In the past netbooks used to cost a lot than their bigger laptop cousins ;-) because those days the manufactures had to make dedicated CPU/RAM/Motherboard, etc that are smaller + still retaining the performance, although the performance wasn't as high as the Laptops but somewhat closer.
But the technology has advanced thus the manufactures have come up with different solutions such as cheaper versions of CPU that aren't as fast as the desktop or the "usual" Laptop versions but in general they've been able to cut the price quite significantly not just by manufacturing "cheaper" versions of the hardware devices (subtle plastic out-fits, LCD screens, etc) but the main reason is the growing demand the "market" which is now quite expanded thus this is one of the reasons for the price being somewhat lower than in the past.
Anyhow, if you want even cheaper versions then yes it is possible to find cheap netbooks under $200 or $ 250 but please be aware of the fact that, in my opinion, if you want a netbook that's a closer match to a usual Laptop than you'd be better of with something that starts with a price range of $350+. But that being said... there are few netbooks around $200-250 that are quite powerful and useful nonetheless.
Also remember, for a such cheaper price you won't be getting a larger screen (I'm talking about 11"+) and as a result all these netboks will have a smaller
keyboard thus
if you're a touch-typist then again, think twice before you purchase since they're certainly not that comforting neither efficient because of the smaller size (you won't be able to achieve your usual typing speeds with these keyboards).
But that being said in this small list that I compiled has two 10.1" screen netbooks that the manufactures have been able to include a full size keyboards nonetheless!.
Anyhow if you're ready then I don't have a huge list since I tried to come up with reasonable ones rather than cheap shitt* stuff (these are all highly rated products, 4/5 or more user ratings) ... so here it goes...
1. ASUS Eee PC 1001PXD-EU17-BU 10.1-Inch
This is a beautiful looking Netbook from ASUS EeePC family, and from the beginning the Asus Eee PC family had
one of the best looking netbooks in comparison with other products. When considering the hardware details and customer feedback, its asking price it is more than acceptable.
Hardware details in brief...
*. Comes with three color choices (Blue/Black/White).
*. Intel Atom N455 (1.66GHz).
*. 1 GB DDR3 (max up to 2GB).
*. 250GB Sata HDD with 5400 rpm.
*. No CD/DVD drive but can plug-in a separate external drive nonetheless.
*. 10.1-Inch Matte 1024X600 WSVGA LED Display.
*. Wi-Fi, 0.3MP front web camera, Reader MMC/SD(SDHC).
*. 4 Hours of battery (will change according to the usage).
*. Comes with Windows 7 Starter pre-installed.
*. Total weight (including the battery) is about 1.1 kg.
2. ASUS Eee PC 1001PXD-EU17-BK 10.1-Inch
As you can see from the name this is almost "copy" of the above mentioned model (including the hardware details) So what's the catch ;-) ?. Well it's the price. It's about $20 cheaper than the above model but it weights a bit higher which is about 1.5 kg. Other than that little weight increase I think this is an excellent netbook around $200-250 range.
3. Toshiba Mini NB255-N245 10.1-Inch
This one is from Toshiba and in my experience they're not the ones with cheaper prices usually. You can buy this netbook from Amazon but please be aware that they don't have brand new ones only have used and refurbished ones only. But again this is another product that has a lot of positive user feedback and importantly you can expect for a 8 hours + battery life from it as well.
Hardware specifications...
*. 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor (512 KB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB).
*. 1 GB DDR2 RAM and expandable up to 2GB (note: unlike with the other models on this article... this one comes with the a bit older "ddr2" RAM module thus there may be a slight decrease in performance but since the processor FSB is also 667MHZ it doesn't make a lot of sense to have a DDR3 on the other hand either).
*. 160 GB SATA hard drive.
*. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 up to 250MB shared memory.
*. Wi-Fi.
*. Has an excellent Full size keyboard which is very rare for a 10.1 netbook!. Excellent for touch typists.
*. Memory card reader and 3 USB 2.0 ports.
*. 6-cell battery with up to 8 hours of battery life (this again will change according to the usage from the user).
*. Total weight of 1.04 kg and is one of the most lightest too.
*. Comes with MS Windows 7 Starter edition.
4. Acer Aspire One AOD257-13876 10.1-Inch
Another beauty form Acer Aspire series. If I'm not mistaken I think it was actually Acer who was among the first few manufactures to introduce the whole "mini Atom Netbook" thing -;). Although they do have the never AMD Dual-core versions but it costs a bit high at the moment... but this model is another netbook under $250 range and comes with powerful hardware and is certainly more powerful than the above mentined models since this one comes with a dual-core processor!.
*. Intel® Atom? Dual-Core N570 1.66Ghz with 1MB L2 cache.
*. 1GB of DDR 3 Memory.
*. 250 GB Sata HDD (5400 rpm).
*. 10.1 WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit Display.
*. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 (64MB dedicated).
*. 4 Hours of
battery life (will change according to your application usage, etc).
*. 3 USB 2.0 ports.
*. Card reader.
*. About 1.2 kg of weight.
*. 0.3MP front camera and Wi-Fi are among the main hardware details.
So as said these are actually a few cheap netbooks under $200 - $250 range (more likely under $250 actually) and if you have more suggestions or recommendations, I'm more than willing to hear. Good luck.
