Comments on: Summer of the ultraportable laptop

A generous handful of exciting new systems are generating heavy buzz.

[The Technonaut]

There is a while other segment for much cheaper...

You guys missed a whole segment of the ultraportable market, one that I find much more exciting: the sub $500 range. Check 'em out:

http://blog.thetechnonaut.com/?p=150

[xmodal]

Guesses on the first ultraportable gaming rig?

Crew,

Dell's XPS 1330 comes close to being an actual ultra-portable gaming rig. A few years ago, the idea would have been ridiculous. But we play our hand-held DS systems, we run our notebooks out to big monitors and TVs, and (thanks to Dell) we know real, live video cards can go in super thin rigs. So how long until someone -- say, Alienware, where battery life is always a non-concern on laptops anyway -- pulls a gaming-capable ultra onto the market? Granted, it would never compete with actual gaming rigs. But if we could do all our office work and still hook in to our MMORPGs ... say on the new airline wireless services on cross-country flights ...

[XSportSeeker]

Thin and light...

Ultraportables are nice, and sexy, and everytime I see one I want to buy it.
But when you think about it, it's a better option to get laptops just a bit bigger for less, and with more bang for your buck.
Like commenter #1 already said... Dell's XPS M1330 is looking really good. At 13.3", you'll probably pay less, and get discreet graphics, better processor speed and RAM, and last but not least, bigger screen.

Screen size usually is a very personal thing. I'm kinda going blind here, so a screen smaller than 13" is hard... laptop has to be really close.

An alternative for Dell's is Sony Vaio SZ series. And if you want something even smaller, there's also Sony UX...

[chrispgriffin]

While the m1330 is all the buzz...

I never would understand why anyone would buy a vaio, they are so overpriced (like all other Sony's) and they really aren't any different than any cheaper brand. I do like the m1330, but I got my m1210 a month ago and it is fantastic. All I need, beautiful screen, Core 2 Duo, 4 usb ports, and, unlike the m1330, media buttons on the front (just a personal pref).

[bdwelle]

Lame, imcomplete, uncritical review

This is the sort of lame review that really bugs me. I see the teaser, "ultraportable laptops of your dreams", and click through to read a cursory overview of a few machines, none of which the reviewer is all that positive about. Among others, the reviewer leaves out what is in my opinion the best ultraportable on the market, the Thinkpad X61 -- an opinion with which CNet's own editors seem to agree: http://reviews.cnet.com/4323-6527_7-6509056.html?tag=txt -- and also fails entirely to address the question of whether an optical drive is an asset at all on an ultraportable machine when it adds cost and weight is so rarely used.

Overall, this sort of review smacks of amateurism and serves to do more harm than good in giving uncritical exposure to sub-par products in the guise of an informed, objective "review". Please, you guys can do better than this.