MSI ships $999 13.3-inch EX300 laptop

If MSI's suite of Winds are just too cramped for your gorilla-sized hands, maybe the marginally larger EX300 will do the trick. The 13.3-inch laptop tips the scales at 4.5-pounds and includes a Core 2 Duo P7350 CPU, ATI's 256MB Mobility Radeon HD3450 GPU, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a 3-in-1 card reader and a 2.0-megapixel webcam. You can claim one now at a variety of fine e-tailers for $999.

Novatech's X50MV Pro gaming laptop reviewed, SideShow makes surprise appearance

Man, remember when everyone thought their next laptop would have a minuscule SideShow display baked in the lid? Yeah, whatever happened to that fantasy? Apparently the engineers over at Novatech never got the memo that said technology was doomed for failure, as they certainly included a 2.5-inch color display on the lid of the X50MV Pro gaming laptop. That nifty inclusion aside, the unit also packed some pretty stout internals, though reviewers did lament the GeForce 9600M GT graphics chip. Still, the LCD was deemed gorgeous to look at, the inbuilt TV tuner was a welcome extra and performance was highly lauded in every area except hardcore gaming -- which is obviously odd given the nature of the beast. In the end, critics couldn't wholeheartedly recommend this machine over a litany of others for close to the same price, but there just might be a few unique features here that push you over the edge.

ASUS Eee PC 1002HA reviewed: looks cool but the battery stinks

Laptop Magazine's reviewed the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA we've been hearing so much about lately, and they're pretty impressed with what they're seeing. They gush over its looks, design and slimness, noting the similarity to the more expensive S101, and think the keyboard's decently comfortable. The reviewer found the 10-inch screen to be pretty cool for watching My Best Friend's Wedding on, though viewing at an angle was not necessarily awesome by any means. The 1002HA is a fast booter, and pretty speedy in general, with a strong WiFi connection. Where it really fails, however is in the fact that the two-cell battery (which ASUS claimed would last for five hours) made it only a sad 3 hours and 39 minutes, and the company isn't planning on offering an extended life model either, apparently. So much for watching My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill back to back, huh?

HP Vivienne Tam Edition Mini 1000 Digital Clutch now available

Well, we heard that the Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000 was coming in December, and here it is, available to order on HP's site. The custom 10-inch netbook is, as expected, sporting a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom with 1GB of RAM, plus an up to 60GB hard drive -- a little smaller than the 80GB we initially heard about. The fashion-conscious laptop is less than an inch thick and has a starting weight of 2.45 pounds, and though it's not exactly an example of "understated elegance," those who want to start (loudly) classing up their act can do just that for a starting price of $699.

Axiotron tweaks Modbook for better, stronger, faster performance

Axiotron has the upgrade bug again, and it's making a litany of small, useful improvements to its Modbook that add up to a seriously improved machine. For starters, the rig now has a new hardware controller board for improved sleep, battery and system performance. Moreover, a fresh bonding process for the AnyView LCD panel and paper-emulating ForceGlass screen cover results in a "better contrast ratio, a firmer etched drawing surface, and decreased parallax between pen tip and cursor." Also of note, the updated beast incorporates the company's QuadCoat process, which protects the top shell with a liquid metallic coating and decreases the weight to 5.3-pounds. The Modbook starts at $2,249 by itself, or users can convert their non-aluminum Core 2 Duo-based Macbook into one starting at $1,299.

Medion rolls out 18-inch Akoya P8610 media center laptop

Medion's netbooks and GPS units may have been garnering the company the most attention as of late, but it's also still in the traditional laptop business, and it looks like it's new 18-inch Akoya P8610 model should turn at least a few heads, and not just for its sheer size. This one is aimed squarely at those looking for a media center in laptop form, with it boasting a 1,680 x 945, 18.4-inch display, a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 512MB GeForce 9600M GS graphics card that can operate on its own or in hybrid mode, a Blu-ray drive, and a 5.1 Dolby audio system, among other media-friendly features. This being Medion, it also won't completely break the bank, with it setting you back a fairly reasonable £800, or just over $1,100.

Qualcomm shows off Snapdragon-based netbook / tablet concept

It's already doubled the power of its SnapDragon platform with a new dual-core processor, but it looks like Qualcomm is now really making a push to take on Intel in the netbook / MID space, with it recently showing off a seemingly fully-functional concept device.