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• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.1 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 10 reviews

The Bottom Line: HP's Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing. Once it starts shipping with Windows 7, this could become our favorite Netbook. Read review

Specs: DDR3 SDRAM, 160 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 41 reviews

The Bottom Line: Asus hits nearly all the marks in the 1005HA, the latest version of its iconic Eee PC, highlighted by a 6-hour-plus battery life. Read review

Specs: Intel ATOM (1.66 GHz), 1024 MB DDR II SODIMM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 86 reviews

The Bottom Line: Previously known as the MacBook, Apple's basic 13-inch aluminum unibody laptop has been promoted to the "Pro" series, all while adding features and cutting the base price. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 160 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.6, 4.4 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: Toshiba's slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but if you're going to get one, make sure it's the dual-core T135-S1310, and not its single-core cousin. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium (1300 MHz), DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 4 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's Mini 10v keeps a lot of the features of the more expensive Mini 10, while dropping the price below $300. It's one of only a handful of $299 Netbooks that doesn't look and feel especially cheap. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3, 10.1

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: Alienware's big and bulky 15-inch M15x pulls out most of the stops, thanks to a superpowered CPU. Read review

Specs: Intel Core i7 (1.6 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, 15.6

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: A large-screen laptop with very good performance, the Gateway NV7802u is an attractive choice for home or office. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 7.3 lbs, 17.3 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 9 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's popular Mini 10 is the most customizable Netbook we've seen. Adding extras such as a higher-resolution display makes it more useful, but also blurs the price line between Netbooks and mainstream laptops. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3, 10.1

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.2 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 4 reviews

The Bottom Line: If you're in the market for an affordable thin-and-light, the Asus UL30A-A1 provides great value and a solid Core 2 Duo CULV processor in an attractive package. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1300 MHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 3.7 lbs, 13.3 in TFT

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.2 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 8 reviews

The Bottom Line: HP's biz-minded Mini 5101 is a successor to the Mini 2140 (one of our all-time favorite Netbooks). It looks and feels great, but for a premium-price Netbook, we expect to get more features, not fewer. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (1.66 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 2.9 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix, EPEAT Gold, EPA Energy Star

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 11 reviews

The Bottom Line: As long as you won't need more than what it already has, the budget-friendly Asus K50IJ-RX05 is money well spent. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium (2 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: Good design and some really nice-sounding speakers round out the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6980, a very affordable mainstream laptop with excellent battery life for its size. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 7.2 lbs, 16 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: The design and portability of the Asus UL50AG make it one of the slickest 15.6-inch DVD-drive-equipped laptops we've seen, but an ultralow-voltage processor compromises its computing power. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.3 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.1 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 11 reviews

The Bottom Line: While the new, less expensive, HP Mini 110 doesn't stray far from the Mini 1000 mold, there are some subtle changes--not always for the best. Read review

Specs: Intel ATOM (1.60 GHz), 1024 MB, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, 10.1 in

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: As a highly configurable budget-range black box, Dell's Inspiron 1545 laptop line can be a good value--as long as you don't pile on the upgrades. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: For a budget Windows 7 thin-and-light that won't need to recharge often, you could do a lot worse than the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1309. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium (1.3 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 11 reviews

The Bottom Line: Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard, 4.7 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 48 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's first release from its new Studio line, the Studio 15, sits between the Inspiron and XPS lines and offers a good mix of features for the price, but we'd be tempted to save up a few extra dollars for a thinner, lighter XPS. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core (2.1 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, 6 lbs, 15.6 TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 8 reviews

The Bottom Line: Part of Samsung's second generation of Netbooks, the N120 offers a generous keyboard and some unexpected audio power. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix, EPEAT gold, EPEAT Gold

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: Nokia's entry in the crowded Netbook field shows that the company's hardware know-how translates to computer design, but a poor choice of CPU should give you pause. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 120 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 2.8 lbs, 10.1 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: Sony's bold experiment--a high-end luxury system with essentially Netbook components--makes an enviable coffee shop conversation piece, but one that includes some serious sticker shock. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom (2 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 128 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 1.6 lbs, 11.1 in TFT active matrix, RoHS, EPA Energy Star

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.4 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: MSI's superslim X340 offers the slick look of a MacBook Air or Dell Adamo, but cast in plastic for about half the price. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Solo (1.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 2.9 lbs, 13.4 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 1 review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 6.0 lbs, 15.5 in TFT active matrix

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.5 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: Lenovo's Windows 7 upgrade to the ThinkPad SL500 keeps the price affordable, and features a consumer-friendly 16:9 display. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 3072 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5.3 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, RoHS

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Dell Inspiron i1545-4374PBU is a good, if basic, laptop with a strong price-to-performance ratio. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium (2.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, 5.7 lbs, 15.6 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star