Despite being a latecomer to the netbook market, Toshiba found success in the seemingly cut-throat niche. This time, it didn’t wait as long to enter the increasingly popular CULV-laptop segment of the market. (CULV stands for consumer ultra-low voltage CULV processor.) Like all other CULV-equipped laptops, the Toshiba Satellite T135-S1300 ($600 street) runs on a low-powered processor and measures less than an inch thick. Performance, though, is this systems biggest compromise, as it uses a single core Pentium processor instead of a dual core like that found in its peers, the ASUS UL30A-A1 and Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T. At $600, though, it also costs $150-$300 less than its dual-core rivals, and that’s very reasonable.

BOTTOM LINE

The Toshiba Satellite T135-S1300 is a well designed, inexpensive ultraportable that uses the single-core CULV processor and comes up a bit short in performance.

PROS

Very inexpensive. Well designed despite budget limitations. Excellent battery life. Lightweight and thin. Energy efficient.

CONS

CULV Pentium processor holds performance back. Mouse buttons are difficult to press.

Although Toshiba made a late (but worthy) entry into the netbook market, the company has jumped right into the Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) category: affordable thin-and-lights that are slightly larger and more powerful than mini-notebooks. The $709 Satellite T135-S1310WH, a 13.3-inch configuration from the company’s new T Series of ULV notebooks, is one of the most stylish we’ve seen, and offers faster performance than many of its more expensive competitors. We’re not fans of the single touchpad button, and we wish the speakers were louder, but overall the T135 is a good value.

Pros

• Attractive design
• Fast performance for its class
• Slightly less expensive than competing models
• Strong wireless range
• HDMI output

Cons

• Stiff, narrow touch button
• Long boot time
• Weak speakers

Pros

• Thin, lightweight design
• Extra-long battery life
• Fast hard drive
• Excellent HD webcam
• Strong wireless range

Cons

• Lacks optical drive
• Stiff touch button
• Speakers not very loud

The Aspire Timeline 3810T is a flagship member of Acer’s new Timeline series, which offers consumers inch-thin, long-lasting notebooks with starting prices well under a thousand dollars. It’s part of a rapidly growing trend in notebooks that are smaller and cheaper than mainstream ones, but larger and pricier than netbooks. For $899 (starting at $599), the 13.3-inch 3810T outshines most value-priced notebooks with an outstanding eight hours of battery life, and an extremely slim profile. You also get a big, speedy 500GB hard drive, and performance that’s more than good enough for everyday computing. If you can live without an optical drive, which might be a deal breaker for some, the Timeline 3810T is a great buy.