Attention back-to-school shoppers: Find your laptop reviews here
Specific retail models you're most likely to find in Sunday sales circulars throughout the summer.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
When people refer to a seasonal business, they usually mean the holiday shopping season that starts with Black Friday. But the real season for laptops has become the summer shopping phenomenon known as "Back to School." For college students, a laptop is virtually required equipment, and even high school and grade school kids are getting in on the act.
To help you pick the perfect system for your academic needs (or to send those Facebook party invites from), we've scoured the retail shelves of big box electronics stores to find the specific configurations and model numbers you're most likely to find in Sunday sales circulars throughout the summer.
Below are all the retail laptops we're reviewing over the course of this summer. If you bookmark this page and check back regularly, we'll add links to the reviews as they go up and then present our favorites from each category.
Note: Laptop models listed as XXX haven't been officially announced yet--check back for updates.
Entry Level ($699 or less)
Sony VAIO NR430E/L
Toshiba Satellite L305-S5875
Budget ($700 - $799)
Dell Inspiron 1420-123B
Dell Inspiron 1525-122B
Gateway T-6836
HP Pavilion dv2915nr
HP Pavilion dv6915nr
Toshiba Satellite A305D-S6848
Mainstream ($800 - $999)
High-end ($1,000 and up)
See more laptops in CNET's back-to-school gift guide.