The gearhead bloggers at Jalopnik.com test-drive the latest ultralight notebooks.
Head of the Class
HP 2133 mini-note PC
This PC isn’t out to set speed records, but the stripped-down 2.6-pounder gets good grades for having an ExpressCard slot, an 8.9-inch screen, nearly full-size keyboard, and beefy 120 GB or 160 GB hard drives. Associate editor Matt Hardigree’s take: “It’s great for surfing and writing, but I’d need a magnifying glass to edit photos. And I had no problem using it to work in bed, but my fiancée considers that a downside.” $499, hp.com
The Sleek Scenester
MacBook Air
Apple’s .76-inch-thick anodized aluminum darling is still the hottest girl in school. At just three pounds, the stunning design packs in a high-res 13.3-inch wide-screen display, full-size keyboard, and a zippy Intel Core 2 Duo processor.Editor-in-chief Ray Wert’s take: “It’s blinding fast. I downloaded huge files and edited video on the go.” His only complaint? “The battery dies after three hours of hard use.” $1,799, apple.com
The Road Warrior
Lenovo Ideapad U110
The specs on this 2.4-pound ultraportable Vista-running machine should set it more than a leg up on Apple’s princely Air. It also runs off an Intel Core 2 Duo, but adds a 24x multiburner drive, Dolby Home Theater sound, and a bigger hard drive (120 GB to the Air’s 80 GB). Associate editor Ben Wojdyla’s take: “Its five-hour battery life is awesome, but the gimmicky face-recognition security is not.” $1,899, lenovo.com
BIG BRAIN
“The laptop of the future’s screen will be ultrathin e-paper. You won’t have a hard drive or software—it will be on wireless servers. You’ll use hand gestures, voice rec, and type on projection keyboards.” —Yves Béhar, designer of One Laptop Per Child
Head of the Class
HP 2133 mini-note PC
This PC isn’t out to set speed records, but the stripped-down 2.6-pounder gets good grades for having an ExpressCard slot, an 8.9-inch screen, nearly full-size keyboard, and beefy 120 GB or 160 GB hard drives. Associate editor Matt Hardigree’s take: “It’s great for surfing and writing, but I’d need a magnifying glass to edit photos. And I had no problem using it to work in bed, but my fiancée considers that a downside.” $499, hp.com
The Sleek Scenester
MacBook Air
Apple’s .76-inch-thick anodized aluminum darling is still the hottest girl in school. At just three pounds, the stunning design packs in a high-res 13.3-inch wide-screen display, full-size keyboard, and a zippy Intel Core 2 Duo processor.Editor-in-chief Ray Wert’s take: “It’s blinding fast. I downloaded huge files and edited video on the go.” His only complaint? “The battery dies after three hours of hard use.” $1,799, apple.com
The Road Warrior
Lenovo Ideapad U110
The specs on this 2.4-pound ultraportable Vista-running machine should set it more than a leg up on Apple’s princely Air. It also runs off an Intel Core 2 Duo, but adds a 24x multiburner drive, Dolby Home Theater sound, and a bigger hard drive (120 GB to the Air’s 80 GB). Associate editor Ben Wojdyla’s take: “Its five-hour battery life is awesome, but the gimmicky face-recognition security is not.” $1,899, lenovo.com
BIG BRAIN
“The laptop of the future’s screen will be ultrathin e-paper. You won’t have a hard drive or software—it will be on wireless servers. You’ll use hand gestures, voice rec, and type on projection keyboards.” —Yves Béhar, designer of One Laptop Per Child