Light yet powerful, gorgeous yet practical, the Sony VAIO VGN-Z56GG/B is the best all-round ultraportable Sony has produced to date

A stunning piece of design matched with excellent battery life, but with an Atom inside the price is surely too high

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

It’s gorgeous, but it can’t match Sony’s own Z-Series for sheer ultraportable excellence.

Sony’s Z-Series is an ultraportable to aspire to, even if there are a couple of areas where it could improve.

Great looks, superb build quality and a world beating software package. It would threaten the A list if it were just a little cheaper.

A Blu-ray drive is just about the only justification for the Sony’s high price; it’s poor value overall.

Intriguing styling makes this near-silent media-centre PC stand out, but it has its foibles

Sony’s new laptop sports a Blu-ray writer and one of Intel’s latest Penryn processors, but it’s overpriced.

A stylish all-in-one media centre that effortlessly handles all tasks thrown at it. But it’s disgracefully priced.

This impressive ultraportable fills a narrow but significant niche between the MacBook Air and Lenovo X300

Fast, stylish and crammed with features, but you’ll need a fat wallet to afford it

This notebook has been designed with classic Sony style: rounded edges, hidden IO inputs and a sleek widescreen footprint. From a connectivity point of view, this 'book has it all, boasting front-mounted Memory Stick Pro port, iLink 4-pin FireWire port and three USB ports.

A Blu-ray drive is just about the only justification for the Sony’s high price; it’s poor value overall.

An inexpensive laptop that, when it comes to style and quality, more than punches above its weight

Some interesting technology, married with superb performance – and a huge price tag.

Beautifully designed with excellent battery life and generous features – but it’s expensive.

Speedy and adequately functional for light use, the UX27– though not perfect – is the best UMPC yet.

Incredible design and amazing battery life makes the G118 a tempting mobile option.