LG X300: Ultraportable laptop with fastest ever Atom

With the fastest Intel Atom processor ever made, solid-state disks, integrated 3G wireless connectivity and a beautiful design, we couldn't not write about our love for LG's latest ultra-portable laptop: the LG X300.

This is an 11.6-inch computer running Windows 7 Home Premium. And despite being only an inch larger than something that would be considered a netbook, it's got a full-size keyboard as well. Interestingly, on the inside is a Z550 Atom CPU running at 2GHz on the model with 1GB of RAM, but only a Z540 Atom CPU running at 1.86GHz on the model with 2GB. Odd.

There will be two SSD capacity options when the X300 is released globally in February: 128GB and 64GB. With no moving parts, these disks are completely silent. And more interesting still is that the computer itself has no fans, apparently -- there's nothing in this machine to make any noise.

That goes for the optical disk drive, too. Mainly because it doesn't have one. If you need to read or write to disks, you'll need to snag an external drive and hook it up via USB.

Wireless connectivity is excellent. Speedy 802.11n Wi-Fi comes as standard, as does integrated 3G HSDPA mobile broadband and high-speed Bluetooth 2.1. It also has a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, SD card reader, gesture-based touchpad and a 7-hour battery.

Note one thing: there's no Ethernet connection. Just like the MacBook Air, you'll need an optional expansion adaptor if you want to hook up a wired RJ45 connection.

We're dead taken with this machine, and look forward to fingering it passionately. It'll be on sale in the UK, all being well, in February. Prices are TBC, and we don't expect it to go for much under a grand, if at all. Click 'Continue' for another view.