GearCulture

Dell plays favorites with the middle child. The Inspiron Mini 10 ($400 and up) gets loaded with better features than the Mini 9 and 12. This compact mobile companion is built with a 10.1-inch WSVGA widescreen display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a multi-touch gesture trackpad that simplifies scrolling, rotating and zooming, and a roomy keyboard for comfort and ease of use. The Mini 10 also comes standard with Windows XP, a built-in webcam, HDMI output, 1GB of memory and 160GB of storage.

Thanks to an Intel Atom processor and worldwide 3G capability, the OQO Model 2+ OLED Notebook ($1,000 - $3,000) allows true handheld computing on the go. The OQO Model 2+ is twice as fast as its predecessor with its 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM. This handheld PC features a sharp touchscreen display, slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and 60GB hard drive or solid state drive. The device also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and offers up to 3.5 hours of battery life.

Thin is in. The HP Pavilion Dv2 Notebook ($600 - $800) measures just under an inch thick and starts at 3.8 pound. This ultrathin notebook features a 12.1-inch LED display, new AMD Athlon Neo processor-based platform, 1.6GHz Neo MV40 CPU, supports up to 4GB of memory and offers up to 500GB of hard drive space. It also comes with a built-in webcam, mic, HDMI-out, 8x DVD drive, WiFi and Bluetooth.

Gateway stays in the competition with the entertainment-ready MD Series Laptop ($650 and up). The Gateway MD Series includes an Illuminated Multimedia Touch control that gives quick and easy access to digital media and entertainment programs. Built with an ambient light sensor, the MD Series also provides optimal viewing experience by automatically adjusting the brightness of the 15.6-inch display. It runs on Windows Vista Home and offers Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon X2 or AMD Turion X2 processor, with a 500GB SATA hard drive and 4GB of DDR2 memory.

Who can resist anything made of carbon fiber? The carbon-fiber encased IdeaPad Y650 ($1,200 and up) is Lenovo's thinnest and lightest notebook ever. The 16-inch entertainment notebook weighs in at 5.6 pounds, comes equipped with a 16:9 glossy widescreen LED backlit display, and a souped-up nVidia graphics card for a smoother high-def playback and gaming. Upgrades on the Y650 include a multi-touch gesture touchpad, an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, 4GB DDR3 of memory, and it can support up to 500GB of HDD storage.

The environmentally friendly Asus Bamboo Series Notebook ($TBA) is truly green from conception, production to disposal and recycling. The Green design features LED backlight display for lower power consumption as well as the company's Super Hybrid Engine Technology that extends battery life between. The Bamboo Series offers Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista Ultimate, up to 4GB of RAM and 320GB hybrid hard disk drive.

Weighing in at 1.4 pounds, Sony Vaio P ($900) is the World's first lightest netbook. The Vaio P packs a bright and ultrasharp 8 inch display along with a 1.33GHz Intel processor, 2GB of memory and a choice of 60GB hard drive or 128GB SSD in an envelope-size form available in four colors. The pocket-sized netbook also has a built-in wireless WAN 3G Mobile Broadband, WiFi and Bluetooth, two USB ports and a Memory Stick Duo and SD card readers.