Make no mistake, this is one heavyweight of a notebook. The 3.3kg of the Satellite 2800 accounts for some of this, but otherwise it applies to some of the exceptional features found on this model.

After enjoying the Satellite 2800 (reviewed issue 42, p80) so much, the Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600 is a disappointment. This is surprising in that the general belief would be that the more powerful machine would be more appealing to the technically inclined than the Celeron-based Satellite 2800.

The Toshiba Satellite 5100 attracted by far the most attention around the PC Authority office this month

Toshiba has been a long running leader in the notebook field, so its always interesting to see what it has to offer, if only to see what is the current state of play in the market place. Toshiba responded to the call for desktop replacement notebooks by submitting the Satellite Pro 4360 model, a heavy machine tipping the scales at 3.17kg and clad in the familiar Toshiba dark grey.

The Toshiba Satellite P30 is a 17-inch behemoth with a price tag to match.

Not a bad notebook, the Satellite 1110 marks Toshiba's first foray into the sub-$2,500 notebook market, and it's a welcome one. By its own merits, the Satellite 1110's specifications are reasonable: 1.5GHz Celeron, 128MB RAM, 16MB RADEON Mobility, 20GB HD and DVD-ROM, but in comparison to the field it was average in all regards.

Powerful and well featured, but the ergonomics and battery life let it down.

It lacks the frills of others here, but the Toshiba is ideal if you want a 17in screen at the lowest price.

A good, basic notebook that’s specifically designed with the accident-prone user in mind.

Toshiba won this month's cat walk competition.

Widescreen notebooks are the way of the future, really they are. With entertainment now proficiently done on the go, why would we go back to limited 4:3 aspect ratio? It's far easier to work on two spreadsheets concurrently in widescreen without needing to alt tab like a madman. Toshiba, like many manufacturers, has seen this need and provided such a product.

Toshiba don't often venture into lower price point notebooks, so we were quite impressed to receive a system from them under $2500, let alone a desktop Pentium 4 3GHz processor, DVD burner and 64MB ATI RADEON 9000 IGP graphics.

Bose-s 3-2-1 is a 2.1 speaker DVD, CD and MP3 CD player whose claim to fame is the ability to produce accurate surround sound from just three speakers. Each satellite contains two discreet drivers that redirect audio in specific directions to mimic 5.1.

Absolutely blitzing the field for performance, no other notebook this month could get anywhere near the PowerNote 258SA from Digital Star, despite many trying. Pushing out an absolutely massive 4216 marks, this powerhouse left a 640 mark gap between it and its closest contender, the Toshiba Satellite A30.

A good training tool with a comprehensive feature set

HD camcorders enter the mainstream once and for all. With image quality like this, there’s little reason to spend more.

Ever since we sighted the alien-like JBL Creature speakers, we've been waiting for a second coming. We didn't have to wait long - the JBL Invader 4.1 system has just landed. The silence of our quiet earth is about to be shattered.

JBL's Creature system consists of a subwoofer and two satellites, which are all magnetically shielded. The satellites measure 3 x 3 x 3inches and pump out nine watts (RMS). The subwoofer, a nine-inch variant of the satellites, offers 27W (RMS).

Bose's high end multimedia speakers look as though they belong on the set of Star Trek, but how do they sound?

While Sony's VAIO PCG-K64 may not be the smallest form factor notebook in our roundup, it is pretty smart looking, with a large sloping lid and keyboard; it's comfortable to work on.