Good placement. The best element of the Tandy notebook is its industrial design. Status lights for power, hard-disk activity, caps lock, number lock, scroll lock, and keypad are conveniently located just above the keyboard alongside the power switch, which is intelligently mounted inside the cover. (Many manufacturers inexplicably choose to mount the power switch on the exterior of the computer, but such a location makes it too easy to accidentally turn the computer on when you're traveling or off when you're working.) You can also adjust the screen contrast with a slider mounted alongside the screen. For reasons unknown, there's an exterior two-position switch for shifting between bright and less bright. Unfortunately, no matter where you set either of these controls, the screen is an eye killer.

The best news is that processing speed and screen rewriting are about what you'd expect from a 20-MHz 486 machine: fast. Disk accesses are just as speedy--except when the disk has been turned off by the power saver, in which case the disk must first get itself up to operational speed (true for all computers, not just the Tandy). But both hard disk and floppy do their work quietly, so if you're computing in flight, you won't disturb your dozing seat companion. (Some laptops/notebooks whine and click at annoying levels.)

The 55-page user's guide to the computer will get you started without difficulty; Tandy also carefully customized and condensed the MS-DOS and Windows manuals. Until you get a modem, the included America Online software won't do you a bit of good. But once you do, the service--an information network such as Prodigy or CompuServe with a friendly, mouse-driven Geos (Windows-type) graphical interface--is worthwhile. Your first month's membership fee is gratis; after that, you pay a reasonable $6 per month plus connect-time fees beyond the "free" hour-per-month covered by the fee. In addition to its normal in-store customer support, Tandy provides online support through this service.