I often get asked the same questions while working on residential computers in St. Louis and when I get asked too many times I'll often write an article about the question at hand.  In this article I'm going to tell you what a NetBook is and more importantly what to look for in one, plus some accessories that you may really want to consider.

Simply put, a netbook is...

• a very small laptop with a screen size of about 10.1 inches.
• used for taking notes, chatting, listening to music and browsing the internet.
• very light, about 3.5 lbs or less.
• not used for performing demanding CPU tasks such as graphic design.
• not used for lots of multitasking (open a lot of applications at once...like more than 7-10).
• not used for writing book length documents.  Most netbooks have compressed keyboards and contrary to the marketing are not exactly easy to type on.

If you're going to be buying a netbook for yourself should look for the following components:

• Intel Atom Processor.
• 1 GigaByte (GB) of RAM Minimum.  If you can, go for 2 GigaBytes (GB) of RAM.
• Make sure your screen looks good in a lot of light (like outside).
• Look for wireless adapters that support B,G and N signals.
• Full keyboards really make typing much easier, but if you have to settle for a smaller keyboard don't go lower than 92% compressed keyboard.
• Integrated webcam support makes video chatting much easier since you won't have to carry around an external webcam.
• Battery life of 6 hours or more.
• Windows 7.  It's the latest Microsoft OS and it's truly a major upgrade from Windows XP.  I would highly suggest upgrading your RAM to 2 GB if your going to be running Windows 7 Start Edition.

Some accessories that you may really want to consider are:

• USB DVD-ROM Drive.  Most netbooks do not come with built-in DVD-ROM and it some point you're going to want to access a CD\DVD.
• Netbook bag or sleeve.  Just like any other laptop, netbooks can get wet, scratched and dropped.  A bag or sleeve is just must if you want to physically protect your netbook.
• USB laptop laser mouse.  Netbooks have a really small mouse pad (finger pad) so having a small USB laser mouse allows you to get around on the internet so much easier.