HP Pavilion dm3
If you're you thinking about upgrading your hardware as part of your migration to Windows 7, the HP Pavilion dm3 is a good place to start looking.
For starters, the Pavilion dm3 offers top-notch specifications in terms of both processing and graphics performance.
Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo chip running at 2.26GHz, the Pavilion dm3 is one of the speediest machines on the market with a 13.3-inch display - only Apple's MacBook Pro 13-inch has a faster processor. When it comes to graphics, the Pavilion dm3 sports an 8-core Nvidia GeForce G105M chip, which offers 5x the performance of mainstream graphic cards, and supports both Blu-Ray and HD video playback.
Other standard features include 3GB of DDR3 RAM, upgradeable to 8GB, and a 320GB hard disk drive, which is upgradeable to 500GB. There's also wireless connectivity in the form of 802.11 a/g/n and Bluetooth, or you can use the Ethernet port for a fixed broadband connection.
That hardware set-up supports Windows 7 Home Premium edition, which includes the very cool capability of gesture controls, like the iPhone. Using the touchpad on the Pavilion dm3, you can now 'squeeze', 'pinch', 'rotate' and otherwise navigate over webpages with your fingers.
While it obviously isn't a netbook, the Pavilion dm3 is still pretty light at less than 2kg, and is between 24.3-31.3 millimetres thick, with a conveniently sloping keyboard which makes using it more comfortable.
The Pavilion dm3 is available for HK$7,980 with an external DVD drive.
Pros: fast processor, dedicated graphics processor, Windows 7, light and portable
Cons: lack of a touchscreen means Windows 7's gesture controls is limited to the touchpad
