The clean-slate design and trialware-free desktop are immediate pleasures that are soon accompanied by solid performance and some surprising media centre-style capabilities.

Although we are unable to fully test this product right now, the concept of a notebook with 3G and GPS built-in is a promising sign for the convergence of mobile technology. However, the inclusion of e-SATA and HDMI already puts up a few gold stars for the ASUS U3S.

For getting online on the go, the integrated 3G capability of this laptop is ideal. It's also a comfortable unit to use, but it does lack some modern conveniences.

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 BenQ Joybook S32 (BV13) offers a slight improvement over the previous S32 iteration. Its overall performance was predictably solid for a notebook in this price range. It will neither wow, nor disappoint.

The Lenovo 3000 N200 may not excel in anything specific, but it offers a good mix of features for the home or the small business environment. The best asset of this notebook is its ability to unplug at the end of the work day and go home with you.

Although it comes with a strong variety of connections and good screen performance, the Acer TravelMate 6592 (831G08Mn) is let down by a relatively small hard drive.

Acer's Aspire 4920G is a good all purpose notebook. It doesn't excel at any one thing, but for users wanting a little gaming, movie watching and general desktop PC activities, crammed into a stylish package, it is a strong contender.

For its price there's little worth complaining about. The Dell Media Direct feature is handy and the 2 megapixel camera is a nice upgrade from the standard 1.3 megapixel option.

If you plan to use what HP has put into this machine then it's a good value choice. However, if you're after a power notebook, or don't plan to utilise all the added features then there are other paths you'll want to take.

There's plenty of style to boast of here. The Verve, aptly named for its design, will turn heads, and it's a good performer too, if not at the top of the class.

A worthy alternative to Toshiba's flagship G40, the Qosmio F40 is a well built and useful entertainment machine.