Asus Eee PC 1000HE

The Asus Eee PC 1000HE draws raves from all corners for delivering great performance at a good price. It is one of the first netbooks to use the Intel Atom N280 CPU, which delivers slightly better performance than the processors used in most netbooks. Battery life is another big plus -- more than seven hours between charges in everyday use, or even more if you are willing to sacrifice some performance. With 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, an excellent 10.1-inch display and a keyboard that draws compliments from most reviewers, few netbooks are as capable. Build quality is solid as well, but the tradeoff for that and the higher-capacity battery is a few extra ounces to lug around. If you are looking for a lighter, more stylish netbook, the Asus Eee PC 1008HA (*Est. $430) draws attention, but its non-removable battery needs to be charged more often. If you have a smaller budget, the Acer Aspire One AOD150 (*Est. $330) offers a little less performance and a keyboard that's not as well regarded, but it is hailed by many as offering an excellent value among netbooks.

The Asus Eee PC 1000HE has been extensively reviewed. Laptop Magazine, PCMag.com, NotebookReview.com and PC World are among the top experts who have weighed in. The netbook is also included in ConsumerReport.org's latest update, though discussion there could be more helpful. Newegg.com and Amazon.com have hundreds of user-written opinions.