These haven't improved as much as smaller ones lately, but the release of Windows 7 has inspired manufacturers to try something new: touch-sensitive screens. This sounds like a gimmick, but use one and you'll probably think otherwise. It's nice to be able to bypass the touch pad or mouse and "click" on a Web link simply by touching it. We tried the Acer(BATBL50L6 Battery) Aspire 5738PG, which has a 15.6-inch screen, and found it a pleasure. However, at $800, it's about $120 more expensive than an equivalent non-touch model. You'll have to decide if the premium is worth it.

One disappointing feature was the system's audio, or lack thereof. The single speaker, located on the underside of the system, was nearly useless--even with the volume cranked all the way up, we could barely make out the audio from podcasts, music, or Web video without resorting to headphones.

AMD is also planning a new version of its products for the "ultrathin" market in the first half of 2010, with a dual-core 45nm chip known as "Geneva." This will be part of the company's "Nile" platform and is aimed between the netbook segment and mainstream notebooks, with better laptop battery life than a traditional notebook but more performance than a typical netbook (including a discrete graphics option, which seems unusual in this category).

Features include a slot-loading DVD burner, a fingerprint reader, a Webcam, a memory-card reader, 802.11b/g wireless (Bluetooth is a $20 option), and a 160GB hard drive with an accelerometer that parks the drive heads if the machine takes a tumble. Dell(Inspiron 6400 Battery) has included the ports you would expect in a business notebook (FireWire, LAN, VGA, and four USB ports) and omitted one you might need on the road: a modem jack. For road warriors who still happen upon motels with just dial-up, you'll need to buy and carry an external USB modem. Also, the included card slot is an ExpressCard slot, so if you have older PC Cards, you're out of luck.

Instead of the usual strip of media player controls, the 8930G features the CineDash panel, a touch-sensitive controller located on the left side of the keyboard deck. The white, backlit panel sports a circular volume control that uses the swipe method of raising and lowering the volume; it's a bit finicky and can be frustrating to use when you’re trying to obtain a specific audio level.

So what if the iTablet can interact with social networks, stream last night's V debut, and mix a dirty martini -- consumers won't just snap up any device because there's a partially bitten apple(Apple M6392 Battery) logo on it. If you don't believe me, wipe the cobwebs off the Apple TV.

The requisite DVD/CD player controls for fast-forwarding, rewinding, and skipping tracks are also included. A hotkey takes you into the Acer(BATCL50L Battery) Arcade applet where you can launch your DVD movie player, access media files on your home network, play video clips, and view photos. You’ll also find a Hold button and Mute keys at the top of the panel.

Best of all, HP(HP DV1000 Battery)’s MediaSmart multimedia utilities make excellent use of the touch screen’s abilities. You can launch the MediaSmart suite via a hard key on the screen bezel, and it includes tools for enjoying DVDs, music, photos, and videos. The slick, iPhone-esque interface is optimized for the gesture-enabled touch screen, so you can scroll through photos by swiping your finger or rotate them by spinning two fingers touched to the screen.

What we can conclude is that the stalwart keyboard and mouse aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Multitouch, whether on laptops or desktops, remains a pale shadow of its input elders, particularly when compared in terms of responsiveness, ease and logicality of use, and celerity of feedback. Which is not to say it doesn't have a role to play in the future of personal computers. While we cannot see it replacing the traditional tools of the trade, we can certainly envisage scenarios where a touchscreen would complement them rather nicely.