To separate the wheat from the chaff, I next did what millions of employees do every day. With notebook in hand, I downloaded e-mail, did research on the Web and wrote and ran the numbers with spreadsheets. I even watched a few YouTube videos and listened to some Internet radio.

In this time of tight cash, one of these contenders could be your next, best business notebook. Let the battle begin, and may the best notebook win.

Vostro 1510

The Vostro line from is aimed at small businesses, but it's just as appropriate for bigger companies with mobile workers because the systems are well designed and offer more for less. A case in point is the Vostro 1510, which is surprisingly powerful, long lasting and thin for this class of systems. At $782, it's a steal that should make its competitors jealous.

With a footprint of 14.0 x 10.1 in., the Vostro 1510 is roughly the same size as the other business systems, but it's just 1.1-in. thick. At 5.7 lbs., it tied with the Satellite Pro L300D as the lightest of the four, but the Vostro 1510's AC adapter is significantly lighter, making for a svelte 6.6-lb. travel weight, the lightest of the bunch.