Toshiba Satellite T135-S1307 13.3-inch Laptop Review (9 Hours Battery Life, Ultra-slim, Windows 7)

Specifications: The Toshiba Satellite T135-S1307 is Toshiba's entry into the ultra-slim laptop market. This laptop model is not only very stylish, but also comes with a set of competent specs. It has a 1.3Ghz (Intel Pentium SU4100 processor), 3GB of RAM and a large 500GB hard drive; not bad for a 13.3-inch laptop. The 13.3-inch wide-screen is a HD LED back-lit display (1266 x 768 resolution). Other features include Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, 802.11b/g/n wi-fi, 2 USB ports, HDMI output and built-in stereo speakers. The USB ports can be used to charge devices even when the netbook is off or on stand-by mode. This model runs on the new Windows 7 OS (Home Premium).

Design: I know this may be a very personal opinion, but I feel that the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1307 is one of Toshiba's most stylish laptops yet! It has an extremely slim side profile, measuring just 1.35-inch at its thickest point. It is also very portable, weighing in at just 3.9 pounds. It comes in a variety of colors (namely black, white, etc). The black model is black all over (inside and out) with a glossy external casing. This model just looks really chic!

Features & Performance: One of the main highlights of the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1307 besides it stylish design, would have to be its amazing battery life. This model can last up to 9 1/2 hours on a single charge, thanks to its energy-efficient system. That's very impressive by any 13-inch laptop standards. Its powerful specs also make it a very competent computing platform, whether for work or play. Unlike many other ultra-portable laptops that cost a fortune (such as the MacBook Air), the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1307 is very affordable. Currently, it retails at just around $629 each, a great price for a powerful, ultra-portable and stylish laptop.

HP G61-320US - 15.6-Inch Laptop Review (4.25 Hours Battery Life, Windows 7)

Specifications: When it comes to value for money, HP pushes the limit with ever new entry-level laptop model. The new HP G61-320US is currently one of the most affordable 15-inch laptop models in the market. This new 15.6-inch model comes with a 2.1Ghz AMD Athlon processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 3GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB hard drive. From it specs, it is evident that this model is designed for the average PC user who often use their laptops for checking their e-mails, surfing the web and running moderate/light applications. For graphics rendering, this laptop has an ATI Radeo HD graphics card and it also has a 15.6-inch HD display (1366 x 768 resolution). Some of its other features include an 8x DVD drive, a memory card reader, 802.11b/g wi-fi connectivity and 3 USB ports.

Design: The G61-320US laptop measures at 14.89 x 9.93 x 1.38 inches and weighs in at 5.9 pounds. Its external casing, keyboard and screen bezel has a high-gloss black surface. The area round the keyboard and the track pad on the other hand, is silver in color giving the whole laptop a nice contrast. Overall this laptop has a classic and professional look.

Features & Performance: Thanks to the very streamlined Windows 7 and the set of competent specs, our experience with this very affordable laptop model was delightful. The 6-cell battery on the HP G61-320US can last up 4.25 hours on a single charge, which is quite good for a 15-inch laptop model. The huge HD screen and the very capable Altec Lansing speakers also make watching videos on this laptop a great experience. One of my favorite features on the new G61-320US would of course, be in is price. At the time of writing, this model is selling for just around $499 per unit, making it a great buy for anyone who is looking for an affordable and capable laptop model.

Laptop of the Month - Asus UL30A-X5 Ultra-Thin 13.3-Inch Laptop (12hrs Battery Life, Windows 7)

After reviewing desktops and laptops for so many years, I am still in awe how the PC world manages to shock me every now and then with an outstanding PC or laptop model. A majority of PC users use their laptops for simple computing tasks like surfing the web, word processing, checking their emails and running some light applications. The Asus UL30A-X5 laptop aims to provide the best specs possible for this group of users.

First of all, it is worth mentioning that the Asus UL30A-X5 laptop is extremely portable, weighing just 3.74 pounds and measuring just 0.98 of an inch in thickness. To up the ante in portability, it also comes with an astounding battery life. The batteries on this model can last up to 12.5 hours on a single charge, which is more than a whole day's work! Regardless of everything else, its long battery life is a good enough of a reason on its own for me to get one of these laptops for myself.

To streamline the performance of this laptop, the Asus UL30A-X5 runs on a 1.3Ghz Intel Core 2 processor. It also comes with 4GB of RAM and a big 500GB hard drive. This set of powerful specs will prove to be more than sufficient for the average laptop user. Other great features include a HD display screen, high quality Altec Lansing speakers and a HDMI output. This new model runs on Windows 7 Home Premium. Currently, this model is selling for around $679 each. If you are looking for an ultra-portable and stylish laptop with a set of powerful specs, the Asus UL30A-X5 13.3-inch laptop is the way to go!