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.

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It sounds like a nightmare, but it can happen. I have friend whose hard drive melted while he was working on a project. The screen started looking funny, like paint running down a canvas and then it died. Fortunately, it was his work laptop, so he just took it to the IT department, where they recovered all the files and gave him a new one. But what do you do if you don’t have an IT department that can help you?

You have a few options:

USB Universal Drive Adapter & Second Computer
If it’s the mechanics of the laptop that are broken, but the hard drive is still intact, it’s super easy to recover the files. You need a USB universal drive adapter (costs around $30) and access to another computer. Just unplug your laptop (and remove the battery) and remove the hard drive (typically by loosening a few screws on the underside of the laptop – check your manual for full instructions), connect it to the drive adapter and plug the adapter’s USB connector into the other computer. Your laptop hard drive will show up on Explorer as any other external drive would and you can just copy the files over.

Hard Drive Data Recovery Software
If the hard drive is damaged, you can use data recovery software to recover the flies, even if you had deleted them. There are tons of these software programs to choose from, and they can recover files not only from computer hard drives, but also from digital cameras, iPods, memory cards, flash drives, SIM cards, etc.

Many companies offer free downloads that will scan your drive and tell you how much/which data may be salvageable, so you know what you can expect before investing in their software. (the software can cost anywhere from $60 and up). There are also lots of data recovery freeware programs, and some people have good luck with them.

Data Recovery Companies
If you’d rather not mess around with removing a hard drive or installing software yourself, or if your drive is so badly damaged that you can’t fix it, you may want to contact a data recovery company. Just bring them (or send) your laptop and they will take a look at it and let you know what they can do. Some will even come to your house and do on-site recovery. Another option if the hardware is still working properly is remote data recovery, where the company helps you recover your files over the internet. The cost (for any of these options) can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousands, but most companies will inspect your system and give you an estimate before starting recovery.

Your best bet is always going to be to back up your data daily (or at least weekly) to at least one other storage device – an external hard drive or DVDs for example. I think most people who have experienced a total hard disk meltdown will be able to remember to do that.

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There are many different brands and sizes to choose from, and everyone has their favorite. I use Western Digital drives and have been very happy with them (knock on wood). Other big, well known names are LaCie, Seagate, SimpleTech, Iomega, Samsung, Transcend and Buffalo. Prices have come down quite a bit since I got my first one, making it an affordable way to expand your laptop and easily back up your files. These days, you can get a good external hd for as little as $50. And many come in a variety of colors too.

Size – Both Physical and Storage
Do you want to be able to take it with you everywhere? If so, you want to look for a portable harddrive, and there are lots to choose from, ranging in price from the mid $30s for a 3″x5″ 80GB Cirago to over $400 for Transcend’s 3″x2″ 128GB SSD18M solid state drive. While solid state is ideal for a drive that will be carried around, it is a lot of money. A great, more affordable (as well as colorful and rugged) option, is Transcend’s 3″x5″ 500GB StoreJet 25 Mobile at just under $100 (not a solid state). If you want a ton of storage space and don’t mind lugging around a larger drive, check out HP’s 8″x4.6″ 2TB Personal Media Drive, which sells for around $200.

If you plan on never taking your external hd with you, there are almost an infinite number of choices. One great option is a multi-disk harddrive with RAID technology. RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and comes in several different configurations, the most common being RAID0, 1 and 5. RAID0 splits all the data between 2 harddrives (also called striping), which speeds up write and read times. RAID1 creates an exact copy of everything on the first disk on the second disk (”mirroring”), so that if one crashes, you still have all your data on the second one. RAID5 requires a minimum of 3 disks and does both striping and mirroring. Some will let you switch between different RAID configurations so you can set it to RAID0 if speed is most important or RAID1 if security is your top priority. These types of drives are available from all the major manufacturers (and some smaller ones too).

Having said all that, people have had issues where one disk crashed and they were unable to recover the data from the other(s). I personally feel safer having multiple smaller external harddrives and backing up my data to at least two of them on a very regular basis, even if it’s not as convenient as having one unit, and you have to remember to back up.

Speed
The rpm tells you how fast the disk spins. A 7200rpm harddrive is faster than one at 5400rpm, but the faster disks also consumes more energy and gets warmer.

The Mb/s tells you how many megabytes are transferred per second.

Transfer rates are also dependant to some extent on the type of connection you use. Every mainstream external harddrive on the market has a USB 2.0 connection, but some also have FireWire and/or eSATA. FireWire and eSATA are faster than USB, but not all laptops come with those types of ports (they also need to be supported by your laptop’s motherboard). The first external harddrives using USB 3.0 were recently announced (with super fast transfer speeds), but you won’t be able to use them unless you have a motherboard that supports USB 3.0. A few have already been announced, but Intel says they will not support USB 3.0 until 2011.

I obviously cannot write about any computer hardware without mentioning the pink ones. Here they are:

A-DATA
Classic CH91 (250, 320, 500 or 640GB) in a shiny, classic pink
Nobility NH92 (250, 320, 500 or 640GB) in Cherry Pink

Iomega
eGo Portable – 160 or 250GB in a shiny dark pink, or 320GB in Flamingo Pink

LaCie
Skwarim 60GB in bright pink

Samsung
S1 Mini (120, 160 or 250GB) in Sweet Pink
S2 Mini (160, 250, 320 or 500GB) in Sweet Pink

Seagate
FeeAgent Go 250 or 320GB in Think Pink

SimpleTech (Hitachi)
Signature Mini 250GB in Bubblegum Pink

Verbatim
Verbatim Portable 320GB in a nice muted pink

Western Digital
My Passport Essential 160 or 320GB in Vibrant Pink
WD also sells a pink skin for their My Book Home or Office Edition drives

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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.

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I realize of course that it’s not always possible to be in a perfect position while trying to get work done on a train, plane or even in a classroom, but at home, you’re in charge of your environment, and you can find travel-friendly tables and lap desks that aren’t a pain do take along. Instead of hunching over your laptop while squished into an economy class seat or sitting on the couch at home, invest in an inexpensive laptop computer table that allows you to work (or surf) longer.

Laptop tables come in all shapes and colors. Some are more like regular desks, some are U-shaped tables that can also be used as side tables, some are portable and angled, and some are flat boards intended to sit on your lap to provide some stability and protect you from the heat from the laptop. I personally prefer to stand up and work, so I like the more podium-like desks that allow me to do that.

A simple, lightweight, angled portable laptop stand is the Aviator from Keynamics. You have to assemble it yourself, but it’s really easy to do, and when disassembled, it fits in a laptop bag. It comes in several colors, costs $19.99, and when you buy one in pink, Keynamics donates $2 to breast cancer research. Photo courtesy of www.keynamics.com

LapWorks’ “Painted Futuras” come in 12 colors (Passion Pink is one of them) and can both be used as a lap tray and folded up into a wedge (providing an angled stand).

If you’re looking for a super cute lap desk, check out the ones from Room It Up. They come in a ton of great colors and designs (lots of pink) and even have built-in cup holders!

Speaking of built-ins, Philips’ laptop cushion, a comfortable beanbag with a non-slip flat hardtop surface, comes with with built-in speakers (it hooks up to your laptop via a built-in usb cable). At the moment it’s only available in Europe, and sadly does not come in pink.

For those who, like me, prefer to work standing up and need an adjustable laptop table, the fuchsia laptop podium (also comes in other colors) from Walmart is perfect. While not exactly something you take on the road with you, it works great at home: takes up very little space and has adjustable height and tilt.

The folding laptop table from purple-Faye’s store at eBay is a really smart and handy little desk. It comes in several colors (including bright pink), weighs only 2 lbs and folds up so small you can fit it in a laptop bag. You can adjust both the height and the angle any way you want it, so you can use it just about anywhere.

So what is the perfect working position? Sitting up straight with both feet firmly on the floor (on a chair that supports your back), head and neck upright, top of monitor in line with your eyes, upper arms and elbows close to your body, wrists and hands straight, resting comfortably on the keyboard. A lot to keep in mind, but well worth remembering.

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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:

Dell Inspiron 14 (”Promise Pink”)
Dell Studio 14z (”Promise Pink” – click for full specs)
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.

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Many of the leading fashion color forecasters are including shades of pink in their fall/winter color trend forecasts. Below are the pink(ish) palettes from CIFF (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair), PremierVision, Stahl (the left one looks gray on screen, but it’s actually a nice, pale lavender) and TFL (whose description of their pinks I just love: “drunken scarlets”):

I have selected some my favorite bags and cases this fall and hope you find one you like among them.

Mango Tango has three different designs of their stylish pink laptop bags: 2 in faux suede (one quilted, one plain) and one in canvas with grey, brown, green and pink stripes. Sounds a bit garish, but it’s really cute. And they’re all on sale at the moment!

The dark pink faux crocodile laptop portfolio from Mobile Edge is just adorable. It fits laptops up to 14.1″ and comes with a matching shoulder strap.

Another Mobile Edge bag that I really like is the Maddy Powers-designed “Sheba” in black and pink with a cool 50s pulp magazine picture on the flap. It comes with a removable laptop sleeve (in pink & black) and lucky seven dice.

The shiny hot pink vinyl laptop bag from Ice Red has lots of compartments and pockets, fits laptops with screens up to 17″ and is so very cute.

If eco-friendliness is important to you, you have to check out the bags from Urban Junket. All the bags in their T.O.T.E. line (To Observe The Earth) are made made with 100% organic cotton and natural dyes, and the linings are made from recycled plastic water bottles. My favorite is the magenta convertible laptop tote, which can be used both as a tote and a backpack and comes with an adorable separate clutch. The bag fits larger laptops, up to 19″, and is expandable, so you can even fit a MacBook Pro in it without problems. They donate $1 from each sale to carbonfree.org.

If you want something custom made, look on Etsy. Not only are there a huge number of pink laptop bags, sleeves, totes, etc. to choose from, but many sellers will gladly make a special one just for you.

If you have extra cash sitting around and want to spend it on a laptop case, check out the pale pink, oval hard shell polycarbonate X2 Flash 18″ from Titan Luggage. It fits laptops up to 15″, weighs only 3.3 lbs, and comes with a lifetime warranty. A few of the colors (pink among them) are currently on sale for $309 (regular price is $445).

And last but certainly not least, the brown and pink hand beaded vintage-looking tapestry bag “Phoenix” from Mellow World is understated, elegant and practical. It’s currently on sale at eBags, AND they donate 10% of the price ($79) to Susan G. Komen.

Happy bag shopping!

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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.

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These tiny computers are obviously much easier than their larger siblings to take along just about anywhere, but they’re not for everyone. In order to make the mini laptops so small and light, features such as an internal CD/DVD drive are often left out, and you won’t be able to do any heavy gaming, graphic design or image editing on them, because of the smaller, slower hard drives and memory (”RAM”) as well as integrated graphics cards (as opposed to “discreet”, i.e. separate from the CPU).

Having said that, they’re still great for those who need an inexpensive mini notebook to take to class, on the road, or mainly use their laptop for word processing, email and internet browsing. And if you  need more space, you can always add an external harddrive.

So who makes pink mini laptops? Quite a few companies. With their increasing popularity (and advancements in technology), more and more are popping up on the market all the time.

Here are the ones currently available in pink (in alphabetical order by company):

• Acer Aspire One A150
• Asus Eee PC 1005HA
• Asus Eee PC 1008HA
• Dell Mini 10
• Dell Mini 10v
• HP Mini 110 XP
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2
• MSI Wind U100-018US
• MSI Wind U100-280US
• MSI Wind U100-427US
• Samsung NC10
• Sony VAIO W
• Sylvania G Netbook Meso
• Toshiba Mini NB205-N313P

As far as the specs, they are all very similar and pretty clear cut, with few customization options. The notable exceptions to that are HP’s Mini 100XP and Dell’s 10 and 10v (click for full specs).

They all come with Windows XP Home and 1GB of RAM.

Most have a 160GB hard drive, the exceptions are Dell’s Mini 10v with 120GB (but you can upgrade it to 160GB or to a 16GB Solid State Drive), HP’s Mini 110 XP with a 16GB Solid State Drive (with upgrade options to a 32GB SSD or 160GB SATA), and Sylvania’s G Netbook Meso with 80GB. Dell’s Mini 10 can be upgraded to 250GB or a 32GB Solid State Drive.

Intel Atom N270 (1.60GHz, 512KB L2, 533Mhz FSB)
Acer Aspire One A150
Dell Mini 10v
HP Mini 110 XP
Lenovo IdeaPad S10
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2
MSI Wind U100-018US
MSI Wind U100-280US
MSI Wind U100-427US
Samsung NC10
Sylvania G Netbook Meso

Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB)
Asus Eee PC 1005HA
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
Sony VAIO W
Toshiba Mini NB205-N313P

Dell’s Mini 10 has an Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz/533MHz FSB/512K L2Cache) which you are able to upgrade to an Intel Atom Z530 (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache).

You can also upgrade Dell’s Mini 10v and HP’s Mini 110 XP to Intel Atom N280.

All come with an Intel GMA 950 except for the Dell Mini 10 which has an Intel GMA 500.

None has an internal CD/DVD drive.

3-cell Li-Ion
Acer Aspire One A150
Asus Eee PC 1005HA
Dell Mini 10 (optional 6-cell)
Dell Mini 10v (optional 6-cell)
HP Mini 110 XP (optional 6-cell)
Lenovo IdeaPad S10
MSI Wind U100-018US
MSI Wind U100-427US

4-cell Li-Ion
Sylvania G Netbook Meso

6-cell Li-Ion
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2
MSI Wind U100-280US
Samsung NC10
Toshiba Mini NB205-N313P

Sony does not give you a number of cells, they describe their VAIO W battery as “standard capacity” and claim it lasts up to 3 hours.

8.9″
Acer Aspire One A150
Sylvania G Netbook Meso

10.0″
MSI Wind U100-018US
MSI Wind U100-280US
MSI Wind U100-427US

10.1″
Asus Eee PC 1005HA
Asus Eee PC 1008HA
Dell Mini 10
Dell Mini 10v
HP Mini 110 XP
Lenovo IdeaPad S10
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2
Sony VAIO W
Toshiba Mini NB205-N313P

10.2″
Samsung NC10

In the interest of saving space, we’ll just list the lightest and heaviest here (the others fall in between)

Lightest
A tie between the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 and Sylvania’s G Netbook Meso, both at 2.2 lbs.

Heaviest
Toshiba Mini NB205-N313P at 2.93 lbs.

Again, we’ll just list smallest and largest here:
Smallest
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 at 9.8×7.2×0.7″

Largest
Sony VAIO W at 10.5×7.1×1.3″.

As you can see, all these mini laptops are pretty similar. If you’re looking for the smallest and lightest laptop available (in pink), the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is the way to go. Asus and Toshiba get high marks for battery life, and the Champagne Pink MSI Wind U100-018US and HP’s “Pink Chic” Mini 110 XP (a dusty pink with pink and white flowers) win in the looks department (in my opinion at least).

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Laptop rental can be a great way to thoroughly test drive a computer before deciding to invest. Prices range from less than $100/month for a basic used model to close to $2,000/month for a brand new, high quality notebook. MacBooks can be found for $200-$300 (and up) per month.

If you are a student, look into special student deals from the rental companies (for example, this past spring, I saw a “Spring Break Special” with great rates for 10-day rentals). Or check with your school to see if they offer notebook rental. Many do, and the prices are most likely cheaper than the rental companies’.

But computer rentals are not only good for “trying on” a new computer. If you have a big presentation coming up and your own laptop isn’t equipped to handle the amount of content (think those annoying freezes in the middle of a slide show), renting a really souped up one can save the day (and your job/grade!).

If you’re traveling and don’t want to drag your own laptop along (or risk it getting stolen), renting one on site is a great solution. Plus, you’ll avoid the time consuming hassle of unpacking and packing your laptop at every single airport security checkpoint. Computer rental overseas can sound like a scary idea, but you can find rental firms with English speaking staff in almost every country (such as ExpatTech in Budapest and Laptop Rental Paris in Paris). If you prefer to rent from a US company, Rent A Computer have several locations in Europe, with more planned worldwide.

Before you sign any rental contract, make sure to add up all the extra costs: external equipment (such as a mouse, cables, extra batteries, etc.), extra memory, shipping, overdue and cancellation fees (or credit for returning the laptop early). Also check if the rental company offers insurance coverage for the computer. If not, you may want to call your home insurance company to see if they will cover it.

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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) 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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Can these qualities be acquired by being exposed to the color pink?
Maybe. Several years ago, a couple of universities in the US painted the locker rooms used by visiting sports teams pink (causing much controversy) in the belief that it would have a calming and passive effect on the team members. And there might actually be some truth to that little snippet of color psychology. Dr. Alexander Schauss, Ph.D., director of the American Institute for Biosocial Research in Tacoma Washington states that: “Even if a person tries to be angry or aggressive in the presence of pink, he can’t. The heart muscles can’t race fast enough. It’s a tranquilizing color that saps your energy. Even the color-blind are tranquilized by pink rooms.” Unfortunately, these reactions apparently do not last. Once you get used to being surrounded by pink, your body returns to its normal self.

Why Do Almost All Girls And Women Like Pink?
Interestingly enough, it might be in our genes! In a research project conducted by Anya Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling, neuroscientists at Newcastle University in England, it was discovered that women were far more likely than men to choose blue shades with more red mixed in (i.e. towards the pink end of the spectrum), and more likely to reject the more green and yellow hues.

Hurlbert and Ling asked more than 200 British men and women to choose between colors on a computer screen. To make sure that the outcome was not a result of being brought up in a “blue for boys, pink for girls” society, they also tested a group of Chinese volunteers. Although more participants in this group preferred red (it is a lucky color in China after all), the difference was still there – the women chose more of the blue-red shades.

The results suggest that there actually is a biological reason why women prefer pink. One thought is that this could have evolved over time because of the role women played in the family; men hunted and women gathered food, and needed to find ripe berries and fruits. Another theory is that as caretakers, women had to be able to recognize if a child was ill, with a high fever (face turning red) for example.

Pretty fascinating stuff. I hope they continue their research, I’d love hear what else they find. In the meantime, I will look at my pink laptop whenever I feel stressed and see what happens.

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It’s clear that we all feel the need to add more pink items to our lives. We have our pink laptops – but it doesn’t have to stop at that! There is a myriad of pink accessories available: pink laptop cases, sleeves, and bags, keyboards, mice, SwissGear’s portable notebook cooler (with 2 built in fans), the Hello Kitty USB Keyboard Cleaner, pink USB hubs, computer cables (you’ve got to love the pink, crystal-embellished “Ka-Bling patch cable” from Cables Unlimited), as well as a wealth of other electronics – pink iPods, cell phones, PDAs, DVD players, the Pink Swarovski Crystal Nintendo DS Lite, the pink Sony Limited Edition Portable Playstation, pink digital cameras – I could go on and on. The two things I have not been able to find yet are pink printers and pink scanners… but the search continues, and I’m sure it’s just a question of time before one or both pop up on the market.

It’s obvious that the manufacturers have caught on to the fact that customers want more than just functionality these days – our gadgets also need to match our mood and outfit. It’s time to surf in style!

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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.

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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.

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.

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