Samsung R60 Plus: A cheap laptop that turns on the style

When it comes to cheap laptops, there's not many that can compete with the £179 Eee PC or the £100 OLPC XO-1. Unfortunately, the former is so small you could lose it down the back of a sofa, and the latter looks like it was designed by a hyperactive 3-year-old who's ODing on Pepsi.

For a similar (ish) amount of money you could get yourself a Samsung R60 Plus, which costs £399. Sure, it's twice the price, but it's larger, more comfortable to use, and is faster than either of its bargain basement rivals. It's simply not as much of a compromise on usability. It looks great, too: the lid's all glossy, the interior has a smart matte black finish, and the whole thing feels as solid as you'd expect from a Samsung.

Here's what you get for your money: a 15.4-inch widescreen display, 1.6GHz Core Duo T2330, ATI Radeon 1250M graphics, 2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM, 160GB 5,400rpm hard drive, and a dual-layer DVD rewriter -- all inside a 2.7kg chassis.

Not bad, eh? We've got a full review of its faster big brother here, but rest assured this slightly slower model is an absolute bargain. -Rory Reid