So, the last big name has fallen. HP gave out in April 2008, and both Dell and Toshiba's resistance crumbled by the autumn. But it's taken Sony until the middle of 2009 to produce what it confesses to be a netbook, the VAIO Mini W Series.

It’s not cheap, but it’s powerful and cleverly constructed to make the most of the components.

Battery life lets down this otherwise solid netbook from a local manufacturer

Part laptop and part nettop, the Gigabyte Booktop M1022M is the first netbook we’ve seen that overcomes the ‘3 USB problem'.

Superb performance in one of the sturdiest and best-looking gaming laptops we’ve seen – the Alienware M17x is worth the expense.

Well priced, with a robust chassis and touchscreen option that make it a good choice for classroom use, and any one else wanting a netbook that's a little bit different

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

As one of Australia's few locally designed netbooks, the Kogan Agora lives up to some lofty netbook ideals, but it’s sadly ho-hum in too many aspects to be seen as a real netbook contender.

Sleek and professional, the Hp Mini 5101 is another attractively pitched netbook that can't shake its very poor battery life. When will manufactuers learn that battery life is all-important to netbook success?

The HP Pavilion s5180a punches above its weight and provides a welcoming entry point for a starter or low-end upgrade system.

Superb build quality, battery life and usability – quite simply the best netbook around

Slim and stylish, this isn’t the most powerful quad core we’ve seen, but it’s by far the cheapest.

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

If you can’t stretch to the Samsung N110, the 1005HA makes an excellent lower-cost alternative

Not the most attractive, but this Eee PC defies expectations. Another machine that's going onto our netbook shopping shortlist

It’s lovely to look at, with a full size keyboard and glorious screen. See why the Benq Joybook Lite U121 is one of the best rated in our latest netbook roundup

A good quality netbook pipped at the post by its own stablemates.

The design is impeccable, the build superb and the screen extraordinary, but the price is a huge barrier. We ponder the icon that is the Macbook Pro 17in

A very likeable all-in-one – albeit limited in its usefulness beyond basic functions. Read our review of Shuttle's new all-in-one X50

A powerful and well-equipped touchscreen PC, but is Dell's all-in-one really the future of the home desktop? Read our full review