Netbooks are starting to look like ultraportable laptops, while some ultraportables are beginning to resemble netbooks. In a tight economy, the question arises: Should you keep costs low by buying an inexpensive netbook, or spend a few hundred dollars more to get a full-featured lightweight laptop?

Here's a quick rundown of three recent product introductions, along with some guidance on which direction to take--laptop or netbook?

Do you pay dearly for the Apple logo, as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer claims? Or are Apple laptops really a good value, even though they aren't the least expensive models on the market?

To find out, last week I compared the least expensive Apple MacBook, the $999 white model, to two reasonably similar Windows laptops costing about the same amount. My goal was to see what you'd get, in terms of features and specs, if you spent $1000 on a MacBook versus the same amount spent on a Windows machine.

Apple's been criticized a lot lately for charging premium computer prices during a recession. In its defense, though, I hasten to add that Apple generally delivers value with its computers. In my experience, with a few nits aside, Mac laptops are imaginatively designed, well built, and a pleasure to use. Macs aren't subjected to all the viruses and malware aimed at Windows computers. You can run Windows on a Mac. And though Apple laptops slipped a bit in PC World's most recent reliability and service survey, they still get high marks in those areas.

I should also mention that in July 2008, I compared the specs of Mac laptops to those of similar Windows machines and found very little price difference. In some cases, Apple laptops were less expensive than similarly configured Windows laptops.

In some respects, life as a laptop-carrying frequent flyer has gotten a little easier. Exhibit A: Though far from commonplace, it's not freakishly bizarre anymore to find a power port at your airplane seat--even in coach. Virgin America and American Airlines are among the most generous airlines in terms of supplying power ports to passengers.

But it's still way too easy to run out of juice in flight, or during the course of a long day away from a wall socket. Here are some tips for keeping your laptop running as long as possible when you're on the go.

In early February, Google released Google Sync for Mobile, a free utility that lets you sync your Google calendar and contacts wirelessly with Apple iPhones, RIM BlackBerrys, and phones running Windows Mobile. (Currently, Symbian OS phones are limited to syncing contacts only.) I like what I see after two weeks of use, though there's some room for improvement.

The Back Story

Google Sync for Mobile, like practically every Web-based service the search giant offers, is technically in "beta." (Introduced in 2004, Gmail is still in "beta," too.)

My Apple MacBook Air has a lot going for it. Beauty, a svelte profile, the Mac OS. Unfortunately, long battery life isn't among its assets. (The Air's nonremovable battery lasts about 3 hours with full screen brightness and Wi-Fi networking on, in my experience.)

If you're in the market for a laptop that will last you from LA to New York, or longer, the Air's not for you. This week I discuss four other portables with batteries that probably won't run out of juice before you do.

A few years ago, my Dell Inspiron 3700 blue-screened right after I returned from a trip. I administered laptop CPR; no response. Suddenly, I faced multiple deadlines with no computer.

From that painful experience, I learned a valuable lesson: I needed a backup computer. I decided to use a desktop as my main computer in the office and a laptop for when I'm away, and to serve as a backup. Currently, my desktop is a Dell Dimension and my laptop is an Apple MacBook Air. I sync folders between the two automatically using Microsoft's free Windows Live Sync.

I didn't buy Amazon's first Kindle e-book reader when it premiered in late 2007 for two reasons. First, I rarely buy first-generation hardware. Why pay to be a beta tester? Second, I look at a computer screen all day. I didn't want to look at yet another screen for night reading.

But when Amazon's new Kindle 2 was announced, my first reason for holding out evaporated. And the Kindle's new features eroded my resolve: It can store 1,500 books; it can go for up to two weeks without a battery recharge; it has a crisper screen.

The $500 laptop isn't news. Way back in October 2005 we tested three cheap notebooks and found they were quite capable. I reported last fall on laptops that cost between $400 and $700.

Recently I've noticed that finding a capable laptop for $500 or less has been getting easier. For example, a recent check on Best Buy's Web site uncovered no fewer than 16 laptops selling for $350 to $500. (Netbooks weren't included in my tally.) And those laptops were from major computer manufacturers, including Acer, Toshiba, HP, and Dell. When I checked PC World.com's Shop & Compare, I found several models for $500 or less from Acer, Apple, Dell, HP, and Toshiba. For example, the Dell Inspiron 1525 was $449 and the Dell Vostro 1510 sold for $479 when I checked in mid February.

Given the economic drought we're in, it's inevitable that some free software-as-a-service tools would turn to dust. Last week, I mentioned that Jott Networks discontinued its free, basic Jott service. Yahoo plans to shut down its free Briefcase online storage service by March 30. And not long ago, Google announced it was no longer offering Google Notebook, its free Web page clipping tool, to new users.

But there are still plenty of free Web tools available that are particularly useful for mobile professionals. Here are a few I use.

Jott is one of my favorite on-the-go productivity services. The voice-to-text transcription service is a convenient tool for recording memos, reminders, and ideas with your cell phone (or any phone, for that matter) while you're in motion. Using a combination of technology and people, Jott quickly transcribes your musings and e-mails them to you.

That's just one way to use Jott. Now there's another: Jott Networks recently added a voicemail-to-text transcription service to its portfolio. Called Jott Voicemail, the new service costs $10 per month for up to 40 message transcriptions (after that, it's 35 cents per transcription).

Talk about timing. The first netbooks arrived in fall 2007, selling for prices between $250 and $400 just before the current recession kicked in. Even though the economy continues to look gloomy, however, a funny thing is happening: Netbooks are going upscale. Exhibit A: the Sony Vaio P, which sells for $900.

Yes, you read that right: $900 for a netbook. Granted, it's a Sony, meaning it has style and sex appeal to spare. But like other netbooks, the Sony Vaio P isn't designed to be as powerful as a full-fledged laptop, which can sell for $500 and up.