MusicRadar

Acer's Aspire One is a leading contender in the current netbook market.

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None of us would argue with the idea that portability and steadily shrinking technology has transformed audio production. From the world of the laptop DJ to the location recordist, bytes held on hard drives have replaced ferric oxide and magnetic tape.

In the hierarchy of gadgetry, smaller has nearly always meant more expensive. However, this notion was turned on its head in late 2007 with the release of the first low-priced 'netbook' from a company previously known for motherboards. The oddly-named Asus (pronounced 'ahsoos') released two diminutive laptops with even weirder names: the Eee PC 700 and 701.

These two devices were designed for casual browsing, instant messaging and the occasional email, which explains the quickly-acquired term 'netbook'. But, rather than aping the 'small form factor equals big price tag' ethic of other laptop manufacturers, the 701 could be grabbed for around £220.

For the same price as a decent mobile phone, you got a crisp screen at 800x480 resolution, a modest CPU with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of solid-state storage, all wrapped within a plastic case that measured 22.5x16.4x2.15cm and weighed less than a kilogram. It's no surprise that Asus couldn't keep up with the demand.

Flooded market

2008 was punctuated by one manufacturer after another popping up with their own netbooks, each with slightly better performance than the last. Worthy candidates for your appraisal include the MSI Wind, which has garnered many fans thanks to its sturdy build quality and storage potential, and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, which includes an Express expansion slot.

Asus have also flooded the market with what seems like an impossible number of variations on the original Eee PC, but it's fair to say that this model has lost ground to some of its competitors.

If you're in the market for a netbook, the only thing you really need to avoid is the inferior VIA processor. The smart money is on Intel's Atom CPU, and that's what's lurking inside our current favourite netbook, the Aspire One. With a slightly bigger keyboard and screen than the original Eee PC, it's more suitable for longer periods of work, and offers the same broad hardware as the majority of its competitors.

More expensive devices, from the likes of HP and Dell, are priced closer to a genuine notebook, which we think is missing the point slightly. However, capabilities and pricing change almost weekly, with even Apple being rumoured to be planning a launch into the market.

And, with Asus making a strong commitment to raising its game in 2009, it's always worth finding out the current state of play before spending money.