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 a serious gamer who use your laptop for online games, 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.

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.

In the meantime, those who have their hearts set on a MacBook and want to jazz it up a bit do have some options, ranging from the very inexpensive to some serious customized luxury.

Skins
Starting with the least expensive alternative, skins - best described as perfectly sized vinyl stickers for the top of your notebook - are available in every color and design you can think of. Some companies even let you upload your own photos and designs, so there is almost no limit to the customization options here. The skins are really easy to apply, and come off just as smoothly, leaving no sticky residue or ugly markings behind. In fact, since they provide a protective cover in addition to looking great, once you remove one, you’ll notice how scratched up the rest of your laptop looks in comparison! Most skins go for around $20-$30, making them a very affordable option.

Cases
Another option is to put a form-fitting case around your laptop. Most are made from hard plastic and encase the entire outside of your notebook (with cutouts so that you can still access all the sockets, ports, buttons and drives). Even though they have a very snug fit, they are easy to snap on and off, and will also protect your computer. They are available in a myriad of colors, and most cost around $50.

Customized Color
The next step up is to have your MacBook customized. ColorWare, located in Winona, MN, will apply any color of your choice to your laptop. You can either send in one that you already own, or buy a customized one directly from them (they also customize mice and many other electronics such as iPods and iPhones). Make sure you choose your color carefully though - once it’s applied, there is no un-doing or changing it. The price? $450.

Custom Plating
If you really want to go all out and splurge, check out Computer Choppers. They will plate your laptop in precious metals (such as rose, white or 24k gold, platinum, copper, chrome and nickel) and build the Apple logo out of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or any gemstone of our choice. The logo will cost you from $500 and up, and you have to contact them to get a price for the plating.