Only a few years ago the idea of mini-laptops was a novelty; now they have really taken off, and are so affordable that many people purchase one to supplement a high-powered home machine, or larger laptop. In terms of portability they can’t be beaten, but there are several consid­erations that have to be taken into account when making your choice.

- Size: With regular laptops, their overall size is generally described in terms of the diagonal screen size – 13″ or 15″ for example. It’s the same with netbooks. The smaller screened models (9″ rather than 10″, say) will generally have com­promised on the keyboard size to achieve the smaller profile. With this in mind, always make sure you have a play with the model before you commit – there are few things more frustrating than an uncomfortable keyboard.

- Screen quality: As above, always make sure that you get a chance to see the netbook in action before you buy, as screens can really vary in quality. Is it crisp and clear? Are the colours bright? What’s the angle of view like?

- Drive type: Traditionally, computer storage drives have been mechanical hand drives (HDs), which contain magnetic discs read by a small arm that moves back and forth, much like that of a record-playing turntable.These days, however, many laptop and netbook manufacturers offer solid state drives (SSDs), which use memory chips similar to those found in digital cameras and most MP3 play­ers. Because they have no moving parts, they are far less susceptible to damage by being bashed around (compared to HDs), but they rarely offer the same capacity as regular drives and are considerably more expensive.

- Brand: Don’t feel compelled to go with a name brand.Though many of the larger computer manufacturers are rushing to bring netbooks to the marketplace, they also tend to charge a bit of a premium for their name. One company worth checking out is Asus (eeepc.osus.com) and their Eee PC range.

- Price: Taking into account what has already been said about brands, it is still fair to say that you get what you pay for with netbooks, so look carefully at the specs when comparing prices, and if you can afford a little more, it will likely be a sound investment.

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