Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 6.0 lbs, 15.5 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Low price; Blu-ray drive; roomy display but still relatively lightweight; great keyboard.
THE BAD
Seems to be room for a bigger battery; no media control buttons.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Sony Vaio VGN-NW270F/S is a low-cost, Blu-ray-equipped laptop that makes a great choice for home use and, should you be willing to tote around a 15-inch machine, a decent choice as your everyday, take-it-with-you laptop.
Sony Vaio X (VPC-X115KX/N Signature Collection, gold)
EDITORS RATING
7.9
VALUE WATCH RATING
Poor value
SPECS
Intel Atom (2 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 128 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 1.6 lbs, 11.1 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS
THE GOOD
Amazingly thin and light; great battery life with extended battery; faster than other Netbooks; big 128GB solid-state hard drive.
THE BAD
Underpowered for such an expensive system; default battery is short-lived.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Sony's bold experiment--a high-end luxury system with essentially Netbook components--makes an enviable coffee shop conversation piece, but one that includes some serious sticker shock.
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 14.1 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Sharp design and good build quality; comfortable keyboard and touch pad; backlit keys; lengthy battery life without bulky battery; two-year warranty.
THE BAD
Awful speakers, even for a midsize laptop.
THE BOTTOM LINE
As a general purpose productivity machine, the Toshiba Satellite E105-S1802 strikes a number of right notes. Its dreadful speakers, however, limit its entertainment value
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 7.2 lbs, 16 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Large screen, great speakers; excellent battery life.
THE BAD
Heavy; massive battery; no Bluetooth.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Good design and some really nice-sounding speakers round out the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6980, a very affordable mainstream laptop with excellent battery life for its size.
Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 120 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Excellent design; great battery life; seamless 3G connection.
THE BAD
Slower CPU leads to frustratingly sluggish performance.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Nokia's entry in the crowded Netbook field shows that the company's hardware know-how translates to computer design, but a poor choice of CPU should give you pause.
Intel Core i7 (1.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.1 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star
THE GOOD
Slim for a powerhouse 15-inch laptop; 1080p screen; solid construction.
THE BAD
No internal optical drive; some Blu-ray playback issues; very expensive.
THE BOTTOM LINE
HP's new Envy 15 packs high-powered components into a svelte 15-inch body. The result is an upscale status symbol that still shows a few first-generation rough edges.
Intel Turion II mobile processor (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.3 lbs, 14.1 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Nice design with good port assortment; excellent performance for the money.
THE BAD
Below average battery life; no Bluetooth.
THE BOTTOM LINE
As long as you're not looking for extremely long battery life, the HP Pavilion dv4-2045dx is a well-rounded mainstream budget laptop with above average looks and performance.
Intel Core 2 Duo (1.3 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 4.6 lbs, 14 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star
THE GOOD
Thin and trim for a 14-inch laptop; attractive design; roomy and comfortable keyboard; surprisingly impressive audio output; touchpad supports gestures, such as two-finger scrolling.
THE BAD
Application performance lags far behind similarly priced laptops; only 802.11b/g Wi-Fi.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With an ultra-low-voltage CPU, the Dell Inspiron 1470-3282 runs longer but slower than competing laptops. We're not thrilled with the performance hit, but we still found lots to like about this well-designed, 14-inch laptop.
AMD Turion X2 Ultra (2.4 GHz), 4 GB, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 7.7 lbs, 17.3 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Blu-ray player and dedicated graphics not normally included at this price; competitive application performance; nice-looking design; touch-sensitive media control keys.
THE BAD
Disappointing audio output; below-average battery life, despite use of extended-cell battery; glossy touch pad doesn't provide the best feel.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The HP Pavilion dv7-3065dx is a low-cost, big-screen laptop that will win you over with its Blu-ray player and pleasing design. It may lose you, however, when you hear its speakers.
Intel Core 2 Duo (1.3 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.1 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star
THE GOOD
Very thin; solid design; good battery life.
THE BAD
Slower than a typical Core 2 Duo laptop; no Bluetooth.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The design and portability of the Asus UL50AG make it one of the slickest 15.6-inch DVD-drive-equipped laptops we've seen, but an ultralow-voltage processor compromises its computing power.
Intel Pentium (2.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star
THE GOOD
Good configuration and performance for the money; simple, straightforward design.
THE BAD
Minimal port assortment; glossy plastic build.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU is a good, if basic, laptop with a strong price-to-performance ratio.
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Rugged and well built; textured plastic a pleasing departure from glossy surfaces found on majority of laptops; slot-loading DVD drive.
THE BAD
A bit portly for a thin-and-light; keyboard feels flimsy; touch pad is overly sensitive.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Toshiba Satellite U505-S2870 is rather tank-like for a 13.3-inch thin-and-light. We'd be more willing to tote it around if its heavy-armor feel extended to the flimsy keyboard.
Intel Pentium Dual Core (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.7 lbs, 16 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Large screen; compact width for a 16-inch laptop.
THE BAD
Underpowered processor; mediocre battery life.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Although the Asus K60IJ-RBLX05 is an affordable 16-inch budget laptop, it's missing the processing punch and features that can be had for just a little more money.
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