But netbooks have found a niche in the market and that market is rapidly growing. In fact, as we slowly leave the clutches of the global economic downturn, it is noteworthy that netbooks have more than withstood the recession. They dominated the laptop market.

Netbooks are bare counterparts of laptops and notebooks. They are very cheap but they cover the essentials like wireless connectivity and basic mobile computing features. Though they are not desktop replacement laptops nor gaming or video editing devices, the general public has found its values to be satisfactory.

The Asus Eee PC is largely credited as the pioneer in this niche. But, much has happened since the Eee PC invaded the market in 2007. Every significant manufacturer now has its own netbook to offer to the public. And, for this reason we came up with what we think are the top 5 netbooks for 2009.

5. Asus Eee PC 901

The Asus Eee PC 901 features a nice 8.9-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution. A 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor is at its core and it has 1 GB of RAM (DDR2). The Eee PC 901 features 802.11n Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. There are also three USB ports, integrated Ethernet, a webcam and stereo speakers.

The Asus Eee PC 901 offers snappy performance and great battery life. It is a budget notebook with features found in its more expensive counterparts. We certainly like its gesture-compatible mouse controls and the availability of 802.11n Wi-Fi.

4. The Acer Aspire One D150

The Acer Aspire One D150 is an improved version of the original Acer Aspire One. The D150 comes with a 10-inch screen – an improvement from the original 9-inch offering. It has the customary Intel Atom N270 processor at 1.6 GHz with 1 GB of RAM. Disk space is at 160 GB and operating system is Windows XP.

We like the Acer Aspire One D150 because it has the features offered by other netbooks at a relatively lower price. The build quality is good, the internal memory is expandable, the 10-inch screen is more than adequate for a netbook and the processing speed is faster than we had expected. There’s a reason why it is one of the best selling netbooks around – because it works well.

3. The Asus Eee PC 1000HE

The Asus Eee PC 1000HE is run by an Intel Atom 280 processor at 1.6 GHz, with 1 GB of RAM and a 160 GB of storage. A 6-cell battery keeps it on and running up to 9.5-hours. Keyboard is 92 percent near full size and it has a 10.5-inch LED-backlit display. Also offered are three USB ports, a webcam, a 4-in-1 card reader and Ethernet and WiFi connectivity.

What we like about the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is its price, its build quality and the ease by which it can be upgraded. The easy-access panels are well thought out and we love the Super Hybrid Engine feature, which allows one to choose combinations of speed and battery life. The 1000HE does not pretend to be what it’s not; it is still a netbook and a great one at that.

2. HP Mini-Note 2140

The HP Mini-Note 2140 is targeted for the business user. It is built around a solid aluminum/magnesium alloy chassis and is certainly built to withstand the regular abuse of mobile computing. Standard features include an Intel Atom 270 processor (1.6GHz), 1 GB of RAM (can be upgraded to 2 GB), a 160 GB of disk space, an 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and a 10.1-inch display. Keyboard is 92 percent of regular-sized keyboards.

The HP Mini-Note 2140 is in our list of top five netbooks for 2009 for a number of reasons. We like its durable yet tasteful design. The user would find the spill-resistant keyboard comfortable to work on. The HP Mini-Note 2140 also has an accelerometer that detects when the computer is in freefall and automatically shuts off the hard drive to prevent damage. The ExpressCard slot offers fantastic expansion possibilities and there are multiple configuration options. The well-built HP Mini-Note 2140, in our eyes, is a step ahead of most of its peers.

1. Lenovo IdeaPad S12

The Lenovo IdeaPad is blessed with a 12-inch brightly-lit screen, a full-sized keyboard, and an ExpressCard slot. This netbook comes pre-loaded with Windows XP and runs up to five hours on its six-cell battery. It runs on an Atom N270 processor at 1.6 GHz, has 1 GB of RAM and a storage capacity of 160 GB.

We rated the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 as our top choice for Netbook for 2009. It is one of the very few netbooks on the market that has bravely challenged our notion of what a netbook should be. The 12-inch screen, the better typing experience, the ExpressCard slot, and, on the whole, a well-packaged product that has won great reviews among its users, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is definitely a winner. And it definitely earns our nod as the top netbook for 2009.

Related posts:

1. Top 5 Netbooks.
2. Should You buy a Netbook?
3. Lenovo IdeaPad S10 – Netbook Review