Gone are the days when $1000 could not even get you a desktop PC, let alone laptops. Having a budget of $1000 today can easily get you a more-than-decent laptop from well known players in the laptop market.

In any case, if you haven't taken the plunge yet and are considering one, this latest round-up of recommended laptops under $1000 from PC World could be a good starting point. Topping the list with an exceptional battery life is the budget HP Pavilion dv2660se at $900, which can play a CD/DVD without booting into Windows. If you are looking for the lowest pricing, there is the $699 Toshiba Satellite Pro A210-EZ2201, which means you will have to contend with a low battery life as well. Nevertheless, it sports some amazing features at that price - a DVD writer, a FireWire port, and great sound.

My personal favorite of the lot happens to be the Dell Inspiron 1525. At $999, it is lithe, sleek and completely customizable - down to the color of its lid. Check out the PC World website for the complete review.

Image courtesy: PC World