Netbooks

I'm intrigued by these mini laptops dubbed "netbooks." At the core, they are simply small, low-powered laptops that run Windows XP instead of Vista. Typically under $400.00. Most brands (including entries from most major manufacturers) come in either 8" or 10" screen-sizes and typically have from 512MB to 1GB of RAM, although most support upgrades to 2GB.

Now, by all accounts I absolutely do not need one of these little machines. Why, then, underpowered though they be, do I feel drawn to them? I don't need one. I have to keep reminding myself of that.

The one that truly stands out in my opinion is the HP Mini 1035NR. Catchy name, right? Anyway, when comparing these things, keyboard size can be an issue. They HP Mini's keyboard is quite large and perfectly usable compared to many others. I don't need one of these, even though it would make a perfect Hulu.com watching medium when hooked up to my living room TV.

I don't. I really don't.