Rise of the high-def Netbooks

It sometimes seems as if Netbook makers are engaged in a dangerous race to the bottom, pulling out all the stops to get their products on shelves at slightly lower prices than the next guy. While S$899 (US$661.89) used to be the Netbook starting price, that quickly slipped to S$799 (US$588.27), and now S$699 (US$514.64)--or less, if you get a subsidized unit as part of a mobile phone carrier's data plan contract.

Even Netbooks that cost S$100 (US$73.63) to S$200 (US$147.25) more than that typically offer only better construction and nicer designs--they're often virtually identical under the hood to the least expensive systems, with an Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP, and a 160GB hard drive.

One new area where Netbooks have been able to offer a clear reason for stepping up to a more expensive system is with a high-definition display. The typical 10-inch Netbook screen is 1,024 x 600--which is readable, but often cramped for scrolling long Web pages or working on office docs.

A recent trend in Netbooks, available in both 10.1- and 11.6-inch screens, bumps the resolution up to 1,366 x 768. The difference is clear when trying to read an online article without excessive scrolling, or doing a lot of cutting and pasting on a Word doc or spreadsheet. It also works well for 720p HD video content--although your mileage may vary, depending on the source, compression, and media player app. Netbook hardware can't always handle the strain of smooth HD video.

We've had five Netbooks with 1,366 x 768 screens cross our Lab bench recently. The Sony Vaio W and Dell Mini 10 (the latter is also available with a standard 1024 x 600 screen) are both 10-inch models, and each costs around S$899 (US$661.89)--a healthy premium over non-HD Netbooks.

Asus' Eee PC 1101HA and Acer's Aspire One 751 were less expensive 11-inch Netbooks, but both used the z520 version of Intel's Atom CPU, which led to annoyingly slow performance (the Asus did offer some onboard overclocking for its wimpy processor, but that's a Band Aid approach).

We found the most satisfying HD Netbook experience in an unexpected place. Gateway's 11-inch Netbook now costs only S$888 (US$653.79), and used an AMD L110 CPU, which gave us a smoother overall experience (albeit at the expense of battery life), along with 2GB of RAM and a larger 250GB hard drive.

Check out the details of each of our 1,366 x 768 Netbooks below. But beware, as we've pointed out previously, none of these systems include the free Windows 7 upgrade you'd get with a mainstream laptop purchase.

Click here for a feature comparison table.

	1.	Gateway LT3104g/LT3105g (AMD Athlon 64 L110 Processor 1.2GHz, 2GB RAM) Outlook One of the first 11.1-inch Netbooks in the market, it sports an amazing high-resolution screen and ATI Mobility Radeon graphics performance, but drops the ball on battery life despite its underpowered 1.2GHz AMD processor. See full specs | Rate this
	2.	Sony Vaio VPC-W115XG/P (Atom N280 Processor 1.66GHz, 1GB RAM)   CNET Asia rating: 6.7 out of 10 The good: High-resolution display; cool color combos; typical high-quality Sony construction and design. The bad: Poor battery life; smallish keyboard; loud fan. The bottom line: Attempting to create a premium-priced version of a Netbook, Sony has added a high-definition display to the Vaio W. It's an attractive step-up package, but the internal components are the same as in cheaper models. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	Asus Eee PC 1101HA (Intel Atom Z520 Processor 1.33GHz, 1GB RAM)   CNET Asia rating: 7.9 out of 10 The good: Bigger 11-inch, high-resolution screen; overclockable CPU; great battery life. The bad: Slightly slower, more expensive than standard Netbooks. The bottom line: Swelling the ranks of 11.6-inch Netbooks, the Asus Eee PC 1101HA impresses with its design and battery. But having to overclock a slower version of Intel's Atom CPU is a dodgy workaround. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Dell Inspiron Mini 10 (Intel Atom Z530 Processor 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM)   First take Dell's strategy in the Netbook market has left some industry observers scratching their heads. Its first model, the Inspiron Mini 9, was a run-of-the-mill 8.9-inch Netbook which didn't break any conventions but fought on price. Its next model, the Mini 12, made a great leap, screen-wise, and was the first Atom-based machine to hit the 12-inch mark. First take | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	Acer Aspire One 751 (Intel Atom Z520 Processor 1.33GHz, 1GB RAM) Outlook With its generous screen and large keyboard, the largest Acer Netbook to date has the right balance of portability and usability. A pity that the Taiwanese maker decided to go with a slower 1.33GHz processor instead of the more common 1.66GHZ Atom chip. See full specs | Rate this