If anything, 2008 was the year of the mini-notebook. After ASUS debuted its Eee PC 701 in October 2007, other PC makers were quick to follow with their own models. The category proved so popular that, of all the notebooks that we reviewed in 2008, nearly 20 percent of them were mini-notebooks. As of late October, these systems, also known as netbooks, accounted for five of the ten best-selling computers on Amazon.com. And now nearly every major notebook vendor has a mini to call its own.

But mini-notebooks weren’t the only story of 2008. Thin was in for traditional ultraportables, starting with the 0.76-inch-thin MacBook Air in January, followed quickly by the equally svelte—and fully featured—Lenovo ThinkPad X300. Some of our favorite notebooks, in fact, were ultraportable machines, which while costing four times as much as mini-notebooks, packed in better processors and security features. And some of these higher-priced systems can last twice as long on a charge (about 9 to 10 hours) when equipped with the right battery.

Laptops have become as much about entertainment as work. Notebook makers started implementing 16:9 widescreens into more notebooks and ratcheting up the pixel count. This aspect ratio is not only ideal for watching movies (no black bars), it also makes room for having two windows open on the desktop side by side. As for notebook guts, Intel has enabled Blu-ray playback with its new Centrino 2 platform, which features souped-up integrated graphics along with better overall performance and Wi-Fi speed and range. 

Notebook makers went a little nuts with integrated touch-sensitive media controls. They look nice, but most of them just aren’t as responsive as mechanical buttons. Not that all of these implementations are wonky, however. We like Acer’s CineDash controls on the 18.4-inch Aspire 8930G. While they proved a little too exotic for some customers, this implementation demonstrates that companies are thinking more about alternative input methods.

All the major players continue to place a heavy emphasis on sleek designs. Earlier in the year, HP introduced a futuristic liquid-metallic Imprint 2 finish on its Pavilion series, and later added a cool flowing pattern to the mix with the HDX 16 and 18; Sony continued its premium look and island-like keyboards across its lines; and Toshiba got in the act with its own Fusion design.

The systems that rose to the top of the list? Those that combined sharp design and ergonomics with innovative features and excellent performance. Read on to find out which notebooks from 2008 made the cut.