Top 10: If laptops were cars

FLUSHED WITH THE fumes of an incredibly old printer cartridge that we found down the back of a filing cabinet, The INQUIRER has spent a portion of its afternoon considering what cars laptops would be if they were cars and not laptops.

We've picked through some of the more recent hardware to find its way into our offices and come up with some pretty blunt reasons why some devices are more like a Lada than others. We like it, you might too, whether the laptop manufacturers will, we cannot say.

Apple
Love or hate Apple, it can't be denied that Macbooks are the Aston Martin of laptops. Like the Aston Martin, the Macbook is expensive and tasteful - a rare combination. As James bond fans will know, an Aston Martin has beautiful design and outstanding engineering. On top these fine qualities, Macbooks have lots of power underneath their bonnets.

Sony
When The INQUIRER office discussed the Vaio over our lunch time pint, we used words to describe Sony's protégé including expensive, flash, and loud, especially with those luminous covers. That's why we christened it the Ferrari. Like the flash car, the Sony Vaio shouts "look at me", and is a must for anyone concerned with laptop cool.

HP
Good old HP. It might be staying in the PC industry and with good reason, but we have decided it's most definitely a Volvo. HP laptops have sharp lines, but a bland design. They are suitable for families but in reality, you'd rather have something more exciting.

Asus
Asus is the Mitsubishi of the laptop world. Both are not that expensive, and make you look quite cool. Mitsubishis are also for those who like to tinker with their cars. How much can you soup up an Asus? We'll have a go this afternoon and report back with our findings.