Gateway seems to have named this iMac wannabe after the Jetson's dog. It was a good choice. Underpowered, underfeatured, and homely as all get out, the Astro is nothing if not a bow-wow. Here are the all-in-one machine's basic specs:

Processor: Intel® Celeron™ Processor 400MHz with 128K Cache
Memory: 64MB SDRAM
Keyboard: USB Keyboard with USB Mouse
Screen: 15.0" Display with 13.9" viewable
Hard Drive: 4.3GB Ultra ATA hard drive
Floppy Drive: Integrated 1.44MB 3.5" floppy diskette drive
CD-ROM: 17X min./40X max. CD-ROM drive
Video: Intel® 3D Graphics
Fax/Modemm: V.90 56K Internet/Fax Modem
Software: Windows 98, Microsoft® Works Suite 99, Norton Antivirus
Warranty: 1 Year Limited
Dimensions: 16.0" x 16.1" x 17.5" (w x h x d), approximately 44 lbs
External ports: 4 USB Ports
Internal Microphone and Headphone Jacks
Price: $799

Yes, the price is decent, but the Celeron 400 with only a 128K cache is arthritic, the hard drive is relatively small (the basic iMac's is 6GB), and, in comparison with the iMac's Rage 128 graphics accelerator, the video capabilities are weak, to say the least. Finally, there's the lack of networking support and the stingy software bundle. Add up the negatives, and you've got a pretty good argument for passing up the Astro.

Arf arf.




Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 799
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: 301-400
RAM: 64
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): 4-6