10 Must-Have Netbooks, from Super Expensive to Bargain Basement

This is Hewlett-Packard's tough business-class netbook, designed for road warriors who need durability and long battery life (6-cell battery, 7-plus hours).

Cost: $456.99 at Amazon

Screen size: 10.1 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor

RAM: 1GB, expandable to 2GB

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Battery: 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 3 pounds

* HP Says it Will Likely Run Three Versions of Windows 7 on its Netbooks

Image credit: IDG News Service

The NC10 cool blue netbook is Samsung's general purpose offering with strong battery life (6 cell) and a slightly larger keyboard than most netbooks.

Cost: $434.95 at Amazon

Screen size: 10.2 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Battery: 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.9 pounds

* Samsung Enters Netbook Fray with the NC10

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The super-light Dell Inspiron Mini 9 offers the choice between Windows XP Home and Ubuntu Linux. Windows XP will cost you more.

Cost: Ranges from $250 to $400, depending on how machine is customized. (Source: Dell website)

Screen size: 8.9 inches

CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor

RAM: 512MB (Linux) or 1GB (Windows XP)

Storage: 16GB solid state drive

Battery: 4 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home or Ubuntu Linux

Weight: 2.3 pounds

* Vodafone to Resell Dell's Netbook

Image credit: Dell.com

MSI Wind netbooks usually crack the top 10 best-sellers list. Key features are its light weight and ergonomically designed keyboard, which is just 20 percent smaller than a full-sized laptop keyboard.

Cost: $379.99 at Amazon

Screen size: 10 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor

RAM: 1GB, 2GB maximum

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Battery: 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.6 pounds

* Hands on with MSI's Wind Low-Cost Laptop

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Asus' sturdy line of Eee PCs were the first netbooks out of the gate and remain the most popular. This 1000HA model is best known for its high-resolution screen and seven hours of battery life.

Cost: $349.99 at Amazon

Screen size: 10 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Battery: 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 3.19 pounds

* Asustek to Unveil $200 Eee PC Netbook Next Year

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The Ideapad S10 is Lenovo's recent entry into netbooks. The standout feature of this glossy white netbook is a touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures through fingertip movements on the touchpad.

Cost: $349.99 at Amazon

Screen size: 10.2 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Battery: 3 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.6 pounds

* Hands on with HP Mini, Lenovo S10, BenQ U101

Image credit: Lenovo.com

The Mini 1000 is renowned for its slimness and spacious keyboard, which HP claims is 92 percent the size of a full-size laptop keyboard. Prices of the HP Mini 1000 line range from $279.99 to $699.99.

Cost: $329 at HP.com

Screen size: 8.9 or 10.2 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor

RAM: 512MB or 1GB

Storage: Up to 80GB hard drive or up to 32GB solid state drive

Battery: 3 cell or 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.5 pounds

* Hands on with HP Mini, Lenovo S10, BenQ U101

Image credit: HP.com

The Aspire Ones battle the Asus Eee PCs for the top-selling netbook. This light-as-a-feather netbook boasts nearly six hours of battery life, a stylish look and sharp screen resolution at an affordable price.

Cost: $319 at Amazon

Screen size: 8.9 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 160GB Hard Drive

Battery: 6 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.2 pounds

* HP and Acer Start Netbook Price War

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The 900HA is one of the lower-priced Eee PCs from Asus, mainly because of the smaller screen and shorter battery life. Yet it offers roomy hard drive space and an anti-glare LED-backlit display.

Cost: $293.99 at Amazon

Screen size: 8.9 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 160GB Hard Drive

Battery: 4 cell

Operating System: Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.2 pounds

* Asustek Predicts Eee PC Sales Will Double Next Year

Image credit: Asus.com

Sylvania's low-cost Meso netbooks are available in yellow, pink, black and white, and come preloaded with the Linux-based Ubuntu Netbook Remix operating system, with the option to switch to Windows XP Home.

Cost: $269 at Amazon

Screen size: 8.9 inches

CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor

RAM: 1GB

Storage: 80GB Hard Drive

Battery: 4 cell

Operating System: Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP Home

Weight: 2.2 pounds

* Windows 7 on Netbooks: Does Linux Stand a Chance?

Image credit: Sylvaniacomputers.com