Get an HP Pavilion dm1z ultraportable for $369.99
One of my all-time favorite laptops is on sale for one of the lowest prices ever. It may lack an optical drive, but it's much more than a Netbook.
This is an update of a deal I posted several months ago.
Most laptops shouldn't fly coach. I was reminded of this not long ago while trying to contort myself in strange and painful ways at 33,000 feet. Never again.
A Netbook would have been a much better fit, but I find most models too small for my taste--and too underpowered as well.
Luckily, I found a happy medium: HP has the Pavilion dm1z ultraportable laptop for $369.99 shipped (after applying coupon code SAVE30HP). That's a savings of around $130.
The dm1z may look like a Netbook, with its 11.6-inch screen, absent optical drive, and overall compactness, but, brother, it ain't no Netbook.
HP outfits the system with a dual-core AMD Fusion processor (which includes discrete graphics), 3GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery (which, according to CNET, lasted well over 5 hours in a video playback test--"better than the 11-inch MacBook Air and every other 11-inch laptop we've tested in recent memory").
The dm1z's gorgeous LED-backlit screen delivers 1,366x768-pixel resolution, which is good enough to watch high-def movies--and the Radeon HD 6310M graphics processor has enough muscle to play them smoothly. (I've seen few actual Netbooks that can play full-screen video without hiccups.)
Want to learn more? I reviewed the dm1z back in March and found it to be an almost-perfect portable PC.
Bottom line: if you're looking for a machine that's compact like a Netbook but powerful like a laptop, I think the Pavilion dm1z is an excellent choice--especially at this price.
Bonus deal: Several readers asked me to talk about the Logitech Revue with Google TV, which is now selling for $99. I have no hands-on experience with the product, and I'm honestly not sure how it's any better than, say, an Apple TV or Roku box. If you want to weigh in, hit the comments!