On the one end of the spectrum you have things like the ultra beefy XPS line from Dell to capture the huge-screen, huge-power portable experience. On the other end are the lightweight laptops with not so sexy spec sheets. The new Compaq NC2400 from the good people at HP falls into the latter, with only a 12.1-inch WXGA LCD and weighing in at a mere 1.3 kilos (under 3 pounds).

The fairly standard black chassis won’t win any design awards, but this is one the very few notebooks on the market (these days, at least) that I’ve seen that doesn’t sport a touchpad, opting for that blue nipple thing instead.

Key specs include a low-draw Core Solo U1400 processor, 512MB of 533MHz DDR2 RAM, and an integrated GMA950 graphics chipset from Intel. You can rest assured that all your precious data will stay secure thanks to the fingerprint reader, ProtectTools Security Manager, and TPM Enhanced DriveLock.