The dell x1 is the smallest of the dell ultra portables. its has a 12.1" display, but no integrataed optical drive. the reason that i like it is it is less than one inch thin...and weighs in at 2.5 pounds. the optical drive (or lack thereof) doesnt bother me because i dont plan on needing one in class. futhermore, i have a memory key that will work for everything i need. i bought an x1 with an external cd-rw/dvd-rw, 512mb, 60g hd, 1.1ghz for about 1600. again, size was the biggest issue for me so it was worth the money. i'm not lying when i say this thing is about the size of a GQ magazine...i cant imagine how nice it is going to be to carry it back and forth from class.