Some keyboard flex; touchy touch pad; feels a bit cheap.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you're in the market for an affordable thin-and-light, the Asus UL30A-A1 provides great value and a solid Core 2 Duo CULV processor in an attractive package.
Nvidia Ion graphics adds HD video and basic gaming functionality; reasonably priced; high-def display.
THE BAD
Annoying touch pad; streaming Flash video support for new Nvidia Ion graphics is spotty; $20 extra for a white lid, seriously?
THE BOTTOM LINE
HP's Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing. Once it starts shipping with Windows 7, this could become our favorite Netbook.
Apple MacBook Fall 2009 (Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M)
EDITORS RATING
8.0
VALUE WATCH RATING
Poor value
SPECS
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard, 4.7 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Sleek unibody design; LED display; big multitouch trackpad; long battery life.
THE BAD
Loses FireWire; no SD card slot; nonremovable battery.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot.
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 Pentium (1300 MHz), DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in
THE GOOD
Dual-core CULV processor; Windows 7 preinstalled; very good battery life.
THE BAD
Weak speakers; uncomfortable touch pad.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Toshiba's slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but if you're going to get one, make sure it's the dual-core T135-S1310, and not its single-core cousin.
Toshiba revives its Qosmio gaming line with the high-end X505. It has everything from Blu-ray to an Intel Core i7 CPU, but it also carries a premium price.
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 Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 3072 MB DDR II SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 3.8 lbs, 15.4 in TFT
THE GOOD
Slick, modern design; big touch pad; bright display; premium support services.
THE BAD
Very expensive; heavier than it looks; no backlit keyboard; limited ports and connections.
THE BOTTOM LINE
HP's upscale Envy 13 looks and feels like an expensive status symbol, with performance and features that impress us--but its high price makes it a tough sell over the similar-looking MacBook Pro.
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 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.
Not as many configuration options as some other Dell laptops; weak battery.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Dell's middle-of-the-road Inspiron 14 offers a decent low-cost mainstream Core 2 Duo package, but we would have liked better battery life and more graphics options.
Thicker than many Netbooks; undistinguished design.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Hannspree Hannsnote doesn't set the Netbook world on fire, but it's a surprisingly usable and well-featured mini-laptop at a competitive price from a new manufacturer.
Intel Pentium (1300 MHz), 3072 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT
THE GOOD
Lightweight body, Windows 7 preinstalled, very good battery life.
THE BAD
Underperforming single-core CPU, weak speakers.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Toshiba's slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but the Satellite T135-S1300 isn't as multimedia-savvy as it seems to be at first glance.
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.9 GHz), 4096 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 15.0 in TFT
THE GOOD
Affordable; good gaming performance for the price.
THE BAD
Bland design; poor battery life; display not 1080p.
THE BOTTOM LINE
While its aesthetics leave something to be desired, the iBuyPower Battalion M865TU gaming laptop is a decent cocktail of no-frills performance and price.
Intel Celeron (2.2 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 15.6 in TFT active matrix
THE GOOD
Ridiculously affordable; large screen.
THE BAD
Slow, older CPU; no Webcam; terrible battery life.
THE BOTTOM LINE
While it's hard to argue with a $330 laptop, the old-fashioned-looking L455-S5975 cuts some serious corners to get you a package that will suit only basic users.
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