The small business-focused Vostro V131 includes a 13.3-inch display with 1366-by-768 resolution, 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Celeron 847 processor, up to 2GB RAM, a maximum 320GB hard drive, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, and 3G and 4G mobile broadband options. Similar to the 14z, you get two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0, as well as an 8-in-1 card reader and 1-megapixel Webcam. The Vostro V131 starts at $500 and runs Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

If you're looking for a bargain-priced smaller laptop, the new 14z or V131 may fit the bill; but if you're willing to trade off the 14z's Sandy Bridge processor and USB 3.0 ports or the Vostro's thin profile, you can probably find a better value. A quick search on Best Buy, for example, shows the big box retailer is selling a 15.6-inch Dell Inspiron laptop with a non-Sandy Bridge 2.53 GHz Core i3, 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive for $400. There was also a similar Toshiba Satellite laptop with a Sandy Bridge chip for $380. The downside is both laptops tip the scales past 5 pounds and neither had a USB 3.0 port.

The Vostro V131 and the 14z are available online now from Dell.com.

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