6. Packard Bell Dot S - £260
Since being bought by Acer in 2008, we've seen an upward trend in Packard Bell machines. The updated Dot S adds to this legacy, combining great usability and unique features at a pleasing price.
Build quality is excellent and the resilient plastics will be more than tough enough to withstand daily family use. The slim chassis can easily be carried in a small bag, with a fantastic 502-minute battery life to boot.
The spacious keyboard is a pleasure to use, with a near-flawless typing action. The spacious touchpad is great to use too, with its wide design matching the screen of the Dot S perfectly.
A unique feature of recent Packard Bell netbooks and laptops is a dedicated social networks key. When pressed, a proprietary software application opens and provides instant access to Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.
Combining a striking consumer design and all-day battery life with great usability and unique features, the Dot S succeeds on almost every level. This is by far one of the best netbooks you can currently buy.
