You say “strikingly average looking,” meaning, I assume, its technology and not its physical appearance. I have no reason to disagree, but (as somebody who will be in the market in five weeks or so) I have a question: which mini-laptops are ABOVE average? Should I look beyond what have been the big four: Asus, Acer, HP, MSI? My needs aren't such that I want to pay top dollar for cutting edge technology, but I also don't want to waste my money on mediocrity when for the same or slightly more money I could get a superior computer. For me, the display and the keyboard are the top priorities. Good battery life and in-machine storage are desirable, not crucial. By the way, I get the impression that a number of new netbooks are coming to the American market including ones from companies new to the mini-laptop form. Maybe in a month my options will change.

You say “strikingly average looking,” meaning, I assume, its technology and not its physical appearance. I have no reason to disagree, but (as somebody who will be in the market in five weeks or so) I have a question: which mini-laptops are ABOVE average? Should I look beyond what have been the big four: Asus, Acer, HP, MSI? My needs aren't such that I want to pay top dollar for cutting edge technology, but I also don't want to waste my money on mediocrity when for the same or slightly more money I could get a superior computer. For me, the display and the keyboard are the top priorities. Good battery life and in-machine storage are desirable, not crucial. By the way, I get the impression that a number of new netbooks are coming to the American market including ones from companies new to the mini-laptop form. Maybe in a month my options will change.