Labs

Vye's mini-v S41 is dwarfed by most of the other laptops here, as it is just 230mm wide. Amazingly, Vye has squeezed a fully featured Vista laptop into this tiny chassis, complete with an 80GB hard disk, 802.11g wireless, Bluetooth, a webcam and even a DVD writer.

The 7in touch-sensitive screen rotates and folds face-up to exploit Vista's excellent handwriting recognition. However, unlike the HP's screen, this one reacts to accidental contact from the palm of the hand and not just the supplied stylus. The keyboard is quicker for inputting text, even though its reduced size makes typing a little fiddly. There's a touch point mounted beside the screen as well as an undersized

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touch pad below the keyboard.

The screen's 1,024x600 resolution makes Vista feel pretty cramped, and the 800MHz Intel A110 processor isn't fast enough to run it smoothly. Applications took a long time to load, and the BBC iPlayer video-on-demand service was way beyond its capabilities. Playing a DVD in Windows Media Player resulted in jerky playback, too, although CyberLink PowerDVD was fine and films looked great on the screen. The built-in speakers were above average too, but the headphone output didn't work on our review sample.

Considering its slow processor and small screen, the S41's battery life is seriously disappointing. It managed only two hours and 40 minutes in our light-use test, and less than two hours playing a DVD.

The S41 is a fun gadget and an impressive feat of miniaturisation, but it's hard to know who it's aimed at. The small screen and limited power mean it's not an entertainment PC, while those who need something this small for work may as well go for the more affordable Asus Eee PC. The SD and CompactFlash slots, high-quality screen, 80GB hard disk and DVD writer make it a tempting option for photographers working on location. However, they too might be put off by the limited battery life and sluggish performance.