The netbook craze is spawning ever cheaper – and tinier – computers, but as laptops downsize, performance often falls by the wayside. The ultra-light, high-performance machines described below, however, make no compromises – and they’ll make the average netbook look like a a child’s toy.
The Credit Card
Adamo by Dell: Just two-thirds of an inch thick, you can practically keep Dell’s newest concoction in your wallet. A crisp, 13.4-inch HD display and machined-aluminum casing mean the Adamo is a beauty inside and out. From $2,499
The Marathoner
Toshiba Protégé R600: This lightning-quick laptop offers nearly nine hours of battery life – enough time to watch four movies in rich colour on the LCD-backlit screen. Plastic casing means this one weighs a feathery 2.4 pounds, lighter than Zack Morris’s cell phone. $2,399
The Art Piece
HP Mini 1100 Vivienne Tam Edition PC: Can’t afford ancient Chinese art? Get this gleaming red, East-meets-West laptop instead, the result of HP’s collaboration with Guangzhou-born fashion designer Vivienne Tam. Comes with a matching storage sleeve. $749.99
The Creative Type
MacBook Air: Best known for slipping out of a manila envelope, the Air is distinguished by its eco-friendly, recyclable composition and its standard-bearing graphics, courtesy of the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card. From $1,749
The Mobile Theatre
HP Pavilion dv2-1000 Entertainment Notebook: Gamers and movie junkies on the go can rejoice now that this ultra-thin, Blu-ray compatible laptop has arrived. HP’s MediaSmart technology and a whopping 250 GB hard drive mean you can take your multimedia library to go. $719.99
