Nice display; very good feature set, design

A couple strange design choices; weak processor

The Gateway NV5207u is certainly above average for the money, but its processor is a dog.

Large screen, great speakers; excellent battery life

Heavy; massive battery; no Bluetooth

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.

Ridiculously affordable; large screen

Slow, older CPU; no Webcam; terrible battery life

While it's hard to argue with a $350 laptop, the old-fashioned-looking L455-S5975 cuts some serious corners to get you a package that will suit only basic users.

Amazingly thin and light; great battery life with extended battery; faster than other Netbooks; big 128GB solid-state hard drive

Underpowered for such an expensive system; default battery is short-lived

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.

The Archos 5 Internet tablet/portable media player offers a large, high-resolution touch-screen display, Wi-Fi, music playback, photos, Flash video and game compatibility, Bluetooth, e-mail, a Web browser, a built-in speaker, an integrated kickstand, ...

GPS signal reception is poor enough to make the feature useless; many popular Android apps are unsupported; Flash video support is hit or miss; no multitouch support for keyboard or gestures; text copy and paste is a chore; and the glossy design shows ...

The Archos 5 is a great video player, but it disappoints as a premium Android Internet tablet and GPS unit.

Dual-core CULV processor; Windows 7 preinstalled; very good battery life

Weak speakers; uncomfortable touch pad

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.

Sleek unibody design; LED display; big multitouch trackpad; long battery life

Loses FireWire; no SD card slot; nonremovable battery

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.

Solid construction ; matte 16x9 screen ; flexible configurations and pricing

Bland, boxy design ; somewhat bulky frame

Lenovo's Windows 7 upgrade to the ThinkPad SL500 keeps the price affordable, and features a consumer-friendly 16:9 display.

Lightweight body, Windows 7 preinstalled, very good battery life

Underperforming single-core CPU, weak speakers

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.

Powerful desktop gaming performance ; excellent service, support, and pricing policies

Poor speaker performance ; fingerprint magnet ; small keyboard and touch pad for a gigantic notebook

If you're ready to give up your gaming desktop once and for all, consider replacing it with the Malibal Veda series laptop.