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.

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.

It looks great and has fast specifications for an ultraportable laptop. It's a good thing it comes with a second, larger battery though, because its small battery produced a very low run-time in our tests. Nevertheless, if it's a lightweight powerhouse that you want, this one is ideal.

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

Although the Toshiba Portege R500 is clearly not a power user's choice, its lightweight frame, small size and good battery life make it an excellent choice for simple tasks such as email, Web surfing and simple office applications while travelling for business.

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

This VAIO is stylish and redefines the meaning of the term ultra-portable. We wouldn't recommend it if you are just looking for a notebook, but if portability is your number one concern, then you can't go past the VGN-TX27GP.

The Sony Vaio SZ15GP/B is a great entry level unit for people who want to get mobile but don't need a monster laptop.

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

The Fujitsu LifeBook S6311 is a professional notebook with some nice features. It performed well in our tests and it's fairly priced for it's quality.

The VAIO TZ17GN is an ideal ultraportable thanks to a compact, lightweight frame, good battery life and solid, if not outstanding performance. A stylish design sweetens the deal.