Asus U35JC-A1

Much like the UL30A, Asus U35JC-A1 is slim, angular, and decked in lots of brushed metal in many ways, it comes across as a throwback design, like a DeLorean in laptop form. The very thin upper lid is backed in brushed aluminum, the small centered Asus logo looking more EPCOT-era than ever. Inside, a light gray silver, patterned, glossy plastic surrounds the keyboard deck, while glossy, black plastic surrounds the inset screen. Asus' keyboards are almost universally of the raised Chiclet style kind, but they're not all made equally.

Some Asus laptops have exhibited serious keyboard flex but that isn't the case with Asus U35JC-A1. The very solid feeling keys were great to type on, and aside from our gripe with the awkwardly placed arrow keys and a right hand side of page up or down buttons that needlessly squish the Enter and Shift keys, it makes for an excellent experience. There's just enough palm rest space beneath for good lap typing. Overall, it's nearly as good a keyboard as the MacBook Pro's.

A medium size multitouch touchpad lies flush with the keyboard deck around it in the same color to boot but textured with a subtle matte grid that works better than expected. A thin button bar beneath feels too slight, but the whole package gets the job done well and, most importantly, responsively. However, we'd put an asterisk next to "multitouch" the Elan software driving the touchpad allows only for a limited set of gestures, such as two finger scroll and multifinger tap, leaving out obvious ones like pinch to zoom. Two buttons sit atop the keyboard : one to the far left, one to the right.

They look identical, but the right one is the power button, whereas the left boots up the laptop in Asus' Express Gate quick start OS. We're not a fan of quick-start environments, simply because their limited applications, quirky setup, and need to boot up Windows 7 for access to the rest of your PC's features make for an annoying experience. Do yourself a favor and just put your laptop to sleep instead. When Windows 7 is already booted, the left button switches between custom battery saving modes.

The LED-backlit, glossy 13 inch 16:9 screen has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, standard for this size. Viewing angles were tighter than we'd prefer, with color and contrast drifting into a washed out look unless the screen was perfectly centered. For videos, Web browsing, and general everyday use, pictures and videos look fine as long as excessive tilting is avoided. Front firing Altec Lansing stereo speakers situated under the keyboard on the lower front edge of Asus U35JC-A1 are loud enough for movies, Webchat or any other conceivable use, with notable crisp punch during gameplay. They're better than standard laptop speakers at this range, but lack musical depth and powerful bass.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d

Lenovo continues to create very nice looking laptops with its IdeaPad line. Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d is about as far from the office ready Lenovo mindset as we've seen, with a funky tribal tattoo design on the back of the lid. Other than that, the color scheme is similar to systems such as the IdeaPad Y460, with a copper accent strip around the outer edge of the lid and an interior mix of not too glossy black plastic and matte black keys. A row of backlit touch sensitive control buttons sit on top of the keyboard.

Running a finger back and forth along them pops up a quick launch bar, with assignable slots for different apps. It's clever looking, but it takes some getting used to. Running your finger along the right part of it can also change the desktop background image, but we never got the hang of pulling that off consistently. The keyboard and touch pad are excellent, even though Lenovo IdeaPad Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d uses a tapered key keyboard (more like the traditional ThinkPad design), rather than the flat topped island style one seen on most other IdeaPad models.

The 15.6 inch wide screen display offers a 1,366x768 pixel native resolution, which is standard for a 16:9 midsize laptop screen. It's great for 720p HD video content, but it can't display 1080p content at full resolution. Hardcore gamers may want higher resolutions, and we were also troubled by the faint horizontal lenticular lines that are sometimes visible, even when not using any 3D applications that's a byproduct of the polarized 3D system. Under the hood, Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d is a very impressive machine.

With a 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM CPU, a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics, it's powerful enough for just about any task. The system holds its own against other high end laptops such as the HP Envy 17 and Toshiba A665-3DV (both also Core i7 systems) in our benchmark tests. But what we're really interested in is the 3D capabilities. We've had experience with the TriDef system before, and found this version to be largely the same.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d includes a basic pair of cheap plastic polarized glasses, plus a second pair of clip-ons for those of us who already wear glasses (be warned: it's not a cool look). The screen has to be tilted at just the right angle. For us it was about 120 degrees back, and with us sitting about twice as far from the screen as we normally would. The effect works best with objects that recede into the distance, where we could sometimes get an excellent 3D effect.

Objects that popped out of the screen toward us often got blurry or out of focus, as did some menus rendered in 3D. Keep in mind that it's very important to keep your head still to main just the perfect angle. To get games to play in 3D, they have to be run through the TriDef wrapper app, which is an easy enough process, but one with a lot of processing overhead. Playing Street Fighter IV (which looked very good in 3D), we got an average of 32 frames per second (at the native 1,366x768 pixel resolution) when running the game normally, but that dropped to about 13 frames per second when running it in 3D.

That's especially disappointing given the high powered hardware. On the positive side, the plastic polarized glasses are passive, and don't require batteries or recharging. Also, no external IR emitter dongle is required (as in Nvidia 3D Vision systems), making this a more compact, no extras required setup.

Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17

Like many of Asus' recent Eee PC Netbooks, Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 has a sleek, teardrop shaped side profile, thicker at the back and tapering down to a sharp point at the nose. It's largely the same tapered/curved design we've seen on most Asus Eee PC's over the last year or so, particularly the 1005PEB, making it hard to muster excitement for a design that's barely distinguishable from others. Smooth matte surfaces on the back lid and keyboard deck guard against fingerprints, but still give off some ambient gloss.

Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 line comes in red, blue, white, and black our red model had an attractive, coppery, brownish glow. The back lid's rather thick and whole unit feels solid, even a bit dense, but the compact form feels easy to tuck away. Having no protruding batteries or edges other than a slight bump on the rear bottom is a plus. The edge to edge raised chiclet style keyboard features well responding keys and no flex, but the smaller than full size keyboard felt cramped after a while.

In particular, the tiny wrist rests underneath feel too small for easy lap typing. A wide multitouch touchpad is composed of the same comfortable matte smooth lid/palmrest material, and is delineated by thin silver strips on the left and right, a slight change from previous Eee PC models. The touchpad felt wider and nicer than on previous models, though our thumbs tended to land on the pad when typing. A thin plastic button bar beneath is a bit small, but has a solid click.

Above the keyboard, a small plastic power button sits to the right and a quick-start button lies side by side with a Wi-Fi on/off button on the left. Asus' Express Gate Cloud quick start OS is a pared down environment with its own browser, photo app, and a few other features. Despite its faster boot time, we doubt many people will be satisfied with its performance and limited options most will opt to simply boot up Windows and keep Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 in sleep mode between sessions.

The 10.1 inch LED matte screen on Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17 has a maximum pixel resolution of 1,152x864, which is highly nonstandard and produces a squished look. The resolution can be knocked down to 1,024x600 common for Netbooks. We've noticed 1,366x768 10 inch Netbook displays becoming increasingly common, but there's no such luck here. Pictures and videos looked crisp, and viewing angles were reasonable for the size and hinge limitations of Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17' lid, but Web pages feel cramped at this limited resolution.

Stereo speakers, located on the bottom front edge of Asus Eee PC Seashell 1015PED-MU17, offered louder than average audio that actually sounded quite good for video viewing. They're not musically extravagant, but they're definitely good enough for most needs. Asus chose to add a physical lens cover slider to its VGA Webcam, ostensibly to protect people against being unknowingly recorded.

It seems a little silly and is more likely to cause panic by making some people think their Webcam is broken when it's really just covered. Regardless, the picture quality is suitable for basic video chat, but its contrast levels created dark silhouettes. Cyberlink's YouCam software, which can be launched from a pull-down software widget on the desktop, is included on the system and has links to various Asus cloud-storage services and shortcuts.

Asus Eee PC 1201PN

Asus Eee PC 1201PN, however, only has a single core Atom N450 CPU to go with its Ion GPU, a combination that results in general performance that's weaker than its same priced predecessor. If the 1201N can be found for sale somewhere, it's probably the better buy for now. While the keyboard feel and general build of Asus Eee PC 1201PN are very similar to what we enjoyed in the 1201N before it, its limited processor slows things down, whereas the Ion graphics don't seem to add much more than what we'd already seen in Ion last year and, in some cases, it even seemed to offer less.

In a post iPad era, a Netbook has to offer a low price or an impressive performance, and this Asus really has neither. From the outside and inside, Asus Eee PC 1201PN looks a lot like both the 1201N we reviewed in early January and recent, more affordable Eee PC Netbooks. A plain, glossy black plastic lid that flaunts its fingerprints also comes in red or silver. Inside, more shiny black plastic frames an edge to edge raised Chiclet style keyboard. The double hinge on the lid straddles either side of a battery that has minimal bulge on Asus Eee PC 1201PN's bottom and fits right into the back.

The keyboard's easy to type on and comfortable to work at on a desk or perched in one's lap. The dimpled multitouch touchpad below is flush with the rest of the keyboard deck but responds well to finger gestures. A thin chromed plastic rocker bar for button pressing could have been a little more ergonomic. The LED-backlit 12.1 inch glossy LCS screen has a native resolution of 1.366 x 768 pixels, which matches most laptop displays around 13 and 14 inches. Most importantly, it's a common resolution; browser windows and other programs won't feel shoehorned in like they do with the pixel restrictions on most 10 and 11 inch Netbooks.

Images and video looked as bright and crisp as they did on the Eee PC 1201N we reviewed previously. The stereo speakers on this laptop, embedded on the front bottom edge of the base, are notably louder than other Netbooks. They don't exactly produce well defined music, but we appreciate their volume for TV viewing. Above the screen, a 0.3 megapixel Webcam offers video conferencing and picture taking capabilities, with a passable frame rate and middle of the road image quality.

To its credit, Asus Eee PC 1201PN includes Bluetooth but it better at this price. HDMI is common on any non-Apple laptop, but in the case of this Ion equipped Netbook you might find it more useful than with others, as Nvidia promises smooth 1080p playback of video files on an external HDTV. While that's nice, we imagine more people will want to stream video onto an HDTV (for Hulu, for instance, or YouTube).

Streaming video playback, which relies on Adobe Flash 10.1, worked well sometimes and stuttered at others depending on the site and level of graphic overlay. 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive are increasingly standard offerings for higher end Netbooks. Windows 7 Home Premium is preinstalled, which is an improvement over the Windows 7 Starter many Netbooks offer.

While Asus Eee PC 1201PN is technically the first Netbook with next gen Nvidia Ion graphics, the CPU is decidedly current gen. Unlike the dual core Atom processor we saw in the innovative but hot running Asus Eee PC 1201PN, the single core Atom N450 at the heart of this Netbook is the same one in nearly every Netbook currently for sale. Its performance when augmented with its Nvidia Ion integrated GPU does fair better than other competitors, but Asus Eee PC 1201PN actually is a slower laptop than its dual core predecessor, which cost the same back in January. If you can find the 1201N on sale somewhere, you'll have a faster Netbook.

Gateway NV59C09u

Gateway NV59C09u is a laptop that's slightly thinner and lighter than the nearly identically configured NV5933u we reviewed recently, but to be honest it won't register to most people who aren't studying laptop lineups with a magnifying glass. A matte silver finish with a wavy lined pattern across the outer lid and inner keyboard deck is a little nicer looking than the older Gateway NV design, but by a small degree.

One design change in Gateway NV59C09u is a flatter lid hinge, making a leaner look at the back edge than the bulkier tube shaped hinge design of other NV laptops. The look inside is nice and clean : shiny black plastic around the inset glossy screen and keyboard, and a small mirrored strip above the keyboard that houses a narrow power button. The keyboard and touchpad have been redesigned on Gateway NV59C09u, to mixed results : the wide, flat keyboard is still technically flat versus raised, but the spaces between keys have been widened to create a bit of a raised key effect, even though the gaps are recessed.

It makes the keys slightly more comfortable, but the chances of crumbs and gunk falling down between keys seem like an annoying inevitability. We do appreciate the dedicated volume keys above the adjoining number pad, a move we wish more laptops would include. There's also an interesting "social media" key that looks like little smiling people, which brings up Gateway's software app for glomming Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites together. This isn't anything that programs like Digsby don't already do, but it's nice to see it so effortlessly integrated.

The touchpad is delineated only by thin raised lines on the keyboard deck otherwise, it's basically an extension of the rest of the palmrest surface. We like a more recessed, dedicated touchpad zone, but it worked fine all the same, with a decent surface area comparable to other NV models. The button bar is flush and a rocker bar (we prefer two discrete buttons), but it's a step better than the overdesigned, annoying thin mirrored strip on the lower end Gateway NV models.

Oddly, however, the new design looks cheaper. The LED-backlit 15.6 inch glossy display on the Gateway NV59C09u has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 1.366x768, which is standard for most laptops up to 15 inches. At this size, we've seen higher-res displays the lower resolution is a bit of a disconnect with the included Blu-ray drive and for the not bargain basement cost of $799, we were a little surprised the resolution didn't get bumped up to at least 1.600x900.

Blu-ray discs looked good, but not distinctly better than a good DVD player experience. To really show off your discs, you'll probably want to go through the HDMI out port. Above the screen, a high-def Webcam offers video conferencing and picture taking capabilities, with a maximum resolution of 1.280x1,024. This is one of the few upgrades from Gateway NV59C09u, which could record VGA quality video only. We appreciate the spec bump, and the quality is better than average for laptop Webcams.

Skype software is preinstalled along with a large collection of other programs we're not sure we need Gateway to load on for us. The integrated speakers located above the keyboard and under thin black mesh grilles that too easily trapped small dust particles have better than average volume and bass for movie watching, but are really no better than other NV laptop speakers we've tried. They're good enough and certainly loud enough for video watching, music, and Web chat, but they're not knockouts sonically.

Dell Vostro 3300

Dell Vostro 3300 is meant to glide somewhere between personal and business, and that's exactly what the design of Dell Vostro 3300 suggests : metal and black define the outside, with squared off edges on the front and back, and slightly rounded sides. Dell Vostro 3300 comes standard in Aberdeen Silver (which is what we had) in Core i3 configurations, with the option of adding Lucerne Red or Brisbane Bronze color schemes in the Core i5 configuration for an extra $40.

Overall, the design lies somewhere between the trendy Adamo and the more utilitarian Latitude. Plain, ThinkPad-esque matte black defines the interior of this minimalist Dell, from the keyboard deck up to the material surrounding the above screen Webcam. A few backlit media control keys and a backlit power button above the keyboard are the only flashy touches. Because this Vostro has a slightly thick and squared bottom half, there's room to fit audio in or out jacks, an SD card slot, and a Wi-Fi toggle button on the front edge, although they're a little tightly packed together in the center below the track pad.

The keyboard on Dell Vostro 3300 is similar to ones we've seen on other recent Dell laptops : it could be best described as a flat keyboard with individually raised keys. Though there's no number pad, it's easy to type and feels comfortable during extended writing sessions, and the keyboard goes edge to edge, maximizing the laptop's compact dimensions. The keyboard on our model wasn't backlit and that isn't available as an upgrade option on this exact model, but there is a Dell Vostro 3300 that includes a backlit keyboard on Dell's Web site starting at $708.

Above the keyboard, a small backlit touch controlled media bar has basic play and pause and volume functions. It's useful, but not overly so for a business focused machine. These might have been better spent on videoconferencing and other productivity related toggles. To the right of these are a few LED indicators for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and battery status. The track pad is wider and responds better than that of some brands we've seen. The plain discrete buttons below are nothing remarkable and could be slightly larger, but at least they're not over designed.

A 13.3 inch LED-backlit display on Dell Vostro 3300 has a 16x9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 1.366x768 pixels, which is standard for most laptops up to 15 inches. These screens also come standard with antiglare, which is far rarer. The experience we had was excellent the screen has the glare free quality of a matte display, with the crispness found in a glossy coating. Text and video were easy to watch in any lighting. The included 2 megapixel Webcam had better clarity, sound recording and light sensitivity than most Webcams we've come across, making it perfect for video conferencing.

A small LED light also indicates the camera's in record mode. Though the camera's professional, Dell's selection of cartoonish effect overlays in its included camera software can only be described as cheese ball. There's only one speaker on Dell Vostro 3300. It's located on the front left edge of the laptop's bottom half, and though it sounds loud and clear, its off center position makes it a weak choice for movie playback. Should you choose to take a break with a DVD, you might want to pack some good headphones.

Dell Vostro 3300 doesn't have a huge selection of ports, but it does have eSATA. It's lacking HDMI-out, however, which is a feature that's becoming nearly universal on all laptops (excluding Macs). Thankfully, at least there's Bluetooth. Configuration options abound on Dell Vostro 3300, as is often the case with Dell laptops. Customization on Dell's Web site offers either a Core i3 or i5 processor, along with RAM configurations from 2GB to 4GB and hard drives from 250GB to 500, all at 7,200rpm. RAM can be expanded up to 8GB.

Despite Core i3 and i5 processors being 64 bit ready, Dell chose to make 32 bit Windows Home Premium the default OS. Upgrading to 32 bit Professional or 64 bit Home Premium costs an extra $70, 64 bit Professional, an extra $120. Depending on the support software, memory and other options chosen, Dell Vostro 3300's price can climb above $1,000, where it no longer seems like a great bargain. We'd advise you keep software services to a minimum and focus on basic needs. Our configuration, at over $800, just straddles the border of what we'd consider paying before looking elsewhere.

HP Mini 311

HP Mini 311 is what you would call an oversized netbook. It's about the same size as the ASUS EeePC 1101HA, Acer Aspire One (A0751h), and Gateway LT3103u in that they all have 11.6 inch widescreens. At 3.3 pounds, it's the heaviest among its peers, although the differences are small. HP Mini 311 is the prettiest though, as HP's signature imprints against a white background is delightful to look at. A black version is also available, though darker colors are usually a magnet for fingerprints and smudges.

Alternatively, the Toshiba NB205 and HP Mini 5101 use textures and metals, respectively, to enhance their looks, as well as repel unsightly smudges. HP Mini 311 is a bigger netbook than the Toshiba NB205 because it houses a bigger screen. Although 11.6 inch widescreens are building momentum in the netbook space, they, along with a 1.366 by 768 resolution, are still tough finds. Most 10 inch netbooks default to a lower, 1.024 by 768 resolution. Likewise, the Asus 1101HA, Gateway LT3103u, and Acer A0751h have matching screen sizes and resolutions.

They're not even the biggest netbooks screens. Both the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 and Samsung NC20 (21GBK) use 12 inch widescreens and 1.280 by 800 resolutions. What makes HP Mini 311 special is that it runs an Nvidia chipset instead of the Intel chipset found on every other netbook on the market. It still needs a CPU, though. The 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 is a commonly used netbook processor, which means in terms of raw horsepower, the Mini 311 isn't that far ahead of other netbooks. Video encoding tests finished in 4 minutes 54 seconds, which is about as fast the Toshiba NB205 (4:45) and Lenovo S12 (4:40).

It's the fastest among its 11 inch peers, since the Asus 1101HA and Acer A0751h run on a more inferior Atom Z520 processor and the the Gateway LT3103u opts for an AMD low voltage CPU. HP Mini 311 has more oomph when it comes to graphics performance. The ION LE is basically a stripped down version of the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chipset the same chipset found in the Apple MacBook Air (Nvidia 9400GM). The "LE" portion means that support for Direct X is downgraded from 10 to 9.

Its scores on 3DMark06, which I ran just to see what the performance would be, were in the same ball park as the MacBook Air and annihilated those of its netbook counterparts. Despite these 3D benchmark scores, the combination of the Atom processor and lack of a Direct X 10 capable graphics chipset crippled games like World in Conflict and Crysis both of these games lagged to the point where they were unplayable. Games like World of Warcraft and Mini Ninjas, which have lower graphics requirements, were lag free and absolutely playable.

The gravy was supposed to be in high definition playback. I tested several HD movie clips on HP Mini 311, as well as playing them to the Samsung LN55A950 HDTV. It handled all of my 720p and 1080i (24 fps) clips with great color accuracy, good picture detail, and they didn't suffer from any lag. When playing 1080p (24fps) movie clips in H264 and WMV formats, however, there was noticeable lag. Let's just say it wasn't a smooth experience. And even though its 6 cell, 53Wh battery is roughly the same capacity as the one found in the Toshiba NB205 and HP 5101, its score of 5 hours 29 minutes on MobileMark 2007 is about 2 to 3 hours less than that of the competition.

Still, more than 5 hours of battery life is very respectable. By netbook standards, HP Mini 311 is reasonably priced and offers features most netbooks lack. You're paying a small premium for a netbook that has an HDMI port and can drive 1080p resolutions to a bigger display. Though it didn't deliver on 1080p playback, it handled 720p and 1080i videos better than netbooks with Intel based graphics. For those who were hoping to make a gaming netbook out of this, think again. High end 3D games are still best played on full fledged laptops.

HP Envy 13

HP Envy 13 is crafted from aluminum and magnesium bonded materials, while the MacBook Pro does it from a thick slab of aluminum. Its metals are anodized several layers deep, so the Envy 13 is not only sleek, but durable, scratch resistant, and lightweight as well. Apple and HP aren't the only ultraportable manufacturers that use metals, though. The ASUS UL30A-A1 and Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (6415) have also experimented with aluminum metals in their frames, though only in the top cover HP Envy 13 uses metals throughout the entire chassis, which drives up costs. The designs are limitless as well.

HP Envy 13 sports a brownish tint and can be permanently etched with lasers in different patterns just like HP's current Pavilion line designs. The luxurious theme extends to its interior. Its 13.1 inch widescreen is one of the brightest in the industry, rated at 400 Nits (cd/m2), and covered in glass, too, which gives it the same clean look as that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch. Its 1.600 by 900 resolution is the highest and most eye popping thus far on a 13 inch screen, outclassing that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch (1.280 by 800), Acer 3935 (1.280 by 800), and ASUS UL30A-A1 (1.366 by 768).

It matches the resolution of the Dell Studio 14z great for multimedia tasks, but not so much for reading text, as higher resolutions tend to make fonts look tinier on a small screen. The full size keyboard is styled in the same way as that of the MacBook Pro 13 inch tiled, with plenty of spacing between each key. The Envy 13 lacks a back-lit option, though, which is inexcusable for a luxury line. In comparison, the MacBook Pro 13 inch and Studio 14z include illuminated keyboards for dark-lit rooms. The embedded mouse buttons also take their styling cues from Apple's design, as they're disguised by one huge touchpad.

They're slightly too resistant for my tastes, but otherwise responded well to various clicking commands. The touchpad, like the one found in the MacBook Pro, supports two finger gestures, which often times got in the way of navigating. You can turn these gestures off in the system's Control Panel. In terms of features, the Envy 13 takes a minimalist approach and that isn't always a good thing. This laptop is not intended for legacy users, since it doesn't come with an internal optical drive, a VGA port, or an Ethernet jack.

I think ridding these features from the system is acceptable, plus all of them are included in this configuration as external USB attachments. Unfortunately, though, you have only two USB ports to choose from. Unlike the Studio 14z, the Envy 13 includes a media card reader, which is still a vital feature for digital camera owners. An ExpressCard slot is not available, though, which would've been handy for adding an ExpressCard docking solution or 3G wireless, since both of these aren't sold as options and there are only two USB ports available. Taking the place of VGA Out is an HDMI port, which is the video out standard most laptops are leaning toward. In contrast, the Studio 14z includes both DisplayPort and HDMI technologies. The 250GB hard drive is a 1.8 inch spindle, but spins at 5400rpm.

Getac 9213

Getac 9213 measures just 12.5 by 9 by 1 inches, and its 3.6 pound chassis offers plenty of relief to full time travelers. It's about a pound lighter than the Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch (4.5 pounds) and the HP Pavilion dv3z (4.6 pounds), but not nearly as cheap. More impressive, though, is that it weighs as little as the Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T and still manages to incorporate an optical drive, unlike the latter.

Getac 9213's 13.3 inch widescreen clings to the old school aspect ratio (16:10), whereas most consumer laptops are moving to more movie friendly 16:9 displays as is common in HDTVs. As a result, Getac 9213's 1.280 by 800 resolution matches the one on the MacBook Pro 13 inch. It's a vibrant screen, at least more so than that of the Acer 3935 and the HP dv3z. The full size keyboard would've been perfect had it not been for one misplaced key the forward slash key, which is usually right next to the right Shift key, is placed beside the left Shift key here, thereby shrinking the latter to nearly half of its traditional size.

The rest of the keyboard is very responsive, and the touchpad and mouse buttons are tuned to perfection. Before you decide to try running Getac 9213 over with a truck, you'll need to understand the significance of the term "business rugged." A fully rugged laptop, like Getac B300, is completely certified under the MIL-SPEC 810F series, which means it was subject to more than 20 military tests involving vibrations, drops, shock, humidity you get the point.

A semi rugged laptop, like the Panasonic Toughbook CF-52, only has to endure a subset of these tests. Business rugged, meanwhile, is a loose interpretation of the MIL-SPEC series. Getac 9213's rugged qualities surviving 1.5 foot drops, water spills, and shock to its hard drive aren't nearly as tough, but it's tougher than the consumer products mentioned in this review and an incredible asset to have on the road. In order to achieve a thin, lightweight form factor, the 9213 opted for Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) chipset.

The ULV platform eliminates clunky fans and has huge benefits in power savings. In speed, however, the Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 (1.4 GHz) trails many of its consumer counterparts. Its equivalent to the processors found in the Lenovo Thinkpad X301 and the Acer AS3810T. Luckily, the 9213's 3GB of memory can help offset some of its performance woes. In video encoding tests, Getac 9213 finished in 1 minute, 48 seconds just 32 seconds behind the Acer 3935 (1:16) and the MacBook Pro 13 inch (1:16).

Cinebench R10 and Photoshop CS4 scores were more in line with the ULV-powered Lenovo X301 and Acer AS3810T. If you constantly work with huge resource suckers, like large Powerpoint, Excel, Photoshop, or video files, this laptop is probably not for you. The processor's power savings somewhat make up for its lack of speed. Even though Getac 9213's 58-Wh battery (6 cell) is average in capacity, the system accrued 5 hours, 4 minutes worth of battery life in MobileMark 2007 tests.

That's more both than the MacBook Pro 13 inch (4:44) and the Acer 3935 (4:50). Against the AS3810T (8:40) and the X301 (5:37), however, Getac 9213 had some trouble keeping up. Rooted in the ruggedized way of life, Getac knows better than to rest on its laurels. Getac 9213 is an ultraportable that blends the company's strengths durability and an excellent user experience with a fashion statement based on current trends and some handy business features.

Toshiba Satellite P505D-S8930

Instead of just a flat solid color, Toshiba used its Fusion Finish on the P505D with its sonic pattern in black onyx. It's a light pinstripe pattern on a glossy black background on the lid, with palm rests, and speaker surround above the keyboard. The speakers sound great by the way, far above the laptop's budget price tag. The keyboard is large and comfortable with a full number pad on the right end. The keys are flat like a chiclet style keyboard, but they float above the tray so you'll have to watch your cookie crumbs.

They're also somewhat slick, making it slightly unpleasant to type on. Due to the glossy nature of everything, the laptop collects a lot of fingerprints. Overall, Toshiba Satellite P505D is a nice looking package and is certainly what a majority of its cost went to. To the right of the keyboard is a set of backlit touch sensitive media controls, the power button, and an Eco mode key. This mode significantly cuts back on power usage by cutting back on display brightness and other nonessential features.

It also shows a line graph to prove the power savings. The 18.4 inch wide screen LCD display offers a 1.680x945 native resolution, which is not standard for a screen this size. In fact, we've never tested a system with this size screen carrying such a low resolution. More standard for this size are resolutions of 1.920x1.080 or 1.900x1.200. Despite the lower resolution, the screen is good for just about anything you'll do on it, with decent color performance, brightness, and dynamic range. If those are two things you're interested in, you'll want to search out a P500 series laptop that actually has them.

Features

• Toshiba Satellite P505D-S8930 : Average for category (desktop replacement)
• Video VGA : VGA and HDMI or DisplayPort
• Audio Stereo : speakers, headphone/microphone jacks Stereo speakers with subwoofer, headphone and microphone jacks
• Data : 3 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, eSATA/USB, multi-format card reader 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader
• Expansion : ExpressCard 54
• Networking : Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, modem Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Optical drive : DVD burner
  

Ports for the most part are what we expect to find on a system in this price range. Only the eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port is an anomaly, but it's a good one and has Toshiba's sleep and charge feature for charging devices even when the computer's sleeping. Also, though there are spots for HDMI and DisplayPort connections on the left side, they have been plugged up.

If those are two things you're interested in, you'll want to check out another version of the P500 series that actually has them. Toshiba Satellite P505D-S8930 is a retail only fixed configuration, so what you get is what you get. However, the memory and hard drive compartments are easily accessed through the bottom of the case. This model comes with 4GB of memory, but can be expanded to 8GB total.

Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955

Last year's Toshiba Satellite L305-S5875, which cost $675 and was housed in a nearly identical case, came with a 200GB hard drive, 3GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 1.86GHz Pentium Dual-Core T2390. Therein lies the difference : this year's L305 has a 160GB hard drive, only 2GB of RAM, and an inferior Celeron 900 processor for nearly half the cost. In essence, it has the guts of a Netbook in a 15.4 inch laptop's body (the earliest Netbooks actually used Celeron chips, before Intel release the Atom processor).

While this laptop is fine for basic e-mail, media viewing, music playing, and other simple tasks, we wouldn't recommend it for any sort of multitasking or serious mission critical computing. It's already more than a bit of a dinosaur in 2009, and it won't get any less outdated, making it a questionable investment on the other hand, Windows 7 should run fine on it (although most new Vista Basic systems are ineligible for a free upgrade), and this could be the sort of bargain a low expectations consumer is looking for.

Features

• Price as reviewed / Starting price : $349
• Processor : 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900
• Memory : 2GB, DDR2 800MHz
• Hard drive : 160GB 5,400rpm
• Chipset : Mobile Intel GM45
• Graphics : Intel GMA 4500MHD
• Operating System : Windows Vista Home Basic SP1
• Dimensions (WD) : 14.3x10.6 inches
• Height : 1.5 inches
• Screen size (diagonal): 15.4 inches
• System weight / Weight with AC adapter : 5.92 / 6.78 pounds
• Category : Mainstream
  

The next question you may have is : "Why wouldn't I just buy a Netbook?" To that, we say: it depends on whether a larger screen and keyboard matter to you. Netbooks are considerably more portable, and an Atom processor doesn't make much of a computing difference compared with the Celeron 900 in Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955. However, many budget Netbooks have compromised keyboard sizes, and screens that might be too limiting for power users. Also, the L305-S5955 runs Vista as opposed to Windows XP. Take that as you will. We also find there's a sizable psychological factor : small Netbooks come with one set of expectations attached, while users expect larger laptops no matter how low powered or inexpensive to behave more or less like standard mainstream systems.

Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955 will never be confused for a Netbook from the outside, however. At 1.5 inches thick, it's one of the beefier nongaming laptops on the market. The muted blue gray exterior is prone to fingerprint smears, but the plastic feeling lid is solid. There's a full size keyboard with tapered keys, and six physical media control buttons that aren't backlit. Volume control, like with the similar Toshiba L505D-S5965, is operated via a wheel at the front of the laptop, under the touch pad.

ASUS EeePC 1101HA

It's basically a larger version of the EeePC 1005HA and a lot thinner than the EeePC 1000HE, measuring just 11.3 by 7.7 by 1 inches (HWD). ASUS also did a tremendous job hiding the bulk of the 6 cell battery it's practically flush with the base. The Acer Aspire One (A0751h) and Toshiba mini NB205, on the other hand, have their battery protruding awkwardly from the back. At 3 pounds flat, the 1101HA is as light as the Acer A0751h (3.0 lbs) and a half a pound lighter than the Lenovo S12 (3.5 lbs).

The 11.6 inch widescreen is what separates the 1101HA from the rest of the field. It's the same screen found in the A0751h and the Gateway LT3100 (review coming shortly), making this trio the only ones to ship with this rarity in the United States. The vast majority of netbooks and even popular ones like the ASUS 1000HE and the Toshiba NB205 use 10 inch widescreens and the drab 1.024 by 600 resolution ASUS EeePC 1101HA's 1.366 by 768 one is more desirable from a multimedia perspective. An 11.6 inch widescreen is not the biggest on a netbook, though.

Both the Samsung NC20 (21GBK) and the S12 have 12 inch widescreens and 1.280 by 800 resolutions. And it's only a matter of time before you see netbooks with 13 inch screens. Like the Acer A0751h and the Gateway LT3100, ASUS EeePC 1101HA uses a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, and this is not a coincidence. Intel is basically telling vendors that if they were to stray from the tech restrictions being imposed on the netbook market, there will be repercussions. In this case, the Z520 isn't as fast as the N280 (1.67GHz) processors found in the ASUS 1000HE, Toshiba NB205, and HP 5101.

ASUS, however, did find a solution to counter this setback. Like its previous netbooks, it includes software that allows you to over clock the processor. Using its SuperHybridEngine and if you activate the Super Performance mode, the 1101HA is essentially over clocked to 1.83GHz. It also has a battery mode that lets you conserve energy (it essentially sets the processor back to its normal clock speed. Of course, a processor can only get you so far ASUS EeePC 1101HA, unfortunately, is restricted to 1GB of memory and Intel integrated graphics.

In the Super Performance mode, the 1101HA surpassed the Acer A0751h by a mere 5 seconds in video encoding tests. Against the ASUS 1000HE and Toshiba NB205, ASUS EeePC 1101HA couldn't keep up with their faster cores, trailing them by a wide margin. A lower clocked Atom processor has its advantages, though. The 1101HA's 63Wh battery delivered a MobileMark 2007 score of 6 hours 50 minutes, placing it right up there with the Samsung N120, HP 5101, and the ASUS 1000HE.

Toshiba Mini NB205-N210

Toshiba Mini NB205-N210's footprint (10.4 by 8.4 0.8 inches, HWD) would have been roughly the size of the Samsung N120 (12GBK) (10.7 by 7.4 by 1.2 inches, HWD) and Asus EeePC 1000HE (10.3 by 7.3 by 1.1 inches) had it not been for the extended battery that sticks out by about an inch (The other two have extended batteries that protrude downward from the base). It's as thin as the Acer D250-1165 (10.3 by 7.4 by 0.8 inches) and exactly the same size as the more expensive NB205.

The glossy black plastics aren't breaking any molds, design wise, and the design even has a name Fusion Edition which Toshiba uses to exaggerate a basic In mold process (plastics infused with patterns) used in netbooks like the HP Mini 110 (1030us) and Lenovo IdeaPad S12. The money you save buying Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 instead of Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 won't get you the choice of colors (Brown, Pink, and Blue) and textures that are available with the latter. The common 10 inch widescreen is another reason why Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 is more affordable than most netbooks (It's rumored that Intel charges extra for straying from this size).

Case in point
There's a price premium for 12 inch netbooks like the Lenovo Ideapad S12 and Samsung NC20 (21GBK). This size also means that the screen is limited to 1.024 by 600 resolution, like you'd find on other netbooks with 10 inch screens such as Toshiba Mini NB205-N210, Asus EeePC 1000HE, and HP Mini 110. There areexceptions, though the HP Mini 5101 has an option for a 1.366 by 768 resolution ($25), and the Sony VAIO VPC-W11XX comes standard with it, but at a cost ($500 for the entire netbook).

Paying slightly less for Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 than the NB205 also means a smaller keyboard. The 93% keyboard isn't terrible and brings back the classic look when every other netbook is trending to those that have isolated keys. My only gripes are that the Control, Alt, and Fn keys (I'm a big Windows shortcut guy) are half the size of the main ones (adding the tilda key to the same row caused this aberration), and it pales in comparison to full size typing experiences found on Toshiba Mini NB205-N210, Samsung N120 (12GBK), and Lenovo IdeaPad S12.

Both it and Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 have the best navigating experiences on a netbook. The 1.67GHz Intel Atom N280 processor is the natural progression for netbook makers that used Atom processors in earlier products, and 1GB of memory, 160GB, 5400rpm hard drive, and Intel GMA 950 graphics are nothing out of the ordinary. That said, performance scores video encoding and SYSMark 2007 Preview ones, specifically were in line with those of Toshiba Mini NB205-N210, Samsung N120, and Asus 1000HE. There's really no performance advantages here until netbook makers make 2GB of memory standard, or include Nvidia's Ion graphics platform (for better 3D graphics).

Gateway NV5807u

Gateway NV5807u is not an eye sore, as the glossy plastics and the subtle patterns within the bluish cover are current with what's out there. Both the HP Pavilion dv6t (1030us) and Toshiba Satellite L505D-S6947 employ similar design techniques in which colorful plastics are infused with artwork a process known as in mold decoration. In my opinion, though, this design is a step backward for the company. The automotive inspired looks of current Gateway laptops like the MD7801u and TC7804u are swankier and more distinguishable among the wide range of seemingly similar products.

A small metallic piece on Gateway NV5807u's cover is about the only thing the helps the company differentiate itself from other products, which isn't much. Laptop designs, these days, are trending towards thinness and aluminum metals. Take the Acer Aspire 3935, for example. At 5.8 pounds, Gateway NV5807u is almost a pound lighter than the MD7801u (6.7 lbs). One of the keys for Gateway was to make it as light as the Dell Inspiron 1545 (5.8 lbs) and HP dv6t (6 lbs), which it accomplishes.

The 15.6 inch LED widescreen is part of the 16 by 9 movement, in which laptop screens are being designed to be like their home theater counterparts. At $600, though, a 1.366 by 768 resolution is as high as it will go. At least the 1545 and the dv6t lets you play around with the resolution, albeit at a higher price. A full size keyboard is what you would expect to find on a 15 inch laptop, but give Gateway credit for squeezing in a numeric keypad as well. The dv6 and the L505D have one as well, but not the 1545.

Although the touchpad is big and roomy, a long, thin hard plastic piece makes up the mouse buttons unusual, at first, but it didn't take me too long to adjust to the rocking motion that triggers the left or right mouse button. The features to price ratio falls in Gateway NV5807u's favor. Though it isn't a huge deal, its four USB ports are more than the three found in the Toshiba L505D, HP dv6t, and Dell 1545.

Only Gateway NV5807u and the dv6t have HDMI Out ports. The NV5807u doesn't have a storage expansion port like E-SATA, as found in the dv6t and the L505D. Not that you'll need it, though: Its 320GB hard drive has more than enough storage space for the average user. Every other feature the dual layer DVD burner, Ethernet port, a 1.3 Megapixel Webcam, and multi card reader are standard budget system features.

Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX

This 12 pound tank is one of only a handful of boutique laptops that have enough cooling fans to run a 3.33 GHz, Intel Core i7 975 processor the top of the line desktop processor, no less. Surround the CPU with an excellent supporting cast nVidia GeForce 280M GTX graphics card, 6GB of memory, and three internal hard drives (one of which is an 80GB SSD), and its competitors can only watch helplessly while they get pulverized in performance tests.

Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX is in essence a 12 pound refrigerator, built to cool a ferociously fast processor. Rarely does a gaming laptop cross the 10 pound barrier these days the 9.4 pound Alienware M17 and the 8.9 pound Gateway P7808u FX Edition seem like lightweights alongside Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX. The design lacks inspiration, as the boxy plastic frame is absent of any curves, metallic accents, or fashionable LEDs.

The style of these particular frames is determined by their makers, Taiwanese manufacturers (Clevo or Compal, in this case) that sell them as bare bones frames populated with parts purchased separately by these boutique vendors. Falcon, however, does specialize in custom paint jobs. Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX can be machine painted with any color imaginable, reminiscent of how automobiles receive their paint jobs. You can also get a custom hand painted design, depending on the request, for a hefty fee (anywhere from $400 to $600).

Dell Studio 1737

Dell Studio 1737 is an easy system to spot since it's fairly large, measuring 15.4 by 11.4 by 1.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 7.5 pounds. It's the type of system you'll want anchored to your desk, though, replacing your old desktop. The HP Pavilion dv7 (2173cl) and dv7-2170us are each only two tenths of a pound lighter (7.3 lbs) and take up just as much space. If the lightest 17 inch laptop is what you're after, Apple is the only one that offers it in the MacBook Pro 17 inch (Unibody). The 1737's looks are simple, and has a common theme seen in most Dell laptops.

You get to pick from a crop of colors or personalize your own from over 200 designs, though Staples only has a select few in stock. This configuration is draped in Midnight Blue, which is otherwise a $40 option through Dell's Web site. The 17 inch widscreen is Dell Studio 1737's most prized feature, as it enriches the movie experience and allows you to work with multiple windows while keeping eye strain down to a minimum.

At this price, though, you so have to understand what you're missing. While it's perfectly acceptable to use the aging 16 by 10 screen aspect ratio, the dv7 (2173cl) and HP HDX18t have already transitioned to 16 by 9 screens, which share a common resolution with consumer HDTVs. Dell Studio 1737 has a 1.440 by 900 resolution, but is dwarfed by the 1600 by 900 and the 1.920 by 1.080 resolutions found in the dv7 (2173cl) and dv7 (2170us), respectively. At $750, though, a baseline resolution is an acceptable concession. Alternatively, Dell's Web site offers better screens (RGB option) and a higher resolution (1.920 by 1.200), but you'll have to buy it there.

Features
Dell Studio 1737 has the most USB ports found on a 17 inch system five, with one that acts as an E-SATA combo port. And while not many systems in this price range gives you a FireWire port, the 1737 has it for those who have compatible camcorders and external storage devices. It includes an HDMI port, which is now a standard feature on media centers, and the slot loading dual layer DVD burner (is usually a crowd pleaser over the tray ejecting ones found in the dv7s. In features, there are several reasons why you're paying less than the dv7 (2173cl) and dv7 (2170us). Their 500GB hard drives are bigger, for one (although you won't hear anyone complaining about Dell Studio 1737's 320GB one), and Dell Studio 1737's Wi-Fi capability maxes out at 802.11g (both dv7s support the 802.11n standard).

Lenovo IdeaPad S12

Unfortunately, there's nothing game changing about Lenovo IdeaPad S12's looks. While the design made up of glossy plastics and embedded circular patterns is tastefully done, it's been done before by the likes of the HP Mini 110 and Mini 1000. Its hues white and black aren't as varied as the colorful offerings of the Dell Mini 12, although it's not as plain looking as the Samsung NC20.

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is now officially the heaviest netbook on the block, tipping the scales at 3.5 pounds (the dv2-1030us weighs 3.8 pounds, but HP refuses to call it a netbook). The extended 52 Wh battery is a major reason why it's heavier than your average netbook the rest has to do with its dimensions, as the S12 measures 11.5 by 9.2 by 1.2 inches (HWD). The NC20 is a bit smaller (11.5 by 8.5 by 1.2 inches), while the Dell Mini 12 (11.8 by 9 by 0.75 inches) is the thinnest among this 12 inch group.

Picky netbook users will be drawn to its 12 inch widescreen, questioning whether it's a netbook. The size of the screen and its 1.280 by 800 resolution don't suffer the same limitations as a 10 inch screen with a 1,024 by 600 resolution (scrolling, for instance, is minimized with long web pages and Adobe's Photoshop CS series has a 1.024 by 768 resolution requirement). It's not unusual, though, as all of its 12 inch peers possess the same screen characteristics.

The typing experience, however, does stand out. Its full size keyboard eclipses the 92% ones of the Dell Mini 12 and the HP dv2. It's on a par with the NC20's full size keyboard, with the slight edge going to the former's noise free mouse buttons. A bigger than normal netbook frame has its advantages, especially with cramming in features. The S12's three USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, an integrated Webcam, and a 4 in 1 memory card reader are standard netbook parts.

What makes it stand out among its 12 inch counterparts is the ExpressCard 34 slot. This slot, which can enable luxuries such as 3G wireless, extra USB ports, FireWire, and Serial port, can be a handy commodity for road warriors. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Red) and HP Mini 2140 are the only other netbooks that carry this slot, but they're miniature frames causes them to lose a third USB port.

Alienware M17x

The 17 inch widescreen, which is usually a sight to behold on a gaming laptop, is one of the M17x's weaker points. While the intense brightness levels (backed by two CCFL lamps) and awe inspiring 1.920 by 1.200 resolution are top notch, the screen itself has the characteristics of a mirror. The glare is magnified because the entire screen including the surrounding black borders is covered in glass. Half the time I was trying not to take notice of my reflection.

Changing the black Alienware background and minimizing surrounding light sources should help reduce glare. It's a departure from the boxy look of gaming laptops like the Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX and Gateway P-7808u FX Edition, as the M17x's front side slopes downward at 45 degrees. Likewise, the back of the unit has a reverse slope, giving the entire frame a weird rhomboid look. The shape of the system is accentuated by an all metallic ensemble.

Gaming systems like the Sager NP8662 use a brushed aluminum lid, with plastics making up its base the M17x is completely covered in metals, and is more elegant than any other gaming laptop I've reviewed, though not impervious to the scratches and smudges that are all too common on plastic frames. You'd be hard pressed to find any exposed screws on its underside (Alienware M17x has them tucked away neatly). It's a heavy system, too, because of the heavy metals.

Alienware M17x tips the scales at 12.5 pounds, about half a pound heavier than the monstrous Fragbook DRX (12 lbs). In fact, it's one of the heaviest gaming laptops, outweighing even the P-7808u (8.9 lbs) and the Asus G71G-Q1 (9.1 lbs). Every vent, button, and key is implanted with LED lighting. The illuminated keyboard and the LED lining around the touch-pad are in plain sight and leap out at you. Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that the power button, the feather touch keys, and its signature alien head logo are also illuminated.

Even more brilliant is that each of these pieces can be coordinated with up to 20 different colors. The keyboard and adjacent numeric keypad themselves are separated into four quadrants, each of which can be infused with a different color. All of this is done through Alienware's Command Center a software interface that lets you control the lighting effects, among other system settings. The full size keyboard and the textured touch-pad are engineered to perfection, though the mouse buttons should've been less resistant.

HP Pavilion dv7

At 10.9 by 16.2 by 1.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 8.4 pounds with and 7.3 pounds without its AC adapter, HP Pavilion dv7 (2173cl) is wide enough for a full sized keyboard with separate numeric keypad, although the former's Insert and Delete keys and cursor arrows are on the small side compared with their counterparts on the keypad. The keyboard has a smooth, firm typing feel and the touch-pad is precise and responsive.

The most impressive part is MediaSmart, a handsome house brand alternative to Windows Media Center for browsing photos, music, and videos, with features such as the ability to view CD covers and image folders in either a plain grid or fancy fan or arc copied from HP's TouchSmart desktop suite. HP Pavilion dv7 doesn't have a touch screen, but comes with a cute miniature remote control for MediaSmart and Windows Media Center that tucks into the system's ExpressCard slot for storage.

The least impressive part of the Pavilion dv7's software library is HP's usual assortment of crapware, including games, online service offers, and the 60-day versions of Norton Internet Security 2009 and Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student. HP Pavilion dv7 (2173cl) has two main differences from its near twin, the HP Pavilion dv7 (2170us) available at Staples. The first tilts in the 2173cl's favor a Blu-ray player instead of a plain vanilla DVD+/-RW drive.

Combined with a capable ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics adapter, the BD-ROM drive (which is also a LightScribe enabled CD and DVD burner) makes the 2173cl a solid high definition video platform. Above average Altec Lansing speakers with a downward firing subwoofer no thunder rumbler, but definitely fuller and less tinny than your usual notebook audio help enhance the movie viewing experience.

So does the 17.3 inch screen a brightly LED backlit panel with 1,600 by 900 resolution (HD's 16:9 aspect ratio, not the 16:10 of older 17 inch wide screens like the Dell Studio 1737's). Price presumably forbade a full 1080p resolution display, but the dv3's is crisp and colorful enough to satisfy film buffs, with an HDMI port at the ready for those seeking external HDTV playback and a FireWire 400 port for home video editors' digital camcorders. One of the system's four USB 2.0 ports doubles as an eSATA connector if additional storage is your craving.

MSI X340

MSI X340 is the first laptop we've reviewed with the single core SU3500 processor, and it seems like an excellent test case a superslim 13 inch that reminds us of much more expensive systems such as the Dell Adamo or MacBook Air, albeit with a much more plastic feel. At the same time, MSI X340 ends up in the same murky middle ground as systems with AMD's new Neo processor that are aimed at Netbook users who want to trade up to a bit more power for a bit more money, but without buying a standard sub-$1,000 Intel Core 2 Duo mainstream laptop, or Apple's $999 basic 13 inch MacBook.

We've never met anyone who admitted being part of this highly specific target demographic. But while X340's price may seem excessive viewed through the prism of low power 11 and 12 inch Netbooks, it seems much more reasonable when compared with traditional ultraportable systems or the aforementioned slim 13 inch models, which can cost $1,500 to $2,000 or more.

MSI X340 scores points for feeling much lighter than it looks like it should. It's also among the slimmer 13 inch systems we've seen, matching up nicely with the MacBook Air and Dell Adamo. The somewhat schizophrenic chassis mars the look a little, with a glossy black lid and screen bezel, but a matte black keyboard tray and wrist rest.

The large flat key keyboard is similar to what you'd find on an Apple or Sony laptop, and is well laid out, with the exception of a shortened right shift key and a shortened backspace key, which made it far too easy to hit the "Home" key just to its right. Our main complaint was that the keyboard flexed a great deal while typing, making the entire system feel flimsy. The large, indented touch pad gave us plenty of room to mouse, but we'd prefer separate left and right mouse buttons, rather than the one long rocker style button included here.

The F5 key is also labeled "Eco," and using it with the Fn function key cycles through several screen brightness presets, including a very dim "turbo battery" mode. The 13.4 inch display has a 1,366x768 pixel native resolution, standard for a 16:9 display this size. While it lacks the clean looking edge to glass of more expensive 13 inch systems, this display was clear and bright, and not excessively glossy.