A well-priced and solid notebook that should suit many business users' needs, despite its lack of high-end features.

This budget buy looks good and includes some nice options (FireWire, TV-out, card reader) and free extras (mouse, carry bag), but you don't get a DVD writer and the processor doesn't help with battery life.

This is a solidly built unit that's a joy to use and has plenty of grunt for most applications. It also has versatile networking options, including the ability to connect to 5GHz 802.11n routers.

The Aspire 5573ZWXMi is a fairly unremarkable notebook. Its performance results aren't great and there are no particularly redeeming features to counter that. We were, however, impressed by its battery life and budget price tag

An excellent display and reasonably good battery life make the BenQ Joybook R55VU a decent option for those after a media notebook, but do note that its performance indicates it isn't up to more demanding tasks.

A formidable notebook choice with a classy design. Although it's aimed at the casual user in both price and performance, we still feel that an extra $100 can get you a more powerful Intel-based machine.

Lenovo's first reach into the booming consumer-notebook market looks to be a good one. The IdeaPad Y510 has got style and function, now we just have to see the local build and we'll be happy.

Apart from its redesigned lid, the BenQ Joybook S32B (BV14) is virtually indistinguishable from the the previous S32 iteration. It will suit both business and casual users looking for an affordable notebook for undemanding applications.

The Versa P7300 (2100DR) is a solid entry into the all-purpose notebook market, especially if you're not into gaming. While slightly let down by its graphics performance, it offers plenty of functionality for the price.

The Presario V3000 is an attractively sleek and compact notebook slightly let down by its less-than-stellar battery life. However, for those who value design and portability over beefy specs, it remains an affordable and worthy purchase.

This great-value laptop is highly mobile, but it's much better at general tasks (word processing and browsing the Web) than it is at games.

If its battery life was better, and if it had more ports, we'd give this notebook a higher rating. However, we do like its screen, and the power-off USB charging feature is very handy.