Best Netbook Laptops

There are a large number of netbooks available on the market for around $300, but most of them are older models. Dell's Mini 10v is a lower cost version of their 10-inch Mini 10 netbook that uses less expensive plastics but still has a good overall mix of features and functions that actually make it more attractive than their standard Mini 10. Its small size and compact power adapter make it very easy to carry while traveling. One downside as with most low cost netbooks is the smaller 3-cell battery that gives it a shorter running time. Some alternatives include the Acer Aspire One D150 and MSI Wind U100.

There are a number of netbooks now that advertise all-day computing. Under light loads, this can be over 9 hours of total use. The current champ for battery life though is the Toshiba Mini NB205. With its six-cell battery pack, it is able to achieve 6.5 hours when running a video playback test. What is even more impressive is that it achieves this with the slightly higher clocked Intel Atom N280 that also gives it very strong performance. The NB205-N210 model is priced around $350 but lacks the isolated keyboard found on the $400 NB205-300 series. Good alternatives for long battery life include the ASUS Eee PC 1005HA and Samsung NP-NC10.

HP has been producing some very high quality keyboards with spacious keys and well designed layouts. The Mini 110 is their latest consumer netbook that continues their use of one of the best netbook keyboards that is 92% sized and includes a full sized right shift key. The Mini 110-1050NR also works well for those needing connectivity anywhere thanks to the built-in cellular WWAN adapter than can function with GSM or CDMA cellular networks (with a contract of course). Price runs roughly $450. Other netbooks with strong keyboards include the Samsung N110, Toshiba Mini NB205-310 and other HP netbook models.

Graphics for netbooks has undergone a major shift with the release of the NVIDIA based ION netbooks. HP's Mini 311-1025NR matches up a very high resolution 1366x768 LED backlit 11.6-inch display with the full Direct X 10 compatible ION integrated graphics to provide some outstanding graphics capabilities including Blu-ray playback (with optional external Blu-ray drive). The system forgoes the standard netbook minimums because it runs the full Windows 7 Home Premium OS. This allows it to have 2GB of DDR2 memory and a larger 250GB hard drive. Prices are $500 making it one of the more expensive models. A similar if not larger and slightly more expensive alternative that also uses the ION graphics is the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 priced around $550.

Business travelers are looking for a solid system that has a good all around performance and features. The HP Mini 5101 is very different from the rest of the netbooks on the market thanks to its metal alloy exterior that makes it one of the most durable on the market. Add to this a very large and comfortable keyboard and some of the best networking features on the market and this is something that any business traveler who wants a small system will definitely want. Custom options from HP also allow higher resolution display and built-in WWAN adapter. All of these features do carry a higher price tag starting around $425.

One of the images that many companies want consumers to think about with a netbook is the idea of a pocket computer. Most netbooks are too big to actually fit into someone's pants pocket. Sony's VAIO P series of laptops is an amazingly small computer. The unit is only .8 inches think and weighs only a pound and a half. This clearly makes it the smallest and most portable out of all the netbooks on the market. Sony manages to make the system quite usable thanks to its extra wide display allowing for a sizable keyboard. They removed the trackpad and replaced it with a trackpoint device. Features include a 1600x768 display and built-in GPS. All this style and compact size carries an amazing $800 price tag.