Top 10 laptops of March

It seems Netbooks have started piquing consumer interest again, probably due to new entrants in the form of the AMD Neo-based HP Pavilion dv2 and Via Nano-powered Samsung NC20 challenging Intel Atom's dominance. The Acer Aspire One did particularly well in stores, with both the new 10.1-inch and older 8.9-inch models gaining popularity with buyers thanks to their low price tag. However, we expect another major shakeup in this niche category when the new Intel GN40 platform starts hitting the streets since Intel claims this will give Atom-based Netbooks the ability to play 720p high-definition videos smoothly.

Note: Results are based on readership as well as data collected from retail outlets (Active Notebooks, ALIF and MC2)

	1.	Acer Aspire 4530 (AMD Turion 64 RM-70 Processor 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM) Outlook Targeting the mobile entertainment market, the Aspire 4530 comes with AMD's dual-core processor and low-end Nvidia GeForce 9100M G video card for movie playback, though gaming may still be a little out of its reach. See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Acer Extensa 4630Z (Pentium Dual-Core T4200 Processor 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM) Outlook At just under S$1,000 (US$736.25), this Acer offers great value with a decent feature set for the basic user. Equipped with Bluetooth, USB ports, Wi-Fi radio, built-in Webcam, DVD writer and even an HDMI port, this Extensa should satisfy all your surfing and productivity needs. See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Compaq Presario CQ40 (Core 2 Duo P7350 processor 2.0GHz; 2GB RAM) Outlook Built for the budget crowd, the 14.1-inch Compaq Presario CQ40 is based on the Centrino 2 chipset with Intel's latest integrated graphics processor. The higher-end variant, the CQ45, costs a little more but will net you a discrete video card in the form of an Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS chip. See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Acer Aspire 6935G (Core 2 Duo P7350 Processor 2.0GHz, 3GB RAM) Outlook For a powerful desktop replacement, this Aspire is surprisingly affordable despite being equipped with a strong multimedia entertainment suite and high-end Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card. See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Acer Aspire One AOD150 (Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)   CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good: Very inexpensive 10-inch Netbook; decent keyboard and battery. The bad: Heavy for a Netbook, terrible touchpad and mouse buttons. The bottom line: The new 10-inch Aspire One AOD150 will further cement Acer's lead in the Netbook market, largely on account of its affordable price. Review | See full specs | Rate this