Most Popular Laptops for January 2009

Each month we compile data for the number of times a particular notebook is viewed on this site's product pages to get an idea for what mainstream consumers are looking at and thinking about buying. While these laptops aren't necessarily the most popular in terms of sales, they are the most popular based on the number of times our visitors clicked on them.

In that sense, think of this list as the "most clickable laptops of the month" ... the notebooks that most of the people visiting this site are interested in learning about. Keep in mind that clicks directly on the "Most Popular Laptops" list do not count toward the total in order to keep the list as fair as possible each month. The only clicks that count toward the monthly totals come from web searches like Google or from visitors who have clicked on a laptop after visiting our "Notebook Database" or inside our forums.

The first month of 2009 had a few small surprises in terms of what notebooks our readers wanted to see. In fact, last month we saw an increase in the number of consumers looking for reviews of "netbooks" (low-cost ultraportable notebooks). Nevertheless, we're still seeing strong family notebooks like the HP Pavilion dv5t and Dell Studio 15 on the list. Likewise, the new Dell Studio XPS 16 and the HP HDX 18 are looking mighty attractive to consumers looking for family computers with great multimedia capabilities. Overall, the list for January 2009 suggests that that consumers are looking for good values in hard economic times ... but they're also still looking for notebooks with solid performance.

	1. Acer Aspire One (Previously #2) - The Aspire One is the latest "netbook" from Acer, offering a convenient, compact design at a budget price. The Aspire One features an Intel Atom Processor, 8.9" WSVGA TFT LCD, and a choice of either Genuine Windows XP Home Edition or Linpus Linux Lite version.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for Aspire One<o></o>
	2. HP Pavilion dv5t (Previously #1) - The dv5t features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, up to 4096MB DDR2 System Memory, NVIDIA GeForce Go graphics available and 15.4" diagonal WXGA BrightView Widescreen.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for Pavilion dv5t<o></o>
	3. Dell Inspiron Mini 9 (Back in the Top 10) - The Inspiron Mini 9 has an 8.9-inch widescreen display and can be configured with either Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux. The Mini 9 is powered by an Intel Atom processor for power saving performance. An 8GB flash drive makes it so the Mini is quiet and has very fast storage and configure up to 1GB of RAM for a performance boost too.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for Dell Inspiron Mini 9<o></o>
	4.HP Mini-Note (Back in the Top 10) - The HP Mini-Note has a VIA C7-M ULV processor, 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA, 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, and VIA Chrome 9 integrated graphics. The new HP Mini 2140 is the updated replacement with an Intel Atom processor and a 10-inch screen.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for HP Mini 2140<o></o>
	5. Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Back in the Top 10) - Designed to keep pace with your busy lifestyle &ndash; possibly even simplify it. At a mere 2.65 lbs and about one inch thin, it's so light and portable. You can take it wherever your day takes you. Plus it's loaded with thoughtful standard features to make your life a little easier. <o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for IdeaPad S10<o></o>
	6. Dell Studio XPS 16 (New to the Top 10) - The Studio XPS 16 features premium design with genuine leather accents, anodized aluminum, edge-to-edge display and backlit keyboard, 16" ultrawide 16:9 aspect ratio with 1080p HD support &amp; optional RGB-LED for brighter and more vivid colors, the latest Centrino 2 platform for blazing fast performance, amazing battery life and go anywhere wireless connectivity and premium ATI 512MB graphics delivers incredibly lifelike videos, movies and gaming.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for Dell Studio XPS 16<o></o>
	7. Lenovo ThinkPad T400 (Previously #6) - The ThinkPad T400 features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 14.1" LED-backlight widescreen, up to 8GB of PC2-8500 and integrated Intel X4500 or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for ThinkPad T400<o></o>
	8. Dell Studio 15 (Back in the Top 10) - The Dell Studio 15 is a 15.4" screen multimedia laptop offered in multiple colors and configurations. The Studio 15 can be equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo and dedicated ATI graphics. It comes with a slot-loading DVD drive, backlit keyboard, sleek drop-hinge design, widescreen glossy display and touch sensitive buttons. The Dell Studio 15 also includes a unique "Dell Dock" application similar to the Apple Mac OS X launch dock.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for Dell Studio 15<o></o>
	9. HP Mini 1000 (Back in the Top 10) - The HP Mini 1000 is the much hoped for Intel Atom based update to the VIA platform Mini-Note 2133. This consumer version of the Mini 2140 netbook is thinner thanks to a smaller hard drive and lithium polymer battery but still keeps the same great full-size (or "nearly" full-size) keyboard. Offered with two screen sizes, 8.9" and 10.2" the Mini 1000 has a configuration for any budget and including WWAN 3G capabilities for users on the go.<o></o>
	10. HP HDX 18 (Back in the Top 10) - The HDX 18 multimedia notebook features a large 18.4" display with a 16:9 screen ratio, impressive speakers with an integrated subwoofer, and an innovative touch-sensitive media control panel. This desktop replacement notebook can be customized with a variety of processors, tons of RAM, NVIDIA graphics and a Blu-ray drive.<o></o> View NotebookReview.com Review for HP HDX 18<o></o>

<o></o>

And here's the rest of 'em rounding out the top 20 most viewed and popular on NotebookReview.com for the month of January:

11. Lenovo ThinkPad X200 - 18,280 unique views
12. Dell XPS M1530 - 18,258 unique views
13. Sony VAIO FW - 18,051 unique views
14. Toshiba Satellite L300 - 17,517 unique views
15. Dell Vostro 1510 - 16,495 unique views
16. Dell Studio 17 - 15,081 unique views
17. HP TouchSmart tx2z - 13,066 unique views
18. HP Pavilion tx2500z - 13,004 unique views
19. Asus Eee PC 1000 - 12,231 unique views
20. Dell Vostro 1310 - 12,145 unique views

Remember, to get advice on which notebook to buy don't just go with what's popular, visit our What Notebook Should I Buy forum to ask what everyone else thinks you should buy based on your needs. Check out how the current standings for this weeks most popular notebooks looks.

Top 20 Threads for January

While we're on the subject of top 20, to give an idea of what the hot topics were in the forums last month, here's a list of the most viewed forum threads posted in January:

1. XPS Studio 13/16 - rumours / pictures leaked. (poster givemeanick, posted 1/7/2009, 87956 views, 650 replies)
2. ***Windows 7 general discussion*** (poster Jayayess1190, posted 1/11/2009, 69812 views, 2865 replies)
3. ***Windows 7 general discussion*** (poster Jayayess1190, posted 1/10/2009, 64534 views, 2661 replies)
4. ===&gt; The Official Studio XPS 1640 Owner's Thread&lt;=== (poster Cin', posted 1/23/2009, 40860 views, 648 replies)
5. D830 Owner's Lounge (poster freefisheater, posted 1/19/2009, 32399 views, 240 replies)
6. What's your browser? (poster Chaz, posted 1/4/2009, 30081 views, 624 replies)
7. What's your browser? (poster Chaz, posted 1/4/2009, 30023 views, 615 replies)
8. ---&gt;The Official Studio XPS 1340 Owner's Thread&lt;--- (poster Cin', posted 1/24/2009, 27594 views, 362 replies)
9. Dell Studio XPS 16 Review (poster JerryJ, posted 1/8/2009, 21756 views, 141 replies)
10. Gateway 7805u AUO/LG Batch Numbers (poster tizzao, posted 1/3/2009, 12430 views, 163 replies)
11. Exclusive hands on with the Dell Adamo (poster J.R., posted 1/9/2009, 12240 views, 103 replies)
12. NEW Asus W90 (poster Frag, posted 1/8/2009, 11254 views, 181 replies)
13. Vista users will cry now: Windows 7 confirmed (poster Nocturnal310, posted 1/11/2009, 11065 views, 213 replies)
14. Windows 7 Beta on M1530 (poster DarkFnh, posted 1/6/2009, 10713 views, 150 replies)
15. **Can My Notebook Run It?** -Ask about your notebooks here (poster crash, posted 1/5/2009, 9700 views, 313 replies)
16. My discoveries on Vaio Z&rsquo;s Hybrid Graphics (poster Nautis, posted 1/16/2009, 8915 views, 132 replies)
17. 4870's IN MARCH (poster fskdc, posted 1/9/2009, 8620 views, 282 replies)
18. The Ever-Growing Free Windows Software List (poster dbam987, posted 1/2/2009, 8009 views, 264 replies)
19. HP DV5T latest drivers (also applies to many other DV models) (poster dannyres, posted 1/5/2009, 7217 views, 120 replies)
20. Windows 7 on Thinkpads (poster w500?, posted 1/10/2009, 7085 views, 73 replies)

 

wow, netbooks seem to be pretty popular - i count six of 'em in the top twenty. still, i'm wondering if they won't just turn out to be a fad, seeing how many cell phones are Wifi-capable nowadays.

 

It's hard to predict the future when it comes to netbooks. Last year netbooks had a pretty high rate of returns because people purchased them thinking they were just as powerful as regular notebooks and then found out that they had weak processors and weak graphics ... and in some cases used Linux rather than Windows.

I can't predict the future of netbook sales, but I think that if you buy a netbook with the understanding that it's just a "secondary" notebook or "travel" notebook then it makes a great computer. The problem is if you buy a netbook thinking it will make a great multimedia notebook for your entire family then you will almost certainly be disappointed.

A fully-equipped netbook makes a great travel notebook for a short business trip or vacation ... but I wouldn't want to use it on a daily basis as my only computer at home or the office.

 

Hey Jerry,

I noticed you did the review of the Dell XPS 16. I JUST order a Sager NP5797 lastnite, and was debating between that and the XPS 16. I'm doing game development work on it.

I gotta say, i like the look of the Dell, and the screen looks reaaal nice.

The 5797 has more oomph, tho i worry about hiccups with it (i heard about eSata and heat issues, tho most people love it).

Have you had a chance to try the 5797 as well? What's your take between the two? Think the Sager is worth the extra $1000(!)? I also worry the screen on the Sager isnt near as nice as the Dell... i'm getting the 1920x1200.

What's your take? Again, the 5797 i orded lastnite cost around $2850, and includes a P9600, 4GB, the nvidia 9800M GTX... am i nuts with the SPX 16 as an option now?!

thx!
--g

 

Just a FYI, it seems that IE7 doesn't like the code in the first post:
View attachment 30225

 

The novelty and popularity of netbooks will definitely wear off eventually once people realize their limitations. Right now you're seeing a lot of them show up in our most viewed list because they're getting a lot of press coverage and people are then searching on reviews and finding them here.

Don't get me wrong, netbooks are decent companion devices and work well for taking on the go if you think you might need a laptop, but they're not good as a main work or entertainment device. I expect a good year for netbook sales this year and then flattening out a bit after that when the buzz and novelty dies.

 

Nice to see the Dell's edging back up there on the list.

There are codes wrapped around each of the pics..


I was using IE...FF wasnt loading for me for NBR....(404s).
Note: Just got back into FF...the pic's are fine. It's a IE problem.

Cin

 

wow....netbooks are really making a killing im shocked aspire one is way up there though.....out of all the netbooks i like i never even really considered it....its shocking that there is no MSI wind, and Samsung NC10 up there.

 

hmmm where did all the Mac's go? maybe apple needs a price cut to bring them back to earth... where a recession minded consumer will even consider one.

 

I'm willing to bet the Mini 9 is so high up in part thanks to the press coverage the Dell Outlet and 20% off coupon have been getting. You could get a decent netbook for as little as $150. I just checked and the entire inventory on the outlet is gone.

 

The HP dv5t is still the most clickable notebook. And it has been for quite some time. It's such a shame that HP discontinued it . . . I guess the value of mine just went up. I highly doubt I will be putting it up for sale though.

Onto netbooks . . . let's not forget that the netbook is only about a year and a half old; ASUS introduced the Eee PC in fall of '07. I am also not convinced they are not a fad. I find them to be very unpractical, as even doing basic tasks with only 600px of vertical resolution is a genuine pain; I already feel the pain using my new Acer's 1366x768 screen. I'm going to see if I can borrow a netbook sometime and use it for a few days.

 

I feel somewhat similarly; although the only thing I've ever used netbooks for is web browsing, really, with a little audio playback and very light typing, and for that they're pretty great.

 

Ok, the code problem in IE should be fixed now. Let me know if it's still giving anyone problems in IE7.

dr

 

Works great now, thanks.