Laptops

HP Pavilion dv2945se
The 14-inch HP Pavilion dv2700t Special Edition looks like a much more expensive laptop, but you can also find a more powerful 14-inch laptop with better battery life for less money.
Specs: AMD Turion 64 X2 mobile technology (2 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 5.3 lbs, 14.1 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

Toshiba Satellite L305-S5875
There is nothing inherently wrong with the entry-level Toshiba Satellite L305, but both Dell and Sony have 15-inch budget laptops that offer more for less.
Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core (1.86 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 5.7 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

HP Compaq CQ50-115NR
The entry-level Compaq Presario CQ50-115NR looks great, but you can get better performance and battery life for your money.

Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815
Unless you need a 17.1-inch display, there are better entry-level laptops than the Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7815.
Specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 (1.9 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 6.8 lbs, 17 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

MSI Wind U100-036LA (white, Windows XP)
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 2.6 lbs, 10 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

MSI Wind U100-053LA (black, Windows XP)
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 2.6 lbs, 10 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

MSI Wind U100-039LA (pink, Windows XP)
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 2.6 lbs, 10 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

MSI Wind U100-002LA (white, Windows XP)
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 2.2 lbs, 10 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

MSI Wind U100-035LA (black, Windows XP)
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 2.2 lbs, 10 in TFT active matrix, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

Sony Vaio VGN-FW140
Sony's smart design, long battery life, and a big 16-inch screen, make the Vaio FW140--the first Centrino 2 laptop we've seen--an excellent, but still portable, media hub.