This is a powerful mid-range all-purpose notebook that is well worth looking at, as long as you can stand carting around a 3kg laptop.

There's not a whole lot more to the HP Pavilion Special Edition, but the small perks and unique design easily match, if not outweigh the slight price hike.

With power, connectivity and functionality at your fingertips there's little to complain about. The BenQ Joybook R56 offers some nice new features in a solid, usable machine.

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 VAIO VGN-CR13G is a reasonably solid, if unspectacular, notebook that features a lovely design and reasonable specifications. A decent choice if you are after an all-purpose machine.

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

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.

While it might not quite resurrect a dying breed, the A9 (PTS52A-00V00F) proves that big old-fashioned business notebooks still have a worthy place in the ultra-mobile world. Worth investing in.

The MSI MegaBook EX600 is a solid, but far from outstanding unit. It will handle most basic tasks with ease, but will struggle with more demanding applications.

We don't feel that SideShow is the be all and end all of what this LG R200 has to offer, but it is a handy device if you set it up well. Beyond that the R200 is an incredibly portable unit with good battery life and enough grunt to get you by.

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.

It may call itself a gemstone, but the 5920G (302G20N) more closely resembles a diamond in the rough. Those who are willing to chip away at the ugly exterior will be pleased by what they find inside.