HP Compaq 2710p (Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz, 2GB RAM, 100GB HDD, Vista Business)

The good: Slick, brushed-aluminum design; sturdy but lightweight construction.

The bad: No touch pad; no optical drive.

The bottom line: HP's attractive Compaq 2710p convertible tablet suffers from one fatal flaw, choosing a ThinkPad-style pointing stick over a touch pad, effectively ruling it out for a large number of potential users.

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Description: This configuration of the HP Compaq 2710p is a 3.7-pound, ultra light notebook computer. Compared to other ultra light notebooks on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $1,710. Has Wi-Fi (wireless connectivity) built-in.

Pros: Has only a 3.7-pound weight, which is lighter than some similarly priced notebooks. Also, this notebook comes with Microsoft Windows Vista business and Microsoft Windows Vista OS, which is somewhat more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.

Cons: The HP Compaq 2710p comes with basic word processing software – if you often create complex documents you will likely need to upgrade to a more powerful office suite . Shared video memory has an adverse effect on system performance which may be okay for users with more modest graphics needs. Users with more demanding needs should look to a graphics solution that brings its own muscle.

Suitability: Suitable for those who consider weight the most important feature. If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled laptop.

Value: In view of its relatively inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money. For example, when it comes to screen size, the average price of ultra portable products with a comparable screen size is quite a bit more -- in fact around $2,233.

Suggestions: (1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Internet more conveniently from any room. (2) To get the most out of this computer's Bluetooth capability, you could have a Bluetooth-enabled headset, PDA or other device, and be able to link it wirelessly to your computer within a range of 20-or-so feet inside the same room.