Many folks have asked me for a recommendation of a second laptop for use by their kids or spouse. Basically, the criteria is something inexpensive for web surfing and checking email. With that in mind mini-notebooks also called net-books are all the rage. These are small inexpensive laptops that fit the bill perfectly. Most manufacturers have been tripping over themselves to get their version of this small device to market. Of all the choices, I recommend giving the Dell Mini a close look. The starting price currently ranges from $349 to $449. You can choose either Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP as an operating system. All configurations come with solid state drives, wireless networking, and decent battery life. Color choices are Obsidian Black or Alpine White.