Lenovo's "me, too!" entry in the netbook sweepstakes, the IdeaPad S10, gets the price and features right, but falls behind on battery life.
HP may have arrived late to the consumer netbook game, but by lifting the generous keyboard from last year's business-oriented model, the Mini 1000 easily joins the category's top tier.
You can't beat the price. For a good, basic internet security suite, we recommend Trend Micro Internet Security 2009.
The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is a prime example of the netbook form factor, and the best 8.9-inch one available.
Norton Internet Security 2009 hits all the right security notes and its superior protection technologies might even win back some jaded anti-Symantec folks, though the lack of adequate technical support may continue to frustrate.
Dell's small-business-focused Vostro 1310 has a temptingly affordable entry-level price, but a realistic specification soon brings it into line with the competition.
For raw power Sun Microsystem's Sun Fire X4450 is the gutsiest server we've seen, and at 2RU it's compact considering its specs. However, priced at over AU$27,000, this machine will make a dent in your budget.
If data security is paramount, the DataTraveler BlackBox is the USB flash drive of choice, despite its relatively high cost.
The Asus VW223B is acceptable for its intended audience those who need to add a second monitor cheaply, and are undemanding in its use.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 isn't perfect, but it's the best dictation software available. We don't find this upgrade necessary for the most basic dictation, although new features may benefit heavily-accented English speakers and those who rely heavily on voice commands.
The desktop is dead, long live the thin client desktop. Following the trend of migrating applications into the datacentre, thin clients have become increasingly popular. We found HP's first mobile thin client to be a reliable system at a reasonable price.
Despite a few useful features, the ASUS Eee Box is a novelty at best. It can't come close to the performance and robustness of even the most basic standard budget PC, while a low-end notebook can do everything it can do and more.
The wait is finally over for the ASUS Eee PC 1000, a notebook that promises to make a dent in the netbook market. It's the most well-equipped and largest in the Eee series and has cast aside the usability shackles of its diminutive predecessors.
Universal Imaging Utility is an excellent utility that could prove invaluable to larger businesses looking to reduce the time required for image creation and deployment. However, the software has limitations, including lack of support for Windows Server installations.
The Acer Aspire One is better than most netbooks and is fantastic for anyone who wants a small, cheap machine on which to type and surf the Web. However, its battery life lets it down slightly.
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