Crave

Buying a laptop, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else, is always a nerve-wracking process (even with our expert help).

To make your holiday shopping a little less tense, we've put together a list of handy laptop resources, including buying guides, shopping tips, and roundups.

Laptop Buying Guide (2009 Edition)
Our basic industry overview looks at the different laptop categories, sample user types, and key components to look for (or avoid). Even better, it's been completely rewritten to cover the latest hardware and industry trends.

Holiday Tech Guide: Laptops and Netbooks
Our little slice of CNET's seasonal gift guide offers best bets in multiple categories, from multimedia powerhouses to budget-friendly systems.

Quick Guide to Netbooks
Wading into the Netbook waters is not as simple as it looks. These once-uniform machines have splintered into many subcategories, each offering different features at different prices. Our handy Netbook guide offers tips and advice for picking the perfect Netbook.

Holiday 2009 retail laptop review roundup
We are once again scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of more than 25 popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $349 to Core i7 powerhouses.

Dell has released an experimental version of Google's Chrome OS adapted for its own Mini 10v Netbook.

Earlier this month, Google released the source code underlying the Chrome OS browser-based operating system; the first version of the software won't be complete until 2010, when it will become available only when purchased on a computer. But because it is open-source software, others can sample it today if they're willing to build it themselves.

Dell's Mini 10v Netbook

(Credit: Dell)

That's what Doug Anson, a technology strategist for Dell, did.

"I've been doing some tinkering over the last few days working to get our Dell Mini 10v up and running with ChromiumOS. As of late yesterday, I can report success," Anson said on the Direct2Dell community blog.

Anson released the software so it can be loaded onto an 8GB USB flash memory drive. But he offered cautions along with tips to those considering using it. "Use this image at your own risk," he said. "It comes to you totally unsupported and very minimally tested."

Chrome OS uses Linux under the covers, but Google intends for the software to run only browser-based applications. That obviously leaves a lot behind, but Google is among several allies working to gradually improve the Web and browsers as a foundation for programs.

In July, Anson said in a blog post that Dell will evaluate Chrome OS, but he didn't make any commitments to offering a product using the software.

The initial version of Chrome OS is for Netbooks, but Google intends to spread it to higher-end computers after that.

Score a 22-inch Acer LCD for $109.99--and get a three-year warranty!

(Credit: Staples)

Update (10:10 a.m. PT): Looks like everything but the Dell laptop is sold out. Sorry, folks! It's worth checking back on the other items, though, as sometimes stock gets replenished.

Ah, Cyber Monday. Now this is a day of deals I can get behind. No crowded parking lots, no unruly mobs, no pushing and shoving. (What? The old lady got in my way!)

Of course, as regular visitors to The Cheapskate know, nearly every day is Cyber Monday--the deals keep coming all year 'round.

But this Monday is special, so I've rounded up four particularly sweet bargains that are good today only. And, as always, the sellout risk is high, so get your mouse-clickin' finger(s) warmed up.

1) In the market for a monitor? Staples has the Acer X213HBbd 21.5-inch LCD for $109.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). Specs include VGA/DVI (HDCP) inputs, a 5-ms response time, and a three-year warranty (score!). This is the lowest price I've seen on a new 22-inch monitor.

2) Need a desktop replacement? Dell has an Inspiron 17 laptop for $549 shipped. It sports a whopping 17.3-inch display, a Core 2 Duo processor, and Windows 7 Home Premium. You can customize just about every feature to your liking, but the base configuration is mighty solid. That's the best deal on a 17-inch lappie I've seen all year--not the lowest price, mind you, but the best bang for the buck.

3) Still shopping for the perfect portable PC? Best Buy has the Samsung N140-14R Netbook for $279.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). That's higher than other models I've posted recently, but this is a decidedly high-end Netbook. Specs include Intel's Atom N280 processor, a 10.1-inch screen, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11n, and a six-cell battery. The OS: Windows 7 Starter.

4) Here's a great stocking stuffer: Newegg has the Zune Premium Headphones for $9.99 shipped. I've had a pair for years; they're my preferred earbuds for travel. They do a great job isolating outside noise (like airplane engines), and they're extremely comfortable. Obviously you don't need a Zune to use them; they'll work with any phone or MP3 player. Microsoft sells them for $39.99, so I can't recommend this deal highly enough.

Well? See anything you like? If not, don't worry--there's always tomorrow. In the meantime, hit the comments to share your tales of Cyber Monday scores.

P.S. Anybody catch me on Good Morning America today? No worries: you can catch me daily on CNET's Holiday Help Desk at 1 p.m. PST.

Hopefully by now you've figured out that all this Black Friday and Cyber Monday hype is a bit overblown, and that the busiest shopping days of the year are still to come in mid-to-late December.

That said, there are still some decent deals to be found if you missed those hard-to-snag Black Friday doorbusters. We've handpicked a few Cyber Monday laptops to check out if you're returning to work on Monday and looking to get as much holiday shopping as possible done online.

Acer Aspire AS5534-1121
$399, Best Buy
AMD Athlon dual-core L310; 4GB RAM; 320GB HDD; 15.6-inch display
This Cyber Monday special has a processor that's at the low end of the dual-core spectrum, but it's certainly better suited for mainstream tasks than a single-core Atom CPU, and priced the same as an average Netbook.

Sony Vaio NW238F
$698, Wal-Mart
Intel Pentium T4300 CPU; 4GB RAM; 400GB HDD; 15.5-inch display
Offered as an online-only special, this 15-inch laptop is less than $700, with Blu-ray. That's a decent deal, but a similar model, the Vaio NW270, is available for around the same price (depending on the store) with the same Blu-ray drive but a better Intel T6600 processor.

HP Mini-110 1030NR (refurbished)
$259, J&R
Intel Atom N270; 1GB RAM; 160GB HDD
New-York-based J&R is offering two Netbooks for a very decent $259--the best non-rebate, non-subsidized price we've seen on a standard Intel Atom Netbook. The HP Mini 110 is usually around $329, and it is one of our favorite Netbooks. On the down side, it includes Windows XP instead of Windows 7, and the included warranty is only good for 90 days.

Fujitsu M2010
$289, J&R
Intel Atom N280; 1GB RAM; 160GB HDD; 10.1-inch display
When we reviewed the Fujitsu M2010 Netbook, we were generally unimpressed with this overpriced $449 me-too system. For $289, however, it's a steal. Unlike the HP Mini 110, it's new, not a refurb, and it has a full one-year warranty. But like the HP, it also includes Windows XP.

I'm sure that all Dell laptops are wonderful machines that would make perfect gifts for even the most misanthropic, laptop-loathing humans.

However, my feelings were temporarily frozen, not unlike Michael Douglas' forehead, when I espied that Austin's finest was trying to garland this holiday period with a Netbook that seems to have special twittering powers.

I see the liquid remnants of your scoffing floating through the ether. However, please peruse the picture with which I have decorated this post.

(Credit: Dell.com)

It's from the Dell site and it seems like a normal Dell Netbook, doesn't it? The blurb beneath this picture declares, "Build it your way make it your own," which is quite a tempting offer when you consider the price seems to be a vastly generous $299.

Yet this sweet little device appears to be called the Twitter Mini. And the promise that Dell offers reads: "Perfect for Tweeting! Windows 7 Starter Included!"

Naturally, I am already excited. It has been something of my month's dream to find a device that is perfect for pumping out my 140 finest characters. But I'm stumped to the point of limping to work out why this particular Netbook is perfect for tweeting and others aren't.

I clicked on the image and found myself at this page, which offered me nothing other than some severe pain in my neck and brain.

While telling me this was a Netbook, and while mentioning that this series of Netbooks was "small, ultraportable, and designed to keep you connected," there wasn't even a mention of the word "Twitter."

Look, were there a Technological Olympics, I would not even make it as a hostess. But could someone please explain to me why the Twitter Mini is perfect for tweeting when the Mini 10, for example, is perfect for, well, according to the site, nothing at all?

Does the Twitter Mini automatically shorten tweetable URLs if I just stare at the screen? Does it have a direct and very hot line to Ashton Kutcher, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephen Fry, and that weird Russian girl who keeps following me, even though the Twitter folks keep deleting her naked entreaties?

Or did someone in the Dell marketing department get a little over-excited? Please feel free to send me a tweet.

Update 2 (10 a.m. PT): Looks like it's back up again. See? Told ya. Crazy Dell. Why do you torment us this way?

Update (8 a.m. PT): Well, I am NOT giving thanks for Dell this year, as this deal has already expired. My apologies, peeps. Watch for something even better later today--you have my word.

Still on the prowl for a Netbook? Sorry for all the grief with that Lenovo deal last week. (Anyone actually get one?) Hopefully this one makes up for it.

Dell is offering the Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook for $229 shipped. That's after removing the Bluetooth card from the configuration (switch to List View and scroll all the way to the bottom).

Of course, if you need Bluetooth, the $249 price tag is nothing to sneeze at. Indeed, it was nary a few months ago that finding a 10-inch Netbook for under $300 was virtually impossible.

I have little use for Bluetooth, but I'd probably think about dropping an extra $30 to get Windows 7 Starter (the Mini 10v comes standard with Windows XP Home). That'd get you out the door for $259--still a solid deal.

The system's other specs are fairly standard: an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam. It comes with a three-cell battery; an extra $35 buys you a six-cell--another upgrade worth considering.

CNET had lots of good things to say about the Mini 10v, which, incidentally, was $334 (with the six-cell battery) when we reviewed it just three months ago. Not sure why we dinged it for a lack of configuration options, though--Dell offers more than most Netbook vendors.

I'm hoping this doesn't sell out, like, five minutes after I post it. (We've been down that road, right?) If it does, check back later in the day and even in the days to come; Dell often gets replenished stock.

I'm off tomorrow, so let me take this opportunity to wish everyone who celebrates it a happy Thanksgiving. I'll be back on Friday (and Saturday), and in the meantime you can catch me embarrassing myself almost daily on CNET's Holiday Help Desk, which airs live at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET. (Here's yesterday's show if you just can't wait.)

The "smartbook" aspires to put the smartphone into the laptop. Will it be able to elevate an Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid-like experience to a larger device, or is it just more marketing mumbo-jumbo?

Two companies are hoping that the smartbook will turn out to be more than just another quickly-forgotten device sales pitch. Qualcomm and Freescale, which are both supplying key silicon technology for the devices, are pushing to make smartbooks different enough from laptops--and Netbooks--that consumers will take notice.

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook, which will appear at CES in January.

(Credit: Qualcomm)

The first tangible evidence of smartbooks to come will be seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where Lenovo, among others, is expected to show, if not roll out, smartbook designs.

One pesky question won't go away, however. Why go out of the way to call it a smartbook? Doesn't Netbook suffice? (And it can potentially be very confusing for consumers since both terms have "book" in them.) On one level, the nomenclature choice is simply to counter the Microsoft-Intel Netbook juggernaut: Another Netbook among dozens already on the market won't draw much attention.

But at a deeper level, the two companies are trying to make the smartbook substantively different from a Netbook. Qualcomm sees it, in essence, as a large smartphone, which leaves the outdated Windows desktop experience in the dust. "A Netbook in our view is just a cheap laptop that runs Windows. We see the smartbook cannibalizing the Netbook. ... Read more

This is one of five designer colors you can choose for this dirt-cheap Netbook.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Update No. 5 (7:40 a.m. PST, Sunday): Now Target has that same 10-inch Aspire One for $199! It's in-store only, though, so call before you drive. Thanks to reader Travisp11 for the heads-up!

Update No. 4 (7:45 a.m. PST, Saturday): Amazon has a deal that's nearly as good: the Acer Aspire One for $229 shipped. (Note: Add any of the available colors to your cart to see that price.) I've reviewed this netbook; it's superb.

Update No. 3 (11 a.m. PST): Sorry, folks, looks like the deal is definitely dead this time.

Update No. 2: Working again! Make sure you follow step 5 and add Bluetooth, otherwise you won't get the color choices.

Update: Sigh. I knew this wouldn't last. Looks like Lenovo has already taken it down (or at least removed the custom-color options necessary to drop the price). My apologies. Deals are so ephemeral right now.

Best Netbook deal of the year, right here, right now. I have no idea how long it will last, so let's get to it.

Lenovo has a 10-inch IdeaPad S10-2 Netbook for $208.70 shipped. The specs are pretty standard, including a 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth, and Windows XP Home. And it's new, not a refurb!

There's a little hoop-jumping here, so stay with me:

1. Head to the Lenovo Family and Friends page.

2. Enter passcode familyandfriends and click Sign In.

3. Wait for the red Holiday Gift Ideas banner to appear, click it, and then click it again on the subsequent page.

4. Click the Netbooks tab, then click Customize & Buy on the IdeaPad S10-2 at the far left.

5. Scroll down and add Bluetooth. Then choose one of the five designer color options (Flower Sea is pictured here). Alas, there's no preview, but they're all pretty gorgeous.

6. Click Continue a couple times and then add the S10 to your cart. Finally, apply coupon code USP12NETBOOK for a final price of $208.70.

Awesome. Just plain awesome. Gotta give shout-out credit to Dealnews for this deal, which should tickle those who've been waiting for a Netbook.

I don't even need a Netbook, and I'm this close to grabbing one anyway. How about you?

(Credit: Nokia)

For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we're offering up Nokia's new stylish Netbook, the Booklet 3G, which has just hit stores (thanks, Nokia for providing the unit for Crave readers).

CNET's Dan Ackerman reviewed the Booklet recently, and while he wished it was equipped with the faster version of the Atom processor, he said it was one of the most upscale-looking and well-built Netbooks we've tested and the battery life is great.

He also noted how the AT&T mobile broadband service connects automatically, and the process was "wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops." (Read the full review here.)

Normally, Nokia's Booklet would cost you about $599 (with a service plan from AT&T, it would cost $299), but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this Nokia Booklet 3G? (Note: no wireless service is included.) Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook (without wireless service). Approximate retail value is $599.99.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, November 23, at noon EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM ET on November 23, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.