The ASUS G60J is a powerful notebook with an Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor. It wears the Republic of Gamers badge, which means it can run many of the latest games. It has a 16in screen and a powerful graphics card, and it's comfortable to use -- even ...

Intel Core i7 Q820 CPU, fast, can run the latest games, backlit keyboard, surprisingly good speakers

Wireless networking card is not dual-band, screen is too glossy, no Bluetooth module

It's not the type of notebook you can use outdoors or on the run; not just because of its short battery life, but also because it has a glossy screen that will reflect light and be hard to view outdoors. At around 3.4kg, it is also quite heavy

With the addition of ePub support, the Sony Reader Touch Edition shapes up as a formidable competitor to Amazon's Kindle for those who want a sturdier and more elegant reader.

Full-featured reader with a good music player, intuitive user interface

A tad heavy and pricey, requires a PC to add content

In short, Sony continues to be a class act in the digital book realm; and since it now supports ePub, it should rival Amazon in the breadth of available content. At US$300, it's pricier than many other e-book readers, but it's also one of the best ...

BenQ's Joybook Lite U121 Eco is more than a typical netbook. It has a large 11.6in screen with a 1366x768 resolution, and this has allowed BenQ to install a full-sized keyboard on the wider chassis.

11.6in screen with a 1366x768 resolution, long battery life, large keyboard

Keyboard is bouncy and keys are too stiff, lots of unused chassis space

BenQ could have added a lot more feature wise to this netbook - especially when you consider the free internal space - but the Joybook Lite U121 Eco doesn't differ greatly from the other netbooks, save for the bigger screen and keyboard. Nevertheless, ...

Toshiba's Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is packed with features that not only make it a suitable desktop replacement notebook but also a credible home entertainment hub. It's a 16in notebook and weighs 3kg, so it will be a little awkward to lug to ...

Comfortable to use, illuminated keyboard, big screen, plenty of useful utilities, stylish, full sized antenna port

Lacks FireWire, screen has limited vertical viewing angles, screen is reflective

The Toshiba Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is a fully featured notebook that's perfect as a desktop replacement, and even as a media hub for your lounge room. It's big, so you won't want to lug it around with you, but it's stylish, so you will want to ...

The Viliv S5 Premium UMPC is speedy and well connected, but disappointing 3G support and an awkward software keyboard make it less than ideal for everyday use.

Fast Win XP device with 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, battery life seems decent

Software keyboard can be awkward, skimpy documentation, 3G performance spotty

As UMPCs go, the Viliv S5 Premium delivers on many of its promises, although the disappointing 3G performance will deter some people and the software keyboard makes it a poor choice for anyone who frequently wrangles Office documents. For this price, ...

The ASUS U80V is an all-purpose notebook with some visual surprises under the hood, including a touch-sensitive LED trackpad (altogether now: "Ooooooh! Ahhhhhh!"). The ASUS U80V offers a good range of components for the asking price and will run day ...

Performed solidly in our benchmarks, backlit keyboard and LCD light-sensor, dinky LED trackpad

No e-SATA connection, design is a bit bland

The Asus U80V is an above-average all-purpose notebook with some interesting bells and whistles up its sleeve. For the asking price, it provides a rock-solid performance.

Go on, grab the Dell Latitude XT2--it just feels good. The rugged metal-alloy casing gives it a solid, substantial frame.

Nice screen, light, great set of features

Expensive

Overall, the superslick Dell Latitude XT2 will make you the envy of the boardroom. It offers most of the bells and whistles you might need, and it runs briskly enough for you to get your work in order. This machine offers more than enough to like- ...

Great battery life, good build quality, light, comfortable keyboard, 802.11n Wi-Fi, LED backlit screen

DC-in port is loose, no physical Wi-Fi switch, glossy screen

This ultraportable Acer notebook should offer more than enough power, as long as you aren't planning to play recent games or edit videos, and it has an excellent collection of features (including 802.11n Wi-Fi). For students or business users who don ...

Solidly built, built-in optical drive, powerful CPU

Relatively short battery life, lacks eSATA and HDMI

The Dell Vostro 1320 is a good choice for any business user who wants a laptop that offers the best of both worlds: portability and fast performance. We just wish it had better battery life and more modern ports.

Built-in 3G modem, good performance, relatively light, good battery life

Doesn't have a digital video output port, we couldn't connect to the 3G network in our area

Dell's Vostro 1520 is a 15.4in notebook with a 9-cell battery, yet it weighs a reasonable 2.7kg. With a built-in 3G modem and a powerful CPU, it's a great workhorse for the business user who wants a mid-sized notebook that's comfortable to work on.