Awesome Laptops

Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer is pricier than the Checkthrough or FlyThru, but the TSA-friendly bag’s ballistic nylon + cordura construction and detachable laptop sleeve are spiffy features.

The Asus N20A is the N10’s big bro, with a 12.1″ screen, Core 2 Duo, Bluetooth and 3G. Curiously, it’s stuck with Intel’s X4500 chipset, instead of the N10’s Nvidia 9300M.

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s Fujitsu laptops, the Lifebook 1630 tablet PC sports a 8.9″ touchscreen; despite its netbook size and 2.2 lb weight, it runs on Centrino 2 with a Core 2 Duo CPU.

A chimera of sorts, Fujitsu’s 1.32 lb Lifebook U820 has a netbook-like Atom Z530 CPU yet a swiveling, tablet-like 5.6″ touchscreen. Also bundled: 1GB RAM, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Not satisfied with one screen, Fujitsu’s 16″ Lifebook N7010 squeezes in a 4″ touch screen that acts as an app launcher; the laptop also includes a Blu-ray drive and HDMI out.

Alienware’s M17 is their first CrossfireX capable notebook, with support for up to two ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics cards; it can also handle Intel quad-core CPUs and 4 GB of RAM.

OCZ’s line of 15″ DIY notebooks have been updated with the Centrino 2 platform; although the video card is locked in, owners can choose their own CPU, hard drive and RAM.

HP’s Mini 1000 is a 10.2″ netbook that stands apart from other offerings, with a sleeker “clutch” style form-factor and your choice of XP or a custom HP MIE OS that uses Ubuntu Linux.

Love the Mini 9’s portability but want a larger screen? Dell’s Inspiron Mini 12 will arrive stateside in late November; less than 1″ thick, it’ll get an Atom CPU, 12.1″ display and weigh only 2.72 lbs.

Cardboard Robot’s Exploded laptop bag looks sweet with an exploded pistol diagram screened on its front pockets, but don’t show it off to airport security unless you’re fond of cavity searches.

While its 858×600 resolution and 800:1 contrast ratio aren’t anything special, Dell’s M109s Projector is targeted towards road warriors: it measures only 4″x4″ and weighs less than a pound.

LIke Toshiba’s X306, the 17″ Asus G71 gaming laptop is one of the first to sport a quad core CPU; it also has a 512MB GeForce 9700M GT card and supports up to two 500 GB drives.

Few things shout blast from the past like tri-color stripes. This Keith Retro Bag by I Love Waterloo sports an adjustable strap and two pockets; it’ll accommodate up to a 13″ MacBook.

Now available: Sony’s James Bond 007 edition Vaio TT is a tiny, stealthy affair, with an 11″ screen, 64GB SSD and HDMI out; it’s wrapped in carbon fiber with an engraved 007 Gun Logo.

Miu’s Hybrid Dual Portable Computer is both a cellphone and a netbook with an Intel Atom CPU. It features a two-sided screen with a 4.1″ TFT on one side and a 2.4″ AMOLED on the other.

MSI’s latest gaming laptops, the 17″ GT735 and the 15″ GX630, both run on AMD Turion dual-core CPUs; the GT735 gets a Radeon HD 3850 while the GX630 gets a GeForce 9600M GT.

Garish pink case aside, Toshiba’s 17″ X306-Q708 gaming laptop packs a quad-core CPU; it also gets NVIDIA’s new GeForce 9400M chipset + dual 512 MB GeForce 9800M GTS cards.

Gateway’s MC Series of laptops is the latest entrant to the 16″ / 16:9 arena; this movie-friendly notebook also sports HDMI out, a backlit keyboard and leather accents; Blu-ray is optional.

Square and straightforward, DaKine’s District Laptop Bag is ideal for urban warriors with 13″ laptops; both the internal notebook sleeve and its multitude of pockets are nicely padded.

The swappable covers look like a Scottish kilt, but Fujitsu’s 15.4″ Lifebook A6220 laptops also sport 4GB of RAM, 802.11n, Blu-Ray, e-SATA out and HDMI out for under $1,500.

Gateway continues to deliver good value to gamers; the FX6710 gets a Q9400 CPU, 750GB hard drive, 6GB RAM and an ATI Radeon 4850 card, all for less than a base model MacBook.

Dell rarely names specific laptops, making the M6400 Covet unique: it’s basically a loaded M6400 with a 17″ 1920×1200 backlit screen, 1GB Quadro 3700M card and an orange case.

Nokia’s N810 WiMAX edition is now available; the internet tablet requires that you live in Baltimore for the WiMAX to work, although some Chicago users are reporting success.