A netbook is a mini-laptop computer designed for mobility, wired and wireless online access, word processing and general office applications. Weighing in at 2-3 pounds (.9 – 1.4 kilograms) and featuring LCD screens between 6-10 inches (15-25 cm), the netbook is a perfect companion for people on the go who want connectivity without lugging a much heavier, full-sized laptop along. Many manufacturers offer netbook models including Asus® Acer®, Hewlett Packard®, Dell®, MSI® and others.

To achieve the lightest weight, netbooks do not have integrated compact disk players. Instead most feature two or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, a video-out port, SD card reader, integrated speakers and microphone and headphone jacks. Netbooks also feature a built-in camera for video blogging and Skype. Keyboards are 5% - 20% smaller than a standard board, and memory and disk drive space vary, dependent in part on the operating system installed. Battery life also varies between models, ranging from two to seven hours.

Netbooks with less memory and smaller static drives generally feature a portable Linux operating system, while models with more RAM and platter drives come preinstalled with Windows XP or Linux. Portable Linux operating systems can get by with a minimum 512 Megabytes (MB) of memory, and as little as 4 Gigabytes (GB) of internal storage on a static disk drive (SDD), though they can also come with much higher specs. A netbook with the XP operating system can have as much as 2 GB RAM and a 160 GB platter disk drive, making XP models more expensive and slightly heavier than leaner Linux models.

The central processing unit (CPU) on the netbook comes in more than a few flavors with the popular 1.6 Gigahertz (GHz) Intel Atom being most common as of winter 2008. Other netbook CPUs include the Via C7, Intel Celeron-M, AMD Geode and AMD Turion 64 x2, to name a few.

Prices range from $250 US Dollars (USD) to over $1,000, while some claim that a netbook priced over $500 USD is really more of a laptop, since mobility and affordability are hallmarks of the netbook market. A laptop with full capabilities, a much faster CPU and a DVD drive can be had for under $500 USD. Yet laptops have become desktop replacements in many cases, and for some consumers the “extra” money paid for more expensive netbooks is worth the portability alone.

Given their minimalistic specifications, netbooks are surprisingly popular. Students, active bloggers, and geeks that like the idea of carrying along online access no matter where they might be headed can all benefit from a netbook. Certain businesses might even issue the highly mobile netbook for basic field operations. Not only can it offer access to virtual private networks, many business applications can be had online using third party services known as cloud computing, negating the need for large hard drives and top-of-the-line processing power.

If you’re in the market for a netbook, shop carefully. Specs are constantly climbing with newer models featuring more RAM and larger hard drives, though price rises accordingly. Geeks will probably want all the power they can get. On the other hand, if your needs are simple, such as writing papers for school or surfing, you should be satisfied with a basic model at a very basic price. In any case, the lightweight, portable, and very friendly netbook is taking the market by storm and is available everywhere computer products are sold.