Apple’s MacBook Pro is a design masterpiece, even if its brilliance is marred by a few annoying niggles.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

It's not widely available, but with this battery life on offer the BenQ Joybook Lite U101 should be

Lightweight, resilient laptop with reasonable performance at a price tag that doesn’t break the bank.

Asus' new Eee PC 1004dn steps up in style and features, boasting a DVD-writer, expresscard slot and scrabble-tile keyboard

The HP Mini 2140 injects a little prestige back into netbooks, blending style with decent performance and respectable specs.

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

A superb small laptop that offers plenty of features, power and value for money