SAMSUNG X22, NEW AND HAPPENING

Samsung has shown some great notebook designs of late and the X22 with a semi-lightweight machine intended for power users on the move continues this trend. This latest machine has a matt-black finish, which looks far more durable. The 2.2kg chassis is compact and robust to the touch. It's made from plastic so will certainly stand up to the rigors of life on the road. Open the solid lid and you will find a 14.1-inch Super-TFT screen. It's not the brightest but we found it sharp enough for office duties. An integrated camera sits above the screen.

The keyboard is of a good size. The keys are highly responsive and comfortable to use. The touchpad and mouse buttons are also easy to use. Coming to performance, this is an impressive notebook in a compact design. Its filled with an Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 chip, running at 2.2GHz and delivers dual-core power. Supported with 2048MB of memory, this notebook handles any task we set it, from editing photos to running multiple tasks, with no signs of slow down. The 160GB hard drive is a little average for the price.

Considering the portability of the X22 it is a great machine to take on the road. Sadly, the battery backup is jus a little over 2hours. For graphics, you'll find the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2400 and offers support for high-def sources.

It includes a dual-format DVD rewriter, which supports Light Scribe so you can create your own labels directly on to the disc. It also carries a Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n wireless LAN for connecting to networks at the great speed.

At the price tag of £880 this is an impressively versatile notebook.