All Laptops

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.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.6, 4.6 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: 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.

Specs: Intel Core i7 (1.60 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 64 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 10.1 lbs, 18.4 in TFT active matrix, RoHS

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

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.3 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS

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.

Specs: DDR3 SDRAM, 160 GB

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

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 12.6 lbs, 18.4 in TFT active matrix

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.

Specs: 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 Bottom Line: The Viliv S7's small size and Netbook-tablet hybrid design are appealing, but its high price is illogical in a world of inexpensive portables.

Specs: Intel ATOM (1200 MHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 16 GB, 1.76 lbs

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.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, 14.0

The Bottom Line: A revamped version of Lenovo's slim ThinkPad T400s adds an innovative touch-screen package to the first Windows 7 laptop we've reviewed.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 4096 MB DDR II SDRAM, 128 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, 3.9 lbs, TFT

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.

Specs: 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