Cheap portable computing

The week after a bank holiday can be trying, what with having to cram five days' work into four. No one likes being in work when the sun is shining outside, so why not console yourself with a little technological retail therapy? If you're looking for a budget laptop, Novatech has just the thing. Its Axes Pro range starts at just £289.00 and for that you get an Intel Celeron M530 processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and a whopping 120Gb SATA HDD along with a DVDRW drive. There's no operating system installed by default, so it's an ideal choice if you want to give Ubuntu a whirl. If you'd rather go with Windows, Novatech will sell you one preinstalled with Vista Basic or XP for £329.00. If you want Vista Home Premium, it will cost you a tenner more.

If the improvement in the weather has whetted your appetite for mobile computing, why not find out what all the fuss about Asus' Eee PC is all about? This stunningly small computer has caused ripples, and even the likes of Stephen Fry has been moved to comment. MicroDirect has both white and black 7" models in stock for just £249.74. The much sought 9" model is sold out at Micro Direct, but Laptops Direct is expecting a new delivery within days. They list it at £329.97. The Eee PC comes with Linux installed, which helps to keep the price down, but there are Windows XP versions available. Whether or not you go with the penguin, you'll be astounded at the capabilities of this amazing solid state device.