The lack of a built-in optical drive and the so-so keyboard mar this lightweight notebook; however, the price is reasonable for an ultraportable.

The Acer Aspire 2920-302G25Mn is an ultraportable 're-imagining' of the all-purpose Gemstone series; offering a similar performance in a lightweight package. Provided you can overlook its garish interior, there's plenty to love about this little gem of a performer.

For its size and price this Acer is a great purchase. It has a strong selection of connectivity options crammed into a small package and good battery life as well.

This Linux version of the Aspire One is easy to use and has a solid-state drive, but the Windows XP version has better memory and storage capacity for only $100 more. Furthermore, Acer will also release versions with built-in 3G modules. It's really a case of waiting for the new versions to arrive, unless the portability and ease of use of this unit catch your fancy.

While Ferrari fans are going to want to splurge for the luxury of a true Ferrari sponsored notebook, unlike the cars we can't justify the cost for the performance. The feature-set isn't bad and will get you by if you've got to have the Ferrari name, but the rest of us have no sensible reason to buy this machine at this price.

Alienware takes a nice step out of the high-power desktop world into the ultraportable market with the Sentia m3200

The MacBook Air is a superbly crafted notebook, but this niche product isn't for everyone. Its lack of optical drive, FireWire and Ethernet ports deem it inadequate for power or everyday users. Regardless, it functions well as a secondary device for frequent travellers, or those who require basic, hassle-free computing.

This revolutionary little machine is a great choice for kids at school, or travellers looking for a basic unit to update their blog, check e-mails or write their travel diary with. We wouldn't recommend it as much to the elderly, simply due to the keyboard and screen size, but it is simple to use and does the job well.

Lightweight and fully equipped, the 1.8 kilogram W5A goes one step further than most ultraportables, coming with a swivel Webcam.

The ASUS has big application performance and a sleek physical appearance.

The wooden panels on the Bamboo actually look good, and its guts are also impressive. It's not a laptop for everyone; it's mostly for people who want to make an impression, and anyone who just really loves wood.