A few months later, Sony released the Vaio FW560F/T. At $999, it slips under the $1000 psychological barrier. Still, at a dollar bellow $1k, It's a practically high-end model by virtue of its price - and its features. At its prices, it was able to keep Blu-Ray while getting an improved processor speed, and Windows 7 Home Premium as its OS. The Vaio FW560F/T definitely offers a better deal than the FW480J/T, which costs more but has less to offer.

But then again, most high-end gaming laptops have the Intel Core i7 processor, and they have never been faster. Having a Core 2 duo just doesn't put it up there with the others. This is why you couldn't really call the FW560F/T a gaming laptop. Still, it is really affordable and can handle most games better than you would expect.

Source:CNET

The dm3t series has a wide range of options from the type of OS, Intel processor, memory, and hard drive, thereby giving you alaptop that fits your lifestyle and demands. The base model runs on Windows 7 Home Premium OS, ultra-low-voltage Intel Celeron SU2300, 2GB DDR3 memory (with a free upgrade to 3GB), 250GB hard disk drive, and up to 10 hours of continuous battery life. You can simply work with your HPultraportable in normal conditions without having to worry whether you should have brought the adapter with you.

The HP Pavilion dm3t comes in a sleek aluminum chassis (which explains the 4.2 pounds of weight), a 5-in-1 digital card reader, Ethernet connectivity, hard drive protection in case of an accidental fall, Altec Lansing stereo speakers, and an integrated webcam that performs well even in low lighting conditions.

Its downside, however, is the silver-mirrored touchpad that has a slugging performance according to reviews. Its glossy surface also makes the trackpad prone to fingerprint smudges. This comes in contrast with the touchpad buttons, which offered a satisfactory feedback despite its narrow size. The dm3t also has a slow cold start time, about two minutes long, and it takes 2.5 minutes to restart.

The HP Pavilion dm3t is available on its official website and other authorized resellers starting at US$599.99. They also come with AMD-equipped processors, thus reducing the price even further, although HP claims it would sacrifice the battery life.

Image source: HP

Technical specs include a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo processor with RS780MN chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, 1GB RAM (which can be expanded to 4GB), 160GB hard disk drive, an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam, a 3-in-1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth ver 2.1 + EDR, 3 USB ports, and a 4.5-hour battery life-or so they claim.

The Kohjinsha Dual-Screen DZ Series portable laptop is available atGeekStuff4U.com for "only" 95,800 (around US$1,110). It comes preloaded with Linux OS, although you can have it replaced with Windows 7 Home Premium for an additional amount of 5,000 (about $58). It also ships in the United States and Europe, plus shipping costs of course, in three weeks if your order it today.

Image source: GeekStuff4U.com

Toshiba introduces its take on the ultrathin portable with Toshiba Satellite T135 series, which they claim has a "perfect balance" of performance and battery life with its eco-friendly engineering and power saving options. This ultraslim may be smaller in size compared to traditional laptops--with its 13.3-inch widescreen LED backlit display, 3.9 pounds of weight, and measuring less than an inch thick-this portable computer packs an Intel Pentium SU2700 processor, 3GB DDR3 memory, Intel 4500M graphic chipset, Windows 7 Home Premium, built-in webcam and microphone, and 250GB hard disk drive.

It also comes in a gorgeous Fusion Finish, with your choice of Nova Black, Red, or White covers, while its USB Sleep-and-Charge ability enables this ultrathin portable to charge-up your USB gadgets even while it is asleep. The Toshiba Satellite T135 also contains a built-in hard drive impact sensor, which keeps your precious data safe in case of an accidental fall.

But the biggest selling point is its battery life, as the Toshiba Satellite T135 can be used for up to 9 hours and 22 minutes. That's a lot of power for a laptop, which is further improved with energy-saving Intel processor and LED backlit display. It is also free from any mercury, which damages the environment.

If there is something that would be worthy to nitpick on this laptop, it would have to be the keyboard and touchpad buttons. The keys on the keyboard have that rubbery texture to it, while the buttons under the touchpad are slippery and can be hard to use.

The Toshiba Satellite T135 is now available, starting at US$599.99.

Image source: Toshiba

The Acer Aspire Timeline 1820P has the same specs as the 1810T, while adding a pivoting, multitouch screen and a slot to place your stylus. Although there is nothing much to discuss as of now, what we do know is that the 1820P is 300 grams heavier than its predecessor and it will only be available in Windows 7, not that we are complaining.

Image source: Acer

The Samsung R522 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics, and 320 GB hard drive. These specs make the Samsung R522 quite capable of handling even the more intensive tasks such as photo and video editing, all bound into one slim and portable notebook. But in terms of gaming use, the Samsung R522 may not be as stable as most other models specifically designed to handle the graphics heavy requirements of most games today.

But other features would make the Samsung R522 quite attractive enough for use. A sharper 15.6 inch LED display offers better and more energy efficient viewing experience. USB ports allow users to charge other devices regardless if the unit is on or off. The Samsung R522 Notebook has its own good and not so good features, depending on who would be using it. But for the casual notebook user, it would probably do quite well in terms of performance.