Latitude ATG D620 designed for extreme environments.

Great for executives on the move thanks to size and decent battery life, but the missing optical drive disappoints.

A good first stab at the semi-ruggedised laptop market. It isn’t up to the tough standards of others, though.

Small but perfectly formed, the D420 has hours of battery life and loads of features and great ergonomics.

Fast, well built and superbly featured - our business laptop of choice.

Powered by a 1.6GHz mobile Pentium processor, featuring dual-band 802.11a/g wireless capability and sporting a 15.4in wide-screen display, the Dell D800 represents the best of the Latitude series of notebooks. At around 3.3kg, it is not light, nor is it thin – but is complemented by an exceptional finish and a solid set of technology.

Slightly less sturdy than previous Dell models we have seen, the D500 is finished in attractive silver bezel housing, the keyboard is comfortable to use and offers all the functionality of standard-sized desktop keyboards.

What can a vendor-controlled comparison of notebook technology teach us? Plenty – but not in the way it was intended. Read on as we expose HP’s notebook ‘Reliability Challenge’.

First to market with SanDisk 32GB Flash drive.

Samsung’s new Flash disk can extend battery life and boost performance – at a price

Worst case scenario would cut 14 per cent from electronics giant's annualprofit.

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Largest recall in company's history as notebooks catch fire.

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Vendor's IdeaStorm suggestion box shows strong anti-Microsoft feeling.