When it was first introduced, the MacBook Air touted itself as being small enough to fit in a manila envelope yet was a fully functioning ultra portable laptop.  Unlike other ultra portable laptops, the MacBooks Air actually lives up to that name.  It has everything that you would need in a laptop to give you ultimate portability unlike many other ultra portables that leave you missing some key features.

This has got to be one of the coolest laptops ever invented!  It's so thin that is' incredible, but at the same time you get a full size keyboard and a decent size screen, which is important to me.  From a performance standpoint, Apple played their cards right.  Rather than offer a slow, low voltage processor like most of the other ultra portables, the MacBook Air comes complete with a re-worked Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM.  That will provide enough juice for most people, but not quite as fast as a regular desktop or MacBook Pro.

Storage space is reasonable with both a 1.8 inch hard drive and a SSD drive available.  Given the nature of an ultra portable, I would always opt for a solid state drive so that you don't risk losing your data by a few bumps.  This has happened to me before with another brand of laptop and losing all your hard drive contents is a big annoyance.

As for battery life; A light user might get around 3.5 hours out of it, which isn't too bad, although not as long as Apple had claimed it would be.

On the downside, there's only one USB port, which isn't ideal, but I can live with it and the price.  I know Mac's cost more money than PC's, but in terms of comparing it to other Ultra Portable PC's, it's a big expensive.  You can find some cheap MacBook Air laptops through online auctions or slightly used and they should run you about $1500 give or take a few $$.

Here's a short review of the MacBook Air.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptMxC9bbPDQ

Anyway, I spotted the Sylvania G Netbook while out at a store the other day.  Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that Sylvania made lightbulbs??  How a company can go from making lightbulbs to computers is not known, but it appears that they pulled it off.

Much like the Asus EEE PC, the Sylvania G Netbook is a very small laptop that comes loaded with all the features that you would want to have to get you online.  One thing about the Netbook vs. say the Asus 2gb Surf, which is what I have is that is comes with a little more power and options.  For about $100 more than I paid for my Asus Surf, you get double the RAM (1GB) and a 30GB Hard Drive, vs. 2GB in the Surf.   For me, storage capacity is not an issue because I carry a 2GB USB Disk and I just don't need storage space on a portable computer.  I use my home computer as my "main" computer and store important files on it.  The portable computer is more of a luxury for me and makes traveling easier.

I was glad to see that Sylvania did give it a little more power since sometimes I do find the Asus 2GB Surf struggling.  The Sylvania Netbook comes with gOS, which is Linux which has been touched up by Google to add some great features.  I am a big fan of Linux on a small computer in general because it works better on systems that are a little slower than mainstream laptops and offers much better value than Windows.

One disappointing thing about the Netbook is the screen size.  Before I bought my Asus EEE, I didn't know much about it and just bought it.  Unfortunately the screen width is only 800 , which means for many websites, I have to scroll sideways.  This is only for some websites and not for all of them.  It's not really a big deal, but I would prefer a computer that was 1024 wide. The Sylvania, at 7 inches wide is also 800.

From a value standpoint, for under $500 and with a 30GB Hard Drive and 1GB of RAM, I would say that the Sylvania G Netbook is a winner.  Here's a review from CNET that you might enjoy.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXerXjWQ-y4

I can remember back to my first computer - An IBM 486SX - 25mhz! For a very short time this computer was awesome, as it should have been for $2500! Back in the mid-nineties, this was the norm. If you wanted a good computer, you had to pay a high price and paying more did buy you a better machine. For me, things went great until a few months later why my friend got a 486DX - 66. Wow...what a fast machine! :o) I was so jealous of his new computer, but was also disappointed that I could not do the same things with my compuer that he could.

Today, it's much different. Computing has moved from program based software to online based. The truth of the matter is that if you buy a computer that has the ability to surf the internet and use email (which all do), you likely don't need much more than that.

Of course, when you go to buy a new computer at a big box store, they will steer you toward a model with 3gb of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a much faster processor than you will ever need. I know so many people that I advised to buy the least expensive model that the store sold only to find out that they opted for a machine with many options that they don't need. I always here this "The guy at the store said it would be too slow". Sure, if you're a graphic designer, it might have been a bit slow for you, but for the average user, any computer sold new today will do what you need.

For most of my website work that I do, I prefer to use a desktop computer with a nice big monitor, keyboard and mouse.   Currently I just have a very cheap computer with an AMD Sempron 3600 processor and 1GB of RAM.  It does what I need it to do,  but for the past few weeks, it's been having some issues.  When it boots up, not all the icons in the system tray load up and it won't respond to anything.  I have to reset it multiple times before it will do anything for me.  Annoying!

I'm thinking about buying a cheap laptop computer shortly though.  Although I have my Asus EEE, which I love, it just won't do everything that I need it to do.  I need something with a little more speed and storage capacity.

I'm leaning toward a Dell or an Acer, mainly because I don't want to spend a lot of money.  I'm looking at spending maybe $600 for a fairly decent laptop.  I'll let you know when I get it.  I have to talk my wife into the idea first....and you know how that goes. :o)

The Acer One is available in both a Windows and a Linux version, the Windows model costing about $100 more than the Linux version. Both come with an Intel Atom processor, but for some reason the Windows version is a little more performance driven. The Linux version starts at around $340, but unfortunately only comes with a 8GB (Solid State) Hard Drive and 512MB of RAM whereas the Windows model gets 1GB of RAM and 80GB of Hard Drive space. I'm not sure why Acer felt the need to make the Linux version a little wimpy, but for such a low price, who can really complain.

I've owned an Acer Aspire previously and was pretty happy with it despite seeing the "blue screen of death" one too many time. Since Acer is really turning out to be a player in the laptop computer market, I'm sure they will get these issues sorted out. Certainly when you compare the price of an Acer One to HP's Ultra Portable computers, you can be a little more forgiving. I don't think the Acer One will replace your main computer, unless you're a very light user, but it makes a great computer to carry just about anywhere. The thing I like most is the screen resolution being 1024 wide. No more scrolling to the right like I have to do on my Asus EEE PC.

Ultra portable laptops are a hit right now. In fact, I'm sitting in a cafe typing on my 2GB Asus Surf, which I love. Not exactly a speed demon, but does the trick! If you have never previously owned an ultra portable computer, you need to get one. Just be aware that they do have their limitations and their purposes. If you're looking for one super computer to do it all, the Acer One isn't it, but if you want budget-conscious portability, the Acer One is a great PC for just about anyone.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InfFpnNJ7Sw

It's a small laptop; Only 7 inches which makes it highly portable.  The price is right starting at around $300 and it does almost everything that a larger laptop does.  What makes it great for kids is that it has a solid state hard drive, which means no moving parts.  No moving parts means that its going to be much harder to damage this little laptop.  They can take a few bumps without breaking.

On the downside, they come preloaded with linux which will limit what you can do with it unless you know a bit about linux.  It comes from the factory preloaded with software that will allow you to run MS Office documents, spreadsheets and powerpoint files with no problem thanks to OpenOffice being loaded.  It also comes with Firefox installed instead of Internet Explorer, which in my opinion is a much better browser anyway.  It can be used for messaging, internet and email.  Where it may lack is on the gaming side.  If you know how to install games on Linux, then you will be alright, but it isn't the highest performance laptop on the market so you may not want to do any heavy gaming anyway.

If you're looking for a great laptop for kids that can easily surf the internet, handle word processing, email and instant messaging, an Asus EEE PC will do the trick and all without costing much money.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffg6CpPcRWU

Here's a video from CNET where they review the HP 2133.  CNET HP 2133 Review

Of course if you have a newer laptop and can't justify getting rid of it just so you can have a trendy colored one, you can always consider buying a colored laptop skin for your existing laptop.

Here's a few colored laptops that I like.

The only downside to Apple Laptops is the price.  They can sometimes run about 50% more than a similarly equipped Windows based laptop.  Right now you might be thinking that you would love to buy a Macbook, but given the extra cost, you will settle for a PC.  WAIT!

Everyday people buy new Apple Laptops which means everday, people also sell perfectly good Used Apple Laptops at a very affordable price.  There are those technology buffs out there that tend to buy a new gadget as soon as they hit the market and you can benefit from that.  Consider when the Macbook Air came onto the market last year.  So many current Macbook users rushed out and picked one up even though they had a pefectly good Macbook Pro sitting on the desk.

Don't be fooled into paying a high premium just to have the latest piece of technology.  A good used Apple Laptop should last you several years even after someone else has enjoyed it for a year or two.  If you're not heavy into design or graphics, you simply don't need a computer with the latest microship or video card.

As far as it's features are concerned the Inspiron 1525 has a number of great features , but is also lacking a few features that I would expect on a laptop, even in cheap laptop computers.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At0rGpuUuTM

For one thing, it has a built-in high resolution webcam, which is a bit surprising, however does not come with a DVD burner as standard equipment. Personally I would take the DVD burner over the webcam any day, but that's just my preference. It does come with a DVD player so at least you can watch your DVD's.

With only 1GB or RAM, I find it lacking and would prefer 2GB. RAM is the one thing that can make a big difference in the performance of a system and not something to cheap out on.  An Intel GMA X3100 Integrated graphics card is standard, which would not be my first choice, especially with only 1GB of RAM.

One benefit for sure is the fact that an Intel Dual-Core Mobile Processor comes standard. A 120 GB Hard drive is also standard, which should be enough for the average computer user. A 15.4 inch WXGA screen is also standard, which is the perfect size. That's a great size to combine portability and ease of use, even if it is replacing your desktop PC.

For those of you that like colored laptops, the Dell Inspiron 1525 comes in 4 different colors.  Of course, if you buy this laptop you're going to get Windows Vista as the standard operating system, which is not my favorite OS either, but we have little choice in this, unless you want to install XP or Linux. The 1GB of RAM would not be such an issue if the system had Windows XP, but with Vista you will need as much RAM as you can afford if you want the system to run smoothly.

As for weight, the Inspirion 1525 is a bit heavier than I think a laptop should be at 5.9 lbs, but nothing out of the ordinary. The battery was able to last 3 hours 45 minutes, which is quite good for an average size laptop.

For a laptop originally priced at around $500 with a basic configuration, this laptop will do the trick for most average computer users.