I need to disclose upfront that I’m not highly technologically advanced. I know what basic features that I need in a product and I am pretty good about researching and finding them for the best price. My son insisted that he needed a sleek, lightweight, fast running dependable laptop on which he could surf the web, download music and games, do his homework, email, IM and take notes.

Do you often find yourself out on the road, wishing you had a computer to take with you to do some web browsing or work from just about anywhere? If so, then you may want to start looking for a mini notebook computer.

Mini notebooks have really started booming over the past few years because of their very compact size and built-in wireless compatibility. They are also usually much more affordable than your average notebook computers, which was a big help in the boost to their popularity as well. However, besides size, what makes them different from your standard notebook or laptop computer? There are a few key differences to keep in mind before actually shopping for and especially purchasing these computers.

Mini laptops or netbooks are the new category of laptops, they are designed as a secondary system that you can carry anywhere you go. Their size is a little bigger than a paperback book, they weigh less than 3 pounds and have battery-saving features. Mini laptop displays are about 7 to 10 inches together with about 512MB to 1GB of RAM and a traditional hard drive. Unlike other laptops, netbooks have slower energy saving processors, so games won’t run as well.

If you are in the market for a netbook here are some things to look for and watch out for: