Top 5 Best Netbooks

#1 Asus Eee PC 1215B

Not everyone can be a brilliant stand-out in the crowded netbook category, but even a plain package with the right parts inside can still be a smart purchase. Though it isn’t winning any awards for all-day battery-life or outstanding performance, the Asus Eee PC 1215B ($450 street) is a competent netbook with some high-end features, like USB 3.0, HDMI with 1080p output, and an AMD E-350 processor. It’s a collection of features that has the 1215B rubbing elbows with the best in the netbook category. #2 Sony VAIO VPC-YB15KX/S

The VPC-YB15KX/s has lightweight plastic chassis, though, the metallic silver coloring could easily be mistaken for aluminum—a material popularized by Apple’s MacBook Pro line. The plastic construction helps keep the netbook light; it weighs only 3.2 pounds even though it’s one of the larger netbooks. It measures 1.25 by 11.43 by 7.99 inches (HWD)—still small enough to slip into a backpack or large purse, but large enough to offer an 11.6 inch screen. Usually, netbooks feature a smaller 10.1-inch screen and offer a 1,024-by-600 resolution; the VPC-YB15KX/s offers a 1,366 by 768 resolution capable of displaying 720p video. The high-resolution and widescreen make this netbook a handy little entertainment device, well suited to watching streaming video through sites like Hulu and Netflix. #3 Acer Aspire One D260-1270

The small size and portability of netbooks has led manufacturers to adopt a bit of an accessory mindset when designing their netbooks, sprucing up the cheap plastics with bright colors and eye-catching patterns. While the D260 line uses lots of color, these netbooks are a little more mellow than the blaring colors of the HP Mini 210-2000 ($599 direct, 3.5 stars). Available in black, silver, burgundy, and in our case aquamarine, the D260-1270 manages to be stylish and sophisticated, embracing color in a way that won’t drive potential buyers away. #4 Lenovo ThinkPad X120e

The Lenovo ThinkPad X120e ($580 direct) is a lot like its predecessor, the ThinkPad X100e ($550 direct, 4 stars), in that they’re both super-charged business netbooks. And by super-charged, I mean that they can handle any given task faster than an Intel Atom-based netbook, thanks to AMD’s latest Fusion APU (wherein the processor and discrete graphics reside on the same die). But most impressively, it does so while yielding exceptional battery life, about an hour more than the X100e. Factor in a superb keyboard and dual pointing devices; the X120e is arguably the best netbook for business. That is, if you’re willing to pay the substantial premium. #5 HP Pavilion dm1z

While most PC manufactures apply decorative touches to the lid only, the dm1z applies its plastic imprinting technology on both the top and bottom of the laptop. The plastic resin has certain characteristics of metal, like its texture and solid construction, but doesn’t feel as cheap as glossy plastic. Right now, the only color option is black, but knowing HP, there will be others to choose from in the near future. The dm1z is less than an inch thick and weighs 3.5 pounds, which is slightly heavier than the Dell Inspiron M101z ($580 direct, 3.5 stars) (3.4 lbs) and Asus EeePC 1215N ($500 street, 4 stars) (3.3 lbs). Ten-inch netbooks like theSamsung NF310-A01 ($399.99 street, 4.5 stars) (2.4 lbs) and HP Mini 5103 ($650 street, 4 stars) (3 lbs) have smaller screens and are therefore lighter than the dm1z.