We’ve got brand-new Ratings of 13 of the hottest new products around—netbooks. These tiny laptops are designed to serve as an easily totable alternative to your full-service laptop.

So how do they stack up? Netbooks use a less-powerful processor than regular laptops, so they’re not speedy performers. Another gotcha: The keyboards and touchpads can be small and uncomfortable to use, especially for extended periods. They’re best for light word processing, e-mailing, and Web surfing.

But there’s also lots of good news. Battery life on the best of them runs from 5.5 to 9 hours, and many weigh under 3 lbs. The price also tends to be light; most cost less than $400.

The bottom line is, when you buy a netbook, you make tradeoffs. For example, the two recommended models with more comfortable keyboards did not do as well for portability as the other two recommended netbooks, which had the longest battery life. —Donna Tapellini