Mainstream Netbooks Now Below $300. Huge Bargains to be Had.

Everyone was disappointed when the One Laptop Per Child project promised to usher in a new age of $100 notebooks, only to fall flat with its underwhelming XO laptop selling for well over $200. But that was over two years ago, and the for-profit netbook market has been hugely successful at pushing price points lower. Now, fresh for the holiday season, we see powerful netbooks selling right now for under $300.

These aren’t underpowered systems running some unheard-of Linux flavor either. These systems all have 1GB of RAM, a standard Intel Atom N270 or N280 CPU, and either Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter edition. Many of them even have 6-cell batteries.

Here’s a sampling of what’s available right now:

• The Samsung N120 can be bought for just $295. The N120 is one of the best netbooks around, because of its extremely-wide keyboard and 7+ hours of endurance. It’s available with a 1.6 GHz CPU, 6-cell battery, and 160GB.
• The Samsung N130 is now available for $285 and sports a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, Windows XP home and a long-lasting 6-cell battery. We have not reviewed this system, but other Samsung netbooks, such as the Samsung N120 mentioned above and the Samsung N110 and have been among our favorites, because of their awesome keyboards and long battery lives.
• Acer’s Aspire One AOD250 is on sale for a mere $254.99 if you’re willing to settle for 3 hours or less of endurnace. The system comes with a 3-cell battery and also has Windows XP, a 1.6 GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive.
• The HP Mini 311 is a splurge at $399 but offers an 11.6-inch screen and Nvidia ION graphics that make it capable of playing HD video.

If you want more information or none of these appeal to you, check out our detailed list of netbook gift ideas.