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(Oct 30, 2009)
Dan Ackerman
Senior Editor
Whether you call them Netbooks, mini-laptops, or sub-notebooks, these small, low-cost, low-power systems are the hottest thing to hit laptops since the touchpad. We suggest at a minimum, an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB or larger hard drive, and Windows XP (or Windows 7), with Bluetooth as a preferred option for tethering a smart phone for mobile broadband access.
Higher-end options are becoming more prevalent, with 11.6-inch displays, higher screen resolutions, and new graphics hardware, such as Nvidia's Ion GPU, helping Netbook prices move out of the $299-$399 range.
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Asus Eee PC 1005HA
Asus hits nearly all the marks in the 1005HA, the latest version of its iconic Eee PC, highlighted by a 6-hour-plus battery life.
Price: $349.95 - $389.89 (check prices)
Review date: Jun 23, 2009
Excellent
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HP Mini 311
HP's Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing. Once it starts shipping with Windows 7, this could become our favorite Netbook.
Price: $399.99 (check prices)
Review date: Oct 8, 2009
Excellent
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HP Mini 5101
HP's biz-minded Mini 5101 is a successor to the Mini 2140 (one of our all-time favorite Netbooks). It looks and feels great, but for a premium-price Netbook, we expect to get more features, not fewer.
Price: $416.25 - $449.99 (check prices)
Review date: Jul 29, 2009
Excellent
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Samsung Go N310
Samsung brings a different look to a generic Netbook build with the N310, but is there any good reason this costs almost $500?
Price: $350.42 - $479.00 (check prices)
Review date: Sep 3, 2009
Very good
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Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook Computer (Intel Atom N270, 120GB HDD, 1GB)
Dell's Mini 10v keeps a lot of the features of the more expensive Mini 10, while dropping the price below $300. It's one of only a handful of $299 Netbooks that doesn't look and feel especially cheap.
Price: $279.00 (check prices)
Review date: Aug 17, 2009
Very good
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