The Brain Family owns an Eee PC surf. This is the first-gen model and is as stripped down as you can get (only a 800×600 screen and 512MB RAM that you cannot expand). Even so, we use it all the time. It is great for reading in bed. And you can literally toss it to the kids (because it appears to be nearly indestructible) when they need to look something up or when they want to watch a YT video. You can store videos and songs on an SD card and it will play them no problem. And if you cut the backlight back, it will last about 3 hours.

The newer netbooks are much better, but they aren’t for everyone. Therefore, this little article helps you make the decision:

5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Netbook

This video lets you see the actual differences between notebooks and netbooks:

We’ve talked about this list once before – it is very helpful for seeing what is available in the Netbook marketplace:

Comparison of netbooks

Even Apple may jump into the netbook market soon:

Economy, opportunity seen leading to $599 Apple netbook

Note that if you shop around, looking at Sunday sales circulars, you can often find full laptops in the $400 range. At that price, and given the extra screen real estate, processor speed, etc., it may be a good option.