Finally, I checked out each machine's Wi-Fi range: With a connection made to my Linksys WRT54GS Wi-Fi router and the system tuned to an Internet radio station, I walked away from the router with the notebook in hand. I measured the spot farthest from the router where it still remained connected.

If performance and battery life count for more than size and weight, Asus's U36JC fits the bill. This wide-body notebook offers nearly double the performance of the others in the roundup but is the largest and heaviest of the group, and it tied with the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 as most expensive.

It's also the most conventional notebook of the three. It has a detachable battery, a hatch for access to memory chips and the choice of any color as long, as it's black. (The silver model pictured on the Asus Web site is not available in the U.S.) Its angular case is in stark contrast to the rounded corners of the IdeaPad.

The front of the U36JC is 0.9 in. thick, but with its bulky eight-cell battery in place, the rear is raised by an extra 0.3 in. for a total of 1.2 in. This gives the keyboard a 5-degree typing angle; the other machines sit flat. Asus also offers a thinner four-cell power pack that makes for a slimmer profile and lighter load. Measuring 12.8 x 9.4 in., the system's footprint is the deepest and widest of these thin notebooks, but it still fits on an airline tray.