Finding a notebook that fits you

Ultraportables are the frequent fliers of the notebook world. No, they can't match the performance of their bigger brethren. Plus, their displays top out at 12 inches or so, and they don't have internal CD or DVD drives. But a few ounces here and there can make a huge difference if you spend a lot of time on the road. These systems are so light and small that you'll barely know they're in your laptop bag. The tiniest--sometimes referred to as subnotebooks--have 10-inch displays and cramped keyboards. Because of the trade-offs, ultraportables have never been hugely popular in the United States, but as performance improves and more users ditch drives and exchange files via e-mail instead, these little laptops could be poised for liftoff.

Toshiba Libretto U100		•	2kg or less
		•	Less than 20mm thick
		•	Small displays (12 inches or smaller)
		•	Slower mobile processors, less memory, and smaller hard drives
		•	No internal CD, CD-RW, or DVD drives
		•	Fewer ports
		•	Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional

A thin-and-light offers the best balance between portability, performance, and features--especially for business travelers. Power-tuned mobile chips, such as the Intel Pentium M, now give these svelte systems performance that rivals that of notebooks twice their weight. Add in their 14-inch displays, combo CD-RW/DVD drives, and wireless networking, and thin-and-lights let you leave the office behind without missing a beat. It's no wonder this has become the hottest category of notebooks. You'll pay a slight premium for these do-it-all laptops, but for most business users, this is the best choice. The latest trend for this category are notebooks so tiny and light, they should actually be considered ultraportables yet somehow manages to squeeze in an optical drive.

Sony VAIO VGN-TX17		•	1.8 to 3kg
		•	Less than 40mm thick
		•	Midsized displays (12 to 14 inches)
		•	Powerful mobile processors, lots of memory, spacious hard drives
		•	One swappable internal CD, CD-RW, or DVD drive
		•	All standard ports
		•	Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional

The mobile equivalent of a budget desktop PC, these notebooks deliver the performance and features that most users need without all the stuff they don't. Though these devices are a little lighter and smaller than desktop replacements, mainstream notebooks still aren't suitable for business travelers. At one time, nearly all notebooks in this class had two fixed drives--a floppy and a CD or DVD drive--though that's starting to change with the new budget models that offer a single, swappable drive instead. Notebooks in this class won't set any speed records, but they offer more than enough oomph for typical tasks, such as e-mail, Web browsing, and word processing.

IBM ThinkPad R52		•	2.5 to 4kg
		•	Around 40mm thick
		•	14-inch display or larger
		•	Value mobile processors, base amounts of memory, and small hard drives
		•	Two fixed or swappable internal drives for floppy, CD, CD-RW, or DVD drives
		•	All standard ports
		•	Microsoft Windows XP Home

Like a luxury SUV, a desktop replacement is prepared for just about anything, but it rarely ever ventures off the beaten path. Though too big and heavy for anything but infrequent travel, these behemoths deliver the best performance and the most features available in a notebook. Typical options include massive screens; DVD burners; and large, comfortable keyboards. These notebooks also have two swappable drive bays so that you can mix and match optical drives, extra batteries, and other options. Generally, desktop replacements are popular among home and business users who do not travel regularly and want the muscle for tasks such as multimedia authoring, along with digital audio and video. Because they can be moved easily from room to room, they are a great choice as a second or third PC in homes with wireless networks. And as they close the gap with desktops in terms of 3D performance, devices in this category are getting the attention of gamers.

Dell Inspiron 9300		•	3.5kg or more
		•	Well over 40mm thick
		•	15-inch to 17-inch displays
		•	Fastest mobile or desktop processors, most memory, and largest hard drives available
		•	Two swappable internal drive bays for floppy, CD, CD-RW, DVD, or DVD recordable
		•	All standard ports, plus multimedia connectors, such as S-Video, FireWire, S/PDIF
		•	Microsoft Windows XP Home or Professional

Comparable in size and weight to ultraportable notebooks, tablets occupy a different niche. They are available in two basic designs: tablets that look like traditional notebooks, but with displays that swivel and fold flat facing outwards, and slates that have no attached keyboard. All tablets use a special version of Windows XP that works in tandem with the digitized displays for navigating and entering data using a stylus. Until recently, tablets were primarily used in specialized fields, such as health care, insurance, and real estate, but sexier models with new software are slowly reaching a broader audience.

Acer TravelMate C202TMI		•	Less than 2kg (some slates weigh as little as 1kg)
		•	Dimensions vary depending on design, but all are compact.
		•	12-inch digitized displays
		•	Same mobile processors, memory, and hard drives found in ultraportables
		•	No internal CD, CD-RW, or DVD drives
		•	Fewer ports, especially on the slates
		•	Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition