The Vista version lacks many of the features of the XP suite, while slowing down the PC noticeably in usage

Encarta Premium Suite claims a base of 130,000+ articles, along with 25,300+ photos and illustrations and 1.8 million map locations. That's more than a bit of bedtime reading, although of course there are really only two reasons why people buy digital encyclopedias these days -- either they've got kids to educate, or they're after some verifiable and quotable facts for a research project. For almost anyone else, of course, there's Google.

MSI’s Wind Top AE1900 takes on the touchscreen nettop competition, but singularly fails to excite.

A comprehensive set of audio-editing tools, but not enough to justify the high price.

A questionable interface redesign and greater-than-ever complexity lead to a half-baked feeling.

Efficient photo management and sharing, but let down by some surprisingly underpowered editing.

Four powerful and long-serving Photoshop plug-ins at a cut-down price.

It wouldn’t be right for a new superhero movie to go by without an accompanying videogame, and Fantastic Four is no exception.

A decent notebook but too expensive for the features on offer.

Chunky, powerful and intimidating. Everything you want in a PC, but not what you'd want in a media centre.

The Twinhead Efio is a mixed beast. It has some very good features, such as an all-magnesium casing and ATI Mobility 9700, but it also has some middling features, like a relatively slow 1.8GHz Intel processor and 4:3 screen. The unit is well made and well set out however.

The ASUS is one tough little cookie. Its cover and palmrest are encased in brushed aluminium lending the unit a reassuring sense of rigidity and roadworthiness. The 15.4" screen is bright, and its default resolution of 1680x1050 makes text sharp but a little small to read unless up close. The unit also comes with a built in TV-tuner, and also sports a TV-antenna output.

It may be lovely, but Sony’s under-powered P-series costs too much and features features poor battery life.

Neither cheap nor beautiful, MSI’s Atom powered nettop is sadly second among equals.

A good effort by Palm, but it’s a long way behind the best both ergonomically and functionally

The original Steel Panthers was a hit in the mid-nineties, and many players will remember wiling away the night hours at what was (for the time) an outstanding mix of realistic gameplay, terrific graphics and a first-rate interface.

An attractive design, but several core flaws keep the Mini 10 far from the top of the netbook pile.

Without support for differential backups and with a light feature set, Norton Ghost feels cheap, nasty and dated.