Best Battery Life: Asus Eee PC (1005HA-EU1X)

One of the early companies to debut with the popular netbook market was ASUS and for the amount of time they have gained quite some experience in terms of their hardware designs and innovations. Enter: the Eee 10.1″ model available to customers in a spacious 160gb hdd. The display is a 1024×600 resolution WSVGA made for more ease in viewing your content. The core specs are similar to most other netbooks out on the market but perhaps what makes this netbook so popular today is the lightweight and professional looking design. The newly revamped keyboard is a great example of how far along their lineup of netbooks has come. This one also boasts a whopping 10.5 hr battery life!

Buy: Asus Eee PC 1005HA for $330

The Basics: MSI Wind (U123-003US)

Another early contender in the market of netbooks is MSI with their lineup of mobile notebooks dubbed ‘Wind.’ These attractive netbooks are not only easy on the eyes but also easy on the hassle. According to customer ratings and reviews, this piece of hardware runs spry thanks to its 1.66 gHZ processor and 667 onboard memory. Also attractive this option is the crystal clear display measuring 10.2″ and the more powerful Intel GMA 950 graphics. Should be getting plenty of mileage as well with 9-cell lithium battery and you even get a protective case to boot.

Buy: MSI Wind U123 for $380

Well Rounded: Samsung (N110-12PBK)

Samsung has seemingly been slow to adopt into the world of netbooks but I guess with time and patience you get the right product out into the world. The design is solid and its internal hardware is highlighted with Intel’s GMA 950 for video and 160gb hard drive  for storage. Also included in this tidy little notebook is Bluetooth support. Screen sizes in at 10.1″ making good use of the more capable graphics card. Runs Windows XP like a champ.

Buy: Samsung N110 for $375

Mid-Range: Acer Aspire (751h)

Arguably the brand that has been seeing a lot of market share in recent years is the Taiwan based Acer. Known for its affordable machines without sacrificing an arm and a leg, the public is now treated to one of their latest entries into the netbook coliseum. After many revisions, the Acer Aspire is now a lean mean fighting machine. Updated with the 11.6″ size screen capable of doing 1366 x 768 resolution (720p) this easily sits higher up on the food chain in the netbook world. The brilliant screen is not put to waste as it also is outfitted with an HDMI port for the greatest HD experience on the go. Plus with HD audio and support for up to a total 4GB memory you start see a blurring in the line between netbook and notebook. But staying true to its nature this fella weighs in at just 3 lbs!

Buy: Acer Aspire 751H for $390

Sweet Design: Toshiba (NB205-N310)

Also a newer brand to deliver on the netbook market is Toshiba. They already have a good reputation for making well priced and reliable notebooks so it’s not surprising that they deliver on a well made netbook. This particular model boasts a 10.1″ screen with a nice crisp 1024×600 resolution. Perhaps the most distinguishing of this netbook is the elegant design. The row of indicators light up to tell you what services you have on. The card reader is placed in the front instead on the side. The keyboard is spaced well and large enough for those with larger hands to type comfortably (as comfortably as you could on a netbook). I particularly found the raised keys on the keyboard to be a pretty aesthetically pleasing. The NB205 series are preloaded with Windows 7 starter and pack a larger 250gb hard drive that will be sure to keep the media users happy.

Buy: Toshiba NB205 for $309

Specs Master: Gateway EC Series (EC1435u)

Gateway continues to keep me interested in their latest lineups especially with their entry into netbook production. This model in particular goes head-to-head with the  Acer Aspire matching its screen size of 11.6″. It weighs in light as well and reviews have cited it to run quiet without too much fan noise. The touchpad is multi gestured and it feels nicer and more responsive than the Aspire. The operating system that does come preloaded is Windows 7 Home Premium64-bit. Max 4 GB memory capacity, 160 gb hard drive, 1x HDMI port, and 1.2ghz celeron processor.

Buy: Gateway EC1430 for $550

Best Graphics: HP Mini (311-1000NR)

HP is perhaps the leader in affordable and reliable computers and with their inclusion of a netbook lineup you can probably expect to see the same treatment. This time around it boasts a look slightly more synonymous with their full-sized notebooks and overall taking on a sturdier look (it shows in the weight slightly higher than the rest). It boasts Nvidia’s ION Le graphics solution and handles your higher quality video with less hassle and interruption. This paired with the bright 720p screen will make your media playback all more enjoyable. Battery life is also good, rated at around 6+ hours.

Buy: HP Mini 311 for $450

Tips the Scale: Lenovo IdeaPad (S12)

The Lenovo IdeaPad is pretty much a skinny-fat. It’s still marketed as a netbook however its screen size is 12″ (1024×800 resolution) and weighs roughly 3.4 lbs.  It is chock full of all the features you can find in the other netbooks out there. It sports the classic IdeaPad look  on the outside with a full-sized keyboard and a functional touchpad. Underneath the hood you’ll find a capable Nvidia ION chipset and 2gb RAM to power all your netbook endeavours. Comes preloaded Windows 7 32bit. If you’re looking to get the most out of your netbook hardware, look no further this one fits the bill!

Buy: Lenovo IdeaPad S12 for $435

This is a part of our ongoing Skatter Tech Holiday Gift Guides.

The delicate yet durable feel of the case is a good blend of classiness and strength of protection you would find in any premium quality protective cases. However this particular product boasts a neat little innovative design. The design allows the ability to use your system while still in the case! The workmanship is excellent and seems quite durable. The white stitching works with the black color of the rest of the case, especially since my Aspire One was also white. The case is held together by a magnetic clasp which is a lot nicer than alternative mechanisms such as zippers and velcro straps. The designers of the case were thoughtful when it comes to functionality since they even created pores on the bottom to allow the laptop to “breathe” meaning maintaining cooler temperatures. Although, I wasn’t to wild about the appearance of the ventilation pores, it servers a purpose and in the end goes pretty much unnoticed.

Furthermore, there are various sized pockets suitable for holding a couple of your SD cards as well as a credit card sized pocket. A look behind those reveal an even larger pocket; ideal for holding perhaps a lint-free cloth for maintaining the Acer’s LCD screen while traveling. The careful placement of the cut outs in the leather design provide access to every necessary hardware component. Components such as the track pad, Wi-Fi indicator/switch, and card reader are all accessible through cutouts in the case. I originally assumed a case would make typing difficult, but I instead found the tiny palm rests even more comfortable with the leather covering. The simplicity and compactness makes the case an excellent accessory. There is always a slight addition of bulk with any case, but this case was just the right balance from providing enough protection without too much extra baggage.

Conclusion:
Proporta’s Leather Case for the Acer Aspire One is affordable and durable. Prior to reviewing this product I was using a generic polyester case for portable DVD players. The substantial difference was the fact that I would no longer need to create a commotion during a class lecture to take out my laptop with a noisy zippers, which is definitely a thumbs up on Proporta’s magnetic clasp design. If you are in the market for a case for your netbook and enjoy the leather look, this accessory is a great choice. And if you are conscious of animal rights, Proporta delivers this to you animal parts-free! And as a bonus, as a reader of Skatter Tech, you are entitled to a 10% discount. Just enter the code “skattertech” (no quotes) during checkout. In addition Proporta provides a Lifetime Warranty on this product!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Links: Proporta.com