Sony Vaio P Series P111
Sony's too-expensive, designer, ultramobile PC seems out of touch with today's more-affordable and usable smartphone, tablet, and Netbook offerings, with a package that doesn't best any of the competition.
Fatal flaws: Mediocre battery life; expensive; difficult to navigate.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d
One of only a handful of 3D laptops, the Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d skips active shutter glasses for an inferior technology, but keeps the A-list price.
Fatal flaws: Polarized eyeglass 3D system isn't very impressive.
Archos 9 PC Tablet
The Archos 9 PC Tablet certainly looks the part of a full-OS iPad competitor, but hardware frustrations make it a tough sell.
Fatal flaws: Terribly slow CPU; no way to easily rotate orientation; frustrating touch controls.
Dell Inspiron iM501R
We'd like the attractive and affordable Dell Inspiron iM501R-1212PBL more if it weren't so slow and squeaky.
Fatal flaws: Squeaky space bar on the keyboard; poor battery life; performance lags behind similarly priced Intel-based laptops.
HP Compaq Presario CQ62-215DX
Sluggish performance is usually the deal breaker for an entry-level laptop, and though the single-core Compaq Presario CQ62-215DX is far from a speed merchant, its biggest flaw isn't a lack of power but rather the annoyingly stiff mouse button.
Fatal flaws: Very stiff mouse button is uncomfortable to use; single-core processor lags behind slightly pricier dual-core laptops; no Webcam; no media card reader; touch pad doesn't support multitouch gestures.
Acer Aspire AS5532-5535
The entry-level Acer Aspire AS5532-5535 can keep up with neither dual-core laptops that are still moderately priced nor with a competing single-core entry-level laptop from Compaq.
Fatal flaws: Woeful performance, even for a budget laptop; poor battery life; flimsy keyboard; no Webcam; terrible audio output.