TrustedReviews Awards 2007

Having disappointed with far too many of its notebooks, Dell finally delivered with this 13.3in model. Weighing a very portable 2.0kg, it married performance and superb features with a sleek and attractive design that can turn heads. A slot loading optical drive, HDMI and options for embedded HSDPA and an LED backlit display gave the Dell the edge on features, while a great keyboard and quality feel made it a great notebook to use day-to-day. We also loved the remote integrated into the ExpressCard slot, making the M1330 a usable portable media player as well as a mobile workhorse.

Yes, yes, we know it's a bit expensive and it's hardly "for everyone", but as product it's hard to deny the sheer brilliance of the CF-30. Knowing what Panasonic put its ToughBook's through at the testing stage, it's no surprise that the CF-30 earns its ToughBook moniker. You may think your notebook feels sturdy, but can you drive a car over it? I think not, unless your notebook happens to be a CF-30. Thus, if you're out in the desert or braving the Antarctic then the CF-30 is the only thing you'll want, it'll probably still be going long after you've given up the ghost.

Though many of the more notable notebooks this year were quite expensive, Acer's Aspire 5920 wasn't at all. Moreover, it didn't suffer an attack from an ugly stick or a penny pinching accountant either, it was a distinctively designed and very well featured notebook boasting some nice touches such as Dolby Home Theatre certified audio and HDMI. What really sold it though was the price, which at just under £800 was an absolute bargain for a notebook that's as fast and well equipped as it is.

Among all the fairly typical notebooks we saw this year, the Asus Eee PC stood out. With a tiny 7in screen it weighed less than a 1kg, used a customised version of Linux and inexpensive low-power components. Combined it created a very useable and innovative product that was ideal for children and adults who just wanted to surf the Internet, write documents or send email, at a price that anyone could afford. It's not perfect, but it's certainly ingenious and that's enough to earn it a place in our awards.