MINI NOTEBOOKS

How small can you get?

The MINI-sized laptops-so-called 'netbooks'-are some of the hottest items in electronics stores right now, and no wonder. Most of us just don't need a complete desktop PC replacement when we're looking for portable computing - email, the internet, a bit of WORD and maybe some Excel, perhaps the chance to play music or videos, and that's it. Provided it's easy to get online via wifi or a plug-in cable, everything else is overkill.

And leaving out all the other stuff means the netbook can be small, light and frankly cute. Netbooks give you as much computing as most people need in a small, light, economical package. You can get too cute, of course, and small doesn't mean perfectly-formed: see our checklist.

ASUS EEE PC 904HA

The Eee started the netbook idea and is still a great buy - good looks, good keyboard, very good battery life 95 hours or more). The cool super-glossy exterior is a fingerprint magnet, of course. There are several variants, but this midrange beauty is the one I like best (and so is the price).

1GB RAM, 160GB disk, weighs 1.4 kg.

LENOVO IDEAPAD S10

Lenovo bought IBM's notebook technology a few years ago and the quality shows in a nice screen - bigger than most - and the solid keyboard. Shame about the poorish battery life, but it's still a good deal. Built-in bluetooth too, for adding a mouse or swapping contacts with a phone.

1GB Ram, 160GB disk, weighs 1.04 kg

COMPAQ MINI 700

The best-looking netbook on the market? I love the elegantly tapered chassis, the funky hinge section that also houses the speakers, the classy silver sliding switches on the front - simple and elegant. Against that you're paying a bit of premium, and the disk is smaller than some competitors offer.

1GB RAM, 60GB disk, weighs 1.1kg

MSI WIND

Stylish, quick, nice big display, comfortable keyboard, feels solid, good battery life. What more could you want? Well, maybe a better mouse-button controller; it's a single bar below the trackpad with no obvious left/right differentiation. Try it for yourself, though.

1GB RAM, 160GB disk, weighs 1.04kg

TOSHIBA NB100

It took Tosh a while to climb on the netbook bandwagon, and the NB100 is not exactly radical. Toshiba promotes it as "netbook from a brand you can trust", which might count for something. The screen is excellent, the keyboard quirky, battery life average.

512MB RAM, 120GB disk, weighs 1kg.

ACER ASPIRE ONE

Acer is the world's third largest computer manufacturer and one of the biggest at laptops. Chic, compact, good-looking. Spacious keyboard. Go for the six-cell battery if it's offered - the smaller three-cell one struggles to deliver any more than 2.5 hours. Comes in several models.

1GB RAM, 160GB disk, weighs 1.04kg