Netbook computer, flavour of the day

For about a year we are enjoying a new flavor of laptop computers. They are small and appealing, tiny but with enough power to successfully accomplish any office chore. Netbooks, because that is what I am talking about, don't make good primary computers; they're intended to be second machines: travel machines, countertop laptops, TV-couch computers. They really are irresistible for quick Web or e-mail checks, airplane reading and even PowerPoint projections. On today's market I can round up four models on a list that you can consider when going for one of this little helpers.
ASUS EEE PC 1000HE ($389 on Amazon dot com) is the first one that comes to my attention. The 1000HE is clad in glossy black or blue, and it has a battery that lasts for more than seven hours.
But the trouble with a battery that big is that it's big. The Asus battery creates a bulge at the hinge that lifts the machine off the table and makes it uncomfortable on your knees. It also adds weight; the Asus is the heaviest netbook in this small list (3.2 pounds).
The keyboard feels cramped but nicely springy. Its tiny trackpad is multitouch-sensitive, meaning that you can scroll by dragging two fingers, or magnify or shrink Web pages, photos and documents by pinching or spreading two fingers, you know the drill, just like on MacBook Air.
There are four handy buttons at the top edge, two of which you can assign to favorite programs. Nice feature; the more you can accomplish without using the tiny trackpad, the more efficient you get.
MSI WIND U120 ($309 on Amazon dot com) The MSI Wind's clean, simple with a black-and-white crisp design set himself aside from the rounded edges of its rivals.
This 2.6-pound machine, too, has a six-cell, bulky battery. Strangely, though, it provides only 4.5 hours of life; for a six cell it ought to go much longer.
The keyboard feels good. As on most netbooks, many keys control a secondary function like brightness or volume, when you press the function key; on the Wind, secondary functions are labeled in blue on the white keys and are easy to see.
The software uses facial recognition as a security measure - if it's not your face, you can't log into Windows. The downside is that you can't upgrade this laptop's memory. There is no trackpad shortcut for scrolling. The cost of the $309 price tag.
SAMSUNG NC10 ($425 on Amazon dot com) Samsung's netbook looks nice, with a glossy, round-edge lid and cool glowing status lights. At 93 percent of full size, the keyboard is relatively roomy. You even get dedicated Page Up/Page Down keys, which are missing on the other three netbooks.
The trackpad is tiny, but it has a scrolling strip on the right side, and it, like the Asus, is multitouch. Best of all, the battery isn't that bulky, yet it still drives the laptop for an amazing 6.5 hours. Only the steep price is a cause for hesitation on this 2.9-pound netbook.

HP MINI 1000 ($459 on Amazon dot com) One thing's for sure: to see this netbook is to want one. It's gorgeous. It's much smaller than the others - nearly an inch shallower front-to-back, and since it doesn't have a battery bulge, it sits low, sleek and flat on the table. At 2.4 pounds, it's also the lightest netbook here, on this list.
The other stunning achievement is the keyboard. Hewlett-Packard took what would be the obvious design tack: it widened the keyboard to the last available millimeter of horizontal space, right up against the laptop edges. The keys are huge and flat, and typing on them feels very close to normal.
Of course, you knew there had to be a catch, and there are several. First, the Mini comes with a 60-gigabyte hard drive, max. That's less than half the capacity of the others - and you're paying top dollar. Second, that nonbulgy battery lasts only three hours. (A 6-cell, 6-hour battery is a $40 option.) Third, the screen is 22 pixels shorter than the others, and you need a $20 adapter to connect a projector or external monitor.
Worst of all, the trackpad clicker buttons are vertical strips flanking the trackpad. It's a design disaster; you can't left-click with your right hand, you have to look at what you're doing and so on. It would be a deal killer, in fact, if it weren't for the tap the trackpad to click thing. The trackpad also has a scroll strip on the right edge.
If its battery and hard drive weren't so compromised, the sweet, small, solid HP Mini could easily be the winner of this roundup. Meanwhile, consider the Samsung for its solid design, fine keyboard and long battery life; the Asus for its all-day battery and low price; or the MSI for clean lines and rock-bottom price. Check them up and see which one's features fits best your needs.