Of course, these days you can get a decent netbook from Asus, HP and many other brands from $200 to $600. But it’s not always the price that’s important. It can be any of the following considerations.

• Screen size – These days, 10-inch screens are the norm. You strike a balance between portability and comfort. Keyboards of 10-inchers are usually more manageable than netbooks with 9-inch screens. I personally prefer the 9-inch form factor for its portability, or at least a thin and light 10-inch such as the HP Mini 1000.
• Battery life – Most decent netbooks should give you at least three hours of battery life. But with the efficient Intel Atom platform, many netbooks can already go upwards of six hours per charge. My EeePC 900 runs 3.5 hours on its stock battery, but I get 5.5 hours on an extended battery I got cheap from an online seller.
• Storage space – Most netbooks today are advertised as having hard drives of 80GB or so. This is good for folks who need to bring their data anywhere, or those who use their netbooks as their primary computers. My EeePC has 12 GB of solid state space, and I’ve extended it using an 8 GB SD card. Even the 12 GB is enough for me because this is not my primary computer, anyway.
• Accessories and peripherals – Some netbooks focus on barebones usability. Some give you all the bells and whistles. Most new netbooks today have bluetooth, a webcam, and a lot of USB ports. Some brands have better support for third-party accessories like batteries, cases and the like.
• Operating System – Netbooks were touted to be the killer app for Linux. Most netbook manufacturers today offer a Linux option, which is usually cheaper because licensing is foregone. But it’s with netbooks that Microsoft’s Windows XP rebounded in popularity. With Windows 7 just around the corner, will Microsoft also be able to grab the low-power/low-spec market like netbooks?
• Style – What’s a netbook if you don’t bring it out every once in a while to work, study or play while at a cafe or while in school? Some people prefer form over function (but that’s not to say function should be without style). I like something that looks decent, but should be able to deliver from under the hood.
• Price – Of course, price is a big consideration. Would you pay $800 for a netbook, when this can already afford you a decent 14-inch laptop (and $200 more can get you a Macbook)? Or would you rather pay $250 for a barebones model that can get you online, do Office documents and let you video-chat with friends?

For me, the most important are battery life and connectivity. Price is also a consideration. I won’t pay too much for features that I might not always use or need.

What do you think is the most important feature of a netbook for you?

ComputerWorld reviews four new carrying cases for netbooks here. While several netbook manufacturers include a sleeve or pouch in the sales package, some do not (like my HP mini note). Or if you’re tired of your drab old netbook sleeve, you can get yourself a new one from reputable brands this Christmas season.

While I usually just pack my netbook (in sleeve) into my backpack, it’s also useful to have those sleeves that have carrying handles and zippered accessory carrier. I just recently bought a 10″ case for my mini note.

It’s actually marketed as a DVD case, but it fits most netbooks 10″ and below comfortably. It’s a wise investment that would definitely prolong the life of your netbook!

HP has launched the successor to the mini note, dubbed the Mini 1000. And for those closely following the Mini Note, you might say this is both an upgrade and a downgrade in many respects.

The Mini 1000 has a faster and better (arguably) processor, with the Intel Atom N270. You also have the option to go for a larger screen, but without sacrificing chasis size, since the original Mini note had a large bezel around the 9-inch screen.

Some disadvantages, however, according to Liliputing:

For me, the loss of the ExpressCard slot is not a deal breaker. Same with the other “downgrades” which I think are necessary to achieve this thinner form factor. The biggest gripe I would have is that HP no longer uses an aluminum chassis, which had set the original Mini note apart from all other netbooks.

I guess you have to have tradeoffs!

Laptop Mag recently received its Lenovo IdeaPad S10 order, and a review is now posted. They praise the netbook in terms of its updated design (compared to the first-generation netbooks of old), and the speedy hard drive. However, battery life was disappointing at about 2:20, and the keyboard isn’t as big and comfortable to use as other 10-incher netbooks. While a 6-cell battery is upcoming, Lenovo’s only retail units these days include the three-cell pack. So it might be worth waiting for the six-cell if battery uptime is important.

The verdict:

More than half a dozen mini-notebooks are currently available with identical 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processors and Windows XP Home operating systems. With so few differences between competing models, any innovation—a stylish look, a better keyboard, a bundled piece of software, or even an extra port—becomes paramount. Lenovo’s first foray into the netbook space has some nice touches: a stylish and compact chassis, full-featured back-up software, a speedy hard drive, and a screen with great viewing angles.

Unfortunately, it also has a smaller keyboard and touchpad than its 10-inch rivals. At $449, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is within $30 of the street price for the three-cell MSI Wind ($479 street) and comparable to the six-cell ASUS Eee PC 1000H. Consumers who want the most compact and stylish 10-inch netbook on the market will look past these flaws and snap up the S10. But those who need long battery life should look elsewhere or hold out for an S10 with a six-cell battery.

Acer slashed prices on its Aspire One netbooks on Friday to as low as $329 for one version, while HP revealed new prices for Mini-Notes on its Web site.

The price of the HP Mini-Note 2133 KR948UT has been slashed to $789 from $949, according to HP. The device has an 8.9-in. screen, uses a 1.2-GHz Via C7-M microprocessor, and has 2GB of DRAM and a 160GB hard disk drive (HDD) for data storage.

The lowest-priced Mini-Note running Windows Vista Home Basic is the KX868AT, which costs $599, down from $786, according to HP.

The lowest-priced Mini-Note is the HP 2133 KR922UT at $499 on Amazon.com and elsewhere, but a better version of that netbook, the Mini-Note 2133 KX869AT, offers a lot more for $549.

The education sector is being targeted by the netbook manufacturers, with portable, lightweight and small devices that cost less than full-sized notebooks being viewed as ideal for students of all ages. For me I would say that the big issue here would be battery life, given that schools and libraries may not always have wall outlets available for charging. Asus’ concept of whole-day computing comes into mind here.

If you looked at these specs (including possible upgrades to 2GB RAM and 320GB HDD), they’re very comparable to a lot of entry-level 12.1? to 15.4? laptops from last year. In a way, we can now say that the MSI Wind has a good potential to be a primary laptop (see related story on Intel Atom here). The design is simple yet elegant with a glossy finish on the screen lid so expect it to be a fingerprint-magnet.

Given that the Wind comes with a generous 10-inch screen, it can be considered enough for most to serve as a primary computer. Remember that for in some markets, netbook manufacturers are targeting those whose use would be as a primary computer, rather than as a secondary/portable one. Given the relatively lower prices of netbooks, as compared to, say, a full-featured 14-incher, I would find this reasonable.

And so I decided to install Windows XP. I called up HP support to ask if this was possible, and they said they did provide free XP “downgrade” discs, but that they were out of stock at that time. So I just used an old copy of Windows XP Home lying around (which I installed on my old computer which I was no longer using), installed the drivers, and the system was running smoothly. Bootup time was about 50 seconds (up to usable state!), with some tweaks and fixes. And the system was generally more responsive than with the original Vista installation.

I got two discs with the package that the courier dropped off yesterday: the XP install disc, and the driver/application disc.

HP mini note XP discs

I decided to overwrite the existing XP installation, since I thought the new XP install woudl come pre-loaded with the drivers. sure, I don’t like the usual stuff that pre-loaded OSes come with, like Antivirus software, apps, utilities, and the like. But I was in for a surprise to learn that the HP install disc was just the usual Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation. The OEM version didn’t even say “HP” (whereas on my other netbooks, like the EeePC 900, it said “ASUS”).

Installation was quick – at about 45 minutes. I then stuck in the driver/app DVD and installed all the drivers. I was a bit selective with the add-on apps I installed, since I didn’t want some of them, particularly because they just added to bloat (like Norton Antivirus).

One gripe I have is that when Windows Setup formatted the new partiiton for installation, it renamed it as drive D. So now, the Vista restore partition is drive C, while the system drive is drive D.

But overall, the “downgrade” process was painless, and Window XP is very usable on netbooks.

DailyTech reports that Lenovo is set on competing in the netbook market with its upcoming IdeaPad S10. The S10 will come in 10.2 inch widescreen form factor, and will sport the Intel Atom N270, whch runs at 1.6 GHz. According to Lenovo, the S10 will be super-slim. Pricing starts at $399 for the lowest-spec’d model.

The notebook will be sold in two different configurations. The first has 512 MB of memory and an 80 GB hard drive. The second, which likely be priced somewhat higher, ups the memory to 1 GB and features a 160 GB hard drive. No solid state drive options have been announced yet. Both configurations come with Windows XP preinstalled, courtesy of Microsoft’s stay of retirement on XP for ultra-portables.

Lenovo will also release 9-inch versions of the IdeaPad in some markets, and also plans to bundle some models with Linux instead of Windows XP.

I’ve been playing with the Mini Note’s accelerometer, and I’m pretty much surprised it works as well as it’s supposed to. If you try jerking your Mini note around while turned on, the hard drive LED will turn amber, which means the drive is automatically parked to prevent the heads crashing. I don’t think you need any additional software or drivers for this, but HP’s 3d drive guard driver lets you control whether the accelerometer is on or off.

I do have “drive guard” markings on my B1256, but I can’t figure out how to turn it on, or if it actually exists on my bigger laptop.

Also, I notice that the touchpad isn’t as big as it appears. The surface area is small enough as it is (compared to my EeePC 900’s). But the actual tracking area is even smaller. You have to touch the touchpad about one centimeter from the edges before it detects movement. And I thought it was the whole area! I think I’ve been spoiled by my EeePC’s touchpad, with its size and multi-touch functionality. The EeePC’s touchpad plus the Mini note’s keyboard would definitely make a winer out of any netbook.

I also noticed that you don’t have the option of turning off the bluetooth only or the wifi radio only with a switch or even with software settings. On my B1256, HP gives you the option to switch on or off either WiFI, bluetooth, or both at the same time. This translates to added battery juice when you’re using just one. One could turn BT or WiFi only off in BIOS, but that would be too much of a hassle, having to reboot the computer.

Lastly, I’ve been scouring local retail stores for sleeves that would fit the Mini note, to no avail. HP’s Mini note is one of the more expensive netbooks around and you’d think that they would include carrying accessories. Both my EeePCs came with sleeves. Acer’s Aspire one has a sleeve. The MSI Wind comes with a zip-up sleeve. The Mini note? Nada.

I’ll be returning this review unit soon. Perhaps I’ll get myself my own Mini note one of these days.

I didn’t remove the Windows Vista Home recovery partition, so I can always just revert to default settings before returning the Mini Note. It is, after all, a review unit. That’s unless the next one in line would agree to receive the Mini Note with XP loaded.

As expected, XP is amazingly nimble on this machine. Startup is about 1 minute and 10 seconds. About 1 minute from cold boot to login screen, and another 10 seconds to load startup programs. Vista is, after all, a resource hog. Even with the 2GB RAM, the system has other bottlenecks that Vista simply cannot handle well.

So far, I would say that the HP Mini Note + Windows XP (or perhaps the Suse Linux version) + the 6 cell battery pack = great netbook.