The Eee PC started a whole new computer category now known as the Netbook. The Eee featured a low price, light weight, small size and ruggedness, but had the ability to do most of the common things a person needs from a laptop. With an Eee PC you can browse the web, check email, handle documents/spreadsheets/presentations, etc., all starting at about $300.

Since then, Intel has introduced a whole new chip, known as the Atom, that is tailored to netbooks.

Since the Eee PC, dozens of flavors of netbook have appeared from other manufacturers. Here is one of the latest, known as the Lenovo IdeaPad S10:

For $429 the S10 gives you an Atom processor running at 1.6 GHz, an 80 GB hard drive, a 1024×600 screen and Windows XP.

If you would like to survey the whole netbook universe, this page is helpful:

Comparison of netbooks