At just 3 pounds and 1 inch thick, Gateway's NX100X notebook follows everyone's favorite tech trend of making gadgets as thin and lightweight as possible. But as anyone who owns a RAZR phone or a 30-gig video iPod knows, squeezing cutting-edge technology into an ultrasleek chassis often means a short battery life. With the standard battery, the NX100X is rated to last 2½ hours — not great, but better than you'd think for a laptop this thin. You can upgrade to a 5½- or 8-hour battery, but that will make the notebook bulkier, kind of defeating the point of getting something with this form factor (for long flights or those all-afternoon power-writing sessions in the park, maybe just bring along a second battery). Built-in Wi-Fi, a 40-GB hard disk, and 512 MB of RAM come standard, and options include adding integrated Bluetooth ($50) and swapping in a bigger disk (up to 100 GB). The screen is a mere 12.1 inches, but that's a given for a laptop designed for "ultra" portability. This svelte model retails for $1,400 and includes an external DVD burner. Business customers may prefer the equally slim E-100M, which drops the burner for professional software and security features for the same price.
— Peter Pachal