X

Advent Altro and Altro Elite: Altro-istic

Advent has announced the super-slim Altro laptop -- and its twin the Altro Elite -- which is yours for a monkey and a ton

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm

Advent has announced the advent of the Altro and Altro Elite, with the former claimed to be the thinnest and lightest laptop available for under £600. The Altro measures 21mm thick and weighs 1.6kg, packing a 13.3-inch widescreen display.

That svelte thickness is mostly down to the MacBook Air's trick of tapering the edges, or as we like to call it, 'cheating'. In the metal frame you get two USB ports, a multi-touch pad that allows for iPhone-style pinching, plus fingerprint recognition for secure log-in. There's a built-in webcam and a battery that lasts up to 4 hours, which isn't much to write home about in our 'umble.

Under the bonnet there's 3GB of RAM, an Intel Celeron processor and a 120GB hard drive with anti-shock technology, should you make the mistake of dropping it. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connect you to a world without wires.

Advent Altro

The whole shebang runs on Windows Vista, with a free upgrade option to Windows 7 in October.

The Advent Altro is set to hit shelves at PCWorld, Dixons and Currys next Monday, for £600. Stumping up £800 gets you an Altro Elite, with a faster Intel Core 2 Solo chip and longer battery life.