All of the 2140 models, which start at $499, sport a 10-in. screen with resolution of up to 1366 by 768 - the same as on a 32-in., 720p high-definition TV, according to Thornton. They also include an accelerometer designed to protect disk drives against data loss if a system is dropped, and HP says the machines' batteries can be recharged to 90% capacity within 90 minutes. "We're not peddling some cheap, plasticky toy," Thornton said.

He added that although tight capital-equipment budgets are slowing PC purchases at many companies in these recessionary times, the relatively low price tags of netbooks should enable users to sneak them in under the radar. "If a sales vice president wants to get 20 $600 netbooks at a time, that is well within the signature authority of many executives," Thornton said.

Rival vendors are responding. Asus, as Asustek is commonly known, earlier this month announced an 1000HE model with a specified , although the system has yet to become available. Meanwhile, netbook market leader Acer is reportedly readying enterprise models of the Aspire One with larger screens and longer battery life.

Meeting Basic Needs

But for end user Gabriele Indeiri, the original Eee PC 701 from Asus already fits the bill for the limited number of applications he needs to run as part of his job as an account manager at a U.S.-based software vendor.