Recommended netbooks

This type of tiny laptop usually weighs less than 3 pounds and is an ideal travel mate or third or fourth "home" computer. They are suitable for e-mail, the Web, and light office work but not photo editing or serious gaming. (For more information, see The Skinny on Netbooks on CR’s Electronics Blog.)

These two showed promise in early tests, offering competent performance at a low price. Each runs Windows XP and has a webcam.

• Lenovo IdeaPad S10, $400

It has a 10.1-inch screen, 512MB of memory, and an 80GB hard drive. The track pad is small. Battery life is 2.7 hours.

• Asus Eee PC 904HA (shown), $400

This has an 8.9-inch screen but is wider than other models tested, and it has the best keyboard. It's heavier and bulkier than most but has a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of memory. Battery life is 5.5 hours.

We're still testing various netbook models, so check our Electronics Blog for the posts about netbooks.