The new Asus Eee PC 1201N Seashell is one of the first Atom netbooks on the market to feature a dual-core processor.

That means that compared to its single-core Atom processor counterparts, the Asus 1201N and its Atom N330 dual-core processor offers much improved performance, especially when you want to run several programs at once. Single-core Atom netbooks tend to experience significant slowdown when you’re trying to switch between different programs. Unfortunately, these turbo processors do take a toll on the battery life.

Yet another performance bonus is the inclusion of a Nvidia Ion graphics processor, which once again is something of a rarity for a netbook. This offers a step-up when it comes to graphics performance, especially when it comes to multimedia applications such as gaming and video playback. It handles high-definition (HD) video nicely and comes with software that will upscale your standard definition content to HD. You can then share your HD content thanks to the inclusion of a HDMI port.

Of course, if you’re going to include a superior graphics processor, you’ll want to make sure the screen is up to scratch. Asus has equipped the 1201N with a glossy 12.1-inch screen with 1366×768 resolution, which performs very nicely for a netbook screen. Sitting above the screen you’ll find a built-in webcam, complete with Cyberlink YouCam software.

Since the Asus 1201N is intended to be a multimedia netbook, storage had to be a consideration and most users will be happy with the 250GB of internal storage, plus 500GB of online storage provided by Asus.

The Asus Eee PC 1201N Seashell is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $699.

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By Caroline Warnes

The Lenovo ThinkPad Edge is an affordable laptop that will appeal to business users on a tight budget.

As indicated by the budget price tag, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge isn’t the most stylish business notebook on the market, but it (mostly) gets the job done. It features a 13-inch high-definition LED screen (1366×768 pixel resolution) and a keyboard that has undergone a redesign from previous ThinkPad laptops. The ThinkPad Edge’s keyboard has been raised, making it easier to use - as does the larger touchpad.

Connectivity is fairly standard for a budget 13-inch notebook. You get a memory card reader, three USB ports plus one HDMI. Unfortunately, there’s no optical disc drive.

The ThinkPad Edge comes in two basic varieties - the first running a 1.50GHz AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core processor, and the second running a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The AMD model will cost you less than the Intel laptop as the latter offers several performance advantages, including longer battery life. Both models weight in at just over 1.6kg.

Local pricing for the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge starts from $999 for the AMD model and $1149 for the Intel model.

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By Caroline Warnes

The new Samsung N150 is one of the first netbooks to hit the Australian market carrying the Intel Atom N450 processor chip, extending the unit’s battery life significantly.

The new chip, which was designed specifically for netbooks and entry-level desktop PCs, comes with its graphics processor built directly into the Central Processing Unit (CPU), eliminating the need for a second chip and thus extending the battery life. This results in a power reductions of around 40% over previous Intel Atom processors. Basically, this means that the Samsung N150’s battery can last up to 12 hours when the netbook is used in low-power modes. Unfortunately the new chip doesn’t really offer any other significant performance advantages.

Aside from this innovation, nothing else about the Samsung N150 is terribly groundbreaking. It has a relatively common-looking chassis, fashioned from black plastic, with a slightly cramped keyboard - this may prove to be a dealbreaker for anyone with larger hands and fingers.

It features a 10-inch matte display, which excels at eliminating glare and reflection, with 1024×600 resolution. Connectivity options include three USB ports, as well as Ethernet, VGA video output plus the standard microphone and headphone jacks.

Samsung has also equipped the N150 with 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but unfortunately no 3G connectivity.

The Samsung N150 is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $599.

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By Caroline Warnes

If you’re looking for the latest and greatest luxe notebook to brandish as a status symbol, look no further than the HP Envy 15.

HP has obviously spent a long time fine-tuning the Envy 15’s (also known as the Envy 151015TX) design in order. It boasts a sleek and sexy chassis and is surprisingly lightweight for a laptop of this size - thanks largely to the omission of an internal optical drive. If you want an optical drive, you’ll have to settle for an external attachment.

The high-end design elements continue when you open the case. The keys are wide and metal-topped, which adds a distinctly luxurious feel.

The HP Envy 15 is best suited for anyone looking for a gaming and multimedia laptop. HP has included its MediaSmart software, which offers an easy way to organise and play all your media files - photo, music and video. The software can be accessed using the quick-launch buttons next to the laptop’s keyboard. The 15.6-inch screen offers Full HD resolution (1920×1080p), making it ideal for viewing high-definition video.

It’s suitably powerful to handle most multimedia and gaming functionality. HP has equipped the Envy 15 with the very powerful 1.6GHz Intel Core i7 720QM processor - which basically means you should expect speedy and powerful performance.

But as is always the case, luxury doesn’t come cheap. The HP Envy 15 carries a recommended retail price of $2699, which is most definitely on the expensive side for a 15-inch notebook.

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By Caroline Warnes

These days there are so many laptop and notebook options available that it’s hard to make an informed decision when it comes to buying one - but this guide will give you a broad overview of the different types.

Laptops / notebooks fall into five main categories based on size and functionality. In descending order, starting from the largest, these are:

Desktop replacement laptops

The heaviest and most cumbersome of laptops are those that fall into the desktop replacement category (as the name might suggest). They can weigh anywhere up to 6kg and have very large screens, often of 17-inches. Desktop replacement notebooks are not a great option if you travel around a lot due to their sheer size and limited battery life, however if you want a limited amount of portability with power approximate to a desktop PC then this is the laptop for you.

Best desktop replacement laptops include the Apple MacBook Pro, HP EliteBook and Dell Studio.

Mainstream laptops

Mainstream laptops are more portable than their desktop replacement counterparts, but still aren’t ideal if you are on-the-go all day, every day. They tend to have screens on the larger side (say, over 14 inches) and decent-sized keyboards. They are especially suited towards business users who require some portability, say, people who work from home occasionally.

Many people believe the best mainstream laptops are made by Toshiba, particularly those in the Toshiba Satellite range (pictured here is the L550 model).

Thin-and-light laptops

Sitting right in the middle of the notebook spectrum, thin-and-light laptops appeal to a broad range of users (and especially students) because of their balance between portability and features. Screen size is generally between 13- and 15-inches. If you’re on the fence about which type of laptop you require, mainstream is always a fail-safe choice for most uses.

Best thin-and-light laptops include the MacBook Air and the Lenovo ThinkPad.

Ultra-portable laptops

The second smallest class of notebooks - ultra-portable laptops - have much in common with the thin-and-light category, but tend more to the side of portability, thanks to their smaller size (most screens are under 12-inches) and slimmed-down features. Performance isn’t really that great a step up from netbooks (see below), making these laptops suitable for business people who travel a lot.

Best ultra-portable laptops include the Dell Inspiron and the Toshiba Portege.

Netbooks

Netbooks are the smallest category of laptop and are designed for basic web surfing and emailing but can’t really handle any heavy-duty tasks. Our netbook buying guide can help you make a decision on the best netbook if you’re looking to make a purchase in this category.

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By Caroline Warnes

As the name suggests, the new BenQ Joybook Lite U121 Eco is being billed as a netbook that is more environmentally friendly than the competition.

Ben Q claims that it uses less power than most other netbooks, thanks to the Intel Atom Z530 processor which only requires a maximum of 2 Watts of thermal design power (TDP). 2.5 Watts is the average for other netbooks.

The BenQ Joybook Lite U121 Eco is also sold in recycled material, with minimal packaging used.

The other main “green” feature of this netbook is the 11.6-inch screen, which BenQ says is mercury-free and uses a low-energy LED backlight.

This netbook comes in two versions, Windows XP Home and Linux. Both versions are equipped with Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n wireless and 10/100 Ethernet.

The BenQ Joybook Lite U121 Eco sells in Australia for $899.

Buy a cheap netbook on sale

By Caroline Warnes

The upcoming Samsung N310 is yet another netbook that is a combination of basic functionality and slick design.

The fact of the matter is that netbooks are by definition basic, compact laptops that are used for tasks such as email and web browsing, so there isn’t a lot of wiggle room when it comes to features. One of the main areas in which netbooks can distinguish themselves is in terms of design, and that’s the route Samsung has taken with the N310.

The Samsung N310 was designed by renowned Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa and comes in black, orange, dark blue and light blue. It’s not the lightest netbook you’ll come across, but is still fairly portable, weighing in at just under 1.3kg.

Specifications of the Samsung N310 include a 10.1-inch screen with 1024×600 resolution, 802.11g Wi-Fi and three USB ports. It’s powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor.

Australian pricing for the Samsung N310 netbook will be confirmed closer to the release date.

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By Caroline Warnes

The Asus Eee 1008HA Seashell is a stylish netbook that will appeal to anyone looking for an ultra portable unit.

It’s clear that Asus has designed the Eee 1008HA Seashell with style in mind. As the name so obviously suggests, the design is inspired by the seashell, and it comes in either glossy white or black. It’s the small details that really make this such an appealing netbook, including the bevelled keys and tapered edges of the chassis as well as the 10-inch glossy screen (1024×600 resolution).

Portability is another key factor. Netbooks are by definition meant to be more portable than full-sized notebooks, but some models recently have been getting bigger. Not so the Asus Eee 1008HA Seashell. It weighs in at just over 1kg and is around 2.5cm across at its thickest.

Stylish looks and portability aside, the technology behind this netbook isn’t anything groundbreaking. Asus has equipped the Eee 1008HA Seashell with an Atom N280 processor and Windows XP as well as 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-FI (802.11n) and an SDHC port. All this is sufficient for basic web browsing and email. Life of the integrated lithium polymer battery is claimed at six hours, but this figure will be significantly less if you’re performing more intensive tasks, such as watching movies.

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By Caroline Warnes

Apple has updated its MacBook Pro range of notebooks, with the new range including 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models.

The 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro is perhaps the most significant addition to the series. This basic aluminium unibody notebook was originally branded MacBook but has now been promoted to the Pro series, thanks to the sturdier metal construction and the addition of GeForce 9400M graphics.

It also includes a seven-hour built-in battery, an SD card slot, a FireWire 800 port and an improved LED-backlit display with 60% greater colour gamut, according to Apple.

The MacBook Pro 13-inch comes in two versions. The first features a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive and is priced at $1899. The second comes with a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. This model is priced at $2399.

Changes to the 15-inch MacBook Pro have been minimal. It also features a seven-hour built-in battery and an SD card slot has been included. It comes in three models with Australian pricing ranging from $2699 up to $3699.

Meanwhile, the 17-inch MacBook Pro has also has some minor changes, most notable of which is a $500 price drop (down to $3999). Apple has decided not to swap the ExpressCard slot for an SD slot.

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By Caroline Warnes

Forget laptops and notebooks: today, ultra-portable computing lies in the form of the netbook. Our buying guide will explain what they are and which one is right for you.

Netbooks explained

A netbook is an ultra-compact laptop designed for basic day-to-day functions such as emailing and surfing the web. Because of their basic functionality, netbooks are smaller, more portable and cheaper than full-sized laptops and notebooks. They can even be used for working from home if you use a lot of web-based applications in your daily work. However, if you tend to use a lot of software programs and applications that need to be installed on your actual computer, you will most likely find that a netbook isn’t the right portable computer for you.

Which netbook?

When it comes to purchasing a netbook, there isn’t a whole lot to get your head around - the difference between models aren’t that great. Most run off an Intel Atom processor and integrated graphics, so it’s up to you to decide what screen size you need, what type of storage and battery size.

Netbook storage

When it comes to storage, you can either get a netbook with a hard drive or SSD. Hard drive-based netbooks have much higher storage capacity, so this is desirable if you’re going to be storing a lot of larger files (video and music, for example). These netbooks are also easier to upgrade or replace.

Meanwhile, flash memory-based SSD netbooks offer less on-board storage, but are generally more shock-proof than their hard drive-counterparts and often have a better battery life.

Netbook battery life

Battery life can come into play, depending on how you intend to use the device. Netbooks come with either a 3-cell, 4-cell or 6-cell battery. A 3-cell battery will probably only keep you going for a couple of hours, while you could get up to six hours of use from a 6-cell battery.

Best netbooks

When it comes to netbook manufacturers, you’ll see the same names popping up that you would expect with standard-sized laptops and notebooks. One of the best known is the ASUS netbook - particularly the ASUS Eee PC netbook series (the Eee PC 1000 is pictured here). The HP Mini netbook series is also considered to be fairly reliable, as is the Dell Mini range of netbooks.

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By Caroline Warnes