Roughly the same size as the MacBook Air, it is angular rather than rounded. At 12.9 x 9.0 in., its footprint is midway between the IdeaPad and Asus systems' and easily fits on an airline seat-back tray.

The lustrous aluminum case is available in red or silver; it makes for a sharp visual contrast to the softer coatings that the others have, and it feels colder to the touch. The hinges and Dell's lid logo are in demure brushed aluminum. The bottom of the V130 has no hatches and doesn't allow you to change the battery or get at the memory modules.

The version I looked at came with a nice that provides room for plenty of papers but has no handle. On its own, the sleeve costs $180.

At 3.6 lbs., the Vostro is 11 oz. heavier than the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 but 4 oz. lighter than the Asus U36JC. With its small AC adapter, the Vostro hits the road with a 4.3-lb. travel weight, more than a pound heavier than the IdeaPad's travel weight.

While the Vostro has a comfortable keyboard with 19mm keys, its metallic wrist rest can't match the comfort of the padded one on the IdeaPad. Among the three systems I looked at, it was the quietest, with a fan that hardly ever went on.