Dell Latitude C400

If you like tiny, this is the laptop for you. It's super-portable, without even a built-in wireless card or CD drive. Like all laptops, it is of course prone to power connector failure, and mine currently lies sadly on the floor awaiting a welding job. However, in all other facets, this is the a lovely computer to have.

The battery life is very good, ranging from 1:45 to 2 hours in practical use.The screen, while a teensy 12" display, is nice and sharp. This is the perfect laptop for travel, if you can contend with the bulky external CD and floppy drives, which you'll feel compelled to cart everywhere with you just in case you need them. You won't, of course, since the laptop has a USB port and that's how everything is done these days.

The fingerpad is difficult to contend with at first, but you'll soon get used to its fickle ways. Plug a mouse into the USB port if you just can't stand it.

The used model I bought had been fitted with a 30bg HD and a gig of RAM, which is probably more than the standard model comes with. The extra memory is definitely worth it, and not hard to install.