The Dell Inspiron 13 is great for those hampered by a tight budget, but who still want a competent and power-efficient thin-and-light notebook with a decent design.
The Acer Aspire One is better than most netbooks. It's fantastic for anyone who wants a small, cheap machine on which to type and surf the Web. However, its battery life lets it down slightly.
The Sony VAIO VGN-AR49G is without a doubt a premium multimedia machine with strong graphics performance and a Blu-ray drive. The high price may drive those with smaller wallets to Toshiba's HD-DVD machines which offer similar functionality (sans Blu-ray) though.
With all the different types and variations available, it's easy to get confused about memory cards. But as they now fit into everything from digital cameras to printers, phones and televisions, it's important to know your way around the memory card maze.