Best Top 5 Netbooks

The first thing that comes to mind when considering buying a Netbook is price.  Netbooks are considerably cheaper than a standard laptop and offer many of the everyday tasks most people need plus some extras including wi-fi, built-in webcam and publishing software.

Secondly, Netbooks are portable, they are smaller and not as heavy as standard laptops but offer the same if not longer battery life.  While the smaller size does limit the keyboard to a certain degree it also offers ease of use for travelers who need a reduced size laptop onboard planes, trains or other forms of commuter transportation or simply don't want to lug around a large laptop.

If you are using a laptop mainly as a social or communication device and don't need the full horsepower of a standard laptop Netbooks are the way to go.  You can surf the web, email, prepare documents, Skype, even video conference without spending hundreds of dollars.

Below are 5 of the best Netbooks under $400.00. 

Perhaps the least expensive of most Netbooks this Gateway.  It packs a lot of power for the buck. A 10.1 inch screen preloaded with Windows 7 and an Intel Atom Processor. A good rating for portability due to the 2.8 pounds and a solid battery life at 7.75 hours.

Performance is also good, especially for a Netbook under $300.00. This Gateway Netbook comes with 1 GB DDR2 memory and 160GB hard drive.

Built in Webcam allows easy access to many social sites such as Skype, flickr, youtube etc.

For the money this has to be one of the top picks for under $300.00 bucks!

This Netbook has very good portability at just 2.6 pounds and a low price under $300.00.  While slightly limited in screen size 10.1 inch and poor internal speakers the performance won't slow you down with it's Intel Atom Processor N270.  Memory isn't an issue with 1 GB DDR2 memory and 160GB hard drive.  

Stay socially connected with the built in webcam and Windows 7 Operating System.

Battery life is one of the lowest by comparison to other Netbooks in this price range, 4.75 hours.

This Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 Netbook got the highest rating from Consumer Reports with a very high score of 58. (58 was the highest score awarded in this category from CR)

Toshiba made this netbook very portable, weight 2.9 pounds, long battery life 7.75 hours and inexpensive price tag make it a great choice especially for those on a tight...but not too tight budget.

Like the previous Netbooks this Toshiba Mini also has an Intel Atom processor N280; 1GB DDR2 memory and 160GB hard drive; built in webcam for social networking and Windows Operating system.

Screen size is limited at 10.1 inch wide screen

Perhaps the most glaring issue for this netbook is battery life just 3.5 hours nearly half of other netbooks in the category.  This is a good netbook but there are better choices for less money unless you are going for the "Special Edition White"  If outward appearance is important this may fit the bill.

Portability is good just 2.6 pounds, 10.1 inch anti glare widescreen is in keeping with other Netbooks is the same category. Speakers are better than others but still lacking the level achieved in many laptops.  Plenty of power with it's Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB DDR2 memory and 160GB hard drive.

Easy to stay connected to the internet for video chatting and streaming downloads on the go with a featured built in webcam, digital microphone and wireless connectivity.

This is a great looking Netbook but not the complete package.  Weighing approximately 3lbs it's slightly heavier than other Netbooks but it's only 1 inch thick!  

Store your favorite pics, movies whatever you like on this expanded 250 GB hard drive.  All others listed were 160 GB.  

Performance is very good thanks to it's Intel Pentium SU4100 processor.  Graphics will also pop as the result of the Intel GS45 Integrated Graphics.  

While other Netbooks have longer battery life (battery life is limited at 3.25 hours) this one is a good value for its size and larger hard drive .  

No built in webcam.