Netbook reviews

2009 looks like being the year of the netbook. These low-cost laptops are small and light, let you browse the Internet and send email, and are great for enjoying movies and music on the move. Read our reviews, round-ups and other coverage to find the one for you.

Netbook showdown: The top 10 mini laptops rated

So you want a tiny laptop, but you're not sure which one to get? Fear not, be-puzzled reader, Crave has analysed the best Eee-types and we'll tell you which is best for you

Lenovo IdeaPad S10e review

The 10-inch IdeaPad S10e doesn't really stand out from the netbook crowd, but it handles everyday tasks competently and boasts an attractive, understated finish. Its keyboard and battery life could be better, but the S10e is unusually compact and lightweight for a 10-inch netbook
Asus Eee PC 1000HE review

The attractive, 10-inch Eee PC 1000HE is the best netbook yet for frequent travellers, thanks to the most impressive battery life we've seen on any laptop. Benefiting from an excellent keyboard, the 1000HE is also a commendable performer, although integrated 3G would have made it even better
HP Mini 2140 review

The Mini 2140, HP's latest stab at the netbook format, is solidly built and well designed. It's perfectly capable of handling typical netbook tasks and the fantastic keyboard is our favourite so far on a netbook. HP has also managed to keep the price down, making this the netbook to beat
Dell Inspiron Mini 12 review

Dell pushes the netbook envelope to the limit with the Mini 12, a 12-inch ultraportable laptop that uses low-power components and open-source software to reduce costs. It's thin, light and simple, but it's underpowered and could do with a better battery
Advent 4213 review

The 4213 is an admirable second stab at the netbook format by Advent. There's not a great deal of difference between the 4213 and the rest of the netbook pack, but decent storage and battery life, a 10-inch screen and integrated 3G Web access mean this netbook can more than hold its own
Asus N10 review

We're quite smitten with the Asus N10. This ultraportable features an Nvidia GeForce 9300M graphics card and a healthy 2GB of RAM, as well as ample storage capacity. Yet the N10's size and price seem to indicate that it is in fact a netbook. Can this be? Read our review to see how the Asus N10 makes fusion magic
LG Netbook X110 review

As far as we know, the X110 is the first laptop LG has ever released in the UK. This standard-fare netbook has the added bonus of integrated 3G, is extremely comfortable to use and comes in three different colours. If you don't mind committing to a 24-month Phones4U contract, this might be the netbook for you
Netbooks: Best Eee PC alternatives

Big is officially the new small -- just ask the dozens of laptop manufacturers churning out netbooks -- titchy, hyper-portable laptops designed for Web browsing and media playback. Here's four of the best
HP Mini 1000 review

Hewlett-Packard may be arriving late to the netbook scene with its Mini 1000, but the reasonably priced, lightweight netbook looks to be a serious contender. It has a thinner body than its predecessor, the 2133 Mini-Note, but retains the large, comfortable keyboard. Also, Intel's 1.6GHz Atom CPU offers good computing power
Asus Eee PC S101 review

This 10-inch netbook is the best-looking thing we've ever seen, with its luxuriously glossy brown lid. The current Windows XP version will ship with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and 1GB of DDR2 667MHz RAM -- the staple underpinnings of most netbooks. At £449, it's not cheap, but then again it doesn't look it, either
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 review

The IdeaPad S10 Netbook is Lenovo's 'me too' entry into the netbook sweepstakes. The unit available in the UK offers 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard drive for £320, with upgrades yet to come, though we've reviewed a slightly different model. The price is right and we're pleased with the features, but battery life didn't impress
Dell Inspiron Mini 9 review

Besides the limitations that buying this laptop in the UK brings -- no customisation options, that is -- the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is a cute little number. And yes, very little at just over a kilo. Its battery life is excellent, which is ideal when you're carting it around everywhere
Eee PC 1000 review

You can't go a day without seeing another Eee. This time, the 10.2-inch Eee PC 1000 appears on the mini laptop scene and it's a fabulous machine. It precariously straddles the line between netbook and ultraportable, but it's well equipped, well designed and great for those who need a laptop on the move
MSI Wind review

With the huge success of Asus' Eee PC, the mini laptop market is suddenly crowded with imitators, but MSI's effort could well be one of the best so far. It looks gorgeous, it comes with Windows XP or Linux, plus it's very affordable and it's amazingly well-specced
Acer Aspire One review

The Acer Aspire One arrives fashionably late to the mini laptop party, but it sashays in with flair. Available in either Linux or Windows XP versions, the One is attractive, lightweight and offers great performance for a low price. Does it spoil the netbook night for the Eee PC?
Eee PC 901 review

The Eee PC 901 is the latest iteration of Asus' mini laptop series and it's faster and better than its predecessor. Coming in Linux or Windows XP versions, it now boasts Intel's Atom N270 CPU, made especially for mini laptops to improve performance and battery life

Hannspree HANNSnote netbook: Oh God, not another one

It looks as if the market for weird-shaped monitors, TVs and digital photo frames may be drying up, because Hannspree -- regular purveyor of such gizmos -- is now trying its hand in the netbook arena
Dell Inspiron Mini 10v: Flying V

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10v is the little brother to the Mini 10. But what does the V stand for? Value? Virtue? Vimto?
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2: Netbook sequel

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 is the follow-up to the S10, tweaking the keypad and generally doing the things a sequel should do
Packard Bell EasyNote Butterfly, TR series, dot m and s: Battery life not pants

Packard Bell has announced the battery-tastic EasyNote Butterfly and stylish TR-series laptops, and dot m and s netbooks
Acer Aspire One 751h: Screen gets bigger, also ace-er?

Acer has bumped the Aspire One's screen size to a whopping 11.6 inches. Will a hefty battery life and high-res screen make up for that bigger frame?
Asus Eee PC 1004DN: Plays ceeedeees, deeeveeedeees

Oh great, another Eee PC. But hang on just a cotton-pickin' minute, true beeeliever: the Asus Eee PC 1004DN is the first to include an optical disk drive
Samsung N110, N120: 10-hour netbooks

Samsung has detailed a new pair of 10.1-inch mini laptops -- the N110 and N120, which claim to offer seriously impressive battery life
Samsung Q320 and R522: Hi-def laptops

Samsung laptops are like buses, apparently: you wait ages and then five come along at once. We'd like to see a bus with a hi-def screen like the Q320 or 5 hours battery life like the R522 -- it'd look really weird
Hi-Grade England laptop: Back of the netbook

You can dance Nobby's dance, you can dance it in France... or anywhere you like with Hi-Grade's official England football team netbook and laptop. Eng-er-land!
Samsung N310 netbook: Kills germs fast

Samsung has announced a 10-inch netbook for May. The N310 has a 93 per cent-sized keyboard, and also disposes of nasties
Photos: LG X120 3G netbook hands-on

LG's latest netbook incorporates wireless 3G Internet, looks decent, and unlike almost all netbooks, it's actually usable. We know, madness!
The Asus N10J: A netbook that handles gaming

From the same company that started the netbook revolution, the people at Asus have taken the market one step further by including a graphics card in their new model, the ten-inch N10J
Photos: LG Netbook X110 in the pink with 3G

We've just gone hands-on with the LG Netbook X110, people, and it's right up there with the absolute best of the best. Yeah, that's right -- even the legendary Eee PC S101
Orange launches Eee 901 with embedded 3G

Mobile network Orange will soon offer its first netbook with embedded 3G and bundled airtime. It is not the first UK operator to do so, but it will offer 3GB of usage compared to Vodafone's 1GB
New netbooks: HP Mini 1000, Compaq 7000, Vivienne Tam edition

Just when you thought the netbook market was congested enough, in comes HP with not one, but three new models
Possible Apple netbook tracked on the Web

Apple CEO Steve Jobs danced around the idea of Apple releasing a netbook on Tuesday, but such a device might already be in the wild, according to the visitor logs of an Internet search company
MSI Wind U120: Netbook rocks HSDPA

MSI has just sent us details of a successor to its fantastic Wind U100 netbook. It's called the U120, and it's a more advanced version of the standard Wind
Toshiba NB110: NB stands for netbook

Toshiba has finally woken up and smelt the netbook coffee, announcing an 8.9-inch laptop at Ceatec in Japan. Running on Intel Atom and Windows XP, it's business as usual
Samsung NC10 netbook: Cheap, but in a good way

There's only so long a company as large as Samsung can watch Eee PCs and their ilk fly off shelves, so we're not in the slightest bit surprised to see it announce a netbook of its own