The plethora of ports found on the M3 begin right on the front panel. The ports are as follows:

Headphone output: You can monitor audio material from hard drive or CD/DVD by simply plugging into the front of the M3. Once again out of the box we make it easy to work with audio, regardless of your situation.

Microphone Input: You can record audio straight away using the CD quality analog microphone input. OK, we'll admit that the latency is not as lightning fast as a professional audio card, but you don't have to buy a piece of hardware to record an audio signal.

Infrared Transceiver: The infrared transceiver enables communication between the computer and another similarly equipped device, and is 4M bps FIR, IrDA 1.1 compliant.

Audio Transport Controls: Control the playback of CDs without booting up the notebook with these convenient front panel buttons.

Audio DJ: You can play Audio-CDs without needing to first launch Windows. Audio DJ makes a direct link Windows AP to play mp3 and DVD right away.

Instant On Media Player [IOMP]: IOMP can provide multimedia play without the need to launch Windows XP. By selecting IOMP mode and enjoy Audio CD, MP3, VCD, DVD or Photo CD without booting XP.

PC Card Slot: The 3.3V/5V slot may be used for a type-II PC card (PC cards were also previously referred to as PCMCIA) and fully supports Cardbus. This is where high performance audio interfaces can be connected.

USB 2.0 Port: Capable of a blistering transfer rate of 480MBPS [that's 40 times the speed of USB 1.1], these ports allow for the connection of high performance storage devices and high definition audio devices. We have tested audio hard drives connected to these USB 2.0 ports and we can report that they are fast enough for large audio production with scores of audio tracks.

The current wave of USB 2.0 products are high-definition [24/96] audio interfaces that connect to the computer solely through USB 2.0. We can't say enough about the tremendous power available to the audio professionals via USB 2.0.

3-in-1 Card Reader: This card reader allows you to use the most popular digital storage cards. The formats which can be read are MultiMedia, Secure Digital, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards.

The left side of the M3 contains the AC Adapter connector and two more USB 2.0 ports.

8X DVD+/-RW: Your ticket to real storage flexibility is the DVD burner included in the M3. It's fast, quiet and compatible with virtually all DVD formats.

The back of the M3 has the important Vent/Fan intake which enables airflow and should never be blocked while the machine is turned ON. The back also has the DC-In jack for the power supply along with these other ports:

mini 1394 IEEE port: The 1394 [FireWire®] ports support self powered IEEE 1394 devices. They are perfect for audio devices and hard discs that connect to the computer via FireWire. We have tested many audio interfaces and found the performance of these ports incredible. They offer plug and play connectivity and hassle-free operation. You can also connect hard disk and optical storage devices, like DVD burners, for flexible expansion options. In addition, the M3 comes with a PC card bus 3-port FireWire card which offers 6-pin connectors.

GigaBit LAN / Ethernet: When you want to connect to the internet or to a local area network, the 10/100/1000 BaseT ethernet port on the back of the M3 is just the ticket. There is no better way to back manage data than through networking. Once again, not extra cards needed, it's built in. GigaBit LAN means not only the fastest desktop network protocol, it means that you can play some project located on another MusicXPC over the ethernet connection.

Modem Port: This port connects to the built-in modem. You may plug the telephone line directly into this RJ-11 telephone connection.

VGA out port: The VGA-out port allows you to connect and external monitor, or Flat Panel Display, to allow dual video or simultaneous display on the LCD and external monitor/FPD. This allows you to use a programs like ProTools, Cubase or SONAR and open the tracks on the main Notebook screen and simultaneously open the audio editors on the second monitor.