Treat the prospective purchase of a netbook as you would any other purchase. You and your netbook will spend much time together - take one out for a spin and kick the tires before you make your decision! Knowing what your needs are, how much you are willing to spend and what the performance ratings are on the models you are attracted to will make the purchase must less painful!

Complete these three steps to reveal your perfect match:

1. Sit down and think about your needs. Knowing the answers to these questions will help to focus your search and discussions with any sales associates! Will you be using your netbook for business, pleasure, or strictly gaming? This will give you some idea of whether you need a large amount of memory and what type of software might optimize your computer experience. Know what you will be doing the most ... Excel spreadsheets, genealogy charts, putting together a recipe book for the church? There are software programs which will make your life easier - and some of them may come included at no charge with your netbook!

2. Compare Value! Visit the individual websites of the models which interest you. It is suggested making a sheet with several columns on to keep track of the information gathered. How much memory does the computer have? - Which software is included? - What are the associated costs of the upgrades you might wish?

3. Read consumer reports! Before making any type of purchase, I recommend reading consumer reports. Consumer Reports tests consumable goods and reports back on the good, bad and the ugly in each category. Look and see how your perfect match compares to the other top models tested and how the model you were thinking about purchasing matches your needs.

4. Find a bargain! Log onto online stores to see if the model you have selected is on sale online or in an area store. Most of the top netbooks range in price from US $299 - $399.

There are many sites which compare netbooks and other consumable goods. According to the web site Laptopmatrix, the top netbooks were listed as: Samsung; Acer Aspire One; Asees Eee PC901; Lenovo Idea S10; MSI Wind u100; Dell Inspiron Mini; Asees Eee PC 1005HA.

Most of the entries on Laptopmatrix website were comparable in memory, etc. with the exception to the Lenovo model which had considerably less memory.

Consumer Reports, however, list the top three netbooks as the Acer Aspire One models, in this particular order: Acer Aspire One A0751h 1259; Acer Aspire One AOA 150; Acer Aspire One AOD 156-1165.

To find information on these and any netbooks you may be interested in, please visit the manufacturer`s website for more complete information - and live happily ever after with your perfect match!