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Not so long ago, buying a laptop was as simple as deciding whether you wanted a Netbook (11 inches or smaller) or not (12 inches and larger). Suddenly, however, it's getting to be a fairly confusing time to be in the market for an 11-inch laptop. Why do we say that? Simply put, this size used to be considered a "Netbook" category, mainly populated by Intel Atom processors. With the rise of ULV (ultra low-voltage) processors, however, a number of small-screened laptops--anywhere from 11 to 15 inches in size--have emerged, all thin and light, generally lacking optical drives, and running one of a variety of single- or dual-core ULV processors.

You need to know that the laptop you choose can have a greatly varying performance depending on the type of ULV processor it has. Take, for instance, the Toshiba Satellite T115-S1105. With an 11.6-inch screen, it's roughly the same size as the Nvidia Ion-toting HP Mini 311 ... Read more

The Dell Vostro V13: a cheaper Adamo?

(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)

Today, Dell announced the availability of the Vostro V13, a new addition to its small-business Vostro line of laptops. The big news here is that it's the company's first ULV thin-and-light for the business sector, an area that seems to be a big focus factor in a down economy when lots of small business entrepreneurs are looking for affordable portables. We had the chance for a quick up-close hands-on look at one, and it's definitely an attractive little laptop.

It's certainly thin.

(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)

With an industrial design that's heavy on anodized aluminum and borrows a lot of what was eye-catching about the original Adamo, the Vostro V13 is .65 inch thick and weighs around 3.5 pounds, comes with a Webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an ExpressCard slot standard, and starts at $449--but, mind you, that's a configuration that includes a single-core Celeron processor and Ubuntu Linux as an operating system.

For Windows 7

As Black Friday approaches and everyone readies their wallet for the next big holiday deal, remember that it's getting increasingly difficult to spot good laptop innards from, well, less ideal ones. We've made this point before with the most frequent culprit of the Black Friday Doorbuster...the Celeron processor. Many 15-inch laptops that are advertised at about $300 or less are practically guaranteed to have this elderly single-core CPU at its core, but in the case of the Celeron, all you have to do is keep an eye out for that Celeron sticker on the display model.

More sneaky is the world of ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processors. Designed as slower-running, more power-efficient CPUs ideal for thin-and-light ultraportables, they can help extend battery life while still affording better-than-Netbook performance, especially in their dual-core form.

However, Intel's Core 2 ULVs get slapped with a "Core 2 Duo" sticker on their packaging, and can easily be confused for more ... Read more

After months of teaser shots and cameo appearances, Dell has officially announced pricing and other details for the revamped Dell Adamo XPS laptop. Without setting a specific date, Dell says it expects to "begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS in time for the holidays." The ultrathin luxury laptop starts at $1,799.

We had a chance to take a quick test drive with an Adamo XPS earlier this week, as well as capture some hands-on footage on a Flip handheld video camera.

Our initial impressions of the Adamo remain largely the same after getting to handle it at greater length. The system is ridiculously thin, especially for a 13-inch laptop. Unlike the 11-inch Sony Vaio X, which weighs next to nothing, the Adamo feels slightly heavier than it looks, even with an solid-state hard drive. Dell says the Adamo starts at 3.2 pounds, which is nearly twice the weight of the Vaio X.

The Adamo ... Read more

PC maker Acer is adding another pair of laptops to its Windows 7 laptop lineup. The two entries are a 15.6-inch touchscreen system, called the Aspire 5738PG; and a 11.6-inch addition to the Timeline series, called the Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ.

The touchscreen Aspire 5738PG has a multi-touch display that can understand two-finger gestures, but in a standard laptop design instead of a convertible tablet. We've seen something similar recently with the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s.

The Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ has an 11-inch Netbook chassis, but instead of the Intel Atom CPU, it has the dual-core Intel SU7300 -- which essentially gives it thin-and-light performance in a Netbook-size system. Although, at $599, you're definitely well out of the standard Netbook price range.

Both systems will be available starting with the October 22 release of Windows 7.

The Acer Aspire 5738PG

Acer Aspire AS5738PG-6306 Multi-Touch Screen Notebook

• 15.6-Inch HD CineCrystal LED-Backlit Multi-Touch Screen Display (Widescreen 16.9 Aspect Ratio, 1366x768 Resolution)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 (2.

Just in time for the Windows 7 invasion, Toshiba has announced a new line of slim laptops, dubbed the T100 series. With Intel ultra-low-voltage processors (or ULV), the 13.3-inch T135 and 11.6-inch T115 are both less than one inch thick, have LED displays, and multi-touch touchpads.

Like other recent Toshiba laptops, they have the useful sleep-and-charge feature, which lets you use a USB port to charge iPods and other devices, even when the system is asleep or off.

Here are some basic specs for the two new models, and stay tuned for a full review of the 13-inch T135, currently undergoing testing in the CNET Labs. Both will be available starting October 22.

Toshiba Satellite T135, starting at $599

The 13-inch T135

(Credit: Toshiba)

• 13.3-inch diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite LED Backlit display
• Windows 7 Home Premium operating system
• Intel Pentium SU4100 processor or Intel Pentium SU2700 processor
• DDR3 RAM, upgradeable to 8GB
• Starting at 250GB (5400 RPM) HDD
• 802.11b/g/n wireless and 10/100 Ethernet
• Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR (available

Thin, light, nicely designed: the IdeaPad U350.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

While it's hard for us to put design over performance when looking at a laptop, products such as the Lenovo IdeaPad U350 make it a little easier. As another entry to the growing field of affordable CULV thin-and-lights, the compact and really great-looking U350 is Lenovo's MacBook in terms of design. Lighter than it is thin, the Pentium U2700 processor-packing machine is clad in minimal silver and black and aims to keep a stylish low profile. And while the U2700 processor is both low power and low performance by Core 2 Duo standards, this thin-and-light is perfectly capable of running Windows Vista and mainstream applications.

At a starting price of $629 ($749 for our configuration), the U350 is less affordable than a 12-inch Netbook like the Lenovo IdeaPad S12, while it is not as expensive as some professional-grade thin-and-lights such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s. And in that sense, it's a success.

While we'd like to see this same design

A true 720p HD Netbook: the 1810T

(Credit: Macles)

The beauty of breaking out of the Windows XP mold is saying good-bye to Microsoft's set limitations on Netbook power (most notably, 1GB of RAM). Setting the stage for the fall's next-gen Battle of the Future Netbooks, Acer's as-yet-unofficial (according to Acer) Timeline 1810T has all the trimmings that place it head and shoulders above the currently Atom N270 and N280-dominated crowd. Leaked photos have hit online, and it looks like a fusion between Acer's Aspire One line and its super-slim, recently reviewed Timeline 3810T.

First off, it has a ULV processor that's faster than Atom Netbooks by a fair margin. Then there's the HD video decoding. Also, the 1810T can support up to 4GB of RAM. Other bonuses include HDMI, b/g/n Wi-Fi, and the ability to upgrade to Windows 7 (because it runs Windows Vista Home Premium).

Details revealed so far:

• 1.4GHz Intel ULV SU3500 processor
• 11.6-inch 1366x768 screen
• Intel GS45 Express chipset
• Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics
• Up to 4GB RAM
• HDMI
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Optional 3G
• Eight-hour battery life (similar to the 3810T)

More pics after the break: ... Read more

A notebook from MSI portends the crush of lower-cost, Intel-based MacBook-Air-like laptop designs to come.

The MSI X-Slim series herald Apple MacBook Air-like laptops without the luxury laptop tax

(Credit: MSI)

As I've written before, consumer ultra-low-voltage (CULV) chips will arrive in earnest this summer. The X-Slim X340 from MSI (Micro-Star International) is using the ULV SU3500, a precursor to lower-cost CULV Intel chips to come.

(Note: On April 19, Intel cut prices (PDF) on a wide range of processors. Though the SU3500 didn't see any cuts, the prices on its low-power cousins, the SL9400 and SU9400, were reduced 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively.)

What is CULV exactly? Well, one thing it's not is the Netbook-centric Atom processor: the 1.4GHz SU3500 is based on Intel's higher-performance mainstream Core 2 architecture. But like the Atom, it's a single-core chip. Single core means low power. In this case, the SU3500 draws only 5.5 watts, more than the Atom but a fraction of the dual-core mainstream Intel mobile chips rated ... Read more