Many people have contacted me and asked about pink laptops under $500, so I thought we’d do a little overview of which companies offer them, and what you can get for under $500. First out is Dell, who do have quite a few in that price range, and on a few, you’re even able to add some upgrades and still stay within budget.

Here’s the list:

Inspiron Mini 10 (1012) – $299.99 and up
This mini laptop comes in several different configurations, ranging in price from $299.99 to $449.99, but not all are offered in pink. The ones that do cost between $309.99 and $409.99, but you have to add $40 to the price for pink, so the price range for pink Mini 10s is really 349.99 to $449.99.

On a few of them, you also have the option to select a different look from Dell’s Design Studio for $85.00 extra, so if you want a “swirly pink” instead of the standard solid one, you’ll end up with a base price of $434.99 – $494.99. How about other upgrades? There are none (for hardware).

Inspiron 11z – $349.99
Same thing for this one – it starts at $349.99, with an additional $40 for pink resulting in a price of $389.99. But if you want to spend up to $500, you can add a few performance-boosters without going over budget. For an extra $75, you can either upgrade the processor from a Celeron to a Pentium, or the hard drive from a 5,400 rpm 160GB SATA to a 5,400 rpm 320GB SATA, putting you at a price of $464.99. If you prefer to add more RAM, you can almost stay within budget. If you keep the Celeron processor and 160GB HD and instead upgrade from 2 to 4GB or RAM, you end up at $509.99.

Inspiron 15 (1545) – $379.99
This midsize laptop starts at $379.99 + $40 for pink = $419.99. There are a few upgrades that will keep the price under $500: upgrading the RAM from 2 to 3GB is an extra $45.00 (=$464.99); upgrading the hard drive from 250 to 320GB is $25 (=$444.99), and 500GB is $45 (=$489.99). You could also upgrade the battery to a 6-cell for $40 extra (=$459.99).

Inspiron 14 – $449.99
Starting out at $449.00 with an additional $40 for pink (=$489.99), the price for this laptop does not leave a whole lot of room for upgrades, so you’d have to stay with the basic configuration on this one

Inspiron 15R – $449.99
One of the newest laptops from Dell (read our review in the “Dell’s Latest Pink Laptop – The Inspiron R” post), the 15R is priced exactly like as the 14 – $449.99 + $40 for pink = $489.99, so no room for upgrades.

Inspiron 17 (1750) – $449.99
Same thing here – $489.99 in pink.

So these last three are exactly the same price, but how do they differ? Here are the specs:

Processor – Inspiron 14 & 17: Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 (2.3GHz/800MHz FSB/1MB cache)
Processor – Inspiron 15R: 2010 Intel Pentium P6000 1.86GHz (2 Threads, 3M cache)

Operating System – All 3: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit

Graphics -14: Intel GMA 4500MHD
Graphics -15R: Standard Intel HD Graphics
Graphics -17: Intel GMA X4500HD

RAM – 14 & 17: 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
RAM – 15R: 2GB Shared Single Channel DDR3

Hard drive – All 3: 250GB SATA, 5400rpm

Battery – 14 & 17: 4-cell Li-Ion
Battery – 15R: 6-cell Li-Ion

Screen – 14: 14.0″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Screen – 15R: 15.6″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Screen – 17: 17.3″ HD+ WLED

Size – 14: 13.3×9.4×1″
Size – 15R: 14.8×10.31×1.25″
Size – 17: 16.4×10.9×1.2″

Weight – 14: 4.96 lbs
Weight – 15R: 5.83 lbs
Weight – 17: 6.8 lbs

Dell recently announced the release of their latest laptop series: the Inspiron R.

This new take on the Inspiron laptops comes in three sizes (14″, 15″ and 17″) and four colors (“Tomato Red”, “Mars Black”, “Peacock Blue”  and “Lotus Pink”). However, only the 14R and 15R are offered in pink (for $40 extra) and as always when you buy pink laptops from Dell, they donate $5 to Susan G. Komen for the cure.

They are not the most exciting-looking laptops we’ve ever seen (Ego Lifestyle, HP’s Vivian Tam and Sony VAIO Limited Editions get that award), but with their rounded corners and brushed metal look, they are pleasant enough to look at.

Glen Robson, Vice President of product marketing at Dell says: “The Inspiron R takes the rock solid Inspiron line and amps up the cool factor with a sexy and practical machine for entertainment and social networking along with all the usual home, school and work functions”.

One major difference between the Inspirons and the Inspiron Rs is that the customization options in the Rs are limited to color choices, warranties, 2 versions of Office and a whole bunch of gadgets. In fact, for the R series, it is not even called “Customize”; it is called “Personalize”. Oh, and you can also choose to Plant a Tree (for $2 extra) to offset your PC’s gas emissions. A true sign of the times.

What they have done instead is to create several pre-configured versions of each laptop, ranging in price from $449.99 for the most basic version of the 15R to $1009.99 for the most juiced-up 17R. However, since the 17R only comes in black, red and blue, we will leave that one out of our review.

The Inspiron Rs are not the smallest and lightest pink laptop computers currently on the market, but they are solid machines with some nice features. They all come with the Dell Dock – a bar of icons for your most often used applications (organized by category with “drop down icons” so your desktop stays uncluttered), which looks a bit Mac-inspired if you ask me.

The 15R models have a dedicated 10-key number pad, something I really like. You also have the option of choosing Intel Wireless Display, which allows you to” hook up” your laptop to your TV wirelessly, but that also requires an Intel Wireless Display TV adapter (not included with the laptop).

Here are the specs for the most basic and most upgraded options of the 14R and 15R:

This system sells for $479.99 + $40 for pink = $519.99

Processor: 2010 Intel Pentium P6000 1.86GHz (2 Threads, 3M cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 2GB Shared Single Channel DDR3
Hard drive: 250GB, 5400rpm
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion
Screen: 14.0″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Size: 13.5×9.69×1.2″
Weight: 4.96 lbs

Other features include:
- An internal 8X CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
- Dell Wireless DW1501, 802.11 g/n 1×1 Half Mini Card
- An integrated 1.3 Megapixel webcam with microphone
- 7-in-1 Media Card Reader
- Integrated 10/100 Network Card

This configuration sells for $939.99 + $40 for pink = $979.99

Processor: 2010 Intel Core i5-450M 2.4Gh (Turbo boost up to 2.66Ghz, 4 Threads, 3M Cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Basic, 64bit
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470, 64-Bit, DDR3 1GB
RAM: 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3
Hard drive: 500GB, 5400rpm
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion
Screen: 14.0″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Size: 13.5×9.69×1.2″
Weight: 4.96 lbs

The extra features are the same as for the basic 14R, plus
- Dell Wireless 365 Internal Bluetooth

This system sells for $449.99 + $40 for pink = $489.99

Processor: 2010 Intel Pentium P6000 1.86GHz (2 Threads, 3M cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics
RAM: 2GB Shared Single Channel DDR3
Hard drive: 250GB, 5400rpm
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion
Screen: 15.6″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Size: 14.8×10.31×1.25″
Weight: 5.83 lbs

The extra features are the same as for the basic 14R, plus
- Keyboard number pad

This configuration sells for $999.99 + $40 for pink = $1,039.99

Processor: 2010 Intel Core i5-450M 2.4Gh (Turbo boost up to 2.66Ghz, 4 Threads, 3M Cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470, 64-Bit, DDR3 1GB
RAM: 6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3
Hard drive: 640GB, 5400rpm
Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion
Screen: 15.6″ High Definition (720p) LED Display
Size: 14.8×10.31×1.25″
Weight: 5.83 lbs

The extra features are the same as for the most expensive 14R, plus
- Blu-ray Disc Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
- Keyboard number pad

So, as you can see, the prices vary quite a bit, but you do get what you pay for. Remember, there are several other pre-configured systems for each model if your budget is somewhere in the middle. I have to say though, that I kind of prefer the “old” way of customizing my laptops from Dell. I liked being able to see for example all the hard drive options offered on one page instead of having to go back and forth trying to figure out the differences between each configuration.

The hot pink “ripple effect” Eee 1008P from Asus, designed by Karim Rashid, is definitely a laptop that stands out. Karim Rashid is a very colorful designer with a huge and impressive portfolio. He has designed for industry giants such as Veuve Clicquot, Audi, Prada, Swarovski, Method etc. and now also for Asus. (He also designed Cie’s Skwarim mentioned in my external hard drive post). Most of his designs are bold, colorful and very modern, and this laptop is no exception.

The lid has almost a fabric pattern look to it – Asus calls it “organic Digi-Waves” that “adhere perfectly to the golden ratio”. Golden ratio? According to Wikipedia, “The golden ratio is an irrational mathematical constant, approximately 1.6180339887″.

That’s all well and good, but is it a good look for a laptop? Yes it is! While many companies have released laptops with limited edition pink designs, some really very nice ones too, I have not seen anything resembling this one before. It comes in hot pink and coffee brown (pictured further down on the page), and I have to say I like them both a lot.

So we know it’s a winner in the looks department, but what about performance? Here are the specs:

Processor: Intel Atom N450, 1.66 GHz
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Graphics: Intel GMA 3150 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 4.0
Chipset: Intel NM10
RAM: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667 MHz
Hard drive: 250GB, 5400rpm 2.5” SATA2
Battery: 6-hour Li-polymer
Screen: 10.1″ backlit LED WSVGA (1024×600)
Size: 10.3×7.1×1″
Weight: 2.4 lbs

A special feature of this laptop is Express Gate, a Linux-based separate operating system, which is started with the push of a button and is intended for times when you don’t want to boot up the whole Windows OS. It loads a lot faster than Windows, and with it running, you can browse the net, Skype, browse photos, play some games, and use instant messaging.

Other features include:
An integrated 1.3 Megapixel camera
A card reader which supports MultiMedia, SD Memory, and SDHC Memory Cards.
ASUS Super Hybrid Engine (a software app which lets you adjust clock and bus speeds)

No DVD/CD drive though.

The keyboard is solid and very comfortable to type on, and another thing I liked is that the ports and connectors have little doors on them, which helps to keep dust and debris out.

I would not recommend this for people who do a lot of video editing or  intend to use it as a gaming laptop. For those who use their notebooks for browsing the net, connecting with others, school and office work, this is a good choice, albeit a bit pricey compared to others with similar specs. However, those others won’t have the uber-chic design that this one does…

Sony has done it again – created a super cute, limited edition pink laptop. I know I’ve kvetched about the difficulty finding pink laptops on Sony’s site, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy their good looks.

The Signature collection for spring consists mostly of pretty restrained colors: silver, rain white, carbon fiber and metal mosaic, so the pink really stands out.

Sony calls the color Brilliant Pink; I would describe it as a nice, metallic, soft pink with a pretty white/light pink leaf pattern. But it’s not just looks – it has some nice features as well: built-in camera, assist button, bluetooth technology, and 256MB of dedicated video RAM.

The laptop is available in both a “ready to ship” and customizable version.

Note: in the upgrade options for the customizable version, I have listed the top choices for each option – there are others, less expensive upgrades available too.

Processor: Intel Core i3-330M, 2.13GHz, 3MB cache
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU
LCD Panel: 14-inch backlit LED
RAM: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM at 1066MHz
Hard Drive: 500GB, 5400rpm SATA
Battery: Standard capacity

Processor: Intel Core i3-330M, 2.13GHz
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU
LCD Panel: 14-inch backlit LED
RAM: 2GB (2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM at 1066MHz
Hard Drive: 320GB, 5400rpm
Battery: Standard capacity

Upgrade Options (Top Choices)
Processor: Intel Core i5-540M, 2.53GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz (+$150)
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit (+$50)
RAM: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM at 1066MHz (+$320.00)
Hard Drive: 500GB, 5400rpm (+$20) or 320GB, 7200rpm (+$20)
Battery: Large capacity (+$100)

If you added all these top choices, your laptop would have a price tag of $1,479. If you customize it to be exactly as the ready to ship version, you end up with the exact same price tag: $879. Which makes sense, I just wanted to double check it out of curiosity.

There is an ever increasing number of pink laptops available on the market, but surprisingly few pink gaming laptops. Apparently, the manufacturers think that the color pink doesn’t go with gaming. Apart from adding a skin or customization, you have only a few options to choose from.

First – What should you look for in a gaming laptop?

In general, when buying a laptop to use for gaming, you want to spend as much money as you can afford on the graphics (or “video”) card, RAM and processor speed.

Graphics Card
You definitely want a dedicated graphics card, i.e. a card that has its own memory instead of sharing it with the system memory (as integrated cards do). And the more memory it has, the better. The dedicated cards have their own processor, called GPU, which handles all the image rendering.

In the laptops I’ll be talking about today, you have the choice between single and dual graphics cards. What’s the difference? Well, the dual cards split up the chores, which in theory should make rendering images twice as fast, right? It does speed it up, but not to that extent. And two is not always better than one. Two cards consume more energy, and users have seen stuttering with dual cards from both NVIDIA and ATI.

As far as which brand you should chose, NVIDIA or ATI, that’s a tossup. They’re both great, and it’s more a matter of preference on your part. If you want more of a techie view on this, check out Tom’s Hardware, a great website for this type of info.

RAM
In order for your computer to handle all these intense graphics, it needs to have a lot of RAM (Random Access Memory). These days, most gaming laptops come with DDR3 SDRAM, and you want to get as many GB of RAM as you can afford. Dual channel is a little bit faster than single (think of it as a two-lane vs. one-lane road), just make sure they’re the same size (for example 2GB+2GB = 4GB dual channel or 3GB+3GB = 6GB dual. Don’t get 2GB + 4GB to get a 6GB dual.)

Processor
The more GHz the better, and the more cores, the better. These days, you can get quad-core processors and if you can afford one, get it. The newer games have been developed to take full advantage of them.

Screen
For gaming, larger screens are preferred, and you want to make sure that the screen you choose has enough resolution. You want at least 1440 x 900 for a 15” screen, and 1680 x 1050 or higher for a 17”.

Hard drive – HDD or SSD?
SSD stands for Solid State Drive and HDD is the good old conventional spinning hard drive that used to be the only kind available. SSDs are expensive, but worth the money. The read/write speeds are a lot faster, they consume less energy, don’t give off heat, and are much more rugged than a regular hard drive.

Now, the Laptops
If you’re fine with it not being edge to edge pink, you have two great and one ok option: Dell’s Alienware M15x and Alienware M17x, and Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708. The Alienware machines are black, red or silver, but you can set the logo (on the lid), the keyboard, touch pad, power button and loudspeaker grills to be illuminated in several different colors (pink is one of them). It really makes for an eye catching effect, and if you get tired of pink (yeah, right!), you can just pick another color. The Toshiba has a dark red lid with pink “flames” and pink accents on the inside.

The Specs

Base Configuration ($1,399)
Processor: Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M
LCD Panel: 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600×900 (900p) WLED
RAM: 3GB DDR3 at 1066MHz
Hard drive: 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Battery: 6-cell (56Watt) Li-Ion

Upgrade Options
Processor: Intel Core i7 820QM 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache) (+$300) or Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache) (+$900)
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (+$130) or Ultimate (+$150), 64bit
Graphics Card: 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M (+$200)
LCD Panel: 15.6-inch WideFHD 1920×1080 (1080p) WLED (+$100)
RAM: Lots of choices here, ranging from 4 to 8GB and 1066 or 1333MHz. The top choice is the 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz for an additional +$375
Hard drive: 320GB SATAII 7,200RPM (+$25), 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM (+75), 256GB Solid State Drive (+$520)
Battery: 9-cell (85Watt) Li-Ion (+$100)

If you went with all the top choices, this laptop would cost you $3,744.

If you want to save a bit of money, I would say go with the Home Premium OS, the 500GB SATA, the i7 820QM processor, and the 6-cell battery (if you’re gaming, you probably want to be plugged in anyway), which would give you a price tag of $2,449.

Base Configuration ($1,699)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4GHz (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Graphics Card: 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
LCD Panel: 17-inch WideXGA+ 1440×900 (900p)
RAM: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
Hard drive: 250GB 7,200RPM
Battery: 9-cell Li-Ion

Upgrade Options
Processor: Lots of choices. The top of the line option is the Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX9300 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) (+$1,000)
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (+$130) or Ultimate (+$150), 64bit
Graphics Card: Again, several options but top choices would be the Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M, 2GB – SLI Enabled (+$600), or if you prefer ATI, the ATI CrossFireX Dual 1GB Radeon Mobility HD 4870 (+$700)
LCD Panel: 17-inch WideUXGA 1920×1200 (1200p) (+$150)
RAM: Lots of options again. The top choice is the 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz for an additional +$375
Hard drive: Several different options. The two top choices are the 1TB – 2x 500GB 7,200RPM – RAID 0 (+$150) or the 512GB – 2x 256GB Solid State Drive – RAID 0 (+$1,040)
Battery: Additional 9-cell Li-Ion (+$180)

Selecting all the top choices would get you a price tag of $5,294.

Again, to save money, you could go with the Home Premium OS, the 1TB HDD, the Intel Core 2 Duo T9800 processor, which at 2.93GHz and 1066MHz FSB is faster than the most expensive quad core (and there aren’t many games yet that can take advantage of the quad core anyway) and skip the extra battery. This configuration would cost you $3,524 and it’s still a great system.

If you want to go even lower, choose the NVIDIA 280M (over the ATI) and drop the RAM to 6 or even 4GB. The price tag for this config with 6GB RAM (1,333MHz) is $3,274 and with 4GB (1,333MHz) $3,089. If you went with 1066MHz for the memory, the 6GB config would be $3,249 and the 4GB $3,049. Still a great system for gaming.

Whatever you do though, don’t skimp on the Graphics Card and the LCD panel

Configuration (no customization available) ($3,199)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9300
Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate, 32 or 64bit
Graphics Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS with SLI technology
LCD Panel: 17.0″ widescreen 1680×1050 WSXGA+
RAM: 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM
Hard drive: 448GB: 128GB SSD + 320GB (7200rpm)
Battery: Li-Ion (3200mAh)

This is a decent gaming laptop, but technology advances fast, and since it came on the market in the fall of 2008, several new and improved laptop components have seen the light of day. It is, however, pink(ish).

The main complaint when it first arrived on the market was the price (at the time, it sold for around $4,200). It is now on clearance at Toshiba for $3,199. The processor is the same as the top choice in the Alienware M17x, it has two hard drives: an SSD and a 7200rpm HDD, the memory is the same as in the base config version of the M17x, but, and this is a big but, the top choice graphics cards in the M17x are much faster and more powerful than the ones in the Qosmio. And you can’t replace them in the Qosmio either, they are soldered with the system board.

So which is the best gaming laptop out of these three? If money is not an issue, and you don’t care about the weight, I would definitely go with the Alienware M17x with all the top choices. If you don’t want to spend over $5,000 I would still pick the M17x but save on some features (as described above). If weight is an issue, go with the M15x.

Remember when a computer took up an entire room at the office? Even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. Both desktops and laptops certainly have come a long way in just a few decades, and still seem to be shrinking every year (for even smaller laptops, check out our “Mini Laptop Computers” post).

We classify a small laptop as one with a screen size between 12 – 14″ and a weight of less than 6 lbs. How else does a small laptop differ from a mini laptop? Well, they have larger hard drives, more memory, internal CD/DVD drives, often dual channel processors, sometimes discreet graphics cards, and they are almost always customizable. The price can therefore vary quite a bit. On our list, the least expensive choice is Dell’s Inspiron 14 at $449 (base configuration) whereas Sony’s VAIO SR with all the top options added will cost you $3,079.

Below are the pink small laptop computers currently on the market:

Asus Eee 1008P
Dell Inspiron 14 (“Promise Pink”)
Dell Studio 14z (“Promise Pink” – click for full specs)
Dell Inspiron 14R
MSI PR200 (“Pink”)
MSI PR210 (“Pink”)
Sony VAIO SR (“Sunset Pink”)
Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P (Textured “Luxe Pink”)

Since all except the MSIs are customizable, the specs are quite lenghty, so we are just going to list the best and worst for each category. Each come with the Windows Vista Home operating system, and they all offer (except MSI of course) OS upgrade options.

Best – Base configuration
Dell Studio 14z (3GB2 Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz)

Best – Upgraded
Sony VAIO SR (8GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 4GBx2))

Worst
MSI PR200 and MSI PR210 (2GB DDR2 x 1 (533/667MHz)

Best – Base configuration
A tie between Dell Studio 14z and Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P, both with a 250GB3 SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Best – Upgraded
Dell Studio 14z (500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor)

If you prefer a solid state drive, the Sony VAIO SR is the winner with a 256GB Solid State Drive as an upgrade option.

Worst
MSI PR200 and MSI PR210 (120GB SATA)

Best – Base configuration
Dell Inspiron 14
Dell Studio 14z
Sony VAIO SR
Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P
all come with Intel® Pentium™ Dual Core T4200 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)

Best – Upgraded
Sony VAIO SR (Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9800 (2.93GHz)

Worst
MSI PR200 and MSI PR210 (Intel Centrino 2.0GHz 667 MHz, 2MB cache and AMD Turion®64 X2, TL50, 2.0 GHz, 667MHz, 2MB respectively)

Best – Base configuration
A tie between Dell Studio 14z and Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P, both with 6-cell Li-Ions

Best – Upgraded
Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P (High Capacity 12-cell Li-Ion)

Worst
Hart to tell, since Sony only defines their batteries as “Standard” and “Large”. However, if we go by cells, Dell Inspiron 14 and the two MSIs “win” this category with 4 cell Li-Ions.

No best and worst here, just the facts:
MSI PR200 – 12″
MSI PR210 – 12″
Sony VAIO SR – 13.3″
Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P – 13.3″
Dell Inspiron 14 – 14″
Dell Studio 14z – 14″

Lightest
Sony VAIO SR (4.14 lbs)

Heaviest
Dell Inspiron 14 (4.96 lbs)

Smallest
Dell Studio 14z (13.23×9.02×0.79)

Largest
Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P (12.5×9.08×1.16)

On a side note, the sizes given for the two MSIs have such a wide range that they could have placed as smallest, but the variations are so big that I feel more comfortable giving the Studio 14z that award.

In conclusion:
If you’re looking a small and light laptop, the Studio 14z is a great choice: smallest of them all (in spite of having a 14″ screen) and pretty light as well (4.3 lbs).

If you want the best graphics card, the Toshiba Satellite U505-S2925P is the way to go. True, the base configuration comes with a mainstream Intel GMA 4500M, but you have the option to upgrade to an ATI Mobility Radeon H4570 with 512MB DDR3 (discrete).

As far as looks go, it’s all a matter of taste of course, but I think the Toshiba wins here too. The textured surface adds something a little extra, and I also happen to really like that particular shade of pink.

Dell’s latest netbooks, the Mini 10 and Mini 10v, were released in July of 2009. These cute little laptops come in 7 colors (Black, White, Pink, Red, Ice Blue, Jade Green and Purple) and as usual, when you buy one of their pink laptops, Dell donates $5.00 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

At first glance, they seem to be identical, but we have taken a look at how they differ, and the configuration options available.

As always with Dell’s computers, you can customize them – a nice feature which is pretty rare in the world of mini laptops. And in addition to the regular upgrades available, there are a few interesting extras offered such as an internal GPS and digital TV tuner. Neither one has an internal CD/DVD drive, so you would have to get an external drive if you want to install programs from a disk, or burn things yourself.

Both the 10 and 10v come with the option of Windows XP or Ubuntu (Linux) as an operating system, and the customization options vary a bit depending which OS you choose. If you are used to working in Windows and plan on using Windows programs (such as word, excel etc.), you’re better off going with the Windows XP OS.

Dell recommends Ubuntu for more advanced users who do not use windows applications and are “interested in open source programming”. Well, I’m a Windows user and I would definitely choose XP over Ubuntu.

Here are the rest of the specs for each (XP) system:

The 10v is the smaller (10.26×7.19×1.06-1.11″), slightly lighter (2.5 lbs with a 3-cell battery) and least expensive of the two, but there are still some good upgrade options available. The base configuration ($299 + $40 for pink) comes with:

• Intel Atom Processor N270 (1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache)
• 10.1″ Widescreen Monitor
• 160GB, 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel GMA 950
• 3-cell Li-Ion battery

Optional upgrades available for the basic model are:

• Intel Atom Processor N280 (1.66GHz/667MHz FSB/512K cache) ($20)
• 16GB solid state hard drive ($30)
• 6-cell Li-Ion battery ($35)
• Wireless 802.11g/n (1510) Mini Card($35)
• AT&T built-in mobile broadband ($125)
• Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR ($20)

If you added all the upgrades and extras, the final cost would be $594. Upgrading to the N280 will make your system run a little bit faster, and I would definitely recommend getting the larger battery.

The Mini 10 measures 10.28×7.19×1.0-1.1″, weighs 2.6 lbs with a 3-cell battery and come with a few more upgrade options.

The base configuration costs $344 (+$40 for pink) and comes with:

• Intel Atom Processor Z520 (1.33GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
• 10.1″ Widescreen Monitor
• 160GB, 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel GMA 500
• 3-cell Li-Ion battery

Optional upgrades available for the basic model are:

• Intel Atom Processor Z530 (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache) ($50)
• HD Widescreen ($75)
• 32GB solid state hard drive ($75)
• 6-cell Li-Ion battery ($35)
• Internal Digital TV Receiver (ATSC) ($50)
• Wireless 802.11g/n (1510) Mini Card ($25)
• Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR ($20)
• Verizon, Sprint or AT&T built-in mobile broadband ($125)
• Built in GPS with Navigation Software ($70)

Note that if you want the digital TV receiver, you must upgrade your processor to the Z530. If you were to select all these upgrades and options, you would end up with a price tag of $799. Again, I would definitely upgrade the processor and battery, but I’m not so sure about the other bells and whistles on this one.

It’s all about personal preference of course, but if I had to choose one of these, I would go with the Mini 10v and upgrade the processor and battery and leave it at that (resulting in a price of $394). Why? Well, the N280 is a faster processor than any of the other options, I prefer a larger hard drive to a “drop proof” one, a larger battery is never wrong, and Bluetooth, HD, GPS and watching TV are not things that are important to me the way I use my netbook. The only thing I wish I could add is more memory. It would have been nice to be able to upgrade to 2GB.

Sony’s designs rarely disappoint. Their laptops are almost always sleek and stylish, and their new limited edition crocodile pink VAIO CS from their Signature Collection is certainly no exception. With it’s classic pink faux croc exterior (with gold trim) and shiny pink interior, it really stands out, and I can’t help but like its looks. But what’s beneath that chic surface? We’ve taken a look and outlined the essentials below.

Here are the specs for the $749.99 (+$30 for pink) basic configuration:

• Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system
• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T4200 processor
• 14.1″ display (with built-in webcam)
• 160GB 5400RPM hard drive
• 2GB DDR2 (1BGx2) memory
• WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth
• Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Standard capacity battery (lasting up to 6 hours)
• CD/DVD playback/burning internal disc drive

The optional upgrades available are:

• Windows Vista Business 64-bit with XP Pro downgrade disc ($50)
• 2.80GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor T9600 ($250)
• 400GB 5400RPM hard drive ($50)
• 8GB DDR2 (4GBx2) memory ($320)
• Blu-ray Disc playback/burning disc drive ($180)
• Large capacity battery (lasting up to 9 hours) ($100)

If you went with all the top choices for this system, you would end up with a price tag of $1,729.99.

There aren’t a whole lot of extra features. The one that stands out are the glowing lights underneath the laptop, which change intensity and colors depending on what you’re doing on the laptop.

This midsize notebook measures 13.2 x 9.6 x 1.14-1.57″, weighs 5.7 lbs, and according to Sony, they only made 400 in this design, so if you want one, you better act fast.

For current deals on Sony (and other) pink laptops, check out my “Deals, Extras and Offers on Pink Laptops” post.

Also, don’t forget to check out Sony’s Signature Limited Edition pink laptop.

Are you thinking of getting a new pink laptop this fall? If so, the timing is great. There are several new products on the market (read our overview of Dell’s Studio 14z and keep checking back for reviews of other laptops – they’re in the works), and special deals abound (Dell, Sony and Toshiba offer the most generous ones).

To save you all some time, we’ve put together a list (in alphabetical order) of of who’s offering what (as of today, August 14, 2009):

Aspire One @ B&H, Target, Sam’s Club
Free shipping

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA @ Newegg, Buydig & B&H
Free shipping

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA @ Newegg
$3 rebate
Free shipping

ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1008HA @ Buydig & B&H
Free shipping

ASUS Disney Netpal @ Toys-R-Us
Free speaker set

ASUS Disney Netpal @ Amazon
50% off select magazine subscriptions

Mini 10
$248 rebate
Free shipping

Mini 10v
$123 rebate
Free shipping

Studio 14z
$140-$165 rebate
Free upgrade to Windows 7

Studio 15
$148 rebate
Free shipping
Free battery upgrade
Free HD display upgrade
Free upgrade to Windows 7

Studio 17
$25-$50 rebate
Free shipping
Free battery upgrade
Free HD display upgrade
Free upgrade to Windows 7

Inspiron 14
$133-139 rebate
Free shipping
Free battery upgrade
Free HD display upgrade
Free upgrade to Windows 7
Free Microsoft Office Home & Student or Wasabi Photo Printer

Inspiron 15
$50-$75 rebate
Free shipping
Free battery upgrade
Free HD display upgrade
Free upgrade to Windows 7

Mini 110-1037NR XP Edition, swirl pink chic
$40 rebate
$40 rebate on a DeskJet 4940 with purchase of computer
Free HP DeskJet D1560 or D4360 with purchase of computer

IdeaPad S10-2
$90 rebate
Free shipping

MSI Microstar WindBook U100-427US @ J&R
$10 rebate
Free shipping

MSI Microstar WindBook U100-427US @ PC Connection
Free shipping

NC10-11GP @ Newegg, Buy.com, J&R, PC Connection & Buydig
Free shipping

VAIO CS Series
$50 – $100 rebate on processor upgrades
$10 – $100 rebate on memory upgrades
$10 – $30 rebate on hard drive upgrades
$55 – $150 rebate on Microsoft Office
100 free song downloads
Free choice of certain colors (Cosmopolitan Pink is free)
Free engraving
Free shipping

VAIO SR Series
$50 – $100 rebate on processor upgrades
$10 – $100 rebate on memory upgrades
$10 – $100 rebate on hard drive upgrades
$55 – $150 rebate on Microsoft Office
100 free song downloads
Free choice of color
Free engraving
Free shipping

VAIO P Series
100 free song downloads

Mini NB205-N313P @ Amazon
50% off select magazine subscriptions
Free shipping

Mini NB205-N313P @ Newegg
Free shipping

Satellite U500-ST6321
$125.25 rebate
Free upgrade to Windows 7
Free choice of certain colors (Luxe Pink is free)
Free carrying case
Free Norton security for 1 year
Free 2GB flash drive
Free shipping

Qosmio X305 (All models)
Free upgrade to Windows 7
Free “Gears of War” Game
Free carrying case
Free Norton security for 1 year
Free 2GB flash drive
Free shipping

NB205- 313 Netbook @ Toys-R-Us
Free speaker set

Dell’s Studio 14z is their lightest and most slim Studio laptop to date, measuring 13.23 x 0.79 x 9.02″ and weighing in at 4.30 lbs. It comes in 6 colors, Promise Pink is one of them, and as always, Dell donates $5 of the sale price of their pink laptops to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The 14z comes with some really nice extra features like face recognition and theft prevention (the full list can be found further down in this post) and has gotten rave reviews.

It comes in 3 slightly different configurations, which can all be customized. The least expensive version is $649 (+$40 to get it in pink) and features:

• Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium Edition operating system
• 2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200 processor
• 14.0″ HD (720p) display (with built-in 1.3MP webcam)
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
• 3GB dual channel DDR3 memory at 1066MHz
• Wireless 802.11g Half Mini Card
• NVIDIA® GeForce® 9400M G (graphics and chipset)
• 6-cell 56Whr Li-ion battery

The top-of-the-line optional upgrades available for the basic model are:

• 5GB DDR3 at 1066Mhz memory ($275)
• 2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6MB cache Intel Core 2 Duo processor ($350)
• Windows Vista Ultimate Edition operating system ($150)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive ($175)
• 14.0″ HD+ (900p) bright LED display ($50)
• Dell 1515 Wireless-N Mini-card ($25)
• AT&T built-in cellular mobile broadband ($125)
• Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal ($20)
• 8-cell 74Whr Li-ion battery ($40)
• ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Laptop Sound Card with Wireless Receiver Bundle ($130)
• Back-lit keyboard ($25)

So if you went with all the top choices for this system, you would end up with a price tag of $2,054.

One important thing to note is that these computers do not come with internal DVD or CD drives, so you have to get an external one if you want to use that kind of media.

The most expensive version of the Studio 14z sells for $799 (+$40 for pink), and comes with:

• Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium Edition operating system
• 2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache Intel Pentium Dual Core T6500 processor
• 14.0″ HD (720p) display (with built-in 1.3MP webcam)
• 500GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
• 3GB dual channel DDR3 memory at 1066MHz
• Wireless 802.11g Half Mini Card
• NVIDIA® GeForce® 9400M G (graphics and chipset)
• 6-cell 56Whr Li-ion battery

The top-of-the-line optional upgrades available for this model are:

• 5GB DDR3 at 1066Mhz memory ($275)
• 2.66GHz/1066Mhz FSB/6MB cache Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 processor ($300)
• Windows Vista 64-bit Ultimate Edition operating system ($150)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive ($75)
• 14.0″ HD+ (900p) bright LED display ($50)
• Dell 1515 Wireless-N Mini-card ($25)
• AT&T built-in cellular mobile broadband ($125)
• Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal ($20)
• 8-cell 74Whr Li-ion battery (lasting up to 6.5 hours) ($40)
• ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Laptop Sound Card with Wireless Receiver Bundle ($130)
• Back-lit keyboard ($25)

If you added all the top choices for this system, you would end up with the same computer and a price tag identical to the one above: $2,054.

The only differences between the two basic configurations are the processor and hard drive, and if you were to upgrade the least expensive basic model to match the most expensive one, you end up with the exact same price ($799).

Extra features on the Studio 14z include:

• 3 USB ports (one of which is an eSATA port)
• 4-watt 2.0 SRS audio (great speakers!)
• Online backup service (Dell’s own)
• Remote access (lets you access what’s on your home computer and other electronics remotely)
• FailSafe theft prevention (which allows you to erase files, lock the computer, and track the ISP location of your laptop when the thief connects it to the internet)
• Facial recognition (to prevent others from logging in)

Also, Dell offers a free Windows 7 upgrade, and as someone who has battled with Vista for a few years now, I’d jump on that offer! For more current deals on Dell (and other) laptops, check out my “Deals, Extras and Offers on Pink Laptops” post.

Click here for my post on Dell’s Mini series. Also check out my recent post on the most recent pink laptop from Dell – the Inspiron R.

As a follow-up to my Dell Inspiron Mini post, I thought we’d take a look at how Acer’s Aspire One compares to Dell’s Mini 9. I’m comparing it to the least expensive, basic configuration of the Mini, since that is the model most similar to the Aspire One.

The Aspire One is available in two display sizes: 8.9″ and 10.1″, but only the 8.9″ comes in pink. It’s what I would call a “happy shade of pink”, Acer calls it Coral Pink: either way, it’s very pretty. It’s not customizable, but you can find a few different configurations online.

Below are the specs for the most widely available system. I have listed the same specs, in the same order as for the Dell Minis for easy comparison:

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Processor: 1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512KB L2 cache Intel Atom
Screen: 8.9″
Hard drive: 160GB SATA
Memory: 1GB (512MB onboard, 512MB SO-DIMM)
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Graphics: Intel GMA 950
Battery: 3-Cell Lithium-Ion (optional 6-Cell Lithium-Ion)

Size: 9.8 x 1.1 x 6.7″
Weight: 2.19 lbs with the 3-cell battery, 2.78lbs with the 6-cell
Cost: $299.99

So how does this compare to Dell’s Mini 9 apart from the different operating systems (Windows XP vs. Linux)?

Similarities

• The processor, screen size, wireless and graphic cards are the same.
• Neither one comes with an internal CD/DVD drive.
• The price, size and weight are almost exactly the same.

Differences

• The battery options do differ a bit, a 4-cell is the only option on the Mini, whereas on the Aspire One, you have the option of upgrading to a 6-cell.

• The Aspire has more memory (although you are able to upgrade the Mini to 2GB for $75).

• The hard drive is where you see the big difference: Aspire One’s 160GB (SATA) vs. Dell’s 4GB (solid state). You can upgrade the Mini to a 32GB SSD (for $100), but it’s still smaller. Having said that, if your laptop has to endure a lot of shaking and the occasional drop, you’re better off with a solid state drive.

On a separate note: Tomorrow, April 7, Acer is having a huge event in NYC, where they will be launching five new product lines. I don’t know yet if any of them will be pink, but stay tuned! Update: Acer did announce several new notebooks and a nettop PC but nothing in pink.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Sony’s laptops – the designs are really slick and they always come with a bunch of extras – but I have to say I find their website quite tricky to navigate (to say the least) if you’re trying to find out what’s available in pink.

I recently spent the better part of an afternoon trying to figure out the easiest way to find and compare Sony’s pink notebook offerings, and this is what I found:

• If you go to their homepage and navigate to the lineup of laptops, the different models are displayed. When you click on each one, a little window pops up with a short list of specs and the available colors. Doing this tells us that only the SR and the CS are available in pink.

• However, if you click on the NS, that little window pops up, telling you that this model is available in Nightfall Blue, Granite Silver and Silk White. BUT, if you click on the “Shop Now” button in that window, and then on the “Buy Now” button in the next, what appears on the list if not a NS notebook in “Sunset Pink”. Hm.

• AND, if you instead of clicking on a specific model in the main window, click the “Help me choose” button and in the following window select Color – Pink, you are given 5 models to choose from. The day I did this, my list included a CR590EBP, the CS290JEP, NS235J/P, a TZ250N/P and a TZ350N/P.

Oddly, this list does not include the SR. It does include the CS and NS mentioned above, as well as 3 models from the outlet. But the only way you find out that they are from the outlet is if you click on one of them, and in the resulting product window look up top, right beneath the tabs of the website, for the page thread (it will say: Home>VAIO® Computers Outlet>Notebooks Outlet>VAIO® TZ Series Notebook PC). I could easily have missed that if I wasn’t looking for it, and what bothers me even more is that nowhere in this window does it state whether the laptop is just on sale or a refurbished model.

• If you instead head straight to the outlet for VAIO notebooks, you will find (at the moment) over 200 laptops in various colors, some on clearance, some refurbished. You can’t search on color here, so you have to scroll through the list. Interestingly, I found two clearance (i.e. NOT refurbished) models in pink here, which did not show up in any other search: a TZ340, and a CR190. However, the TZ350N/P from our list above did show up here in the outlet as well.

I also found several pink refurbished models at the outlet: SR290s, TZ2000, TZ340, CR290, CS110, but since they are not mentioned anywhere else, one has to assume that for refurbished models, you need to go straight to the outlet, which is perfectly reasonable.

• I also tried typing in “pink notebook” in the search window on the main notebook page, and got a list with the following models: SR390, CS290, NS235, CS110 (refurbished), TZ350 (on clearance).

• A search for “pink laptops” in the same window resulted in a list of: SR390, CS290, NS235, CS190, SR190, and SR165 (those last 3 are listed as “no longer available for purchase”).

• My search for “pink computers” brought up (as far as laptops): SR390, CS290, NS235, CS110 (refurbished), TZ350 (on clearance), CS190, SR190, and SR165 (“no longer available for purchase”), so that’s the same as the other two searches combined, but there was also an additional model that showed up here: the C290, which is available and as far as I can tell is neither refurbished or on clearance.

I am not trying to do any Sony-bashing here or suggest that they are being dishonest in any way. I think that it’s an oversight on their part and that their website needs a bit of double checking and tweaking.

What I did want to do was to bring it to your attention so that you don’t end up with a refurbished laptop unintentionally, or give up on your search for a particular pink Sony laptop before you’ve tried all possible ways to find one.

Dell’s line of super-portable laptops – “netbooks” – are similar to the Asus Eee Pc and Acer Aspire One in that they’re basic, small, lightweight, and inexpensive.

This being Dell, upgrades are available, but if you want to keep the cost down, go with one of the basic systems. The least expensive configurations of the Mini 9 and 12 come with the Ubuntu Linux operating system, but don’t let that deter you. If you haven’t used it before, you can do basic Linux training at their (Linux’s) website to see if it’s something you think would work for you.

If you’re looking for a “go everywhere” basic laptop (or “netbook”) and mostly use it for email, accessing the Internet, and basic word processing, the Inspiron Minis are all great choices.

The most economical version of the Mini 9 is only $249 – for the black one. If you want it in pink, you have to add $30, but Dell donates $5 of that to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, so at least part of it goes to a good cause. Other specs for the least expensive base configuration include:

• Linux 8.04.1 operating system
• 1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache Intel Atom processor
• 8.9″ display
• 4GB SSD (solid state drive)
• 512MB memory at 533MHz
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 4-cell 32Whr battery

Optional upgrades available for the basic model are:

• 2GB DDR2 at 533Mhz memory ($75)
• 64GB solid state hard drive ($150)
• Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 capability ($20)

The most expensive version of the Mini 9 sells for $412 (which includes the pink color), and comes with:

• Widows XP Home
• 1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache Intel Atom processor
• 8.9″ display
• 16GB SSD
• 1GB memory at 533Mhz
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 4-cell 32Whr battery

No additional internal upgrades are available for this model

All Mini 9 configurations measure 9.13×1.07×6.77″ and weigh around 2.28 lbs.

Slightly larger (10.28×7.19×1.25″) and heavier (2.86 lbs) than the Mini 9s, the Mini 10 comes in 6 colors. “Promise Pink” is one of them and costs $30 extra – again, $5 of that goes to Susan G. Komen. The most basic configuration sells for $399 (+30 for pink) and features:

• Windows XP Home edition
• 1.33GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache Intel Atom processor
• 10.1″ screen
• 160GB 5400RPM hard drive
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
• 3-cell 24WHR Li-Ion battery

For an additional $50, you can upgrade the processor to 1.6Ghz.

Dell also mentions the following features, which will be available on the Mini 10 “at a later date”:

• Internal GPS
• HD screen
• Internal digital TV tuner

Dell has not set a date for when that might happen, so keep checking back.

The next step up is the Mini 12, where the least expensive, basic configuration sells for $399 (+$30 for pink) and comes with:

• Linux 8.04.1 operating system
• 1.33GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache Intel Atom processor
• 12.1″ screen
• 40GB, 4200 RPM PATA hard drive
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
• 3-cell 24WHR Li-Ion battery

Optional upgrades available for the basic model are:

• 1.6Ghz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache Intel Atom processor ($50)
• 80GB, 4200 RPM PATA hard drive ($50)

The most expensive Mini 12 configuration costs $549 (+$30 for pink) and features:

• Windows XP Home edition
• 1.33GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache Intel Atom processor
• 12.1″ screen
• 80GB, 4200 RPM PATA hard drive
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
• Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500
• 6-cell 48WHR Li-Ion battery

And again, for $50, you can upgrade the processor to 1.6Ghz.

All Mini 12s measure 11.77×9.02×0.92″ and the starting weight is 2.72 lbs (that’s with the 3-cell battery).

Don’t miss my post on Dell’s newest pink laptop – the Inspiron R.

In spite of what some people might think, those of us who want pink laptops are not willing to settle for something less functional just to get the exact right shade of fuchsia or rose. Sure, looks are important, but we also want speed, portability, great battery life, lots of memory, and any other goodies we can get our hands on. But how do you find the laptop with the features most vital to you?

We have put together a list of our best rated laptops (all pink, of course) in several important categories. Enjoy!

Smallest
Winner: Asus EEE PC 4G Surf and 2G Surf – both measure 8.86×0.79-1.26×6.30
Runner-up: Sylvania G Netbook Meso – 9×1.25×7

Lightest
Winner: Asus EEE PC 4G, 4G Surf and 2G Surf – all weigh in at 2 lbs
Runner-up: Acer Aspire One – 2.19 lbs (with a 3-cell battery)

Largest Screen
Winner: Dell Studio 17 and Toshiba Qosmio X305 – Both with 17″ screens
Runners-up: Dell Inspiron 1525, Dell Studio 15, Dell XPS M1530, Gateway M-730u, and Gateway M2414u – all with 15.4″ screens

Fastest – Basic Configuration
Winner:
Toshiba Qosmio X305
320GB HDD SATA 7200rpm, Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T7350 2.0GHz, 3MB L2Cache, 1066MHz FSB, 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM

Runner-up:
Asus F6V-C1
320GB HDD SATA 5400rpm, Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8400: 2.26 GHz, 3MB On-Die L2 Cache, 1066Mhz FSB, 4GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM socket

Least Expensive – Basic Configuration (at time of writing)
Winner: Asus EEE PC 2G Surf – $245 and up
Runner-up: Acer Aspire One – $349 and up

Most Stylish
Winner: Ego Tulip
Runner-up: HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam

So, if you want the smallest, lightest and least expensive pink laptop out there, the Asus EEE PC 2G Surf is the one for you – and a great choice if you only use your laptop for word processing, internet browsing and email. It comes with a solid state hard drive, so it is able to handle bumps and shakes without crashing.

If you’re looking for a gaming laptop, the Toshiba Qosmio X305 is the clear winner. The basic configuration ($1,499) is pretty great with a 320GB, 7200rpm hard drive, a 2.0GHz, 1066MHz FSB Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB RAM at 1066MHz, and a NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GTS, but if you’re willing to cough up $1,999, you get a 2.26GHz, 1066MHz processor and dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS cards.

If you do a lot of work on photos, or watch movies on your laptop, you’d probably want the largest screen possible. The Dell Studio 17 and Toshiba’s Qosmio both have 17″ screens. The Qosmio is definitely faster (it comes with a 320 GB 7200rpm hard drive, a 2.0GHz, 1066MHz FSB Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and 4GB RAM at 1066MHz whereas the Dell has a 160GB 5400rpm hard drive, a 1.86GHz, 533MHz FSB Intel Pentium Dual Core processor and 2GB RAM at 800MHz), but that speed comes a a price: $1,499 for the base configuration vs. $749 for the Dell.

However, if you spend $1,199 and choose the faster version of the Dell Studio 17, you get a 320GB 5400rpm hard drive, a 2.20GHz/1066MHz processor, and 4GB RAM at 800MHz. Still not as fast as the Toshiba, but getting better. (By the way, these are the top options for the Dell Studio 17, no hard drive at 7200rpm or RAM at 1600MHz is offered).

If style is most important, the Ego laptops are impossibly good looking, but come with a hefty price tag: $10,900 and up (all the way into the $500,000s). The HP Vivienne Tam is smaller, lighter, so very cute and unarguably more affordable at $699.

Every year it’s the same: one moment you’re walking around in shorts and flip flops, basking in the warmth of the sun, and the next, Christmas is a few weeks away and gift buying-panic sets in. Here are 11 items that’ll give you a head start on your holiday shopping:

Noteworthy Notebooks

With the look of a chic evening bag, suitable for any dressy event, the yet-to-be-named Vivienne Tam-designed clutch notebook from HP is the cutest laptop I’ve seen in a long time (perhaps ever!). The outside is dark red with painterly pink and purple peonies, the national flower of China where it is considered a symbol of riches and honor, and inside, the return key sports the Chinese character for double happiness.

It comes with an embroidered sleeve (also designed by Vivienne Tam) and the only downside to this fabulous laptop is that it won’t be available until 2009. But why not ask for a homemade gift certificate for it for the holidays, and you’ll be all set once it hits the market. Newsflash! I just found out that this gorgeous little digital clutch will in fact be available in time for the holidays. It will be priced around $699, and you can reserve one by calling HP.

I’ve written about Ego’s laptops before, but it bears repeating. They are so ultra-fabulous I just can’t help myself. They currently offer 4 different pink designs, but they keep adding new, fresh looks continuously, so if you don’t like what you see now – just keep checking back with them. They were previously only available in the US from Avant Gallery in Miami Beach, but now, Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC also sells them.

Awesome Accessories
It somehow feels like a shame to put your Ego laptop in a bag, but I have to say that their pink leather “Enrichment Bag” is too cute to resist. It looks like your Ego but with pockets and a shoulder strap (which can also be detached from the bag and put on your laptop directly).

Abbi New York makes adorable laptop bags and keeps coming out with new fabulous collections. I absolutely adored the dusty pink Sienna messenger bag, but alas, it is no longer available (bring it back, Abbi!). However, Abbi’s new collection, Erin, is equally delightful with its retro styling. Erin is available as a briefcase, slim carrier or clutch and is made with water-resistant nylon and patent leather trim and adorned with Abbi’s four leaf clover logo. Note: This bag is no longer available, but check out my latest post on laptop bags for Abbi’s new designs.

Cool Gadgets For Kids
For the kids (and who enjoys Christmas more than they do?), I love the Tag Reading System from LeapFrog. Intended for 4-8-year olds, the specially printed storybooks (currently over 20 titles to choose from, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Olivia, and The Little Mermaid) come with a pink and white (or green & white) “Tag Reader”, a pen-looking device that when moved across text in the books, reads them out loud to your kids.

The Nintendo DS Light in Metallic Rose is super stylish, light, and features two bright screens, wi-fi, surround sound and touch-screen technology. It’s backwards compatible too, allowing you to use Game Boy Advanced games as well.

Sweet Stocking Stuffers
Mice
The pink leopard patterned G-Cube Lux Mouse (wired) is an inexpensive way to add some sass to your home office.

HP’s wireless mini mouse (in metallic dusty pink) is the perfect “travel mouse”. It’s tiny, works on almost any surface, is designed for both left- and right-handed users (great for situations when you can’t use it on your “regular” side), and the USB receiver fits into the bottom of the mouse when not in use, making it a bit harder to lose.

External Memory
Kingston’s 8GB Traveler flash drives are pocket sized, cute, affordable, and come with an attached cap. The accompanying software lets you create a “privacy zone” on the drive – a password protected area only you will be able to access. A great idea, since flash are one of those things that people inadvertently leave behind in various places.

To store a bit more data, consider iOmega’s eGo 250GB portable hard drive (it comes in several colors, metallic Flamingo pink being one of them). At 3.5×5.2″ and 7.7 oz, it can easily fit in a pocketbook or laptop bag, and it also has what they call “drop guard”, so it can handle being banged about a bit.

If you need a lot of external memory on the go, check out Western Digital’s My Passport Essential. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac, has a 500GB capacity, and is actually even smaller and lighter than the iOmega above: 3.1×4.9″ and 0.4 lbs.

Gone are the days when computers only came in dull gray or black. These days, we can all match our computer to our outfit with the addition of colorful laptops. Pink laptops in particular are quickly gaining popularity among women (and even a few men). It comes as no surprise; who wouldn’t rather be showing off a shiny pink laptop computer at their local cafe rather than the run-of-the-mill black or gray one.

So who sells pink laptops? Many of the large computer companies – Dell, Samsung, Asus, Sony to name a few – now offer them in various shades of pink.

This past spring, Dell added several color options to their sleek, high-performance XPS M1330 and M1530. The addition of color was a good idea; they have proven incredibly popular and everyone from customers to reviewers raves about them. The XPS M1330 received 37 awards in 2007; PC World named it their “Winner of Best Buy” and it got “Winner of the A-List” from PC Authority.

What if you have your eye on a particular laptop and it (gasp) is not offered in pink? (hello, Apple fans!) No worries, there are companies that will customize the color for you. Gen-X-PC for example will match any PMS (Pantone) or Hex color and you get a choice of 4 different finishes – solid, metallic, pearl or color shift. They can also add a custom design if you want your notebook to stand out even more.

Colorware, Inc. takes it a step further and offers customized color on a variety of devices in addition to laptops, such as mice, iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, gaming consoles and even HDTV screens! You can buy your laptop (or iPod, iPhone, etc.) directly from them or send in one you already own for customization.

For the most splurge-worthy design, the Tulip Ego laptop made by the Dutch company Ego Lifestyle gets my vote. With rounded corners and a chrome handle that makes it look more like a purse than a computer, it is absolutely stunning. And the colors! Wow! It comes in a ton of designer fabrics and finishes (which can be changed whenever you want) that make you want to throw caution to the wind and slap down that credit card. Just check out the fuchsia “Goddess” and the pale pink “Zephyr” from their Exotic collection, or “Destiny” from the Design collection. Prices range from $5,000 for the basic leather design, to over $300,000 for the diamond-encrusted edition…

Whether you decide to buy one of these new stylish pink laptops or customize the one you already own, you can be sure that your notebook will make you stand out from the crowd.

Will choosing a pink laptop force you to skimp on performance? Not at all. The computer companies are well aware that their customers are looking for top performance as well as good looks and have configured their notebooks accordingly. These days it’s easy to find lightweight, high-performing fabulous pink laptops.

Dell, for example, has a great selection. In fact, most of Dell’s laptops are offered in pink (as well as many other colors); the Inspiron 1420 and 1525, the Studio 15 and 17, and the XPS M1330 and M1350 are all available in “Flamingo Pink”. All get great reviews from the pros and are equally stylish. If lightness and portability is most important to you, the XPS M1330 is the lightest at 4.7 lbs. If cost is your main concern, check out the Inspiron 1525: it is the most affordable, starting at $499, and weighing in at 6 lbs. The Inspiron 1420, the Studio 15 and the XPS M1330 were all given an “Editors Choice” rating from PC Magazine. The M1330 was described as “both refreshing and really quite amazing once you factor in both design and performance”. They add, “Dell slips all the latest technology trends into a very sleek crimson unit while keeping its performance ahead of the competition”. With a 2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor and 2GB worth of RAM, it’s fast and reliable, even when working in such memory-hogging programs as Photoshop

Another good choice is Sony, who offer a variety of their VAIO laptops in various shades of pink; the TZ Series in Luxurious Rosé Pink, the CR Series in Glossy Cosmopolitan Pink, the NR Series in Textured Cherry Blossom Pink, the SR Series in Glossy or Sunset Pink and the VGN-C290 CTO Series in Blush Pink. The Sony notebooks tend to be a tad pricier than some of the others, but they are chic, high performing and very light (the TZ series weighs 2.65 lbs with the battery).

An economical (and super light) choice is the ASUS EeePC (which comes in pink, blue, green, black, and white and can be found for less than $300). PC Magazine calls this 2-lb ultraportable notebook “a tremendous bargain for people with general-purpose computing needs who don’t plan on running any sophisticated software… and it loads everything you need for performing basic office and multimedia tasks.”

There is no shortage of pink laptops to choose from, and I predict that we are going to see many more colors and designs on the market in the coming years. With customization being a huge trend in all areas of life right now, I think we will soon be limited only by our own imagination when it comes to the look of our electronic gadgets.

Why should adults have all the fun of pink electronics? There are plenty of pink gadgets for kids out there too – laptop bags, smaller-sized compter mice (mouses?), cameras, radios, electronic learning devices, laptops, etc. Kids pink laptops range from toys to simple, very basic gaming laptops to advanced computers. The pink Nitro Notebook is just one example of a cool and educational (not to mention fashionable) “toy” that will have your children learning in style.

The Nitro Notebook uses arcade-style games to teach kids ages 5 and up a variety of skills, such as math, reading, social studies, Spanish, logic, music, and much more. The game “Science World” will ask you to match an animal to its shadow; in “Word Zone” you need to spell a word correctly to help a puppy cross a river. An artificial intelligence tool tracks the user’s progress and adjusts the skill level accordingly. It also reads and sings out loud with the help of two additional cartridges called Story Time and Sing-Along. I think Mom and Dad will have as much fun with this as the kids!

For the pre-school crowd, there is the VTech Tote N Go Laptop Plus, which comes in both bright pink and yellow/orange. Just like the Nitro Notebook, this laptop teaches kids language, math, games and music with the help of 30 different activities.

If you are looking for something just as educational but even more portable, check out the cheery pink and fuchsia LeapFrog Leapster2 Learning Game System. Easy to bring along in the car or to the beach, the Leapster2 is compatible with all the Leapster learning games and your kids will have a blast learning skills such as spelling, math, rhyming, music and artistic expression. A cool new feature in the Leapster2 system is that you can connect it to your computer so that your kids can collect the fun rewards they’ve earned while playing. There is also a new online creativity studio, where children can upload their artwork, embellish and/or change it, and publish it to share with others.

Have a budding photographer in the family? The Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera (intended for ages 3 and up) is adorable and childproof; it has sturdy dual handgrips and big buttons and can handle being dropped without breaking. The latest version (due out in the fall of 2008) is even waterproof. In spite of looking like a toy, it is a real digital camera with a built-in auto flash, LCD preview screen and built-in memory, which stores up to 500 pictures. It comes with a USB cord for downloading photos to your computer.

Pink for kids is nothing new, but these days, they can add advanced technology to their collection of pink toys. What little girl wouldn’t want her own fashionable pink laptop to match her room and outfit?