Emachines have launched its first portable PC, dubbed the M5305 to boost its presence in the consumer PC market.

The new 6.5-pound M5305 boasts a 15.4-inch wide-screen monitor with a resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels and an Advanced Micro Devices Athlon XP-M 2200+ processor. Wide screens have so far been seen only in more expensive notebooks, priced in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. The new Emachines model will sell for less than $1,200.

The new model gives Emachines room to deliver notebooks at both higher and lower prices in the future, said Gary Elsasser, vice president of engineering and product development for Emachines.

"We wanted something that's was differentiated--wide screen takes care of that--that would also be attractive to high-volume retail customers," he said. "I think in the future, we'll offer lower-cost units. If anybody can build a profitable box at a low price point, it's us."

Emachines will have stiff competition from the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Sony and Toshiba in the U.S. retail market and Dell Computer in the wider market for consumer PCs. Dell's Inspiron 8500 notebook offers a choice between two higher-resolution 15.4-inch wide screens. Its starting price