Last week at KGB I was chatting with Mary Kowal about her new and shiny Eee PC.  Yet another writer joins the tiny notebook cult!  Huzzah!  We were discussing the merits and drawbacks of the 901 model and she asked me which one I would get were I getting a mini notebook today.  Without hesitation I said: Samsung NC10.

Cuz I’m an expert and stuff now.

I recently had to write up a piece for the day job comparing the top five 10-inch models.  There are probably some on that list you’ve never heard of and, of course, the familiar Eee PC.  In ASUS’s defense, the more expensive 10-inch models they’ve brought out recently don’t have the same problems then 1000H has, but they are, as I said, more expensive.  (The S101 is $700 or some crazy shit.)  All of the netbooks I compared are $500 or less.  Some way less.

But for those just getting into the netbook game, I suggest you skip the 8.9 inchers altogether and head straight for 10 unless price is a major, major consideration.  In that case, the 8.9-inch with the best keyboard is the Acer Aspire one.  It’s a great machine in other ways, too.  I hear that up-and-comer Genevieve Valentine has one, and everyone wants to be just like her.

So there you have it.  The two best netbooks out right now are the Samsing NC10 and the Acer Aspire one.  So says the queen.