Top Laptops

KIMA

Story Published: May 26, 2008 at 6:01 PM PST

By Heather Reese

In a lab where Consumer Reports tests laptops, you can find everything from a mini Asus Eee PC with its 7-inch screen for $400 to a 20-inch HP for $2,000. The HP weighs more than 15 pounds. Compare that to Apple’s MacBook Air, which is super thin and weighs just 3 pounds.

Consumer Reports also checked out a Lenovo IdeaPad that makes logging on a lot simpler. It stores a scan of your face and then uses face recognition to make sure it’s really you. Testers found that the laptop did let registered users in and kept everyone else out, although it doesn’t work well in dim light or if you’re wearing a hat or eyeglasses.

Testers ran a series of tests on two dozen laptops to see how fast they perform and how long their batteries last. Testers also checked screen quality—some show a lot of reflection. Testers also assessed ergonomics, another important consideration. For ergonomics, testers examine factors such as how comfortable the keyboard is to use, whether or not the touchpad tracks properly, and the placement of the ports.

Another test measures how hot the bottom of the laptop gets after running for 15 minutes. Some are pretty hot. Consumer Reports found several laptops to recommend, including the Lenovo ThinkPad T61 for under a $1,000. It’s fast, with a long battery life, though you do have to log on the old-fashioned way.

No matter what laptop you choose, Consumer Reports say you’ll probably wind up paying hundreds of dollars more than the sticker price. That’s because so many things come as “extras,” such as a power adapter or carrying case. And because a lot of older software won’t work with the Vista operating system, you’ll probably have to pay for upgrades to your old software, too.

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