Simply the best. In nearly all categories we had numerous laptops under review last month. Which subnotebook and which multimedia laptop did we like most? We provide you with a summary of the last month and elect the best laptop of each category.

Parallels Desktop 6, VMware Fusion 3.1 and VirtualBox 4 in comparison Many Mac users will be familiar with the situation that there is a program from time to time that unfortunately only runs on Windows. Whether this is an office program, tax software or a game; Parallels Desktop 6, VMware Fusion 3.1 and the free alternative VirtualBox 4 all promise virtualization on a Mac and entice with many functions. We want to know which software has the most to offer, and have attempted to compare the performance of these with several tests.

Ever Popular. Although it has practically died out in the consumer notebook sector, the compact 14" format is still one of the most popular styles of business notebooks. The Dell Latitude E6420 has some big shoes to fill in taking the reins from its successful predecessor, the E6410. Is it a credit to the Latitude series or does it bring shame to Dell?

An invariable constant. The tried and tested Thinkpad design has practically remained untouched on the outside. But from now on, the new Sandy Bridge hardware does its job inside the T420. Moreover, the compact office laptop boasts with an excellent communication configuration for the professional field.

Power package. Packard Bell offers the EasyNote TS11 at an attractive price. A quad core chip from Intel's latest processor generation (Sandy Bridge) and an Nvidia GeForce GT540M graphics card are onboard.

Speed-Booster. With the SSD 510 series, also known as Elmcrest, Intel have introduced the first SATA 3 Solid State Drives manufactured by themselves that are intended for current devices. The maximum data rate supposedly lies at 500 MBytes per second. The entry model is available now from 239 Euros (RRP).

Third Generation. OCZ is releasing a new version of its high-end consumer solid state drive (SSD) in the form of the Vertex 3. Faster transfer rates, SATA 3, and the new SF-2281 controller are the major keywords, as well as 25 nm flash memory. You can get your hands on a 120 GB model from around €250.

Private business. Intelligent battery and docking concept, on/off graphics, matt TFT and generous input devices – what sounds like a business all rounder is Sony's mainstream laptop for everyone. Can every one of us feel like a manager for starting at 975 euros?

Learned from mistakes? After the last XPS 15 already excelled the competition in many ways (e.g. display & sound), Dell now presents a refreshed version of its elegant multimedia notebook. Read in this review if anything, apart from the hardware, has changed in regards to temperature and noise development.

17" newcomer. The R730-JT06 offers a large display diagonal, a chic design and a good keyboard. Are the Intel Core i3 and the GeForce G 310M enough for a notebook of this size? Or should it have come with a bit more?