Alan Lu is currently external communications manager at Vodafone UK and has a background in corporate communications and media writing. An alumnus of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), he has previously served as reviews editor for IT Pro and Computeractive.
HP EliteBook 6930p review
HP's EliteBook has good battery life, a comfortable keyboard and a long warranty, but it's expensive and has a tiny hard disk.
£910
Alan Lu
Toshiba Tecra M10-10i review
The Tecra is a well-designed laptop for business users; for everyone else, better value laptops are available.
£885
Alan Lu
Asus U50VG review
Not a terrible laptop when viewed on its own, but with no Blu-ray drive or decent gaming performance, the U50VG looks overpriced here.
Sony Vaio FW41E/H review
Sony's generously equipped Vaio FW41E/H is a great laptop with something for everyone, including Blu-ray playback and a large hard disk.
£880
Alan Lu
Acer Aspire 8930G-864G32Bn review
A great entertainment laptop with a full HD screen and reasonable gaming performance, but it's outshone by Sony's Vaio FW41E/H.
£867
Alan Lu
Sony Vaio NW11S/S review
A funky design and great 3D performance make this a decent laptop, but it's let down by a slightly washed-out display and a fairly high price.
£749
Alan Lu
Packard Bell EasyNote TR87 review
A smart, well-made laptop, with a generous software bundle and useful features. Below average battery life is its only weakness.
Asus K50IN-SX025C review
A great display, two-year warranty and decent battery life make the K50IN-SX025C an excellent choice.
£616
Alan Lu
MSI VR705 review
The 17in screen sets the VR705 apart. However, the mediocre keyboard and touchpad mean it's not the perfect all-rounder.
£508
Alan Lu
Hi-Grade Notino W5900 review
A gaudy lid design doesn't hide the budget features of this laptop, but it's well built with a great keyboard.
£495
Alan Lu
Samsung R505 review
Good build quality and generous hard disk capacity can't quite make up for poor performance and a higher price than PC Nextday's Versa.
£419
Alan Lu
Acer Aspire 5536 review
Yet another good-value laptop, although it lacks a webcam. Performance isn't wonderful, but it has a great screen and Draft-N WiFi.
PC Nextday Versa 81-2200 review
The 81-2200 has few bells and whistles, but a decent keyboard and bright screen make it a great alternative to a netbook.
£349
Alan Lu
Dell Inspiron 1545
A great budget laptop, with a relatively high-resolution screen. It's an ideal alternative to a netbook if you want something larger.
Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2008 review QuickBooks Pro is elegant and streamlined, but is let down by its poor banking support.£164
HP EliteBook 6930p review HP's EliteBook has good battery life, a comfortable keyboard and a long warranty, but it's expensive and has a tiny hard disk.£910
Toshiba Tecra M10-10i review The Tecra is a well-designed laptop for business users; for everyone else, better value laptops are available.£885
Asus U50VG review Not a terrible laptop when viewed on its own, but with no Blu-ray drive or decent gaming performance, the U50VG looks overpriced here.£910
Sony Vaio FW41E/H review Sony's generously equipped Vaio FW41E/H is a great laptop with something for everyone, including Blu-ray playback and a large hard disk.£880
Acer Aspire 8930G-864G32Bn review A great entertainment laptop with a full HD screen and reasonable gaming performance, but it's outshone by Sony's Vaio FW41E/H.£867
Sony Vaio NW11S/S review A funky design and great 3D performance make this a decent laptop, but it's let down by a slightly washed-out display and a fairly high price.£749
Packard Bell EasyNote TR87 review A smart, well-made laptop, with a generous software bundle and useful features. Below average battery life is its only weakness.£650
Asus K50IN-SX025C review A great display, two-year warranty and decent battery life make the K50IN-SX025C an excellent choice.£616
MSI VR705 review The 17in screen sets the VR705 apart. However, the mediocre keyboard and touchpad mean it's not the perfect all-rounder.£508
Hi-Grade Notino W5900 review A gaudy lid design doesn't hide the budget features of this laptop, but it's well built with a great keyboard.£495
Samsung R505 review Good build quality and generous hard disk capacity can't quite make up for poor performance and a higher price than PC Nextday's Versa.£419
Acer Aspire 5536 review Yet another good-value laptop, although it lacks a webcam. Performance isn't wonderful, but it has a great screen and Draft-N WiFi.£393
PC Nextday Versa 81-2200 review The 81-2200 has few bells and whistles, but a decent keyboard and bright screen make it a great alternative to a netbook.£349
Dell Inspiron 1545 A great budget laptop, with a relatively high-resolution screen. It's an ideal alternative to a netbook if you want something larger.£349