What is the best netbook available right now under $500?

Toshiba NB505-N508BL 10.1-Inch Netbook (Blue)

Leave your laptop at home. Tell your tablet or smartphone to step back. Because now you can enjoy a better Internet experience on the run, thanks to the stylish, award-winning Toshiba mini NB505 netbook-a value-rich companion PC offering a smart, ... read more...

This one has 250GB of hard disk space, a 10 inch screen that is LED backlit, equipped with Windows 7, and battery life of over 8 hours. The best feature is its full keyboard. You can type and browse easily and comfortably. The only thing I might suggest is upgrading the memory but other wise this is a great choice.

✔ Highest voted answer

Reply · Send thanks · posted 93 days ago · 1 person agrees

Acer Aspire One AO722-0473 11.6-Inch HD Netbook (Espresso Black)

Acer AO722-0473 comes with these high level Specs. AMD Dual-Core C-Series Processor C-60 1.0GHz with TurboCORE Technology up to 1.33GHz, Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit), 11.6" HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display, AMD A50M Fusion Chipset, ATI Radeon ... read more...

The only negetive reviews for this netbook is one guy who tried to run Ubuntu on it, and another who has abnormally large hands. With an extremely high RAM/HDD for the size, the Acer Aspire seems to be one of the best netbooks out there.

Reply · Send thanks · posted 94 days ago

ASUS Eee PC 1015PX-SU17-BU 10.1-Inch Netbook - Blue

10.1"WSVGA (1024x600)/Atom N570/2GB DDR3/320G HDD/no Optical Drive/Windows 7 Starter 32 bit/802.11bgn/Bluetooth 3.0/3 x USB 2.0 ports/VGA port/2-in-1 Card reader (SD/MMC)/Up to 11 Hours battery life/1yr warranty read more...

I like Asus. Solid stuff. In my opinion this would be a good purchase for you, as long as you know what you are buying. It is by no means a high performance laptop, but netbooks in general
aren't designed for heavy use.
This will be an excellent tool for light use, such as casual web browsing and emails and word docs and stuff. Battery life will be excellent. Asus says up to 11 hours.... Exaggeration! but it will still be really good.
As for speed it will be decent, but keep in mind, like I said, it's not going to e a powerhouse. (look at the link I provided if you want the performance specs)
It has some good features like pre-loaded Windows 7, webcam, and a nice sized keyboard.
Keep in mind that, being a netbook, there is no optical drive.