Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 Netbook has been a popular entry in the minilaptop sweepstakes for several reasons. It was one of the first Netbooks to offer an ExpressCard slot (albeit the smaller 34mm variety), it was an early proponent of standard hard-disk drives instead of small solid-state drives (a posi
In a media-saturated online world, it's no surprise that whole categories of laptops now seem made to appeal to the home streaming-video connoisseur. Lenovo's IdeaPad Y series, and the Y650 in particular, look tailor-made for those who want to watch TV and media on a big, bright screen with better-t
After years of producing solid but unexciting gray boxes, Dell adopted a "design-first" philosophy in 2007 that led to both smartly redesigned versions of its mainstream Inspiron laptops, and one of our favorite laptops of the year, the 13-inch XPS M1330. Dell is now taking the basic desig
We were very fond of Dell's 14-inch Inspiron 1420 laptop when Dell launched it in the spring of 2007, as we find that 14-inch models offer the optimal balance between portability and usability for mainstream users. Since then, Dell has introduced new 15-inch systems, and a whole new line, the Studio
As middle-of-the-road as a laptop gets, Dell's Inspiron 1525 is an excellent go-to choice for basic computing, especially if you take the time to configure a system to your needs via Dell's online configurator. This $729 fixed-configuration retail version, called the Inspiron 1525-122B, offers large
As middle-of-the-road as a laptop gets, Dell's Inspiron 1525 is an excellent go-to choice for basic computing, especially if you take the time to configure a system to your needs via Dell's online configurator. This $649 fixed-configuration version, called the Inspiron 1525-121B, has a low-end 1.86G
Dell's new Studio line incorporates some of the sleek, tapered design of the company's high-end XPS laptops while keeping the price of a nicely equipped machine for less than $1,000. By way of comparison, to build a XPS M1530 similarly configured would cost about $250 more than the retail-only $979
If you have a company laptop, chances are it's either a Lenovo ThinkPad or a Dell Latitude--both brands are a common sight in cubicles and are capable performers for medium-to-large businesses. (Last year, Dell launched its Vostro line to cater to the smallest of small businesses. Vosto laptops feat
While 13-inch laptops make up only a small part of the market, Apple's popular MacBook has made this form factor, which we call thin-and-light, a staple of college campuses and coffee shops everywhere. Just small enough to carry around and just big enough to use as your main computer, the 13-inch is
We've known for some time that Dell was working on a Netbook-style laptop--the same kind of small, low-power, inexpensive system made popular by Asus and the Eee PC line. And even though there are not many surprises in the new Inspiron Mini 9, it's still an excellent example of the form, without any