This 15.6in notebook is quick and has plenty of useful features. In particular, we love its multitouch touchpad. The ASUS U50Vg would make a great desktop replacement, but it's also capable of being transported to work or school and its battery life is quite good.

MSI's Wind Millions Special Edition U135 is a netbook that looks good and is comfortable to use. It has a balance issue that we've seen in previous Wind netbooks, but we like the U135's build quality, design and features.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Edge 13" is a great little laptop for anyone who wants good performance and battery life in a mobile form factor but doesn't want to spend over $1000. There aren't really many things to dislike about this model, and there are plenty of things to love, such as the excellent input devices and the ability to charge your USB devices even when the notebook is powered off and unplugged.

The iPad underwhelms in terms of hardware and software, but there's a lot of potential for innovative content.

Pick up the Dell Latitude E4300 notebook if you're a business user looking for a mobile, yet fast and very well built machine. It has a stack of features and is comfortable to use, and its docking options are elegant, too.

Medion's Akoya E7212 represents great value for anyone who wants a well performing notebook for the home. It's inexpensive and it performs better than many pricier notebooks on the market. It also has a very good set of features. The Akoya E7212 would suit a family looking for a desktop replacement notebook, or a student who wants something zippy and comfortable to work on but doesn't want a PC and can't afford to spend too much. It's available from Aldi while stocks last.

Lenovo's ThinkPad X100e is a very well built, sub-$1000 ultraportable for business users. It's comfortable to use and reasonably fast, and, coupled with a global warranty, we think it's a great little laptop for travelling professionals. However, it could use better battery life.

Dell's Vostro V13 is a strong, comfortable and stylish ultraportable for business users. We like its screen, keyboard and touchpad, but we think the sealed battery design is a drawback. Nevertheless, for $1299 and with a one-year, next business day warranty, it's a sweet proposition.

The ASUS Eee PC T91 is the first tablet-convertible netbook to hit the market. While it's not perfect a perfect product, the touch-screen interface gives you another way to launch applications and even to write notes. Ultimately the unit is perhaps too cramped and slow for comfortable tablet usage.

The challenge here lies in finding the right market for the device. Despite the smartbook title, the Lenovo Skylight isn't so much a new niche, as a re-imagined netbook. This one just happens to focus on the always-on, perpetual connectivity that the "net" prefix should have implied.

While the Sony VAIO X Series (VPCX113KGB) might not be all that fast, it's very light and strong. It's perfect if you want a laptop that won't be a burden to carry around with you and it'll definitely get people's attention. It has a few drawbacks, such as sluggish performance and a uncomfortable touchpad. Considering the small size of the notebook and the basic tasks it's intended for, these flaws can be overlooked.

There is potential for high performance in this laptop with its interesting processor, but there's also enough niggles to make us cautious before making a recommendation. Given the high power demands of the CPU, this is still more of a desktop replacement, a static desk design which makes the separate optical drive an satisfactory solution over a regular integrated unit. And professional users may be turned off by the glossiness of the screen, its low resolution, or both. Ultimately it's a brave attempt to catch up with the MacBook Pro range, but like the 13in HP Envy, the Apple original pips it in many ways. Mobile gamers, meanwhile, will appreciate the good graphics performance.

There is no doubt that the Dell Precision M6500 represents the crème de la crème of laptops today. Engineers and power users who can abide the weight and the cost will find a blazingly fast laptop with superior screen and graphics, a full-size keyboard, and plenty of storage and RAM headroom. This machine's performance is nearly the equivalent of midrange desktop workstations.

The touch screen on the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s Multitouch is responsive and accurate. It's not just a novelty; it can actually be useful if you're a photographer or designer. We also love the keyboard and build quality of the T400s laptop, but wish the location of some of the ports was more convenient.

If you're after a small notebook with excellent battery life and plenty of gloss, then the P3110 is for you. It has a smaller than usual palm rest area and touchpad, but its keyboard is good and it's faster than some similar-sized notebooks.