Reality check: Keep in mind that the bigger the screen, the faster the netbook's battery can be depleted. The basic Mini 12 comes with a 3-cell battery, which Dell says will give you about 3 hours of power (though manufacturer battery claims are often, shall we say, optimistic.)

Other Features on the Way

Improved graphics power. Graphics chip maker nVidia's , coming soon, offer the promise that affordable netbooks will be able to play 3D games without a noticeable performance drag.

V tuner. The Asus Eee PC T91 is the only netbook I'm aware of that offers a TV tuner, so you can watch your favorite shows on the road. But I wonder how useful this feature will be. Most of the netbooks I've tested had a difficult time streaming typical low-quality YouTube videos without dropping frames.

Built-in GPS. The Asus Eee PC T91 and the Sony Vaio P can be used as navigational devices.