Asus W2Pc

The other problem is the W2Pc's sheer bulk. At nearly 40cm wide and 28cm deep, you could well have problems finding a laptop bag to fit, and the total weight of 3.6kg means it's far too heavy to carry for long periods. Battery life is thoroughly mediocre too - one-and-a-half hours under intensive use and just less than three hours' light use means that the W2Pc's natural habitat is never going to be far from a wall socket.

At least one person in the PC Pro office was pushed into HD hysteria by the W2Pc's performance with HD DVD, but you'll have to be enthusiastic to pay what's still a high premium for the cutting-edge drive. Before splashing out, consider the Toshiba Qosmio G30, which is still a better vehicle for next-generation video. With a 2GHz CPU its raw speed isn't quite up with the Asus, but it has a pair of 120GB hard disks and, more importantly, a screen with a resolution adequate for 1080p content. The one clear point in the W2Pc's favour, however, is price: it costs a significant £200 less than the top-end Qosmio.

Author: Dave Stevenson