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Mobile Computing | January 2011 Product Roundup
Laptops for the Price of an iPad

Sure, those tablets are adorable, but for less than $500 you can get a whole lot of computing power and a real keyboard to boot.

This laptop guide is a companion piece to the January 2011 product roundup in the print edition of Campus Technology. All laptops are consumer models released in 2010, and prices are the suggested retail price. Product descriptions are based on manufacturers' specifications; CT has not done any product testing to verify manufacturers' performance claims.

BROWSE LAPTOPS
View All
Processor
AMD
Intel
Single Core
Dual Core
List Price
$379 to $399
$426 to $499
Weight
3 lbs. to 3.9 lbs.
4 lbs. to 4.9 lbs.
5 lbs. to 5.9 lbs.
6 lbs. and up
Screen Size
11.6"
14"
15.6"
17"
Misc
802.11n
CD/DVD Burner
eSATA
Gigabit Ethernet
HDMI
Manufacturers
Compaq
Dell
eMachines
Gateway
HP
Toshiba

Dell Insprion M101z
$429.99
Powered by a single-core 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 chip with 1 MB level-2 cache, the Insprion M101z offers an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs in at 3.44 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200
Networking/Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi; 10/100 LAN; BlueTooth
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI, VGA
Card Reader: 7-in-1 media card reader (Secure Digital, SD High-Density, SD High-Capacity, MultiMediaCard, xD Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 6.5 hrs.
Other: 1.6 megapixel Webcam with integrated digital microphone

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium


HP Pavillion dm1z
$449
With a single-core 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 chip with 1 MB level-2 cache, the Pavillion dm1z offers an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs in at 3.24 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225
Networking/Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: HDMI, VGA
Card Reader: 5-in-1 media card reader (Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard, xD Picture Card)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 4 hrs. 34 mins.
Other: Webcam with integrated digital microphone, Energy Star

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium


Toshiba Satellite T215D-S1140
$469.99
Powered by a single-core 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 chip, the Satellite T215D-S1140 comes equipped with an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs 3.3 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI
Card Reader: 5-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 5 hrs.
Other: Webcam with integrated digital microphone; multi-gesture touchpad; Energy Star

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium


Toshiba Satellite T215D-S1150
$499
Sporting a dual-core 1.3 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K325 chip (1 MB level-2 cache per core), the Satellite T215D-S1150 offers an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 320 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. Weight: 3.3 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI, VGA
Card Reader: 5-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 5 hrs.
Other: Webcam with integrated digital microphone; multi-gesture touchpad; Energy Star

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium


Toshiba Satellite T215D-S1160
$469.99
With a by a single-core 1.7 GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 chip, the Satellite T215D-S1160 comes equipped with an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory. It weighs 3.3 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225
Networking/Wireless: 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI
Card Reader: 5-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 5 hrs.
Other: Webcam with integrated digital microphone; multi-gesture touchpad; Energy Star

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium


Toshiba Satellite Pro T110-EZ1110
$479
Running on a single-core 1.3 GHz Intel Intel Celeron 743 processor (800 MHz frontside bus, 1 MB level-2 cache), the Satellite Pro T110-EZ1110 comes equipped with an 11.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 250 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory in a machine weighing 3.49 lbs.

Features
Graphics: Intel 4500M GMA
Networking/Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 2 USB 2.0 ports; 1 combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port w/sleep and charge
Display Ports: HDMI
Card Reader: 6-in-1 shared memory card reader (Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard, xD Picture Card) (adaptor may be required)
Battery: 6 cell lithium ion battery, up to 8 hrs
Other: Webcam with integrated microphone; touchpad pointing device; Energy Star

Software
Operating System: 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium