Although the Toshiba Satellite Pro P300 (PSPCDA-00L00D) is a fast system with Toshiba's noteworthy Sleep and Charge USB ports and plenty of hard drive space, the unattractive design and lack of features when compared to similarly priced units mean that you're better off looking elsewhere.

The 6930P's size makes it both comfortable to use, as well as easy to transport, and users who require a lot of running time away from an outlet will appreciate the option for a larger second battery. We don't particularly like its latch system, nor the prolonged set up time, and we wish HP would also implement 'Sleep-and-Charge'-like USB 2.0 ports.

The Toshiba Tecra A10's excellent CPU is wasted thanks to a puny 1GB of RAM. If you want a decent machine with a sub-$1500 price tag, then this is a device worth considering — as long as you upgrade the memory.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U330 is a device with lots going for it. Apart from the excellent keyboard, strong hardware and attractive design, the unit also has a great screen and a large variety of ports. Unfortunately, this quality is reflected in its high price tag.

For the modern user on the move the Fujitsu LifeBook S6520 offers surprisingly good processing power and a brilliant battery life in a lightweight package that is easy to use. The only downside is the high price, for which we’d normally expect a better variety of expansion options.

If you can't fork out the extra $500 for the fully featured ASUS F8Va and still want decent performance in an attractive design then the BenQ Joybook S42-PE01 is worth looking at. It might not have all the bells and whistles, but for this price point it certainly has a lot.

This is a nice little unit with plenty of features. It performed well, has good connectivity and is quite portable.

Toshiba’s Qosmio F50 is ideal for multimedia, but it is also well suited as an all-purpose notebook. If you can live with the glossy display, there is plenty to like about this unit and it has performance to match its looks.

The Toshiba Satellite M110 is not likely to turn heads for its performance, but it's an affordable notebook with enough power to satisfy most people. The bonus features of the Satellite range make it a versatile unit that will handle a number of tasks. It's perfect for the casual user.

The Toshiba Satellite Pro A300 is a unit that sits comfortably between the entry-level and mid-range notebook categories, featuring an excellent range of expansion ports and decent performance when balanced against its price tag. What lets it down is the dull design.

The ATG should satisfy users who are after a well-performing, semi-rugged notebook, but more demanding users who are looking for a unit to use in a very dusty area might want something that has dust-protected ports and slots as well.