Labs

Sony's entry came from its new NR series of budget laptops. Like the NR11Z/S, which we reviewed last month, it lacks some of the sleek styling found in Sony's pricier models, but still looks classy. The sturdy plastic housing is finished in a kind of silver waffle weave that seems pretty scratch-resistant. Our only major gripe is that there's no clasp to keep the lid tightly shut when the laptop's in your bag. On the plus side, the case is generally rigid enough to prevent a degree of flexing that could damage the internals.

Like most of the displays here, the Sony's 15.4 inch widescreen has a gloss finish that provides extra contrast. Next to the other screens in the group, though the Sony's colours lacked a little

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saturation, and viewing angles weren't quite as wide as some - an issue if more than one person is trying to see it at the same time. The keyboard is well proportioned, and although the action was OK rather than great, the trackpad was good. There's plenty of room to rest your wrists as you type.

The Sony has all the connections home users will need: four USB 2 ports and mini-FireWire (Sony calls it 'i.Link 400') for hooking up digital camcorders and fast external storage. You also get a memory card reader with slots for SD and Memory Stick, but the lack of a webcam and other extras leaves the NR21 with a 'no frills' feel.

Inside, it's pretty much the same story. The processor is an Intel Dual-Core T2330 running at 1.6GHz. This is a budget chip with less power than the Core 2 Duos in the Dell, HP, Samsung and Toshiba. Still, it has enough power for everyday stuff, scoring a creditable enough 124% in our general (2D) tests. Given the price, we were pleasantly surprised by the hard disk's 200GB capacity.

Gamers won't be so thrilled by Sony's choice of specifications. Thanks to the integrated Intel graphics chipset, the Vaio couldn't run our Call Of Duty 2 test. The NR21J/S is a decent laptop if you're short of cash and keen on the brand, but there's better performance to be had elsewhere.