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
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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

Compaq Presario CQ62Z
$379.99
Offering a single-core 2.3 GHz AMD V Series V140 processor (512 KB level-2 cache), the Presario CQ62Z offers a 15.6" HD (1,366 x 768) widescreen display, 320 GB internal SATA drive, and 2 GB DDR3 memory in a machine weighing 4.85 lbs.

Features
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4250
Networking/Wireless: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN
Connectivity: 3 USB 2.0 ports
Display Ports: 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 4 hrs. 34 mins.
Other: Energy Star

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