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Top 5 business notebooks

By Darius Chang
Mar 21, 2008

Ubiquitous Internet access, whether via Wi-Fi hotspots or 3G mobile broadband, literally allows you to carry the office anywhere. Though almost all portables are competent enough for working with spreadsheets and performing work processing, data security is a serious consideration for any business dealing with sensitive data.

Hardware-wise, a corporate machine should at least possess a fingerprint scanner, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security chip and harddisk password lock. An exception was made for the Panasonic ToughBook, as it is one of the few semi-ruggedized laptops in the market able to withstand the rigors of a semi-hostile work environment.

In a world where time is money, system downtime may have serious financial repercussions and service support should be made as painless as possible. These are the top five business mobiles which have the grit to survive the rat race and still have time to move the cheese.

The following notebooks are not ranked in any particular order.

Click here for a feature comparison table.
1.  Dell Latitude D630 (Core 2 Duo T710 Processor 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM)    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.2 out of 10
The good: Strong performance; long-lived nine-cell battery; sturdy construction; bright display; comfortable keyboard; corporate-level security, including smart card reader; WWAN available as an option; lengthy three-year warranty.
The bad: Somewhat heavy for a thin-and-light notebook; native screen resolution makes icons and text look small; fingerprint reader decreases mouse button size.
The bottom line: Corporate users can't go wrong with the Dell Latitude D630, which integrates Intel's latest mobile platform with a business-friendly feature set and lengthy extended battery.

Review | See full specs | Rate this
2.  ThinkPad X300 (Core 2 Duo Processor SL7100 1.2GHz, 2GB RAM)    
 
CNET Asia rating: 8.5 out of 10
The good: Extremely thin and light; sleekest ThinkPad yet; built-in DVD burner.
The bad: Solid-state drive comes at a high premium; touchpad's location makes it easy to accidentally graze while typing.
The bottom line: The ThinkPad X300 breaks new ground by packing a broad display, full-size keyboard, and nearly every feature a mobile user needs into a sleek, lightweight case.

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3.  ThinkPad X61s (Core 2 Duo Processor L7300 1.4GHz, 1GB RAM)
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Solid performance, thanks to the latest Core 2 Duo processor; extremely portable design; excellent keyboard; fingerprint reader; easy-to-use ThinkVantage utility; lengthy battery life with optional extended battery.
The bad: Lacks built-in optical drive; standard-aspect display feels outdated.
The bottom line: The ThinkPad X61s provides excellent dual-core performance in a lightweight, compact package that's still comfortable to use.

Review | See full specs | Rate this
4.  HP Compaq 6720s (Core 2 Duo T7300 Processor 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM)
 
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10
The good: Extremely affordable; good keyboard; reasonable performance.
The bad: Short on connectors and expansion options; no clasp between lid and screen sections; oddly located touchpad.
The bottom line: The HP Compaq 6720s is a budget business laptop that could fit the bill if you don't need serious CPU or graphics power, and are likely to spend most of your time in the office rather than on the road.

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5.  Panasonic ToughBook CF-W7 (Core 2 Duo U7500 Processor 1.06GHz, 1GB RAM)
 
CNET Asia rating: 7.1 out of 10
The good: Slimmed-down design; low starting price; high-end extras are available, including HDMI and touch-sensitive media control buttons.
The bad: Far from attractive; pricey compared to ordinary laptops.
The bottom line: The Panasonic ToughBook CF-W7 is great for anyone who's prone to breaking things. It's by no means unbreakable, but it'll withstand more punishment than most users will be able to inflict upon it.

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