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

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.

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.