Netbook

With nearly every notebook manufacturer in the industry now making netbooks, choosing the right one can be tricky. On the one hand, most are very similar in terms of performance, battery life, size, and weight. On the other hand, you need to take a much closer look at the keyboard, screen, connectivity, and price than you might with a standard notebook.

PROCESSOR

Until just recently, nearly all netbooks used the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor. Intel also offers a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520, and now we're seeing some notebooks with the Atom N280, as well. In short, the N270 has a 1.6GHz clock speed and a 533MHz front-side bus (FSB). The N280 has a 1.66GHz clock speed and a 667MHz FSB, making it technically faster, all else (namely the 945GSE chipset) being equal. Intel is also unrolling the GN40 chipset, to be paired, eventually, with the N280. The GN40 should allow for improved graphics performance and HD playback.

MEMORY

Don't expect to get much processing help from the RAM: 1GB is the going rate for netbooks, and we don't expect that to change anytime soon. So long as most run Windows XP, they don't have to. As they adopt Windows 7, however, we'd be more apprehensive about buying a netbook with such limited memory

GRAPHICS

Nearly all netbooks offer integrated (read: slow, simple, weak) graphics acceleration, but the options do vary just a bit. While the chipsets aren't exactly linear, they basically range from about 133MHz to 800MHz speeds. The model numbers, roughly from slowest to fastest, are as follows: GMA 950 (133MHz to 400MHz), GMA X3100 (400MHz to 500MHz), GMA 945 (667MHz), and GMA X4500HD (800MHz). When choosing a netbook, remember that what you gain in graphics, you lose in battery life.

HARD DRIVE

When netbooks first hit the market, many incorporated fast, but small-capacity, solid-state drives (SSDs). Nowadays, most netbooks come with regular hard drives, which are much more affordable and offer a lot more storage. Most netbooks with regular hard drives come with 160GB of storage, but some companies try to squeeze by with just 80GB or 60GB hard drives without extending much savings to the consumer.
You should first decide whether you want to store anything on your netbook or simply use it for Web-based computing. If storage might come into play, go with the standard hard drive and don't settle for less than 160GB. But if speed is paramount and storage is a nonissue, favor the SSD, which can be as big as 40GB in current models.

CASE

By definition, netbooks are designed to be ultraportable, and almost all are. The netbook genre rose to popularity with models featuring 7-inch screens, but it has since settled into a 10.1-inch sweet spot. You can still find a couple of netbooks with 8- or 8.9-inch screens on the market, but those are the exception, not the rule. Conversely, you can also find a netbook with a 12-inch screen, which lies on the cusp of ultraportability but ultimately belongs in the netbook category because of its Atom processor.

Likewise, netbook weight remains limited to a narrow window, ranging from 2.2 to 2.8 pounds, with a few exceptions at either end of the spectrum (as low as 1.4 pounds and as heavy as 3.1 pounds).

WIRELESS CONECTIVITY

So far, netbooks don't typically offer more than 802.11a/b/g, but start looking for extra connectivity options, which promise to expand in the netbook space this year. Built-in 802.11n, mobile broadband, Wi-Max, and GPS are all coming to at least one netbook that we know of, with others sure to follow. And with the new Intel chipset, we expect to see a 720p-capable HD display and a built-in TV tuner, as well.

DISPLAY

As noted above, netbook screen sizes typically range from 8 to 10.2 inches. Because the screens are so small, many netbooks have trouble fitting in all the necessary pixels that common applications require, especially in the vertical dimension. This often results in program windows being too big to display on the screen, with no option to scroll because the software developers didn't factor in a screen so small.
Resolution problems often arise when the vertical resolution is too small or has been truncated from a standard resolution (1,024x600, for instance, instead of 1,024x768). While many vendors have upped their resolutions or created more options for users to get around this problem, others haven't addressed it, so it's important that you do your homework. Most netbooks today offer the problematic 1,024x600 standard, but a handful also offer a 1,024x768 display mode for tricky applications.

KEYBOARD

For regular notebooks, the keyboard can almost be an afterthought, but for netbooks, it could be a serious deal breaker. Nearly all netbook keyboards present challenges to type on, but some are coming around. HP is emerging as the keyboard king of netbooks. We've loved every keyboard HP has offered on a netbook: The keys are large, curved appropriately, and placed correctly, with an overall nice feel to them. On the other hand, HP's netbooks are a little more expensive, so if you end up ruling out the brand for that reason, we recommend looking at pictures of the keyboards of the netbooks you're considering before purchase and paying close attention to what our reviews have to say about them.

PORTS AND EXTRAS

With such pared-down machines, extras are everything. Forget about finding an optical drive built in, but Webcams, VGA ports, ExpressCard slots, and memory-card readers are all ripe for the taking, so long as you purchase carefully. You can even get an HDMI port if you want. You'll pay more than $600 to get them all in one system right now, but the fact that it's even possible means that more netbook makers will continue to offer these features in their new models at lower prices.
Operating System

Microsoft has given special permission to netbook makers to use the venerable Windows XP operating system in their machines instead of the newer Vista. Windows XP is less demanding to run on netbooks' limited hardware and RAM.

Note, though, that not every netbook uses a form of Windows. You'll find a handful of netbooks that use variations of Linux. (The versions of Linux are often customized by the vendor for their own line of machines.) These systems often come with very little bloatware and a simple interface for accessing the Web and your e-mail. You'll also typically be able to make VoIP calls and use instant-messaging apps easily. A few productivity applications will likely be preinstalled, as well.

PRICE

Always a moving target, prices vary considerably for netbooks. The most expensive we've seen will run you $1,499, but you can also find models as low as $249. We recommend something in the $400 to $500 range. This is where you'll find the best balance of price and performance. It's also where the majority of netbooks are priced, so you'll find the fiercest competition here.

computershopper