The Sony VAIO VGN-FE45G/W doesn't offer great battery life, but is very comfortable to use and has enough power under the hood to deal with everyday use and more.

This is a value-priced power notebook that's well geared towards multimedia use.

The NEC Versa P8210 is an interesting notebook sitting on the fence between productivity and gaming.

Pioneer has definitely aimed for the performance market with its DreamBook Light 822 notebook, which is the most powerful notebook we looked at this month. Running an Intel Core Duo T2500 (2GHz) processor and 1GB (2x 512MB) of DDR2 533MHz RAM, the 14in DreamBook pulled off an impressive score of 97 in PC WorldBench 5 and 17,469 in 3DMark 2001 SE. These results place the DreamBook above other notebooks in its price range.

While it could be a little sturdier, the abundance of connectivity options and the $2299 price make it a sensible purchase for anyone looking for a large, strong performing notebook.

HP's Pavilion tx1001 is not a powerful performer, but for a small premium you get the benefit of touch-screen functionality with your notebook. It still offers all the perks of the Pavilion range, but brings a new physical element to computing.

While it looks excellent, the T1 didn't quite perform to expectations, and unless design is of a primary concern to you, there are better deals elsewhere.

Sturdy, speedy and yet simple, the F3Sv has some perks, but mainly it just gets the job done. The TV tuner is a nice addition and so is the DVI port. If you're after a unit that will run a wide array of applications without too much pizzazz, the F3Sv is a good choice.

For such a small notebook it packs a lot of punch. Business users on the go will enjoy its light weight and portable design, not to mention its reliable battery. There's little to complain about when it comes to performance either.

For style and performance in a business machine, the LG E500 is a great option. It scored well in our benchmarks, including the battery test and includes some useful features.

It's not perfect, but its portable size and relatively powerful specifications make this notebook stand out. It's well-suited to anyone who wants a compact device that doesn't sacrifice features.