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Holiday 2010 laptop review roundup

The latest wave of new holiday laptops and Netbooks for 2010 is here, and we've been testing and reviewing the most popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $250 to massive $1,000-plus gaming monsters.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Dan Ackerman
Scott Stein
2 min read
CNET's Holiday 2010  laptop round-up is here!
Sarah Tew/CNET

With the holiday season upon us, many laptop shoppers are looking for a new system as a gift for either a lucky recipient or themselves. To assist you in this noble endeavor, we've been tracking the most promising laptops from the second half of 2010, from entry-level systems starting at well under $500 to $1,000-plus high-end multimedia and gaming rigs.

Unlike our previous review roundups, our net is cast a bit wider this time around, and includes both retail-specific systems as well as laptops you can order directly from the manufacturer. Additionally, we've decided to focus on laptops and Netbooks that we actually consider worth buying--no dogs here. If a laptop isn't at least a decent deal for the money, you won't find it on this page.

Note that this roundup is more of a broad look at what's available for laptop shoppers. You can find our actual 2010 Holiday Gift Guide laptop picks here, with laptops and other tech gifts broken down into a variety of handy categories.

Below you'll find a list of the systems in our Holiday 2010 laptop review roundup, divided by price range and with links to the full reviews. Check back regularly, as we'll be updating this page with new systems as we review them.

Netbooks
HP Mini 5103 3.5 stars
Asus Eee PC 1015PEM-PU17 3.5 stars
Asus Eee PC 1215N-PU17 4.0 stars
Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012-1091OBK 3.5 stars

Budget $599 and under
Lenovo ThinkPad x100e (dual-core) 3.5 stars
Toshiba Satellite T215D-S1140 3.5 stars
Gateway LT3201u 3.5 stars
Dell Inspiron M101z 3.5 stars
Acer Aspire AS7741Z-4643 3.0 stars

Mainstream $600-$899
Dell XPS 15 4.0 stars
Samsung QX410 4.0 stars
Asus U35JC-A1 4.0 stars
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 14 3.5 stars
Toshiba Portege R705-P35 4.0 stars

High-end $900 and up
HP Envy 14 Beats Edition 4.0 stars
Apple MacBook Air Fall 2010, 11-inch 4.0 stars
HP Envy 17 4.0 stars
Sony VAIO VPCZ128GX 4.0 stars
Alienware M11x 4.0 stars
Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 15-inch 4.0 stars

See more news, reviews, and recommendations in our full laptop section.