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.

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

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?

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

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

Stunning design goes hand in hand with fine usability, but the non-replaceable battery and high price count against the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell

Asus's model may not look like the bee's knees, but if you're after features, it's worth a look

With only Dell's disappointing Inspiron Mini 12 so far released, Samsung doesn't have a great deal of competition at this size. The NC20 has six-hour battery life, fine performance and a superb display

A stunning screen, generous specification and good performance combine with superb results for the Dell XPS 16

It’s not the most powerful, but its games performance and features help the Toshiba A350 stand out in the price bracket for mid-price laptops

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

Its longlife 24-hour battery makes it significantly less portable, but this laptop is classy in every sense of the word.