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Take a look at the latest NetGuide Buyers' Guide for notebook computers. |
More and more people are shunning the humble desktop in favour of the flexibility of a notebook. In response, the notebook market is splitting wide open, if the sample of 12 notebooks we received for review purposes is anything to go by. We specified nothing, just asking vendors to submit one or two notebooks for evaluation, in order to get an overview of the current notebook market. What we got gave us a lot of variety and options, from military-grade rugged models to tiny ultra-portables, budget entry-level models and even a surprisingly cheap ultra-portable laptop. We also saw more variety in operating systems than we'd normally expect, with a mix of Vista Business, Vista Home Premium, Windows XP, OS X Leopard and even Linux.
At the consumer end of the market, pretty much any laptop will perform basic computing tasks - word processing, Web surfing and maybe a little genealogy work quite well - so choosing the right laptop for you comes down to assessing just what you want to do with a notebook. Some models come bristling with features, and a price tag to match, although some previously high-end features such as integrated fingerprint scanners are becoming much more common on low-end models. There's also less of a price difference between ultra-portable laptops, semi-luggable models and desktop replacements than there used to be.
We've split our notebooks into four distinct categories. Ultraportables are those tiny notebooks that easily slip into just about any bag; they're great for travelling types, but often a bit underpowered. Tablet PCs use a special type of pen-sensitive screen that allows you to draw directly onto the screen - or use a pen for navigation - although they usually demand a premium price. The vast majority of our submitted notebooks fell into the portable category; these are large but not huge notebooks that could easily be carried for a short time, but aren't all-day portable machines. Finally, there are the desktop replacements; these are all-singing, all-dancing - and above all, huge - laptops that you wouldn't want to lug more than a few metres.
Given the wide variety of notebooks we received, we're not awarding a ‘Best In Test’ for this particular feature – there’s no way you can compare the $599 ASUS eee PC with the $6000 GoBook. Our NetGuide ratings for each notebook are thus not really intended to be fully comparative, but more a reflection of the value of each notebook within its category and how well it performs individually. How we tested
The Windows-based notebooks ran the gamut of industry benchmarks; in this case, PCMark '05 and 3DMark '05. However, benchmarks don't tell the whole story and they don't run on non-Windows machines such as Macs and the ASUS Eee PC, so each notebook was also evaluated on its own merits by using each in an appropriate way for its specified user type. This was weighted against the final asking price to give us the Netguide rating for each notebook.
TESTED AND RATED
As always, the prices quoted are recommended retail as supplied by vendors. Street prices are often substantially lower, so we recommend that you shop around to get the best deal possible. NetGuide is not responsible for changes in availability or pricing.
 ULTRA-PORTABLE
ASUS eee PC
NZ approx. price: $599
Site: www.asus.co.nz
Specifications Celeron M 900Mhz, 512MB of RAM, Xandros Linux operating system
Pros The eee PC is a diminutive ultra-portable notebook, running Linux (although it's possible to cram Windows XP on there if you must) in a simplified form, with lots of big friendly icons for everyday computer and Web tasks. It's incredibly cheap for a notebook this small, which is no bad thing.
Cons The keyboard and screen are understandably small - you couldn't type War & Peace on this without developing severe wrist cramp. Also small is the allotted user storage space - less than 2GB - so prospective purchasers should look to portable flash or hard drives to supplement it.
Best for Frequent commuters with lots of annotations to do, or school students with short assignments.
PORTABLE
 GoBook VR-2
NZ approx. price: $6000
Site: www.i-toyz.co.nz
Specifications 2Ghz Core Duo, 2GB of RAM, Windows XP.
Pros The GoBook is a "semi-rugged" notebook, with rubber flaps to protect ports, a hardened case to protect against drops and a carrying handle. The screen is visible in direct sunlight, and it bristles with extra technology, from a GSM card slot to GPS.
Cons It's quite heavy for a laptop, and benchmark scores were pretty low. You also pay a business-like premium for the extra sturdiness it offers. The rubber covers for some ports - most notably the USB ports - makes plugging in some peripherals quite tricky.
Best for Farmers who need a laptop in the paddock, or other outdoors environments that would otherwise kill a laptop.
 Toshiba Satellite A200
RRP From $960
Site: www.toshiba.co.nz
Specifications 1.86GHz Core Duo, 1GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium.
Pros The A200 is a good luggable machine that returned excellent benchmark results for both basic tasks and graphics-heavy work. We particularly liked the smooth and easy-to-type-with keyboard, and the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner for the security paranoid.
Cons The A200 has a rather plain design, and its size means it's not a notebook you'd want to carry around for that long.
Best for Those who need that extra bit of performance out of a portable notebook.
 Lenovo Thinkpad R61
NZ approx. price: $1800
Site: www.mylenovo.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP Pro.
Pros Aside from the near military-specifications of the GoBook, the Thinkpad R61 was by far the most solidly built laptop in our roundup, but then the physical design of Thinkpads hasn't externally changed in almost a decade. Thinkpads are designed as business machines, and while this wasn't the fastest performer, it was well suited for that demographic.
Cons Because the design has been slow to change, it's a blocky notebook compared to others here, and not that light to carry. The use of a glide-pad cursor control, rather than a touchpad may irk some users. It was also a low performer in our benchmark tests.
Best for Business users with more concern for professional appearance than snazzy looks.
 HP Pavilion dv2634TX
RRP $2199
Site: www.hp.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 1.83Ghz, 2GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium.
Pros For a portable notebook around $2000, the dv2634TX acquitted itself well in both our benchmark and real-world tests. It's a very pleasant-to-use desktop replacement with an excellent keyboard, good integrated speakers and a rather unique swirled pattern on the notebook casing.
Cons Whereas the dipped touchpad on the tx1314AU worked well within the size of its body, the dv2634TX's dipped touchpad sat oddly for us while typing.
Best for Most users; a highly recommended unit.
 Apple Macbook
RRP $2199
Site: www.apple.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, OS X 10.5.
Pros The Macbook looks great, and performed well in our non-benchmark tests; OS X 10.5 is an easy-to-learn operating system that will perform most basic computing tasks with aplomb. The Macbook is also nicely slender, making it very portable indeed.
Cons If you do have to run Windows, you'll need a separate licence to go with it. The flat keyboard isn't the most ergonomically friendly, and the white casing can stain over time (we speak from experience here).
Best for Those looking for a good alternative to Windows, or a basic and easy-to-use notebook.
 Dell Inspiron 1520
RRP $1,349
Site: www.dell.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium.
Pros Dell's notebooks have tended towards a utilitarian look in the past, but this Inspiron series has a nice sense of style. It's also well equipped for most computing tasks and the keyboard is pleasant to use.
Cons It performed relatively poorly in our benchmarks - certainly well below what we'd expect given its core specifications. While the exterior suggests style, that's rather spoilt once you open it up to reveal yet another ‘plain Jane’ Inspiron design.
Best for Existing Inspiron users who like the design; otherwise the HP Pavilion dv2634TX is a better choice.
DESKTOP REPLACEMENTS
 Sony Vaio NR17G
NZ approx. price: $1799
Site: www.sony.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 1.66GHz, 1GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium.
Pros The NR17G is a very stylish-looking, but only just luggable, laptop. It performed well in our performance benchmarks and had a keyboard that was easier to get to grips with than many of its competition.
Cons It fared poorly in graphics benchmarks, which isn't unusual for a notebook, but is worthy of note.
Best for Students in need of a dash of style - fashion students, presumably.
 Apple Macbook Pro
RRP: From $3399
Site: www.apple.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 2GB of RAM, OS X 10.5.
Pros The Macbook Pro is the Macbook's bigger brother; it's faster, much shinier in its aluminium casing and comes with a greatly improved and much more comfortable keyboard. Application speeds were excellent when using the Pro for our everyday tasks, making it a good potential buy for those looking for a desktop-replacement-style machine.
Cons Like most large laptops, it's not entirely luggable. Prolonged use revealed it to be one of those laptops that can get rather warm on your lap, which may be uncomfortable, especially in summer. It's also comparatively costly given that the core components are now identical to those found in Windows laptops.
Best for Apple aficionados who need a power notebook.
 Toshiba Satellite X200
NZ approx. price: $4299
Site: www.toshiba.co.nz
Specifications Core 2 Duo 2.6GHz, 2GB of RAM, Vista Ultimate.
Pros The X200 whooped everything else in our benchmarks. Like the recently reviewed Qosmio (see NetGuide, December 2008, page 50), this is an entertainment powerhouse par excellence, including an HD-DVD drive, huge speakers and a crystal-clear display screen. It's also the only notebook in our roundup running the top-tier version of Windows Vista.
Cons Did we mention it was huge, both in dimensions and price? You're likely to dislocate a shoulder lugging its weight around all day, but you’ll have a much lighter wallet after paying for the thing.
Best for Those with deep pockets who want the best, and have the stamina to carry it around.
TABLETS
 ASUS R2Hv
NZ approx. price: $1900
Site: www.asus.co.nz
Specifications Pentium M 1GHz, 256MB of RAM, Vista Business.
Pros If the ASUS eee PC is a bit short on grunt for your needs, then ASUS's compact R2Hv might be a better option for you; it's an ultra-portable that comes with a connectable keyboard, but is otherwise pen driven. It's highly portable and moderately powerful for a PC of this size.
Cons The processor is fairly slow and the memory is low, which not unsurprisingly led to low performance scores - but then this is more of a classic tablet for specific applications rather than a high performance machine. The supplied USB keyboard is pretty horrible for any kind of long-term use.
Best for Those who need a handwriting PC with only intermittent keyboard usage.
 HP Pavilion tx1314AU
RRP $2,299
Site: www.hp.com.au
Specifications AMD Turion 64 2.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, Vista Home Premium.
Pros The tx1314 is a convertible tablet PC that is still small enough to be luggable and certainly has an eye-catching design, highlighted by the dipped touchpad at the base. The ability to flip it into a full tablet has appeal, but unlike the ASUS R2Hv, you're not limited by a poky keyboard when you do so.
Cons System performance didn't quite live up to the asking price in our tests, although it was better than the other tablet PCs we tested.
Best for Those after a tablet with a little more oomph.
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