Top 10 notebooks of March

March was an exciting month for consumers. We saw new models like the HP Pavilion tx2000, entertainment-focused convertible tablet PC, and the thin-and-light LG P300 with a discrete gaming graphics card hit the shelves. But, more importantly, Singapore-based IT Show 2008 occurred during the same period which set the hearts of bargain hunters aflame.

So, with bargains at every corner, it would have been tempting to get that high-end gaming laptop at a discount, or finally bring home an exquisite but expensive ultraportable to drool over. Fortunately, Asian consumers are not so easily swayed and value-for-money laptops were the biggest hit for the month. With the latest range of UMPCs and budget laptops relentlessly breaking the S$1,000 (US$636.21) barrier, the day is close when a notebook is as common as a television set in every household.

So which were the heavy hitters for the month? We polled what readers searched for on our site, as well as sales figures from Singapore stores AAAs Com Solution and MC2 for our latest chart-busters.

	1.	Compaq Presario V3700 series (Core 2 Duo T7500 Processor 2.2GHz, 2GB RAM) Outlook The HP Compaq Presario V3000 delivers a strong set of components and decent basic features for a competitive price. Optional addons like the HP XB 3000 expansion base further expand the functionality of this series with more connectivity ports and a better speaker setup. See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Acer Aspire 4920G (Core 2 Duo T7100 Processor 1.8GHz, 1GB RAM) Outlook The Aspire 4920G may be cheap, but it's definitely not boring with its Gemstone design. Billed as a portable entertainment notebook, it sports a dedicated ATI graphics card for additional video performance. Users who frequently edit videos or produce presentations will appreciate this affordable Acer PC. See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Lenovo Y410 (Core 2 Duo T7100 processor 1.8GHz; 1GB RAM)   First take For a portable entertainment notebook, the Y410 is certainly attractive at a starting price of S$1,599 (US$1,017.31), one which only models like Acer Aspire 4710 and Dell Inspiron 1420 with far less features can compete with . The Lenovo Y410 sits in the same space as the more costly HP Pavilion dv2500 in the portable entertainment market. It has a couple of new features, like the Shuttle Center and built-in subwoofers which do not appear in its business-oriented brethren. First take | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Acer TravelMate 6292 (Core 2 Duo T7100 Processor 1.8GHz, 1GB RAM)   CNET Asia rating: 7.1 out of 10 The good: Integrated Webcam; inexpensive; hardy magnesium-alloy chassis; fingerprint sensor; shock-protected harddisk. The bad: TPM security chip not included; relatively thick and heavy for a thin-and-light; only one-year warranty. The bottom line: Acer's foray into the business notebook scene is a full-featured, magnesium alloy-clad number with a low price tag. Though its lack of a TPM security chip and far from svelte figure may drive some off, the TravelMate 6292 is certainly a value-for-money preposition for the junior executive or student. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	HP Pavilion dv2600 (Core 2 Duo T7300 processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM)   First take Functionally, there is little to differentiate the HP Pavilion dv2600 from the older dv2500 mode. Both are portable entertainment machines with a nice array of touch-sensitive multimedia controls and compatibility with the xb3000 expansion base. Digging a little deeper into the specification sheets, however, will uncover that the dv2600 uses the new range of Intel's T7000 series Core 2 Duo chip and that the memory can be upgraded to a maximum of 4GB (the dv2500 can accept only 2GB). There is even an option for a large 250GB harddisk in selected models. First take | See full specs | Rate this