Manufacturers have a tendency to roll out new machines during the summer months for the consideration of back-to-school buyers, which makes late August and early September the prime seasons for notebook shopping. In the past manufacturers highlighted things like more speed and more storage, but this year's big theme is all about getting less for your money.

To put it another way, the spotlight is on portability.

Manufacturers are also focusing on the price tag. Until recently, a laptop's size usually had an inverse relationship with its price; the tinier the notebook, the higher the cost. But that's changed in recent months thanks to the introduction of so-called "netbooks" — also known as ultraportables — which are exceptionally small portable PCs. They're typically only a little larger than a hardcover book and weigh about a kilogram, and they sell for as little as $300.

The hitch? Their hardware is typically unsuitable for all but the most simple of tasks, such as surfing the web, checking e-mail, and working on documents.

These tiny machines lack common superfluities, such as optical drives and high definition displays. Plus, they often employ solid state drives, which are smaller, lighter, and more durable than traditional hard drives, but provide considerably less storage (some netbooks have SSDs as small as 2 gigabytes, compared to the 100-gigabyte-plus hard drives on regular notebook computers). What's more, their keyboards and touchpads usually measure around only 90 per cent the size of traditional notebook interfaces.

And keep in mind that netbook manufacturers often recommend running Linux — the humble hardware requirements of which help ease the load on these machines' modest components — as opposed to a Windows operating system. That can be an issue if there is specific software designed for Windows that you need to run at work or school

Simply put, they're good for work but not so great for play. Netbooks won't let you watch movies, play advanced videogames, or edit photos and video with any speed, but they're a good option for budget-conscious consumers who don't need all the bells, whistles, and weight of fancier laptops.

Of course, those of us who prefer to do more than just browse the web and process word documents can still choose from a wide range of pricier compact laptops that offer more robust functionality and better-performing components. To help you on your search for a notebook that meets your back-to-school (or work, as the case may be) needs, we've compiled a sampling of 10 machines you're likely to run across at your local PC retailers, including budget-conscious sub-notebooks, sleek and slim ultra-portables, and a few traditional workstations.

HP Compaq 2133 Mini-Note (www.hp.com)

HP Mini Note Starting at $499 (and going up to $849, depending on configuration), HP's smart looking Mini-Note is tiny and practical. It has an 8.9-inch screen, a nearly full-sized keyboard, and weighs only 1.2 kilograms. The basic model ships with SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 for an operating system, a 1.0 GHz processor, a 4GB solid state storage drive, 512 megabytes of memory (RAM), and a three-cell battery that offers a little over two hours of juice. Other, more expensive models offer Windows operating systems, standard hard disks up to 160GB of storage capacity, quicker processors, up to four times the amount of RAM, and higher-capacity batteries. As usual for the netbook category, built-in optical drives are not an option, but all Mini-Notes come with a pair of USB ports so that you can add an external USB drive, a VGA output to let users plug into larger desktop monitors when possible, and built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking.

Asus Eee (http://ca.asus.com)

Asus Eee PC 1000 After enjoying considerable success with the original Eee, a tiny and affordable PC released last year that helped bring netbooks into the mainstream, Asus expanded its series of budget-oriented sub-notebooks to provide a greater selection of hardware configurations. Currently, the tiniest member of the Eee family is the 0.92 kilogram, seven-inch Eee 2G Surf, which sells for $300 (US). It runs on a Linux operating system and has just 2GB of solid state storage. As its name suggests, the Surf is essentially a wireless web browsing machine, though with the free productivity suite Open Office pre-installed, it can take on the role of a workstation in a pinch. On the other end of scale is the Eee PC 1000H, a 10-inch, 1.5 kilogram ultra-portable that ships with Windows XP, an 80GB hard disk drive, and 1GB of RAM. The 1000H has a recommended retail price of $649 (US).

Acer Aspire One (www.acer.ca)

Acer Aspire One Acer's entry in the netbook space is similar to both HP and Asus' offerings in that users can select models with Linux or Windows operating systems, lesser solid state storage (8GB) or a larger hard disk drive (120GB), and three- or six-cell batteries depending on how much battery run-time they need. And its standard hardware — which includes a 1,024-by-600 LCD that measures 8.9-inches, an Intel Atom 1.6 GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, wireless networking, a trio of USB jacks, a memory card reader, and a built-in webcam — is a decent performer within the sub-notebook genus. However, its greatest selling point is a starting price of only $349. It's hard to deny a kid a back-to-school laptop when it costs the same as one night at your summer vacation hotel.

MacBook Air (www.apple.ca)

Macbook Air As has been demonstrated repeatedly in Apple's advertising campaign, this 13-inch marvel is skinny enough to slide into a manila envelope and can almost get lost in a stack of papers. Of course, the commercials calling attention to the MacBook Air's litheness are a little deceiving (it bulges from a wafer-thin 0.4 centimetres at its front to a somewhat portlier 1.94 centimetres at its back), but it's still an undeniably svelte and stylish machine. What's more, it has a respectable spec sheet for an ultra-portable, including a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a couple of gigs of RAM, and an 80GB hard disk drive. Still, the machine's chic aesthetic is reflected in its relatively high $1,899 starting price - you can get a less attractive laptop with the same components for a fraction of the cost. And while students toting a MacBook Air to school will almost certainly be the envy of their classmates, when they eventually settle down to work they may get a little miffed with the machine's lack of an internal optical drive, as well as its single USB port.

Voodoo Envy 133 (www.voodoopc.com)

Voodoo Envy 133 When Calgary-based Voodoo (now a subdivision of HP) unveiled this gorgeous looking and super-slim laptop last June, critics were surprised to discover that its 1.79 centimetre girth was even thinner than that of the MacBook Air. Perhaps even more shocking was its starting price of just $2,099, which, considering Voodoo's heritage of mind-numbingly pricey luxury PCs (think five figures - not including decimal places) is relatively affordable. However, the Envy lacks the bleeding-edge performance that Voodoo machines are known for. The basic Envy 133 has a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 60GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, a 1,280-by-800 LED backlit display, and integrated Intel graphics. In other words, unlike most Voodoo PCs, it's not an ultimate gaming machine, and that makes the higher-than-average price for the laptop a little harder to swallow.

Lenovo SL300 (http://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/)

Lenovo SL 300 Lenovo's no-nonsense ThinkPads are normally associated with the workplace, but the Chinese notebook manufacturer has recently made inroads with home consumers via machines like the sleek looking, 2.1 kilogram SL300. This $853 machine sports a shiny black case, comes with Windows Vista Home Premium standard, and offers robust multimedia functionality, including an HDMI jack (so that it can be connected to HD televisions), an optional Blu-ray drive, and up to 320GB of hard disk storage. Green-minded consumers will also appreciate that the SL300 is one of the most Earth-friendly laptops around, scoring gold when assed by the EPEAT electronics environmental impact assessment tool, which factors in not only energy consumption and end-of-life material reclamation, but also the packaging and manufacturing processes. The SL300's starting components — which include a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 1GB of RAM — are modest, but can be affordably upgraded if necessary.

Dell Studio 15 (www.dell.ca)

Dell Studio Inheriting the general look and feel of Dell's attractive, wedge-shaped M1330 notebooks, the $799 Studio 15 is all about personalization. Consumers can select from a variety of case colours and designs, opt for a backlit keyboard, and choose from a broad selection of coordinated accessories, including matching slip covers, mice, and ear-buds. At 2.7 kilograms, this 15-inch notebook is distinctly average in size and weight, but its normal dimensions mean less miniaturization, which translates to more power and the ability to customize components. The Studio's standard 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo can be swapped out for a speedier 2.5 GHz chip, its 2GB of RAM can be upgraded to 4GB, the 1,280-by-800 display can be exchanged for an ultra sharp 1,900-by-1,200 screen, and the integrated motherboard graphics can be shunned in favour of a much beefier ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics card - suitable for modest 3-D gaming. Plus, optional mobile broadband2 connectivity provides TELUS subscribers a means to hop online wherever there is cellular coverage.

Sony VAIO FW (www.sonystyle.ca)

Sony VAIO FW Sony is renowned for its LCD technology, so it should come as no surprise that one of the highlights of this elegant notebook is its 16.4-inch, 1,600-by-900 XBRITE-HiColor screen. It's perfect for side-by-side document viewing, watching HD movies and playing games. Nearly as pretty as its display is the VAIO FW's case. Available in Titanium Grey or Powder White, Sony's flagship laptop is the PC world's answer to an Apple MacBook: Minimal, hip, and decidedly covetous. It's got some kick, too, thanks to 4GB of speedy 800 MHz RAM, a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics chip, and a 250GB hard disk. It's not cheap - $1,600 in the configuration described above - but this is a case of getting what you pay for. And you can tack on a Blu-ray drive for an extra $150.

Toshiba Satellite A300 (www.toshiba.ca)

Toshiba Satellite A300 Another average-sized notebook, the Satellite A300 from Toshiba packs some impressive punch within its 2.7 kilogram mass. A fully loaded 15.4-inch model sells for $1,149 and comes with a 320GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics controller with 512MB of discrete video RAM. Put another way, it's got enough horsepower to serve as a decent gaming rig once homework is done. What's more, an HDMI CEC port lets the A300 double as a high-def movie player for your television. Aesthetically, the glossy dark grey case lacks the panache of a Dell Studio and hasn't the sophistication of a Sony VAIO FW. Still, few people stop to admire at their laptop's chassis while pounding out essays or fragging bad guys.

Fujitsu LifeBook T1010 (http://www.fujitsu.ca/)

Fujitsu Lifebook T1010 And don't forget the tablet PC. Convertible laptops provide the flexibility to alternate between a traditional keyboard-and-touchpad, and a stylus-based touch screen interface. And, as luck would have it, Fujitsu, a long-time proponent of convertible notebooks, recently unveiled its least expensive tablet to date: The $1,380 LifeBook T1010. At 2.3 kilograms it's one of the lightest 13.3-inch tablets around. Standard components - which include a 2.26 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive - are adequate, if not remarkable. With a girth of 3.9 centimetres, it's not the skinniest portable PC around, but the ability to literally scribble notes and sketch out your ideas - undeniably handy for group work - might make the extra bulge in your backpack worthwhile.

(The author is a Toronto-based writer who specializes in technology.)