Basic and inexpensive. Practical and small. Mini-notebooks, a new category of laptops, are designed as secondary systems that you can toss into a bag and take anywhere. These machines deliver the Web, e-mail, and productivity punch in a body only slightly larger than a paperback book. They typically weigh less than 3 pounds and feature battery-saving Intel or VIA processors, 7- to 10-inch displays, 512MB to 1GB of RAM, solid state or traditional hard drives, and Linux or Windows operating systems.

Mini-notebooks lack the raw power of their larger brethren. You won’t find dual-core processors or discrete graphics in these circles, but you will get true portability without paying the hefty prices of traditional ultraportables. With so many manufacturers jumping onto the mini-notebook bandwagon, choosing the best model to suit you particular needs can be difficult. We’ve culled the most vital aspects you’ll need to brush up on to help you make a wise purchase. Happy mini-computing.