The Flybook VM's lifting screen is very useful and the unit is comfortable to use overall. It has enough power for typical office applications and even Photoshop, and its screen produced rich colours. We wish it had at least one more USB port and an SD card reader. Apart from that, we think this is a great choice for anyone after a comfortable ultraportable unit.

It's well-suited to road warriors thanks to its light weight and built-in 3G module, but it's still not the perfect laptop. If you're going to go for the R500, opt for a solid-state drive instead of a conventional hard drive.

Well built and full of features, this lightweight laptop is perfect for professional users who need good speed and ease of use while on the road.

The VAIO is an excellent option for anyone after an ultraportable with good performance, solid battery life and an excellent design.

This laptop is the perfect size for the road warrior who wants to get online while on the go, and who also wants something that looks flashy. Its colour might be a little too feminine for most guys' taste, but women might find it irresistible.

A capable and solidly built ultraportable that's worth considering. It could use some refinement, but its strong case, built-in DVD burner and long battery life are major positives.

If you consider battery life and light weight the most important laptop criteria, give the LifeBook P7010 a close look. You could probably live with this 1.5-kilogram unit's less-than-perfect keyboard and screen.

This mid-sized widescreen has plenty of power and a sizable, speedy hard disk, and it's backed by a three-year warranty.

There's no doubt this unit is ultraportable and it did well in our battery testing, but with a $5499 price tag it's just too expensive.

Although there's a notable premium on the solid-state hard drive and ultra-portables don't often come cheap anyway, this is a good little buy. It's got enough power to handle the most basic tasks and its implementation of flash memory should please those wanting to be on the cutting edge.

Exceptional battery life and a compact design make the nc2400 a great option for those willing to sacrifice some performance.

Although the Panasonic Toughbook CF-W5 is not the most stylish or powerful machine, it does offer some good battery life and should take a few knocks without any trouble. However, for the premium price it is short on ports and other features, a disappointment despite the advantages of its rugged design.