Netbook Review

Reviews and research on the smallest laptops

Netbooks are small, lightweight and (usually) inexpensive laptop computers. They have less power, less memory and fewer features than regular laptops. As a result, netbooks aren't a good choice for playing games, watching video and movies, or working with photo and video files. However, netbooks are a fine lightweight solution for basic word processing and web surfing. Most netbooks weigh about 3 or 4 pounds, with screen sizes of 10 or 11 inches. Though the screens are small, that's the whole point -- a smaller screen means better battery life and lower weight.

Lots of reviewers are chiming in with reports on netbooks, though some do a better job than others. CNET, Laptop Magazine and PCMag.com are among those that offer strong single-product reviews and occasional roundups, as well as ratings that help users compare small laptops. NotebookCheck.net and NotebookReview.com offer netbook reports that are testing backed and detail filled, but might be informational overkill for some buyers. ConsumerReports.org, on the other hand, also tests, rates and recommends netbooks, but discussion is so thin as to be practically nonexistent. User reviews are helpful, and Amazon.com and Newegg.com are the best destinations for those.

Subsidized netbooks from Verizon and AT&T

Wireless carriers now offer temptingly cheap netbooks -- as low as $100 -- with a two-year data plan contract. Although this knocks $200 or more off the price of the netbook, experts warn that this is one gift horse that deserves careful inspection.

For one thing, data rates are expensive. To qualify for a reduced-price netbook from either AT&T or Verizon, you must accept a two-year contract for at least $40 per month. That works out to $960 over two years, plus the cost of the netbook itself. Also, those $40 plans are capped (at 200 MB per month with AT&T or 250 MB per month with Verizon), and heavy users could wind up with hefty bills if they exceed the contract limit. In one well-publicized case, a user in Oklahoma incurred a $5,000 monthly charge -- and sued AT&T and RadioShack (where the netbook was purchased) for poorly disclosing the contract terms and usage caps. Verizon and AT&T also both offer 5 GB monthly plans for $60 a month.

The other thing to keep in mind is that subsidized netbook selections are limited. Currently, AT&T offers an Acer Aspire One (*Est. $200), a Dell Mini 10 (*Est. $200) or a Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (*Est. $200) either directly or through retailers such as Amazon.com. Verizon offers the HP Mini 1151NR (*Est. $200) and Gateway LT2016u (*Est. $150) on its own website. All netbooks require a two-year commitment.

All are competent netbooks, but all also have limitations that keep them from being top choices in the category. For example, none has a very long battery life. The Lenovo and HP subsidized laptops have only three-cell batteries, which last only about two and a half hours in tests. The Acer, Dell and Gateway subsidized laptops come with six-cell batteries that their manufacturers rate for five or six hours of use -- but that's still far less than the top-rated Toshiba mini NB205 (*Est. $340 to $400), whose battery lasts for more than nine hours in tests at Laptop Magazine and PCMag.

Even with these caveats, experts say that if you plan to use your netbook on a 3G mobile broadband network, subsidized netbooks are worth considering, and they are certainly a more elegant solution than equipping another mini laptop with a USB 3G adapter. Also, a few other netbooks, such as those from Dell, include built-in 3G wireless compatibility, and rebates are available on occasion for consumers who sign up for selected data plans. Just remember that once you consider all of the costs involved, a subsidized netbook might not be the slam-dunk bargain it appears to be at first glance.