Lenovo IdeaPad U110 (red)

The good: Gorgeous design; lightweight, yet solid construction; sharp screen resolution; comfortable keyboard; ships with two batteries.

The bad: Lacks a built-in optical drive; glossy screen finish sometimes produces annoying reflections; piano finish on keyboard is prone to smudges; fixed configuration can't be customized; no WWAN option.

The bottom line: The 11.1-inch Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is the most beautiful laptop we've seen in years, and behind those good looks is a well-appointed, fairly priced ultraportable. Despite a few minor nitpicks, we recommend the IdeaPad U110 to those who want a lightweight, eye-catching laptop for frequent travel.

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Description: This configuration of the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is a 2.4-pound, ultra compact notebook computer. Compared to other ultra light notebooks on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $1,800. Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.

Pros: Has only a 2.4-pound weight, which is somewhat lighter than some similarly priced notebooks. Also, this notebook has 1366 x 768 native screen resolution, which is higher than some similarly priced notebooks.

Cons: Has a DVD-Writer removable disc drive, which is less favorable than some similarly priced notebooks. The Lenovo IdeaPad U110 comes with basic word processing software – if you often create complex documents you will likely need to upgrade to a full-fledged office suite . Shared video memory has a negative impact on system performance which may be okay for users with more modest graphics needs. Users with more demanding needs should look to a graphics solution that brings its own muscle.

Suitability: A ultra light notebook, suited for traveling light. Bring along your favorite movies and watch them on your laptop with the included DVD player. If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Web from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled notebook.

Value: Given its relatively inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money.

Suggestions: (1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Web more conveniently from any room. (2) Using this PC's Firewire (1394) port, you can connect to many digital camcorders and other equipment to rapidly upload data to the notebook hard drive.